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And all that befell him there was only just punishment for his faithlessness. How could he feel anger with Kennit? Had not Paragon betrayed him first? A deep groan broke loose inside Paragon. He gripped his stillness and his silence like a shield.

The light tread of running feet on his deck. Two slender hands on his railing. ‘Paragon? What is the matter?’

He could not tell her. She would not understand, and to speak would only break his promise more thoroughly than it was already broken. He bowed his face into his hands and sobbed, his shoulders shaking and his hands trembling.

‘There, I told you, didn’t I? It’s him.’ The voices came from below. Someone was down there on the water near the bow, staring up at him. Staring and jeering and mocking. Soon they would begin to throw things. Dead fish and rotten fruit.

‘You down there, stand clear of our ship!’ Amber warned them in a stern voice. ‘Take your gig away from here.’

They paid no attention. ‘If he was Igrot’s ship, then where is Igrot’s star?’ another voice demanded. ‘He put that star on everything that belonged to him.’

The long-ago horror of the star being cut into his chest was eclipsed by the memory of a thousand inky needle-pricks jabbing the same emblem into his hip. He began to tremble. Every plank in his body shuddered. The calm waters of the lagoon shivered against him.

‘Paragon. Steady, steady. It will be all right. Say nothing.’ Amber spoke swiftly, trying to calm him, but her words could not take away the ancient sting.

‘Star or not, I’m right. I know I am.’ The man in the boat below sounded very smug. ‘The chopped face is a dead giveaway. Moreover, it’s a liveship, same as I’ve always heard the tales say. Hey! Hey, ship! You were Igrot’s ship, weren’t you?’

The insult of that vile lie was too much to bear. Too often had it been flung at him, too many times he had been forced to mouth it for the boy’s sake. Never again. Never!

‘NO!’ He roared the word. ‘Not I!’ He snatched at the air in front of him, hoping that his tormentors were within reach.

‘I was never Igrot’s ship! Never! Never!

Never!’ He shouted the word until it rang in his own ears, drowning out every other lie.

Below and above and within him, he heard confused shouts.

Bare feet thundered on his decks but he didn’t care any more. ‘Never! Never! Never!’

He barked the word out, over and over, until he could think of nothing else. If he never stopped saying it, then they could never ask him anything again. If they didn’t ask, he couldn’t tell. He could at least be that true to his word and his family.

They meandered down the street in easy companionship.

The rain had eased and a few stars were starting to show in the deep blue edge of the sky.

The taverns were setting their lanterns out.

Candlelight glowed behind the shuttered windows of small homes.

Brashen’s arm was across her shoulders, and Althea’s was about his waist. Their day had gone well.

Divvytown seemed to have accepted them at their word.

If the information they had gathered was confusing, it still confirmed one thing. Kennit would return to Divvytown. Soon.

Establishing that had required several rounds of drink at the final tavern.

They were now making their way back to the ship’s boat.

They had not yet decided whether to slip quietly out of Divvytown tomorrow, or to stay on, perhaps even await Kennit’s return.

The chance of ransoming Vivacia seemed small; deceit seemed a likelier tack.

There were too many possible courses of action.

Time to go back to the ship and consider them all.

Foot traffic in the town dwindled as folk sought shelter for the night. As they wended their way down the wooden boardwalk, a couple ahead of them turned into the door of a small house and shut the door firmly behind them. A few moments later, dim candlelight shone from within.

‘I wish we were they,’ Althea observed wistfully.

Brashen’s stride checked, then slowed. He pulled her around to face him and offered quietly, ‘I could find us a room somewhere.’

She shook her head regretfully. ‘The crew is waiting down at the boat. We told them to be there by nightfall. If we’re late, they’ll assume something has gone wrong.’

‘Let them wait.’ He bent his head and kissed her hungrily.

In the chill night, his mouth was tauntingly warm.

She made a small frustrated sound. ‘Come here,’ he said gruffly.

He stepped off the boardwalk into the thick dark of the alley and drew her after him.

In the deep shadows, he pressed her back up against a wall and kissed her more leisurely.

His hands wandered down her back to her hips.

With abrupt ease, he lifted her. When his body pressed hers to the wall, she could feel the jut of his desire. ‘Here?’ he asked her thickly.

She wanted him but this was too dangerous.

‘Perhaps if I were wearing a skirt. But I’m not.

’ She pushed gently away from him and he let her down, but kept her pinned against the wall.

She did not struggle. His kiss and his touch were more intoxicating than the brandy they had shared. His mouth tasted of liquor and lust.

He broke the kiss suddenly, lifting his head like a stag at bay. ‘What’s that?’

