The Duke's Gold

The Chest

Sallina was eighteen years old. On most days, she worked on the farm where she lived with her parents and her brother. On other days, she walked into town with a shopping list. When it was sunny and hot, she walked to town through the forest on the hill. This forest belonged to the Duke, and one of his laws was, "Anyone who lives here may walk through my forests, but everything in the forests belongs to me." On one particularly sunny afternoon in mid-summer, Sallina was walking through the Duke's forest with an empty basket on her arm, when she saw the woodcutter and his son through the trees. She left the path and walked towards them.

Garibaldi, the woodcutter's son, had been cutting down trees with his father all afternoon. Their two horses had been pulling out the stumps with ropes. The last stump of the day lay beside a big hole in the ground. As Sallina approached them, Garibaldi's father mounted one of the two horses. He nodded at Sallina, smiled at Garibaldi, and said, "I'll see you later." He turned his horse and trotted away.

Garibaldi patted his the other horse on the neck. "Good girl, Eliza." He knew that Sallina, the farmer's daughter, was walking towards him. He folded his arms. You might think it would be more polite for Garibaldi to say "Hello, Sallina". But Garibaldi was not sure he wanted to speak to Sallina. Sallina said clever things that made him feel foolish. Garibaldi did not like to feel foolish. He certainly did not like to feel foolish in front of Sallina.

There, you see? She was making fun of the fact that he had not said Hello. Garibaldi shook his head.

Garibaldi raised one eyebrow. He was proud of the fact that he could raise one eyebrow. When he raised one eyebrow he meant, "What are you talking about?"

Sallina stepped closer to him and pointed at his eyebrow. "There's that tick of yours again."

Sallina smiled. He didn't talk much, this woodcutter's son, and that was, she thought, a good thing in a young man, because most young men never stopped talking. They would tell her all about the clever things they did at school, or how rich they were, or how good they were at swimming. Garibaldi hardly said anything. But everyone liked to watch him cutting down a tree, especially when it was hot and he took his shirt off. The last time Sallina was in town, Garibaldi had been cutting down a tree outside the town hall and a crowd of young women had gathered to watch him. Sallina was there too. She had even pushed another girl out of the way so she could see better. Every cut Garibaldi made with his long axe bit deep into the tree and, much sooner than they would have liked, he cried, "Timber!" and the tree came falling down.

"Oh good!" Sallina said. She smiled at him. He said nothing. She looked at the tree stump. "What a big tree you cut down, and what a big stump you pulled out of the ground."

"The horses pulled the stump out of the ground," Garibaldi said. He frowned and looked down at his boots. That was a silly thing to say. Of course the horses pulled the stump out of the ground.

Sallina was thinking how Garibaldi never boasted about anything. When he kept frowning at his boots, she looked at the hole where the tree's roots had been. The earth was dark and damp in the hole. There were little bugs crawling around in the dirt, all confused by the great movement of the tree stump, and trying to find new places to hide from the birds. And there, in the dirt, was something shining. It was a small coin. It was a gold coin.

"What's that?" she said, even though she knew what it was. She put her shopping basket down, stepped into the hole, and picked up the coin. As she did so, she saw several others. "There are gold coins in here!"

Garibaldi stepped closer to the hole. Sallina handed the coin up to him. He looked at it. He put it between his teeth and bit it. The metal was soft. "It's gold."

Garibaldi stepped down into the hole next to Sallina. They turned over the dirt and picked out more gold coins and collected them in their hands until Garibaldi uncovered a glistening pile of coins in a small chest.

They crouched in the dirt and looked at the shiny coins. The chest was small, but it held hundreds of coins, maybe thousands. A thousand gold pieces was enough to buy a farm, or a fine house in the town. There was a wooden lid in the dirt nearby. Sallina picked it up and shook the dirt off it. Some little metal pieces on the side of the lid had turned to brown powder from being buried in the wet earth. The wood was cracked in places, and stained black, but it was still strong.

Sallina put the lid on the chest, just to see if it would still fit. It did. She took it off again. She reached into the chest and picked up a handful of coins. They were heavy, which she expected, but they were also warm, which she did not expect. The coins sat in the palm of her hand, warm, and heavy. She wanted very much to put them in her pocket and keep them for herself.

"What do you mean, what shall we do with them? It's in our hole. What shall I do with them?"

"This is the Duke's forest, so the gold, according to the law of the land, belongs to him, just like the trees, and the mushrooms, and the deer, and everything else in the forest."

Garibaldi had to admit to himself that Sallina was right. The gold belonged to the Duke. He looked around to see if anyone was watching them. He could not see anyone, but it would be easy for someone to hide in the shadows beneath the trees. He looked at the gold. There was so much of it. He and Sallina would be rich if they kept it. But if the Duke found out, they would both go to jail. Could he trust Sallina to keep the gold a secret, or would she tell her friends? If she told her friends, would they keep the secret? No, they would try to get some of the gold for themselves by saying, "Give me some of the gold, Sallina, or I'll tell the Duke that you stole it." On the other hand, Sallina was no fool. Perhaps he could make her promise to tell no one at all, not even her own mother, and she would keep her promise.

When Garibaldi looked around to see if anyone was watching, Sallina did the same. She saw no one. Was this a trap? Did the Duke bury the gold under the tree to find out what they would do? No, someone had buried the gold here a long time ago. The lock and the hinges on the chest had rusted away to nothing. The chest must have been buried for a hundred years. Whoever buried it had died long ago. Only she and Garibaldi knew the gold was here, and they could share it between themselves. She knew she could keep a secret, but could Garibaldi? Even if he could keep a secret, he might use his gold to buy himself a thick fur coat, or a fine silk shirt. The Duke would see Garibaldi wearing his new clothes and ask where he found the money to buy them. The Duke could be frightening when he was with his soldiers. If Garibaldi was frightened enough, he might tell the Duke about the chest, and about how he found it with Sallina in the Duke's forest. The Duke would take away the gold and throw them both in jail.

Sallina remembered something her mother always told her, "Money is the root of all evil," which meant that people often wanted money so badly that they would do terrible and stupid things to get it. Would Garibaldi try to kill her so she could never tell the Duke about the gold and he could keep it all for himself? She looked at him. He looked at her. No, Garibaldi would not hurt her. He was a good man, not a murderer. She was being foolish. Trying to keep the gold was foolish, too. It belonged to the Duke.

"I suppose we should," Garibaldi said. He gathered up the loose coins and put them in the chest. Sallina put the lid on. Garibaldi picked up the chest. The gold was heavy, but he could lift it easily with his strong, woodcutter's arms. "Let's go to the Duke right away. Maybe he will give us some kind of reward for finding the chest."

Sallina nodded. That was probably the best thing they could do. They put the chest of gold in one of Eliza's saddle bag and started off down the hill, through the trees, towards the town. Garibaldi lead Eliza by the reins and Sallina walked beside him. When they had gone fifty paces, Sallina said, "Perhaps we should not go through the town. We will see a lot of people there, and they will ask us what we are doing. Somebody might try to take the gold from us before we can bring it to the Duke and get the reward. They might try to get the reward for themselves."

Garibaldi stopped walking. Sallina and Eliza stopped too. He nodded. "Good point. Let's go along the top of the hill and come down on the far side of his estate. That way nobody will see us."

They turned Eliza around and walked up the hill. A breeze rustled the leaves above them and the sun shone down in little spots upon the forest floor. They walked side by side but they said nothing to one another. When they reached the top, Garibaldi heard a twig snap on the ground behind them. He stopped and turned around. Sallina did the same.

Three young men stepped out from among the trees. They wore hunting clothes made of fine wool and leather. They walked towards Sallina and Garibaldi. They were smiling, but Sallina did not like the smiles on their faces. She knew these three young men. Everyone knew them. They were always getting into mischief, but never seemed to get into trouble for it. Somehow, it was always the people around them who got into trouble.

"What have we here?" one of them said. His name was Lawrence Matthews. He was the son of the richest man in town.

"Two love birds walking alone through the Duke's forest?" another one said. He was the eldest son of the judge.

By this time, the three young men were only a few paces away. The third young man, who was the judge's younger son, jumped forward and slapped Eliza hard on the bottom.

Eliza did not like being slapped on the bottom. She reared up on her hind legs, pulled on her reins, and whinnied. Her saddle bags flew up on either side of her. The chest of gold slid out of one of the bags and fell through the air. When it landed, its lid came off and the gold coins spilled out across the ground.

"What's this?" Lawrence said, "Stealing gold from the Duke's house while he is away?"

"As if you didn't know," Lawrence said, "I think we should take that gold back for him, don't you, boys?"

Garibaldi had been so surprised by the three young men coming out of the trees, and by one of them slapping Eliza on the bottom, and by the gold spilling across the ground, that he had been standing still, not knowing what to say or do. But when the young men walked towards the glittering pile of coins, and Sallina raised her fists to fight, he let go of Eliza's reins and stepped forward.

Lawrence did not see Garibaldi coming up beside him. Garibaldi struck him hard on the side of the head with the palm of his hand.

The judge's sons stopped moving towards the pile of coins and turned to see what had happened. Lawrence swayed upon his feet with his mouth open and fell to the ground. The judge's sons looked at Garibaldi and at Lawrence. Garibaldi took a step towards them.

They turned and ran. They ran off down the hill through the trees. Garibaldi watched them disappear into the forest. When they were gone, he looked down at Lawrence. Lawrence opened his eyes and blinked. He rolled onto his knees and stood up. His face was red and his mouth was twisted into an ugly scowl.

Garibaldi put his arms on his hips. Sallina stood over the pile of coins and held her breath. Lawrence jumped forward and swung his fist at Garibaldi's face. Garibaldi moved his head back a little and Lawrence's fist flew through the air without touching him. Garibaldi took a step forwards and punched Lawrence in the stomach.

Lawrence moved backwards. When he was ten paces away, he turned and started jogging down the hill. He could not go very fast because he could hardly breath. Sallina laughed.

Lawrence stopped and turned. "You'll be sorry for this! The Duke will hear all about it from me, and then the both of you will be eating bread and water in jail for years!"

He took a few more steps and turned again. He raised his fist and shook it. "For years, I tell you!"

Sallina did not laugh. Lawrence jogged down the hill and disappeared into the trees.

Sallina left the pile of coins and took hold of Eliza's reins. Garibaldi knelt beside the coins and began picking them up and putting them in the chest.

When Garibaldi could find no more coins among the leaves and dirt where the chest had landed, he lifted the chest and carried it to Eliza. He put it in the saddle bag and strapped the bag shut. He had forgotten to strap the bag shut the first time.

Garibaldi rubbed his hand. It hurt from hitting Lawrence on the side of the head. He was glad he had not hit Lawrence with his fist. He might have broken his fingers.

"I don't know. Those guys will say we were not going to the Duke's house, and you know how everyone believes them."

"Yes, I know that, and you know that, but the truth is that we were going away from his house, and planning to go towards it later. You know the Duke. He is nice enough most of the time, but when it looks like someone's trying to cheat him, he gets pretty angry. And he'll probably believe those idiots when they tell him that we were trying to run away with the gold. They're rich, and we're not. It doesn't matter what I say, I'm just the woodcutter's son."

Sallina nodded. "And I'm just a farmer's daughter." She had never heard Garibaldi say so many words at one time. And what he said made sense, too. But she did not want to believe it, because if he was right, then she and Garibaldi were in a lot of trouble. They might spend a year in jail, even if they took the gold right away to the Duke's house. Most likely, if the Duke was away, they would be thrown in jail until he came back, and sometimes he was away for weeks.

"We don't have much time," Sallina said, "It will take them ten minutes to reach the town, and another twenty for the police to get here and start following us. We must go now to the Duke's house and be ready to spend several weeks in jail, or we must run."

"It's a lot of money," Garibaldi said, "If we run, we can keep if for ourselves."

"Can we? Or will you keep it for yourself and leave me alone somewhere in the forest?"

"What do you want to do?" Garibaldi said, "Tell me, and I promise I will not tell the Duke."

Sallina looked at the saddle bag. She could see the shape of the chest inside. There was a lot of gold in there. If they ran with it, she might never see her family again. But if they did not run with it, she might spend a year in jail. If they ran with the gold, they might be able to find a safe country to live in, and she could buy a farm with her share of the money, and her family could move there and live with her. Was Garibaldi really willing to go on such an adventure? It hardly seemed possible. Her heart was beating so hard she could hear it thumping in her chest. Her hands and her forehead were sweaty and cold at the same time.

"Me too," Garibaldi said, "But my father has often told me that chances," he rubbed his chin, "opportunities, they come at the strangest times, and we should never say no to them just because we are scared. I don't want to go to jail. Here we have enough money to make our fortune in another country. So let's try it. I may not see my father again for a long time, but he will understand, and I think he will be proud of me for trying."

"We were not greedy and stupid when we found the gold, only when we met three stupid people who are going to go and tell the judge that we were trying to steal from the Duke, and the judge is going to believe them. He always does. They're his sons."

Sallina looked at Garibaldi. How exciting it would be to go on an adventure with him. She laughed. "Okay, Garibaldi the woodcutter, I'll come with you. Together, we might be able to do it."

Garibaldi smiled. Sallina was a clever woman, and if he was going to escape the Duke, he would need someone clever to help him. "Okay," he said.

Garibaldi pointed along the top of the hill. "This way. If we run, we will reach the Deserted Forest by evening, and then we can continue towards the Sea."

The Deserted Forest

The path Garibaldi and Sallina were walking along followed the top of a ridge. On their left the land sloped down to the river, and on their right, it sloped down to the Duke's estate. Neither of them wanted to meet anyone as they went along the path, so they watched the path ahead of them, to see if anyone was coming the other way. They looked down the slopes on either side, but they could not see far because the forest was thick with bushes and fallen trees.

Garibaldi looked back the way they had come. "I think we should try to run, if you don't mind."

"What for?" Sallina said, "Don't we need to go as fast as we can, right now, so we can get away?"

Garibaldi stopped and patted Eliza on the neck. Her brown coat was warm and smooth. "I suppose you're right," he said, and he looked at Sallina. "Okay, let's ride her."

Garibaldi pulled himself up into Eliza's saddle and offered his hand to Sallina. She took his hand and grabbed the back of the saddle. She looked for something to put her foot in so she could step up behind Garibaldi.

Sallina frowned. He didn't use stirrups? How strange. She jumped. Garibaldi raised her firmly with his strong arms and she found herself sitting in the saddle behind him. Her chest was pressed up against him, and her legs were on either side of Eliza's tummy. She put her hands on the back of the saddle and lifted herself up off the lumpy leather.

Sallina sat down into the saddle and slid forwards. Now she was really squashed up against Garibaldi. She put her arms around his tummy so she could hold on, and rested her head against his neck.

Garibaldi shook his head and squeezed Eliza's sides with his heels. She started to trot, and they went along as fast as child running. Eliza's back went bumping up and down. After a few minutes, Sallina said, "Can we canter? It will be more comfortable."

It may seem strange to those of you who have not ridden a horse, but going a little faster makes for a smoother ride. The horse starts moving its legs in a different way, and its back stops bumping up and down. So Garibaldi squeezed Eliza's sides again. She went faster, and a little faster still, and her stride changed. She cantered along the path, going as fast as an adult running. Her back stopped bouncing up and down.

Garibaldi looked back so Sallina could hear him answer. "She'll go for a few minutes."

The path they had been following turned off the top of the ridge. Garibaldi slowed Eliza to a stop. Garibaldi and Sallina knew that the path went down through the forest to the Duke's estate. They did not want to go that way. They wanted to follow the top of the ridge and enter the Deserted Forest. But there was no path for them to follow to the Deserted Forest. Eliza stood on the turn in the path and panted. Her big lungs filled and emptied underneath the two riders. Her breath came out of her nose in loud snorts.

"We must go into the forest. But we can't ride in there. The branches are too low," Garibaldi said, "I think we should lead Eliza and run."

"Okay," Sallina said. She slid off the saddle and dropped to the path beside the horse. Garibaldi did the same. He patted Eliza on the neck. Her coat was warm and damp. She looked at him through one of her big brown eyes.

Sallina looked back the way they had come, back towards her home. She thought of her mother and father, and her younger brother. When would she see them again? What was happening to her? What was she doing riding into the Deserted Forest with a chest full of gold and the woodcutter's son? She shook her head. "Money is the root of all evil."

Garibaldi was looking back down the path as well. His father would soon find out what had happened, and figure out what Garibaldi and Sallina had decided to do. For some reason Garibaldi was sure that his father would smile at the thought of his son going off with Sallina and a chest of gold. But Garibaldi would miss his father. Their days in the forest together were good days. There were tears in the corners of his eyes. He looked at Sallina, hoping that she had not seen them. She was crying herself, and wiping her nose on a blue handkerchief. She looked up at him. "Oh, Garibaldi, what is going to happen to us?"

Garibaldi watched a tear slide down the smooth skin of Sallina's cheek, and looked into her eyes. He did not know what to say. But as he looked into her eyes, his heart beat faster, and he felt that he did not care where they were, or where they were going. Sallina looked away and wiped her nose. Garibaldi wondered what he should say. What did she want him to say? What would his father say? He remembered sitting with his father the night before, at the dinner table. His mother was standing in front of the fireplace with one hand on her hip, and the other hand holding a wooden spoon. His father was smiling across the table at Garibaldi. His mother said, "You know they all wish they had a man like mine." His father looked at her. "What kind of man is that, my dear?" She pointed the spoon at him and said, "You know what I'm talking about."

"I don't know what's going to happen to us," Garibaldi said, "But we made our decision. We have to keep going, and we have to go as quickly as we can. So let's go."

Garibaldi started walking into the dark, quiet forest, leading Eliza by her reins. Sallina waved goodbye to the path that led back to her home, and followed him.

On and on they went, along the ridge, up and up, and then down and down again, pushing their way through the plants that grew beneath the trees, and leading Eliza around the pine trees with the lowest branches. They saw no-one. They heard nothing but the chirping of a bird here and there, and the rustling of small animals among the dried leaves on the forest floor.

In a while, they came to the stream. Garibaldi took his socks and boots off, Sallina took her sandals off, and they waded across. Eliza followed on the end of her reins. They climbed a gentle slope. At the top of the slope there was a field with tall grass growing in it. There were several deer standing in the grass, but when they saw Garibaldi step out of the trees, they ran away. Their white tails bounced up and down as they went towards the forest on the other side of the field.

"Wait a second," Sallina said, "Lets stay back in the forest for a minute to see if anyone else is here."

"No," Garibaldi said, "She might get her foot stuck in a rabbit hole, or twist it on a rock. The soil is rocky here. With us both on her back, she might fall over and break her leg."

By the time they reached the forest on the other side, they were hot and tired. Sallina stood in the shade of the trees and breathed deeply. She looked around her. She was standing beneath a huge tree with tiny, thin leaves. Many old leaves had fallen on the ground beneath the tree and turned brown. Nothing seemed to be able to live under the tree, with all those sharp, dead, little, brown leaves. She looked into the forest. There were many of the same type of tree. Nothing grew beneath them. She could see a long way under the trees.

"If we cross the forest, we will come to the sea, and there, we can take a boat to somewhere far enough away that the Duke won't find us."

They walked into the forest. Soon they could not see the sun shining on the grass behind them. The trees stretched out in every direction, as far as they could see. Garibaldi stopped and looked at the ground. There was a large brown lump there with some flies sitting on it.

"Well we don't have to worry, then. We have no food." She frowned. "I left my shopping basket behind."

Garibaldi started walking. Liza stood still, her head held low, until Garibaldi pulled firmly on the reins.

"I'm already hungry," Sallina said. She took a few quick steps and caught up with Garibaldi. "And thirsty, too."

They walked on into the forest. It was getting dark when they came across a stream. Garibaldi put a handful of water in his mouth. He sloshed it around for a while and swallowed. "It's okay to drink."

By scooping up water in her hands, Sallina drank until she was no longer thirsty.

"That's better," she said, "Now it's time for supper. Where are we going to sleep?"

"I don't know. Let's keep going for another half an hour and see if we can find a good place."

Soon after, they found what they thought was an animal trail. But when Garibaldi looked at it more closely, he saw shoe prints, and brush-marks on the dirt. "Someone has been this way today," he said. He pointed at the brush-marks. "He was out gathering wood. He dragged a branch along the path."

"I think we should," Garibaldi said, "If he drags firewood, he's probably a hermit or something. He may not want to see us, but he probably won't hurt us, and he won't know about our gold, or the Duke chasing us."

"I'm sure he will have some food. Let's take some money out of the chest right now. We can use it to pay for supper and a place to sleep."

They took four gold coins out of the chest, two for each of them, and followed the footprints. After a few hundred paces, they rounded the bottom of a steep hill and saw a clearing in the forest. In the middle of the clearing was a stone cottage. Outside the cottage were some vegetable patches, some young corn stalks, and a few chickens. Behind the house was a stream of clear water. Outside the front of the house was an old man sitting in a big wooden rocking chair, smoking a pipe. He looked at them and smiled.

The old man said, "Greetings, strangers," and took a deep puff on his pipe. He blew the smoke out in a big, gray cloud.

"Good evening, sir," Sallina said, "We are traveling to the sea, and we were planning to sleep in the forest, but perhaps we could purchase some food from you, and a place to sleep under a roof for the night?"

The old man took another puff on his pipe and rocked on his chair. He looked first at Sallina and then at Garibaldi. He took his pipe out of his mouth. "Two young people going to the sea," he said, "And perhaps with other people chasing them. You must be frightened and hungry." He smiled. "Of course you can stay here. I will be glad of your company, and if you want to tell me your story, I will be glad to listen."

The old man went inside and came out again with some corn for Eliza. Garibaldi and Sallina took off Eliza's saddle, brushed her coat, gave her the corn and a bucket of water, and went inside. The old man was making supper. "Will you tell me your names?" he said.

Ephistra made rabbit stew with onions and potatoes. After their long day, Garibaldi and Sallina thought the stew was delicious, and the three of them together ate all there was in the pot. Afterwards, the old man lit his pipe. They sat around the fire with a candle on the table to give them light.

"So," Ephistra said, and blew a puff of smoke into the air. The smoke curled around the candle, and drifted towards the ceiling. "Are you being followed? I ask because I would like to know. Some visitors I like, but others I do not. Angry fathers and mothers, or policemen, are the sort of visitors I don't like."

Sallina reached into her pocket and took out her two pieces of gold. She held them out to the old man. "Here, these are for you. Please take them."

The old man took the coins and held them close to the candle so he could see them better. He looked at both sides of each coin carefully. "Hmm. These are old. This is the face of Duke Bloggwater, who died over a hundred years ago." He put the coins in his pocket. "Thank you, young lady."

He and Sallina told the old man their story. When they were finished, Ephistra said. "I can see that you are both frightened, and you have told me your story because you wanted my advice. I am an old man, and you probably think I am wise. Perhaps I am. But I can tell you that in the future, you must keep that chest of gold of yours a secret. In the places you are going, there will be many people, perfectly nice-looking people, who would kill you to take that gold away, if there really is as much of it as you say."

"You should have kept going to the Duke's house after your fight with the three ruffians. But the fight frightened you, and the words of their leader frightened you. So long as you brought the gold to the Duke, you would have done nothing wrong, so there would be no reason to throw you in jail, no matter whether the Duke believed the three ruffians or not."

"You also wanted to keep the gold, and you had to think quickly. You decided to run with your treasure. Now that you have started to run, I don't think you should go back. If you go back, the Duke will know that you tried to run with the gold, and he will know that the reason you came back was because you decided the gold was not worth it. He may not want to punish you, but he will have to. He will have to show his people that they should not steal from him. A Duke must make his people frightened of him, or they will not obey. Believe me, I know."

"I'm not going to tell you my story. We are talking about your story. And I have more to say about it. You must go on. You should go west to Godiva, and take a boat to some far-away place. You could try Troka or Belgorash on the other side of the sea, or you could go north to Plantinak."

"Tonight, you must sleep in here with your chest of gold. I will sleep on my chair outside and watch for anyone coming after you. I doubt they will catch up with you today, but they will find you tomorrow. They will send their hounds after you."

That night, Sallina and Garibaldi lay upon two thin, straw mattresses on the floor of the cottage. They each had a blanket to cover them and they each wore all their clothes. Garibaldi did not even take off his boots. The chest of gold rested on the floor between them. Ephistra was outside, sitting on his rocking chair in the dark. Eliza was outside too, her reigns tied to a tree.

"He's not going anywhere through the forest at night. I trust him. Why would he lie to us?"

"I'm sure he does, but he can't have it, except for another two pieces that I'll give him tomorrow."

"I'll wake up, I wake up very easily," Garibaldi said, "which is a pity, because otherwise I would be asleep right now, instead of being kept awake by you talking."

"Honestly, is that all you can think about? Sleep? Our lives could be in danger right now."

There she goes again, Garibaldi thought, making fun of him. But he was so tired, he did not care. He and his father had been chopping down trees since the sun came up, and now… now he did not care about anything but rest. Moments later, he was asleep, dreaming of his father teaching him to hold an axe.

Sallina tried to stay awake, but with the sound of Garibaldi's slow, steady breathing beside her, she found she could hardly keep her eyes open. How could he sleep at a time like this? But before long, she was asleep herself.

Goodbye to Eliza

Sallina had been dreaming of sitting at the table in the kitchen of her own home, with her brother making a pancake for her at the stove, and her father sitting opposite her, cracking open the top of a soft-boiled egg with a spoon. "Ah, perfectly done, my son," her father said, in her dream, and Sallina smiled. It was good to be home. That was when she woke up. The first light of a new day shone through the cracks in the shutters of the old man's cottage. Her real life was not right at all. Something had gone wrong. She lay upon her straw mattress and tried to go back to sleep. Maybe she could go back to her dream and see her mother.

Garibaldi sat up on his own mattress. A beam of sunlight shone in his eyes. He looked down at Sallina and she looked up at him. Neither of them spoke. Sallina wanted to cry. "It's going to be okay," Garibaldi said.

Sallina nodded. Garibaldi stood up. He put his belt on and stretched his arms and legs.

A little while later, Garibaldi and Sallina stepped out of the old man's house. The sun was rising into the sky. There were a few clouds here and there, and mist rose off the prickly bushes beneath the trees. The old man's chair was outside the door, but they could not see the old man himself. Eliza was standing beside a tree, eating some grass that grew at the base of the steep hill.

Garibaldi looked around and frowned. They heard footsteps on the other side of the house. The old man came around the corner. When he saw them he smiled. He carried three eggs in his hands. "Good morning, my young visitors, I trust that you slept well."

"We did, thank you," Garibaldi said, "How about you? It was very kind of you to sit out here in the cold while we lay sleeping inside your own house."

"I often sleep outside. I made this chair for sleeping in." He rocked his big wooden chair with one hand. He held the three eggs in the other. "Let's have some breakfast. My chickens were kind enough to lay three eggs this morning. I'm for soft-boiled, what about you?"

Ephistra lit a fire. He put more wood on than he needed to boil the water. He boiled it quickly. He made tea with the water when it was hot, and dropped the three eggs into what was left in the pot. Soon he had toast and eggs and tea and apples on the table. Sallina and Garibaldi thanked him. The three of them ate without speaking.

When they were finished, the Ephistra said, "You should hurry. The Duke's soldiers might be here soon."

"Yes. It is not the closest town, but you can get there through the forest without anyone seeing you, and you can take a ship from there."

"Riding through the forest, if you know the right paths, it should take one day. You could be there tonight."

Garibaldi and Sallina agreed to go to Godiva. The old man told them how to get there by taking the old stone paths that ran back and forth across the forest, left over from long ago, when the forest was not a forest, but part of The Empire. Sallina wanted to draw a map, but Garibaldi said he could remember the directions in his head.

The old man gave them a bag of flour and the two blankets they had slept under, in case they lost their way and had to spend the night in the forest. They could use the flour to make bread. He gave them two onions, six apples, and three potatoes as well. "Thank you," Garibaldi said, "How can we ever repay you?"

"You could give me some more of that gold of yours, young man, I'm not too proud to ask for it."

Sallina opened the chest and took out a small handful of coins, perhaps twenty of them, and gave them to the old man. "There you go, don't spend them all at once."

The old man laughed. "I won't, young lady, I won't, and good luck to you, go on now, don't wait any longer, you must be on your way."

Garibaldi mounted Eliza and helped Sallina up behind him. Sallina put her arms around his waist. The old man smiled.

"Your only hope is to work together. Don't let your greed and your fear trick you into fighting with one another. And don't think that you have no greed or fear. We are all greedy, and we are all afraid."

"Goodbye Ephistra," Garibaldi said. He squeezed Eliza with his legs and she set off at a trot into the forest. As they went along the path, the yew trees ended, and in their place there grew beech trees with smooth bark and shiny leaves. Sallina was glad. She liked beech trees.

Eliza was breathing hard when they found the first of the old stone roads the old man had told them about. They let Eliza slow to a walk. They followed the path to the west. For the rest of the morning, they took a turn here, a turn there, and crossed a river, all according to the instructions the old man had given them. They said very little to one another. The forest was quiet and calm. At lunch time, they stopped and ate a some apples and drank from a stream.

"Yes, he was a nice man," Garibaldi said, "but I don't think you had to give him a whole handful of our gold. If you keep going like that, we won't have any left before the week is finished."

"Oh, come on, he did so much for us, and there are at least a thousand pieces in that chest. In fact, we haven't even counted them yet. There might be ten thousand in there for all I know."

"There might, but I think you should ask me before you give away so much of the money that is at least half mine."

"At least half?" Sallina said, in a loud voice. "What do you mean at least half? Why should you get more than I?"

Garibaldi noticed that she said "more than I" instead of "more than me", and it sounded strange to him that she spoke like that, but he supposed she must be speaking in the proper way. What was the point in arguing with someone who was so clever with words, because that was what arguing was all about wasn't it? Being clever with words.

"Take all the gold if you want it," Garibaldi said, "I'm not going to argue with you."

"Oh, that's great! Don't think about what you said, just tell me to take all the money!" Sallina took her arms from around Garibaldi's waist and put them on her hips. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't want to take all the money, all I want to know is why you think you should have more than half of the money."

Garibaldi did not answer. Anything he said would make him look stupid, so he should just be quiet, and Sallina would think he was more clever than he really was.

They rode on in silence. Garibaldi saw a turning on the left, and they took it. The turning put them on an overgrown stone road. Every one hundred steps or so there was a broken stone statue lying by the side. Sallina wanted to get off Eliza's back and look at one of the statues more closely, but she was too angry at Garibaldi to ask him to stop the horse, so she said nothing.

An hour later, the road ended at a large pit with a pond in the bottom. Eliza stopped at the edge. She put her head down and started chewing some grass.

"No, it's at least a hundred years old. You can tell by the size of the trees growing out of the side of it."

"Either he gave me the wrong directions, or I have forgotten the directions, or we missed a turning while we were arguing."

They went back. When they found another turning, they took that one instead. Half-way through the afternoon, they decided that this turning must be wrong as well, because it was not taking them in the right direction.

They sat on Eliza's back while she drank from a little puddle in a hollow stone by the road.

"We could leave the paths and go through the forest and try to find the correct road," Garibaldi said, "and then go towards Godiva."

They tried to find the right path, and perhaps they would have found it if it had not started to rain. It was not the rain that made it difficult for them to find their way, it was the clouds. Garibaldi could tell which way they should go so long as he could see the sun through the trees. When the clouds hid the sun, he tried looking at moss on the tree trunks instead. In his experience, most tree trunks had more moss growing on one side than the other, and the side with less moss was the side the sun shone on the most, which was usually the south side. But in the Deserted Forest, the moss seemed to grow all around the tree trunks, or on different sides from one tree to the next.

Towards the end of the afternoon, they found another one of the ancient stone roads. They followed it in the direction Garibaldi thought was west. The rain was still falling. It soaked their hair and their clothes. Even though it was summer, and the rain was warm, they were cold sitting on Eliza's back. They wrapped the blankets Ephistra had given them around their shoulders. The road brought them to a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a ruined stone cottage. The roof had fallen down in most places, and one of the walls had fallen over. To their left was a hill that rose steeply. The top of the hill was rocky and bare.

"What are you waiting for? Are you too tired to climb the hill? Do you want me to climb it for you?"

"I think you might want me to leave you alone with my horse and the gold so that you can ride off and leave me."

Sallina got down off Eliza's back and stood on the ground. She looked up at Garibaldi.

Sallina shook her head. "Well, I'm not climbing the hill on my own either. If you don't trust me, why should I trust you?"

Garibaldi slid off Eliza's back and stood beside her. "It's raining and it's getting dark. Let's stop here for the night." He pointed to the ruined cottage. "We can make a fire under what's left of that roof and get some sleep. We can decide what to do in the morning."

They tied Eliza up under the cover of a big oak tree. They brought her water from a stream nearby. Garibaldi gathered dead wood from the forest. There was still some dry wood under the largest trees. He lit a fire with the matches he kept in Eliza's saddle bags. Sallina made bread in the fire by putting a heavy lump of dough in the coals. There were not many things Sallina knew how to cook, but camp-fire bread was one of them. After supper, they sat leaning close to the fire with their blankets wrapped around them. The rain was still falling, but the roof kept most of it off them. They sat without speaking. The only sound was the rain pattering upon the forest and the crackle of burning wood. The sun went down and it was dark.

Garibaldi put two more sticks on the fire. "I don't think I did" He spoke the directions out loud again, and they seemed to be exactly as the old man had spoken them.

"I think you remembered." Sallina said. She stared into the warm light of the fire. "We became lost because we argued."

They woke up in the middle of the night, shivering with cold. The fire had gone out. It was still raining and it was absolutely dark. Garibaldi lit a match and looked at the fire. A puddle of water had formed upon the ground and all the coals were wet. The match went out.

They lay along the bottom of the wall. The ground was dry, but it was hard and cold. The stone wall was cold too, and their blankets were thin and wet. Garibaldi wanted to say that if they lay close together and shared the blankets, they would have two bodies and two blankets to keep them warm, and that way they might be able to sleep. But he didn't say anything. If it had been colder, he would have said something. But they were not so cold that they were going to be hurt. He started hoping that Sallina would say the same thing instead of him. She was a clever woman, why didn't she suggest that they lie close together? Perhaps she did not want to lie next to him. Or perhaps she was nervous about asking him for the same reasons that he was nervous about asking her. Never mind. It was not worth worrying about. They would be tired in the morning, but they were young and strong. They would still be able to ride to Godiva.

The rain stopped just before the sun came up, but the clouds remained. When the first light of day entered the valley, Garibaldi pushed his blanket aside and rose to his feet. Sallina sat up and leaned against the wall. Garibaldi stretched his legs and arms. He walked out from under the roof and jumped up and down to warm himself up. When he came back under the roof, he knelt next to the remains of the fire. It was wet and cold. "I should have saved some dry wood from the fire last night."

"Don't worry about it," Sallina said, "We'll be in Godiva by nightfall. I have the answer to the problem of climbing the hill."

"We put the gold in a bag and carry it up to the top of the hill together. We leave Eliza here at the bottom. We look around at the top, and then come down and go."

They took the saddle bag with the chest of gold off Eliza's back. Garibaldi carried his axe in one hand. He slung the bag over his shoulder with the other. The hill was higher than they guessed, and difficult to climb. They helped one another up the steepest parts, and stopped to rest a few times. When they reached the top, they looked down into the valley where they had spent the night. There was the ruined house. There was Eliza under the oak tree. There was the ancient stone road winding up the valley and out the other side of the clearing.

Sallina looked up at the sky. She could see the yellow disk of the sun through the clouds to their right, in the direction they had come from. She pointed to it. "That must be east." She turned her back to the sun and pointed the other way. "So that must be west."

In the distance, beyond several hills and valleys, they saw smoke rising from a town. On the other side of the town, something flat and gray stretched on into the farthest distance beneath the clouds.

They looked at one another and smiled. A noise came up the valley. It was a clomping and clattering noise. Both of them knew what it was, and they stopped smiling. It was the sound of horses on the road. They dropped to the ground and lay on their bellies behind a bush. They stared through the bush down into valley. They heard another sound, one they liked even less than the sound of horses. They heard dogs barking.

Four dogs came running into the clearing. Eliza let out a whinny and reared on her hind legs. The dogs went in four different directions, sniffing the ground. Three soldiers rode into view on large horses. They carried swords at their belts, spears in their hands, and crossbows on the backs of their saddles. They wore chain mail shirts. Behind the soldiers rode another man. He was not wearing armor, but he carried a long-bow. Sallina and Garibaldi had never spoken to any of these men, but they recognized them all. Three of them were the Duke's soldiers, and the last one was one of the Duke's rangers.

The soldiers dismounted. They searched the cottage and the space around it. The Duke's ranger jumped off his horse and looked at the ground at the base of the hill, where two of the dogs were sniffing and barking.

"We have to say goodbye to Eliza. She'll be okay. I'm glad we came up together, and with the gold, too. That was smart of you."

They ran down through the trees on the other side of the hill and into another valley. They ran up the other side of the valley to the top of a ridge. The chest of gold banged against Garibaldi's back. At the top of the ridge, he stopped and waited for Sallina to catch up with him.

"Garibaldi," Sallina said, "Why do you suspect me? You're carrying your axe as well. Let me carry the gold."

"Really? Or are you worried I'm going to run off into the forest with the gold and leave you? And if you are, how do you think I could run faster than you if I was carrying the gold?"

Garibaldi looked down at the ground. Is that what he was thinking, that she would steal the gold? It seemed to him that he was just worried about her getting tired and hurt. But perhaps she was right. Perhaps he did not know what he was thinking. He gave the bag to Sallina.

They started running again. Soon, Sallina's back began to hurt too. With every step she took, the bag flew up and bumped her. The heavy weight of the gold pushed the hard edge of the chest into her skin. After half an hour, she stopped.

Garibaldi took the bag from her and looked inside. "The chest has sharp corners. Let's pour the gold out of it into the bag and throw it away."

Sallina nodded. She was breathing so hard she did not want to speak. Garibaldi poured the gold into the bag and threw the old chest as far as he could into the forest. He did not want the soldiers to find it. He looked at Sallina. "Are you ready?"

Sallina nodded. They started running. On and on through the forest they ran. They heard no sound of the soldiers and dogs. They came to a stream that was too wide to jump across. They stopped and looked at the cold, noisy water. Garibaldi pointed down the hill. "Let's wade in the water, down the stream, for a hundred meters, and get out on the other side. That will make it difficult for the hounds to follow us."

"They will be expecting us to go down the stream," Sallina said, "Because that's the way they know we want to go. What if we go up the stream, then off in a strange direction, and then go west. Will that be better?"

They waded in the center of the stream, up against the current. When they came to a gravel bank, they jumped out and ran into the trees. At mid-day, they found a blackberry bush. Its blackberries were sweet and large. They stopped and ate as many as they could. They drank water from a spring. The spring water came up out of the ground in a pool.

Garibaldi nodded. He picked up the bag that held the gold. "Have you drunk enough?"

They ran through the trees. Sallina followed Garibaldi. He seemed to know where he was going. She was lost completely in this forest, with no idea which direction was which. It began to rain. Big drops of water fell from the branches of the trees. She watched the ground in front of her. She was wearing only sandals. She did not want to trip up, or cut her foot.

Garibaldi was a strong young man, and he could run a long way. But he did not think Sallina could run far. As he ran through the forest, with Sallina behind him, he was trying to decide what they would do if Sallina became too tired to run any farther, or if her feet became too sore. He was worrying about how they were going to get away if they had to stop. But time went by, and Sallina kept running. When they looked out across the forest from the top of a hill, Sallina seemed exhausted, but she did not complain. Her dress was torn in several places, and dirty all over. Her hair was wet with sweat and her face was red. She had been carrying the bag of gold.

He took the bag from Sallina's back. She stood up straight and stretched. She winced. Garibaldi shook his head. "I'll carry it from now on."

Sallina did not argue with him. Garibaldi looked down the hill. The fields of Godiva were below them. The light of the sun shone through the clouds ahead of them. "It's not far now, anyway," he said.

The last half hour of walking through the forest was hard. The forest was thick and it was dark beneath the trees. Garibaldi had a scratch on his face from a thorn bush. Sallina stubbed her toes many times on tree roots. They pushed their way through spider webs and hanging vines. But as they approached the first houses of Godiva, they agreed that it was a good thing that they arrived just after the sun went down. They were both so dirty, wet, scratched, and tired that if it had been bright daylight, people would have stared at them and asked themselves, "What are these two young people running from? What were they doing in the Deserted Forest?" The town police might have stopped them and asked them questions, questions such as "What do you have in that bag, young man? Why are you carrying that axe?" As it was, nobody paid any attention to Sallina and Garibaldi as they walked along Godiva's main street to the Dalmatian Hotel and went through the front door.

Once inside, they nearly bumped into a big, tall, man with a chest that stuck out and arms that were even larger than Garibaldi's. He was wearing a cooking apron.

Sallina was about to say something like, "We are not young lovebirds," but she decided against it. Instead, she looked up at the man's face to see if she could tell what sort of person he was. He smiled at her and at Garibaldi. He was the innkeeper. He looked Sallina straight in the eyes and waited for her to speak. Sallina reached into the bag that Garibaldi carried and took out five coins.

"Here's five gold pieces for a good room," Sallina said, "with hot water, a good supper, a change of clothes for me, and your respectful silence upon the matter of our presence here."

The innkeeper took her coins. "Rest assured, my dear lady," the innkeeper said, "our discretion we provide at no charge to all our guests, but your money will pay for the best of the other items you desire. Come this way. You can sign the guest book in the morning. Here, follow me, up the stairs. I see you travel light. Well, we will provide you with all you need. Including a nice soft bed." He turned and winked at them.

At the top of the stairs, he opened the door to a room and stepped aside to let them through. Sallina and Garibaldi walked in. The room was large and clean. It had its own fireplace. There was one bed against the wall with a thick, down-filled comforter on top. The bed was big enough for two people to sleep in side by side. The innkeeper stood in the doorway. "My wife will be up to measure you for clothes and bring you hot water."

"I remember when my wife and I were young," the innkeeper said. "My wife's father said to her, 'That boy will never amount to anything'." The innkeeper laughed, and put his hand upon his belly. "Meaning me. We ran away from our village and came here to the big city. We've lived here happily ever after. Raised two children. Bought this inn." He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "So you came to the right place."

He winked again and closed the door, leaving Garibaldi and Sallina alone in the room. They looked at one another. Garibaldi raised one eyebrow. Sallina shrugged her shoulders. She walked to the window and looked out. It was dark. There was an alley below the window. She closed the thick curtains and turned to Garibaldi. "We made it."

Garibaldi nodded. He looked at Sallina's face. She smiled at him. They both looked at the bed.

"It does. Comfortable and warm," Sallina said, "I was cold last night. Tonight I want you to make sure I'm warm."

"How am I going to that?" Garibaldi said. "By keeping the fire going all night?" He looked at the fireplace. There was some wood next to it. But not enough to keep the fire going all night.

The Docks

Garibaldi sat up in bed. Sunlight shone around the edges of the curtains. He and Sallina had kept one another company until late the night before. He was tired, but he did not mind.

He lay down. The bag of gold was in the bed between them. Sallina pushed it up underneath the pillows and moved close to him. "I knew it was a good idea running away with you."

Garibaldi smiled. Even with the Duke's soldiers chasing them, and their family left far behind, he felt happier and more excited to be alive than he could remember. He kissed Sallina on the nose.

Sallina raised herself on one elbow. "I don't think the soldiers followed us into the forest at all."

"No, I don't. Their horses would not be able to follow us up the hill. The soldiers would have to dismount and go on foot. They would not be able to run as fast as us with their chain mail shirts on, and carrying their swords and spears. Only the man with the bow would be able to follow us, and I think he would be scared to do so, because you still have your axe."

"Either way," Sallina said, "I don't think the man with the bow would follow us on his own."

"No, I think they would guess that we were coming here to Godiva, and they would turn around and ride here by the roads as quickly as they could."

Garibaldi lay on his back looking up at the ceiling. It seemed to him that she must be right, and if she was, the soldiers could reach Godiva at any time. They might be in the town already.

Garibaldi pulled the comforter off his body and stepped out of bed. There was a pitcher of water on a table, with a bowl next to it. He poured water into the bowl and washed his face. He dried himself with a white towel and began to pull on his dirty clothes. "I think we should get out of here."

"I suppose you're right," Sallina said. She got out of bed. The air of the room was cold against her skin. She pulled on the underpants, blue trousers and white shirt the innkeeper's wife had brought her the evening before. She wondered when she and Garibaldi would get a chance to share such a comfortable bed again. She picked up her sandals. "My sandals are wearing out"

Garibaldi crossed the room and looked at the sandals while he tightened his belt. "Perhaps we can buy some shoes for you before we get a ride on a ship."

"If we have time," Sallina said. She tied the sandals to her feet. "I'll go downstairs and ask the innkeeper to bring us some breakfast."

Sallina unlocked the door, opened it, and stepped into the corridor. "Back in a minute." She closed the door behind her.

Garibaldi looked around the room. Sallina's old skirt and shirt were lying on the floor. They would be fine after some washing and stitching. He picked them up and put them in the saddle bag with the gold. He made sure the clothes wrapped around the gold so that the bag would be softer when he carried it. He opened the curtains and looked out the window. The clouds of the day before had cleared.

Sallina opened the door. "They're here!" She closed the door behind her and locked it.

"The soldiers! They're downstairs, talking to the innkeeper. I heard them as I came down. They were asking him if we were staying here."

Garibaldi picked up his axe. Sallina ran to the window and opened it. Below the window was the roof of another part of the inn. "Quick, out here." She climbed out of the window and onto the roof below. Garibaldi passed her the bag of gold and his axe, and climbed out himself. They stood on the roof, trying to decide how to get down. Behind them, through the window, they heard a man shouting from the other side of the door of their room.

Sallina sat down on the edge of the roof, pushed herself off, and dropped to the alley. She fell as she landed, but she stood up right away. She held her hands up for the bag. Garibaldi dropped it to her. The back was so heavy that she could not catch it. It landed on the ground with a crunch. She picked it up as quickly as she could.

Garibaldi sat on the edge of the roof, holding his axe in one hand. There was a crash from the room behind them. The soldiers had broken down the door. Garibaldi dropped to the alley and landed on his feet. He took the bag of gold from Sallina.

Sallina looked up and down the alley. Above them, they heard the soldiers shouting. One of them said, "Get out there!"

Two men in blue coats came around the corner. There was a crowd of ten or twenty people behind them. Sallina guessed that the men in blue coats were policemen.

The policemen ran forwards. The crowd followed close behind. Sallina ran down the alley away from the policemen. Garibaldi followed her. She looked back over her shoulder. The policemen were not fast runners. Some of the people were getting ahead of them. The alley was narrow. The crowd were pressed tight between it's walls.

Garibaldi reached into the bag and took a handful of coins from among Sallina's dirty clothes. He threw them over his shoulder. When the gold landed in the alley, the people ran past the policemen and kneeled down to pick up the coins. Garibaldi threw another handful.

"Stop!" the policemen said to the people picking up the coins. "That gold does not belong to you."

Sallina and Garibaldi kept running. Sallina turned one corner and another. They ran out from between two large buildings next to the sea. There were walk-ways built out over the water, held up by wooden posts. Five ships and many boats were tied up next to the walk-ways. Sailors were walking onto the nearest ship along a plank of wood, carrying sacks over their shoulders.

Sallina and Garibaldi stood in the middle of the street that ran along the edge of the water, breathing deeply. "The docks," she said.

Sallina bit her lip. She was thinking. Garibaldi tried to think too, but all he could do was look back the way they had come and watch for the policemen. He held his axe firmly in one hand and the bag of gold in the other. Should he fight with the police? No, he did not want to hurt anyone.

"If we walk down one of the docks," Sallina said, "and the soldiers catch up with us, we will be trapped."

Sallina looked at the ship in front of them. It must be leaving soon because the sailors were loading it with sacks and boxes. The name of the ship was painted on its front side in large red letters: the Reliant. Nearby, a fat man in a silk jacket and fine wool trousers was talking to three sailors. The sailors stood next to a wooden crate on the dock. The crate was so large that it came up to the fat man's tummy.

"How are we going to lift this here crate onto the ship without a crane, Captain?" one of the sailors said.

"It's full of silk, my lad, light as a feather," the fat man said. He lifted up the lid of the box. "See for yourself."

The sailors looked in the crate until the fat man lowered the lid. "Run and get hammers and nails, and make this lid fast. I don't want it coming off on the way. This silk is going to make us a tidy profit."

"Aye, aye, Captain," the sailors said. They turned and set off towards the Reliant, leaving the Captain behind.

The fat man patted the crate once and began to cross the street. When he saw Sallina and Garibaldi he slowed down. He stared at Sallina. He stopped. Sallina smiled at him. Why was he looking at her? She tried not to breath so hard. The fat man smiled. He touched his hat. "Good day to you," he said. He continued across the street.

The fat man walked into nearest of the large buildings. Sallina looked at the crate. Everyone around them was busy. No one was looking. "Quick. They'll nail it shut, but you can cut your way out with your axe, let's get in the crate."

Sallina walked towards the crate. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. Garibaldi followed her.

"You're crazy," he said, "We won't have enough air to breath. What are we going to eat?"

"Quickly," Sallina said. She slid the lid over, so that a corner of the box was open. She looked around one more time, and climbed in. Garibaldi crouched and looked up and down the dock. Even though there were so many people around, nobody was paying any attention to them.

Garibaldi put his axe and the bag of gold in the crate and climbed in. As soon as he was inside, Sallina slid the lid back into place so that it covered them up. Inside the crate, it was too dark to see at first, but some light came in through cracks in the lid and sides. After a while, they could see well enough. They were pressed up against one another, lying upon rolls of cloth.

"Let's get down under the silk so they won't see us if they lift the lid," Sallina said.

They moved the rolls up from under them and laid them on top. When they were satisfied that no sailor would see them if they opened the crate and looked inside, they both lay there panting, with the weight of the silk pressing upon their tummies, and their faces close together.

"Sallina," Garibaldi said, "This is crazy. We'll be trapped in here. I don't like small spaces."

They heard the sailors coming back to the crate. They tried to breath quietly so that the sailors would not hear them. They were worried that the sailors would open the crate and check the silk, but as it happened, the sailors did not lift the lid at all. They moved it over, so it was in just the right place, and went to work hammering nails through the lid around the edges. In no time at all, the sailors were finished, the lid was nailed in place, with Garibaldi and Sallina inside.

