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‘I well remember that she left me not long after that. And allowed Kyle to turn me into a slaver.’ Bolt arched one eyebrow at him. ‘If those were your final memories of her, what reaction would you have to her name?’

Wintrow clenched his fists at his side. He would not be distracted from his question. ‘But what are we to do? She is still our family!’

‘Our? What is this “our”? Are you confusing me with Vivacia again? Dear boy, between us there is no “we”, no “our”. There is you and there is me. When I say “we” or “our”, I am not referring to you.’ She ran her eyes over Kennit caressingly.

Wintrow was stubborn. ‘I refuse to believe there is nothing of Vivacia in you. Otherwise how could you be so bitter at the memories you do recall?’

‘Oh, dear,’ the ship muttered, and sighed. ‘Are we back to that again?’

‘I’m afraid we are,’ Kennit answered her consolingly. ‘Come, Wintrow, don’t glare like that. Be honest with me, lad. What do you expect us to do? Surrender Bolt back to Althea to prevent your feelings from being hurt? Where is your loyalty to me in that?’

Wintrow came slowly to stand beside Kennit at the railing. Eventually, he spoke. ‘My loyalty is yours, Kennit. You know that. I think you knew it even before I admitted it to myself. If you did not have my loyalty, I would not be in such pain now.’

The pirate seemed genuinely moved by this confession. He set his hand on Wintrow’s shoulder. For a time, they shared silence. ‘You, my dear boy, are so very young. You must speak aloud what you want.’ Kennit’s voice was no more than a whisper.

Wintrow turned to him in surprise. Kennit gazed ahead through the night as if he had not spoken.

Wintrow took a breath and forced his thoughts into order.

‘What I would ask of you both is that Althea not be harmed. She is my mother’s sister, blood of my blood, and true family to the ship.

Bolt may deny it, but I cannot believe that she could see Althea die and not be harmed by it.

’ In a lower voice he added, ‘I know I could not.’

‘Blood of your blood, and true family to the ship,’ Kennit repeated to himself. He squeezed Wintrow’s shoulder. ‘For myself, I promise not to harm a hair of her head. Ship?’

The figurehead shrugged her great shoulders. ‘Whatever Kennit says. I feel nothing, you see. I have no desire to kill her, or to let her live.’

Wintrow heaved a sigh of relief. He did not believe that Bolt felt nothing. There was too much tension thrumming through him; not all of it could be his own. ‘And her crew?’ he ventured.

Kennit laughed, and gave his shoulder a friendly shake.

‘Come, Wintrow, we can scarcely guarantee how they will fare. If a man chooses to fight to the death, how am I to stop him? But as you have seen, of late we shed blood only when forced to it. Consider all the ships we have set free to continue on their way. Slavers, of course, are another matter. When it comes to slavers, I must keep faith with all the people in my kingdom. To the bottom they must go. You cannot save everyone, Wintrow. Some folk have made up their minds to be killed by me long before I encounter them. When we encounter Captain Trell and Paragon, then we will act as befits the situation. Surely you can ask no more of us than that.’

‘I suppose not.’ It was the best he could do tonight.

He wondered, if he had been alone with the ship, could he have forced her to admit she still had a bond with Althea?

Althea , he thought fiercely at the ship.

I know you remember her. She woke you from your long sleep, she greeted your return to life.

She loved you. Can you turn your back on that kind of love?

A shudder of agitation ran through the ship, and beside her, a loud splashing announced the return of the green-gold serpent.

The figurehead, eyes narrowed and nostrils flared, turned to glare at Wintrow.

He braced himself, expecting her to fling pain at him.

Instead, Kennit gave him a shake. ‘Enough of that!’ he told Wintrow sternly.

‘Do you think I cannot feel what you are doing to her? She has said she feels nothing. Accept it.’ Then he gave Wintrow’s shoulder a sympathetic push.

‘Feelings end, lad. Bolt is not who she was to you. Why don’t you go find Etta? She always seems to cheer you.’

As Kennit watched Wintrow cross the main deck, the charm spoke.

It did not whisper, or try to conceal itself from the ship at all.

‘Feelings end,’ it mocked. ‘Bolt is not who she was. Oh, yes. Convince yourself of that, dear heart, and you’ll be able to deal with Paragon again.

’ It suddenly dropped its voice to a confiding undertone.

‘You always knew you’d have to deal with him again, didn’t you?

When first the rumour reached you of a blinded liveship returned to Bingtown, you knew that eventually your paths must cross again. ’

‘Shut up!’ Fear tinged Kennit’s flash of fury. The hair on the back of his neck prickled against his collar.

‘I know Paragon,’ the ship said suddenly. ‘That is, I have Althea’s memories of him. And her father’s. Ephron Vestrit did not like that ship. He didn’t want his daughter to play near him. Paragon is mad, you know. Quite mad.’

‘Oh, quite mad,’ the charm agreed affably.

‘But then, who wouldn’t be, given all the memories that are soaked into his planks?

It’s a wonder he can speak at all. Don’t you agree, Kennit?

Wasn’t it enough to strike a boy dumb? No need to cut his tongue out, when he hardly spoke a word for three years.

Oh, Igrot believed his secrets were quite safe.

All his secrets. But secrets do have a way of leaking out. ’

‘Be silent!’ Kennit raged in a hoarse whisper.

‘Silent,’ the carved wizardwood on his wrist breathed. ‘Silent as a blinded ship, floating hull up in the sea. Silent as a scream underwater.’