It was like waking from a dream. ‘What’s what?’ She felt dazed.

‘That shouting. Do you hear it? From the harbour.’

The faint cries came to her ears. She could not make out the word, but with icy certainty, she knew the voice. ‘Paragon.’ She stuffed her shirt back into her waistband. ‘Let’s go.’

Side by side, they thundered down the boardwalk. There was no sense going quietly. Shouting was not unusual in a town like Divvytown, but eventually it would attract attention. Paragon was crying the same word over and over again.

They were nearly at the docks when Clef charged up to them.

‘Yer needed on ther ship, Cap’n. Paragon’s gone mad.

’ He panted the words breathlessly and then they were all running together.

As they clattered out onto the docks, Althea saw the crew of the ship’s gig waiting for them, as well as Lop.

Jek had her knife out. ‘I’ve got the stuff you bought loaded, but we’re missing two men,’ she announced.

The two former slaves were not there. Althea knew that no amount of waiting would change that.

‘Cast off,’ she ordered them tersely. ‘Get back to the ship, all of you. We’re leaving Divvytown tonight.’

There was a moment of shock, and Althea cursed herself for a drunken fool. Then Brashen demanded, ‘Didn’t you hear the mate’s order? Do I have to tell you myself?’

They scrambled down the ladder into the waiting boats.

Paragon’s voice carried clearly over the water.

‘Never, never, never!’ his deep tones belled dolorously.

Althea made out the shapes of two small boats near his bow.

He’d attracted an audience already. Doubtless, the word would burn through Divvytown that the newcomers had arrived in a liveship.

What would that convey to the pirate city?

It seemed to take all night to reach the ship.

As they gained the deck, a scowling Lavoy met them.

‘I told you this was insane!’ he rebuked Brashen.

‘The damn ship has gone crazy, and your fool carpenter did nothing to calm him. Those louts in the boat below were bellowing that he was Igrot’s ship. Is that true?’

‘Hoist anchor and our sails spread, now!’ Brashen replied. ‘Use the boats to turn us about. We’re leaving Divvytown.’

‘Tonight?’ Lavoy was outraged. ‘In the dark on a lunatic ship?’

‘Can you obey an order?’ Brashen snarled at him.

‘Maybe if it made any sense!’ Lavoy retorted.

Brashen reached out and seized the mate by the throat. He dragged him close and snarled into his face. ‘Make sense of this. If you won’t obey my orders, I’ll kill you now. Last chance. I’ve had it with your insolence.’

For an instant, the tableau held, Brashen’s hand on Lavoy’s throat, and Lavoy staring up at him. Brashen had height and reach over Lavoy, but the mate had wider shoulders and a deeper chest. Althea held her breath. Then Lavoy lowered his eyes.

Brashen released his throat. ‘Get to your task.’ He turned away.

Like a snake striking, Lavoy pulled his knife and sank it into Brashen’s back. ‘That for you!’ he roared.

Althea leapt to Brashen as he staggered forwards, eyes clenched against the pain.

In two strides, Lavoy reached the railing.

‘Stop him! He’ll betray us!’ Althea ordered.

Several crewmen sprang after him. She thought they would seize him.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Lavoy leap.

‘Damn!’ she cried, and turned. To her horror, the other men who had sprung towards him were following him over the side.

Not just the Tattooed ones from Bingtown, but other crewmen as well, leaping over the railing after Lavoy as if they were fish heading up a spawning river.

She heard the splash of swimmers below. Lavoy would betray them in Divvytown. The loyal crew gaped after them.

‘Let them go,’ Brashen commanded hoarsely. ‘We need to get out of here and we’re better off without them.’ He let go of her and stood straight.

Incredulously, she watched Brashen reach over his shoulder. With a tug, he freed Lavoy’s knife from his back. He flung it down with an oath.

‘How bad is it?’ Althea demanded.

‘Forget it for now. It didn’t go deep. Get the crew moving while I deal with Paragon.’

Without waiting for her reply, he hastened to the foredeck. Althea was left gaping after him. She caught her breath and began barking out orders to get the ship under way. Up on the foredeck, she heard Brashen give one of his own. ‘Ship! Shut your mouth! That’s an order.’

Astonishingly, Paragon obeyed. He answered both his helm and the tug of the small boats as the men below rowed frantically to bring the ship about.

The sluggish flow of the lagoon was with them, as was the prevailing wind.

As Althea sprang to her own tasks, she prayed that Paragon would keep to the channel and take them safely down the narrow river.

Like an opening blossom, their canvas bloomed in the night wind. They fled Divvytown.