The sailors walked away. Sallina and Garibaldi heard the many people running and shouting. The soldiers, the policemen, and the crowd had reached the docks.

"Where are they?" one of the soldiers said, "Has anyone seen a young man and a young woman?"

A sailor laughed. "Oh yes, I've seen a few young women, and far too many young men."

Garibaldi and Sallina pulled the rolls of silk off them until they were lying on top again, which was much more comfortable. There was enough space on top of the silk for them to lie on their sides and face one another.

The sailors returned to the crate. They tried to pick it up, but put it down again. "I say, I thought the Captain said the crate was light as a feather."

They lifted the crate. Garibaldi and Sallina felt themselves being carried down the dock. When they reached the plank that led up on to the ship, the sailors put the crate down and talked for some time about how they were going to get the crate up the plank and onto the ship. They did not want to take the time to borrow a crane to do the job. The Captain had told them to get the crate on the ship quickly, and the crane would take an hour to set up. But the plank between the dock and the ship was too narrow for all the sailors carrying the crate to walk up at the same time. In the end, the sailors put a second plank next to the first, and walked up along both planks at the same time, with the crate between them. As they carried the crate up the planks, they breathed hard and shouted to one another.

"I'm minding my foot. You mind your tongue. And watch your end of the crate. You're holding it too low!"

Sallina and Garibaldi heard the voice of the fat man. "What's all the fuss about, gentlemen?"

"Nonsense," the Captain said, "You're all getting fat and lazy from a week of lounging around. It's time we were out to sea again. Put your backs into it."

"I see," the Captain said, "So the grumbling is just a way of passing the time, is it?

"You can wail like a siren for all I care, just get the crate on the deck and lash it before the tide turns."

And so the sailors carried the crate up to the top of the planks and onto the deck of the ship.

"Tie it down right there and cover it with sail cloth. I want it wrapped double in the hold, but we're supposed to be off this pier in an hour, so leave it there for now."

"I don't like small spaces. It's always, always a bad idea to get into a box and have someone close it on you. It's a very bad idea. Nobody should ever get into a box like this."

"Don't worry," Sallina said. "We knew before we got in that we could get out, because we have your axe."

"I can't swing the axe in here, there's not enough space. I might chop your arm off."

Sallina frowned. He was right. How could he swing his axe in here? Well, at least they had escaped from the police. "I'm sure you could make a hole with your axe in this crate anyway, given enough time."

The sailors carried things onto the ship for another hour. Sallina and Garibaldi listened to them shouting at one another. Sometimes the things the sailors said to one another made Sallina and Garibaldi giggle. The sailors laughed too, and complained, and argued with their captain. But mostly they laughed.

Eventually, the sailors all came aboard, pulled up the planks, and untied the ship from the dock. Sallina and Garibaldi heard sailors calling down from above them.

"They're climbing on those tall wooden poles that hold up the sails," Garibaldi said.

The ship began to move. It rocked slowly. They heard the sounds of the docks growing quieter as the Reliant slid out of the harbor and left the town behind. After a while, Garibaldi started to think that they were quite safe in the crate. They made themselves more comfortable by moving some of the rolls of silk into better places. They were both tired. Before long, they were fast asleep.

Stowaways

Garibaldi woke up. It was dark. He was lying upon rolls of cloth. The ship was rocking.

Sallina moved closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Well, here we are, all alone in a crate of silk."

Garibaldi had never been to school. He had helped his father chop wood since he was old enough to carry a hatchet.

The ship creaked as it rolled in the water. Some sailors were talking nearby. There was no more shouting or banging.

"I don't see that you have much choice," Sallina said. "You're going to have to pee sooner or later, so you might as well pee now, so you can relax."

Would the Captain turn the ship around, Garibaldi wondered? He did not think so. Would the Captain try to take the gold? Maybe. Garibaldi had listened to the sailors while they were preparing the ship to leave. He thought they sounded like good people. The Captain had said good-morning to them in Godiva. He had looked straight at Sallina and Garibaldi and smiled. He had slowed his walk, and Garibaldi thought he was going to stop and talk to them. But for some reason, the Captain had changed his mind and kept going across the street.

"No, I don't think they'll do that either. They don't sound like thieves. And anyway, we don't have to tell them about the gold. We could keep it secret."

"But if we ruin the silk," Garibaldi said, "They will certainly be angry with us, and who knows what they will do then. So I think we should call to them and ask them to let us out before we have to pee."

Sallina thought for a while. She did not want to pee in the crate either. And she was hungry. They had no food. They had no water. If the ship was out on the sea for more than a day, she and Garibaldi would have to call to the sailors so they could eat and drink. She did not know what the sailors would do with her and Garibaldi. But Garibaldi was right. Sooner or later, they would have to call to the sailors. So they should do it now, before they ruined the silk by peeing on it.

A little while later, a crowd of sailors pried the lid of the crate off with a metal crow-bar. Sunlight shone upon Garibaldi and Sallina's faces. They held up their hands to shield their eyes from the bright light. The sailors pulled the lid off and put it on the deck. The Captain stood next to the crate.

Garibaldi and Sallina sat up. The sailors laughed at the sight of them sitting there on the silk.

"There you go, Captain," one of them said. He was tall and thin, and about forty years old. "We told you the box was heavy." Garibaldi recognized the sailor's voice. It was the sailor called Harry.

"We don't take passengers," another sailor said. He was short and wiry, with gray hair and lines around his mouth and eyes. "We're a cargo ship." He pointed at Sallina and Garibaldi. "That makes you stowaways."

"Thank you, Dan," the Captain said. He walked around the crate, bringing him closer to Garibaldi and Sallina, and looked at them. "I remember you," he said, "You were standing in the street. I said good-morning to you. After that, you must have climbed into the crate." He put one hand upon the wall of the crate and smiled. "Most enterprising of you."

"No, sir," Sallina said, "We decided to call out to you before we caused any damage to your goods."

"You could have got out before we carried you on board," Harry said, "and walked up the gang plank for us. That would have been considerate."

"And why are the police chasing after you," the Captain said, "If it's not too impolite a question to ask?"

Sallina looked at Garibaldi. What should she say? Garibaldi looked back at her. He was thinking the same thing.

The captain nodded. He turned to his crew and said in a loud voice, "Well sailors, what do you think? Shall we go back to Godiva and turn them over to the police, or keep them on board?"

While Sallina and Garibaldi sat in the crate, the sailors talked among themselves. They spoke quickly and quietly. Many of them had strange voices. Garibaldi thought they must come from far-away places.

While the sailors talked, the Captain stared at Sallina and Garibaldi. Sallina smiled at him, but he did not smile back. She looked up at the sails. The wind was pushing on the sails and making the ship creak. The ship had three decks: one a the back, one in the middle, and one at the front. The middle deck was the largest, but the front and rear decks were higher up. Where the main deck ended and the rear deck began, there was a wall as high as a man's shoulder. In the middle of this wall was a door, and at either end of the wall were flights of stairs leading to the rear deck. The door was tied open. Beyond it, Sallina saw stairs going down. There was another door in the wall beneath the front deck, with two more sets of stairs going up on either side.

Most of the sailors said "Aye." Sallina figured that was a sailor's way of saying, "Yes."

Harry put his hands behind his back and stood up straight. "We don't think we should go back, sir."

"Indeed not," the Captain said. "Our customers are waiting, and we are not policemen."

"Indeed we do not. And yet," The Captain pointed to Sallina and Garibaldi sitting in the crate. "We appear to have two of them, all the same."

Harry put his hands in his pockets and stared at Garibaldi and Sallina. The Captain waited.

"Well, sir, given that we have passengers, we should ask them to pay for riding on our ship, sir."

"I was thinking the same thing myself. If they pay, they can be passengers, and their business in Godiva is their own business. But if they can't pay, then they are stealing a ride on our ship, and we must turn them over to the police when we reach our next port."

"Please don't do that," Sallina said, "We are happy to pay. We have at least fifty gold pieces." Garibaldi looked at her. She was right, they did have at least fifty gold pieces. They had a hundreds of gold pieces, maybe thousands. She had not lied to the Captain.

The Captain laughed. "Well then, I'll thank you for twenty of your gold pieces for a voyage across the Satian Sea."

Garibaldi reached into his bag. He was glad he had put Sallina's dirty clothes in the bag that morning, because now, when he opened the bag, it looked as if the bag was full of clothes, and the clinking of the gold inside was muffled by the folds of cloth. He took out a handful of gold pieces. From these, he counted twenty. Sallina watched him count. He counted quickly. He could not read, but he could count. When he finished counting, he had twenty gold pieces in one hand. He put the rest of the coins in the bag and handed the twenty coins to the Captain.

"Thank you, young sir," the Captain said, "You are a gentleman." He held the coins up in the sunlight and bent his head to look at them. He touched them with his fingers. He scratched one against another. He looked at Sallina and tilted his head to one side, smiling. The sailors watched him silently. Sallina said nothing. The Captain closed his hands upon the coins and turned to his crew. "Twenty guineas."

The sailors nodded and spoke quietly to one another, saying things like, "Good", "Aye", "That's a fair price", and "Every little bit counts".

The Captain put the coins in an inner pocket of his jacket. He looked at Sallina and Garibaldi. "Climb out of the crate, will you, I want to get the lid back on again and get the crate wrapped before we hit any big waves. The sea-water splashes right over the deck." He smiled and leaned towards them. "It can be quite frightening."

"Harry and Dan," the Captain said, "Will you give up your cabin until land-fall for one guinea each?"

Dan smiled. One of his front teeth was made of gold. "Aye, I'll do it. I think you've judge well, Captain."

Dan nodded and the two men went down the stairs beneath the rear deck. They had to go one at a time because the stairs were so narrow. Harry stepped aside so Dan could go first. The Captain turned to Sallina and Garibaldi. "You will have Harry and Dan's cabin, and you can eat at my table in the evening if it pleases you. We'll be at sea for three days."

Garibaldi gave the bag of gold and his axe to Sallina. He helped the sailors put the lid back on the crate and nail it down. The Captain stood next to Sallina, watching Garibaldi hammering nails through the lid of the crate. "The boy can wield a hammer well enough." He turned to Sallina. "That's a heavy bag of clothes you have there, Miss Franks."

Sallina looked at him and at the bag. "Yes, we like heavy clothes were I come from."

The Captain smiled and nodded. "Those guineas are old but hardly used. Hardly scratched."

Sallina said nothing. The sailors wrapped the crate twice in huge sail-cloths. They did this by lifting one side of it up, pushing the cloth under, and lifting the other side. They had to fold the cloth in a particular way so it would come out from under the other side of the crate properly. When the sail-cloth was tied up around the crate, the sailors opened two large doors in the deck and laid the doors flat on either side. Four sailors jumped down into the hole. Their heads were just below the deck. Sallina looked down through the doors. The sailors opened another set of doors in the floor below. The space below those doors was dark.

Five of the sailors, with Garibaldi to help them, lifted the crate, while others passed two thick ropes beneath it. Four sailors jumped down into the hold and moved boxes and bags out of the way until there was space on for the crate.

Sixteen sailors took hold of the ends of the two ropes that passed under the crate. There were four sailors at each end of each rope. Garibaldi wanted to help, but the Captain stopped him by putting a hand upon his shoulder. "Watch them do it, young man," the Captain said, "and you'll see how it's done. Next time you can give it a try."

The sailors lifted the ropes and carried the crate right over the opening in the deck.

The sailors let one arm's length of rope pass through their hands. The crate sank a little way into the opening.

When the Captain reached sixteen, the crate touched the floor of the hold. The sailors let go of the ropes, jumped down into the hold, pulled the ropes out from under the crate, tied the crate down, climbed out, shut the doors in the floor below, climbed up onto the main deck, and shut the doors in the deck. Sallina was sure the sailors had done this hundreds of times before, because they did it so quickly, and each of them seemed to know what to do without being told.

The Captain led them down the steps. The ceiling was low. Garibaldi had to bend his head. At the bottom of the stairs they turned about and walked along a narrow corridor. The Captain opened a door on their right. Beyond the door was a little room with a bunk-bed built into one wall.

"Here you are," he said, "Your cabin. It looks like Harry and Dan have cleared it out well enough for you."

"Harry and Dan?" the Captain said, "No, they don't mind. They agree with my decision. Now, I'll leave you two alone. Welcome to the Reliant."

The Captain laughed. "I should hope so, young man! We wouldn't be a very happy ship if we had no toilets, would we now? Come this way, both of you, and I'll show you."

The Captain led them back along the corridor to a door near the bottom of the steps. He opened the door, and the three of them stepped inside. There were four white toilets and two white wash-basins against the outer wall. There were three small, round windows in the wall, and all three windows were open. The air was fresh and salty. Sallina heard the sea-water outside, splashing upon the side of the ship.

"We're proud of our toilets," the Captain said. He walked to a large barrel that sat on the floor behind the door. He took the lid off the barrel and pulled out a bucket full of water. "They work like this." He held the bucket of over the nearest toilet. "First you do what you have to do, and then you pour a bucket of water on top." He poured the water into the toilet and stepped back.

Sallina and Garibaldi stood beside the toiled and looked inside. The water was going around in circles in the bowl. It went rushing down the hole in the bottom, and disappeared.

"It goes down a pipe, out the side of the boat, and into the sea. Unless we close the pipe, in which case it sits in a tank until we open the pipe again. We usually close the pipe when we're in port."

The Captain smiled. "That's right. We open it at night when the tide is going out, and hope that the water in the harbor carries everything away before we wake up in the morning."

"Thank you. Now, we have some toilet rules on this ship. The first rule is that you have to pump water into the barrel whenever you can." He showed them an iron water pump next to the barrel. "This pump brings up sea-water from beneath the ship. When the sea is rough, it doesn't work well, so we pump only when the sea is calm, like now." He raised and lowered the pump lever six or seven times. After the last push, water rushed out of the pump and into the barrel.

"It's important on a ship, where we live so close together, that everyone stay clean. It stops the spread of sicknesses and parasites."

"Quite right," the Captain said. "And there are many others." He pointed to the wash basins. "After your have cleaned your private parts from the bucket of sea water, you have to wash your hands." He walked to the wash basins. "And for washing hands we have fresh water."

Two pipes ran down the wall. Each ended above one of the basins, with a tap at the end. The Captain turned the tap and water rushed into the basin. "This is rain-water." He turned the water off and picked up a bar of soap from a shelf on the wall. "And this is soap. You have to use soap when you wash your hands."

"And we don't share towels. You bring your own towel into the bathroom. Do you have towels?"

"Try not to use more rain-water than you have to. Sometimes it doesn't rain for a long time and we run out."

Garibaldi stood in front of the toilet at the far end of the room and started to pee into it. Sallina looked at him. Was he really peeing? Yes he was. She stood between him and the Captain. She needed to pee too, but she certainly was not going to pee in front of the Captain. She looked at the door. There was no lock on the door, but there was a door latch, and there was a sign hanging on a nail that said "Woman Inside".

Behind Sallina, Garibaldi was still peeing into the toilet bowl. She decided to keep talking to the Captain so she would not have to stand there listening to Garibaldi peeing while the Captain looked at her.

"Why's that, then? Is it difficult being married to a captain? You must be away from home a lot."

The Captain turned and looked out of one of the windows. She began to feel uncomfortable. Had she said something rude?

"Oh," Sallina said. She frowned. She looked over her shoulder. Garibaldi was still peeing.

"I'm so sorry," Sallina said, "I hope I didn't upset you. I can be rude sometimes."

The Captain smiled at her. "That's alright, Miss Franks, don't worry." He took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. "I'm glad to have you aboard." He put the handkerchief in his pocket and closed the door. Sallina heard his heavy footsteps going down the corridor. She took the sign off its nail, opened the door, hung the sign on a nail on the other side, and shut the door.

Garibaldi was pouring a bucket of water into his toilet and watching the water go down.

"Couldn't you wait to pee until the Captain had gone?" Sallina said, "I was embarrassed."

Garibaldi raised an eyebrow. Sallina pulled down her trousers and sat on a toilet. She scowled at the wall. Garibaldi smiled. Sallina looked funny, sitting on the toilet being angry. He walked to a wash-basin and washed his hands and face. There was a mirror above the wash-basin. He looked at his reflection. He needed to shave. One of the sailors would have a spare razor. His reflection moved one way and another. The boat was rolling slowly beneath him. He swayed back and forth. He had an unpleasant feeling in his stomach.

That afternoon, Garibaldi lay upon the lower bunk in their cabin, feeling sick. Sallina opened the little, round window in the wall and looked out at the sea.

"No," Garibaldi said, "I can't fight all the sailors, even with my axe, so there is no reason to bring it. Bring the bag."

Sallina sat down on the bunk next to Garibaldi and leaned close to his ear. "I think the Captain knows we have a lot more gold in the bag," she whispered. "He said he thought the bag looked heavy."

"Oh," Garibaldi said. He closed his eyes. He felt terrible. The air below decks was warm and still, and smelled of sailors and oil. "I have to go. Bring the gold."

Sallina followed him out of the cabin and up onto the deck, carrying the bag. Garibaldi spent a long time leaning over the low wooden wall at the edge of the ship, looking at the waves, and sometimes throwing up. Whenever one of the sailors walked by, they would make a joke about him and laugh. They seemed to have no end of jokes about people being seasick.

"It's not so bad after you've been washed overboard on a rope a few times," Dan said.

The ship rolled slowly on the waves, a little bit one way, and a little bit the other way. It rolled forward, sideways, up and down, but always slowly. It made Garibaldi sick.

Every time Garibaldi threw up, Sallina brought him a cup of water from a barrel on deck. She carried the bag of gold to the barrel, put it down, filled the cup, picked up the bag, and carried the cup to him. Garibaldi drank each cup and thanked her for it. After the tenth cup, Garibaldi leaned his back against the rail and looked up at the tall poles that held up white sails and all their brown ropes.

Sallina put her arm around him. She held the top of the bag of gold in her other hand, but the bottom of the bag was resting upon the deck. She rested her head upon his shoulder. "I'm sure you will get used to it."

Garibaldi nodded. He pointed to the poles. "These three big poles are the masts, is that right?"

Garibaldi nodded. "Each one is made from three straight trees tied together. I have never seen trees so straight and so tall that they could make masts like these. They must be pine trees that grow slowly, through hundreds of winters, and grow straight up.

A sailor in a blue apron put his head out of the door beneath the rear deck. "Supper-time!"

"Well, I want to, but I don't want to go down to the Captain's cabin alone. He invited us to eat with him."

Garibaldi pushed himself away from the rail. He took a mouthful of water from the cup Sallina held, rinsed his mouth, spat over the side, and stood up straight. "Okay, I'll come. But I might have to run up again quickly."

Captain's Quarters

Sallina and Garibaldi went down the stairs beneath the rear deck of the Reliant. The steps were made of wood, like almost everything in the ship. But there was a brass rail on the wall. Earlier that day, Sallina had watched a sailor polish the rail until the brass sparkled. Now she held the smooth, cool metal with one hand. The ship was rolling, and she felt that if she did not hold the rail, she would fall. In her other hand she held the bag of gold.

Garibaldi was behind Sallina. He put his hand on the rail also, but he did not notice the smooth, cool feel of it beneath his skin. He was seasick. He did not care if he fell and bumped his head or not. A bump on the head might take his mind off the horrid feeling in his stomach. The only reason he put his hand on the rail was to stop himself from falling forward and bumping into Sallina.

Sallina stopped when she reached the passage. Daylight shone through the open door at the top of the stairs. She could not see Garibaldi's face clearly, but she thought he must be frowning.

Garibaldi stood swaying on the steps. "Can you keep moving? I don't like standing here."

Sallina walked farther along the passage. The passage was narrow enough that she could touch both walls at the same time with her elbows, and low enough that she could reach the ceiling without straightening her arm. When the ship rolled to one side, she leaned against one wall. The wall was painted green. The paint was slippery beneath her fingertips. She looked at the paint. "Smooth paint is easy to clean," she thought. "The Captain likes everything clean."

The door at the end of the passage opened. A man wearing a tall white hat came out and closed the door. He nodded at Sallina and Garibaldi. "In you go, young Miss and Master."

He opened a door on the right. Light shone into the passage. "Stop the soup boiling, boy!" he said to someone inside.

A door at the opposite end of the passage opened. "Hey, Pops! What's keeping you? We're dying of hunger in here!"

The cook's voice sounded from the other side of the wall. "Stuff your head in a bucket, Sharpy!"

Sallina and Garibaldi stared at the sailor standing in the open door. The sailor shook his head. Behind him was a room full of men sitting on long benches at either side of a table. The room was full of tobacco smoke. Light came from several lanterns. The sailors talked in loud voices and laughed. There were cards on the table, and dice, and other games Sallina did not recognize. The sailor shut the door and walked towards them. Garibaldi decided that this sailor must be the one called Sharpy.

"Aren't you dining with the Captain?" he said, "You can't miss his cabin, it's at the end there, open the door and you'll be there."

By now, Sharpy was standing in front of Garibaldi. He looked at Garibaldi's face.

"Well, you're not doing so well, are you, now? Your girl seems well enough though. Better that way around than the other." He patted Garibaldi on the shoulder and looked up the stairs at the open door. It was swinging on its hinges. "Now, you have to remember to close the door. If we take a wave, the water will come right down into our beds."

Sharpy held him back with one hand. "No, I'll get it, you go sit down and have a glass of wine. It will make you feel better."

Sharpy went up the stairs in three jumps, closed the door and came down again just as quickly. He smiled at Garibaldi. "There you go."

Sallina took Garibaldi's hand and pulled him towards the Captain's cabin. What did that rude man mean about seasick woman? And how long would Garibaldi's seasickness last? She had looked after Garibaldi all day, and he was still sick. Perhaps he just needed to sit down. A glass of wine sounded good to Sallina. She and her family had wine only on Sundays. And today was what day? It was Wednesday.

Garibaldi pulled his hand free of Sallina's. "Sorry, I need my hands to lean on the walls."

Sallina frowned. Now he didn't even want to hold her hand. She reached the Captain's door and opened it. Light shone in her face and she blinked.

"My, oh my, young woman, knock will you?" the Captain said from inside. "This is my cabin, you know. Or would you like me bursting into your own cabin like that?"

The Captain and Harry were sitting at a table that filled up the other side the cabin. They sat on benches that seemed to be part of the cabin walls, and the table was just the right size so you could sit on the benches and rest your elbows on the table, which was what the Captain and Harry were doing when Sallina opened the door. The Captain was sitting against the far wall, and Harry was sitting against the left wall. Two lanterns hung from the ceiling, but most of the light in the room came through the windows. As the ship rolled, the lanterns swung on their chains.

There were windows in the far wall on the left and right as well. The cabin was at the back of the ship, below the rear deck. One window in each wall was open. The cabin smelled fresh and cool. Upon the table was a white tablecloth, a bottle of wine, and four glasses.

Sallina frowned and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't know why I didn't knock. Please accept my apology."

The Captain put one hand upon the table to help himself up. As he pushed the table down, it rocked. Harry had to grab the Captain's glass to stop it from falling over and spilling. The Captain, as you may remember, was a fat man. He stood with one foot on the floor and a knee on his bench. There was not quite enough space between the table and the bench for him to stand properly.

"I can see that," the Captain said. "Sit down, young fellow, sit down, and have a glass of wine."

Sallina and Garibaldi sat next to one another opposite Harry. The Captain poured them each some wine. The wine was ruby red. Sallina took a sip. She closed her eyes and let it sit on her tongue.

The ceiling in the Captain's cabin was higher than the ceiling in the passage. The walls were covered with painted wood boards. Garibaldi stared at the grain showing through the paint and decided the boards were made of oak. He leaned back against the wall of the cabin. He was leaning against the port side of the ship. That was what the sailors called the side that was on the left when you faced the front. They called the other side the starboard side. The cabin he shared with Sallina was on the starboard side. He was at the aft end of the ship, opposite the fore end. Garibaldi liked the words fore and aft, but he did not understand why front and back would not work just as well.

There were maps, charts, and portraits on the cabin walls, each in a wooden picture frame nailed on all four corners to the wooden panels. Garibaldi wondered why each picture needed four nails. Surely one nail through the frame would be enough?

The windows in the aft wall were looking south. The sea stretched away as far as Garibaldi could see. Outside the cabin and above the windows was a rowboat. The rowboat was hanging off the back of the ship. He wondered why the big ship would need to carry a small boat with it. What could a rowboat carry that the ship could not?

The windows in the starboard wall looked east. Garibaldi saw a few high clouds glowing pink in the light of the setting sun. He looked over his shoulder out the port windows. The sun was setting over the sea. It shone between the clouds and the horizon. The clouds were thick and went up and up. Beneath the clouds he could see a haze with the red light behind it. The haze was rain, and the clouds were storm-clouds.

Against the fore wall of the cabin, left of the door, was a writing desk. On the other side was an iron-bound chest. The desk and the chest were held to the wall with ropes. The chest had a chain also, running to an iron ring set in the floor. Garibaldi wondered where the Captain slept. He could not see a bed. He looked down at the bench he and Sallina were sitting on. It was much wider than it had to be, with cushions behind him to make it more comfortable. The top of the bench was a separate piece of wood, like the lid of a crate. The bench must be a bed. There would be a mattress underneath the wood he was sitting on, and blankets. Where would you put the bench-top? Garibaldi felt underneath the table, around his knees. There were some pieces of wood sticking out. He leaned down and looked at them.

All this time, Sallina was enjoying her wine, and the Captain was enjoying watching Garibaldi look around the cabin. When Garibaldi leaned down to feel under the table, the Captain said, "The table legs are fastened to the floor. They fold down, and we put the table on top of them so it's out of the way."

Harry put his glass down and leaned back. "He's a clever one, isn't he, Captain?"

"They fit into slots below your knees," the Captain said. "They stop me rolling out of bed at night."

Garibaldi nodded. After putting his head under the table, he was beginning to feel seasick again. He picked up his glass and swallowed a mouthful of wine. It tasted good. He leaned back against his cushion. Harry lit a pipe and puffed on it. The smell of the tobacco smoke reminded Garibaldi of sitting outside his home with his father in the evening. Garibaldi did not like to smoke. But he enjoyed the smell of pipe tobacco.

Sallina thought that the Captain must have, at some time, shared this cabin with his wife. He would have slept in one bed, and she in another. He was too fat to share such a small bed with anyone else. She wondered if his wife was fat also, and if, when she was washed overboard, she was too fat for anyone to pull out of the water.

Sallina frowned. What horrible things for her to think. She looked at the Captain. What a good thing that nobody could hear her thinking, or else nobody would like her.

The Captain looked at Sallina. "That was a brazen thing to do, climbing into our crate of silk."

"Well," the Captain said. He looked at Harry. "What kind of place would you say it was, Harry?"

"My dear lady," the Captain said, "You will see soon enough, but I'll tell you this: they aren't as bad as they look. And they are honest."

Well, Sallina thought, that was good to know. How frightening could they be? Would Kublaminsk be a good place for them to live?

The door to the cabin slammed open and Pops came in with a tray holding four bowls and a pot of soup. "Begging your pardon, Captain," he said, "But we have to hurry it up. A storm's brewing."

He put the tray down on the table and left, slamming the door behind him. The ship rolled to port and the bowls on the tray slid towards Garibaldi and Sallina. Sallina reached out to stop them falling out of the tray, but they stopped moving on their own, and she put her hand back on her lap. Garibaldi looked out the window behind him. The storm clouds were closer than they had been a few minutes ago. He watched the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. They swung back and forth. He felt less dizzy when he watched the lanterns. It seemed to him that the lanterns were staying still while the ship moved around them. Could that be true? He was not sure. But he watched them anyway, and felt better.

Harry handed around the bowls and served the soup. It was chicken soup. It was warm, with lots of broth. They drank it quickly. Garibaldi drank two bowls. The soup felt comforting in his stomach. Harry took the soup pot and the tray away. Sallina watched the sky and the sea outside. Garibaldi stared at the lanterns. The daylight outside grew dim. Sallina's crystal glass sparkled in the lantern light. Harry came back with mashed potatoes, boiled beef, and fresh bread. They ate these from their soup bowls, except for Garibaldi, who said he was already full.

The lanterns were swinging farther and farther in each direction as the minutes went by. The ship's walls were creaking. The sky outside was dark, not because the sun had set quickly, but because thick, heavy clouds had blocked out the last light of day. There was a flash of lightening. Sallina looked up from her food.

The Captain sat back on his bench and nodded. Harry loaded the tray with the bowls and took them out. He slammed the door behind him. Sallina winced. These sailors were noisy people. They shouted a lot and they slammed doors. A hiss came through the open windows. Rain was striking the water outside. Garibaldi and Sallina stared out the port window. The waves were large and far apart. There was another flash. Sallina counted three seconds. Crack-a-Boom! The thunder shook the boat.

The Captain stood up and shuffled out from behind the table. "Up you get, both of you, we have to get things stowed."

The Captain smiled. "I don't know, young lady. But this is not my first storm, and I doubt it will be my last. Go to your cabin and get yourself settled in your bunks. Don't come up top, you'll get in our way. We will have work to do keeping the ship facing into the wind."

"I'm going to take them down right now," the Captain said, "Up with you boy, and to your cabin. That's an order."

The Captain reached under the table and twisted something. One of the legs dropped to the floor, and another. He let the front side down. Snap, clunk, snap, clunk, and the table was lying flat on the floor on top of its folded legs, just as he said it would. He took down one of the lanterns. "Go on, out of here!"

Sallina opened the door. The Captain pointed to the saddle-bag sitting on the floor beside the bench where Sallina had been sitting. "Don't forget your bag of goodies."

Sallina went to the bench and picked up the bag. Garibaldi opened the door and stepped into the passage. Sallina followed him. She closed the door firmly but quietly behind her. As they walked towards their cabin, the door to the sailor's room burst open and sailors started pushing out one after another with dishes and spoons in their hands. Garibaldi and Sallina pressed themselves against the wall to let them go by. The sailors smelled of tobacco, sweat, and chicken soup. Sallina and Garibaldi moved sideways to their cabin door, opened it, and went inside. They stood alone in the darkness listening to the sailors stomping in the passage.

Stormy Weather

Harry's voice came from outside their room. "Furl all the sails excepting the fore jib. And move it!"

The sailors stomped up the stairs. The ship was rolling with the same, slow, swing, but each time it seemed to roll farther each way. Garibaldi decided the ship would always roll at the same speed, and he was unhappy about that, because if it would just go quicker for a while, or maybe slower, he would feel better. But the same speed all the time: that was horrible to think about. As he stood there in the dark with Sallina, he swayed against the door, against their bunk beds, against the door again, and into Sallina. She put her arms around him. He hugged her and closed his eyes. Even when he was seasick, Sallina still smelled good.

The bunks were on the fore wall of their cabin, one on top of the other. Garibaldi lay on the lower bunk. Lightening flashed outside their window. Garibaldi saw rain, and huge, white-topped waves.

By feeling with her hands in the darkness, Sallina found the drawer in the table on the aft wall. Harry had left some candles and matches for them. She struck a match, lit one of the candles, melted the bottom of the candle, and stuck the candle to the table. The orange light of the candle shone upon the walls of the cabin. Garibaldi blinked.

Sallina took her old skirt out of their bag, tore a strip of cloth from the hem, and used the strip to hang the bag from a hook in the ceiling. She had noticed the hook earlier in the day, when she had been lying in her bunk.

Garibaldi looked at the bag. He smiled. He watched the bag swing back and forth.

The bag swung towards Sallina. She stepped away and put her hand on the wall next to the window. The ship was creaking and shuddering.

Sallina climbed up into the top bunk. Garibaldi had not thanked her for hanging the bag from the ceiling. Perhaps he was so sick he had forgotten to be grateful. She frowned. She was proud of what she had done for him, but he did not seem to recognize how much trouble it was for her to look after him, and it was especially difficult to look after him now that she was scared of the storm.

They lay in their bunks. The sound of waves striking the ship grew louder. The thunder and lightning came more often. The bag swung farther from one side to the other. Sallina hung on to the rail at the edge of her bunk. Garibaldi lay watching the bag.

Garibaldi was ashamed that he was so sick. He had been enjoying Sallina looking after him, but now he felt embarrassed. It was a clever idea of hers, hanging up the bag, and it was working. He wished he had thought of it himself, and done it himself, instead of just waiting for her to think of it. Maybe that was the problem when a smart woman spent time with a man who was not as smart as she was. The man started to leave all the thinking to her, and would get more and more stupid, until she was sick of him.

The bag nearly touched the ceiling. The ship shuddered. The thousands of thick wood planks out of which the ship was made creaked and banged. Water slammed onto the deck above them. The smash of the water on the deck was so loud it made Sallina's ears ring. The boards of the ceiling above her nose bent down towards her face and seawater squirted through the gaps between the boards onto face and shirt. She screamed. It seemed to her that the ceiling was going to fall on her. She jumped out of her bunk and threw herself on top of Garibaldi. She hung on to him and pressed her face into his chest.

Garibaldi held her head in his hands. "It's okay!" He had to shout over the noise of the ship creaking and the waves smashing. "It's just the waves!"

Someone was standing on the deck above their cabin. They heard his footsteps. "Spar four! Let up on it! Get the jib tied!" It was Harry.

Garibaldi took his eyes from the bag and reached for his axe. It lay on the bed beside him. "What did he say?"

Garibaldi let go of his axe. Whoever went overboard must be tied to the ship with a rope.

They heard the Captain. "Harry! You, Sharpy and Dan keep to the aft deck. Get Jasper below, his arm is broken. Leave Otis on the fore deck with the jib sail. Tell the rest to get below. Otis! Take the jib. Double-lash yourself!"

"Don't talk back to me in a storm, sailor!" the Captain cried, "Pull yourself together, man! Get to the wheel. Lash yourselves. Dan! Lash yourself! Don't argue with me! Do it!"

Sallina and Garibaldi heard the door at the top of the stairs slam open. Sailors pounded down the steps, one after the other. One screamed. Another said, "Don't move his arm! Leave it, leave it!"

The door slammed shut. The wave swept across the deck. Sallina could hear it go. "All clear!"

The door slammed open. More sailors came down the steps and along the passage to their dormitory. Garibaldi and Sallina lay squashed together in Garibaldi's bunk for a long time. Waves crashed on the deck. Lightening flashed outside. Thunder boomed. The wind screamed around the ship. The candle had almost burned out, and Sallina was thinking of lighting another, when the ship rolled so far over that the bag touched the ceiling for the first time. Sallina and Garibaldi slid along the bunk towards the wall. There was a roar of wind, a crash of water, and a tremendous crack from the rear of the ship.

Something landed with a crash on the aft deck and the ship lay upon its side. It straightened up, but not all the way. It leaned to starboard and stayed leaning to starboard. Garibaldi grabbed his axe. There was something was wrong with the ship.

Garibaldi pushed Sallina off his chest and pulled her hands from his shirt. He stepped out of bed and stood up with his axe in his hand. "You stay here."

"Don't go," Sallina said. She started to cry "I don't want you to be washed overboard!"

The ship rolled a farther to starboard. Garibaldi hung on to the doorway to stop himself from falling across the cabin. When the ship rolled back, he leaned down and kissed Sallina full on the lips. "I'll be back, don't worry. But there's something hanging off the ship, and it needs to be cut off."

He opened the door, stepped into the passage and closed the door. He ran up the steps. He was barefoot. All the sailors went barefoot, so he did not bother putting his boots on. His heart was pounding. He forgot about his seasickness. He listened at the door. A wave smashed against it. Water squirted under the bottom and around the edges. When the water stopped squirting, he opened the door and stepped out onto the deck.

Three bright lanterns swung wildly from hangers on the main mast. The mast itself towered up into the darkness. Its sails were wrapped in tight bundles. Dozens of ropes ran up from the sides of the ship into the darkness. The wind blew through the ropes and whistled. One small sail was stretched out in front of the forward mast. Garibaldi could see it flapping in the wind and rain. Beneath the sail, on the fore deck, he saw Otis, the oldest sailor on the ship, with his thin white hair and thick white beard.

A wave burst over the side. Garibaldi grabbed the brass rail on the wall beside the door. With his other hand, he closed the door firmly before the water could rush down the stairs. The wave washed past him, soaking him to the waist, and slipped off the other side of the deck. He stepped along the wall to the starboard side of the ship. Above and to his right was the aft deck, and that was where the loud crack had come from. In his left hand, he carried his axe. With his right hand, he held the brass rail. He walked up the steps to the aft deck. When he reached the top, a tall, fast wave struck the port side of the ship. Cold, frothing saltwater flew high into the air above the deck. Garibaldi looked up and saw a wall of water above him. He held tight to the rail and crouched down. The water fell upon him and slammed him down onto the steps. His head struck something hard. The water rushed past, cold and fast. It pulled upon his legs and body.

He held on tightly to the brass rail with one hand and to his axe with the other. He did not let the wave take him. When the wave was gone, he looked across the aft deck. The mizzen mast, the one that rose up from the aft deck, had cracked and fallen. It was tangled with ropes and white sail cloth and hanging over the starboard side of the ship. The wood at the bottom of the mast was shattered and bent, but not entirely broken, so that the mast could not fall off the boat and into the sea. It dragged in the water and pulled the ship over onto its side. Waves washed over the port side of the ship, tipping her even farther to starboard. The deck was tilted so far over that it was half-way between a floor and a wall.

The Captain was at the ship's wheel, behind the broken mast. He was tied with ropes to a wheel frame. He saw Garibaldi and shouted. "Get below! Get below!"

Garibaldi looked at the broken mast. Sharpy, Harry, and Dan were trying to chop through the base of the mast and all the ropes that tied it. But they were not doing very well. The wood was thick and hard, as Garibaldi knew it would be. The sailors had only hatchets to cut it with, and the deck was almost impossible to stand on. There was a rope tied to a brass ring at the top of the steps. Garibaldi could see no place to put his axe, so he swung it and struck the deck in front of him. He let go of the axe and it remained stuck where it was in the wood. He tied the rope around his waist. He used the same knot he used when he tied a rope around a tree stump for Eliza to pull on. With the rope around his waste, he felt safer. He was lashed to the ship, like the other sailors. He pulled his axe out of the deck and walked towards the broken mast.

The Captain was leaning on the ship's wheel with all his weight. "Otis, tighten number six!"

From the front of the ship came Otis's voice. "Aye, Captain, tighten number six!"

Even above the howling of the wind, the pounding of the waves, and the groaning of the ship, the sailors shouted enough to be heard.

A wave washed over the deck and Sharpy's head disappeared under the water. When the wave slipped away, he shook his head, spat water out of his mouth, raised his hatchet and chopped at the base of the mast. Garibaldi stepped away from the starboard rail to the splintered mast. The ship rolled upright, and he stood on the deck.

Sharpy and Harry moved back. Garibaldi stood with his legs apart and raised his axe. The ship rolled slowly to port, and then to starboard. Garibaldi waited.

But Garibaldi waited. He had been paying very close attention to the way the ship moved for the entire day and night, and he knew what he was waiting for. Putting your feet in the right place is important when you use a big axe like Garibaldi's. Although he had strong arms, he knew well that if you want all your weight and strength to pass from your body into the head of the axe, you have to swing it with grace and balance. For Garibaldi, that meant waiting until the ship stayed still. He knew that such a moment would come. Even with the mast in the water, the boat was still standing still every now and then.

The ship stood still. Garibaldi swung his axe. Chop! The axe bit into the splintered wood. He pulled the axe out and swung again. On the seventh chop, he cut through the base of the mast. A wave washed over the side and swept Garibaldi off his feet. He floated across the deck and hit the starboard rail. The water rushed around him, through the holes at the bottom of the rail, and into the sea. In a few moments, the water was gone. He looked up. The ship was leaning on her side. The wind was howling in his ears. The Captain was leaning on the wheel. Harry was lying against the rail not far away. He was shaking his head and trying to get up. Another wave washed over the deck. The mast slid sideways and came down hard upon the railing. The railing cracked, but did not break. The mast started to slide over the side, but it stopped with one end sticking in the air. The ropes held it to the ship.

The ship straightened up. Garibaldi stepped up to the ropes. There were many of them. He swung his axe and cut one, and another. Dan was cutting ropes on the other side of the mast with his hatchet. Between his own strokes, Garibaldi looked at Dan. The old man's hatchet rose and fell quickly. Each stroke severed a rope, just like Garibaldi. Unlike Garibaldi, however, Dan was not lashed to the ship. If he went overboard, he would die.

A voice came from the tangle of ropes holding the mast to the ship. "I'm here! I'm trapped!"

Garibaldi swung his axe. Harry rose to his knees. There was blood running down his face. "I'm okay, Captain."

"I didn't ask if you were okay, first mate!" the Captain said, "I ordered you to get up!"

Garibaldi cut another rope, and another. A wave came over the side. The mast floated on the water. The water rushed around Garibaldi's waist. He held onto the ropes that remained uncut. When the water began to flow off again, the mast pulled them tight. Garibaldi raised his axe with one hand. He held it half way down its handle. He took hold of the tightest rope he could find, and cut it with three short strokes. The water began to run off the deck.

Garibaldi cut another rope. The mast slid sideways. It was almost free. He moved towards Dan, who was standing next to the rail, chopping with his hatchet. The rope around Garibaldi's waist tightened. The other end of it was tied to the rail at the top of the stairs. He could go no further. But now he saw Sharpy tangled in the ropes of the mast. Even as he watched, the mast slid over the starboard rail and dragged Sharpy with it. Dan leaned over the edge with his hatchet.

The mast floated in the water and thumped against the side of the ship. Garibaldi knelt upon the deck. He laid his guard rope down and cut it. He was no longer tied to the ship. He took a few steps across the slippery deck and stood next to Dan. When Dan saw Garibaldi with his woodcutter's axe, he stepped out of the way and pointed over the edge of the ship.

The mast thumped against the side of the ship again. Garibaldi leaned over the rail. There was Sharpy. He was holding onto the edge of the deck with one arm, but down below, one leg was tangled in a rope tied to the mast. The mast was pulling him down into the water. There was another rope tied around his waist. The second rope was still attached to the ship. Any moment now, the mast could pull away from the boat. The two ropes, with Sharpy's body in between, were all that held the broken mast to the ship. All the other ropes had been cut. Water washed over Sharpy's head and he came up spitting.

"Help me!" His face was white and trembling in the light of the swinging lanterns. "Don't let me die!"

Garibaldi looked down at the rope wrapped around Sharpy's leg. It was one rope, but it ran from the mast, wrapped around Sharpy's leg three times, and returned to the mast again. Sharpy was being dragged down by two lengths of rope, not just one. Garibaldi looked up at the sea. Another huge wave rolled towards them. Sharpy looked up and saw it too. He shook his leg, trying to get it out of the tangle of rope, but he could not. The rope was too tight. He and Garibaldi both knew that this next wave would pull the mast away from the ship when it went past. The mast would either tear Sharpy apart, or pull him down into the water to drown.

Harry was leaning over the deck nearby. "Do it!" He said, "There's no other way!"

Garibaldi swung. His axe came down in a great arc, out over the side of the ship and down towards Sharpy's leg. He swung it one-handed, as far as he could reach. With the other hand, he held the ship's rail to keep him from falling overboard. Thud!

Garibaldi let go of his axe. He reached with both hands and grabbed Sharpy's arm before Sharpy could let go of the deck. Harry jumped forward, put his arms around Garibaldi, and held him tight. Dan grabbed the starboard rail. The wave washed over them. They were under water. They could see nothing, but the water roared in their ears. The mast thumped against the ship once more and was gone. The wave slid away over the port side. Garibaldi pulled Sharpy over the rail.

Garibaldi reached over the starboard rail and tugged his axe free from the side of the ship.

Sharpy looked down and grabbed his leg with both hands. He laughed. "It's still there!" The end of the rope was wrapped around the leg, and his leg was bent into a strange shape, with blood showing through his white trousers, but it was still attached. Garibaldi had cut both ends of the rope with one stroke.

Accounting

The storm blew for the rest of the night. When the sun came up, it ended. The ship rolled upon the big waves the storm left behind, but the clouds moved away to the east. By mid-morning, the sun was shining. The sailors began to tidy up the deck. There were tangled ropes and pieces of broken wood all over the place, and glass from broken lanterns. Two sailors worked on repairing the ship's railing where it had cracked under the rear mast. Garibaldi was so tired that he lay in his cabin and fell asleep. He felt seasick again, but he was happy. Sallina sat beside him watching him sleep for a while, and then went up on deck to offer her help to the sailors.

Sallina spent the morning with Otis and Dan. The jib sail was a big triangular piece of heavy cloth made of cotton. The sewing around the edges of the sail had stretched during the storm. Otis, Dan, and Sallina sewed the edges once again to make them strong. Sewing the cloth was difficult, because it was so thick and stiff.

"No, Miss," Otis said. He smiled through his thick white beard, showing his yellow teeth. "There's beeswax in the cloth, Miss, to keep the water out."

She looked at the sails above her. The rear mast of the ship was gone, but the Reliant still had her front and middle masts, and each of these masts held several sails. Each sail was stretched tight in the wind. The wind pushed the sails, and the sails pulled the ship across the water.

"Oh," Otis said, and shook his head. "Only the storm jib has the beeswax, so it doesn't get wet when it dips into the breakers. It's a special trick of the Captain's. The other sails are just sail-cloth, and still tough enough to sew."

Otis laughed. "No," he said, "Not here." Sallina waited for Otis to say more, but he continued with his sewing.

By lunchtime, Sallina's fingers were sore from pushing a big needle through the sail cloth hundreds of times. The cook brought chunks of meat, bread, and cheese, and they ate on deck. The weather was warm. They drank water from one of the rain barrels. There were three barrels, but one of them had broken in the storm, and seawater had leaked into the other, so there was only one left that the sailors would drink from.

"No matter," the Captain said, when Harry told him about the salt in the rain barrel, "we shall be in Kublaminsk in two days. One barrel will keep us going until then, even if it doesn't rain."

After lunch, Garibaldi came up from below. He held the brass rail next to the door. In his other hand he held his axe. He stood and blinked in the sunlight. The sailors gathered around him, patted him on the back, and shook his hand. The Captain stood above them on the aft deck.

"Sailors," he said, "As you all know, this young man saved our lives last night. And he saved Sharpy's life twice over." He took a deep breath. "Three cheers for Garibaldi!"

"Hip-hip hooray!" the sailors and the Captain shouted. "Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray!"

Garibaldi stood smiling. Sallina was at the front of the ship next to the jib sail, watching him. She smiled too. Who could have known that Garibaldi, the woodcutter's son, was so brave? "I knew," she thought, "I knew it all along"

In the afternoon, Sallina visited Sharpy and Jasper, both of whom were lying in the infirmary with broken bones. The infirmary was the cabin opposite Sallina and Garibaldi's. Dan had set Sharpy's leg and Jasper's arm, and made casts for them. Now they had to lie in bed for a few days, and wear the casts for another month. There was a cupboard on the wall in the infirmary with twenty books in it. Sallina picked one, and read to the two sailors. The story was about pirates and sea monsters. It made the Jasper and Sharpy laugh.

"He taught me to read," Jasper said. "Or tried to, anyways. I'm still not much good at it."

The next day there was no wind at all. The ship sat on the sea going nowhere. There were hardly any waves, and the sun was hot. But Garibaldi felt perfectly well. At mid-morning, the Captain called out, "Close the toilet pipe! Lower the side-shrouds! Swim at your pleasure!"

The sailors cheered. They threw net over the side of the ship. It was made of rope, with holes big enough to put your feed in. Sallina leaned over the rail and looked at it. The sailors called it a "shroud". The ship had shrouds that went up from the rail to the masts. The sailors climbed up them to reach the sails.

The sailors took their clothes off, left them in piles on the deck, and jumped over the side of the ship naked. Garibaldi did the same. They landed one after another with noisy splashes in the clear water. Sallina did not follow them. She was frightened of the sea. It was not like the rivers and ponds she swam in back home. It was much deeper, and it went on as far as she could see in every direction.

The crew ate a lunch of bread, cheese, and plums on deck. In the afternoon, the sun was hotter than ever, and there was still no wind. Garibaldi and the sailors went swimming. Sallina watched them playing in the water. She was hot and uncomfortable. The sailors were having so much fun. They were not scared of the sea. They all swam in it. She took off her clothes, walked to the railing, and stared down at the sailors and the deep water.

"No, Miss, certainly not," Harry said, "But you'll like the water, it will be good for your mood."

Sallina shook her head. She did not know if she should be flattered that they cared about her mood, or insulted that they thought they had to worry about whether she was in a good mood or not. Instead of jumping over the edge, which she decided was too dangerous, she climbed down the shrouds. Garibaldi was waiting for her at the bottom. Before she could think any more about how deep the sea was, she let herself slip into the water beside him.

She felt better right away. She held onto the shrouds and moved her legs. The water was cool and clean. She tasted it on her lips, and it was salty. More salty than tears.

She held on to the shrouds and looked out across the waves. There was no land in sight. Her heart beat faster. She took a deep breath and pushed herself away from the ship. She put her head under the water and looked down. She floated easily. It seemed as if the sea held her up better than a river. The sun shone down into the blue water below. She blinked. The sea water did not sting her eyes.

She and Garibaldi swam around the ship. They looked at the strange shells stuck to the ship's wooden sides, and dived down beneath the water to chase the fish that hid in the ship's shadow. There were a few large, slow-moving, brown fish, and many small, brightly-colored fish. She could not see their colors clearly through the water, but they flashed when she and Garibaldi scared them out of the shadows. At the front of the ship, they saw a crowd of small, shiny, silver fish swimming back and forth together. Sallina swam towards them and they darted out of her way. How did the little fish live out here in the sea? What did they eat? Did they follow the boat everywhere it went, eating the kitchen scraps that Pops threw overboard? Had they been hiding under the ship last night in the storm? She did not know.

The sailors in the water splashed back towards the shrouds and climbed out of the water. Harry looked over the railing at Sallina and Garibaldi. "Out of the water!"

They swam to the ropes as fast as they could. The sailors were out of the water already, but they did not climb up onto the deck. They held onto the shrouds and looked down at the sea.

Sallina wanted to see the shark, so she climbed up to the deck. Garibaldi climbed up after her. She walked to the starboard side, with water dripping from her hair. The Captain stood beside her and pointed. "There, can you see it?"

Something shaped like a triangle cut through the surface of the water about fifty steps away across the water (not that you can step across the water, but you know what I mean). "Does it really eat people?" Sallina said.

"No, not really. Well, they do sometimes, but hardly ever. I have heard of people being bitten by them, although I have never seen it happen. I don't think they like the way we taste. If you cut yourself in the water, and they smell your blood, that's when they come after you. Nobody likes to be in the water with them, so we always have someone up the mast looking out for sharks when we're swimming."

"If you told me this morning that there were monsters in the sea," Sallina said, "I would never have gone in."

The Captain put his hands in his pockets. "That may be." He smiled at her. "But now you have had a lovely swim. So it's just as well I did not tell you."

"I'm full of surprises," he said. He looked down at the deck and smiled. "My wife used to like that about me."

Sallina felt embarrassed. She decided to stop arguing with the Captain about swimming and sharks.

Garibaldi watched the shark. It swam closer until he could see the dark shape of its body under the water. It was longer than a man. It swam back and forth and away. As soon as it was out of sight, the sailor at the top of the main mast said, "All clear!" and the swimmers jumped back in the water.

Garibaldi and Sallina went down to their cabin to take a nap. The sun and the sea had made them sleepy, and it would be nice to be alone together for a while. Sallina had enjoyed the swimming, but it had reminded her of home. When she and Garibaldi sat in their cabin together she started crying.

Garibaldi put his arm around her. She was right, they might never see their home again. He thought of his father, swinging an axe and chopping wood. His father would be proud to know that his son had saved a man from drowning. But he might never be able to tell his father the story. He pulled Sallina close to him.

In the late afternoon, there was a slight wind. The ship moved forward, and Garibaldi and Sallina came out on deck to see what was happening. Because the ship was moving, the sailors decided to stop swimming and try to catch some fish. They took six long fishing poles from a chest on deck, and tied fishing lines and small hooks to them. They put bread on the hooks and lowered them over the side. They caught five or six of the shiny, silver fish Sallina had seen swimming together beneath the ship.

Sallina was wondering how many little fish it would take to make a good supper for all twenty-five sailors on the Reliant, plus her and Garibaldi and the Captain. But instead of keeping the fish to eat, the sailors cut them up into pieces. They put big hooks on their fishing lines and put the fish pieces on the big hooks. They lowered the fish pieces down into the water and waited.

The afternoon was nearly over, and Sallina was thinking of going down below to have another nap, when one of the fishermen shouted, "Got one!"

Within the space of a few seconds, all six poles had fish pulling on them. One of the fishermen had put his pole down so he could light his pipe, and when the fish took his bait, his pole flew up in the air and down into the sea.

The other five poles were bent over from the pull of the fish on the line. The sailors cheered the fishermen. The fishermen leaned back against the pull of the fish. One of the poles snapped, leaving one half in the hands of the fisherman while the other half disappeared into the sea.

For a while, there were three fishermen fighting three fish with their poles and fishing lines. Sallina wondered how big the fish were, to snap the fishing poles. Were they sharks? How long would it take to tire the fish out? One of the lines snapped.

Another line snapped. The sailor holding the pole fell backwards onto the deck and banged his head.

There was only one person left with a fish on his line, and that was Otis. Harry smiled at Sallina. "Exciting, isn't it?"

Harry pointed at Otis. "That's his own fishing pole. He made it himself from bamboo."

Otis's bamboo fishing pole was bent right over. The tip pointed down at the sea. The sailors crowded around him. Garibaldi and Sallina stood as near as they could. They leaned over the side, hoping to see the fish in the water below.

"Don't tell the old boy how to fish!" the Captain said from the aft deck, "He was catching tuna before you could net a goldfish in a bowl."

Otis held the thick end of his bamboo rod with both hands. The other end shook around constantly as the fish pulled on the line.

"Dan," Otis said, "You're going to have to go down the ladder and get him with the grappling hook."

One of the sailors took a pole out of the long chest. At the end of the pole was a hook, much larger than a fishing hook. The sailor brought the pole to Dan. Dan took the pole and climbed down the shrouds to the water.

A fat fish struggled beneath the water at the end of Otis's fishing line. It had a bright yellow tail that flashed in the late afternoon sun.

Dan stood on the shrouds. He held the pole in one hand. The sailors leaned over the ship's rail. They watched the fish swim back and forth along the side of the ship. At first it swam quickly. But as time went by, it slowed down. As the sun sank towards the horizon, the fish was hardly swimming any more. It was turning in the water, swimming and floating.

Dan plunged the grappling hook down with a splash, hooked the fish by the gills, and pulled it half out of the water. The fish shivered on the grappling hook. Several sailors climbed over the side and grabbed the other end of the grappling hook's pole. They pulled the fish up the side of the ship and threw it on the deck.

The fish landed next to Sallina with a thud. She jumped back in surprise. She had never seen a fish so large. It did not look like a river fish at all. Its fins were small and its body was egg-shaped. It did not flap around like a river fish. Instead, it shivered all over and banged its yellow tail on the deck. The sound of its tail banging the deck was like the sound of a drummer playing too loud and too fast without stopping, or like the sound you can make by dragging a stick along a fence while you are running.

The sailors patted Otis on the back. That night, everyone ate as much tuna as they wanted. Instead of eating below, where it was hot, they ate out in the open air, sitting on the deck. Pops cooked the tuna on a fire in a big metal bowl. Sallina and Garibaldi had never tasted tuna before. They liked it. It was rich and oily, and made them feel full and happy.

The wind grew stronger that night, blowing from the south-west. Sallina and Garibaldi slept together in the lower bunk. The next day was Sallina and Garibaldi's fourth day on the ship. After breakfast, Sallina sat down on the lower bunk with the bag of gold in her lap. "Let's count it."

Garibaldi nodded. He was feeling sea-sick, but trying not to show it. He stood near the window and looked out at the sea. Sallina poured the gold onto the bed. A beam of sunlight shone through their cabin window and onto the gold. It sparkled and gleamed.

"Wow," she said. She picked up a handful of pieces. "They look brand new. You would never know that they had been buried under the ground for a hundred years."

She picked up a piece and put it back in the bag. "One," she said. She put another piece in the bag. "Two." She counted the gold, one piece at a time. When she was done, she said, "Nine hundred and seventy-seven. And that's after we gave twenty to the Captain, one handful to the old man, five to the innkeeper in Godiva, and two handfuls to the crowd of people. How many pieces were in each of those handfuls, do you think?"

Sallina poured the gold out onto the bed again and picked up a handful. "This much?"

Garibaldi nodded. Sallina counted the pieces in her hand. She dropped them one by one onto the bunk.

"Thirty. So we have nine hundred and seventy-seven pieces left, and we spent about one hundred and twenty pieces so far."

Garibaldi nodded. Sallina buried her hand in the warm pile of gold. "Shall we keep it all in the bag, or shall we each of us carry half of it?"

"The Captain has a strong-box in his room," Garibaldi said. "I would like to give him my half of the gold for safe-keeping."

Garibaldi raised his eyebrow. Why did she ask if he trusted the Captain? Surely it was obvious to her that he trusted the Captain, or else he would not want to give his money to the Captain for safe-keeping.

Sallina shook her head. If Garibaldi had a good reason to trust the Captain, why not tell her?

"You remember what Ephistra told us?" she said, "Even people who seem kind will want to steal the gold."

"Well," Garibaldi said, "That does not mean that all people who seem kind will want to steal the gold."

Sallina looked at the floor. Garibaldi sat down beside her and put his hand upon her knee. "The Captain and the sailors could take it any time if they wanted to."

Sallina rubbed her eyes. It was warm in their cabin. She needed a drink of water. "You're probably right," she said. She sat up straight and looked at the gold. "Okay, let's divide it in two." They made two piles by taking one coin each from the bag. When they were done, they had their two equal piles, but there was still one piece left.

In the afternoon, Garibaldi went to the Captain's cabin and knocked on the door. "Enter!" the Captain said.

"I see that you have a strong-box. May I put a bag of gold in it for safe-keeping?"

The Captain smiled. "That you may, but we must count the gold together, and write two copies of a note saying how much there is, and we must sign the note together, so that we will be sure to agree later about how much gold you gave me."

"Oh," the Captain said, "Well go get her then. And when you have time, ask her to teach you to read and write. It's not so hard, you know."

Garibaldi nodded. He went back to the Captain's cabin later that morning, this time with Sallina, and he gave the Captain four hundred and fifty gold pieces wrapped in a piece of cloth he tore from his old shirt. That left him with a handful of gold pieces to carry around in his pocket. The Captain opened the cloth on his table and counted the gold pieces. When he had finished, he counted them again.

"But they are not all the same weight. Some are ten-gram pieces, which we call guineas. Some are heavier and some are lighter."

"Shall we just say four hundred and fifty gold pieces of various weights?" the Captain said.

The Captain took out a pen and two pieces of paper and wrote two letters saying that Garibaldi had given him four hundred and fifty gold pieces of various weights. The Captain signed his name at the bottom. Because Garibaldi could not write, the Captain showed him how to dip his thumb in ink, wipe off most of the ink with a cloth, and make a thumb-print. Garibaldi put his thumb-print on both of the letters.

"And now we need a witness," the Captain said, "Please sign," he said, and handed his pen to Sallina.

Sallina signed her name to both letters. The Captain looked at the letters one more time, and gave one to Garibaldi.

"I will keep this one. You keep that one. You don't need it to get your gold back from me, but keep it safe anyway."

The Captain put the gold in his strong-box and locked the box shut. "It is the least I can do for someone who saved the ship and all our lives."

Garibaldi and Sallina stood in front of the Captain's table. The Captain sat down on one of the benches. Garibaldi frowned.

They sat down. Sallina put her hands upon the table. "You know our story, or you have guessed it. You know we can't go home."

The Captain thought for a moment. "Well now, there must be a way." He tapped his fingers on the table. "I bet the Duke would accept a fine instead of jail."

The Captain smiled. "Yes, you do, but it's his gold, as far as he thinks. So you would have to give him back all of his gold, and pay a fine as well."

"There are two ways to do it. One way is to lie to him about how much gold you found. You could say it was eight hundred guineas, and then pay him a fine of one hundred guineas. Thus you would give him nine hundred guineas, and still have a few left over for yourself."

"I'm guessing. I figure that Garibaldi just gave me his half of the gold, minus the twenty or thirty pieces he has in his pocket, and you still have yours in your bag. So that makes nine hundred and sixty pieces in all, give or take a few."

"Yes," Garibaldi said. He was pleased that he understood these large numbers. Sallina just had explained them to him in their cabin, and he had remembered everything she told him. Perhaps he could learn to read and write as well.

Sallina said, "Will the Duke believe us if we tell him that we found only eight hundred gold pieces?"

"He might. He might ask you to swear before God that you are telling the truth. Are you good liars?"

"I can lie," Sallina said. "I would lie to save my life. But not for money." She folded her arms. "What's the other way?"

"You could take your nine hundred guineas and use it to make more money. If you turned your nine hundred guineas into thirteen hundred, you could pay a two-hundred guinea fine and return the eleven-hundred as well."

Garibaldi nodded and frowned. "How can we make money with money? Do we melt the gold and make smaller coins?"

The Captain laughed. "No! Well, maybe, but the Duke might weigh the gold, and he will know how heavy it is. It does not matter how many pieces there are, only how much they weigh when you put them all together."

"The same way we traders do it. We buy things with gold in one place, take them to another place, and sell them for more gold than we paid for them. In Kublaminsk, I'm going to buy furs. Suppose I buy some furs for a hundred guineas, and then sell them somewhere else for two hundred. I have one hundred guineas more than I started. That one hundred guineas extra is called my profit. You use money to make more money by making a profit."

"It does sound easy, and so does cutting down trees. But you have to know what you are doing or you pay too much for things, or you buy more than you can sell. What if I can't sell my furs? What do I do with them? I don't want them, so I have to sell them. It takes practice to know what to buy, where to sell it, and how much you can sell it for."

The Captain tapped his fingers on the table. "I could give you my advice. But if my advice proves to be wrong, you would blame me, and I don't want you to blame me. It will be far better for both of you if you make your own decisions. That is the most important advice I can give you. Make your own decisions."

"We can talk more about this later," the Captain said, "But now I have work to do."

Sallina and Garibaldi stood up. Sallina had more questions, but she understood that the Captain wanted them to leave. Sallina wondered if she could help him with whatever he had to do. "What do you have to do?"

"I have to look at some maps," the Captain said, "to make sure we are going in the right direction. I like to look at my maps by myself."

Kublaminsk

Early on the morning of Garibaldi and Sallina's sixth day on the Reliant, a sailor high up on the main mast cried, "Land Ho!" All Sallina could see from the deck was water in every direction. But in the late morning, Garibaldi, Sallina, and the Captain stood on the fore deck, and they could see land ahead of them. They were sailing toward the northern coast of the Satian sea.

"That is Kublaminsk. There are cliffs on both sides of the harbor. We will be there in a few hours."

A seagull flew between the masts and followed the ship. After a while another joined the first, and soon there were a dozen of them flying in circles and calling out to one another in their sharp voices. When the cook threw a bucket of kitchen scraps off the back of the ship, the gulls flew down and grabbed little pieces out of the water. Sometimes several of them would try to get the same scarp, and when that happened, they cried and flapped their wings at one another. When one of them got away, the others would chase her around, trying to get the scrap from her beak before she had a chance to swallow it.

"It must be tiring being a seagull," Sallina said, "Always fighting for you supper."

"Seagulls can fly," the Captain said. "What would you give to be able to fly?" He looked up at the seagulls. "I think I would be happy to fight for my supper if I could fly." He looked down at his tummy and patted it with both hands. "In fact, it would do me good."

In the afternoon, with the sun shining down, and a light breeze filling the ship's sails, Harry steered between two low cliffs and into a wide pool of deep, calm water. This pool was what the Captain called the harbor. Around the edge of the harbor was Kublaminsk itself, a town of a hundred or so small, wooden, houses. Among the houses were a few large buildings, which were also made of wood. The larger buildings were on top of a low hill in the middle of the town. The wood beams around the edges of their roofs were carved and painted. All around the town, and coming down to the sea, was a wooden wall made of logs. The logs were standing straight up next to one another. One end of each log was buried in the ground. The other end was sharpened to a point.

"That type of wall is called a stockade," Garibaldi said to Sallina, "It's made of pine logs."

Garibaldi's father had once chopped down pine trees for a stockade. Garibaldi had been too young to help him much. The Kublaminsk stockade contained hundreds of tree trunks, maybe thousands. Garibaldi could not count them all. The hills around the town were covered with bright, green grass. Standing upon the grass were sheep and ponies. There were no trees, except for a forest in the distance, on higher ground.

"They might have carried the trees all the way from the forest up there." He pointed. "That's a lot of work."

Garibaldi smiled and put his arm around her. Sallina looked around the harbor. There were no other ships, only small boats tied up in the shallow water next to the shore. The Reliant drifted slowly to the middle of the harbor. The sailors lowered a huge, heavy, double-hook into the water. Otis walked past them with a rope in his hands.

"The anchor," he said, "It gets stuck on the bottom and holds the ship where she is."

Sallina looked across the water to the town. A little while later, Otis walked by again. "Otis, How will we get to the town?"

Sallina and Garibaldi wanted to visit the town that afternoon, but the Captain said he would not take them. "They're honest people here, but they like to fight, and they change their chief every few months, or so it seems to me. I'm going to make sure we're welcome before the rest of you go ashore."

It was Garibaldi who was most eager to go ashore. He wanted to stand on the solid earth again after a week at sea. He thought about swimming, but decided not to. He could wait until tomorrow. The water in the harbor was calm, and the ship was hardly moving. He did not feel seasick. If he swam ashore, he would most likely upset the Captain, and he did not want to upset the Captain.

Garibaldi and Sallina watched the sailors lower the longboat into the water at the back of the ship and pull it around to the starboard side with a rope. The Captain and six sailors climbed down the shrouds and into the boat. The sailors were wearing swords at their belts: cutlasses in curving leather sheaths. The Captain wore a sword also, but his was straight and thin. With their swords on the benches of the longboat, the six sailors pushed off from the ship with their oars and started rowing towards the shore. The Captain sat in the back of the boat calling, "Stroke!" Whenever he called out "Stroke!", the sailors pulled on their oars. The boat moved quickly across the water. In a little while it slid up onto the sandy shore.

Sallina watched from the ship. She could see dark-skinned men and women coming out of the city. Two of them were soldiers. They carried swords and wore helmets. Their trousers and shirts were gray and red. When they stood next to the Captain, they were shorter than him, but they stood with their chests out, and their chins held high. The rest of the people wore shirts and trousers also: red, yellow, green, and purple. The Captain talked to the soldiers. After a while, he looked back at the boat. Sallina thought she saw him make some kind of sign with his hand. She looked across at Harry, and Harry held his hand straight up in the air. The Captain and the sailors walked with the soliders into Kublaminsk.

The crew who remained on the Reliant were all standing on deck. Even Jasper and Sharpy were there. Jasper had his arm in a sling. Sharpy walked on crutches. They watched the city. Sallina whispered to Sharpy. "Why is everyone so quiet? Is something wrong?"

Sharpy laughed and put his hand on her shoulder. He had to lean on one crutch to do so. "Calm yourself, nothing happened to it." He looked at the city. "We're hoping to sell it to the chief. He said he would buy it, but that was almost a year ago."

"We won't be as rich as we wanted to be, that's all. It will be a pity, because we worked hard to get that silk at a good price in Godiva. It came all the way from Chi-In."

They waited and waited. The Captain and the sailors returned to the ship as the sun was setting. Harry helped the Captain climb over the ship's railing. "Thank you, Harry," the Captain said. He stood there breathing hard. The sailors waited for him to speak. When he was breathing more easily, he frowned. "Well, boys, the news is not good."

"If I understood correctly," the Captain said, "Chingis challenged Kuyuk to a fight, and the two of them chopped at one another with swords until Kuyuk was dead. After that, Chingis became chief."

"Perhaps," the Captain said, "But Chingis is no idiot. He laughed when I told him we had brought silk for Kuyuk. He said that Kuyuk spent too much money, and that a chief should live no better than his people."

The sun was setting behind the western cliff. A bird cried out above them. Sallina looked up to see what kind of bird it was. It was a large black crow.

"That's not very good for business," Dan said, "because if the chief doesn't buy the silk, who will?"

"Don't speak too soon," the Captain said. "Their soldiers like to wear silk shirts under their leather armor. When they get shot by an arrow, the silk wraps around the arrow head. It doesn't tear, so it makes it easier for them to pull the arrow out."

"So, let me see," Dan said, "That's one shirt per soldier, right? That's not enough to get rid of all that silk you bought, Captain."

"Furthermore," the Captain said, "There is not a woman on earth who does not love the feel of silk against her bottom. If the chief is not spending money on silk, the people must have more money to spend on themselves. So I think we can sell it all, but we'll just have to work a little harder to do it."

The Wager

The next morning, Sallina and Garibaldi went ashore with Harry. Sallina carried Eliza's saddle bag over her shoulder. All her share of the gold was in the bag. Garibaldi carried a handful of gold coins in his pocket, and his axe in one hand. Sallina thought he should leave his axe behind, but Garibaldi brought it anyway. The Captain came with them in the rowboat. He was on his way to see the chief. Six sailors rowed them towards the beach.

"They don't?" Sallina said. She knew that there were countries far from home where people spoke strange languages, but she did not know that Kublaminsk was one of them.

Garibaldi, meanwhile, was wondering why the Captain was not shouting, "Stroke!" like he did the afternoon before. He already knew that the people of Kublaminsk spoke another language. That morning, as the sun came up, he had stood on deck and watched the Kublaminsk fishermen sail out of the harbor in their little boats. He had heard them shouting to one another across the water in their strange language. But Sallina was still asleep, and Garibaldi had forgotten to tell her about it.

"What will we do?" Sallina said, "I need to buy things. How will I ask for them?"

"Smile a lot, that's my recommendation," the Captain said, "Use signs. Learn their words for hello, goodbye, please, and thank you."

"Hello is 'bitsha', goodbye is 'alash', thank you is 'humplada', and please is 'fanak'."

The sailors rowed hard and rowboat slid up the sand of the beach. The Captain stepped out of the end of the boat and onto the sand. Garibaldi and Sallina did the same.

"Stay inside the stockade. You'll be safe in the town. They have laws here about how to treat strangers, but outside, their customs are strange and dangerous."

They were at the end of a street made of pebbles. Two children stood looking at the three of them. Their mother stood in the door of their little house, her arms on her hips.

"I'll say goodbye to you here," the Captain said, "I'm going up the hill to see the chief. You wanted to buy some sandals, is that right?"

"Walk along the beach to that red-painted building, and take that street. There is a shoe-maker there. Harry had his boots repaired there once."

Sallina was nervous. She had imagined that the Captain was going to walk around with them. But now it seemed that she and Garibaldi would be alone among these dark-skinned men and staring children.

"Wave to the ship when you want to go back, and someone will come and get you. More of the boys will be going ashore soon." The Captain smiled at her. "Goodbye, then." He turned and walked up the cobbled street. As he passed the two children, he ruffled their hair. Their mother laughed.

Garibaldi and Sallina walked along the beach. They soon came to the red building, and found a wide street. The street was made of pebbles stuck together with cement, and it ran up the hill away from the sea. Garibaldi and Sallina walked up it slowly. There were people sitting outside their shops and houses. They looked up as Garibaldi and Sallina went by. Some of them smiled, but others just stared. Sallina and Garibaldi stared back at them. These people had eyes that were different from their own and those of the sailors. Their eyes were thinner, with shorter eyelashes. Their skin was brown, not from the sun, but because that was its natural color. Their hair was black, brown, and even red.

"Bitsha," the man said. He smiled. He was missing one of his front teeth. Sallina wondered if someone knocked his tooth out in a battle. Why had nobody given him a new tooth? When one of her mother's front teeth had fallen out, their dentist had made her a new tooth out of ivory. The ivory came from the tusk of a creature that lived in the icy seas of the North. Her mother was proud of her ivory tooth. It was straight and white. Perhaps these people did not have any ivory, so they could not make new teeth. Or perhaps they had nobody in the town who knew how to make the teeth. Surely not. This town was even closer to the icy seas of the north than her own home, and they must have someone who knew how to make teeth. The man must be waiting for his new tooth to be made.

Sallina and Garibaldi kept walking. "I think there was a battle recently," Sallina said.

"Because that man had a missing tooth. The battle must have been recent, or else he would have his new tooth already."

"Oh," Garibaldi said. He had already seen two women with missing teeth. Did the women fight in battles too? He tightened his grip on his axe.

They stopped outside a house with a man sitting on a stool making a shoe. When Sallina and Garibaldi came near, the shoe-maker looked up and smiled at them. "Bitsha," he said.

"Bitsha," Sallina said. She pointed at her sandals. He looked down at them. He kneeled on the ground to look at her feet. Garibaldi moved closer to Sallina. He did not like the shoe-maker being so close to Sallina's feet. The shoe-maker stood up and spoke to Sallina in his own language.

She pointed at him and at her sandals. The shoe-maker pointed to her sandals and at himself. He nodded his head. Sallina frowned at him. She did not understand what he meant.

Sallina pointed to a pair of shoes on the ground behind the shoe-maker. The shoe-maker laughed and shook his head. He held his hands far apart and pointed at her feet, and held his hands close together.

Garibaldi had been rather pleased with himself for understanding what the shoe-maker was trying to say. Now he felt foolish. Of course Sallina understood what the shoe-maker was trying to say, how could he think that he understood something that she did not?

Behind them a man's voice spoke in Sallina and Garibaldi's own language. "Can I help you?"

They turned around. A man stood in front of them. He was not quite as tall as Garibaldi, but he was just as broad. He was smiling. His teeth were bright and white, and none of them were missing. Above his mouth was a bushy brown mustache. Sallina guessed the man was about forty years old. He wore a brown cloth shirt and a dark green skirt that came down to his knees. On his feet were heavy brown boots. Strapped to his back was a double-bladed axe, and upon his head was a copper helmet with a spike on top.

"Good morning," he said. His voice was deep. "Perhaps I can tell Siban what you want."

Sallina assumed that Siban was the shoe-maker. "Thank you, that would be most kind."

Garibaldi looked at the man's axe. This was not a woodcutter's axe. It was a battle-axe. Its shaft was made of metal, not wood. It had two blades: one at each end of the axe-head. The metal of the axe-head was gray, and it seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Garibaldi could see no sign of rust, but it was clear that the axe-head was old. Its blades had been chipped, blunted, and sharpened many times.

Sallina looked at the man's face. He was handsome. She wondered how and where he had learned to speak their language. He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him.

The handsome man spoke to Siban and listened to what Siban said in reply. "Siban will make you a new pair of sandals. He will have them ready by tomorrow morning, and the price is forty copper pieces."

Sallina said, "Humplada," to the shoe-maker. The shoe-maker said something more to the handsome man.

"He asks that you give him twenty copper pieces now, and another twenty when he gives you the shoes."

"Really?" the handsome man said. "Well then, I will give Siban twenty copper pieces, and you can come with me to my place of work. I will exchange one of your gold pieces for copper pieces. You can pay me back then. Do you agree?"

Garibaldi thought it would be better to give the shoe-maker a gold piece. A gold piece was one hundred copper pieces, and they had a lot of gold pieces. Why make a deal with a man who walked up to them on the street? Who was this man? Why did he smile so much at Sallina?

The handsome man took some coins out of his pocket, selected four of them, and gave them to the shoe-maker. The coins were not made of copper, nor were they gold. They looked like silver.

He started walking up the street. Sallina walked with him. After a moment, Garibaldi caught up with them and walked beside Sallina.

The handsome man laughed and Garibaldi frowned. He had a feeling that Sallina was making fun of him. The handsome man looked across Sallina at Garibaldi. "Yes," he said, "He is brave and strong. But he is jealous at the moment."

Garibaldi raised one eyebrow. Sallina did not want Garibaldi to be jealous. She put her arm in his, and walked closer to him.

"I am pleased to meet you Mr. Sukh," Sallina said, "I am Sallina, and this is Garibaldi."

"Did they?" Sukh said. He walked a few steps, smiling to himself. Garibaldi felt uncomfortable. Of course it was a stupid thing to say, that his parents gave him his name. Who else would give him his name?

Sukh looked again at Garibaldi. "You carry a woodcutter's axe. Are you a woodcutter?"

Garibaldi wondered what Sukh meant by "interests". He waited for Sukh to say more, but he did not. Was he trying to hide something?

"Do you?" Sallina said, "I was thinking of buying some furs myself, to sell at a profit."

"Why are you laughing?" Sallina said, "I have enough money. I have more money than you think."

"Oh, I'm sure you do, Mrs. Sallina," Sukh said, "I was not laughing at you for wanting to buy furs, I was laughing at you for saying that you wanted to sell them at a profit. It seemed to me a strange thing to say, and I thought you were joking."

Sallina was frowning. Garibaldi did not like to see Sallina upset, but he was glad she was upset with Sukh and not him.

Sukh stopped walking. He looked down at Sallina. She frowned at him, but he smiled down at her.

"I did not mean to offend you, young lady," he said, "I thought you were making a joke. I do not understand your language well enough, I think."

Sallina and Sukh stood looking at one another. Sallina was the first to turn her head away.

Sukh's place of work was a space enclosed by a fence made of wood planks. The fence was as tall as Garibaldi. Sallina and Garibaldi followed Sukh through a gate. The space inside was about fifty steps wide and fifty steps deep. There were several single-story buildings around the edges. In the center was a pile of old wood planks and beams. A boy, perhaps fourteen years old, was sharpening an axe on a grinding wheel. He pushed on a pedal near the ground with one foot and the pedal turned the wheel. He held the blade of the axe with both hands against the grinding wheel's rough stone surface. Sparks flew from the metal blade and bounced off the boy's leather trousers.

He pointed to the largest building inside the fence. "That is where we keep our furs." He pointed to the building next to them. "And this is our office. Please come in, I will give you your copper pieces."

Sukh's office building was made of wood, like all the other buildings they had passed. The building looked old, but it had been well looked-after. The walls were made of half-logs. The half-logs had been cut with an axe. Their edges were not perfectly straight. The gaps between them were filled with straw and clay.

"Are you coming?" Sallina said to Garibaldi. She was standing in the office doorway. Sukh had already gone inside. Garibaldi followed her through the door. It took him a moment to be able to see inside. The office had no windows. There was an opening in the roof, and a shaft of sunlight shone through this opening and onto the floor, but the rest of the room was in shadow. Garibaldi was about to close the door behind him when an old man's voice said, "Leave it open, if you will, young man, and let some light in."

Garibaldi looked into the shadows nearby, and there he saw a man with white hair sitting in a chair at a desk. He had a long, thin mustache hanging down from the edges of his mouth. Sukh was standing in front of the desk with Sallina. "This is my father, Syrenen. Father, meet Garibaldi, a woodcutter."

"A woodcutter?" Syrenen said. He looked up at Garibaldi. "Perhaps he can teach your son how to swing an axe."

Sukh looked at his father and frowned. "Father, this young woman needs to trade a gold piece for coppers."

"Very well," Syrenen said. He opened a chest at his feet and took out a bag of coins. He poured some on the desk. "Let's see your gold, young woman."

Sallina took Eliza's saddle bag from her shoulder. Everyone in the room could hear the heavy crunch of gold pieces as the bag came to rest upon the flat surface of the desk. She reached into the bag and took out one piece of gold. Syrenen looked at the bag, and at the gold piece Sallina gave him. He picked up a flat piece of black stone and rubbed the gold piece against it. The gold left shiny marks on the stone. Syrenen pulled a weighing balance across the desk and put the gold piece on one arm of the balance. The balance arm sank down. Syrenen put pieces of metal on the other side of the balance one after the other until the gold rose slowly.

Syrenen counted out the copper pieces and slid them across the desk to Sallina. Sallina at first did not know what to do with the pieces. Should she mix the copper pieces with the gold? How would she be able to pick out copper pieces once they were mixed with all her gold pieces. But where else could she put them? She did not have a pocket large enough to hold them all.

"Oh yes," Sallina said. She counted twenty pieces and handed them to him. She put the rest of them in one of the bags. She would worry about them later, when they were back on the ship.

"I am sorry I offended you earlier," he said. "To make reparation to you, I will be glad to show you the fur we have here, in our warehouse."

Sukh walked out of the office and into the bright sunlight. Garibaldi followed him. Sallina remained inside.

The old man smiled. "You are welcome. Don't take advantage of my son. He never makes a good bargain with a woman."

Sallina did not know what to say to this, so she stepped out through the doorway. Sukh was waiting for her. Garibaldi was watching Sukh's son placing a wooden beam on a chopping block. When Sallina came out, Sukh began to walk towards the large building where he kept his furs. "We have some of the finest mink fur we have had in years. Our wolf fur is inferior this year, but we are willing to sell it for less. We also have two seal furs from the extreme North, and these are beautiful to see, even if you do not wish to buy them."

They passed the boy, who looked up and watched them walk by. He stared at Sallina and at Garibaldi. The boy was broad like his father, and growing strong from hard work. His hair was long and brown. He had it tied behind his head with a leather thong. Sukh did not pay any attention to his son. Garibaldi looked back at the office, and saw that Syrenen had stepped out into the sunlight. He stood straight, his white hair shining, and his arms on his hips.

It was dark inside the larger building as well. There were no windows, and no hole in the ceiling either. "Help me carry this," Sukh said. He and Garibaldi carried a wooden table out into the light. The table was covered with dozens of small black pelts, each of them the skin and fur of an animal that had, until recently, been running around in the wild.

Sallina picked up one of the pelts. It was shiny and thick. She slid her hand across the fur, and pushed her fingers into it. She held it to her cheek. It was soft and smooth. She held it in front of her and looked at it. She did not want to put it down. She looked at the pile, and wondered how many pelts it would take to make a mink coat. Her uncle had once made a mink coat for the Duke's daughter. He had sold the coat to the Duke for one hundred gold pieces.

Garibaldi picked up one of the furs and felt it with his hands. It was soft. He put the fur down and looked at the boy chopping wood. The boy was strong, but his swing was too close to his body, and he was trying to swing too quickly. Garibaldi looked at the blade of his own axe. It needed to be sharpened.

Sukh looked at Garibaldi and at the wheel. "Yes, you may, if you chop a few pieces of wood for me."

Garibaldi left Sallina and Sukh at the table and walked to the grinding wheel. Soon Sallina could hear the wheel going round and scraping against Garibaldi's axe. Sallina decided it would take around twenty pelts to make a fur coat worth one hundred gold pieces, so if she bought the pelts for two gold pieces each, and payed a tailor ten gold pieces to make the coat, she would be left with fifty gold pieces more than she started.

"Are you interested in buying any of them, young lady," Sukh said, "or are you just here to look at them?"

There were sixty pelts on the table. That would be enough to make three fur coats. If she paid one hundred and twenty gold pieces for all of them, she could make a profit of one hundred and fifty gold pieces when she sold them. She and Garibaldi would need only fifty gold pieces more to be able to go back home, give one thousand one hundred gold pieces to the Duke, and pay a fine of one hundred gold pieces as well, if he asked them to. Surely that would be enough to satisfy him? Of course, that would leave them with no gold of their own. It would be nice if they could be left with some gold for themselves, when everything was done.

"I'll give you two gold pieces each for all sixty pelts on this table," she said.

Sukh shook his head. "I am sorry. The price is three gold pieces each. Perhaps if they were not quite so good, I could let you have them for two each, but these are worth three."

Sallina looked at the pelts. Behind her, she heard the sharp crack of an axe cutting a piece of wood. If she paid three gold pieces, she would make a little profit, but not much.

Sukh's mouth smiled beneath his mustache, but his eyes did not smile. He looked a Sallina. "Young lady," Sukh said. He spoke slowly and quietly. "My price is three. And, furthermore, you offend me when you say they are not worth the price I'm asking. I would not tell you the price is three and then give them to you for two and a half. That would be dishonest of me."

Sallina looked up at him. For some reason it was beginning to annoy her that he kept calling her a young lady. Perhaps that was why he could not make a good bargain with a woman. "No, I have not."

"I think you might be one of those people who pretend to be doing something for the first time, but in fact you are doing it for the tenth time," Sukh said. "If you think you can get me to sell you these pelts at too low a price by smiling and pretending to be stupid, you are mistaken."

"Okay, sir," Sallina said, "I'm sorry to waste your time. Thank you for changing my gold for copper. I will talk to the Captain on the Reliant, and see if I should offer you more for the pelts. For now, my friend and I will say goodbye."

That was about as polite as Sallina could be to Sukh. She was surprised and upset that he would accuse her of trying to trick him. She walked towards Garibaldi. He was chopping wooden beams. Sukh's son put the beams on the chopping block, and Garibaldi cut them in two with a single stroke. Syrenen stood beside them, smiling and fingering his long, white mustache. "Look, I told you this young man would teach your boy a thing or two," he said.

Sukh stopped beside Sallina. He turned to his son and spoke to the boy in their own language. The boy picked up his axe. Sukh picked up a beam and put it on the chopping block. Sukh turned to Syrenen. "Now, father," Sukh said to Syrenen, and he spoke in Sallina and Garibaldi's language. "I bet you ten gold pieces that my boy can cut this same beam in one stroke, just like this woodcutter has been doing."

"I have told you before," Syrenen said, "you should not bet. You are a bad better. You cannot control yourself."

"Do you accept the bet or not?" Sukh said. "Are you going to insult my son, your grandson, and then tell me that you will not make a bet on it?"

Syrenen scowled and snorted. Sallina was surprised. For a moment, Syrenen looked like a wild animal. But then he smiled. "Very well, I accept the bet."

Sukh nodded at his son. The boy raised his axe high above his head. Garibaldi wanted to explain to the boy that it was better to start with the axe on the ground and swing it in a full circle, but before he could do so, Sukh's son swung the axe. The blade cut into the beam, but did not split it in two.

"Ach!" Sukh said. He shouted at his son and pointed at him. Garibaldi did not understand what Sukh said, but it sounded unkind. Garibaldi felt sorry for the boy.

The boy said something to his father, pulled the axe out of the beam and stood looking at the ground, smiling.

"Really?" Syrenen said, and he laughed. "I bet you ten gold pieces that the woodcutter can chop it in one stroke."

Garibaldi stepped up to the chopping block and looked at the beam. Should he swing? Nobody had asked him if he would take part in this bet.

Garibaldi swung his axe and split the beam into two pieces. The pieces fell off the chopping block and onto the ground.

"That was not fair," Sukh said. He was still speaking in Sallina and Garibaldi's language. "My boy split the wood for him and weakened it with his own stroke."

"No, but we should bet again, this time for forty pieces, and the woodcutter should go first."

Sukh went to the pile of uncut beams and pulled one out. It was thick, but when Garibaldi saw it, he knew for sure that he could cut it. Nevertheless, he said nothing, because he did not like the way Sukh had shouted at his son earlier. His own father would never shout at him like that. If his father were to shout at him like that, Garibaldi would be miserable. He looked at the boy. The boy did not seem to be upset. In fact, he looked as if he was trying not to smile. Perhaps he was used to being treated like this. Or perhaps the poor boy was crazy.

Garibaldi swung his axe and chopped the beam in two. So strong was his stroke that his axe was stuck deep into the chopping block underneath, and Garibaldi had to put his foot on the block to pull it out.

Sukh frowned. He was red in the face, and his mouth was twitching around the edges.

"Well, my son," Syrenen said to Sukh, "You have lost sixty gold pieces. What now? Another bet?"

Sukh went and took another beam out of the pile. It was short, but long enough to cut. It had several nails sticking out of it. Sukh put it on the block. "I bet you one hundred gold pieces that this hero here cannot chop this piece in two. It is made of oak, and it comes from the beam of our dead chief's house. Spells of strength lie upon it, and is cannot be broken."

Garibaldi had already chopped several beams from this chief's house, and he did not doubt that he could cut this one just as easily. But he said nothing. If this man Sukh lost another hundred gold pieces, it would teach him a lesson.

Sallina was wondering why Sukh would be so cruel to his son, and angry with his father, and rude to Garibaldi, all at the same time. Was it because she had made him angry? Why would a man such as he place bets on wood-cutting, and such foolish bets as well? How could he think that his son, a boy of perhaps fifteen years, could chop wood better than Garibaldi, a man of eighteen years, and a woodcutter by trade?

"No, my son," Syrenen said, "This has gone far enough. I will not take your bet."

"Ha!" Sukh said, "So even the hero cannot cut through this beam, and if that's so, why do you think he has something to teach my son? If he can't cut through this beam, what makes him so great?"

Sallina thought to herself, one hundred gold pieces is a lot of money, and how much better to make one hundred gold pieces with one stroke of Garibaldi's axe, than by buying and selling mink pelts? Syrenen would not accept the bet because he knew that his son was going to lose even more money. But why should Sallina feel sorry for Sukh? Was is her fault that he was a fool? He would have to learn his lesson sooner or later, so why not make it Sallina who taught him the lesson, instead of someone else? And she would make a hundred gold pieces, assuming that Garibaldi could cut through the beam, that is.

Sallina walked over to the chopping block and stood beside Garibaldi. She whispered in his ear. "Can you cut it?"

Sukh was silent, and then he laughed. "All right. But let us shake hands upon it, because you are a stranger, and I'm not sure I trust you to pay when your friend fails to cut that beam."

Sallina walked over to him and shook his hand. "I will pay you one hundred gold pieces if Garibaldi fails to cut that beam in one stroke."

Garibaldi swung his axe. It began at the ground, and rose up in an arc behind his back, over his head, and came down upon the beam with tremendous speed and force. Clang! The axe stopped half way through the beam.

Sallina gasped. Garibaldi's eyes were wide with surprise. He pulled his axe out of the beam. There was a dent in the center of the blade. He looked at it in disbelief. He kneeled down and looked at the beam more closely. The sun shone down into the deep cut he had made, and hidden in the center of the beam, he saw metal. That was what stopped his axe. There was a metal rod in the center of the beam.

He looked at Sukh. Sukh was smiling at him. Garibaldi looked at the boy and Syrenen. They were smiling too. None of them said anything. The three of them had tricked Sallina and him, and they had won. He felt like a fool. He looked around him. What else was going to happen? Was there another trick coming? He felt sick. He wanted to sit down, but he did not. He stepped towards Sallina, took her hand and pulled her gently away from Sukh.

Sukh smiled at her. "Cheat? How did I cheat? We made a simple bet, and you lost."

"You knew that beam had a metal rod in it, and you tricked us into betting with you so you could take a hundred gold pieces away from someone who trusted you!"

"You did not trust me. If you trusted me, you would not have doubted my price for the pelts."

Sallina clenched her fists and stomped her foot on the ground. "You bastard!" she said. "How dare you!"

"I'm not giving you a damned penny! You're a cheat!" She turned and walked quickly towards the gate with Eliza's saddle bag slung over her shoulder, bouncing upon on her back. Garibaldi was frightened. He ran to catch up with her, grabbed her arm and tried to stop her. She pulled her arm out of his hand. "Are you part of the trick as well?"

Sallina was shouting at him, and there were tears in her eyes. Garibaldi did not know what to say. He looked over his shoulder. Although he did not like Sallina being angry at him, he was more worried about Sukh attacking them with his battle-axe.

"And you are a woodcutter, aren't you? That's the one thing you can do, isn't it, cut wood?"

"So you should have known about the iron in the wood shouldn't you? You should have picked up the beam and felt how heavy it was."

She started walking again. Garibaldi followed her, but looked over his shoulder. He felt certain that Sukh would stop them from leaving, or that someone else would run and shut the gate before they could get out. He prepared himself to cut the gate down quickly. But the boy, Sukh, and Syrenen did not move, and the gate remained open. Sallina walked through the gate and into the street. She started running down the hill. Garibaldi followed her. What would the Captain say about this? He was going to be very angry, of that Garibaldi was certain. The Captain was going to be very angry indeed.

The Trial

The Captain leaned back on his bench, slapped his thigh and laughed out loud. "Ha! What a girl she is, what a firebrand! Did she really walk out?"

"And so she should have! He deserved it, the cunning devil." The Captain wiped his brow with his handkerchief. "And how her pride must have been hurt, the poor girl." He shook his head. "But she'll be the better for it."

Garibaldi had come to the Captain's cabin alone. Sallina was in their bedroom. "I thought I should tell you about it, Captain."

"You did the right thing. And you tell a good story, did you know that? I'm surprised. You don't normally have much to say, if you don't mind me saying so, but once you get going…"

"And I hope you will forgive me laughing, but it must have been quite a scene, with Sallina shouting at Sukh."

"Oh, of course not! Good heavens, the very thought." He poured himself a glass of dark, red wine. "It's was just a game for them, you know. But they are very prickly. If you try to haggle with them, they get offended. And if you think they are foolish, they teach you a lesson pretty quickly."

Garibaldi nodded. He looked at the Captain's wine. The Captain pushed a glass across the table. "Help yourself."

Garibaldi poured himself half a glass. He always enjoyed the Captain's wine. After he had taken a sip, he said, "What should we do?"

The Captain stared at his own wine for a while. "Let's wait and see what happens. I'm not sure what Sukh will do. Perhaps he will forget about it. Perhaps not."

That evening, Harry returned from the town with a message from Chief Chingis. The Captain sent him to knock on Sallina's door. Garibaldi stood with him in the corridor, but Sallina was still inside.

"It's an order, Miss. If you don't come, I'll have to get you out and drag you there. This is a ship, and we all have to obey the Captain's orders. You can't disobey the Captain on the ship."

After a moment, Sallina opened the door. Her eyes were red and her hair was tangled. She stepped into the corridor without looking at Harry or Garibaldi, and walked towards the Captain's door. Harry and Garibaldi followed her. When Sallina stopped in front of the door, Harry reached past her and knocked upon it.

Harry opened the door and the three of them entered the Captain's cabin. The Captain sat at his table, facing them. A letter lay upon the table. There was no wine glass. Sallina looked down at the letter. The paper was thick and almost yellow. The letters were written in black ink. The strokes of the pen were not graceful and curved. The pen had stopped on the curves and changed direction, leaving more ink in some places than others. Even though the letters looked as if they had been written by a child, there were no spots of ink on the page. It took a long time to learn to use an ink pen without leaving tiny spots of ink all over the paper. Whoever had written the letter had used an ink pen many times, and yet their letters were like those of a child.

Weilandic was the name of the language that Sallina, Garibaldi, and the crew of the Reliant spoke together. It was the language of the great nation of Weiland, and all the smaller nations around it, including Sallina's home.

The Captain picked up the letter and held it out to Sallina. "Yes, you can read it."

Sallina read the letter aloud, so Garibaldi would know what it said. He could not read it himself.

"To the Captain of the Reliant. Sukh, one of my knights, accuses Sallina, one of your crew, of losing a fair bet and refusing to pay one hundred guineas. By my order, the Reliant will not leave Kublaminsk with any fur until this woman has appeared before me to make her case, be judged, and accept my justice. By order of Chief Chingis of Kublaminsk."

"I will send Harry back in the morning with a message saying that you will appear tomorrow at noon. I'll come with you, and Garibaldi too."

The Captain smiled. "We have no protection adequate to shield us against even one man like Sukh, I am afraid."

"Well, okay," the Captain said. "We'll bring Dan. But in the end, even with Dan, we are at their mercy, unless we weigh anchor and leave without any fur, and that I cannot do. We are hard-pressed at the moment. We lost a mast, which we must replace, and masts are expensive, and we have not yet sold our silk."

"The worst that can happen," the Captain said, "is that you have to pay what you owe. It would be a setback for you, but not the end of your hopes."

Garibaldi and Sallina stood up and went back to their cabin. Garibaldi lay down on his bed. He was tired. Sallina stood staring at the cabin wall with her arms crossed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the things I said. I lost my head. I hope you can forgive me."

Sallina put her head on his shoulder. Garibaldi breathed in the smell of her hair. They sat like that for a while. Sallina lifted her head and looked into Garibaldi's eyes. "I love you, you know."

The next day, with the sun at its highest point in the sky, Sallina, Garibaldi, the Captain, and Dan walked up the main street of Kublaminsk. Sallina carried Eliza's saddle-bag over her shoulder. Garibaldi carried his axe. When they passed the shoe-maker's shop, Sallina stopped. The shoe-maker came out and showed her the sandals he was working on. A woman was standing in the doorway behind him. She said something to him and the shoe-maker looked at Sallina.

Dan said, "The woman says he should ask you for all the money now, since you might not keep your word to pay the rest tomorrow."

The Captain laughed quietly. Sallina frowned. After a moment, she reached into the saddle bag and took out a wallet she had sewn that morning out of some scraps of sail cloth. The wallet held her copper pieces. When the shoe-maker saw the copper pieces in the wallet, he stretched out his hand. Sallina put twenty coins into his palm one after the other. She put the wallet back in the saddle-bag, and continued walking up the street.

Garibaldi, Dan, and the Captain walked behind her. The street went straight up to the top of the hill in the middle of the city. At the top was the chief's Great Hall.

"Ah, now that's a story," Dan said, and smiled. Garibaldi saw his gold tooth shining between his lips. He waited for Dan to tell the story, but Dan didn't say anything.

They continued walking up the street in silence. Garibaldi wondered why Dan did not want to tell the story of how he learned Kubla. Perhaps it was an embarrassing story. Garibaldi began to wonder if his own story was an embarrassing one. Would he ever want to tell his friends how Sukh had tricked Sallina and him? Of course he would. It was a great story. His father would laugh and laugh, just like the Captain.

They went up the main street towards the Great Hall. They passed Sukh's place of work. Sallina was glad when she saw the gate was closed. She did not want to see Sukh any sooner than she had to, which would be in the Great Hall. Earlier that morning, she had imagined Sukh coming out of the gate and walking with her up the hill, making fun of her for losing the bet, with her having to keep her eyes straight ahead, trying not to shout at him again.

Garibaldi had told Sallina how the Captain had laughed and called her a firebrand for shouting at Sukh. She did not want people to laugh at her. On the other hand, what did the Captain know? He was a just a fat, middle-aged man who thought he was smarter than she was. What did she have to be ashamed of? When people are angry, they shout.

"Slow down, young lady," the Captain said, "I can't keep up with you. Try to remember that I am a fat old man, and you are a strong young woman."

Sallina stopped and turned around. She waited for the three men to catch up with her. The Captain was sweating and breathing deeply through his mouth. He was wearing his best red shirt and his green satin waistcoat. Otis had worked hard to clean and press both of them that morning.

Here he was, coming to help her argue her case before the chief, and she was just a stow-away on his ship. She had done nothing for him but make trouble, but he still smiled at her every time he saw her.

"All right, my dear, don't overdo it. Now come along, let's keep moving. If I stop, I won't be able to start again."

There was no fence around the Great Hall. It stood on top of the hill, looking large and old. Four wooden steps led to the hall's door. The door stood open. Beside the door were two tall men in armor. They rested their huge battle-axes on the ground in front of them, with the blades up. They leaned upon the blades with their folded arms. They looked as if they could stand there for a long time without moving. Their shiny, copper helmets had iron knobs on either side.

Sukh walked around the side of the hall with Syrenen and the boy. The boy carried the wood beam with the metal rod inside. Sukh had his battle-axe strapped to his back. "Good day to you, Sallina," Sukh said, "And Captain, it is good to see you."

"And you sir," the Captain said, "I have been meaning to come and look at your furs. Perhaps after we take care of this business, I can pay a visit to your warehouse."

Sallina looked at the ground at the bottom of the steps. She thought she should say hello to Sukh, but somehow she found herself unable to do so. How was it that the Captain knew Sukh already? Had he been part of the trick? Surely not. The Captain knew Sukh because the Captain came here to buy fur. He knew all the fur traders.

They stared at one another. Syrenen smiled and said something in Kubla. Dan rubbed his unshaved chin and laughed.

At the top of the steps, Sukh took off his battle-axe and laid it against the wall. He pointed to Garibaldi's axe. "You must do the same. We cannot go into trial with weapons."

Garibaldi rested his axe next to Sukh's. In the shadow of the Great Hall, the metal of Sukh's axe was dull silver. He wanted to touch it, but he did not. Perhaps Sukh had polished the blade and Garibaldi would leave a finger-print if he touched it. He looked at his own blade. He had sharpened it by hand on the ship, but he could still see the dent made by the metal rod in the beam. When Garibaldi stood up, Sukh was smiling at him.

One by one, they stepped through the door and into the shadowy interior of the Great Hall. There was a large, empty stone fireplace in the middle of the floor. Around the fireplace the floor was made of planks covered with straw. Garibaldi could tell that some of the planks were hundreds of years old, and some were new. All had been cut with axes, not saws.

On the other side of the fireplace was a large wooden chair, and in it sat a man so broad and muscular that Garibaldi wondered if he was some sort of giant. Having said that, the man was not particularly tall. But his arms were thick, and his calves, where they stuck out from beneath his skirt, were wide and lean. Upon his head was an iron helmet with two cow-horns sticking out of it. Against the side of his chair there rested a long sword. On his face was a thick mustache.

This man was, of course, Chief Chingis. He was the man who had killed the previous chief. He had probably killed Kuyuk with that very same sword that rested against his chair. Garibaldi wondered how frightened Kuyuk must have been when he fought with Chingis, and how brave he must have been to go ahead and fight him anyway, even though he knew he was probably going to die.

The chief watched them as they came forward. He did not smile, but nor did he frown. He said nothing. A woman standing next to the fireplace spoke in Kubla. Sukh answered her, and he and his father sat down on the bench to the left. Sukh's son put the wooden beam on the bench and sat next to it.

The Captain walked to the bench. Sallina, Dan, and Garibaldi did the same. Garibaldi sat at the end. He looked at the woman standing beside the chief. She had long, red hair. Her eyes were green beneath her short eyelashes. She smiled. Garibaldi thought she was beautiful. She must be the chief's wife. It made sense that the chief would have a beautiful wife. He guessed that she was about forty-five, while the chief was younger, perhaps thirty-five.

The woman spoke again. Sukh answered. Dan said to Sallina, "She asks that you promise to tell the truth, and to tell all of the truth, while you are in this hall."

Sukh stood up spoke to the chief. As he spoke, Dan repeated what he said in Weilandic for Sallina, Garibaldi, and the Captain.

Sukh pointed to Garibaldi. "Yesterday I met this man." He pointed to Sallina. "And this woman. I met them outside Siban's shop. The woman gave her name as Sallina, and she gave the name of the young man as Garibaldi. She said she wanted to buy sandals. But she had no copper pieces to pay Siban an advance, so I offered to pay Siban an advance instead, and then change one of her gold pieces for copper at my warehouse."

Sukh stopped talking. The chief caressed his mustache with one hand and stared at Sallina. Sallina smiled at the chief for a few seconds, and then looked at the floor. The chief stared at Garibaldi. Now that the chief was looking straight at him, Garibaldi thought it would be fine for him to look straight back, so he did. He looked at the chief's mustache, and saw that most of it was combed out straight, but the tips were braided. Did the chief braid his own mustache? The hand touching the mustache was was missing its little finger. Instead of a little finger, there was just a stump. The chief's finger-nails were clean and shiny, as if someone had polished them. Did he look after his own nails? Was it proper for a man to worry about how his nails looked? Or did his wife do it for him, and he let her do it because he loved her? There were deep creases around the chief's eyes, as if he had spent much of his time outside, squinting into the bright winter sun, with the cold wind blowing on his face. On one cheek Garibaldi saw a scar that ran from his eye to his mouth. Was it a battle scar? It must be.

The chief's mouth did not twitch or frown. It was relaxed, like his wife's mouth. The chief nodded at Sukh.

"They came to my warehouse," Sukh said, "My father and I changed one gold piece for copper pieces."

Syrenen stood up. "Ten grams, which is the proper weight of one guinea." He sat down again.

"The young woman, Sallina, expressed an interest in buying fur," Sukh said, "I offered to show her my stock. This I did, but we could not agree a price. The young man, Garibaldi, is a woodcutter, and I allowed him to sharpen his axe on my grinding wheel. He chopped some wood with my son."

The chief held up his hand with the palm facing Sukh, and Sukh stopped talking. The chief looked at Sukh's son. The son shifted on his bench, and folded and unfolded his arms, but he stared back at the chief without looking away. The chief smiled. He nodded at Sukh, and Sukh continued his statement.

"I made three bets with my father over which of the two young men could chop the thicker beam. I lost the bets, and offered him a fourth bet, which he refused."

When Dan finished repeating what Sukh had said, the Captain held up his hand to the red-haired woman. She nodded and said something in Kubla to Sukh. Sukh sat down.

Sukh stood up. "Sallina accepted my bet, the same bet I offered my father. The bet was this: I bet her one hundred guineas that Garibaldi could not cut through a particular beam with one stroke." He reached over his son's knees and picked up the beam from the bench. "This is the beam."

The red-haired woman took the beam from Sukh and gave it to the chief. He turned it over in his hands. He looked into the deep cut Garibaldi had made with his axe. The chief put his finger in the crack and licked it. He frowned and gave the beam back to the red-haired woman. She walked around the fireplace and gave it to Garibaldi.

"The young man, Garibaldi, tried to cut through the beam, but failed. After that, Sallina examined the beam and refused to honor the bet. She walked away. The young man, Garibaldi, went with her."

"We have heard the accusation," the red-haired woman said, "We will now hear the defense."

Sallina stood up. She looked at the red-haired woman, because it seemed to Sallina that the red-haired woman was the one who was really in charge. "What Sukh says is true."

"I did not pay the bet because Sukh knew that it was impossible to cut the beam with an axe, and yet he did not tell me so. The bet I made was a test of Garibaldi's skill. But no matter how skilled he was, he could not have cut that beam. Sukh knew this, and deceived me so that he could win my money. He claims to be an honorable man. Where is the honor in what he did?"

When Dan had repeated Sukh's words to her in her own language, Sallina tried to think of when it was that Sukh had claimed to be honorable. She could not think of when it was.

Sukh remained standing. "Sallina is mistaken when she says the beam cannot be cut by an axe. I will cut it myself if you wish this to be proved to you."

Sallina stood up. "As you have seen for yourself, Chief Chingis, the beam has an iron rod inside it. I think that Sukh is boasting."

The chief spoke quietly to the red-haired woman. She looked at Sallina. "Sukh will demonstrate the truth to you outside. The chief will wait here."

Everyone but the chief stood up and walked outside. The Captain gave the beam to Garibaldi, and he carried it out into the sunlight behind Sukh. Sukh picked up his axe and carried it down the steps. The red-haired woman shouted at two men standing nearby. They ran around the side of the hall and came back with a block of wood. Garibaldi put the beam on the block.

Garibaldi pointed to a knot of wood on the top side of the beam. That would be the most difficult spot to cut through. Sallina stood nearby. She was confused. Why was Sukh doing this? But Garibaldi had a feeling that Sukh knew exactly what he was doing. They stood back to let Sukh swing. He swung his axe in a full circle and brought it down on the beam.

The axe cut through the beam and buried itself in the block beneath. The two halves of the beam fell to the ground. The sun shone of the newly-cut metal inside. Sallina clenched her teeth. She stared at the chopping block. She did not know what to say. How could you cut through metal with an axe?

Sukh pulled his axe out of the block and smiled at Garibaldi. "The trick is to have the right axe."

Sukh handed him the battle-axe. Garibaldi felt the weight of it. It was heavy like iron. There was a mark on the edge where it had cut through the rod, but only a slight mark. He slid his finger across the metal. It was smooth and slippery. He put his nose to the surface, but it had no smell. He scraped his thumb-nail sideways across the blade's edge. The blade was sharp, but no sharper than his own axe.

Sukh smiled. "My son thinks this one was made by dwarves in a mountain." He planted the battle-axe's metal shaft on the ground and leaned upon the top of the head. "It has been in my family for at least four generations. It is a battle-axe, made to cut metal armor. It is no better than your axe at cutting wood."

Garibaldi would have asked more questions, but the red-haired woman spoke from the top of the stairs. "Is the accused satisfied?"

Dan translated for Sallina. Sallina did not say anything. She was trying not to cry. She nodded. The Captain put his arm around her.

They walked up the steps, entered the hall, and sat down on their benches. The red-haired woman spoke to the chief. "The accused is satisfied that the beam can be cut with an axe."

Sallina was looking down at the floor of the hall. She was trying to make herself angry, so that she would not cry. She did not want to give up yet. Just because Sukh could cut the beam with his axe did not mean that Garibaldi could do the same. Sukh's axe must have magical powers.

"I see now that Sukh can cut through metal with his axe," Sallina said, "But as he said himself outside, you need the right kind of axe, and he knew well that Garibaldi's axe could not cut through metal."

"Furthermore," she said, "Sukh is a trader, and he knows well that when you say you will sell someone a particular thing for a certain price, you must provide that particular thing in order to be paid. In this case, I agreed to pay him one hundred gold pieces if Garibaldi failed to cut a wooden beam. At the same time, Sukh agreed to pay me one hundred gold pieces if Garibaldi succeeded in cutting a wooden beam."

Sallina waited again for Dan. She stood up straight, with her chin high, and stared the chief straight in the eye. The chief looked back at her. He was still smiling, and he nodded his head when Dan was finished.

"The bet we made is in fact two purchases agreed at one time," Sallina said, "Only one purchase will take place, but each purchase must be understood by both parties. In this case, Sukh cheated me, because he tried to sell me Garibaldi failing to cut through a metal rod, when I said I would pay for Garibaldi failing to cut through a wooden beam."

Sallina looked across the fireplace at Sukh. He was smiling at her. Why was he smiling? Perhaps he did not understand how her argument was working against him. She turned back to the chief and continued. "Garibaldi failed to cut through a metal beam, not a wooden beam. I did not see him fail to cut through a wooden beam, and because I did not see him fail to cut through a wooden beam, I do not owe Sukh anything."

Sallina sat down. The Captain patted her firmly on the back. "You are a marvel," he said.

She looked across Dan at Garibaldi, but Garibaldi did not notice. He was staring at the chief. The chief was looking at his own hands. He appeared to be thinking. He closed his eyes and took long, slow breath. He looked at the red-haired woman. She looked back at him. She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips.

The chief cleared his throat. He sat up straight began to speak. He was no longer smiling. His voice was deep and firm. Dan translated the chief's words in a whisper close to Sallina's ear. The Captain and Garibaldi leaned close so they could hear as well.

"He's asking you a question," Dan said, "And here's the question. He asks you what you would have done if Garibaldi had cut through the metal rod in the beam."

Sallina had been looking at the floor while Dan whispered in her ear, but as soon as he finished, she looked up at the chief. The chief looked back at her, fingering one of the braids of his mustache, and leaning forward to see her better.

Sallina knew perfectly well the answer to the chief's question. She would have laughed at Sukh and said, "Nice try, now you owe me a hundred gold pieces," and as she looked into the chief's face, she realized that he knew perfectly well the answer to his own question, and that her choice was either to lie to him, or tell him the truth.

If she lied to him, he would know she was lying, but he would not be able to prove it. Or would he? If she told him the truth, she had a strong feeling that she would lose the case, and be forced to pay Sukh one hundred gold pieces.

Everyone watched Sallina. It took Garibaldi a few moments to understand what was going on, but when he did, he was concerned. What would Sallina do? He wanted to lean over Dan's knees and say, "I'll give you one hundred of my gold pieces, just tell him the truth." But he didn't.

Sallina stood up. Sukh was not smiling. He seemed serious and concerned. Why was he concerned now? He should be smiling at the cleverness of his chief's question. How could she expect to get a fair trial here, when Sukh was a friend of the chief?

"Chief Chingis," Sallina said, "if Garibaldi had chopped through the beam, I would have told Sukh that he owed me one hundred gold pieces, and that he should think twice before he tries to cheat a young woman out of her money again."

Sukh laughed out loud and clapped his hands. The chief turned and smiled at the red-haired woman. He leaned toward Sallina. "A bet has only two outcomes," he said, "You win or you lose. If you don't win, you lose. If you don't lose, you win. It is not two purchases. We have only this to decide: which of you wins when your companion fails to cut through the beam. Is it you who wins, or Sukh? I judge that it is Sukh, and not you."

When Dan finished repeating the chief's words, Sallina nodded and sat down. She was glad it was over. She stood up again, stepped around Dan, and sat next to Garibaldi. When she felt his strong arm around her shoulders, she looked up at the chief.

"At the same time," the chief said, "You have argued well, and spoken honestly, and for that," he turned to Sukh, "I give Sukh the opportunity to show clemency."

Sukh stood up, "I will offer her clemency in this way: I will release her from the bet we made if she buys from me the pelts that she examined, the exact same ones, for the price I named yesterday, this being three guineas a pelt for sixty pelts."

Sallina looked at the floor. Sukh's offer sounded like a good one. But was it really? She had to pay him one hundred gold pieces, no matter what. He was saying that if she gave him a hundred and eighty gold pieces, which was eighty gold pieces extra, he would give her sixty mink pelts. In a way, she was paying only eighty gold pieces for sixty pelts. Surely the pelts were worth more than eighty gold pieces. She could sell them for more than eighty gold pieces, and make a profit.

She looked up at Sukh. Why had he made this offer? Did he do it out of a sense of honor? If so, why did he try to cheat her in the first place? Sukh was not smiling now. He looked at her with a straight face. But he did not seem angry.

She looked at the floor again and shook her head. She did not understand these people. She pushed some straw with the tip of her worn-out sandal. Was this just another trick? She could give Sukh one hundred gold pieces now, and never have to deal with him again. Or she could give him one hundred and eighty gold pieces, and she would have to check the pelts, and carry them away, and make sure they were safe on the ship, and during all that time, Sukh might try to cheat her again, and they would come back here to the Great Hall, and make their case to the chief, and the chief would decide that she had to pay Sukh all the money he wanted, but that Sukh should offer her clemency of some sort, and the same thing would happen again and again, until she had no money left at all.

She closed her eyes. How could the Captain make a living like this? How did he know when someone was trying to cheat him? How did he know who to trust? It was clear that he did trust people, because he trusted Garibaldi and her.

I am tired of being afraid, she said to herself. If I refuse to buy the pelts, I will do so because I am afraid that Sukh is smarter than me. I would rather be brave, and lose all my money, than save some of it and be a coward.

The Endeavor

The sun was setting behind the hills on the west side of Kublaminsk harbor. Thin clouds shone in the sky. Sallina leaned on the Reliant's port rail, watching the color of each cloud changing from orange to pink to ruby red. Garibaldi stood next to her facing the other way. The Captain was pacing up and down. The entire ship's crew was on deck.

The Captain stopped pacing and wiped his brow. He looked out over the heads of his crew towards the town. He shook his head and continued towards the fore deck.

Sallina looked away from the clouds and down the side of the ship. The harbor water was flowing past and out into the sea. The tide was going out, and it was time for the ship to leave. Sallina did not mind particularly whether the ship left today or tomorrow. She had one hundred and eighty pelts in a wooden crate down in the Reliant's hold. Sixty of them were mink, twenty were wolf, and a hundred were snow rabbit. The snow rabbit ones were her favorites: they were pure white. Altogether, she had spent two hundred and fifty gold pieces on her furs, but she felt sure she could sell them for twice that much in the port that the Reliant was planning to visit next. They were sailing to Independence Island, where the people were rich, the winters were cold, and there were no mink, no wolves, and no snow rabbits.

She turned around to watch the sailors. Some had frowns on their faces, some leaned on the rail and talked in low voices. Many of them were smoking their funny sailor's pipes with little caps on the bowls. They were amusing company most of the time, these sailors, but right now they were upset.

The Captain turned at the wall of the fore deck and started walking towards the aft deck. Sharpy limped away from the starboard rail on his crutches. He stood in the Captain's path. When he found his way blocked by a sailor on crutches, the Captain did not walk around. He stopped and stood up straight. "Yes, Seaman Sharpy, what can I do for you?"

"Captain," Sharpy said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but changed his mind and looked down at the deck.

"Out with it seaman!" the Captain said, "I am in no mood for the shy antics of a scholar's son."

Sallina wondered if Sharpy really was the son of a scholar. He didn't talk like the son of a man who read a lot of books. The vicar back home read a lot of books, and his son couldn't say any word with a "t" in it without stopping and saying "d" six times first. Sharpy wasn't anything like that at all. But Jasper told her Sharpy could speak three languages, so maybe it was true that he was a scholar's son.

"I know it well, Seaman Sharpy. And this is the year two-thousand four-hundred and fifty-one, in case you're wondering if I have forgotten that also."

"As you say, sir. And as you know, we were due to meet the Endeavor at Independence Island yesterday, the fourth of August."

The Captain crossed his arms. He stared at Sharpy and Sharpy stared back at him. "I am well-aware, Seaman Sharpy, that we are late to meet our beloved sister-ship, and that you and near everyone else on this ship, with the notable exception of myself, are right eager, I should say, unprofitably eager, to rendezvous with her."

"But I guarantee you, good seaman, that the Endeavor will wait for us, and I guarantee you that you can survive another two days without your sweetheart. We have been at anchor here for two weeks. Another day won't kill you."

"Don't be sycophantic, Seaman Sharpy," the Captain said. "Now, be so kind as to leave me to my anxious pacing."

Sharpy limped back to the ship's rail. The Captain continued towards the aft deck. Before he reached it, Dan's voice rang out clear across the deck. "Well now, Captain."

The Captain stopped in mid-stride, with one foot in the air. He put the foot down, but he did not turn around. He stared at the empty space where the rear mast of his ship should have stood.

"I think it be mighty unprofitable," Dan said, "To be taking aboard this boy. It be fairly blackmail by which The Axe had you accept him."

The Captain put his hands in his pockets and stared at the aft deck for several seconds before he turned and faced Dan.

"Sukh, or The Axe as you call him," the Captain said, "was the only person in Kublaminsk interested in our silk. We bought that silk for cheap in Godiva because there's too much of it in the markets to the south. We can't go back and sell it anywhere near here. We bet upon a bargain with a man who turns out to be dead. So what were we to do with it?"

He pointed to the rear of the ship. "Meanwhile, we have no mizzen mast, and we don't have enough money in the ship's coffers to pay for another one."

Garibaldi smiled. In fact, the Captain did have enough money in the ship's coffers to buy another mast. Garibaldi had lent him two hundred guineas. In exchange, the Captain would allow Sallina and Garibaldi to remain on the Reliant in Dan and Harry's cabin, and the Captain would pay Garibaldi a small number of gold pieces in what the Captain called interest.

"Sukh took all our silk," the Captain said, "And gave us furs in return, a lot of furs. The fur harvest is the best in twenty years. And he gave us ivory, blubber, and syrup also. All things we are sure to be able to sell for a good profit in the south."

The Captain took a deep breath and wiped his brow with his handkerchief. "As you know, Sukh put one condition upon our trade. We must take his son on board as an apprentice sailor for one year."

Jasper said, "But we have the furs aboard, and he has the silk. Why don't we just go! We don't have to come back, ever."

"No, lad, we can't do that," Dan said, "The Captain gave his word. And trust me when I tell you, Sukh is not the sort of person you want to double-cross."

"He wants his boy to see the world," the Captain said, "And he chose our ship to be the vessel upon which his son, his only son, should go upon his travels."

Dan turned his head and spat over the rail into the harbor. He rubbed his calloused old hands together and crossed his arms. "You speak of it as if it be an honor, Captain. Shall I get a red carpet out for the boy when he comes aboard?"

The Captain stomped his foot on the deck. "Damn and blast it, Dan! This is not a game! This is our livelihood!"

Sallina stood up straight and held Garibaldi's arm. She had never seen the Captain angry before.

"Except when you're in trouble," Dan said, "Then it's me who has to pull you out of it."

The Captain nodded. He looked at the sunset and put his hands on his hips. After a while, he looked back at Dan. "What are you trying to say?"

The crew watched Dan, waiting for him to answer the Captain's question. Dan looked down at the deck. He thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his baggy, striped trousers and frowned. A seagull called out, and a loose piece of sail-cloth flapped in the breeze high up on the main mast.

Dan looked up. "I can smell trouble." He took one hand out of his pockets and tapped his nose with a finger. "I have a nose for it. And you mark me, Captain, this boy will be trouble."

The Captain nodded slowly. He walked across the deck to Dan and put his hand upon Dan's shoulder. "Maybe you're right, my friend. But I can't see what else to do."

All the sailors turned and looked towards shore. Sallina and Garibaldi crossed the deck to get a better view. There on the sandy beach were two figures. One was Sukh, and the other, not quite as tall, must be his son, although Sallina could not tell because he wore a red hat low on his forehead. Beside them, on the sand, was a chest.

"Well then," the Captain said, "Harry, take six seamen and fetch our new apprentice aboard."

"And as for you Dan. You think the boy is trouble, so you keep an eye on him. Hang his hammock next to yours. Keep him out of mischief."

The Captain walked to the aft deck, climbed the steps, and waved at the two figures on the beach. Sukh waved back.

Dan smiled at her. His gold tooth sparkled. "It means Warrior of Peace, sweet lips. Now be a good girl and let loose my arm." He took her hand gently off his elbow and stepped away from her. "I have my duties to attend to, I does."

Dan strode off and down the stairs below decks. Harry and six sailors climbed over the side of the ship and into the longboat. Sallina frowned and rubbed her chin. She leaned close Garibaldi and said, "There's something funny about Dan."

"No, I mean, there's something wrong with the way he speaks. Have you noticed how he speaks like a common sailor some of the time, but then he knows long words that you would not expect him to know?"

Garibaldi was not sure he understood Sallina's question. What did she mean by a common sailor? He shook his head. "No, I hadn't noticed."

Sallina looked up at Garibaldi. He was frowning. He had his axe in one hand. Its iron head rested upon his shoulder. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm glad we still have a cabin of our own," she said, "Thank you for making a deal with the Captain."

Sukh came aboard the Reliant with his son. I was not the first time Sukh had been aboard. Twice he had come to look at the silk, and once he had stayed for supper in the Captain's cabin, just the two of them alone.

Sukh embraced his son. He stared into the young man's eyes and kissed him on both cheeks. Baatarsaikhan spoke quietly and Sukh answered. The young man nodded. Sukh walked away across the deck and climbed down into the longboat. The rowers pushed off and started rowing towards shore. Sukh sat with his back to the boat. He did not look over his shoulder.

Baatarsaikhan stood watching his father. He did not look sixteen to Sallina. He was no taller than she was. But she had no reason to doubt Dan's word. The young man's bright red hat was decorated with gold thread. His trousers were made of baggy, fine, green wool. His belt was leather, and from it hung a sword in a shiny black sheath. His jacket was dark blue leather. It hung open at the front, showing a yellow silk shirt. On his feet were leather sandals. Sallina stared at the shirt. Surely that was some of the yellow silk from the Reliant? Someone must have made Baatarsaikhan a shirt for him to wear on his travels. Maybe it was his mother. Sallina had never met his mother. She had not come aboard today. Where was she?

Baatarsaikhan turned to face Sallina. He was scowling as if he were angry, but Sallina could see his eyes were red. He must feel like she and Garibaldi did when they left their parents behind. He would not see his family for a long time. She smiled and held out her hand. He looked down at it and clasped it in his own. His grip was firm. He leaned forward slightly and pointed at Sallina's eyes.

Dan and Harry walked up, carrying Baatarsaikhan's chest. Baatarsaikhan looked at them and at the chest. "Thank," he said. He reached forward and took the chest from them. The lid and sides of the chest was engraved and painted with pictures of ships and sea monsters. The paint looked fresh, but the carvings were chipped in places, and worn smooth in others. Despite its age, however, the chest looked strong. It was bound with iron bands and held shut with a large iron lock.

Sallina looked at Baatarsaikhan. Was he annoyed that Dan called him "Baat". Maybe he was one of those people who wanted everyone to call them by their full name, and pronounce it just so, in which case, maybe Dan was right, and the boy would be trouble. Dan spoke to Baatarsaikhan in Kubla, calling him Baat again. The young man nodded. Dan walked towards the aft stairs, and Baat followed him, carrying his chest by himself. I'll call him Baat too, Sallina thought. It's much easier, and he doesn't seem to mind.

Sallina looked towards shore. The longboat was starting back towards the Reliant. Sukh was standing upon the beach. He peered at the Reliant from beneath his hand. The ship was in the shadow of the hills, but the sun still shone upon the shore. Sallina waved at him. He waved back. Even though he was two hundred paces away, Sallina could see that his shoulders were hunched forwards. Was Sukh wondering if he would ever see his boy again? Why did Dan think that the boy was going to be trouble? The boy seemed very sweet, not the type of person to cause trouble. She would help him get along on the ship. Maybe she could teach him their language.

"Able seamen, jump to it!" the Captain called from the aft deck. His voice was so loud, Sallina stood up straight, her eyes wide. "Unfurl the sails! Set the spars, lets get going! To Independence Island, I say, and we shall raise her on the morrow!"

Four sailors began to turn the big wheel that wound up the anchor rope and pulled the anchor from the bottom of the harbor. "Whey hey, and up she rises!" they sang, "Patent blocks of different sizes! Whey hey, and up she rises, Early in the morning."

The Reliant sailed all night in the open water. At dawn the next day, the sixth of August, the wind was blowing hard out of the west and the boat was running downwind. Clouds drifted by overhead, following the same wind as the ship, but moving faster. Garibaldi found Baat gripping the port rail and leaning over the side. His face was white.

"Not there," Garibaldi said. He took Baat by the arm and pointed to the fore deck. If Baat threw up over the port side, the wind would blow it back into the boat. Baat followed him up the steps to the fore deck, where he leaned over the side again. Garibaldi patted him on the back.

As the sun rose into the sky, the Captain joined them. "Aha!" he said, over the sound of the water crashing against the bow of the ship. "Thinking of feeding the fishes are we? The two of you together will be a blessing for all our scaly friends."

"Actually," Garibaldi said, "I'm not feeling that bad." And he wasn't. A bit nauseous, perhaps, but nothing like he had been on their journey to Kublaminsk.

"Good for you, boy," the Captain said. "I'm very glad to hear it." And he seemed to be glad. He hooked his thumbs into his belt and smiled broadly. "Getting your sea legs. I was hoping you would."

In the late afternoon, they sighted Independence Island. As the sun set, they dropped anchor in a small bay. "We made the best time we could, boys," the Captain said from the aft deck. The sailors were gathered together below him. "Tomorrow we'll make Prudence Harbor. With any luck, the Endeavor will be there. But if she's not, she'll be there soon." The sailors cheered.

The wind blew the clouds away and dropped to a breeze. It was warm. The stars shone in a clear sky, and a crescent moon hung low on the western horizon. The gentle waves of the bay lapped against the side of the ship.

Pops and Garibaldi brought up a big iron fire-bowl from below, the same one Pops had used three weeks before to cook Otis's tuna. Garibaldi lit a fire in it, and when the smoke of the fire died down and the wood coals were burning brightly, Pops skewered the carcass of a lamb upon an iron spit. The spit had a crank at one end, so Pops could turn the carcass above the fire and cook it on all sides.

The smell of roasting meat drifted across the deck. Before long, everyone was watching Pops turn the lamb over the fire. The sailors lit their pipes. The smell of tobacco joined that of roasting meat. On the Captain's orders, two sailors brought a barrel of Kublaminsk beer up on deck, and the sailors helped themselves to it with their metal cups.

Each sailor had his own metal cup. Most were made from silver, and had their owner's initials engraved upon them. Some were made of a softer metal called pewter. These had glass bottoms. "So's we can see what's in 'em," Otis said.

Baat leaned against the port rail and watched the sailors. Although the light was dim on deck, it seemed to Sallina that the young man was no longer pale in the face. He must be feeling better, but he was not smiling. She crossed the deck to talk to him.

Sallina smiled. Baat did not. He put his hands in his pockets. He was no longer wearing his jacket and hat. His yellow silk shirt shone in the glow of the fire. "That is a beautiful shirt," Sallina said. She spoke slowly.

It seemed to Sallina that Baat could understand her better when she spoke slowly. "Did your mother make it for you?"

Baat leaned towards her suddenly. He looked right into her eyes. He was frowning. Sallina could not decide if he was angry or just unhappy. She wanted to move away from him, but she did not.

Sallina folded her arms and turned her eyes to the sailors. Garibaldi was poking the coals with a metal rod. He put another piece of wood on the fire, sat back, and sipped beer from a metal cup, the one that Pops the cook had given him. Dan and the Captain sat on a coil of rope, laughing at one another's jokes. Otis and Sharpy were making fun of Jasper. Otis said something about the Endeavor and Sharpy laughed again. Jasper blushed and fidgeted.

Well, Sallina thought, I suppose I should not ask Baat any more questions about his shirt and his mother, but on the other hand, Dan thinks Baat might be trouble, and if that's so, I should find out about it, for the sake of all of us. And anyway, I want to know what his story is, because he surely has a story. Did he want to come on the ship, or did his father make him come? He probably won't answer that question right away. Better to start with things that were simple, and see what he says.

Baat's frown deepened. He turned away from her and walked up the steps to the fore deck. Oh well, Sallina thought, I have upset someone else. But I'm not going to follow him. He must want to be alone. Well, I don't want to be alone. She made her way through the sailors and sat next to Garibaldi.

"Sure," she said. She took the cup and tasted the beer. It was warm and smooth in her mouth, but bitter. She gave the cup back to Garibaldi. "I'm not sure I like it."

Garibaldi nodded. "You have to drink it a few times before you like it, that's what my father says. So I'm drinking it." He lifted the cup and took another sip.

"That's good beer, that is," Pops said. He turned the roasting carcass. Fat was dripping from the meat. The fat crackled and burned in the fire. Sallina watched the coals burning and the fat dripping. She was getting hungry.

Baat sat down next to Sallina. Garibaldi raised his cup. "Have beer if you want."

Baat shook his head. He stared at the fire and the roasting lamb. Sallina leaned her head against Garibaldi's shoulder.

Baat spoke loudly and clearly. "My mother die in war. Father away." He pointed behind him, to the south, across the length of the sea. "Far away journey. He is away, men come to Kublaminsk and kill. They kill everyone they find. They kill my mother. They kill my aunt. They kill my sister."

Pops stopped turning the lamb. The sailors fell silent one by one. They whispered among themselves, repeating what Baat had said for those who had not heard it. Dan laughed at something the Captain said, but then he and the Captain fell silent also and listened to Sharpy whispering to them.

Part of her felt like crying for Baat, when she imagined how it must feel to see your mother and sister killed, but part of her did not want to cry. That was the part of her that did not yet believe Baat's story. It seemed too horrible a story to be true. Who would kill a child? Surely nobody would do such a thing?

Baat answered clearly, as if he knew that everyone was listening. "I am small. I go under house, where the dogs live, and I lie down in dirt. They no see me there. I no fighting." He clenched his teeth and made fists with his hands. "I am like dog."

Garibaldi raised one eyebrow. Why was Baat like a dog? Dogs fight, didn't they? He leaned forward and spoke to Baat across Sallina's lap. "How long ago did this happen?"

"You are sixteen now," Sallina said, "So you were nine then. You were too young to fight. They would have killed you also."

"Yes," the Captain said, "Man must fight. But not boy. That is a terrible, sad story, Baat. But you are not like a dog."

Baat looked past the fire at the Captain. He unclenched his fists and turned to Sallina. He pulled on his shirt with one hand. "My mother's mother make shirt," he said, "She no die in war. She give me food and help me live. My father come back. He help me live."

"I'll tell you," Dan said aloud to everyone. "Sukh must have been pretty darned angry when he came home."

Baat looked up and around him. Dan said something in Kubla. Baat frowned. "Father angry. Sukh angry at Sukh. No go away on journey, never more journey. No more son and family alone. Never again."

Sallina could see Dan nodding in the firelight. "Your father is a good man, Baat."

"The men came to Kublaminsk," Baat said, "They came second time to Kublaminsk, to kill and take our food and clothes. But my father is there. They came not into our house. My father, he stand at door with his axe. The dead men make mountain in front of him and around him, all around him." Baat pointed around himself and in the air. He was no longer frowning. His mouth and his eyes were wide.

"Aye," Dan said. He tapped ash from his pipe by rapping the bowl upon his hand. He threw the ash into the fire. "That's The Axe, all right."

The sailors were silent. Pops began to turn the roasting carcass. Sharpy bent down with the help of his crutches and poured himself another cup of beer. The waves lapped against the side of the ship. Dan struck a match and lit his pipe. Otis farted. The sailors near him laughed and tried to push the old man away.

"Go easy on him," Dan said, "The deaf old bugger can't even hear himself fart, let alone hear the boy's story."

Baat looked up at Sallina. He pulled upon the front of his shirt. "The mother of my mother make this shirt for me. She tell me wear it and be safe. When come back I be man like father."

Sallina nodded. A tear fell from her eye and landed upon her hand. She looked at the tear shining in the fire light. To her surprise, Baat took her hand, held it up to his mouth and kissed the tear away. Garibaldi sat forward and looked at Baat, but Baat did not notice. He let go of Sallina's hand and stared at the fire.

At noon the next day, the Reliant entered the mouth of Prudence Harbor. The sailors crowded the ship's rail, staring ahead at the ships tied up to the wharfs. The wharfs were like the docks Sallina and Garibaldi had seen in Godiva, but made of earth and stone. Baat stood next to Garibaldi. He had been seasick all day, but now he stared at the city with his mouth open.

There were at least twenty tall ships tied to the wharfs. Some had two masts and some had three. Most were smaller than the Reliant, but a few were larger. One three-masted ship was moving towards an empty wharf ahead of them, pulled by a longboat full of rowers.

Beyond the wharfs was Prudence City itself, spread out on either side of a river that flowed into the harbor. Its buildings were made of gray stone, spaced far apart on wide avenues with parks and fountains. Its roofs were of gray slate and red tile, and from them flew flags and streamers of many colors. Some of the taller buildings had golden domes upon them that shone in the sunlight.

"There she is!" Sharpy cried. He was examining the harbor through a telescope. "I see her! And they see us! They're on deck waving."

"Yes that's her," the Captain called. "Harry, steer for the Endeavor. She's tied up to wharf number three. We'll drop anchor aft of her while we wait for a mooring."

Sailors rushed to the ropes that raised the ship's sails, while others clambered up the shrouds. They went to work furling sails so that the ship would slow down.

"There," he said, and pointed ahead, "She's hiding behind those two sloops with their sails hung out. You can see some of the red stripe down her side, and her green aft wall."

He offered Sallina his telescope. She held it to her eyes. Between the sails of the two smaller ships Sharpy had called sloops, Sallina saw a bright, clean ship with three masts. Standing on aft deck, and at the end of the wharf next to the ship, were twenty sailors waving and shouting at the Reliant.

A little while later, when the Endeavor was fifty paces away across the water, the Captain cried, "Drop anchor!"

The anchor splashed into the harbor. As soon as it did, several of the women on the wharf dove into the water and swam towards the Reliant.

"Each man turn to his neighbor," the Captain said, "Rock, paper, scissor, whoever wins gets shore leave for the day."

Sallina gave Sharpy his telescope. The sailors were playing rock, paper, scissor in pairs. At the end of the games, one sailor would say, "Yes!", or "Here I come!" and the other would shake his head and say, "Damn," or "Blast it!"

Sharpy won his game against Jasper. He looked down at his leg. "Not that I'm going to be able to get off the ship anyway."

Garibaldi walked among the sailors. He laughed with them and watched their contests. He patted Pops on the back when Pops lost his game. Baat stood with one hand on the ship's rail, watching the sailors with a frown on his face. He watched the sailor's hands moving as they played rock, paper, scissor. Seeing his frown, Sallina decided he did not know how to play rock, paper, scissor. She would teach him later.

Six sailors climbed over the rail and dropped into the water. When their heads came up, they swam towards the wharf. They met the women in the water and greeted them by name. The women greeted them in return and embraced them, even while they were swimming. Then the men kept swimming towards the wharf, and the women kept swimming towards the Reliant.

Dan and Otis played rock, paper, scissor. Dan won. "But you go anyway," he said.

"Speak for yourself," Otis said, and dove off the ship's rail into the water. He disappeared into the sea with hardly a splash and re-appeared twenty paces away.

By now, the first woman had reached the boat. She climbed quickly up the side, and three sailors pulled her aboard. She landed on the deck, her shirt and trousers dripping wet and clinging to her body. Sallina could see through the wet fabric of the woman's shirt, and she saw that underneath the shirt, the woman wore a tight piece of cloth across her breasts to hold them in place, with straps over her shoulders to hold the cloth up high. Sallina did not wear a piece of cloth like that herself. They were uncomfortable, and her breasts were not so large that she needed one. But this woman definitely needed one.

"By the Gods!" the woman said, staring at the cast on his leg. "What did they do to you!" She rushed forward and hugged him. She kissed his face and squeezed him. After a while, she stepped back so she could see his face. She put her finger on his nose. "Well, you'll just have to spend lots of time in bed." She winked at him. "Resting."

"Well, I'm Natasha." She looked at Sharpy. "Anything I should know about here with you and her?"

"Good. That's just as well." She looked at Sallina. "Good for both of you. You are far too pretty, young lady."

Sallina opened her mouth to say thank you, but Natasha turned away immediately and took Sharpy's hand.

"Well now," Natasha said, "I have a nice room in a hotel ready for you. But how am I going to get you there? We'll have to use a longboat, and lower you over the side. And you'll have to tell me all about how you were injured."

Baat was staring at Natasha. Sallina put her hand on his shoulder. "Beautiful?" she said.

Baat frowned for a moment, then he cocked his head to one side and smiled. "Beautiful like you."

Sallina folded her arms. "Oh. Well, thank you." She looked at Garibaldi. Did Garibaldi think she was beautiful? Garibaldi was watching Natasha and Sharpy. Baat leaned over the rail and watched the remaining women climb up the side of the ship.

The Market Square

Two weeks after the Reliant arrived in Prudence Harbor, Sallina stood beneath a sail-cloth canopy held up by four poles. In front of her was a table piled high with pelts. This table and the canopy were her market stall. Every day for the last two weeks, she and Garibaldi had set up the market stall together, here at the edge of Prudence City's Lower Market Square. The square was only a short walk from the wharf to which the Reliant was tied. But Sallina and Garibaldi had to carry the table and the furs up to the square every day, as well as the sail-cloth and poles, and set up the canopy, and stand there all day trying to sell Sallina's pelts. At the end of the day, they had to take the canopy down again, and carry everything back to the ship.

Today, like every other day she had spent in the square, it was hot. It was mid-day, and the sun blazed down upon the gray stones of the square in front of her. The air rippled with the heat. All around the edge of the square were market stalls like her own, each with a canopy of cloth. In the shade of each canopy were tables covered with things for sale, like watermelon, silk skirts, cheese, wine, olives, shellfish, incense, copper pots, jewelry, paper, ink, glass cups, glazed clay plates, and blocks of ice.

At the center of the square was a fountain spraying water high in the air and surrounded by a paddling pool. Children played all day in the pool. They were happy about the hot weather. They could paddle and swim around the fountains and in the bathing pools all day long. The water in the fountains and pools came down from the mountains, traveling in pipes under the streets. The water was fresh and cool, and there was plenty of it. If there was one thing that Sallina liked about Prudence City, it was the parks and fountains. And the second thing was that there were people of all different sorts: fair-skinned, dark-skinned, tall, short, blonde, red-haired, black-haired. She thought it would be a fun place to grow up.

Well, it would be a fun place to grow up so long as you were not a slave. Sallina had never met slaves before, but there were plenty of them in Prudence City. You could tell who was a slave because the laws of Independence Island required all slaves to wear a thin, iron torque around their necks. A slave and his master were walking past her stall right now. The slave was a tall young man with red hair. He wore an iron torque around his neck. He walked beside a shorter, dark-skinned man with no torque. They laughed together. The master stopped and bought two apples. He let his slave pick one of the apples, and kept the other for himself. They walked out of the square eating their apples and talking.

Her father had a pet dog named Molly. He loved Molly. Molly loved him. Molly had a good life working for her father. But Degory Priest on the farm next door to Sallina's used to beat his dogs whenever he was in a bad mood, which was most of the time. Here in Prudence, Sallina had seen people hit their slaves in the market square. Nobody did anything to stop it. To be fair, every now and then her father gave Molly a good slap. He had slapped Molly when she killed Sallina's kitten, and he had hit Molly with a horse-crop when she got into the chicken coop and killed two of the hens. Seeing someone hit their slave once might not be enough reason to decide that they were cruel.

If it was okay for animals to be slaves, why not people? Sallina was sure that nobody wanted to be a slave. But if nobody wanted to be a slave, how come there were so many of them? After thinking about this question for a while, she decided that there were plenty of slaves for the same reason that there were plenty of pet dogs. The children of slaves must be slaves also, just as any puppies Molly might have would belong to her father. If a child grew up as a slave, perhaps they would think there was nothing wrong with being a slave. Sallina shook her head. No matter what anyone said: she knew for sure that she did not want to be a slave. She wanted to own herself.

She looked at the table piled with pelts in front of her. The pelts were beautiful, shiny and soft. But she had not sold any of them in the entire two weeks she had been at the market. Not a single one. Many people had offered to buy them, but not for the price she was asking. She refused to sell a mink pelt for two gold pieces when she had paid three for it. Where was the profit in that? She would be losing money.

Today was especially hot. Women walked around with parasols to shade them from the sun. Men wore hats with wide brims or walked around with their chests bare and flexed their muscles. Sallina was not particularly impressed with any of these fellows, because none of them had arms like Garibaldi's, and Garibaldi was more graceful when he moved. She never felt that Garibaldi was showing off. In fact, she was not sure he even knew that women liked his muscles.

"Not at all," Sallina said. She kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her. She hugged him for moment and let him go. It was so hot that being next to Garibaldi made her sweat even more than she had been sweating already. She tried not to be too sweaty when she stood at her market stall. She thought sweat made her look nervous, and people would not buy from someone nervous.

Sallina shook her head. "You know, I think it's hotter today than ever before. Will you watch the furs while I go and see Nerboculus?"

Sallina walked out into the sun. She lifted her hair and tucked it beneath the cotton hat she had bought when the weather turned hot. She walked past the fountain and the laughing children to a stall with a bright blue canopy. There were many things that were a marvel to Sallina in the boxes on the tables beneath the blue canopy. There were egg-sized stones that shone with a bright light. These were expensive, but she would love to give one to her grandmother, so her grandmother could sew at night when the candle-light was too dim for her old eyes to see. The man who sold the shining stones wore a hat with crescent moons and stars upon it. His name was Nerboculus, or so he said. Sallina was not sure anyone would name their child Nerboculus.

Nerboculus had a long white beard, even though he was young. He told Sallina that he was a Wizard. But Sallina doubted he was a real wizard. She was not sure she believed in wizards. And if there were such people, she was pretty sure that Nerboculus was not one of them. But she liked him anyway. He was always cheerful and relaxed.

Another thing Nerboculus sold, along with "love potions", "concentration tobacco", and "smart tea", were glass tubes with a silver line in the center that went up and down depending upon how hot it was.

Nerboculus handed her one of his glass tubes. She looked at it. There were little black lines next to the moving silver line. She counted the black lines until she came to the one next to the end of the silver line. "Thirty-three," she said.

Sallina gave the tube back to him, shook her head, and turned around to look at the square. "I came here to sell furs, and it's the hottest weather in three years. Nobody wants to think about getting a fur coat. If only I had brought ice. The ice-sellers are making lots of money."

"I am as sorry about it as you are," Nerboculus said, "If you sold your furs, you would have money, and I would sell you a luminous stone and a thermometer."

"I tell you what," he said, "Suppose I can send you a customer who's willing to buy furs at your asking price. I can do that you know." He tapped his hat and wiggled his fingers around. "Magic."

"Of course I do. If I believed every man who told me they had special powers, I'd think the world was full of wizards. But it isn't."

Nerboculus nodded. "I like you, because you are so clever, even when you are cruel."

Nerboculus put his thermometer in a long box with a velvet lining. "If I can send someone over to you today who will buy twenty pelts, then you will buy a thermometer from me." He tapped the box. "This one is the one you like. It's ten guineas."

"There's no way you can get someone to buy my fur on a day like this," Sallina said, "No way."

Sallina rolled her eyes. It was so hot. It was time to go for a swim in the park. "Okay," she said, and shook Nerboculus's hand.

An hour later, Sallina returned to her stall much refreshed from a swim in the park. She carried in her hands two glasses of lemonade with ice. She was expecting to find Garibaldi there alone, but Baat was with him. He and Baat were sharpening Baat's sword with a whetstone and oil. This was something they had been doing for several days, ever since Dan had told them that Baat's sword was of such fine metal that it could be sharpened until it would cut through a piece of silk floating in the air.

So far, they had failed to cut any type of material floating in air, let alone silk, which was the strongest material you could buy. Sallina assured them that Dan was just playing a joke upon them. No blade could cut through floating silk. But they kept trying.

Sallina did not want to discourage Baat and Garibaldi from sharpening the sword. Sharpening the sword was better than what they were doing a few days ago, which was playing rock, paper, scissor. After Sallina taught Baat how to play, Baat thought he could learn to play it better than Garibaldi. Garibaldi disagreed. They played for days until Garibaldi bet Baat one guinea that Baat could not win five hundred and fifty out of a thousand games. Baat agreed. They stood under Sallina's canopy and played a thousand games one after another. People walking by stared at the two young men acting so strangely, and Sallina worried that Baat and Garibaldi were frightening people away from her stall. But she did not ask Baat and Garibaldi to stop playing, because she had not sold any furs even before they had started playing, so who could say whether or not their playing made any difference? And anyway, she had a feeling that, if she asked Baat and Garibaldi to stop, they would go away and play somewhere else, and she'd be lonely. In the end, Baat won only four hundred and seventy-six games out of the thousand. He paid Garibaldi one guinea, and agreed that Garibaldi was right: the game was one of chance. Within minutes, they were sharpening Baat's sword.

And so Sallina stood near Baat and Garibaldi with her two glasses of lemonade, wondering what to do. One glass had been for her, and the other for Garibaldi. Garibaldi and Baat looked up from their work. They smiled at her.

Sallina handed one glass to Baat, took a sip from the other, and gave it to Garibaldi.

"Ah! So good," Baat said, "I get more." He picked up the glasses and left for the lemonade stand.

Baat seemed to have plenty of money in his purse, and he was always ready to spend it upon whatever any of them wanted. Even if his purse was full of gold, Sallina was sure he would run out soon, unless he had a lot more in his chest.

Garibaldi held up the sword and wiped it with a cotton cloth. It flashed and sparkled. The blade was about as long as Garibaldi's arm, curving slightly, and sharpened on the outer edge. The hilt was bound with leather and protected by a small circle of metal at the base of the blade.

Sallina stepped closer to him. Garibaldi held the sword out to one side so Sallina would not cut herself on it. Sallina paid no attention to the sword. She reached up and ran her hands through Garibaldi's hair. His hair was damp with sweat. Even in the shade of the canopy it was hot.

He nodded. "Baat tells me he went all the way up to the mountains this morning, and the air is much cooler up there. We should go up some day. He said it was beautiful."

Sallina stepped back and held her chin with one hand. "He really does get around."

"He likes to walk," Garibaldi said. He put the sword on the table and tucked it under some furs. The hilt stuck out so Baat would know where it was. Baat liked to carry the sword everywhere with him.

Garibaldi bent over and touched his toes. "Dan thinks he's looking for something."

"I don't know. I heard Dan talking to the Captain. They were talking quietly, and I didn't want them to know I had heard."

He raised one eyebrow, only, because he was upside down, the eyebrow went downwards. His face looked strange upside down. He smiled, only his smile was upside down. She laughed. Garibaldi stood up and put one foot on the stool. He called all this bending over and putting his leg on things stretching, and he did it at least once a day. He said it felt good.

On the other side of the square, two women, one old and one young, were talking to Nerboculus. Nerboculus pointed to Sallina's stall. Soon after, the two women crossed the square towards her. The older woman was a full head taller than the younger one. Her hair was tied up in a bun under a broad hat, held in place by pins. With one hand the younger woman held a parasol high up above the older woman's head. She had to reach up to do so. In the other hand the younger woman held a bag with a long loaf of bread sticking out, and many other things besides.

As they came closer, Sallina saw that the young woman wore an iron torque around her neck. Her skin was dark and clear. Here eyes were narrow and delicate. She was probably younger than Sallina, and she was shorter. The young woman held her head high and level as she walked. She neither smiled nor frowned. She wore a cotton smock and leather sandals.

The older woman's face was white, and her lips were red. She wore a long dress made of silk with bright patterns on it. The sun shone upon her face, and Sallina saw that the white of her skin was white makeup, and the red on her lips was lipstick. When the sun shone in the older woman's eyes, she gave the younger woman a sharp look, reached out, and pulled the parasol closer.

The younger woman moved the parasol over. The expression upon her face did not change. Moments later, the two women were standing in front of Sallina's table. The older woman looked at Sallina, frowned, and looked at the furs. She picked one up, a snow-rabbit pelt, and put put it close to her nose. She sniffed it, and frowned again. She picked up a mink pelt and brushed it against her cheek. She did not frown. Sallina saw that some of the woman's white makeup rubbed off onto the black fur. Should she say something to her? Probably not. If she made the woman embarrassed, the woman might change her mind and decide not to buy any fur.

The woman picked up another mink pelt, and another. The younger woman let the parasol rest upon the ground. Both women stood in the shade of Sallina's canopy. The young woman put the bag down as well, and stretched her fingers. Sallina smiled at her, but the young woman did not see her smile. The young woman was looking down at her hands instead, opening and closing them.

The woman nodded and picked up another. "They are fine. Some of the best I have ever seen."

"Nerboculus says you are honest. If you're honest, tell me how much you paid for them."

The woman turned away. "Come on Chimeg," she said. The younger woman picked up the bag and lifted the parasol.

"I paid three guineas each for them," Sallina said, and wondered why she had done so.

The older woman came back to Sallina's table. "That's better," she said. "Well then, most of these fools," and she waved her hand behind her to indicate the rest of the people in the square, "have forgotten the winter, but I have not."

Sallina's heart began to beat faster. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth. What should she do now? Ask for more money, or just say yes? Nerboculus had done it! How had he done it? Was she caught up in some kind of spell? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Garibaldi was watching her. If she said yes, she would make twenty gold pieces profit. Well, ten, because she would have to buy that thermometer from Nerboculus, but a thermometer was something she could sell somewhere else, maybe for more than ten gold pieces.

The woman looked at Sallina's hand and lifted her chin a little. "I'll pay for them now, there is no need to shake. Chimeg, hold out your arms."

Chimeg held out her arms. The older woman chose twenty pelts from the pile, one after the other, and gave them to Chimeg.

Chimeg reached into the bag. She took out a leather purse, opened it, and started counting out eighty gold pieces onto the table.

There was a crash on the paving stones behind Sallina. She turned and saw Baat standing with two glasses of lemonade. A third glass had fallen to the ground and shattered at his feet. He was staring at Chimeg. Chimeg looked up and saw Baat. She dropped three gold pieces on the table. One of them rolled off the table edge and onto the ground. The older woman gathered the furs up in one arm and slapped Chimeg on the face with the other.

Baat put the glasses down on the table, saw the hilt of his sword sticking out from under the wolf pelts, and reached for it. Garibaldi grabbed Baat's wrist and held it firmly. The two young men looked at one another. Baat nodded. Garibaldi let go. Baat stepped back and put his hands behind his back.

Chimeg picked up the gold piece on the ground and put it one the table. She started to count again, but the older woman pushed her aside. "I'll do it."

The older woman gave the furs to Chimeg and started counting through the gold. Her fingers moved quickly. Chimeg kept her head down and stared at the pile of mink pelts in her arms. Garibaldi and Sallina looked from one woman to the other, and at Baat. Suddenly, Chimeg looked up. Her eyes were wide. Her mouth was open, with its corners drawn downwards. Her lips were trembling. Baat took one step forward. Chimeg looked down again.

"There," the older woman said, "If you want something done, do it yourself." She pushed a pile of gold pieces across the table towards Sallina. "Eighty guineas. Please count them yourself."

Sallina hesitated. She leaned over the pieces and counted them as quickly as she could with her fingers. There were eighty-one. She looked up at the older woman. "I count eighty-one."

The older woman smiled. "Nerboculus was right. You are honest. Yes, there are eighty-one. You can have the one extra, for saving me the trouble of haggling with you over the price."

The older woman put her purse back in the bag, picked the bag up, and the parasol, and said to Chimeg, "Come on, girl." She looked at Chimeg's face. "What has gotten into you?"

Diamara smiled. "Well then. Walk with me, and I will hold the parasol over both of us."

Diamara walked out into the sunlight carrying the bag and the parasol. Chimeg went beside her with the furs in her hands. When they were twenty steps away, she looked over her shoulder, just once, at Baat. Then they turned a corner and were gone.

"Well," Garibaldi said, "That was one rich woman. She handed over eighty-one guineas just like that."

Baat drew his sword out from under the wolf pelts and slid it into the scabbard across his back. He used one hand to guide the blade into the scabbard mouth. "Her name Altachimeg."

Baat turned away from them, walked out from under the canopy, and hurried after the two woman.

Sallina watched Baat disappear around the corner. "No, go back to the ship and tell Dan or the Captain what happened. This is trouble. This is what Dan was talking about."

Sallina looked at Nerboculus. He bowed to her from the shade of his blue canopy.

Deliberations

Garibaldi stepped out into the afternoon sun. He could feel its heat through his hair. He squinted in the bright light shining off the road and houses. He walked out of the square and down the wide avenue that led to the wharves.

The harbor bristled with masts. The hot weather had brought calm seas and still air. Ships that arrived in Prudence Harbor, towed by their own sailors rowing in longboats, could not leave by sailing. So they stayed. The sailors wandered the streets of the city, spending their money and getting into mischief.

Garibaldi walked down the wharf to which the Reliant was tied. The harbor water was on either side. The water was warm and still and green, and smelled bad. With so many ships in the harbor, each of them letting their sewage into the water at night and dumping their kitchen garbage over the side during the day, the harbor was filthy. Whenever Garibaldi looked at it, he saw things floating in it that made him feel sick. Nobody swam in the harbor. Nobody wanted to eat the fish caught in it. But the fish themselves didn't seem to mind: there were plenty of them swimming around in the harbor.

The smell of the water was so bad during the day that the Captain kept only five or six sailors on board at a time. The rest of the Reliant's crew were free to go ashore and breath the clean air of the city. The Captain himself, being a fat man, did not like walking in the heat. Nor could he swim, so the swimming pools of the city did not hold much attraction for him. He spent most of his days sitting at a table under a canopy on deck. He wrote in his journal, received visitors, and watched the ship's carpenter and four or five other sailors putting up the new mizzen mast he had bought with Garibaldi's money.

Garibaldi walked up the plank to the Reliant's deck. The new mizzen mast was almost ready. The bottom two sections were in place and the sailors were slowly hoisting the third section to the top with a system of ropes and pulleys that used the main mast as a high point, and the stern of the boat as a low point. The work proceeded slowly. Nobody was in a particular hurry. Nobody wanted to make a mistake. There were frequent stops to have a cup of tea with the Captain.

And so it was that Garibaldi found the Captain, Dan, Harry, Otis, and also Alicia, the Captain of the Endeavor, sitting on chairs around the table under the canopy drinking tea.

"Ah, Garibaldi," the Captain said, "You have arrived in time for tea. Come and join us."

Alicia was about seventy-five years old. She was lean and strong and tanned. When she stared at Garibaldi, he always wondered if there was something he should tell her that he was forgetting. Otis sat next to her. The old man had his hand on her knee. He was smiling in the middle of his thick, white beard.

Alicia sipped her tea, staring at Garibaldi over the lip of her cup. "The way you were walking along the wharf," she said, "it looked as if you were about to break into a run. Most uncommon for you, I should guess. Whatever it is you have to say, it must be important."

Garibaldi sat down. The Captain poured him some tea. "I was just telling Alicia the story of the storm. But I had not yet come to your heroic and unlooked-for intervention."

Garibaldi wondered why the Captain had waited so many days before telling Alicia the story of the storm. Surely that would be one of the first things they talked about? He blinked. Everyone was watching him.

Garibaldi told them what had happened in the market, starting with Sallina's bet with Nerboculus. When he was finished, the Captain turned to Alicia.

Dan picked up a square, red tin. He opened it and took out a biscuit. He passed the tin to Garibaldi. Garibaldi took a biscuit, and passed the tin to the Captain.

"Baat knew this Chimeg girl was here," Dan said, "I think we can be pretty sure of that. He's been looking for her, wandering around the city, hoping to catch sight of her."

Dan chewed a piece of biscuit. Nobody spoke. They waited for him to swallow. "That was pure luck," Dan said.

Otis took his hand off Alicia's knee and pointed at Dan. "What about the wizard? If I were you, I'd not forget the wizard. Whenever wizards are involved, there's always trouble, strange trouble, with flashing lights and loud noises, and folks acting strangely."

Dan smiled a crooked smile and nodded. "Aye, lad. There are. But not many. And they don't go around telling you that they're wizards. Nobody likes a real wizard, you see. A real wizard can mess with your mind." He tapped the side of his head. "And pretty soon everyone in town is blaming their troubles upon him, and nobody wants him around."

Garibaldi nodded. That seemed rather sad for wizards, if it were true. But he did not quite believe that there were such things as wizards and magic. Sallina did not believe in magic.

"There's a plot here to be worked out." Alicia frowned at her biscuit. "A most intriguing plot."

"Yes," the Captain said. He put his hands on the table and tilted his chair backwards so he could stretch his legs. "Sukh and Baat knew this young woman was here. They knew she was a slave. They wanted to free her. But how? Does Baat intend to purchase her from her mistress? Has he gold in his chest to buy her? And if he does, am I supposed to go back to Kublaminsk with him and her, and drop them off, before we go south?"

Alicia shook her head. "No. If he was going to buy her, Sukh would have no reason to be crafty. He would ask you to bring Baat here, and bring the woman and Baat back home again. You would have done so gladly. It's not far out of our way, and you had much to gain by the arrangement."

Harry looked at Garibaldi. "Who is this young woman, this Chimeg? Is she Baat's sister?"

Alicia pointed at Harry with her teacup. "No, they are not sister and brother. If Chimeg were Baat's sister, she would be Sukh's daughter, and if she were Sukh's daughter, he would come himself, and immediately, to free her in person."

"Really?" the Captain said. "Sukh is a crafty devil. He is economical. Why come himself?"

Before Alicia could answer, a breeze carried the smell of the harbor water across the deck. Harry grimaced, "Ah! By all that's unholy! It's as if we were sitting at the bottom of the Devil's Latrine." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and put it over his nose. Garibaldi tried to breath as little as he could. The Captain pinched his nose and took a breath through his mouth.

Alicia smiled at the Captain. "A father will not delay by even one second the rescue of his own daughter, nor will he assign the responsibility of the rescue to any other person if it is at all possible for him to do it himself."

"Yes," the Captain nodded. His voice was muffled because he was holding his nose between his fingers. He let his chair rock forward again until it was upright, and leaned one elbow on the table. "Yes, I believe you are correct."

"Begging your pardons, Captains," Harry said, from beneath his handkerchief, "If it ain't his sister, who is it? His girlfriend?"

Garibaldi decided not to answer. He was sure that Alicia would answer the question herself, and indeed she did, a few moments later. "They might be related," she said. "They could be cousins, or second-cousins. In fact: it's very likely that they are related somehow, because everyone's related in a small town like Kublaminsk. But I think, Harry, that you are spot on with your suggestion. I think it's Baat's girlfriend, or the girl he loved back home."

"Whoever she is," the Captain said, "what concerns me is what he intends to do about it. Will he buy her or steal her, or just say hello and then goodbye."

Another breeze coming up the wharf from the town drove the smell of the harbor away, and the Harry took his handkerchief from his nose. "Aye, that's a fair question. If he means to steal her, he'll be thinking to bring her aboard the Reliant and get away with her. We'll be accomplices to theft, that's what we'll be, and we'll have another passenger in the bargain."

The Captain let go of his nose and took a deep breath. Otis whispered something in Alicia's ear. She laughed and pushed him gently on the shoulder, shaking her head. Dan did not seem to notice the change in the air. He stared at his teacup. "If he's anything like his father," he said, "he's not going to be satisfied saying hello and then goodbye. He either means to buy her or he means to steal her."

Garibaldi put his teacup down on its saucer with a clatter. "Excuse me," he said. "What do you mean by steal her? She's a person, how can you steal a person? When you take a person you kidnap them, you don't steal them."

"She's a slave," Dan said. "She's property. When you take property, you steal it."

"Once again," Alicia said, "If Baat meant to buy her, Sukh would have told you so. Why would he hide the fact that Baat was going to buy back his girlfriend?"

"Aye," Harry said, "There'd be no sense in it. I don't care how great a soldier he is, Sukh would not want to make an enemy of the Captain. Not unless he had to, and not with his son on the Captain's ship."

"Besides that," Alicia said, "a healthy, hard-working, young woman slave would cost a lot of money to buy back. I'm guessing she'd be around a thousand guineas. If Sukh had that much money to spend on buying back his son's girlfriend, he would not be trading fur with you for silk."

Harry slapped the table with his hand. "By the elementals! She has a point, Captain. The youngster means to steal away the girl. There's no other answer to the riddle."

The Captain nodded. "So it would appear," he said. He took a slow sip of tea and stared at the glaring roofs and drooping pennants of the town. "So it would appear."

At twenty past seven that evening, Baat came walking along the wharf. Sallina and Garibaldi watched him from the deck. The sun was near to setting behind the hills to the west. The air was cooler, and the smell of the harbor was less foul. Harry had been walking up and down the deck since seven o'clock. Looped around his belt was a leather whip that Sallina had never seen before. Baat was supposed to be on board at seven o'clock to stand guard until midnight. He was twenty minutes late. It was Harry's job to make sure the sailors obeyed the Captain's orders, and Baat had disobeyed.

When Baat came along the wharf, Harry waited for him at the end of the gang plank. Baat was smiling when he stepped onto the deck of the ship. Harry was frowning.

Baat stopped smiling. He looked at the sun and back at Harry. He tried to speak, but the scowl on Harry's face made his words come out jumbled up. "No. I am. I am not." He swallowed. "What is clock now?"

Baat did not bow his head down. He did not step back from Harry. He looked straight into Harry's eyes, shaking his head. His eyebrows were drawn together.

"It is twenty minutes past seven o'clock. You will stand your guard tonight until midnight, and you will have no shore leave for two days without the Captain's special permission. If you leave the ship without the Captain's permission, I will flog you myself."

"I will not leave the ship," Baat said, "I am sorry late. I not know. I not leave the ship."

Harry pointed to the stairs that led down below decks. "Go to the Captain's quarters now. He is waiting for you."

Harry stared at Baat. "Yes, you will guard the ship, but after you see the Captain."

Baat walked towards the stairs. Harry pointed at Sallina and Garibaldi. "The Captain wants the both of you in his cabin also, if it pleases you."

Garibaldi followed Baat. Sallina stood at the top of the stairs. "Would you flog him?" She pointed at Harry's whip. "With that? Do you do that sort of thing on this ship?"

Harry looked at her and folded his arms. "Aye, Miss Sallina, we do. When we have to. Once or twice a year, maybe more often. We have to keep the law for ourselves. We have no police when we're out on the sea. We have no jail to throw a man into if he breaks the law. We can't leave a man behind in some foreign place, to rot in some jail far from home." He patted the whip at his belt. "We have only the whip."

Sallina shook her head and went down the steps to the Captain's cabin. Dan was sitting with the Captain at the table. Baat stood in front of them. Garibaldi sat down on the port side of the table, and Sallina sat beside him.

The Captain waved his hand at Baat. "No," he said, "You're not here to talk about being late. That's between you and Harry." Baat said nothing.

The cabin door opened. Harry stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and sat next to Dan on the starboard side. Baat remained standing in front of them. Sallina looked at the table. There was no wine or glasses upon it. Instead, there was a map of Independence Island spread out and held down at the corners by four smooth pebbles. She bent over the table to look at it.

"So," the Captain said, "We're all here. Baat, why did you come with us to Independence Island?"

"I'll tell you why you came here," the Captain said. He put both hands on the table and leaned forward. "You came her to find the girl you love. Her name is Chimeg. You came to steal her from her owner and take her back the Kublaminsk."

Baat's mouth dropped open. Harry smiled. Baat looked at Garibaldi and at the Captain. "How you know this?"

"Garibaldi told us about Chimeg," the Captain said, "And we, especially Alicia, figured it out. Alicia is a smart woman."

"But there's one thing we don't know," the Captain said, "What we don't know is how on earth and over sea you planned to take Chimeg back to Kublaminsk. Did you plan to take her on this ship?"

Dan translated into Kubla. Baat nodded and leaned over the table. After a moment, he put his finger on the map and then removed it.

The Captain looked at the place that Baat had touched. "That's Resolution Town."

They studied the map. Resolution was about ten hours walk from Prudence along the road marked on the map.

Dan shook his head. "You would be caught on the way, and they would make a slave of you also."

"No catch us," Baat said, "We go at night." He touched the hilt of his sword that stuck up from behind his back. "I fight if we are caught."

"He knows. He not like it." Baat put his hand on his chest. "I beg him. He say go."

Dan looked at the map. They waited for him to answer. He scratched his right shoulder with his left hand. He often did that. Dan had a long scar on his right shoulder. Sallina had once seen him rubbing red ointment on it in the infirmary. In cold weather, it ached. In warm weather, it itched.

Garibaldi pointed at something on the map and whispered in her ear. "What does that say?" Sallina had been teaching Garibaldi to read during their long hours sitting at their market stall. He had learned all the letters of the alphabet, and he could write them down. But he still could not read long words, and he could not read handwriting unless it was clear and simple. She looked at the place he was pointing at. Her eyes widened. "It says the mountain is a volcano." She had never seen a volcano.

"Baat is an apprentice sailor on our ship," Dan said. He stopped scratching his shoulder and scratched his chin instead. "We are responsible for him. Sukh knows that. It's one thing for Baat to be lost at sea. Sukh would understand that. But it would be another thing entirely for us to let Baat run off and get himself killed trying to steal a slave."

Sallina looked up from the map. "He let Baat come with us because he believed we would help Baat rescue the girl."

Dan laughed. "Now, Miss, let's not be calling it a rescue. I don't like the sound of that: a rescue." He shook his head.

Baat watched them talking. He was trying to understand, but Sallina thought he probably understood only half of it. She felt sorry for him. The girl he loved was a slave in Prudence City. If Garibaldi was a slave, she would do anything to rescue him. But Baat must have understood most of what was said, because he folded his arms, thrust his chin out, and said, "I get Altachimeg, or I die."

"Yes," the Captain said, "I figured you were going to take that position. What if I have you tied up and thrown into the hold?"

Baat looked at Dan. Dan translated. Baat put his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I fight."

The windows of the cabin were open, and outside they could hear men shouting on the street by the waterfront. The shouting was angry. Garibaldi looked outside. The sun had set, and it was almost dark, but he thought he could see a crowd of men at the end of the wharf. After a while, they walked away and the shouting stopped.

Sallina stared at Garibaldi. She leaned back so she could see his face better. He seemed perfectly serious and calm.

"Of course. He's my friend." He looked at Baat. "You found the place she lives?"

Baat nodded. "Yes, I make wife. We love much." He put his hand on his chest. "Strong love."

The Captain waved his hand at Baat. "Yes, yes, we get the picture. Strong love and all that." He put his head in his hands.

Dan pointed at Sallina. "Wrong, Miss. He'll be enslaved. No need to waste a strong young man like him by throwing him in jail. They'll send him to the mines in the mountains and work him to death by the time he's thirty."

"Begging your pardon, Captain," Harry said, "But you can order them all to stay on the ship, and we'll just leave. I'm sure the lad is mighty clever with his sword, but, if you don't mind me saying so, you are not so bad with a sword yourself, if I remember rightly, and," he pointed to Dan beside him, "we have this rascal as well. I'm sure we can keep discipline on the ship, sir."

The Captain clasped his hands together and smiled. "Harry, my good man, Garibaldi is not under orders. He's a passenger, and can leave the ship at any time. More to the point: we owe him money. As to Baat, if he really means to fight, well," he looked up at Baat, "who knows what we'll be up against. He's his father's son, after all."

Dan said something to Baat in Kubla. Baat nodded. "My father teach me well. He proud of me. I not afraid to die."

The Captain cleared his throat. "And despite what you say, Dan, the girl is a slave. She must have been stolen from Kublaminsk in a raid by another tribe, while Kuyuk was chief. And you know how I feel about slavery. It is an abomination."

Dan laughed quietly. It was not a happy laugh. It was not a laugh that invited you to laugh with him. "Well," he said, "Here's trouble all right, just like I said. The Axe pegged you right and proper, Captain, for the soft-hearted romantic that you are. We can make enemies in Prudence by stealing the girl, or we can make an enemy out of Sukh by letting the boy go off on his own to rescue the girl. Who do you prefer as an enemy, Captain, an entire city, or one man?"

The Captain looked at everyone around the table, one after the other. Last of all he looked at Dan. "That's not how it is at all, Dan. This is how it is: we shall do what we have to do so that years from now, when we remember what we did, we will be proud of ourselves. Baat is one of us. That was our solemn promise to Sukh when we took Baat aboard the ship. And the girl is one of us also, just as every woman on the Endeavor is one of us, because the girl is beloved to one of our own people. We will rescue her, because she is one of our own, and rescuing her is the right thing to do, and we would rescue her even if Sukh were a harmless fool like me."

"Aye," Dan said, "And I'll be going along to make sure everyone gets back safely, is that right?"

Dan smiled. He opened and closed his right hand and looked at his outstretched fingers. "I know that Captain. But I'll go. I've been feeling old these past few months. A little excitement will do me good."

"Well then," Sallina said, "I'm going too. Garibaldi's going, so I'm going. If he's going to be captured and sent to the mines, I'll be captured and go the mines with him."

The Captain smiled at her. He looked up at Baat. "Do you want Garibaldi and Sallina to go with you?"

Baat looked at them. He frowned. Then he looked down at the floor and nodded. "Yes, I like. It would be honor for me. But I do not ask."

"Well then," the Captain said, "You three shall go, and Dan will go too. You will rescue the girl, and he will go to make sure that you come back if things go badly."

"But," the Captain said, "You will obey me. We will make a plan, all of us together. You will follow the plan. If there is trouble, you will obey Dan. Do you agree?"

The Captain clapped his hands. "Well, that's decided then. Sit down, Baat. Pull up that stool over there. Yes, that one. We have two ships, and an eager group of volunteers." He looked at the faces gathered around his table and smiled. "How can we fail?"

The Hospital

On the third morning after the Captain summoned Baat to his cabin, Sallina found Dan on deck staring out across the harbor. She leaned against the rail beside him. It was just after breakfast. "Good morning," she said.

The rising sun warmed Sallina's back. It would not be long before the day became hot, and the harbor began to smell. For now, the air was fresh, and the varnished masts and furled sails of the ships in the harbor shone in the morning light.

Today was the first day Baat had been allowed to leave the ship since he had arrived late for his guard duty. He set off with Garibaldi along the wharf as soon as it was light. They were going to Diamara's house to try and talk to Chimeg, and tell her how they were going to rescue her.

One way to rescue Chimeg would be to run up from the harbor, steal her from Diamara's house, run back to the harbor, and sail away in the Reliant as quickly as possible. But the Captain didn't like that plan. First of all, there was no wind for them to sail away quickly. Second of all, he wanted the Reliant to be able to come back to Prudence to trade some day, and he would not be able to do that if the police in Prudence knew that the Reliant had stolen a slave.

The Captain's plan was to leave Prudence first and rescue Chimeg a few days later. They would sail around to the west side of the island and take Garibaldi, Sallina, Baat, and Dan ashore in the Reliant's rowboat. The four of them would walk into the city, find Diamara's house, steal Chimeg, and bring her back to the beach before the sun came up. If all went well, nobody in Prudence would know that the Reliant had anything to do with Chimeg's disappearance, and the Reliant could come back in a few months time as if nothing had happened.

This plan was secret. Only the Captain, Harry, Sallina, Garibaldi, Dan, Baat, and Alicia knew about it. Maybe Otis knew too, but he was not supposed to know. Alicia thought the plan was a good one, and she said the Endeavor would leave with the Reliant.

The harbor was on the south side of the city. Baat knew how to get to Diamara's house from the harbor, but how would he know how to get to Diamara's house in the middle of the night from the west side of the city? After Baat and Garibaldi finished talking to Chimeg today, they were going to explore the city west of Diamara's house and find a good way to reach reach the house on the night of the rescue.

Sallina decided not to go with them. She thought she should try to sell furs in the market. And besides, it was going to be a hot day, and she did not like the idea of walking back and forth across the city in the heat with two young men who never seemed to get tired or care how sweaty they were. But now that she started thinking about her market stall, she did not much like the idea of selling furs either. She would have to carry the canopy, the table, and the furs on her own. When she was there, she would have to stay in her stall all day. There would be nobody else to watch the furs while she was away. She would not be able to go for a swim at lunch time. She would not even be able to go and pee without worrying that someone would come and steal some of her pelts.

She stared down at the harbor water. She couldn't see very deep because it was so dirty. What was that floating in the water? A fish's skeleton. And what was that? A sock. How did a sock get in the water?

He pointed to a ship one hundred paces away across the water. "I'm looking at that."

It was a large ship, floating on its own, away from the wharves. It was unlike any other ship in the harbor. Its hull curved from front to back like a crescent moon. It was longer than the Reliant, but its masts were not nearly as tall. Instead of three sails, each mast held only one sail, and these sails were each divided into slices by wooden poles that ran from one side of the sail to the other. The sails looked a little bit like the paper fan her mother used to cool her face in the summer. There were two small boats in the water next to the ship. Even these were unusual. They had some kind of long paddle at the back instead of oars.

"It's a junk," Dan said. "It's from Chiin, across the ocean." When he said Chiin he said it like this, "Chee-In".

The junk's sides were brightly painted. In places, there were lines and rectangles she thought must be some kind of writing.

"She's quarantined," Dan said. "She comes in yesterday, right slowly under sail, at around mid-day, and pulls up on the opposite side of the wharf from us. She's bigger than she looks. Her sailors get off and wander about. They bring one of their own ashore on a stretcher and take him to the hospital." Dan pointed down the waterfront to a large white building. "A few hours later, the harbor-master orders them off the wharf and into the harbor. I asks him about it afterwards, and he says the sick man is being eaten alive by a disease, and they don't want anyone else in Prudence to catch it."

"Why don't the doctors make them take him back on their ship, so he won't spread his disease around?"

"The crew of the junk won't take him back," Dan said. "They dumped him in the hospital and left him there."

Sallina looked at the ship, hoping to see the face of the captain or someone else who might have decided to leave the sick man on shore. "Is he going to die?"

Later that morning, Dan and Sallina walked along the waterfront towards the large white building. Sallina stepped around a pool of dirty water in the street. The sun was already hot, and the harbor was beginning to smell.

"I don't really want to see him, Miss," Dan said, "although I'm curious. I just want people to see me going into the hospital."

Sallina lifted her trouser-legs with her hands to keep them from getting wet. There was water trickling out of a big net full of fish on a table beside the street. The fish were stiff. Their eyes were round and still. They were gray and shiny with flashes of dark blue.

Dan stepped to the right of a puddle while Sallina stepped to the left. A man going the other way came between them. He stepped close to Sallina, closer than she liked. But before he could come closer still, the man slipped and fell in the puddle. Sallina stopped to look at him. He sat upon his bottom in the puddle. Dan kept walking. The man in the puddle frowned and wiped his hands upon his trousers. He stared at Dan's back and shook his head.

"To answer your question, Miss," Dan said, "I'm going to the hospital because when we leave, I want the Captain to be able to say that we're leaving because we don't want to get sick. The Endeavor will leave too, and maybe a few other boats as well. The more the better."

Sallina frowned and nodded. This must be something to do with their plan to rescue Chimeg. She looked to make sure that nobody was listening. "Is that part of the plan?"

Dan smiled. "We'll see. If we're not the first to leave, people here will be less suspicious of us when they can't find Baat's little lady. And if there's one thing the Captain's worried about, it's people being suspicious of the Reliant. People being suspicious would be bad for business."

At the hospital door, Dan told the doorkeeper he was the surgeon from the Reliant. When the doorkeeper looked at Sallina, Dan said, "She's my nurse."

The doorkeeper let them in. Sallina followed Dan past rows of beds. Most had a man or a woman in them, sleeping or staring at the ceiling. One woman was holding her tummy and moaning.

"These are all sailors," Dan said, "This is the sailor's hospital. They don't let sailors go to their other hospitals. Sailors bring diseases from all across the world."

They went up some stairs to the second floor and walked along another row of beds. The light was better here. The sun shone through the windows. There was a smell in the room, not the smell of the harbor, but some other smell. It was sharp and unpleasant. Sallina wanted to cover her nose, but she did not. She thought she would upset the patients if she covered her nose.

There was a board hanging on the end of the bed with papers clipped to it. Dan picked up the board and looked at the papers.

She took a step closer to the sick man. He had been staring at the ceiling, but seeing her coming closer, he turned his eyes towards her. His skin was pale. His left arm was cut off at the elbow and covered with a bandage. His eyes were narrow, like the eyes of the Kubla, but even narrower. His hair was jet black. Even though he was lying down, she saw that he was short and thin. In his remaining hand, he held a gold locket. Sallina looked at the locket and he moved one finger aside so she could see a picture inside. The picture was a small water-color painting made with a fine brush. There was a woman in the picture, and three children. Two were boys, and one was a girl.

"He can't understand you," Dan said. "He doesn't speak our language. Just Chiin."

Sallina pointed to the picture and held her arms as if she was cradling a baby. The man smiled and nodded slowly.

"He's all alone," Sallina said, "None of his friends are here. Isn't there anything I can do for him?"

Dan walked away. Sallina stayed beside the man's bed, looking down at the locket, until she heard Dan's footsteps on the stairs. The men and women in the beds stared at her. Their eyes did not move in their faces, and none of them smiled. The man from Chiin reached out with his hand. Sallina turned and ran down the room. "Dan! Wait!"

When they were outside, among the shouts of healthy people, and the strong smell of rotting vegetables and fish, Sallina said, "Is he really going to die?"

"Unless someone pays his bill, of course," Dan said, "If someone pays his bill, they'll get him some real medicine."

Dan stopped too. "Miss, I thought you knew. But now I told you. You're not going back to pay his bill are you?"

Sallina stood in the street. Should she go back and pay the man's bill? "How much is it?"

"Come back to the boat," Dan said. "Think about it some more. He's not going to die right away. It'll take a week or two."

Sallina started walking again. Dan walked beside her. "And what about the rest of them?" he said, "Are you going to save them too? According to the notes at the end of his bed, the man you saw was a thief and a murderer. Maybe there's someone else in the hospital you should save? Someone more deserving?"

A murderer, Sallina thought. The sick man did not look like a murderer. Maybe the other sailors from his boat lied about him so they could get rid of him when he was sick. But why would they do that, unless he really was a thief and a murderer?

"No I don't," Dan said, "It's a disease you get from an infected wound. He must have cut himself, maybe with a cooking knife, and not cleaned the cut properly. After a few days, the cut healed over, but then it started to hurt. He should have cut it open again to clean it, but he didn't. When it started to go yellow and green, he began to worry, but nobody knew what to do for him. They were stuck with no wind out in the ocean. By the time they got here, it was too late. The infection had spread through his body."

A woman beside the street held up a pair of red silk underwear and waved them in Sallina's face. "Looks good on you sweetheart!" she said. There were black stains between her teeth.

Sallina pushed the underpants away and stepped around the woman. "So we can't get necromizing facillis, or whatever you called it, just from being near him?"

"No, Miss, we can't," Dan said. "But I'll tell you what: make sure you clean out your cuts. Even if it hurts. Scrub them clean, and run clean water through them. It can save you a lot of trouble in the end."

They reached the Reliant's wharf and turned off the street. The large ship from Chiin was in the harbor ahead of them. "You really are a surgeon, aren't you Dan. I mean: you're a good surgeon."

Two days later, the crews of the Reliant and the Endeavor stood upon the Reliant's deck. They were gathered together to decide whether they should leave Prudence the next day, the twenty-sixth of August, or stay another week until the first of September.

Sallina and Garibaldi stood at the back with Sharpy and Natasha. Dan had taken Sharpy's cast off that morning, and he was standing without crutches. Sallina thought the leg looked thin and pale, but Sharpy said he felt, "As good as new." He was wearing shorts and smiling. Jasper was somewhere in the crowd, too. His arm had been out of its cast for a week now, and he showed no sign of ever having broken it.

Sallina frowned at them both. Natasha put her hand upon Sallina's shoulder. "You're absolutely right. He is very fine surgeon."

Sharpy and Natasha laughed. They leaned together with their arms around one another's waists. Sallina shook her head.

"But he likes Sallina, you know," Sharpy said, "He has a soft spot for her. Never gets cranky with her."

"Is that so?" Natasha said, and smiled her wide, smile and showed her straight, white teeth. "Well, if you are going to have a friend, Dan is a good friend to have."

Sallina was about to say that a good surgeon was always a good friend to have, but she had to be quiet, because Alicia began to speak. Alicia and the Captain were standing on the aft deck. Alicia stood with her hands on her hips with her head high. She wore a black-and-white striped shirt and baggy yellow trousers made of silk. Her feet were bare, as were the feet of every sailor on the ship.

The sailors waited for her to continue. Sallina thought it was funny that even Alicia, who was captain of the Endeavor, called the Captain by his title instead of his name.

"We can stay here for another week," Alicia said, "Or we can leave now and take a week of vacation at the hot springs on Rotunda Island."

"Just off the west coast of Independence," Natasha said. "Great hot springs there. I'm for doing that."

"If we stay here," Alicia said, "we may get sick. Several other ships have left the harbor, rowing themselves into the channel because they believe a plague is about to break out in the city."

Sallina knew that Dan had been going aboard these other ships and talking to their surgeons. She wondered if the things he had said, about the hospital and the sick man from the Chiin, had scared them, and made them leave.

"I'm not too worried about the plague," Alicia said, "Dan says we should be okay. But I know a lot of you are worried about it."

Jasper shouted, "There's plague on that there junk over there. A plague from Chiin that turns your flesh into slime!"

"Thank you, Jasper," Alicia said, "Our surgeons assure us that there is no such plague. But, as I said, I know you are worried about it, and you're not the only ones."

One of the Endeavor's crew, a tall woman with bright red hair and freckles, said, "But what about the circus?"

"Yes," Alicia said, "The Prudence City Circus is on the thirty-first of August, six days from now. Some of you want to stay for the circus, others want to leave to get away from the circus."

Sallina had heard the people of Prudence talking about their circus. They were excited about it. When Sallina was a child, a circus came to her home town. She saw a lion and an elephant, and people swinging from ropes in a huge tent. It was very exciting. But that was just a small circus. A circus in a big city like Prudence would be much more exiting. She would love to see the circus. Why would anyone want to get away from it?

"I've never seen it," the red-haired woman said, "And I hear there's nothing like it."

"You're right there," Alicia said. "There's nothing like it. And you'll notice that the people who don't want to be in Prudence for the circus are the same ones who have already been to the circus in Prudence City. This is not the kind of circus you see back home."

"Well, we want to see it," the red-haired woman said, "I became a sailor because I wanted travel the world and see strange things. So I want to see it."

Alicia smiled at the red-haired woman, but Sallina thought the smile was not particularly friendly. "I know you want to see the circus," Alicia said, "And I know that nothing I say will stop you wanting to see it. But I don't want to see it. In this circus, as I'm sure you've heard, the trick that the lions do is to eat young women. The shows the clowns put on are fights to the death with swords, tridents, and spears. The surprise punch-lines in the show are when the people who think they are in the arena to clean up the mess after the last act suddenly find the arena flooded with water and they are being eaten by crocodiles. This is not a circus. It's a barbaric and horrible show of cruelty."

"It's not worth seeing," she said. "Just imagine it. It will give you nightmares if you see it."

Sallina felt hot and uncomfortable. Would she like to see the circus? She wanted to say no, of course not. But part of her, some part of her that she was ashamed of, could not believe what Alicia said, and wanted to see it to be sure.

Sallina looked at him. He had never liked the city? Now that she thought about it, he had never been excited about the city. She was the one who had enjoyed watching the people, and swimming in the pools.

"On the one hand," Alicia said, "We have the threat of plague, the heat and the smell of the harbor, and the people of Prudence going mad for their circus. And on the other hand, we have a week's relaxation and fun at Rotunda, bathing in the hot springs and hunting in the forest."

The sailors murmured among themselves. Sallina watched Jacqueline, the red-haired sailor. She was frowning and listening to one of her friends. She shrugged her shoulders.

"We don't have no money left," he said, "For staying in a hotel, I mean. And the smell down here drives us crazy."

"Thank you, Sharpy," the Captain said, "Okay, all in favor of staying for another week, raise your hands."

Many of the sailors raised their hands. The Captain counted. "Twenty-one in favor of staying. All in favor of leaving tomorrow, raise your hands."

Alicia said, "We leave tomorrow. We shall be towing the boats out of the harbor, unless the wind gets up tomorrow, so everyone get a good night's rest."

Alicia turned to the Captain. The meeting was over. The sailors all began talking at once.

"Oh yes," she said. She looked up at Sharpy, and he looked down at her. "It's where Sharpy and I first met."

Rowing

The next morning it was hot, with no trace of wind. Garibaldi and nine other sailors from the Reliant sat facing backwards in a rowboat, pulling on their oars. Otis was in the back of the boat, shouting, "Stroke," every three seconds. The sailors pulled their oars in time with his shouts. He had one hand on a pole he called the tiller. He used the tiller to steer the boat. Tied to the back of the boat, behind Otis, was a rope that reached across the water to the Reliant. A hundred paces across the water to the left, a rowboat full of women was towing the Endeavor.

Even with ten sailors rowing as hard as they could, Garibaldi could barely tell that they were moving. Nevertheless, the city was now far enough away that the people on the waterfront looked like little stick-things moving back and forth. But Prudence Harbor was large, and they still had a lot more rowing to do until the Reliant could hope to catch a breeze in the sea-channel. Right now, the hills to the west blocked whatever wind might be blowing from that direction.

This was the third time Otis had ordered them to stop rowing and drink. According to Otis, it was a bad idea to drink too much when you're exercising in the sun, but also a bad idea not to drink at all. Most of the sailors in the boat were drinking as much as they wanted. But Otis did not seem to notice.

Garibaldi picked up his metal water-bottle, which the sailors called a canteen. He unscrewed the top and drank five mouthfuls. Sweat dripped from his hair and into his eyes. He picked up his shirt from the bench beside him and wiped his forehead. He was sitting bare-chested in the boat, like the rest of the sailors.

"Water break!" Jacqueline shouted. She was steering the Endeavor's rowboat. She had a loud voice. He watched the women picking up their canteens. They must be hotter than he was. They were all wearing shirts and hats. The sailors in his boat were panting and tired. They complained to Otis about the heat and how long they had been rowing.

"The Captain's playing a merry joke on us, letting us row for two hours instead of one."

"I think he blew the whistle, but you didn't hear it, Otis, you deaf old bugger."

"Ten mouthfuls? Why not nine, or eleven? You're making this up as you go along, you are."

Garibaldi took another five mouthfuls of water, screwed the lid on, and put it down by his feet.

Garibaldi pushed the end of his oar forwards and up. The tip went backwards and down into the water.

Garibaldi pulled his oar. It slipped out of the water and bumped into the other oars on his side of the boat.

Garibaldi frowned. The other sailors stopped rowing and raised their oars out of the water. None of them complained.

Although the rest of the sailors were complaining about the rowing, they were all smiling. Garibaldi was happy too. He had done nothing but walk around for the past two weeks. Before that, he had done very little exercise. Now his heart was beating hard and his entire body was dripping with sweat. He could not stop smiling. His head felt clear and free of any cares.

Sallina waved at him from the fore deck of the Reliant. He nodded, and nearly lost control of his oar again. She waved at the women in the Endeavor's boats too, but none of them noticed. They were too busy rowing, and very good at it they were, too. The men rowed in time, but the oars went into the water like this, "Splosh, splosh-a-splosh, splosh." The women's oars all went in at the same time, like this, "Splish."

And it must have been their better rowing that allowed them to keep up with the men. There were ten women towing the Endeavor, the same number as there were men towing the Reliant. Garibaldi was certain that the men were stronger than the women. And on top of that, the Endeavor was larger than the Reliant. The Endeavor was thirty-five meters long, while the Reliant was only thirty meters long.

The only way Garibaldi could explain how the women kept up with the men was that their skill made up for their lack of strength. Certainly, that was how it was with wood-cutting. Good form could double the power of your stroke. That's not to say that Garibaldi did not value strength: a strong man with perfect form could cut more wood than a weak man with perfect form. But the technique had to come first, so that the strength you built up in the chopping would be the right kind of strength.

Garibaldi's father believed in chopping equally from both sides. Most wood-cutters chopped over the right shoulder, some over the left. But Garibaldi and his father alternated strokes, ten over the left shoulder, ten over the right. That way you built up muscles on both sides, and your body would be the same shape on both sides. "Symmetry, Garibaldi," his father told him, "It is good for your bones. And your mother likes it too."

"We should change places," Garibaldi said out loud to Otis, "Left side for right side."

"I'm not talking about front and back, bossy feet," the sailor said, "I'm talking about switching you from the side with the bench in to the side that's in the water."

"And why ain't you rowing anyway, Otis? Are you too feeble to do your share?" the first sailor said.

Otis smiled. "I'm all worn out, youngster, from a week of good loving with Captain Alicia. Stroke!"

Garibaldi saw Sallina waving from the fore deck. Why was she waving again? He could not wave back, with both hands on his oar. He smiled at her. But he could see that she was not smiling. She had been unhappy yesterday, and unhappy this morning. She said it was nothing to do with him, but he had worried about her all the same. He was not worried now. He should row more often. He didn't like worrying.

The crews of the two ships rowed all morning and into the afternoon. They changed rowers every hour. Most of the sailors took three turns in the boats. Sallina took one turn in the morning. While she was rowing, Garibaldi watched her from the fore deck. Her oar was going in at the wrong time, and she often bumped oars with the other sailors. Whenever the rowers pulled, the boat turned a little because Sallina was not pulling as hard as the rower next to her. After a while, the rower next to her stopped rowing so hard, so that the the boat would stay straight. He, at least, was happy to have Sallina sitting next to him. But the rest of the sailors kept looking over at the women pulling the Endeavor. During that hour, the women moved ahead.

When Sallina climbed back up on deck, she had blisters on her hands from holding the oar. Otis looked at the blisters and said, "No more rowing for you."

The sailors stood around looking at the deck or at the Captain. Garibaldi smiled. He would not want to tell Sallina that they didn't want her to row because she slowed them down, but somebody was going to have to tell her.

Dan pushed his way through the sailors and took Sallina's hands in his. He turned them palm up and looked at her blisters. He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "No, no, no. You can't row again today, nor tomorrow either." He looked into her eyes, leaning forward a little. "If you want hands for rowing, let them rest. The blisters will turn into calluses."

Sallina raised one eyebrow. Garibaldi had noticed her doing that in the past week or two.

"Okay," Sallina said. "Just as long as nobody thinks I'm trying to get out of my share of the work."

The Captain put a hand on her shoulder. "Nobody would ever think that, my dear."

Baat took one turn at the oars. He was strong for a boy of sixteen, but not as strong as the men. After his turn, he spoke to the Captain and did not row again. When Garibaldi asked him what he had said to the Captain, Baat said, "I tell him I row all day for him, but I know I do not row well."

Garibaldi took four turns at the oars. He was in the first rowing crew of the day, and the last, which was at three o'clock in the afternoon. When the last crew climbed down into the boat, the Reliant was five hundred paces behind the Endeavor. The men climbed down quickly. Jacqueline and a new crew of women were climbing down into their own boat.

Jacqueline's call of, "Stroke!" drifted across the water. The women were already rowing.

One of the sailors was wrapping a cloth around the handle of his oar. The palms of his hands were covered with blisters. The cloth was supposed to stop his blisters getting any worse. The cloth was soaked with a smelly liquid that Dan called white spirit.

They pulled. The rowboat moved out in front of the Reliant. The rope tying it to the ship rose up out of the water and stretched. The rowboat stopped moving. The rowers pulled hard. After ten strokes, the Reliant was moving. The sun was shining upon Garibaldi's left cheek. He could not see the city any more. Even if it were not hidden around a bend, Garibaldi figured that the city would be almost too far away to see anything but the largest buildings. The Captain said they had rowed almost ten kilometers, which was two hours walk along level ground.

Garibaldi looked over his shoulder. The women were far ahead. The men pulled hard. Their backs were red from the sun. Their faces were drawn tight. Muscles stood out on their legs and across their backs. Some of the sailors had scars from being flogged by whips. The sailors were proud of their scars, and how they had got them. None of them had scars from being flogged on the Reliant. They received their scars aboard other ships, when they were younger. The scars stood out on their red, shining, backs as if to say, "I have felt more pain than you, and I'm still laughing."

Garibaldi wondered if he would be able to endure being flogged. Would he be able to keep himself from crying out in pain, bursting into tears, or begging? The sailors felt sorry for people who cried when they were flogged. Brave women cried, they said. They laughed at those who screamed. Brave men screamed. But they spat over the rail when they talked about the ones who begged the Captain to stop the punishment. The sailors had all kinds of names for people who begged, names like wretch, sissy, and wimp.

When one sailor said, "Jacqueline is calling a fast stroke," and another answered, "Ah, she's a wimp," Garibaldi knew what the second sailor meant. He meant that Jacqueline was the sort of person who looked brave and full of courage, but when it came to a flogging, she would get down on her knees and beg. He wondered if she was really like that. How could they know for sure? Had she ever been flogged aboard the Endeavor?

The Endeavor and the Reliant were running a long, slow, race that began at dawn that morning. The two captains had agreed that the race would end at exactly four hours after noon by Alicia's watch. Whichever ship was farthest south in the channel when they stopped would be the winner. The crew of the losing ship would prepare supper for the crew of winner.

The women all wore hats. They still had their shirts on. Garibaldi began to wonder if it was a good idea to row on a hot day without a hat or shirt. Otis called the stroke every two seconds. The sailors pulled as hard as they could. Garibaldi looked over his shoulder. They were catching up with the women, he was sure of it. At fifteen minutes to four, Garibaldi could see the stern of the Endeavor to his left.

At ten minutes to four, they passed the Endeavor's bow, with its painted figure-head of a mermaid. Jacqueline shouted the stroke for her own boat, and Garibaldi had to try to ignore her. He had to pull in time with Otis's voice, not Jacqueline's. But Jacqueline's voice was hard to ignore. She was almost screaming the stroke. She sounded angry.

The backs of the sailors in front of Garibaldi shone with sweat. He pulled hard on his oar. He wanted to win the race. At five minutes to four, they caught up with Jaqueline's boat.

The women's oars entered the water one after the other, splosh-splash-splosh. The men were no better, but they were stronger. Maybe it was Jacqueline's voice that spoiled the women's rowing. Maybe the women were too tired to row properly. Maybe they were too hot in their shirts and hats to care about the race any more. The Reliant pulled ahead of the Endeavor.

A few minutes later, Alicia blew a whistle. It was four o'clock. The crew of the Reliant cheered. The Reliant was twenty paces ahead of the Endeavor. The women rowers leaned on their oars or lay back upon the rower behind them. They closed their eyes and took deep breaths. Jacqueline sat scowling at the men's boat. Otis took out his pipe. He lit a match on the bottom of his bench. Rich blue smoke drifted across the water. He stared back at the Endeavor with his hand over his eyes. Whether he saw Alicia or not, Garibaldi could not tell, but Otis was smiling when he turned around again.

The Reliant caught up with the rowboat and the rowers climbed up the sides. Garibaldi hugged Sallina. He hugged Baat. Sharpy slapped him on the back and congratulated him. The ships had left behind the hills on the west shore. A slight wind blowed from that direction, and with this breeze the two ships sailed to a deserted harbor, where they dropped their anchors in calm water. The sailors tied the two boats together with ropes, so that you could jump from the rail of one ship to the deck of the other.

The crew of the Endeavor barbecued a whole pig on their deck. They grilled the fish that the crews had caught during the race. They brought out strawberries, raspberries, and peaches. After supper, the sailors sang songs, played music, and danced. Baat did a dance that made them all cheer. He crouched on the ground and kicked his legs out one after the other, with his arms crossed, to the beat of Jacqueline's drum. At midnight, they went swimming in the cool water of the channel. In the early hours of the morning, Garibaldi and Sallina lay in their cabin and listened to the sailors whispering, laughing, and snoring.

Garibaldi smiled. It had been a good day. Sallina closed her eyes tight, and tried not to think about the man from Chiin in the hospital bed, with the picture of his wife and children in his hand.

Sailing Again

The morning after the race, Sallina sat on the stool in her cabin. In her lap was the thermometer she had bought from Nerboculus, in its velvet-lined box. The silver fluid inside the thermometer told her it was twenty-four degrees in her cabin. It was a cool morning. She looked up at Garibaldi. He was pulling on his baggy cotton trousers.

Sallina shook her head. "After hearing about the circus, I didn't know what to say to those people."

Garibaldi sat down on the lower bunk. He put his new striped shirt over his head. He was growing his hair so he could have a ponytail like the other sailors. For now, his hair looked untidy, and after putting on his shirt, it was standing on end. He put his hands in his lap waited.

"I never thought the people of the city were evil," Sallina said, "But they must be, if they throw people to the lions. Imagine that. Imagine being eaten by a lion."

Garibaldi looked up at the little window in their cabin. It was made of metal and glass, and it was open. A breeze came through it. They would be sailing today. The white sails would be full of wind, and the seagulls would circle around the masts. He looked at Sallina and thought about lions. He had never seen a lion. But he had seen pictures of them in a book of his mother's. Sallina watched him. He frowned.

"Or what about making people fight to the death?" she said, "Just for fun? So you can watch someone die? It's crazy. It's evil."

Garibaldi folded his arms. "Harry told me it was only the criminals and crazy slaves who go into the circus. Instead of hanging them, or cutting their heads off, they give the criminals a chance to live for another year. If they win their fight, they live until the next circus, to fight again."

Sallina looked down at the thermometer. "What about the ones who get fed to the animals?"

"And that man in the hospital with that horrible disease. I should have done something for him. I should have paid his bill." Sallina squeezed the thermometer case. "Now he's going to die. He's dying right now, and I could have saved him."

Garibaldi did not answer. He did not know what to say. He was not upset about the man in the hospital, but maybe he would be if he had met the man himself. Through the ceiling of their cabin, they heard Jasper and Sharpy.

"Well ain't that just the way of it," Sharpy said, "We row all day because there's no wind, and the very next morning, the wind blows."

Sallina wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "But the paper on the end of his bed said he was a murderer. I thought that if I saved him, he would go kill someone else." She shook her head. "No, I just did not have the courage to go and pay his bill. I wanted some reason not to bother. I was just selfish."

Garibaldi looked at his hands. "Selfish is when you don't make someone happy when it would be good for you to make them happy."

"But you did care about him," Garibaldi said. "You decided that it would not make you happy enough to help him. That does not mean you didn't care about him."

Garibaldi leaned forward and put his hand upon hers. "Come on, let's get some breakfast."

By mid-morning, a breeze was blowing steady from the west. It was not a strong breeze, and certainly not something the sailors would call a wind. But it was more than enough to move the ships if they spread all their sails. The sailors untied the Reliant from the Endeavor, hoisted the Reliant's rowboat up out of the water to the place where it usually hung at the back, pulled up the anchor, and unfurled the sails. The Endeavor did the same, except its rowboats floated behind it.

An hour later, the two ships pushed their way south, across the wind, every sail spread. To Garibaldi, standing on deck, it was a wonderful sight to see the sails filled with the breeze, and feel the ship rolling beneath his feet. Soon, he would be seasick, but for now, he was not. Standing near him were Sallina, Baat, the Captain, and Dan. Dan held four sticks.

"As you know," the Captain said in a whisper, "I will tell the crew about our plan to rescue Chimeg soon. For now, it's a secret. But I want you to start practicing with sticks now."

"You will not take your sword with you," the Captain said. "You will take two sticks. I don't want any blood. I don't want any killing. If there has to be killing, then Dan will do it, not you."

Baat's lips were tight across his teeth, with its corners drawn down into a scowl.

Baat stared at the Captain. "You did not say this before." He spoke loudly enough to be heard by a few sailors coiling a rope nearby. The sailors looked up and listened. "You did not say in Prudence. Now you make change of plan."

The Captain stared at Baat. He frowned, but he said nothing. Baat turned his face away. He took two sticks from Dan. "I can fight with stick," he said. This time he spoke quietly.

Garibaldi held one of the sticks up to his face and sniffed it. It was not wood from a tree, or any tree that he knew. The stick had been cut at both ends, but it had not been cut along the sides. And yet the stick was almost perfectly straight and round. He looked at the end. It was hollow, like a pipe. But he could not see all the way through from one end to another. There were walls inside the pipe.

"It's called bamboo," Dan said. "It grows in the south. It makes the best fishing poles."

Garibaldi struck the two sticks together. They were light but hard. They made a sharp crack. He smiled.

Garibaldi stepped forward and swung a stick at Baat. Baat moved out of the way and held one of his sticks up beside Garibaldi's ear. Baat smiled. So did Garibaldi. Here was a new game he could play with Baat.

Sallina wanted to say something clever to the sailors, but she could not think of anything. The Captain laughed. He turned and walked back to the aft deck, where he took the ship's helm from Otis.

Garibaldi spent the next half-hour trying to hit Baat. It was good fun, for him and for the sailors who watched them. But he could not hit Baat, the son of Sukh. It was not so much that Baat was fast, although he was fast, it was that whatever Garibaldi did, Baat seemed to know what he was about to do.

Sharpy hit Baat a couple of times, but not hard, and Baat put his stick next to Sharpy's ear many times.

"I've spent too much time with a cutlass," Sharpy said, "I should practice with you again."

Five other sailors tried to hit Baat. One of them hit him hard on the knee, and Baat hit him back on the elbow. But none of them could hit Baat in the head, and Baat was always able to put his stick beside their ears.

After an hour, it was Sallina's turn. She had been watching Baat. She had been watching the sailors, too. Most of the time, the sailors attacked Baat's sticks. But Baat never attacked their sticks. Sometimes he blocked a blow with his sticks, but he never struck at his opponent's sticks. He always struck at their bodies.

When Sallina took the sticks, she held the sticks up and put her weight on the balls of her feet. She moved slowly around Baat. She thrust suddenly at his body with one stick, and swung at his head with the other. Baat stepped out of the way of her thrust and blocked her swing. He struck at her head, but she stepped back in time.

Sallina smiled. Baat bowed his head. He turned to the sailors who were watching. "You see. She knows. Hit man, not stick."

Even as he was finishing his sentence, Sallina jumped forwards and swung both her sticks. Baat did not see her until her stick was almost at his neck. He moved so fast that he and his sticks were a blur. And then his stick was next to her ear.

Baat smiled. His face was close to hers. Sweat dripped from his hair and down his cheeks. "You will be good stick-fighter, Sallina. Clever and quick."

Garibaldi stood nearby with his arms crossed, grinning. Sallina could not row and she could not cook, but she was clever and quick. He looked around at the other sailors. Sharpy and Jasper were still watching, and Dan was leaning against the side of the ship.

Baat said, "No. Dan not fight unless enemy turns back on him." He spoke so that his voice carried across the deck.

Sharpy and Jasper stood with their mouths open. The four men who had been washing the deck nearby stopped scrubbing. The three men who had been repairing ropes held their ropes still in their hands. The sailor who had just started climbing up the shrouds stopped climbing. Nobody spoke. Dan stared at Baat. There was a thin smile on his face.

Dan walked up to Baat and Sallina. Baat's hands held his sticks tightly. His knuckles were white. Dan was still smiling. "You fight well with a stick, boy." He held out his hands for the sticks. "But that's enough for today." After a moment, Baat gave his sticks to Dan and Sallina did the same.

Dan walked to the stairs, and went below. The sailors went back to their work. Sallina frowned at Baat. "That was rude, Baat."

The Captain appeared beside Sallina. "You know, Miss, if you come with me to the prow, I have something to show you." He walked towards the front of the ship. Sallina looked at Baat and Garibaldi. She shrugged and followed the Captain.

The Captain and Sallina stood at the prow of the ship, at the very front, and looked down into the sea. A huge fish jumped out of the water. It was gray all over, and it's tail fin was sideways. As it jumped out, a whooshing came from a hole above its head.

"It's a dolphin," the Captain said. He pointed at the water. "Look, there are three of them."

And there were. They were swimming beside the bow of the ship. Every few seconds, one of them would jump out of the water and make the same whooshing sound.

"I don't know," the Captain said. "But we sailors think they are good luck. They sometimes rescue sailors from drowning, by swimming underneath them and carrying them to shore. They are not really fish, you know. They jump out of the water so they can breath through that hole on their heads."

"No," the Captain said, "Mermaids are different. Mermaids are people with scaly tails instead of legs. Or maybe they have fins instead of feet. I don't know. I have never seen one, although I know people who swear they have seen mermaids in the Diablo Islands, and in the Thebes Delta."

Sallina stared at the dolphins. She did not want to know any more about mermaids, not right now. The dolphins were marvelous enough.

After a while, the Captain said, "Dan tells me you wanted to save the man in the hospital."

"Harry said he flogged people on the ship. He said that was how you made people obey your orders."

The Captain laughed. "Well, sometimes, but not often." He leaned on the rail and looked down into the water. "We live on a boat. It's the life we love to live. We love the sea and the wind, and our freedom. But our freedom comes from the fact that our laws are the laws of the ship, and we keep those laws ourselves."

He looked up at her. "Oh, we do, my dear. We do. Or at least, we try to. But everyone makes mistakes. I make mistakes when I hire new sailors. And even a good sailor will break the law every now and then."

"There are always forces that will tear any good thing apart," he said. "Our life on this ship is a good thing. But there are disagreements, jealousies, misunderstandings, and anger. These forces are in all of us, and they can destroy our good life if we don't control them."

Sallina thought about what the Captain had said. And she thought about the slaves in Prudence, and how she had decided that it might be okay for masters to beat their slaves, just as it was okay for her father to slap his dog. Her father had never slapped her, or her brother. He never had to. They might miss supper, or do extra chores, but he never had to slap them. They were not dogs.

She raised her head and looked at the Endeavor. The women's ship was sailing two hundred paces away from them. Its sails were spread sideways to catch the wind.

"It wasn't always that way," the Captain said. "And maybe we'll mix the crews again some day. But for now, we are trying this. There is less jealousy when we are at sea. Men and women don't fight over one another."

"No, it's about the same." The Captain took a deep breath. "Listen, my dear, flogging does not kill a man, or a woman. If the whip is handled by a master like Harry, there's no scarring either. Just pain."

The Captain shook his head and looked up at the sky. "I shall not try to convince you."

The westerly breeze blew steadily all day. When the ships had sailed well past the southern tip of Independence Island. They turned north-west, sailing as close to the wind as they could, with the coast twenty kilometers to starboard. As the sun was setting, the two ships dropped anchor in a secluded harbor on the west side of Rotunda island. Sallina, Garibaldi, and Sharpy stood together on the fore deck. The shore was a sandy beach. Leading up from the beach through a forest of tall trees was a wide, stone staircase.

"Those stairs lead up to the hot springs," Sharpy said, "It's about half an hour's walk. I doubt we'll go up there today, but first thing in the morning. And there's good hunting in these woods. Nobody lives here. There's plenty of deer and pheasant."

An hour after dark, the Captains ordered the two crews to gather on the deck of the Endeavor. By the light of lanterns hanging from the masts, Alicia told the sailors about the plan to rescue Chimeg from Prudence. Many of the sailors were angry.

"That's absurd," Jacqueline said. "They'll get caught. And even if they don't, the police will know who did it. We'll never be able to go back to Prudence again, and we love Prudence. The hotels are great. The food's great. The swimming pools are great. And there's good trading."

Alicia tried to answer Jacqueline, but the sailors were talking among themselves, and Jacqueline's voice called out again. "And you tricked us, didn't you! You tricked us when you asked us to vote about leaving. You never said anything about rescuing some girl-slave. We would never have agreed to come here!"

"Here here!" some sailors said, and, "She's right!". But others said, "Shut up Jacqueline!" and, "Calm down!"

At one point, a dozen sailors started fighting. In the dim light of the lanterns, Sallina could not figure out who was fighting whom and for what, but there were women and men in the fight, and they were pushing and slapping. Harry strode into the middle of them, along with a big strong woman with a stick in one hand. She thumped a man in the tummy with the stick. Harry pulled two women apart.

The Captain spoke to them, much as he had spoken to Dan on the night that Baat had told them about Chimeg. He said that Baat was one of them, and that Chimeg would be one of them too.

The sailors looked at Jacqueline. She folded her arms and stared at the aft deck where the Captain stood. Sallina noticed that Jasper was standing next to her.

"Harry found you in a tavern and took a fancy to you," the Captain said, "He was starry-eyed over you."

Sallina looked at Harry, where he stood in front of the sailors. His pressed his lips together but said nothing.

"And what did we do? Did we sail away and leave you behind, Jacqueline? No, we did not. Because we are soft-hearted romantics. That's what Dan calls us. And we are. And so you're here. Because we are soft-hearted romantics."

"Begging your pardon sir," Sharpy said, "But don't you think that Jacqueline just goes to show that we should not go rescuing people?"

"Thank you, Sharpy," the Captain said, "No, I do not agree with you. Yes, there have been several arguments over Jacqueline, but look how she speaks for many of you. And who was it who convinced the harbormaster of Diamantis to give us his last two spars this January?"

The Captain leaned upon the rail of the aft deck towards the sailors, and pointed at them. "It was Jacqueline! Charming Jacqueline. And who was it who swam ashore at night when we were shut out of Blackgate Harbor to tell the Sisters of the Sun where we had left their quicksilver?"

"Yes," the Captain said, "It was Jacqueline. So whatever tension her great qualities have caused among us, we are lucky to have her."

"But sir," Sharpy said, "Begging your pardon again, sir. This slave-girl is no sailor."

The sailors laughed. Jacqueline looked up and smiled. Alicia stepped forwards. "But don't get us wrong, sailors," she said, "The Captain and I are not putting this to the vote. We're not asking you for your opinion. We own these ships, and we're telling you: some of us are going to rescue that girl, whether you like it or not."

"Dan, Baat, Garibaldi, and Sallina are going to rescue the girl," Alicia said, "They will go into the city on the night of the circus. Everyone in the city will be wearing masks and pretending to be people they are not. The whole city has a masquerade party all day, even at the circus they wear their masks." She leaned on the rail of the aft deck. "They wear masks because they are ashamed of what they do." She nodded slowly. "But it will be the perfect night to steal the girl. Our party will wear their own masks."

"Nobody will know who they are," Alicia said, "And they will take a mask for the girl. Nobody will know who she is. They'll just walk right out."

Jacqueline said, "They should change masks when they leave, so they won't be recognized by their masks."

"Good idea," Alicia said, "They will do that. And I take it, from your suggestion, that you, Jacqueline, believe this rescue can succeed."

"Very well. It is the twenty-seventh of August today. The circus will be on the thirty-first. We have four days to enjoy the hot springs. If all goes well, we will set sail with the girl at first light on the first of September." She held up one hand. "Good night, and have fun."

Hot Springs

The next morning it was raining. Sallina and Garibaldi stood on the beach at the base of the stone staircase. Small waves lapped against the sand. The forest rose up to the clouds. Tendrils of mist rose from the tree branches. Sallina and Garibaldi wore oil-skin jackets and water-proof hats. Their feet were bare. Water dripped off their hats, down their jackets, and onto their toes. The water was cool and refreshing. With them on the beach were Sharpy, Natasha, and the Captain.

"What a pity," the Captain said. He held a walking stick in one hand and wore a sail-cloth pack on his back. He pointed to the stairs with the stick. "That's the way. But don't wait for me, I'll be slow."

Sharpy and Natasha began to climb the staircase. Garibaldi and Sallina followed. The stairs were made of giant blocks of gray stone. Most of the stairs had cracks, and out of the cracks plants were growing. The tops of the stones were smooth, and the rain made them slippery. Sallina stopped to look at a particularly large block. Garibaldi stopped beside her. She kneeled and ran her fingers over the edge of the step. Instead of being sharp, the edge was rounded, and it sank down towards the center.

"This step has been worn down by thousands of people walking upon it," she said.

Garibaldi knelt and touched the stone for himself. The smooth surface looked just like the stones in the church tower near his home. The church was supposed to be as old as the world.

The Captain stopped on the step below them. "I don't know who made them," he said, "but I have often wondered. They are certainly old, and there must have been a time when they saw a lot more traffic than they do these days."

The Captain looked smiled. "How old is this world, or how old is the world of men?"

Sallina and Garibaldi walked on up the stairs. The staircase turned left and right as it went up the hill. They soon left the Captain behind, and Sharpy and Natasha were out of sight ahead of them. Sallina and Garibaldi were alone in the forest. Their bare feet made no sound on the steps. The trees were a mixture of tall, straight pines with evergreen leaves high up off the ground, and wide, smooth-barked beech trees with thick leaves glistening in the rain. According to the sailors, nobody lived here, and it was bad luck to sleep the night on the island.

After a while, they caught up with Sharpy and Natasha. Sharpy was breathing hard. He had one hand on his injured leg. Natasha was walking beside him, saying nothing.

They climbed slowly with Sharpy. He stopped once to sit down. Natasha rubbed his leg. She looked up at Garibaldi and smiled. "Thank you for letting me have him back."

Sharpy rose to his feet and continued up the stairs. As they went up towards the clouds, the rain grew less heavy and stopped. Water dripped off the leaves all around them. The clouds were so close above them now that Garibaldi thought he could throw a stone straight up and see it disappear. He looked around, but he could not see a stone lying around of the right size, so he kept walking. He heard voices up ahead. Natasha put her hand on Sharpy's shoulder. "We're almost there."

The staircase went over a ridge and into a depression in the side of the hill. The bottom of the depression was hidden by a cloud of steam that smelled like rotton eggs. They followed the stairs down into the cloud. The stairs brought down, below the cloud, to a stone pavement around a pool of white water. The pavement was made of the same large, gray stones as the staircase. The pool of water was thirty paces across. The cloud of steam they had just walked through was rising off the center of the pool, where the water was hot and bubbling. A stone bench ran around the edge of the pool, knee-deep in the water. Sitting side-by-side on the bench were a dozen sailors from the Endeavor and the Reliant. A few more were swimming in the deeper water, splashing one another, and laughing.

Natasha pointed to the left. "Lets go over there. That's where the water is hottest. We can come down here to cool off later."

They walked around the pool to the far side. There they took their clothes off and hung them on the bushes at the edge of the forest. The water in the pool was hot. They had to get in slowly or else the water hurt their skin. When Sallina was sitting up to her neck, she sighed. "Oh my." She closed her eyes. "This is wonderful."

Garibaldi leaned back until the water came up to his chin. He watched the steam rising in front of him. A few raindrops landed on the pool. The bench was smooth. He wondered how many people had worn it smooth with their bottoms over the thousands of years since the bench was made.

Sallina opened her eyes. Sharpy sat with his legs stretched out in front of him. Natasha was leaning her head on his shoulders with her eyes half-closed and her hair floating around her neck.

The Captain arrived with his back pack and walking stick. "Ahoy Captain!" the sailors said.

The Captain raised his walking stick. "Ahoy me hearties!" He put the stick down and leaned upon it. He took several deep breaths and said, "A good morning to you all!"

He walked half-way around the pool, put his pack on the ground and undressed slowly. Some of the men from the Reliant blew whistles at him, but he ignored them. When he was wearing only his undershirt and underpants, he put his toe in the water and stepped down onto the bench.

The Captain sat down and put his hands on his knees under the water. "Oh, that feels lovely," he said. "Next year," he lifted one arm out of the water and held a finger in the air. "I'm going on a diet. And then I shall prance about naked for you until you are begging me to put my clothes on again."

"We look forward to that," another woman said. It was the big woman who had helped Harry break up the fight the night before.

Sallina nodded. The only reason I'm going, she thought, is because Garibaldi is going. And the only reason he's going is because his friend Baat is going. "I keep thinking," she said, "It would be easier for one person to go in and get her than all four of us."

"That's the way it is with these things," Natasha said, "Nobody wants to let a friend or a lover go off on their own. But you're right: sometimes it's better if only one person goes."

"Yes, like that," Natasha said, "And the reason we let her go on her own was because she's such a strong swimmer, anyone else going with her would just hold her back and put her in danger."

Jacqueline and Jasper arrived at the edge of the pool. They said hello to the sailors in the water, and walked around the edge in the opposite direction.

Natasha sat up and leaned over Sharpy's legs towards Sallina. "He's her fifth lover in two years. He'll end up with a broken heart just like all the others. You know, she's half the reason we split the men and women up into two boats."

Natasha looked at Jacqueline and Jasper. They were stepping over the place where the water ran out of the pool. "Well, first she dumped Harry for Ronaldo, and Harry was mighty upset about it."

Natasha held up one finger. "Hold on a second. And then, in the middle of a storm, Ronaldo was hurt on the deck of the Reliant, and the Captain ordered him below."

Sharpy frowned and held a hand in front of Natasha's eyes. "You shouldn't gossip."

Natasha pushed his hand down. "Don't be silly, dear, of course we should gossip."

Garibaldi put his chin on Sallina's shoulder so he could see Natasha's face. "Then what?"

"So," Natasha said, "Ronaldo goes below, earlier than expected, and goes to Jacqueline's hammock, because he wants her to warm him up, and what does he find?"

Sallina and Garibaldi waited with their mouths half-open. Sharpy shook his head.

"Otis is in the hammock with Jacqueline," Natasha said. She put her hand over her mouth and giggled.

Garibaldi leaned back and laughed. Now he understood what Dan had meant when he said about Otis never ceasing to amaze him.

"Ronaldo was furious. He said he was going to kill Otis, but Otis just laughed at him. Somehow all three of them started fighting. It's not clear who was fighting whom, but Harry came in and broke it up." Natasha leaned back and looked down at the water. "So then Ronaldo drew a knife and stabbed Harry."

Natasha nodded. "Stabbed him. The next day, Dan gave Ronaldo twenty lashes at the main mast. That was too much for Ronaldo. A week later, when we dropped anchor at Troka, he left the ship. We haven't seen him since."

Sallina looked at Jacqueline and Jasper. They were standing naked by the pool, trying to push one another into the water with the palms of their hands. Jasper was wiry and strong, but Jacqueline was about a hand's width taller than him, and Jasper's arm was still weak. Jacqueline's body was smooth and muscular. Her red hair hung down to her waist covering her back, but when it swung aside, Sallina saw long, white scars. She remembered what the Captain had said about Jacqueline being flogged on some navy ship.

"A few months later," Sharpy said, "the Captains decided to separate the crews of the two ships into men and women."

"Jacqueline is still with you," Sallina said, "Even though she causes so much trouble."

Natasha shook her head slowly. "We wouldn't do that. We're like a family. You don't kick people out of your family just because they behave badly."

There was a squeal and a splash. Jacqueline was in the water. She came up and flung her hair back off her face. Droplets of milky-white water flew in the air behind her, all the way across the pool and landed near the Captain. He smiled.

Jasper jumped in and landed beside her, curled up into a ball. He made a big splash. Jacqueline held up her hands to protect her face, closed her eyes, and laughed through the spray.

The next day it was hot again. The sun rose into a hazy sky and beat down upon the deck of the Reliant. Instead of climbing up to the hot springs, the sailors were off in the forest hunting, where it was cool beneath the trees, or they were playing on the beach, where the sand was hot and the water was refreshing. Sallina sat on deck with Garibaldi, Baat, and Otis, sewing masks for the night of the Circus Masquerade. The sound of a group of men and women laughing on the beach and splashing in the sea made Sallina smile. The day before, Baat had been lying in bed with a fever. Today Baat was feeling well and Dan was the one lying in bed with a fever.

Down in the hold of the ship, below the cabins and the dormitory, there were three large chests full of cloth, thread, braid, buttons, and sequins. Otis had taken the three of them down to see the chests that morning, and they had spent a happy half-hour pulling things out of the chests to use in their masks, and looking at them in the light of their lantern.

At one point, Baat pulled out a large, blue, three-cornered hat and put it on his head. He stood with his arms on his hips and said, "Argh! I Pirate One-Leg of Bad Island!"

Otis took the hat off Baat's head. He brushed the dirt off the felt and looked at it without speaking. The hat was worn at the corners. Most of its gold braid was stained and thin. There was a tear in the felt right above the head. Otis put his finger through the tear and stroked the braid. He put the hat back in the chest.

When she remembered how Otis had put the hat back in the chest, Sallina looked up from her sewing. Otis was making a mask for Dan. His tough, old hands were pushing the needle through a leather strap. The mask was made of leather. When he pushed the needle through the leather, he lifted his lower lip and his beard moved and stuck out in front of his chin.

Baat stopped sewing. He licked the end of his thumb. He had stabbed it three times with the needle so far.

"His wife gave it to him. When we lost her, he didn't want it no more. It was all worn out. He gave it to me and said, get rid of this old thing, Otis, I don't have the heart to do it myself." Otis pushed his needle through the leather. "But I kept it."

They went back to their sewing. A group of sailors cheered on the beach. Sallina stood up to see what was going on. Jasper and Sharpy were wrestling in the sand, and a dozen sailors were gathered around watching the contest. She was glad to see that the two of them were feeling well enough to wrestle. It was amazing how well they had recovered from their broken bones.

She sat down. "The Captain told me that his wife was washed overboard in a storm."

Garibaldi shook his head. He was enjoying the sewing, although he had a habit of sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth while he sewed, which Sallina found unattractive. Should she say something to him about it?

Baat's mask was like a stocking that pulled right down over his face, with holes for his eyes. He was stabbing himself with the needle trying to sew some thick gold braid around the neck. Baat frowned at Otis. "You make me do this."

Sallina laughed. Baat took a deep breath and went back to his sewing. His stitches were widely-spaced and crooked, but he was getting the job done.

Otis stared at her for a while and went back to his sewing. He held the needle between his teeth and pulled on the thread. "She looked like you, Miss."

Sallina looked towards the aft deck. The Captain was sitting in a chair, reading a book in the shade of a sail. Nearby, Alicia was lying with a cloth over her eyes, fast asleep.

Otis laughed. "Young man, if I told you yes or no, would you know what that meant? Do you know what love is? Do you know the love a man feels for his daughter? Or a sister?"

Otis smiled. "Aye, that you do. Well, no, the Captain don't love Sallina like that. And even if he did, it's you she loves, and he would know that well enough to stay clear."

Sallina wanted to ask Garibaldi how he knew about the love a man feels for his wife. She wanted him to say that it was because he felt that kind of love for her, and she was almost sure that was why he said it, but she wasn't completely sure. She was afraid that, if she asked, he would say something like, "It's the way my father loves my mother," and she would feel embarrassed, and Otis would know she was embarrassed, and probably Baat would know too. But Garibaldi wouldn't notice. He would go back to his sewing, with his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth in that unattractive way, that maybe was kind of cute, really, because the needle was so small in his strong hands, and he was trying so hard to get his stitches straight like hers.

Sallina looked up. There, standing on the little platform at the top of the Endeavor's main mast, a woman with a telescope tucked in her belt held her hands on either side of her mouth and shouted down at Alicia and the Captain. "Sail Ho!"

Sallina clenched her fist around her needle. It was the junk from Prudence, with the crew that left their sick comrade all alone in the hospital. The crew that was nothing like a family. Was the junk going to drop anchor right next to the Reliant? It would be crowded. She had just stopped feeling bad about the sick sailor. But the junk sailed around the point to the east. At first, Alicia and the Captain thought it must be on its way somewhere else. But Harry and Pops came back from hunting saying that the junk had dropped anchor in another bay nearby. Her crew was busy chopping down trees to make fires, and cutting a path through the forest.

Alicia pointed to the stairs at the top of the beach. "But there's stairs right here."

The Captain smiled. "It doesn't make any sense to me either." He stood up, put his book down, and stretched his arms. "But the Chiin never make sense to me anyway." He looked at the rocky forest that stood between them and the boat from Chiin. "Harry, go back through the forest before dark and invite the captain of the junk to supper here. This may be a good opportunity to do business."

A dozen sailors were standing nearby, listening. Sallina was among them. They said, "Aye, good thinking, Captain."

"Yes sir," Harry said, "Will you write a note in Latin, or will you count on them speaking Weilandic with me?"

Sallina had studied Latin at school. Many of the oldest books are written in Latin. If you want to read what the great men and women of the past have to say, or even what the Gods have to say, you must learn Latin or Greek. Sallina studied Greek as well, but she liked Latin better. Latin was easier to learn, because it used the same alphabet as Weilandic. Greek had its own alphabet, and you had to learn all the new letters before you could start reading.

"We're almost done," she said, "With the first set. We'll do the second set tomorrow."

The Captain fingered his chin. He had started to grow a little beard there, which he called a goatee. It looked like a goat's beard. "Oh yes," he said, "You wanted two sets so you could wear one set going in, and another going out."

The Captain looked at Alicia. Alicia shrugged. He turned back to Sallina. "That seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it seems too complicated. You can stick with one set of masks if you want to."

Sallina smiled, "Oh, good. Then we can go back to the hot springs tomorrow instead of sewing."

"In the afternoon you can," the Captain said, "But in the morning, I want you to practice with the sticks again."

Pops came up the steps to the aft deck. The Captain smiled up at him. "So, Master Chef, what's for supper?"

Silk Robes

The next afternoon, Sallina and Garibaldi sat in the hot springs. There was no cloud of steam over the pool today. The sky was clear and sunny. They were alone, and enjoying the peace and quiet. Where they sat, they were in the shade of the trees behind them. After a while, however, there was a cracking in the forest on the far side of the pool. Four men with huge knives stepped out of the trees. They had pale skin, wide faces, and narrow eyes.

"Those aren't swords," Garibaldi said, "They're machetes, used for cutting branches. My father has one."

The men with machetes cut down bushes until there was a space beneath the trees.

"They're sailors from the junk," Garibaldi said, "The ship from Chiin. This is the end of the path they were cutting through the forest."

Another man walked out of the forest. His hair was short and white, but he did not look old. He wore a plain black robe and walked with his arms crossed in front of him, his hands hidden in his sleeves. He stepped into the sunlight and stood on the pavement. There was no expression on his face. He was not smiling. He was not frowning. He stood still and stared at Sallina and Garibaldi. Sallina and Garibaldi stared back.

There was something else coming up the path now. It was made of wood, and it was being carried on two long poles by eight men. It was a carriage with windows and a door. The men who carried it wore red robes. Sallina whispered, "That box is a litter. There must be people inside."

Garibaldi nodded. The men in red robes put the litter down. Their robes shone in the sunlight.

The man with white hair opened the door of the litter. Two small, slender women emerged, dressed in white. Their black hair was bound above their heads. They walked with small steps to the edge of the pool and looked down into the milky water. They were followed by an old man in an orange robe. His hair was short and black, but his face was wrinkled. He looked at Sallina and Garibaldi and frowned. Judging by the lines on his face, he had spent most of his life frowning like that, so Sallina figured that his frowning did not mean anything unusual.

The old man took off his orange robe. From the shape of his body, Sallina guessed that he didn't get much exercise. He was not as fat as the Captain, but he had a round tummy. The Captain's legs and arms were strong and thick, but the old man's were weak and thin. He sat on the bench in the water. The two women stood on the pavement behind him. He spoke to them without looking up and they immediately took off their clothes. They were young and fair-skinned. Sallina guessed that they did not get much exercise either. They were not fat, but they did not look strong. They put their toes in the water and giggled. Once they were seated in the water, they talked to one another in a language Sallina had never heard before.

Garibaldi brought his lips close to her ears and whispered, "I don't think any of the others are going to get to go in the water."

Sallina looked past the litter to the forest. The men with machetes were sitting under the trees in the shade. They talked among themselves and drank from leather skins. One of them chewed on something that looked like a dried fish.

"Really?" she said, "But they all climbed up here, why wouldn't they get in the pool?"

The two women moved off the bench, raising their hands above their heads. There was no hair in their armpits. For a moment, Sallina wondered if they were girls, not women, but then decided they must be women.

While the old man sat in the water and the two women explored the pool, the man with white hair stood absolutely still on the pavement.

Garibaldi nodded. The man with white hair was making him feel uncomfortable. He stood up and stepped out of the pool. Sallina started to follow him, but she noticed that all the men in red robes were looking at her. She stayed sitting on the bench. Behind her, Garibaldi was wrapping a towel around his waist.

Garibaldi brought her towel and she climbed quickly out of the pool. He wrapped the towel around her.

Sallina hurried up the steps and down the other side. When they were out of sight of the pool, she stopped. She put her clothes down and started drying herself. "Was the old man some kind of prince or something?"

Garibaldi put on his shirt. "I think he was the captain of the junk, and that's how they act around their captains in Chiin. I wouldn't like to be one of their crew, that's for sure."

Sallina rubbed her hair with her towel. She could understand how the ship from Chiin could leave behind one of its sailors. She pulled up her trousers and tied them at her waist. She put her shirt on. When she was finished with her buttons, Garibaldi was smiling at her. She put her arms around him and kissed him. They were still kissing when they heard the Captain's voice on the stairs below them. "Ahoy lovebirds!"

There was the Captain, leaning on his walking stick. With him were Dan and Sharpy. Sharpy had a cutlass on his belt. The Captain had his rapier, and on his back was a bow and a quiver of arrows. Dan did not appear to have any weapons. The three men climbed up to Sallina and Garibaldi. The Captain was breathing deeply. He sat down on the step above Sallina. He took out a leather water flask and drank from it.

The Captain shook his head. "No. We're going to meet the Captain of the boat from Chiin." He looked up. "Is he at the springs yet?"

"Yes he is. And two women and a bunch of men with red silk robes who carried them up in a litter, and some men with large knives."

"Machetes," Garibaldi said, "They cleared a path under the trees from the shore with machetes."

"They think we're barbarians," the Captain said. He took another drink of water. "They think we're like children."

"I'm coming to that." He took a deep breath. "So, they think we are barbarians, but we don't agree, and our sailors tend to tease them. So their captain doesn't want to share the stairs with us. If we had not been here when he arrived, he would have used the stairs, but as it is, we're here. Also, he doesn't care how much work his sailors have to do, so he asks them to make a path through the forest and carry him and his wives up there."

"His wives?" Sallina said, "The women were young. I thought they were his daughters."

The Captain nodded. "I expect so." He wiped his brow. "Well, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they are his daughters. I'll ask him." He stood up. "Now, we're late, because I'm so slow. We have to go."

They picked up their towels and walked back up the stairs. When they reached the highest point, they sat down. The Captain, Sharpy, and Dan were stepping out onto the pavement beside the pool. The man with white hair crouched and drew a blade from within his sleeve. Sallina gasped. The man with white hair did not move, but he was staring at Dan.

The man with white hair spoke. Four men in red moved up beside him. The other four stood close to the litter. The two women held on to one another and whispered. The old man climbed out of the water. He held his arms out to his sides and one of the men in red wrapped his orange robe around him.

The old man spoke to the captain. His voice was too quiet to for Sallina to hear, fifty paces away, but she guessed that the old man was speaking Latin. The old man and the Captain looked at Dan. Dan crossed his arms. The Captain spoke. Dan nodded, walked to the edge of the pavement, and sat down on a rock.

One of the men in red reached inside the litter and took out two stools. The old man and the Captain sat on the stools and began to talk. After ten minutes, Sallina said, "Okay, I'm getting bitten by mosquitoes, and I don't think anything exciting is going to happen here."

They brushed the dirt off their trousers, and set off down the steps. Sallina took Garibaldi's hand. After a while, Sallina said, "That man with the white hair knew Dan."

Garibaldi nodded. That seemed about right to him. "He knew Dan," Garibaldi said, "And he thought Dan could hurt the old man. So he drew his shortsword."

"The Captain hasn't told us much about Dan," Sallina said, "And Dan doesn't answer questions." She looked at Garibaldi. "Why is that?"

Sallina watched the smooth, old steps in front of her. "Dan has something to hide. For some reason, nobody will tell us what his secret is. Not even the women from the Endeavor will say much about Dan when I ask them."

"Well," Garibaldi said, "She often says things the other sailors won't say, even though they want to. Jasper invited us to eat supper on the beach with him and Jacqueline tonight. So we could do that, and ask her questions."

Sallina raised Garibaldi's hand to her lips and kissed it. "Good thinking, woodcutter."

Supper on the Sand

That evening was clear and warm. Garibaldi, Sallina, Jacqueline and Jasper went ashore together. Sallina carried a basket, Garibaldi carried his axe, and Jasper carried a blanket. Jacqueline carried two fishing poles and a cooking pot. They walked through the forest to a beach, where knee-high waves splashed upon the sand. The sun was setting in front of them. A stream flowed across the sand and into the sea. Sallina looked around and smiled. "It's lovely. And we have it all to ourselves."

Jasper spread the blanket on the sand. Jacqueline took flour, lard, and eggs out of the basket and put them next to the pot. "Sallina and I will do the fishing. You men get wood from the forest and make a fire. When you have a good bed of coals, put the pot on the fire and put the lard in the pot."

Jacqueline gave Sallina one of the fishing poles and carried the basket down to the water. She rolled her trousers up to her knees. Sallina did the same. Jacqueline squatted down and pointed the wet sand near her feet. "Look."

Sallina crouched beside her. Where the waves slipped back into the sea, little gray creatures were hopping and skipping. Jacqueline caught one in her fingers. It was a tiny shrimp, no longer than Jacqueline's finger-nail. After a couple of tries, Sallina caught one too.

Jacqueline held her shrimp in one hand. "We call them sand fleas." She pointed to the waves. "Out there, a few steps into the water, are hundreds of little fish that want to eat them. So we'll use them as bait." Each fishing pole had a silk thread tied to it, the length of the pole, with a tiny hook on the end. She took her fishing hook in the fingers and stuck the tip of the hook right through the sand flea's body. "Like that."

She took a step farther into the water, so that the water washed around her shins, and swung the sand flea on the end of her fishing line. It landed just past where the waves were breaking. There was a piece of cork on her line, a little way up from the hook. The cork floated on the water while the hook sunk down.

The float darted straight down into the water. Jacqueline pulled on the pole and the hook came flying out and swung in the air. The sand flea was gone.

Sallina put a sand flea on her hook and swung it out into the waves. She waited. Jacqueline pulled a shiny sliver fish out of the water. It was as long as her hand. "A big one!"

She took the fish off the hook and threw it into the basket. It flapped around, but it could not get out.

Jacqueline laughed. "No. Don't knock it on the head. The least painful way for them to die is by breathing air."

Sallina watched the fish. It stopped flapping and lay in the basket with its gills moving in and out. Something was tugging on the end of her fishing pole. She lifted it up, and there, on the end of the line, was a fish. "I got one!"

Her fish was only as long as her finger, and it was transparent, so that she could see its heart and its stomach inside its body. "Can we eat this one?"

Sallina grabbed the fish, slipped the hook out of its mouth, and dropped it in the basket.

"Yes," Sallina said. She caught another sand flea and put it on her hook. She stood thinking for a while. She swung the sand flea out onto the water.

"When we had that rowing race, you looked pretty upset when the Reliant beat you."

Jacqueline pulled her line out of the water. "Otis was teasing us the whole day. They made us think we could win, and we were all excited. Do you know how much we trained for that race?" She looked at Sallina. "No, you don't. We have never beaten them, so we trained and trained in the month before we met in Prudence. And then we had to pull the boats. We were ahead all day. But in the end, the men caught up with us. Otis knew they could beat us all along, and he knew he had fooled us the whole day. I could tell, because he was looking so pleased with himself at the end."

"Oh, I like him well enough," Jacqueline said, "But he's gotten me into trouble a few times."

Jacqueline put a new sand flew on her hook and swung it out onto the water. "So. You've heard about me and Otis and Ronaldo, have you?"

"I found Otis lying in his hammock crying," Jacqueline said. "His wife had died a year earlier. I tried to comfort him. He told me that his wife had hair like mine when she was young: long and red." She pulled a fish out of the water, unhooked it, and tossed it into the basket. After that, she planted the end of her fishing pole in the sand and leaned on it, looking at Sallina.

"Anyway, I ended up getting into his hammock to give him a hug. And that's when Ronaldo came down and saw us. The damned fool wouldn't listen to me, and Otis was just laughing at him. Ronaldo tried to punch Otis, but I held him back, and…" She turned and faced the sea. "I don't know why I bother telling people what happened. Everybody would rather believe I was two-timing Ronaldo with an old man. It makes for a better story."

Garibaldi and Jasper dragged a log out of the forest to protect their fire from the wind. They set fire to some grass and twigs with sparks they made with Jasper's flint and steel. They built up a fire of dry sticks. Soon it was blazing brightly.

Garibaldi looked up at the two women standing twenty paces away in the waves. "How old is Jacqueline?"

"I am. Yes, I am." He stood up and watched Jacqueline. "It's nice to hear someone saying they are glad for me. Most of the crew think I'm a fool, and she'll break my heart soon enough." He rubbed his left arm, the one that had been broken in the storm. "But I don't care. I don't care if she breaks my heart. It's worth it."

As the sun went down, the fish seemed to get more hungry. Or perhaps it was that Sallina and Jacqueline were getting better at catching them. When Jasper called out, "Oil's hot!", Jacqueline had caught thirty-eight fish, and Sallina had caught twenty-one.

The pot of lard was sitting on the embers of the fire. Sallina knew it must be hot, because she could smell it when she knelt beside it. Jacqueline dipped four fish in a mixture of flour, egg, and water. She dropped the fish into the lard. They hissed and bubbled. After a little while, she took them out with a spoon. They were covered with golden-brown batter. She picked up one of the fish by its tail, blew on it a few times, and put the whole thing in her mouth. She chewed slowly and swallowed. She held the spoon out towards Sallina. "Have one."

Sallina had never eaten whole fish before. What about the bones? What about their heads? What about their stomachs and intestines? But she did not want to say no. She picked up one of the fish, blew on it, and bit a piece off. It was crispy and soft, and tasted like fish, but not too oily. "Delicious," she said.

They fried the fish four at a time, and ate them all, sitting on the blanket together beside the fire, watching the sun go down. There were two fish left in the end. Jacqueline and Jasper shared one, and Garibaldi and Sallina shared the other.

Jacqueline stood up and stretched her arms. "I told Sallina my side of the Otis and Ronaldo story."

Sallina looked at Garibaldi. "She was hugging Otis because Otis was crying about his wife, who died a year before."

"So?" Jacqueline said. She turned around, stuck her butt out, and smacked it with one hand. "Who wouldn't?"

They had apples and chocolates for dessert. Sallina dropped her chocolate in the sand. Jacqueline gave Sallina her own chocolate, and washed the sandy one off in the stream so that she could eat it. When she sat down again, she said, "Baat's feeling better?"

"Dan had it too," Sallina said, "But he was fine the next day. We met him walking up the stairs to the hot springs today, and he didn't seen to be out of breath."

Sallina held on tight to what remained of her apple. "Speaking of Dan," she said. But could not think what to say next.

Jacqueline looked out across the sea. The sun was near the horizon, and its light was reflecting brightly off the water. "A little bit, I suppose."

Sallina shook her head. Her heart was beating fast. She had not yet taken another bite of her apple.

"Yes." Jacqueline picked up a stick and placed it on the fire. "For thirty years he was an assassin. Every king, prince, and duke, was afraid of him. And every gang-leader, criminal, and trouble-maker too. You never knew when he would come for you, and if he did, he was sure to get you. Nothing could stop him, not guards, not spells, not secret hiding places."

Sallina noticed that Jasper was staring at Jacqueline with wide eyes. Did he know all this, or was it new to him?

"He was known as The Ghost," Jacqueline said, "If the price was right, he'd kill anyone, good, bad, well-loved, or hated. But nobody ever caught him."

Jacqueline leaned forward. "Would you try to arrest him? He hardly ever leaves the ship, have you noticed that?"

Sallina thought for a moment. Dan left the ship in Kublaminsk. She did not recall him going into Prudence, but they did visit the hospital together.

"And even if you did have the courage to arrest him," Jacqueline said, "Arrest him on what charge? Nobody ever caught him. As Garibaldi says, they have no proof it was him. And even if you did have proof, what about his friends? What about people like Baat's father?"

Sallina remembered how rude Baat had been to Dan the first time they practiced fighting with sticks. Garibaldi was probably right.

"Dan does the Captain's dirty work," Jacqueline said. She held the palm of one hand out, and pointed to it with her other finger. "Suppose the Captain has a problem. Someone is trying to stop one of his deals going through. Some town official is refusing to give him a permit for something, or maybe the Captain wants to get out of some deal he's made. What does he do? He tells Dan about it, and Dan takes care of it."

"Maybe. Or maybe just paying them a visit in their house late at night and terrifying them. Imagine if The Ghost showed up in your bedroom in the middle of the night and told you you'd better do something. Would you do it?"

"No!" Jasper said, "That's not true. Dan never does anything like that. The Captain wouldn't let him."

"You think so?" Jacqueline said. "What if the Captain doesn't know about it? That's the way it works, you know. The Captain tells Dan he has a problem. Maybe they talk over dinner with Harry. Poor Harry, he doesn't have a clue, bless him. So the Captain says to Dan, Oh yes, so-and-so is being a pain in my butt. And Dan goes off into town that night, comes back the next morning, says nothing to the Captain, but sure enough, the next day, whoever was being a pain in his butt is no longer being a pain in the butt. Instead, whoever it is is all smiles and whatever you want, captain."

"What!" Jacqueline said, and she turned to Jasper with a scowl on her face. "Why won't you people see things for how they are? Dan is an assassin. Isn't he?"

"You know what an assassin does? He kills people for money. Not to protect himself, or his family, but to earn money. That's evil, isn't it?"

"If your captain is such a good guy," Jacqueline said, "Why does he have an assassin on the boat?"

Sallina looked out across the sea. Far off in the distance the last rays of the sun shone between two towers of cloud. The clouds glowed pink. It was going to rain tomorrow. And tomorrow was the day of the circus.

The Beach

The next morning it was raining hard. Sallina and Garibaldi had breakfast with the Captain. Dan and Harry joined them in the Captain's cabin. Pops brought them a platter of bacon, scrambled eggs, and freshly-baked bread. There were plums, honey, and yoghurt too. Breakfast in the Captain's cabin was not supposed to be any different from the breakfast the sailors ate in the dormitory. But the Captain spent his own money on things like the honey and plums, and Pops took care of the Captain's food for him. So the fact was that breakfast in the Captain's cabin was always a little better than breakfast in the dormitory. That morning, for example, the sailors in the dormitory had no plums.

The food did nothing to cheer up Sallina. She sat close to Garibaldi on the port-side bench, but not even the warmth of his body next to her could stop her from feeling cold. And there, on the other side of the table, was Dan, the man whom Jacqueline said was an assassin. A man who had killed people for money.

The Captain smiled. He swallowed his mouthful of scrambled eggs and pointed to the coffee pot with his fork. "Compliments of Jayhan, the Captain of the Chiin Junk. Said he had another two hundred kilos of it on his ship, and he wanted to sell them."

Garibaldi tasted the coffee. It was bitter. He had never liked coffee much. His mother loved it, but it was expensive. He and his father drank tea. "What would you do with it?" he said to Dan.

Dan leaned towards Garibaldi with a smile on his face. "I'd drink it, boy, what do you think I'd do with it, shove it up my—"

"No," Dan said, "Normally, Harry and I have our own cabin, and we make our own coffee in the morning. As soon as the Captain and you have your business straightened out, we expect to get our cabin back, and then I'll be brewing coffee in the morning."

Harry poured himself some coffee. "No, we get boiling water from Pops," he said, "And we pour it slowly over the coffee. That's the way we like it."

"You'll get your cabin back soon enough, gentlemen," the Captain said. "Let's not make our guests feel unwelcome. We owe them for their generosity." He raised his coffee cup. "Thank you, Garibaldi, for the loan. I'm ashamed to have to borrow money from a young man, but I'll have none say that I'm not grateful."

"Now, Sallina," the Captain said, "I mentioned your furs to Jayhan. He was interested in buying them."

"I do, I do," the Captain said, "But he was not interested in buying a large quantity, and he was most interested in the mink. Now you have the finest mink furs, the ones you have from Sukh. So I said we had some that were truly the best."

"Thank you," Sallina said, "But I'm not sure I would want to trade with someone like him."

"He doesn't care about his sailors. He has two girls for wives who I'm sure don't love him. Or maybe they are slaves. He left one of his sailors to die in Prudence Town," She looked down at her plate. The Captain started to say something, but Sallina interrupted him. "And you said that they think of us as barbarians. I don't want to deal with someone who thinks we're barbarians."

Sallina looked up. She shivered. Why wasn't anyone else feeling cold? Garibaldi was right, they did need the money.

The Captain smiled. "A good trader does business only with people she trusts. So, if you don't trust him, don't do business with him. Good for you. Trust your instincts. They have led you well enough so far."

Sallina looked across the table at the Captain. Behind him the cabin windows were closed. Rain dripped down them on the outside. She heard a low roll of thunder. "Why do you trade with them, then?"

"I don't mind if people think I'm a barbarian. Jayhan thinks I'm a bit simple in the head." The Captain nodded at Dan. "He think's I'm a devil for having this old crusader on my boat. But he doesn't know what a fine surgeon Dan is. The only thing that matters to me when I'm trading is whether or not the man I'm dealing with is a man of honor. If he's a man of honor, then the more foolish he thinks I am, the better."

"That's right," the Captain said. "Suppose Jayhan thinks I'm a fool. He agrees to sell me a hundred kilos of this same coffee we're drinking, the best coffee he has, for a certain price. A cheap price. He thinks I can't tell the difference between the best coffee, like the one we're drinking, and the second-best coffee. So he thinks he can give me a hundred kilos of second-best without me ever noticing. But I do notice after all, and I make him give me the best stuff instead, and I get it for cheap. You see?"

Sallina nodded. She didn't know what to say about that. It all seemed rather unpleasant. But she could not quite see what was wrong with what the Captain was doing.

There was a flash of light outside, and soon after, a deafening crack of thunder. Rain hammered on the deck so loudly that Sallina could not believe it was rain. It sounded like rocks.

The Captain looked up at the ceiling. "Blast it," he said. "We just re-painted the aft deck, and now it's hailing before the paint's even had a chance to dry."

"How can they hold the circus in the rain?" Garibaldi said. He had to shout to be heard above the noise of the hail.

"Well, I don't know," the Captain said. He had no trouble shouting. Sallina remembered him shouting during the storm that broke the mast. "That's why I invited you to breakfast. I'm not sure what we should do. If they delay the circus until tomorrow, you'll look pretty foolish entering the city tonight wearing masks."

Dan swallowed a mouthful of food, took a drink of coffee, and cleared his throat. "It's been twenty years." He put his coffee cup down. "And I didn't pay much attention to the stadium, seeing as how I was situated at the time, sir. I had other things to worry about. But I'd say they don't have no rain cover, and I'll bet they don't start up with it until—"

They ate the rest of the eggs and bacon without talking. The hail slowed down and turned to rain. When the sound of the rain was not so loud as to make her shout, Sallina said, "What are we going to do, then?"

"I think we should see how the weather goes today," the Captain said. "Jayhan took his junk to Faith Town yesterday, after our meeting. He wanted to go to the circus."

Sallina looked out the windows. It would be a dreadful morning to go along the road to Prudence. She imagined the eight men in red robes carrying the litter with Jayhan in it, and maybe the two women also. She doubted Jayhan would care at all if the men carrying him were cold. She shivered. She hoped very much that it was not raining when they walked that same road themselves.

"The Endeavor will follow the junk to Faith Town this afternoon," the Captain said to Sallina, "Alicia will meet with Jayhan when he gets back, tomorrow or the next day."

The Captain tore a piece of bread off a loaf and spread some honey on it. "We'll stay here. If the weather clears up enough for us to land you on the beach tonight, we'll put you down. You can walk into the city and see what's going on. If you can get the girl, that's great. We'll come to pick you up an hour before dawn on the same beach. If you're not there waiting for us an hour before dawn, or if the sea is too rough for us to come in and get you, we'll come back at midnight."

"I'm not bringing a boat to the beach in daylight. We'd be seen. We have to pick you up at night."

"You'll find somewhere to hide," the Captain said. "Dan is very good at hiding, aren't you Dan?"

"I'm sure you'll manage. We'll stand off the beach all night. If we can't pick you up, I'll bring the Reliant back to Rotunda." He pointed down at the floor when he said Rotunda. "Our story will be that we were here all day, and it will be true. I don't like lying unless I have to."

The Captain laughed and held up his hand. "Enough of your ethics! I'm a fat captain of a merchant ship. I'm no saint. I'm not up to your standards." He pointed to the food that was left on the table. "Let's just enjoy our breakfast."

"Aye," Dan said. He raised his coffee cup. "We're none of us saints, Miss." He winked at her. Sallina frowned. She folded her arms across her chest and shivered.

When breakfast was over, Sallina and Garibaldi went back to their room. Sallina lay in bed under the blankets. Garibaldi lay down beside her to help warm her up. "Baat should have been there this morning," she said, "We were talking about the rescue. Why didn't the Captain invite him?"

"I'm not sure. But he asked if Dan would be eating at the same table, and when Harry said yes, he would be, Baat said he would eat with the rest of the sailors."

Sallina stared at the bottom of the bunk above them. "So Baat really does hate Dan."

A roll of thunder reached their ears. So far as Garibaldi could tell, the thunder was to the east of them now, over Independence Island, perhaps right over Prudence City itself. The storm would be pouring rain upon the stadium and the circus, if the circus was going on at all.

"It must be hard for Baat to have to go with Dan to rescue Chimeg," Sallina said.

"I always liked him too. But now I'm not so sure, after hearing what Jacqueline had to say, and knowing how Baat feels about him."

Garibaldi pressed his cheek against hers. "You feel hot. You're getting sick. Perhaps you should stay behind tonight, especially if it's cold."

Garibaldi raised one eyebrow, but Sallina could not see his eyebrows. She buried her face in his neck, and wrapped her leg around his waist. He was warm and strong, and he smelled good.

At mid-morning, Sallina and Garibaldi were still lying in bed. Sallina did not want to get up because she was finally warm, lying next to Garibaldi. Garibaldi did not want to get up because he was asleep. The rain had stopped, but there was a cold wind blowing, and no fire place or stove in the cabin to keep it warm.

There was a knock on the door. Sallina raised her head. "Who is it?" Garibaldi opened his eyes and closed them again.

Sallina crawled over Garibaldi and out of the bed. She opened the door. There was Jacqueline, dressed from head to foot in oiled canvass, with a black shiny hat on her head.

Jacqueline smiled. "Thank you." She reached up and touched the hat's rim. "It's made of rubber. Never lets the water through."

"You don't look well," Jacqueline said. She reached out with one hand and touched Sallina's forehead. "You have a—"

Sallina moved Jacqueline's hand from her forehead and held her fingers to her lips.

Jacqueline stepped close to her. "Well, that's up to you. Good luck. Keep your wits about you. There's something crazy about this plan. There's no reason for you and Garibaldi to go. Dan should be doing it on his own with Baat. I'm not sure what the Captain is thinking, or what Dan is thinking."

"I don't know." Jacqueline was whispering in Sallina's ear. "Maybe Dan has some other job to do in Prudence. Maybe he's going to use you in that job, without you knowing about it. Just keep a look out. If he asks you to do something strange, don't do it unless he explains it to you. I don't want you to end up being part of one of his…"

A whistle blew a long, high call somewhere outside the ship. Jacqueline stood up straight. "I have to go." She hugged Sallina and kissed her on the cheek.

Sallina kept her arms crossed, because she was cold, but she kissed Jacqueline's cheek and said, "Thanks for coming, Jacqueline. I'll see you soon."

Jacqueline turned, went quickly down the passage, and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, her bare feet thumping on the boards. Sallina wished Jacqueline was coming with them.

An hour before dark, Baat, Sallina, and Garibaldi stood on the Reliant's aft deck, leaning on the rail, holding their hats on their heads, and watching the coast of Independence Island going by. Clouds filled the sky and moved swiftly in the direction of the shore. There was no rain, but the air was damp and chilly.

They were sailing west, with the wind blowing from the south-west, and tilting the ship over to starboard. The wind was blowing hard most of the time, but every now and then it would stop and blow in another direction. When the wind changed like that, the sails of the ship snapped one way, then another. The masts and spars creaked and groaned. Ropes tightened and hummed.

Harry was at the wheel. The Captain was standing next to him. He shouted orders, and the sailors shouted his orders back at him. "Trim the fore stay-sail!"

As the bow of the ship met the top of each wave, water flew high in the air. It splashed on the fore deck and flowed off to starboard, running out through holes in the ship's rail.

They rounded a rocky point, and beyond it was a wide, south-facing beach with cliffs above it. "There it is!" the Captain said. "There's a staircase up the cliffs about half-way along the beach. The sea's rough, and it will be tricky in the dark, but I think we can get you there with the rowboat." The Reliant was only a five hundred paces from the shore. They could see and hear the waves crashing on the sand. "Prepare to tack to port!"

Garibaldi looked up at the sails and across the deck. The sailors were loosening the ropes that held the sails sideways across the ship.

"We'll make like we're heading back to Rotunda," the Captain said, "But we'll hide behind Mask Island until dark." He pointed across the water, where there was a small island just visible beneath the gray clouds to the south-west.

Harry spun the ship's wheel counter-clockwise. "Aye, aye, Captain! Ninety degrees to port!"

Some sailors let ropes loose, and others pulled them tight. The sails turned even as the ship turned. For a moment, the wind blew right down the deck from front to back. The sails caught the wind once more and filled out, straining on their spars and making the masts creek. Garibaldi smiled. He loved being a woodcutter, but he began to think that he would love being a sailor too. Woodcutters worked alone, but sailors worked together, and the result was a huge ship turning across the wind, with all the sails moving into place at the same time. And he liked the shouting too: he would love to try shouting all those things that the sailors shouted.

"It's going to be a black night, Captain," Harry said. "And the beach is not so long that we mightn't strike them rocks in the dark."

"It's long enough, Harry," the Captain said. "I'll bring her in myself. We'll stop four hundred meters short of the beach."

The Reliant sailed around to the south side of Mask Island, and stopped, where she was hidden from Faith Town. As the light of day faded, the Captain ordered the ship to make sail again. By the time they neared the shore, it was absolutely dark beneath the clouds. The only light was a lantern on the aft deck. The wind was blowing from behind the boat, pushing them towards the shore. The ship had only one sail up, and moved forwards slowly.

Sharpy and Jasper were at the back of the ship. "Aye, aye, Captain! Toss the plank."

Sharpy threw a plank of wood with a rope on it over the back of the ship. The plank pulled the rope through Sharpy's hands as the ship moved through the water. The rope had knots every arm-length or so. Jasper watched sand falling through a minute-glass in the light of the lantern. Sharpy counted how many knots went through his hands.

By now, Sallina could hear the waves herself. But she could not tell if it was the sound of waves on rocks or waves on sand. She trusted that the sailors knew the difference.

The anchor splashed into the water. Soon after, the ship slowed down at the front, and began to turn. It turned until it was facing backwards, held in place by the anchor and facing into the wind.

"Put the rowboat in the water! Harry, four men to row the boat! Dan, Garibaldi, Sallina, Baat, prepare to embark!"

A little while later, Sallina was sitting in the back of the rowboat next to Dan. Garibaldi, Baat, and four sailors were rowing towards the waves crashing upon the beach. Dan was calling the strokes. All Sallina could see behind them was the lantern shining on the aft deck. She huddled forward to stay warm. Beneath her oilskin jacket and trousers, she wore two sweaters and another pair of trousers. On her feet were a new pair of boots. On her back was a pack with a bottle of water, some cheese, beef jerky, a loaf of bread, and some chocolate. Strapped to the side of her pack were two bamboo sticks. Also in her pack was her mask: red with gold thread, and ears like a rabbit's. It covered her face down to her mouth, and had holes for her eyes and nose.

Water splashed onto her lap. She sat up and the water rolled off her oilskin trousers and into the bottom of the boat. She could feel the water rolling off, but she could not see it. There was no light to see by. The rowers were rowing by feel and hearing alone.

"Stroke! And again!" Dan said. The waves was getting louder. "Once more! Raise oars!"

A wave caught the rowboat, tipped it to one side, turned it sideways, and pushed it up onto the beach.

Sallina grabbed the edge of the boat, stood up, and put her leg over the side. She had one foot in the boat, and another on the sand, when something struck her on the head.

She saw white light. After that, she was so angry, she wanted to shout at someone. She took a deep breath and finished getting out of the boat. When she stood in the shallow water, she said, "Watch it with those oars!"

Sallina rubbed the back of her head. "I'm okay." She didn't feel okay. She might even be bleeding. She walked up the beach with her hands held out in front of her. When she was well above the crashing waves, she turned to face the sea. She could still see the spot of light that was the Reliant's lantern.

"Sallina, Baat, and Garibaldi," Dan said, "Up the beach. Don't go far. I'll be with you soon as we get this boat out again."

Garibaldi and Baat must have walked up the beach also, but Sallina could not see them. "Where are you?"

"I'm here," Garibaldi said. A moment later, he was standing beside her. "Right here."

A great wave crashed upon the shore. "This is it!" Dan said. The wave washed up almost to Sallina's feet.

The boat must be out there, beyond the waves. What about Dan? She listened, but she could not hear him. Was that his voice calling the strokes in the rowboat? She could not be sure. Had he got back in the boat and left the three of them alone on the beach?

"Damnation!" Dan said. He was coming up the beach in the darkness in front of them. "Wet to the skin!" A moment later, a spot of white light appeared. It shone upon Sallina and Garibaldi's feet, then upon Baat's. Dan was holding some kind of lantern. The lantern made a narrow beam of light, and he was pointing it at the things he wanted to see.

"I've got this here light," Dan said. "Follow me up the beach. First thing is to find the stairs. Where did you get hit, Miss?"

Dan walked over to her, the circle of light going before him. When he came near, he shone the light on Sallina's chest. She could see him now. He was holding a tube in one hand and the light was coming from the tube. Sallina guessed that the tube had a luminous stone inside, like the ones Nerboculus was selling, only smaller.

She turned around. Dan shone the light on the back of her head. She took off her hat and lifted up her hair. She pointed with her finger. "Right there."

Dan held her forehead with one hand and rubbed the lump on her head with his fingers. "Do you feel dizzy?"

The Road to Prudence

Garibaldi, Sallina, and Baat had followed Dan along the base of the cliff. He shone his light ahead of him on the sand. Apart from Dan's light, there was no light at all. The night sky was black. Sallina could not even see the clouds. A chilly wind blew up the beach.

Hidden between the large boulder and the bottom of the cliff, was a narrow staircase. The steps were cut into the black rock of the cliff. Dan began to climb them. He held his light in one hand, pointing backwards, so that it shone upon the path behind him. He himself felt the ground ahead with a bamboo stick.

Sallina, Garibaldi, and Baat followed Dan, one after another. On their left was the wall of black rock. On their right, was the drop down to the beach. Dan climbed slowly. He took one small step every second. When Sallina came too close, he said, "Stay back from me, Miss."

The wind blew harder as they went up the stairs. It pushed Garibaldi backwards, then forwards, and sometimes tried to suck him away from the cliff. Garibaldi could not see how high above the beach they were, but he could hear the waves crashing below him. Earlier that day, when he had watched the cliff from the deck of the Reliant, he guessed it was twice as high as the Reliant's main mast. He was sure he would die if he fell off the stairs. He leaned upon the cliff with his left hand as he took each step.

In places, Dan's light made the stairs glisten, and in these places, the steps were slippery and wet. In one place, Garibaldi stumbled. He thought he was going to fall off the cliff, but he did not. He landed upon his knees. He crouched on the ground. His arms and legs felt stiff, and his heart was beating fast.

Garibaldi shook his head and stood up. He remembered that it was too dark for Baat to see him shaking his head.

Dan was ten steps ahead of them and there was hardly any light on the steps for them to see. Baat went forwards, and Garibaldi followed. He felt for each step with the tip of his boot before he put his foot on it. He held onto the jagged rock of the cliff with his left hand.

Sallina had more light to see by than Garibaldi. She was behind Dan. The back of her head was aching, but she did not feel cold any more. The climbing was making her warm. Watching Dan in front of her, she could tell that his clothes were wet. She could hear the water squishing in his boots, and see it dripping from inside his oilskins. She thought he must be very cold and uncomfortable, with his wet clothes rubbing against him as he climbed.

"Don't think about me, Miss," Dan said, "Just make sure you stay on the stairs."

There was grass at the top of the cliff, and the wind was blowing hard from the sea. Dan stood on the grass waiting for them, pointing his light at the last of the steps.

Garibaldi was warm and breathing deeply. He felt good. He was glad he was not on the steps anymore. He felt awake, and ready for anything, so long as it was not climbing stairs along a cliff in the dark.

Sallina said, "And when we come to another path turning left, which will be north. We take that path. It will lead us to the road to Prudence."

They followed Dan along a muddy path that lead along the top of the cliff. The sea was on their right. Every now and then, they heard waves crashing on the shore below, but most of the time all they heard was the wind blowing around their heads and whistling over the top of the cliff.

Dan stopped. Sallina kneeled down and tightened the laces on her boots. Dan shone the light at her feet. The heel of her left foot was rubbing against the back of her boot, and one of her right toes was getting sore

Maybe I'll get a few blisters, Sallina thought, from the new boots. But blisters will get better, and they won't stop me walking.

"Does anyone live out here?" Garibaldi said. He had to speak loudly so Dan would hear him over the sound of the wind.

"Is it forest or fields?" Sallina said. She looked into the darkness to the left of the path, but she could see nothing. There were no shadows of trees, and no lights from houses.

Sallina heard Garibaldi grunt behind her. She and Baat stopped and looked back. Garibaldi had tripped over some kind a rock in the path. Dan shone his light upon down the path. Garibaldi was standing up with his hands covered with mud.

Garibaldi wiped his forehead with his hand, which left a big mud smear above his eyes. "Yes, I fall again." He wiped his hands on his trousers. "I'm fine. Keep going."

Sallina reached up and wiped the mud from Garibaldi's face and kissed his cheek.

Sallina bumped her toes against rocks and felt her boots become entangled in thorny vines. She was glad she was wearing them. They protected her feet. But when the path went down towards a little creek, she squealed and slipped down the bank. Dan caught her when she reached the bottom. She felt his hand on her back. He caught her and pushed her up again. She felt like she was on the swing in her garden at home. When he took his hand away, she stood on the wet stones of the creek beside him.

"If you can manage it, Miss," Dan said, his voice coming from the darkness, and his light shining on the stones, "Don't be squeaking like a mouse, or making any other noises like that. I don't want anyone knowing we're on the path."

After another few hundred paces along the path, Sallina began to wonder if Dan had missed the turning they were supposed to be looking for. She remembered when Garibaldi had missed the turning in the forest when they were riding to Godiva.

Another muddy path led off to the left. They turned onto it and walked away from the sea. The wind grew less strong. Now they could hear their boots sucking and scratching in the mud and rocks of the path. Up ahead of them, Dan's light moved back and forth.

Sallina felt cold again. Her left sock had slipped down into her boot. She wanted to stop and pull it up, but she did not want Dan to shake his head at her again. Dan did not want them to speak, but he was shining a light on the path. Why was that? Surely anyone nearby would see the light and know that someone was on the path? Sallina thought about asking him, but she decided not to. He was in a bad mood, she was sure of it, and he would not want to answer.

It started raining. The rain trickled off her hat, down her jacket, and onto her oilskin trousers. It made pools in the mud. Her body and legs were dry, but the water seeped through her boots and into her socks. At first she was glad, because the cool water made her toe feel better. But after a while the wet sock started rubbing all her toes at once.

Dan turned around and shone his light upon her feet. "You mean your new boots are causing you problems."

"Whatever the problem is, it's going to keep happening. Take care of it. I don't want you limping if we have to run."

Sallina pushed her fingers into her boots and pulled up her socks. "I'll be fine."

Farther along the path, they walked right between a farm house and a barn. Dan shone his light on each building. After the house, the path turned into a lane made of stones pressed close together in the mud. The stones were easier to walk along, because they stood out of the mud and water. Now that her boots were no longer getting stuck in the mud, Sallina's feet hurt less.

The lane came to an open place, and they saw lights twinkling far away to their left. Dan stopped and took a drink of water from his canteen. Sallina was not thirsty, but she drank from her canteen anyway. Sallina thought it was strange that they were drinking from their canteens when water was falling from the sky, and dripping from their clothes.

"No," Dan said. "It's Faith Town. The Endurance is there. We're looking west across Faith Bay."

Sallina looked east. She saw flashes of light on the undersides of the clouds far away.

"Look," she said. "Look at the sky over there. It's like lightening, but there's no thunder."

"Yes," Dan said. "They did it even though it was raining." He laughed. "It must have been messy work in the arena." Sallina wondered why he laughed. Why was it funny that men were fighting to death in mud?

The wind started blowing harder, and the clouds dropped lower. They could not see the flashes any more.

There lane grew wider. They passed houses and barns. After a while, they saw a light ahead of them. It was a lantern hanging from a pole. Dan walked up to the pole and stood in the light of the lantern. There were houses and shops pressed close together on either side of the lane. Their doors were shut. The windows were closed with wooden shutters. A sign hanging from one building said, "The Nail and Hammer". Sallina thought that sounded like the name of a tavern. But the tavern was closed.

Dan continued along the lane. At the edge of the lantern light, the lane crossed a large road. Dan walked into the middle of the road and stopped. He looked up and down. The surface of the road was made of mud and small, sharp, stones. It was wide enough for two carts to pass one another.

They started walking. Soon they left the light of the lantern behind them. They walked side by side with Dan's light shining in front. It stopped raining. There were breaks in the clouds above them.

The light disappeared and it was dark. After a few seconds, Sallina could see. There was starlight shining down through the breaks in the clouds, and the light of the stars was enough from them to see the road. Because the road was flat, they could walk without worrying about tripping over things. Sallina looked for shadows on the road, but there were none. She looked behind her for her own shadow, but there was none. It had been a long time since she had been for a walk in starlight with no moon. She looked up at the sky. It made sense that there were no shadows. The stars were little lights all over the sky. They were shining from every direction. But she was surprised that she had never before noticed that there were no shadows in starlight.

When the lights were a hundred steps away, Dan said, "Let's hide." His light shone on the ground, and they followed him off the road, over a grassy ditch, and through a gap in a hedge. They crouched in some mud and ferns.

They heard shouting and laughing. They saw yellow light shining through the hedge. They each found a hole in the hedge to look through. The road was crowded with people. Some were dancing and skipping. Some were lying in carts asleep. Some of the carts were pulled by donkeys, but most were pulled by people. There were people walking arm in arm, as if they would fall over without one another's help. Some people carried oil lamps in glass bowls, others carried large candles in glass jars. Everyone wore masks. Some of the masks were simple pieces of cloth with slits for eyes. Others were hats and visors combined, with feathers and sparkling sequins.

Sallina was sure the people could not hear him, but she was surprised that he spoke without whispering.

Sallina guessed that three hundred people must have gone by, all in one, long group stretched out along the road. The last of the group went by slowly. Some were far behind.

With the help of Dan's light, they took out their masks and put them on. Sallina pulled hers down over her eyes and reached up to feel if the rabbit ears were sticking up straight. They were. She smiled.

Garibaldi's mask was a leather band across his cheeks and his eyes. His chin was showing, but he thought it would be enough so that people who had never seen him before would not remember his face. Baat pulled his stocking mask over his face and made the holes in it line up with his eyes.

Dan put his mask on last. Sallina was expecting him to put on the simple leather mask Otis had made for him, but instead Dan took out something that was like the head of a wolf. He put it on over his head and looked out of its eyes.

Dan stepped through the gap in the hedge, jumped across the ditch, and stood in the road. The others followed him. Sallina had a trouble getting over the ditch while looking down through the slits in her mask, but she managed. She stood next to Dan and tightened the string that tied the mask to her head.

Dan started walking, and they followed him. Garibaldi and Baat whispered to one another. After a hundred paces, Baat stepped closer to Dan.

Three people were coming along the road with a single torch. One rode on a donkey. She was a woman. The other two were men. All were young, and they had taken off their masks. They were singing. The woman had a bottle of wine in her hand. She waved the bottle as they came near and smiled.

"No," Dan said, "You're going the wrong way. We're going to Faith Town. You're going to Prudence."

The woman looked back the way they had come. The two men stared at Dan. Dan kept walking right past them. As Garibaldi walked by the donkey, he looked up at the woman. She looked down at him. One moment she was frowning at what Dan had said, and the next she was smiling at Garibaldi.

Garibaldi stopped. The woman reached out with one hand. Her hair was shiny and sparkled with sequins. She wore eye-shadow and lipstick. She had a cloak wrapped around her, but her feet stuck out from beneath it. Her feet and ankles were bare and white and clean.

Garibaldi ran forward to catch up with the others. Behind him, the woman laughed. How did she know he was handsome? He was wearing a black mask over his eyes and cheeks. Maybe she thought his chin was handsome.

They passed people in twos and threes, but no other large groups. Some people asked them for wine or money. Many laughed and told them they were going the wrong way.

They passed more people who talked to them, and sometimes Dan answered. But Sallina said nothing. What was the point in talking to these people? They were all drunk. And anyway, she was still thinking about Dan saying he wasn't going to kill anyone because he was not supposed to. Was that the only reason he wasn't going to kill anyone? How many other things was he doing just because he was supposed to?

They passed a woman lying on the ground off to the side of the road. Dan took his light out and shone it upon her. He kept walking. Sallina stopped to look at the her. She wanted to make sure that the woman was breathing, but it was too dark to see. She hurried forward and caught up with Dan.

Dan stopped. He stood in front of her, lifted her mask, and held his hand to her forehead. He leaned closer. He took his flashlight out and shone it in her face and eyes. She tried to lean away from him, but he grabbed the hair at the back of her head so she couldn't move. She was frightened. Where was Garibaldi? Why was Garibaldi letting Dan pull her hair?

Dan let go. He walked a few steps away from her and pointed his light at the road. She pulled her mask down and moved it around on her face until it was comfortable again. Dan turned around. Even though it was dark, Sallina could see Dan's hand upon his chin, up under the snout of his wolf-head.

Sallina frowned, but nobody could see her frowning beneath her mask. First Garibaldi didn't help her when Dan was pulling her hair, and now he was agreeing with Dan.

"She knew she was sick," Dan said, "But she didn't tell me because she thought I would make her stay behind."

Dan kneeled down and took off his pack. He looked through it with the help of his light. They heard a snapping sound, and some rustling. He closed his pack and stood up.

"And you, Garibaldi, you didn't tell me because you're scared of her." He shone his light upon his hand and held his hand in front of Sallina. There were two white pills on his palm.

Half an hour later, Sallina began to feel less cold. Maybe the pills Dan gave her were working. He was right, of course, she knew she was sick and she came anyway. She wondered what was in the pills. Maybe they were valuable pills. Perhaps she should thank Dan for them. But she did not want to thank him because Dan should not have pulled her hair.

They came around a bend in the road and saw the lights of Prudence City. There seemed to be a lantern or a torch on every roof, and high above all the houses was the stadium, in the center of the city. Bright lights shone all around the top of it, sparkling in the night air. Most were white, but some were red, green, and blue.

She looked down. There was something lying in the road at her feet. Dan shone his light upon it. There was an old man there, lying on his back. His eyes stared up, but they did not move. His mask was wrapped tightly around his neck. His trousers and boots had been pulled off and his bare legs were twisted and bent. He looked like a doll a child had thrown down on the ground. His skin was white all over, but his shirt was stained blood-red around his chest. One hand clutched the shirt at the center of the blood stain. His fingers were stiff, as if they were frozen.

Dan turned his light aside from the old man's face. He took Sallina's hand and lead her away.

Circus Masquerade

Dan held Sallina's hand as they walked away. Her heart was pounding and her knees felt weak.

"Yes, Miss." Dan looked from left to right, turning his wolf head. He shone his light only upon the road.

Dan kept his light on the road. Baat talked to himself in Kubla. He took his fighting sticks off his pack and held one in each hand. Garibaldi did the same.

"Thieves," Dan said, "They took his trousers and boots. That's why the smart ones go at night in big groups. Because of the thieves."

Sallina let go of his hand. Her mouth was dry. "I have never seen a dead person before."

Garibaldi held his sticks in one hand. "The same thieves will rob that other woman too, won't they? The one who was drunk."

"As long as she stays still on the side of the road," Dan said, "They probably won't see her."

Baat shook his head. Sallina looked at Baat, but she could not see his face under his mask. She imagined that he must be frowning.

A few minutes later, they heard someone was crying in the darkness in front of them. Dan's light shone upon a woman sitting in the road. Her clothes were wet and covered with mud. She sat cross-legged. She had no mask. In her lap was a small furry thing that didn't move. She looked up at the light and held her hand in front of her eyes.

The woman looked down at her lap and the furry thing there. She shook her head slowly. "Pilgrims don't wear masks."

Dan spoke over his shoulder to Baat in Kubla. Baat did not answer. Dan faced the woman again. "Are you hurt?"

The woman lifted up the furry thing in her lap. "My doggy is dead." It seemed to Sallina that the woman was getting her tongue stuck between her teeth, because her words were not clear, and she spoke slowly. "Someone stepped on him."

Dan looked at the dog. "His neck was broken." He stroked its head. "He died quickly."

"Stand up and come with us," Dan said, "If you stay here, you will be robbed and murdered."

The woman shook her head, "No, I'm staying here with Pookie." She stroked Pookie's head.

Dan stood up and took a deep breath. Against the lights of the city, Sallina saw his wolf head look up at the sky, as if it was about to howl. "Bring Pookie with you," he said.

The woman did not look up. She swayed back and forth. "No, Pookie's spirit is here."

"Okay," Dan said. He started walking towards the city, shining his light upon the ground.

Baat followed him. Sallina and Garibaldi stood by the woman. After a few seconds, Sallina ran after Dan. "You can't just leave her there!"

"I can and I will," Dan said. "You come with me, or we go straight back to the beach and you can forget about this rescue." He turned his head and spoke to Garibaldi. "You too, Garibaldi. Stay close to me."

Dan pointed his light at Garibaldi and the woman. Garibaldi stand up with the woman over his shoulder. Dan laughed. Garibaldi walked right past them and set off towards the city. The woman was pounding on his back with one hand, and holding Pookie with the other. "Let me go!" she cried.

Dan pointed his light on the ground and followed. Sallina and Baat stood next to one another staring. Then they hurried forward to catch up. After a while, the young stopped hitting Garibaldi, and stopped shouting. She held Pookie's body next to her face with both hands, and hung over Garibaldi's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

And so it was that, half an hour later, Garibaldi entered Prudence City with a handsome mask on his face, and a woman over his shoulder. So far as he could tell, the woman was asleep. Dan walked beside him, humming to himself. Sallina and Baat walked a few paces behind, saying nothing. An avenue crossed the road.

Garibaldi turned his body to the left so he could look along the avenue. He had to turn his body because the woman's bottom was pressed against his left cheek. He pointed. "That way." He set off along the avenue. There was a water-channel running down the center. Tall, old trees grew on either side of the channel. Many of the houses along the avenue had torches burning on the roofs. The light from these torches lit the streets well enough for them to see.

Sallina expected to find the streets full of people celebrating the circus and dancing, and running around getting into mischief. Every now and then she heard people cheering, clapping, or shouting on the other side of the high walls beside the avenue, but there was nobody in the streets.

Sallina walked behind Garibaldi. It was clear to her that Dan thought she was a foolish little girl for hiding the fact that she was sick, and for coming on a long walk with new boots. It was true that Dan looked after her when she was hurt, but that was his job. He did not answer her question because he did not care what she thought, or what she wanted to know. She looked at the back of Garibaldi's head. There he was, still carrying that woman. Sallina was sure the woman had drunk far too much wine, and she thought it very likely that the woman had spent the entire day watching people killing one another in the mud of the circus. Now here the woman was, draped over Garibaldi's shoulder, and Garibaldi seemed to be enjoying carrying her, as if he wanted her body to be close to his. It was kind of Garibaldi to pick up the woman and save her. And Sallina was amazed that he was able to carry her so far. They must have walked over a thousand paces since he picked her up. But Sallina wanted him to put the woman down.

She looked around. There was nobody here, but the street was not dark. There were no policemen, but there were no thieves either. "Why don't you put her down now, Garibaldi?"

Dan's eyes looked out of his wolf mask. Sallina could see his chin. She thought he was smiling, but she was not sure. He scratched the back of his head and stared down the avenue. He scratched the top of his head and stared up the avenue. Sallina could see the side of his neck. Now she was sure he was smiling.

"I don't rightly know," he said, "I'll leave it to you. You rescued her. She's your responsibility."

"No!" Sallina said. "That's not right. You're in charge. You said so yourself. We have to do what you say. Now tell us what to do about the girl."

Dan turned towards Sallina. The light of a torch on a roof behind her sparkled in his eyes. The wolf head was dark and ugly in the flickering light. She heard him chuckle behind the mask. She clenched her fists. What was so funny? She was frightened, her feet hurt, and she had just seen a murdered old man. The man she loved had another woman over his shoulder. Of course she was upset. What was funny about that?

There were tears in Sallina's eyes. She was glad that no-one could see the tears beneath her mask. Something was wrong with this adventure. There was something wrong with Dan, and there was something happening to Garibaldi. She felt as if she was far away from him, even though he was standing in front of her. If she ran away, she was not sure Garibaldi would come with her. And she could not run away on her own. There were thieves and murderers hiding in the dark. She had to stay with Garibaldi, and Garibaldi was going to follow Dan. Garibaldi was a good man, but he would do what he was told. Even when Dan pulled her hair and laughed at her, Garibaldi would do what he was told. She could not run away.

Garibaldi walked quickly to catch up with Dan. Sallina and Baat followed behind. Sallina watched the woman bouncing against Garibaldi's broad back. Even as she watched, the woman let go of Pookie. The little furry thing fell to the ground. Sallina imagined herself stepping over Pookie's body as if she did not notice it, and the woman waking up in the morning and wailing because she had lost the body of her little dog. She did not mind the thought of the woman wailing. But she did mind the thought of her leaving the little dog's body alone in the street.

She bent down and picked Pookie up in one hand. The little dog was stiff and cold. It was no bigger than a rat. She kept walking. Baat was beside her. He put his hand on her back. She looked sideways at him. His two eyes stared out at her from behind his stocking mask.

Soon after that, the woman threw up on the back of Garibaldi's oiled canvass trousers and Garibaldi put her down on a bench at the center of the avenue. Dan held the woman's head up while she threw up some more on the street. Sallina put Pookie's body next to her on the bench. Baat stood with a stick in each hand, watching the street.

Garibaldi looked at the back of his trousers. He laughed and shook his head. Sallina took off her oilskin hat and used it to scoop some water from the water channel behind the bench.

Sallina poured water on the back of his trousers. One hat-full of water was not enough. "Come stand by the channel," she said. They stood by the channel and she scooped water onto his trousers until all of the woman's vomit was washed away.

Dan stood up. The woman was lying on her side on the bench. He looked at Baat. "Put those sticks away."

Garibaldi walked to the bench and knelt down beside the woman. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. "I think she's asleep."

Garibaldi brushed the hair away from the woman's forehead. As he did so, he noticed that her sweater came high up on her neck, almost to her chin. But there was something hard underneath the neck of the sweater. He put his finger over the top of the sweater neck and pulled it out. Beneath the sweater was an iron torque. The woman was a slave.

Sallina watched Garibaldi kneeling beside the woman, and opening her sweater. Was he trying to look at her skin? She stepped towards him. She grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?"

Dan laughed. Garibaldi let go of the woman's sweater. Sallina let go of Garibaldi's hand. "What were you doing?" she said.

Garibaldi stood up. Sallina's red rabbit mask was a bit crooked on her face. One of the ears was bent sideways. He wanted to straighten it for her, but he thought she would not want him to right now. He could see her mouth, and she was frowning at him. She was angry. Why was she angry?

Dan folded his arms. "Decide right now what you're going to do with her, Garibaldi. Here comes the town guard."

Garibaldi looked back down the avenue. Ten men with helmets and spears were walking in their direction. They were only a hundred paces away. Four of them carried bright lanterns.

Garibaldi looked at Sallina. She was angry at him. He would worry about that later. She had been angry at him before. He would sort it out when they had time to talk. He looked down at the woman. She was a slave. The police were coming. They would look after her. She was someone's property.

Dan and Baat followed him. Sallina took one last look at the woman. She had thrown up on Garibaldi's trousers, and she did not even seem that beautiful to Sallina. What did Garibaldi like about her? Sallina stomped her foot on the ground. The ten policemen were getting closer. She followed the others.

Garibaldi turned right off the avenue and into a street. They left the policemen behind. The light was dim in the street. After a few hundred paces, Garibaldi stopped at a corner. An alley crossed the street. The alley was dark. Garibaldi pointed to the left.

"It's down there, the sixth door on the right. The door opens into the back of Diamara's garden."

Dan shone his light into the alley. The alley surface was flat pieces of stone, just like the street and the avenue. He scratched the back of his wolf head.

Dan walked into the darkness of the alley. The others followed him. He shone his light upon the walls. The walls were made of stone. They were slightly higher than the top of Garibaldi's head. They passed a door in the right wall. Garibaldi whispered, "That's the first door."

Baat did not answer. Sallina decided that he was too excited to think about how lucky Diamara was.

They stood in front of a wooden door. Dan turned off his light. There were torches high up on the roof of the house beyond the door. Sallina could not see the torches, but their light shone upon the top of the wall on the other side of the alley. Music and laughter came from beyond the wall. It was not loud enough to be in the garden on the other side of the door.

Dan stood still, his ear near the door. Baat started to say something. Dan held up his hand. "Quiet."

Sallina listened. The music was a drum, a flute, and a string instrument, not a guitar. There were many people talking, both men and women, and every now and then a few people would laugh.

"Yes," Garibaldi said. "That's the door Chimeg opened. We talked to her here in the street."

Baat took off his pack and gave it to Garibaldi. He tucked one stick in his belt.

Baat did not answer. He stood at the base of the wall. Garibaldi knelt down and clasped his hands together. Baat put one foot on Garibaldi's hands and stepped up. Now he was high enough to put his hands right over the top of the wall. He dropped down to the street again.

Baat held his right hand out into Dan's light. It was bleeding. "Sharp stones on wall."

He said a few words to Baat in Kubla while he took off his pack and searched in it with his light. He took out a bandage. He wrapped the bandage around Baat's hand. When the bandage was ready, Baat said, "I try again. Smash glass with stick."

Baat stood on Garibaldi's hands. His face was in the light of the torches. He tapped the glass with his stick. They heard the glass cracking. Little pieces fell down and landed upon the stone of the alley. Sallina was worried that someone on the other side of the wall would see Baat's face. But Baat kept tapping the glass. Garibaldi stood with Baat's foot in his hands. He was holding all of Baat's weight.

He grabbed the top of the wall and pulled himself up. He put his leg over and dropped out of sight. Sallina heard the crunch of cracking twigs on the other side of the wall, and then nothing.

She took the light. It was a metal tube about twice as long as her index finger. It felt cool and heavy in her hand. She shone it on the lock.

Dan took some thin, black tools out of his pocket. "Garibaldi, watch the alley."

Dan knelt in front of the lock and put two of the tools into it. The tools looked like metal toothpicks. After a moment, he took off his wolf mask and gave it to Sallina. "Can't see properly with that on."

Sallina held the wolf mask. She stroked the fur on it with one finger. It felt like wolf fur. She thought she could tell by now, having bought wolf furs herself. Dan was fiddling inside the lock with his tools. "Keep the light steady, Miss."

"I'm trying too." Dan took his tools out of the lock and reached into his pack. He took out a glass vial. The vial had a thin spout on it. He put the spout in the lock and tilted the bottle upwards.

Dan put the vial in his pocket and began fiddling with the lock again. Something in the lock went click. He moved his tools more slowly.

Sallina listened for any sound of Baat on the other side of the wall. All she heard was the laughter and music of the party. The plan was for Baat to go to Chimeg's window, which was near the ground, and knock on it to tell her he was there. She would come out into the garden and they would climb over the wall. That should take no more than a minute. But she guessed that three minutes had gone by already. What was going on?

The lock went click again. "Rats," Dan said. He took his tools out of the lock and wiped his forehead with the back of one hand. He took a few deep breaths and pushed the tools in again.

"No," Dan said, "I'm out of practice, and it's amazing how a rusty old lock, no matter how simple, can be hard to open."

Sallina pointed the light at the lock and tried not to let it move away from Dan's fingers. Dan must have opened a lot of locks in the past, she thought. At the very least, he was a thief. Very likely Jacqueline was right, and Dan was an assassin. He had opened the locks on people's houses so he could go inside and kill them.

A man shouted from inside the party, from inside Diamara's house. There was a crash, as if several plates and cups had fallen off a table onto the floor and shattered. A woman screamed. The music stopped. There was a bang. The sound of people shouting grew louder. A young woman's voice in the garden spoke in Kubla. She spoke loudly and quickly, as if she was frightened. Baat's voice answered in Kubla. He sounded angry, or frightened, or both.

Dan said nothing. He kept fiddling with the lock. He closed his eyes and pressed his ear to the door.

"Chimeg! Don't be a fool!" Diamara said, "You will never get off the island. I will hunt you down, and you will be sorry."

"We are three, and you are one," the man's voice said, "We have swords, and you only a stick. This is your last chance. Drop your weapon."

There were people running in the garden. The sound of their feet on the garden paths and through the bushes came closer to the garden door. Someone was on the other side of the wall, where Baat had climbed over. It was Chimeg. She was speaking to someone in Kubla. Whoever it was answered. It sounded like a child. They were both speaking Kubla.

The lock went clunk. Dan put his tools in his pocket. He reached out to Sallina. "My mask."

Dan opened the door. On the other side was a large garden. There was a lawn, flower beds, a fountain, and stone paths. Beyond the garden was a two-story house with many windows. The windows on the ground floor were bright with lamp-light. Two glass doors were open. In front of the doors were ten or twenty people in masks. They wore dresses and suits. Ten paces in front of Sallina, Baat stood fighting with one stick against two men with swords. Another man was down on the grass holding his leg.

Right next to the garden door, trying to climb over the wall, were Chimeg and a boy. When Chimeg heard the door open, she pushed the boy through it and turned around. The boy stood in the street. Garibaldi looked at him and guessed that he was about eleven years old.

Sallina watched Baat fight the two men. His stick moved so fast, she could not see it in the dim light. But she could see the swords of the two men who attacked him flashing in the light from the house. The men moved out to either side of Baat. Baat stepped backwards. He jumped at the man on the left, knocked his sword aside, and smacked him on the side of the face. The man must have been tough, because he did not fall down. Instead, he thrust at Baat. The other man swung at the same time. But Baat was no longer there. He was two steps closer to the door. They followed him, their swords held out. There was blood running down the face of the man Baat had hit.

Chimeg shouted. Baat swung his stick at one man and then the other. Both men stepped back. He turned and ran for the door. Chimeg moved aside. Baat ran through the door and into the alley. Dan slammed the door shut. Sallina watched to see if Dan would lock the door again, but realized that locking the door would take too much time with his little tools. Diamara's guests would be at the door in a few seconds.

Baat picked up his pack where he had left it next to the garden wall. He said something to Chimeg and the boy. They ran after Dan. Baat followed them.

Sallina and Garibaldi stared at one another. It was dark, and she could hardly see his face.

Then Sallina started running and Garibaldi ran after her. Sallina's heart was pounding. She ran as fast as she could. All she wanted to do was run. She passed Baat. Baat was running slowly. Chimeg and the boy were in front of her. She ran past them. Only Dan was in front of her. She did not know where Garibaldi was. She did not think about him. She ran.

Garibaldi ran with Baat. They went less quickly than he wanted, because they stayed behind Chimeg and the boy. Fifty paces behind them, the door to Diamara's garden slammed open. Excited voices echoed down the alley between the walls. Light shone from several lanterns.

Boli

When Garibaldi, Sallina, Dan, and Baat entered Prudence City on the night of the Circus Masquerade, they came from the west, walking along the road from Faith Town. Once inside the city, they turned left onto a wide avenue. After that, they turned right onto a street, and last of all they turned left down a dark alley and arrived Diamara's back door. Now they were running back up the alley. Dan was in front. Sallina was just behind him. Chimeg and the boy she had brought with her out of Diamara's house were behind Sallina. Last of all were Baat and Garibaldi.

Sallina imagined herself herself running all the way back through the city streets, along the road to Faith Town, through the fields, along the cliff, down the stairs, and across the beach to the Reliant's rowboat, where she would be safe. She wanted to be safe. Right now she was not safe at all. She was in a group of people who had stolen two slaves from a rich woman's house, and if the police of Prudence City caught her, she would go to jail, or worse.

Sallina saw light shining in the street at the end of the alley. It seemed to her that the light in the street was brighter than before, and it was flickering. She followed right behind Dan, and they ran out of the darkness of the alley and into the light of the street, going as fast as they could, and turning right.

In front of them, thirty paces away, and walking towards them, were ten men wearing helmets. They carried spears and bright lanterns. The light of the lanterns flickered on the walls on either side. Among the men, towards the front, was the young woman that Garibaldi had carried into the city. She had Pookie's body in her hands.

Dan stopped running and stood still. Sallina tried to do the same, but the road was still wet from the rain, or perhaps there was some kind of mud on the street. She slipped and fell. She landed upon her hip and felt a sharp stab of pain in her side. She clenched her teeth to stop herself from crying out. Chimeg and the boy came around the corner. Baat and Garibaldi followed. They all stopped behind Dan.

The policemen stared at them. Sallina was lying on her side. Her five companions were breathing heavily.

The policemen were wearing shiny, hard pieces of leather on their chests. They wore black leather gloves, and leather trousers. Their helmets were made of steel. The steel of the helmets shone in the light of the lanterns. Sallina wondered how anyone with a stick would be able to win a fight against men protected by steel helmets and leather armor. It was one thing for Baat to attack men who were probably drunk at a party, and another thing for him to attack policemen who were not drunk, who were trained to fight, and who were wearing armor.

Dan took Sallina's hand and helped her stand up. She winced when she put weight upon her right leg.

The woman that Garibaldi had carried into the city raised one hand and pointed at them. "Those are the people who brought me back. That big handsome one carried me." She tilted her head to one side. "But they didn't have their slaves with them then." She closed her eyes and leaned against the policeman next to her.

Sallina looked behind her at Chimeg and the boy. Both had iron torques around their necks. That was how the woman knew they were slaves. One of the policemen stepped forwards. He was smiling, and it seemed to Sallina that he was about to say something friendly. She smiled at him. What a relief it would be if these men did not attack them or run after them. But she never had a chance to hear what the policeman had to say, because Dan took her hand and pulled on it.

Sallina did not like Dan pulling on her hand. But she did not want to be left alone with the policemen, either, no matter how friendly their leader might appear. So she ran with Dan, and Baat, Garibaldi, Chimeg, and the boy followed behind her.

Dan led them back into the same alley, where it continued across the street, away from Diamara's house. Sallina looked back. Diamara and her guests were standing outside Diamara's garden door, holding up lanterns and shouting. None of them ran after Chimeg and the boy. Sallina wondered why. Were they afraid of Baat?

Dan shone his light behind him, just as he had done on the stairs leading up from the beach. Sallina ran beside him. There was not as much light running beside him, but there was enough, and she wanted to be in front. She felt no pain any more, not in her shoes, nor her head, nor her hip. She felt as if she could run forever, and she wanted to run forever, or long enough to get far, far away from this place, where Baat had broken one man's leg and smashed open another man's face, far away from the city where the police with spears would want to put them all in jail as soon as they learned what had happened in Diamara's garden. How absurd it would be, she thought, to run away from home because she did not want to go to jail, only to end up being a slave in the mines.

Garibaldi and the others ran as close behind Dan as they could. They needed Dan's light to see where they were going. But the closer together they ran, the more often they bumped into one another. This was not so bad for Garibaldi, because he was big and wearing boots. But the boy was barefoot, and he fell twice as they ran along the alley. Once he tripped over Baat's leg, and once Garibaldi stepped on his foot. Both times, the boy got back up without saying anything, and ran on.

Garibaldi looked over his shoulder. The policemen stood in the street at the end of the alley. His left hand scraped against the alley wall. The alley was bearing to the right. When he looked back a second time, the policemen and the street were out of sight. He was glad he could not see the policemen, because it meant they could not see him either.

There was lantern-light ahead. The alley came to another street. Dan turned right, with Sallina beside him. When Garibaldi came out of the alley and into the street with Baat, he guessed they were now going west, which was the direction he wanted them to go. If they kept going along this street, they should come back to the avenue where they had first seen the policemen. He knew how to get back to the road to Faith Town from there.

There was plenty of light in this street. Lanterns hung from the walls. Dan put his light in his pocket. Garibaldi ran forward until he was running beside Dan and Sallina. The ears of Sallina's rabbit mask flapped up and down as she ran.

Dan nodded. He slowed down and looked back. Garibaldi wondered how he could see and run with his wolf mask. The eye holes were so small.

Sallina looked across Dan at Garibaldi. There was blood on the back of his left hand. How did that happen? He smiled at her. Was Garibaldi smiling because he was brave, or was he smiling because he did not understand how much danger they were in? Dan was breathing hard. Sallina looked at him. How long could Dan run like this? She was glad he had slowed down. He would last longer that way, and they would get farther away from the policemen.

Dan looked back. Sallina looked too. There were no policemen following them. She heard no sound other than the sound of their boots on the street. Chimeg ran beside the boy. She held her hand out often, as if she was worried that he was going to fall. The boy's eyes were wide. He was breathing in deep gasps. His hair stuck out in all directions. It was wiry, thick, black hair. His face was dark, like Chimeg's, but narrower, and his nose was larger.

The boy was afraid and exhausted. Chimeg spoke to the boy in Kubla, so he must be a member of one of the Kubla tribes. Wherever he was from, he was a boy. Soon he would be unable to run any farther. Already, he was so tired that his shoulders rocked back and forth as he ran. If the boy stopped now and stayed behind, he would be a slave in Diamara's house. He could say Chimeg made him come with her. If he came with them, he would slow them down, and they might all be caught and sent to the mines to work underground for the rest of their lives. That's what Dan had said would happen when they first talked about the rescue in the Captain's cabin. Was this part of Baat's plan, to bring the boy as well?

They reached the avenue. Garibaldi ran ahead and turned left. Sallina saw the bench where they had left the woman and Pookie. Garibaldi jumped across the water channel beside the bench and continued on the other side. Dan jumped after him. When Chimeg jumped, she took the boy's hand to help him. As she pulled his hand, he tripped and fell in the water. His shin struck the channel wall. He yelled and landed upon his face in the avenue.

Chimeg knelt beside him. Garibaldi and Dan stopped and came back. Sallina jumped across the channel with Baat. Baat took off his stocking mask and wiped his forehead with it. His hair was shiny with sweat.

The boy stood up. There was a dark smear on his shin. He tried to walk, but all he could do was limp. Dan put his hand on the boy's shoulder and spoke to him in Kubla. The boy limped to the bench and sat down. Chimeg sat beside him. She held his hand and spoke, but she was breathing too deeply to speak clearly.

Dan knelt in front of the boy. He took off his wolf mask and put it on the ground. He looked at the boy's leg where it was bleeding. Everyone was breathing hard. Garibaldi looked up and down the avenue. Baat stood with his arms crossed, his stick in one hand. Now his mask was off, Sallina saw that he was frowning. He was angry about something.

Dan stood up. He turned and spoke to Baat in Kubla. Baat shouted ten or twenty words. At first, Sallina thought Baat was shouting at Dan, but then she saw that Baat was shouting at Chimeg and the boy. When Baat finished, Dan shook his head, bent over, picked up his mask, and walked a few steps away, rubbing his chin. Garibaldi went and stood beside him.

Sallina took her mask off and said to Baat, "What's the matter? Why are you angry? Who is this boy?"

Baat pointed to the boy, "He is from the tribe that killed my mother and my sister!"

Chimeg put her arm around the boy and pulled him close to her. There were tears in her eyes. She swallowed, took a deep breath and said, "He is a child. His name is Boli."

Sallina looked from Chimeg to Baat. Baat frowned at Chimeg. Chimeg frowned at Baat. Sallina's lungs were burning. Her left heel was throbbing. The toes on her right foot felt as if all the skin had rubbed off them in her sock. Her hip was aching with a deep, dull ache. She looked back towards the street they had run out of. She expected to see the policemen run out of the same street at any moment.

Garibaldi and Dan were talking. Sallina listened to them, even as she was looking out for the policemen. "How bad is he hurt?" Garibaldi said.

"Not bad. He can walk," Dan said. "We need to get away from the lights and onto the main road. Then we can hide in the fields."

"I know. But not yet," Dan said, "Save your strength for when you need it most. For now, let's just get them moving."

Dan laughed. "Nor do I, lad. But the girl is fixed on him, and it wouldn't do to leave her behind. She's what we came for."

Dan clapped his hands. Sallina turned around. Dan was right behind her. She had not heard him move across the street. Her mask must be stopping her from hearing, or maybe it was the pounding of her heart. Dan had his wolf mask on again.

"Right, lads and lasses," Dan said, "Let's go. Chimeg, tell Boli his leg will be okay. Tell him to run until he can't run any more." Chimeg spoke to the boy. Dan pointed at Baat. "Put your mask on." He turned to Sallina. "You too, put it on and let's go. Right now."

He turned and started jogging along the avenue. Baat followed him, pulling his mask over his head. Chimeg raised the boy off the bench and together they began to run after Baat. Sallina looked back one more time. There was still no sign of the policemen, nor anyone else.

She looked at Garibaldi. She remembered him touching that woman's neck. She wanted to stomp her foot again.

Why was she so frightened? Garibaldi did not seem frightened. She put her mask over her face. The rabbit ears were bent and floppy. She must look silly in the mask. But she was glad to have it covering her face. She touched Garibaldi's chin.

Sallina nodded. They ran after their companions. Farther along the avenue, they passed a group of ten people wearing masks. They were walking in the same direction Sallina and her companions were jogging. They were laughing and singing as they went, and they hardly noticed when five adults and one boy ran past them.

A few hundred paces later, they saw another group of people in masks. This group was walking in the opposite direction along the same side of the avenue. They were not laughing or singing. They were silent. Without saying a word to one another, they all crossed over the water channel to the far side of the avenue. Sallina thought they were afraid of Dan in his wolf mask and Baat with his stick.

Sallina saw in front of them a tall tree. She remembered it from earlier, on their way to Diamara's house. It was close to the road to Faith Town. She smiled. They were almost at the road, and the police had not caught them yet. Maybe everything was going to work out all right after all.

Boli was in front of her with Chimeg. He was limping a little, but it was easier for him to keep up with them now that they were not running quickly. Garibaldi was jogging along easily at her side. Thirty paces in front of them were Dan and Baat.

They passed the tree and went around a slight bend in the avenue. Ten or fifteen men sat beside the water channel. Their voices were loud. Sallina did not like the sound of their voices. All of them were wearing masks. Some of the masks looked like helmets. They were made of metal. When the men saw Dan and Baat jogging towards them, four of them walked out into the avenue and stood in the way.

As soon as they stood in the road, Baat ran ahead of Dan. He pulled his second stick from his pack. One of the men laughed. The others raised their fists. Baat sprinted towards them as fast as he could.

Sallina could not believe what she was seeing. What was Baat going to do? There were fifteen men in the group. Was he going crazy because he was so angry about the boy. Now he was going to start a fight and get all of them beaten up and thrown in jail.

But Baat kept running. He cried out something in Kubla and ran straight into the group of four men. His sticks rose and fell on either side of him. He seemed to climb over one of them while at the same time hitting the others on the head. They punched and shouted, but all they seemed to hit was air, and maybe one another. Two of them fell down. The other two stepped back.

The men beside the water channel jumped up and laughed. Dan caught up with Baat and pulled him forward. Baat looked around him. He looked confused. Dan shouted and Baat started to run. Chimeg, the boy, Sallina, and Garibaldi ran behind Dan, as close as they could. Sallina watched the men as she ran past. They were clapping and cheering.

Sallina faced forward. She smiled. Just a moment ago, she had been terrified of the men, and now it seemed that all they wanted was to see something exciting. Baat had given them their excitement, and now they were pleased. Maybe this was like a little circus for them, to see Baat smack down two of their friends.

She could still hear the men laughing when they reached Road to Faith Town. They turned right, away from Prudence City. The road was still lit by lanterns and torches on the rooftops, and even, Sallina thought, by light shining from the lamps on top of the arena far behind them in the city.

They ran. Sallina was feeling hot inside her mask. She wanted to take it off. But Dan had told her to put it on a few minutes earlier, so she left it on. Her feet were hurting so badly now that every stride she took ended with a stab of pain that made her wince. Beside her, Garibaldi ran easily. He was breathing deeply, but he did not seem to be uncomfortable. His mask was an easy one to wear, of course. But more than that, he was strong and fit, and his legs were long. His boots were the same boots he had been wearing on the day they had found the Duke's gold.

The gold was on the ship. And her furs too. If she and Garibaldi were captured by the police, what would become of the gold and the furs? Would the Captain keep them? Yes, the Captain would keep the gold and the furs. What else would he do with them? Throw them away? Why hadn't she thought about that before? If this rescue mission failed, and somehow nobody but Dan got back to the ship, the Captain would be one thousand gold pieces richer. Dan and Harry could move back into their cabin. Didn't she remember something Dan had said about that? Something about him moving back into his cabin soon enough, and smiling in an unpleasant way when he said it. Yes, she was sure he had said that, in the Captain's cabin, when they were talking about the rescue.

It was at that moment that Boli fell on the road, gasping for air. Chimeg ran a few steps farther and stopped. She was so tired, she just bent over and leaned on her own legs with her arms, breathing as deeply as she could. Sallina stood in the road. She felt a sharp pain in her hip. She tried to make the pain go away by pushing on the hip with her palm. Dan knelt beside Boli. Baat stood ahead of them, down the road.

Garibaldi put his hand on Sallina's shoulder. "You hurt your hip when you fell."

Sallina nodded. He put his arms around her and hugged her. She hugged him back. They were both breathing so deeply that holding one another was uncomfortable at first, but when she made sure she breathed out when he breathed in, they held one another tightly and it felt good.

Garibaldi bent down and put his arms under Boli's back and knees. He stood up and, with the same smooth movement, draped Boli over his shoulder. Without waiting for any word from Dan, he started jogging along the road towards Faith Town. Sallina watched him and smiled. Dan ran after him. Chimeg followed close behind.

Yohiromaki

There was slow, deep, hissing on the road ahead and in the fields. Sallina's smile turned to a frown. After another hundred steps, they ran into a wall of rain. It was cold and heavy, with big drops that struck her face and made her blink.

In the dim light of the city behind them, Sallina saw Dan take off his mask and put it in his pack.

It was easier to see without the mask. She was so glad to take it off. She was so tired of running, that she almost threw the mask off to the side of the road. But she carried it with her instead. She did not see what Baat did with his mask. Maybe he put it in his pocket.

They came to a bend in the road. It was the same bend at which Sallina had first seen the lights of Prudence. She looked back and saw the same lights once more through sheets of rain. When they went around the bend, the lights disappeared behind a hill and it was once again absolutely dark. Dan took out his light and shone it on the road. They ran close together so that they could see by its light. Dan and Garibaldi went in front, followed by Chimeg, Sallina and Baat.

Although he did not complain, Garibaldi was tired. His back hurt from carrying the woman, and now he was aching all over from carrying the boy. He was not sure how much longer he could keep going. Dan had been right to tell him to save his strength. If he had carried the boy in the city, he would certainly be too tired to do it now. He looked straight ahead with his mouth clenched and his arms holding the boy. He peered into the rain, waiting to see the place where they could turn off the road and go south. hen they were in the fields, the police would not find them. He could stop and rest. He blinked and stared ahead again. "Is that a light?"

"Where?" Dan said. He put his hand over his eyes and stared ahead without slowing down.

"Yes," Dan said. "There's someone on the road in front of us. They are running like us, in the same direction."

The puddles in the road grew deeper, and the road more slippery. Their boots splashed in the puddles and threw water up their trousers. Sallina put her rain hat on, but her hair was already soaking wet and dripping down the back of her jacket. Cold water made its way into her boots, and as it did, her boots became heavier, and running more difficult. But she ignored her discomfort. None of it seemed important compared to getting away from the police.

Garibaldi slipped and fell on his bottom. Boli rolled off his shoulder and landed in a puddle. Dan shone his light upon the two of them. Boli stood up. His thick black hair hung down around his head, wet with the rain. Chimeg hugged him. Garibaldi sat in the road. Sallina put her hand on his head and knelt down beside him. "Are you hurt?"

Garibaldi closed his eyes for a few seconds. He stood up slowly. Sallina held his elbow to help him. Garibaldi took off his mask. He looked at it and threw it into the darkness. He put his hand on his lower back, just above his bottom. He stood as tall as he could and looked up into the rain. "I'll be okay. I can't carry the boy any more."

Dan started running again. He shone his light backwards for the rest of them. Boli followed Dan. Seeing Boli running again, the rest of them started running also. The lights on the road in front of them were growing larger.

Sallina imagined Baat shaking his head. She could tell where he was by the splashing of his boots, and she could see Chimeg and Boli's feet in front of her by the light of Dan's lamp. But she could not see any of their faces.

Sallina looked hard at the lights on the road ahead of them. There were two of them, one on either side of a large object. Maybe it was a cart. But the cart seemed to have legs, and there was movement on either side of it.

"It's the litter!" she said. "The one Jayhan the Captain of the junk uses. Look at the men carrying it. They are wearing robes."

Chimeg's sandal came down in a puddle that was as deep as her ankle. Water splashed to either side and she stumbled. Sallina caught her with one hand.

"Could be," Dan said, "Jayhan was going to see the circus. Maybe he's late leaving the city."

It was hard for Sallina to hear him, even though he was shouting, because of the rain, and all the splashing of their feet.

"Why didn't he go earlier," Garibaldi said, "With the big group. He would have been safe from bandits."

There was a roll of thunder high up among the clouds. Sallina looked up. Was there going to be lightening too?

"He doesn't have to worry about bandits," Dan said, "He has Yohiromaki with him."

Sallina remembered the man who had crouched down on the ground when he saw Dan with the Captain beside the hot springs. "The man with white hair?" she said.

Splash, splash, splash went their feet in the puddles. Even though she was wet, Sallina was not cold..

Sallina looked back. Baat was right. Several lanterns were on the road behind them, about five hundred steps away. Dan stopped running and looked back also. The rest of them stopped too, and when the splashing of their boots stopped. They could hear one another breathing heavily. The rain hissed upon the road and the fields.

Dan held his hand over his eyes. "Yes, well done Baat. I should have looked myself. The lanterns are in regular order. That means it's police."

Baat did not answer. Sallina frowned. She agreed with Baat. They were going too slowly. They could all run faster than this. In fact, she would be happier running faster. This jogging was making her tired and hurting her legs. It would be better to run faster, and then rest. But they could not run faster because of the boy. The policemen were catching up with them. Was it the same group of policemen they had run away from in the street at the end of Diamara's alley? Who else would be able to run after them so quickly?

The litter was only a hundred paces in front of them. Dan pointed his light at the hedge by the side of the road. "We're going into the field."

There was a wooden gate in the hedge. It was still raining, but not as hard as it had been earlier. Dan stepped off the road, through a large puddle, and climbed over the gate in the light of his lamp. He stood on the other side and pointed the light at the gate. Garibaldi stood in front of the gate for a few seconds, wondering if he could climb over it without hurting his back. He decided he could. He put one leg over, then another, and stood in the field. His back seemed okay. Boli sprang over the gate, and Chimeg too. Sallina climbed over, and Baat came over quickly, in a way that Sallina did not get a chance to watch.

Dan crouched low. They crept along, one behind the other, and then stopped. They could see the litter and the men in red robes through the hedge, while they themselves were hidden in the darkness in the field. The litter was sitting on its wooden legs about thirty paces away. There was a lantern on each corner. The lanterns shone light in every direction. Sallina could see the rain falling. Six men in red robes stood close to one corner. Another man in a red robe was sitting on the road, holding his ankle. The man with white hair was kneeling beside him. The eighth man in a red robe was lying down with his eyes closed. He was not moving.

The man with white hair helped the injured man to his feet. The injured man took a few steps and nodded. The man with white hair looked towards the policemen's lanterns. The lanterns were only two hundred paces away. He opened a hatch in the wall of the litter and spoke through it. Sallina could not hear what he said, and nor did she expect to understand, even if she did hear him. She was sure they were speaking Chiin.

The man with white hair stopped talking and put his ear to the hatch. He nodded and said something like, "Hai!" He closed the hatch and spoke to the men in red robes. They picked up the man lying in the road and carried him to the front of the litter. Sallina was not sure where they put him. Maybe there was a bench on the front.

The man with white hair stood in front of the door of the litter, facing the policemen's lanterns. He closed his eyes and held his hands flat together in front of him. He took a deep breath. He let the breath out.

Dan said something. Baat rose up on his knees and pushed the leaves of the hedge apart .

There were four lanterns approaching. Running with each lantern were four or five armored policemen. "There are twenty of them," she said.

Dan looked through the hedge. His face was lit by lantern-light. He was smiling. Sallina frowned. Why was Dan smiling? It must be that Dan did not like the man with white hair, and was happy to see the man with white hair in trouble.

The policemen's boots splashed along the road. Moments later, they were all around the litter with their clattering weapons. They carried spears, swords, shields, and crossbows. They wore helmets and armor. One policemen walked up and stood in front of the man with white hair. Sallina could hear him clearly. This must be the police captain. The police captain shouted over the sound of the rain. "We are searching for two missing slaves."

The man with white hair held his hands clasped in front of him. He did not hide them in the sleeves of his robe as he had done beside the hot springs. "Inside is my master, Jayhan, illustrious captain of the Hoi-Chiin."

His voice was strange, but Sallina could understand him, even from thirty paces away, through the bush. He spoke loudly. Perhaps he wanted to make sure that the people in the litter could hear him also.

"With captain are two wives, which he bring with him from Chiin. There is no-one else inside."

The man with white hair opened the door. The police captain stepped closer. He looked inside. He pointed to the ground at his feet. "Out, all of you!"

The men in red robes were standing five paces away, next to the litter. They jostled one another. Those at the rear tried to look over the ones in front. The man with white hair closed the door. "No. You dishonor us."

The police captain stared at the man with white hair. The man with white hair was wet. His black robe clung to his body. He was short compared to the policeman, and not particularly broad. He appeared to carry no weapon. The policeman, on the other hand, had a spear in one hand, a shield on his back, a sword at his belt, leather armor, and a helmet.

Four policemen stepped forward around their captain and reached out with their hands for the man with white hair. Sallina could not see clearly through the hedge and the rain and the other policemen standing on the road. She wanted very much to stand up so she could look over the top of it, but of course she didn't, because the policemen would see her.

One of the policemen sank to his knees and fell backwards, his eyes closed. Another fell against the litter with a thud and slid down into a puddle.

The police captain leaned his spear against the litter and drew his sword. He waved it in the air.

The policemen planted the ends of their lantern-poles in the soft earth beside the road. The lanterns swayed back and forth. One fell over and broke, but the policemen paid no attention. They drew their swords and hefted their spears and shields.

Baat stood up and moved back from the hedge. He had his two sticks in his hands.

Dan stood up and reached for Baat, but Baat was too quick for him. He ran to one side and jumped right over the hedge, his sticks held high. Sallina stood up. What was the point in remaining hidden now? Baat ran onto the road and charged into the crowd of policemen, shouting something in Kubla. The policemen turned and raised their shields and spears. Baat beat upon the shields and spears with his sticks.

Garibaldi must have noticed a gap in the hedge earlier, because he pushed his way through easily, and ran towards the policemen. Now he had a stick in each hand. I'm not going to let him fight while I stay behind, Sallina thought. She moved along the hedge. She took off her pack and pulled out her sticks. She dropped the pack on the ground and tried to push her way through the hedge where Garibaldi had gone through. Maybe she had the wrong place, because it was hard to push through. A branch scratched her face. She bumped her shin on something, maybe a rock. She pushed hard, and heard the canvass of her jacket tearing at the back. She pushed again and came through the other side. Her hair was caught in some thorny thing, but she pushed forwards towards the road and pulled a tuft of hair right out of her head.

But she hardly noticed the pain. She saw Garibaldi in front of her, in the light of the police lanterns. He was fighting a man with leather armor and a spear. The man raised his spear. Garibaldi struck him on the head with his stick, but the man did not seem to notice. He stuck his spear into Garibaldi's leg. Garibaldi slipped down to one knee and the spear came out.

Sallina ran as fast as she could. The man with the spear stepped back. His spear was long. He had his back to Sallina. He raised his spear. Garibaldi tried to stand. He could not. He held up his sticks. Sallina did not say anything when she charged up behind the policeman. She did not want him to know she was coming. She ran fast, but she didn't splash in any puddles. She jumped up in the air when she came to the policeman, and she hit him on his helmet as hard as she could, with the weight of her entire body behind the blow.

The policemen staggered, turned around, and held his spear up. She did not bother being amazed that the man was still standing, and she paid no attention to his spear. She hit him right on the elbow with her other stick. Crack!

Sallina hit him again, on the side of the head. His head went sideways. He stepped back. He still had one hand on his spear. The end of the spear was resting on the ground. She hit his hand with her second stick, right where it held the spear.

He let go of he spear. It fell sideways. The man was moving slowly. It was if he could not see properly, or had forgotten he was in a fight. Sallina stepped forward and hit him on the head again.

The policeman sank to his knees. Hitting him on the head seemed to be working after all, so she hit him on the head again. He fell down on his back. There was blood dripping down his face. He lay still.

Sallina looked at Garibaldi. While she had been hitting the policeman, Garibaldi had stood up. Now he was leaning upon the policeman's spear with one arm. He held a stick in his other hand. By the light of the policemen's lanterns, Sallina saw that his right trouser leg was soaked with blood.

Sallina looked towards the litter. The man with white hair was standing outside of the door with a sword in his hand. Baat was a few steps away, closer to Sallina. Only four policemen were still fighting. Three were fighting the man with white hair and one was fighting Baat. Six or seven other policemen lay in the road. She was not sure where the rest of them had gone. There had been twenty of them to start with. Perhaps they were hiding in the ditch? She wiped rain from her eyes. The men in red robes were still gathered together at the far side of the litter. They watched the man with white hair fighting the policemen. They did not move to help him. They just watched.

Baat hit his policeman on the side of the head and the policeman fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but lay back in a puddle and groaned. For no reason that Sallina could see, one of the policemen attacking the man with white hair dropped his spear and fell to his knees. Another banged his head on the side of the litter. The last one stood still. He held a spear in one hand. He let go of the spear. It fell to the ground. The man with white hair was holding a sword to his throat.

To Sallina's right, a policemen sat up and held his head in both hands. Another rose to his knees and looked around. Sallina heard splashing on the road behind her. She looked back. The rest of the policemen were running back to Prudence, taking a lantern with them.

The man with white hair stared at the policeman in front of him. The policeman shivered. The man with white hair lowered his sword. The policeman turned and ran. Four other policemen staggered to their feet and followed him. They stumbled past Sallina and Garibaldi and through the rain towards, leaving three injured comrades and two lanterns behind them.

Sallina stepped up to Garibaldi and kissed him. He smiled. She knelt down in the road and looked at his leg. There was a cut about as long as her finger in the front of his thigh. She had seen the policeman spear him. The cut could be deeper than it was long. Blood was dripping out of it. She could see it flowing down the front of his trousers, and over the tips of his boot.

She thought she was going to faint. She did not want to feint. She breathed deeply and clenched her teeth. What was she going to do? How was she going to save Garibaldi? He was going to bleed to death if she did not do something. How was she going to get him to the boat? She looked up and saw Dan standing above her. He took Garibaldi's arm. "Move aside lass. Let's lay him down and get that leg up."

Dan smiled. "He's not going to die." He looked down at Garibaldi and shook his head. "You kids are crazy. But you have spirit. It'll be a shame to lose you."

The Crutch

Dan tore open Garibaldi's trousers so that his leg was bare from the thigh down.

Sallina bent Garibaldi's leg and put his foot on the ground so his knee was in the air.

"Good," Dan said, "Hold his knee with one hand and put your other hand right on the wound. Yes. Push down, stop the blood coming out."

Sallina pressed on Garibaldi's leg. His blood trickled out between her fingers. She felt dizzy. What did Dan mean when he said, "It will be a shame to lose you?" Did he mean that he was going to leave Garibaldi behind, because Garibaldi would not be able to walk? Would Dan leave her and Garibaldi on the road, alone?

She looked at the litter. They could carry Garibaldi in the litter. The old man and the two women could get out and the men in robes could carry Garibaldi and the other guy in red who was injured, the old man would just have to do his own walking for a change.

"Concentrate!" Dan said. He put his hand on top of Sallina's and pushed down. "Push hard!"

Dan had a bandage roll in his hands. He held his lamp in his teeth, shining it upon Garibaldi's right leg. He had wrapped the bandage tightly around Garibaldi's leg, reaching around inside the trouser leg. When he had made ten wraps, he said to Sallina, "Okay, move your hand up."

Dan passed the bandage around Garibaldi's leg another ten times, pulling on it to keep it tight. Garibaldi moaned. Sallina leaned as far over towards his face as she could, while still holding his knee. "Dan says you will be fine."

"I did not," Dan said, "I said he was not going to die." He pulled on the bandage while pushing on Garibaldi's knee. Garibaldi clenched his teeth. "But walking is going to be painful, and we still have a lot of walking to do."

Baat stood up. Sallina looked at him and at the litter. The litter's oil lamps were bright in her eyes. The door of the litter was open. The man with white hair was talking to Jayhan, who was inside, where Sallina could not see him. Six men in red robes were standing around the litter. Another was sitting on the road. Baat walked towards the man with white hair.

Sallina looked down at Garibaldi's face. His eyes were closed. His breathing was shallow and quick. Dan was tying Garibaldi's ankle to the top of his trousers with another bandage. "What are you doing?" Sallina said.

"I'm tying his leg so he can walk with a crutch, and not have it drag on the ground." He finished tying the bandage. "We'll have him lie here for a minute. The bleeding should slow down. When he stands up, we don't want him putting weight on the leg or the wound will open again."

Dan stood up. He looked around, first at the litter, then at the field and the hedge. Sallina remembered Chimeg and Boli. They must be hiding behind the hedge. She looked at the three injured policemen. One of them was crawling off the road and into the darkness. The other two lay still upon the ground. She wondered if they were dead.

He left the road and pushed his way through the hedge. Sallina held Garibaldi's knee. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying, but it did not work. Tears welled up in her eyes and dripped down her wet face. Garibaldi opened his eyes. The light of the lamps shone in his face. He smiled and his lips moved, but Sallina could not hear what he said. She leaned closer to him. "Thank you," he said, "For saving my life."

She nodded and pressed her cheek against his. She sobbed. Garibaldi reached up with one arm and held her head. "I just need a minute to rest, then I will get up."

"You saved my life," he said, "You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm scared too."

Baat was talking to the man with white hair. They were talking in Sallina's own language, but they were speaking quietly and Sallina could not hear well enough to understand. She heard Baat's father's name several times, spoken by both Baat and the man with white hair.

"Okay," Dan said. He was standing next to Sallina. He had come back from behind the hedge, but she had not heard him walking towards her. She looked behind him, but she did not see Chimeg or Boli. They must still be hiding in the field.

Dan dropped two backpacks on the ground. One was Sallina's. The other was Garibaldi's.

"Put everything into one pack and carry it yourself," Dan said, "I don't want Garibaldi carrying anything."

Dan bent down and picked up a spear next to one of the two policemen lying in the road. The policeman moved. He reached for the end of the spear and started to sit up. Dan pulled the spear away and set it upright, with the tip down. The policeman lay back down again.

"No kill!" came the voice of the man with white hair. He was standing with his arms crossed, staring at Dan. But Dan paid no attention to him. Dan pushed the tip of the spear into the gravel of the road, bent it to one side, and stepped upon it hard with his boot. The blade of the spear snapped off. He turned the wooden shaft around and stared at it.

Sallina helped Garibaldi sit up. He took a few deep breaths. Sallina and Dan took his arms and helped him stand up on one leg. He leaned upon Sallina. Dan put the spear next to Garibaldi's shoulder. He turned it upside down, and broke another length off the end. He walked over to the policeman Sallina had hit with her sticks, bent down, and pulled the policeman's helmet off his head. Sallina saw the policeman's face was covered with blood, and she was afraid she had killed the man. But when Dan let his head drop back onto the road, the policeman moved. He turned onto his side and curled up, as if he thought he was in his bed at home. Both the policemen lying in the road were still alive. No-one had been killed in the fight.

The helmet had a round top. Dan put it over the top of the spear shaft and pushed the helmet and shaft under Garibaldi's arm.

Garibaldi leaned on the helmet, which was held up by the spear shaft. He held the spear shaft with one hand. His injured leg hung below him, held up off the road by Dan's second bandage. He stepped forward with his good leg. He moved the spear shaft forward and planted it beneath him again. He smiled and nodded. "It works."

"The shaft will get stuck in the gravel," Dan said, "Sallina, stand by him and stop him from falling."

"I will," Sallina said. She knelt down and picked up hers and Garibaldi's packs. She opened hers wide, put his inside hers, and tied hers up again. She stood up and put the pack on her back. "I'm ready."

Dan walked along the side of the road. Garibaldi hopped behind Dan on his helmet-and-shaft crutch. Sallina walked beside him as they passed the litter. Baat was still talking to the man with white hair. The litter door was open, but it was dark inside. The men in red robes nodded to her as she went by. One of them was lying on a bench at the front of the litter.

Sallina wondered why Dan did not answer her question. Was it because he had no answer for her? Was he hiding something? Was his real concern to get away from Yohiromaki, even if Yohiromaki could help them? If so, why did he want to get away from Yohiromaki? Was it because Dan was planning to do something that Yohiromaki would not like?

Baat caught up with them. He had a spear in one hand and a helmet on his head. The helmet was just like the one under Garibaldi's arm. It was shiny and round. In the dim light from the lamps of the litter behind them, Sallina was sure Baat was smiling.

There was a rustling in the hedge beside the road. Chimeg and Boli walked out of darkness.

Baat said something in Kubla. Chimeg answered. She sounded friendly, but he did not.

Sallina heard a man shouting in Chiin back where the litter was. The voice sounded angry. She thought it was Captain Jayhan, but she could not be sure. She looked back. One of Jayhan's two wives stepped out of the litter. She wiped her noise and bowed her head. She stumbled, but Yohiromaki caught her with one hand and kept her from falling. She wore a shiny yellow dress. Why was the woman getting out?

Six of the men in red robes picked up the litter. But the three on one side stood up faster than the three on the other side. The litter tilted sideways, and the man lying on the bench at the front fell off and landed in the road. He lay still, then raised his arm and let it drop again.

"What is wrong with the men in red robes? Two of them can't stand up. Did Yohiraki tell you?"

"His name Yohiromaki," Baat said, and he said it in the same accent as the man with white hair. The name came out quickly, without rising or falling, and the sounds in the name were sharp. "He tell me. One sick. One hurt leg." Baat bent down and touched his lower leg with one hand. He held the spear with its tip up in the other hand. "Here hurt."

Sallina nodded. The Chiin have their own problems, she thought. There are not enough men to carry three people in the litter, so Jayhan made one of the young women get out. How did he choose which one? Did he have a favorite wife? Why not have both of them get out? They were young like her. Surely they could walk?

A roll of thunder came from the direction of Faith Town. The rain started to fall hard.

Garibaldi was glad of the rain, because he was covered with mud and wanted the rain to wash him clean. He thought the rain would help keep his bandages clean. He held the shaft of his crutch with one hand, and swung his other arm to help him keep his balance. He was glad he had strong arms. Sallina kept telling him how big and strong his arms were, and he had begun to believe her. He was impressed with the way Dan had made a crutch for him out of a spear and a helmet. How many times had Dan done the same thing before? He must have done it many times, because he did it so quickly and perfectly.

That's not to say that the crutch was perfect. The helmet curved outwards around the edge, and dug into the side of Garibaldi's body. He did not mind the helmet digging into him right now, because his injured leg was so painful that he hardly noticed the helmet. But he figured that sooner or later, the helmet digging into his side would wear him out and slow him down, which was something he did not want to happen. He leaned over the helmet with his elbow held out, so the helmet would dig into him as little as possible. He looked ahead through the rain, even though he could see very little. When would they come to the turning? He was sure they were getting close. He looked for the lantern that hung in the street between the houses next to the turning. He saw nothing. It was dark.

Garibaldi believed they would be safer from the policemen when they were on the path through the fields instead of the road. But he expected that it would be harder to walk with the crutch on the muddy path. He would ask Dan to let him rest for a while when they were in the fields. After that he would go as fast as he could towards the cliff. And then there would be the stairs. Well, he thought, one thing at a time.

Sallina was walking next to him, her head down. Dan's light reflected off the puddles in the road, and he could see her face. She was thinking. She must have a lot to think about. She was clever. He could safely leave the thinking to her. He would keep moving. He was the slowest person in the group. He did not want Sallina to be captured by the police because he was slow.

Garibaldi remembered Sallina fighting the policeman. He smiled. He was proud. He had thought he was going to die. But suddenly she was there, thumping the policeman on the head and saving him. What an amazing woman. His looked forward to telling his mother about her.

On the other hand, maybe the policeman was just holding his spear up to make Garibaldi stop fighting. Policemen were not supposed to go around killing people. They were supposed to capture people and put them in jail. But these policemen walked away and left their injured comrades lying in the rain. That was not the sort of thing good policemen would do. So most likely, the policeman was going to stab him a second time.

Sallina wiped her eyes. She did not want Garibaldi to know it, but she was crying. Tears and rain dripped down her face. Her rain hat was somewhere in her bag, but she did not take it out. So long as rain was dripping down her face, she could wipe the tears from her eyes and Garibaldi would not know she was crying. He would think she was wiping the rain away.

Garibaldi had a horrible cut in his leg. The bandage was already soaked with blood. If he lost too much blood, he would faint. His eyes would close and he would fall to the ground. Lying down is what he should be doing right now. When you lie down, less blood comes out of your cuts, and it is easier for your body to pump blood to your head.

Sallina decided that Dan must know Garibaldi would be better off lying down. She also decided that if Dan could make a crutch so easily, he could also make a stretcher to carry Garibaldi. What about two spear poles with a couple of policemen's capes wrapped around them? She and Baat could carry Garibaldi on the stretcher.

But Dan had not made a stretcher. Why was that? And she was certain Dan had said, "It will be a shame to lose you," not, "It would be a shame to lose you."

Sallina believed that Dan could help them escape if he wanted to. But did he want to? What if Garibaldi collapsed, and the police were coming? Would Dan leave Garibaldi behind? If he did, who would blame him for running away? Why should they all be captured? If he left Garibaldi behind, Sallina would stay with Garibaldi, and they would be captured and enslaved. They would never get back to the Reliant. Dan and Harry would get their cabin back and the Captain would keep the gold and her furs.

Garibaldi had not noticed the turning, and he would have limped right past it. "Where is the lantern?" he said.

The rain was noisy. They gathered around Dan to hear him. "I don't know," Dan said.

The sky was black. There was no light on either side of the road. The rain poured down. They could not see the lanterns of the litter behind them. The only light was from Dan's luminous stone in a tube.

"We are in trouble now," Dan said, "We have one wounded man, and we have a boy who will soon be exhausted. If you don't obey me, I will have you flogged when we return to the boat. Do you understand?"

In the darkness, Sallina shook her head. Dan was flattering Garibaldi, and Garibaldi believed every word Dan said. Should she say something about making a stretcher?

"I hear your words," Baat said, "Now you hear mine. You laughed when you saw Yohiromaki, a great man of honor, alone with twenty men to fight. You laughed." Baat spat into the rain and mud. He shouted something in Kubla. Sallina did not understand what he said, but it sounded insulting.

Dan's light shone steadily on the road. Nobody said anything. Sallina remembered the first time Baat had insulted Dan, when they were on the ship, practicing with sticks. She was sure Dan had not forgotten that moment. What was he going to do this time?

"Because you ran out and fought," Dan said, "The police know we are on this road. And when they don't find us in Faith Town, they will come looking for us along the beaches."

The rain dripped down Sallina's face. She wondered what expression was on Dan's face right now. Was he angry? Was he thinking about how he was going to get his revenge upon them all that same night?

"It has been thirty years or more since I saw Yohiromaki fight. I wanted to watch him again. If you think he needed you to go out there and fight with him, Baat, you are a fool." He took a deep breath. "Now, listen to me, sailors, and listen good. Your only hope is the Reliant, and when we get back aboard, I'll see to it you are flogged for any, and I mean any, disobedience from now on."

"I might be disobedient on purpose, Dan," Garibaldi said, "The thought of a flogging will take my mind of this leg."

"Aye," Dan said, "That it would, lad. But don't be wishing a flogging on yourself. You don't know what it feels like until you've had one." He laughed. It was the laugh that Sallina did not like, the same laugh she heard him make several times in the Captain's cabin.

He walked off the road onto a cobbled street. After thirty steps, he shone his light to either side, and they saw the tavern with the lantern hanging outside. The lantern was dark, but it was the same tavern, and the same street. How did Dan know the buildings were there? Garibaldi shook his head. Maybe Dan could see in the dark.

The Cave

The street ended and the mud path through the fields began. They walked one behind the other, with Dan in front and Baat behind. The rain poured down. The path was covered with deep puddles. They splashed along as best they could. Dan's lamp was the only light they could see. The pain in Garibaldi's leg was so great that it was all he could think about. He forgot to ask Dan to take a rest. He did not even want to take a rest, because he could not even think about resting. He had to take one more step, and another, and another. When he put his crutch down, his wounded leg shuddered, and a stab of pain make him clench his teeth. The pain was less while he swung forwards on the crutch. He put his weight on his good leg. He clenched his teeth and put the crutch down. Another stab of pain. Now another step. Even if he could have thought about taking a rest, he would not have wanted to, because if he stopped, he would feel one long, unending pain from his leg, and that would be worse than walking. He preferred it this way: stab, relief, stab, relief.

Sallina was soaked to the skin. It seemed that no matter how good your rain jacket and trousers were, if you walked around in the rain all night, you would get wet. Her boots were full of water. Her feet hurt. She was sure they did not hurt as much as Garibaldi's leg, but they hurt enough that the pain, her exhaustion, and her confusion about what was going to happen next, made her cry all the way down the path to the cliff. Amid her tears, however, she did come to a decision. She decided to talk to Baat about Dan as soon as she could. She would tell him about the gold on the ship, and the things Dan had said, and ask him what he thought. Baat was the son of Sukh. She doubted that Dan would leave Baat behind. And she doubted that Baat would leave Sallina and Garibaldi behind. So things would probably be okay.

Sallina looked up. The wind was roaring ahead of them. The rain was blowing right into her face. A moment later, Dan stopped and shouted. "We're at the cliff! Come forward." He pointed his lamp at the ground in front of him. "Stand here!"

The five of them gathered in front of him. "I'm going to look over the cliff. Stay here and wait for me."

Dan pointed his light at Sallina's shoulder. The wind blew Sallina's hair out beside her head. Dan said something, but she could not hear him. "What?" she said.

Sallina let go of Dan's arm. How could she stop him leaving them if he wanted to? At least Baat was with them.

Dan walked ten steps to the edge of the cliff and looked out. He stood turning his head and cupping a hand over one hear. In his other hand he held his light, pointed at the ground. After a while, he came back.

"Garibaldi!" Dan said. He shone his light on Garibaldi's shoulder, so everyone could see Garibaldi's face. "How are you doing?"

Garibaldi's face was white. He blinked in the light. His lips moved, but they could not hear him. Sallina put and arm around him.

Baat and Sallina lay Garibaldi down. Sallina kneeled beside him. Dan took out a knife. Sallina had not seen his knife before. It was slightly curved, with a broad blade sharpened on both sides, and a vein running down the center. Dan cut off Garibaldi's bandage. Below was the awful opening in Garibaldi's leg. Blood dripped from the wound. She sobbed in dismay.

Garibaldi reached up and put his hand behind Sallina's neck. He pulled her gently towards him. She bent over and put her ear to his mouth. "I have been cut before," he said, "I chopped my leg with an axe. It was worse than this."

Sallina sat up. She held Garibaldi's hand in hers and squeezed it. Dan wrapped another bandage around the wound. Baat had his hand on Garibaldi's knee. Dan pulled the bandage and Garibaldi cried out in pain.

Dan tied the bandage and shone his light upon the ground. "Come close! All of you! Make a circle!"

They made a circle around Garibaldi and Dan. They crouched and spread out their jackets and cloaks. Their bodies blocked the wind, so they could hear Dan when he spoke.

"I have bad news," he said. "The waves are over two meters high. The rowboat won't be able to get in to shore."

Dan looked at her. "We have to hide until then. I think I know of a place. Follow me along the path towards the beach."

Chimeg spoke to Boli. When she was finished, Dan stood up. "Let's go." He pointed to Garibaldi. "Get him up. We need shelter."

They made their way along the path on top of the cliff, with the wind driving the rain into their cheeks. Sallina knew that Dan was right about the waves. The wind was what made waves, all the sailors agreed upon that, and this was a strong wind, so it would make big waves. What time was it? It must be far past midnight. How long until the sun came up?

They came to the stream where Dan had caught Sallina as she fell on their way out. Now the stream bed was full of noisy water. Dan pointed his light at the water. It was muddy and fast-moving. It flew over the edge of the cliff and down towards the sea, but the wind picked up a lot of it and threw it back onto their faces.

Dan stepped down into the water. It roared around his legs, coming up to his knees. "Garibaldi, come forward."

Dan helped Garibaldi across the stream and up the far bank. He pointed his light back down onto the water. "Now, the rest of you! Come on! Jump across it!"

They jumped across, one after the other. Sallina landed in the water at the other side, but she did not care. Her boots were already as wet as they could be. She crawled up the stream bank on her hands and feet. It was slippery. She was not sure how Garibaldi had managed to go up.

They continued along the path until Dan stopped. The path was set back from the cliff by about a hundred paces here, so the wind was not as loud. They gathered around him. He pointed his light at the path in front of them. It crossed another stream. This stream bed was wider, and full of pebbles.

Dan pointed towards the cliff. "The cliff here looks out over the beach, at the east end. This stream cuts a ravine in the cliff. I noticed it form the Reliant when we sailed past yesterday. The ravine is deep. We are going to go down the stream bed and hide in the ravine."

Dan looked from one of them to the other, pointing his light at their legs instead of into their faces. "Baat and Sallina, both of you help Garibaldi. Carry him if you have to."

"Follow me," Dan said. He turned down the pebbly stream bed and walked in the water towards the cliff.

The stream bed dropped quickly. After twenty paces, it had its own banks. Sallina understood why the path was far from the cliff here. The banks were too steep to climb down and up again.

Dan shouted over his shoulder. He had to shout again, because the noise of the wind was getting louder. "Slowly now! Slowly! Step, breath twice, step again!"

Garibaldi stumbled. Sallina and Baat caught him. His crutch was getting stuck between the pebbles. Dan was taking one step at a time, moving slowly, just like he had when he came up the stairs from the beach. After each step, he shined the light around him and behind him, so everyone, even Boli and Chimeg at the back, could see where they were going.

The ravine became deeper and deeper. Its walls were made of rock, and they rose straight up on either side, twice as tall as Baat. The wind roared above them, but down here between the walls of the ravine, it was weaker, and the rain less heavy.

The ravine turned to the right. Dan stopped and looked down. In front of him was empty space. He waited for the others to catch up. "There is a drop here. We have to go down. I will go down first." He pointed to Baat and Sallina. "You lower Garibaldi over the edge and hand him to me."

They helped Garibaldi down. Beyond the drop, the ravine bent back to the left again. The stream bed was about ten paces wide here, filled with rocks and pebbles. The walls were as high as trees on either side. The stream water flowed under the rocks. Sallina could hear it bubbling beneath her feet.

Dan pointed his light forward. There was nothing but black night in front of them. The ravine ended in the face of the cliff. He pointed his light at the right wall of the ravine. He was looking for something. Sallina was not sure what. She liked this place already. Without the wind, she was already feeling warmer, even though her clothes were soaked. Dan pointed his light at the left wall. "Aha! A bit of luck at last, sailors!"

There was a black hole in the left wall. It was about the height of a man and one pace wide. Dan walked to the hole and shone his light into the darkness beyond. He stepped inside. They saw his light flickering off stone walls. He stepped out. "Come inside! It's a cave!"

Dan stepped back into the cave. Boli and Chimeg walked to the opening and went inside. Sallina and Baat helped Garibaldi over the rocks. When they reached the mouth of the cave, they found that it was wide enough only for one person to step in at a time. Sallina went ahead, walking backwards so she could hold Garibaldi's arm. Baat came behind Garibaldi.

They stood together on the cave floor. Dan shone his light around the walls. The cave was five paces wide and ten paces deep. At the back, the floor sloped up towards the ceiling until the cave closed to a narrow crack. The ceiling itself was high enough in the center that Sallina could not reach it. The floor was smooth rock in places, and packed dirt in others. At the back of the cave, where the floor started to rise, was a black patch of rock with a circle of stones around it.

In one corner was a pile of sticks, planks and rope. The pile was waist-high and two paces wide. The sticks in the pile had no bark. The planks were bent and white. They looked as if they came from a wrecked ship.

There were ropes tangled with the wood. There were parts of rope ladders, which must have once been the shrouds of a sailing ship.

Dan smiled at her. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Either way, it's here, and I think your man could use some hot water and a fire." Dan turned to Boli and said something in Kubla. Boli nodded and sat in the mouth of the cave.

Sallina helped Garibaldi to an open space on the floor. He lay down with a sigh. She put her hand upon his forehead. Behind her, Dan said, "Two reasons. First, I don't trust you to obey orders. Second, children see well in the dark."

She turned to watch Baat and Dan. Dan stood beside the pile of wood and rope. In the darkness near the front of the cave, Baat clenched his fists. "I fight like man! You fight like snake!"

Baat pointed at her and said one word in Kubla. She put her head in her hands. Baat watched her. He looked at Sallina she shook her head. He took a few deep breaths and sat down beside her and Garibaldi. "I sorry I am angry."

Baat stared at Garibaldi's face. Garibaldi's eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply. He had the knee of his injured leg raised up and his hands upon his tummy. "He brave man, and strong."

Sallina pressed her lips together to stop herself from crying. After a moment she said, "I am scared, Baat."

Dan had placed his light on the ground between two stones so that it shone upon the ceiling. The light on the ceiling lit the cave well enough for Sallina to see Chimeg sitting near the cave mouth and Boli crouched just outside. Chimeg was watching Baat and Garibaldi. Boli was staring out into the darkness of the ravine.

Dan picked pieces of wood from the pile and placed them beside the fire circle. He made a pile of rope strands, a pile of large splinters, and a pile of broken planks. He rubbed his hands together. He knelt at the edge of the fire circle and put some strands of rope in the center. He placed splinters around and on top of the rope. His hands moved quickly. When he put a piece of wood on the pile, he did not touch it again. Sallina watched him with her head tilted to one side. It was strange to her, the way Dan did not stop to look at his pile of wood and move the sticks. She would have looked at the sticks and moved them to better places, just like her father, and just like Garibaldi.

Dan put a last piece of wood on the fire. He reached into his pack and took out a tiny box. From the box he took a match. He struck the match upon the cave floor. It burst into flame. He pushed the match between the sticks of his pile of wood. As soon as he had pushed the match into the straw, he turned away and picked up a cloth bundle. He unwrapped the bundle and held up a metal pot with no handle. With the pot held in one hand, he knelt down and blew into the center of his fire three times. The flames leapt up. He held out the pot to Sallina. "Go outside and fill this with fresh water."

Sallina stood up and took the pot. She looked down at it and felt its edges with her fingers. The walls and bottom of the pot were thin. It was light in her hand, no heavier than an egg. She had never seen such a pot before.

Sallina frowned and turned towards the cave mouth. "And while you're out there," Dan said, "Have a pee, or do a pooh if you need to. If you do a poo, cover it with with rocks. We don't want anyone stepping in it by accident when they go outside. And whatever you do, wash your hands afterwards in the water."

Sallina nodded and walked towards the cave mouth. Boli moved aside and she stepped out into the night. She stood in the rain, waiting for her eyes to become used to the dark. Why did Dan tell her to wash her hands after she did her toilet? What did he think she was, some kind of barbarian? She took a deep breath. There was no point in getting angry at him.

She still could not see. It was too dark. But she did need to pee. She moved along the wall of the ravine, towards the end. She leaned upon the wall with her left hand and held the pot in her right. After five steps, she stopped and looked back. She could not see the cave mouth, but she could see some light shining upon the wet stones of the stream bed. She pulled down her trousers and squatted against the wall. The rain fell upon her head and upon her knees. She closed her eyes. She forgot her worries. For a few moments, she was just glad to be alone and peeing.

She pulled up her trousers and walked a few steps to the middle of the ravine, where she could hear water running underneath the rocks. She moved some rocks aside until she felt cold, fresh water rushing around her hand. She rinsed her hands and her face. She washed the pot, too, and filled it with fresh water. She drank the water and filled the pot again.

He was kneeling beside Garibaldi. Garibaldi's eyes were open. He was staring at the circle of light on the ceiling. Dan's fire was burning brightly, and its warmth and orange light filled the cave.

Dan stood up and took the pot from Sallina. He picked up a metal handle. Somehow, the handle fitted onto the edge of the pot. He used the handle to place the pot right on top of the fire. It sank down onto the burning sticks. He picked up a metal plate and put it on top of the pot.

"Baat, go outside and to whatever you have to do. After that, Chimeg, you go, then Boli."

"He gets to go at the back of the cave, or if he can't move, he can pee in his helmet."

Sallina looked down at the policeman's helmet. It lay next to the broken spear on the floor beside Garibaldi. She kneeled down beside him and stroked his hair. She hoped very much that he did not have to pee in the helmet. She was sure that Garibaldi would be ashamed about that later.

Behind her, Baat said a word in Kubla. Boli answered. Sallina looked over her shoulder. Baat stepped out of the cave and into the darkness. Boli moved back into his place, looking out.

Sallina took off her wet jacket and lay it over a stone nearby. She unbuttoned Garibaldi's jacket and opened it. She could not hug him properly, because she did not want to touch his leg, with its knee up in the air. So she lay sideways upon him, with her head next to his neck, and put her arms on either side of him. "How's that?" she said.

"Good," he said, "I'm not going to die yet. But when I do die, I would like it to be like this."

Sallina closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his. While Sallina lay upon Garibaldi, trying to keep him warm, Baat came back into the cave. Chimeg went out, then Boli after her. Sallina could hear all this going on, but she could not see it. Baat said something to Chimeg. She did not answer.

Chimeg walked to the fire. It was crackling, and Sallina could feel the warmth of it on her back. She sat up. "Can we move Garibaldi nearer the fire?"

Dan lifted the pot of water. It was boiling. Sallina could see the steam rising. "No. Leave him where he is." He poured some water into a metal cup and stirred the water with his short, curved, double-bladed knife. He took the knife out of the water. The water slipped off the knife, leaving no drops on the blade. Sallina thought that was strange. Dan looked up at her. "Sit him up." He held up the cup of hot water. "Lean him against that rock there. I want him to drink this."

Baat left the cave entrance and walked to the fire. He and Sallina lifted Garibaldi until he was sitting up against a rock, facing the fire. Dan gave Garibaldi the metal cup, wrapped in a handkerchief. Garibaldi took the cup in both hands and held it against his chest.

Stitches

Dan pulled three planks from the pile of rope and wood, and put them on the fire. The fire was getting hot. The cave was warm. He took several shiny, thin, metal instruments from a metal box. It seemed to Sallina that Dan's pack must be full of shiny metal things, all wrapped up. He put the metal instruments and the metal box into his pot of water and put the pot back on the fire.

Baat crouched by the fire and looked into the pot. He shook his head. Dan ignored him.

Dan looked up at Baat. The fire cracked. A spark bounced across the cave floor and stopped near Garibaldi's leg. Garibaldi smiled at the spark. He raised his cup of hot water to his mouth and blew upon it.

"Okay," Dan said, "Go. When the sky starts to brighten, come inside. If you hear anyone, come inside."

Dan turned back to the fire. Baat walked to the cave mouth. Boli stood up and stepped out of the way. Baat walked out into the night. Sallina watched the mouth of the cave. It was black outside. What if the boat did come? How could Dan be so sure that the boat would not come?

She closed her eyes. There were so many things Dan was doing that did not make sense to her. The only way Dan could be sure that the rowboat was not coming was if Dan and the Captain had already agreed that, no matter what happened, the rowboat would not come. And if that was true, Dan and the Captain must have had some plan of their own, a secret plan. What was it? The cave was part of the plan. That's why they were here. That's why Dan knew the cave was here. Did Dan really expect Sallina to believe that he knew there was a good place to hide in this ravine, just by looking at the ravine from the deck of the Reliant yesterday?

She opened her eyes. Dan was stirring the instruments in his pot of water. The water was steaming. Dan looked over his shoulder at Garibaldi.

"Drink up. I want that hot water inside you. Then I'm going to see to that wound of yours."

Garibaldi nodded. He blew on the hot water again and took a sip. He smiled. "Sugar?"

Dan nodded. "Aye. Nothing but the best at Dan's Field Hospital for Wounded Woodcutters."

Garibaldi laughed. Sallina was surprised. She did not know that Garibaldi was still well enough to laugh. She was glad.

Sallina handed the helmet to Dan. He put it next to the fire. He took his instruments out of the pot of boiling water and placed them in the metal box. He picked up the pot with its handle and poured the water into the helmet. He had to hold the helmet while he did this, because it had a round bottom and would not stand up on its own.

"Chimeg," Dan said. "Sit in the cave mouth and watch. Tell Boli to come and sit by the fire and hold this against his tummy."

Boli came and sat in the light of the fire. He held the helmet with hot water tight to his tummy. He bent his legs up on either side of his hands, pressing his thighs against the helmet and his bare feet against the cave floor. His trouser-bottoms were pulled up to his calves. There was a bloody cut on one of his shins. The ankle of his other leg was swollen and blue. He was shivering. His hair was wet and hanging down over his forehead. His lips were blue and his fingers were white. Sallina looked into his eyes and he looked back. His eyes were large. They looked straight into hers without blinking. His skin was dark and smooth. He smiled. He was a handsome boy. Did Chimeg love him instead of Baat? No, that was impossible. Boli was just a boy. But maybe Boli loved Chimeg.

Garibaldi drank the last of his sugar-water. He put the cup on the ground beside him. "Another one, please, Mr. Landlord."

Dan picked up the cup and put it by the fire. He gave Sallina the pot. "Fill this up again." He picked up his box of instruments and crouched beside Garibaldi. Sallina stood up. She put her jacket on and started doing up its buttons.

"Well now, my lad," Dan said, "I'll bring you another cup soon enough, but first you have to give me some entertainment."

Garibaldi nodded. "Do your worst." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the top of the rock.

Sallina's heart was pounding. She looked at Garibaldi. He was too weak to get angry at Dan for speaking to her like this. She did not want to leave him alone. She looked at Dan. He stared up at her. There was no expression upon his face. His face was like that of the man with white hair. There was no feeling in it. She shivered. Was that how his face looked when he used to kill people for money?

Sallina turned and walked towards the cave mouth. There was no point in disobeying Dan. She had no doubt that he could beat her in a fight. Even though he was a skinny, old man, she was frightened of him. But Baat was not frightened of Dan. Baat was so quick and skillful. Surely Baat could beat Dan in a fight? The sailors on the Reliant did not seem to think so. They were worried for Baat when Baat had insulted Dan on the ship's deck. But they had never seen Baat fight for real, like he fought in Diamara's garden.

Sallina went out into the darkness. Not even the Captain knew how good Baat was in a fight. Whatever secret plan Dan and the Captain had made, they had not planned for Baat being so good with his sticks. They did not know that Baat could protect them from Dan. She moved down the ravine. She stepped slowly on the rocks.

Where was he? What had happened to him? Had he fallen off the end of the ravine in the dark? Were there people in the ravine waiting to kill her? She crouched down, holding the pot in one hand.

Rain stung Sallina's face. The rocks pressed hard against her knees and shins. Surely Baat must be there. She needed him.

He was only five steps away. She crawled over the rocks towards his voice. She felt his hand upon her head. He was sitting with his back against the ravine wall, just one step from where the ravine ended at the cliff. The wind was roaring above them and the waves were crashing below them on the beach. She pushed herself up against the rock next to him, and pressed her side against his.

It was cold, sitting on the wet rocks in the rain. And it was noisy too. This was not a good place to talk. But she and Baat were alone, and she wanted to tell him about Dan. How should she begin? Should she start with Dan saying it will be a shame to lose you?

She stared into the darkness. Lightening flashed far away. She counted slowly. When she reached fifteen, she heard thunder. Fifteen divided by three was five. The lightening was five kilometers away.

Above the sound of the waves and the wind, she heard Garibaldi scream. She jumped up and started running towards the cave. Baat came after her. She fell and struck her knee on a rock. She stood up and kept running. She fell again and bruised her hand. Baat helped her to her feet. She ran forward and bumped into Chimeg in the cave mouth. Chimeg fell backwards, but caught herself with one hand against the cave wall. Sallina stumbled into the cave.

Dan was crouched beside Garibaldi. His light was in his teeth and shining upon Garibaldi's leg. He had a needle and thread in his hand. He was sewing the sides of Garibaldi's cut together. He paid no attention to Sallina. She stood panting with Baat behind her. Garibaldi opened his eyes and looked at her. He had a piece of wood in his mouth. He was biting upon it.

The sewing needle Dan was using was like a fish-hook. It bent around in a loop. The thread was thick and shiny in the light of his luminous stone. Dan's fingers moved quickly. Each time he pushed the needle into Garibaldi's skin, Garibaldi grunted and bit upon the piece of wood. Dan said nothing. He could not say anything because he had his light in his mouth.

Dan was not sewing. He was making loops of thread and tying each of them separately. He tied one loop after another, his fingers moving fast. She stood and watched, her eyes wide and her mouth half-open. She counted the stitches.

The ninth stitch was the last. Dan pulled it tight, tied the knot, and cut off the extra thread with his knife. He put his instruments in their metal box, took the lamp out of his mouth, and stood up. He breathed deeply and put his hands upon his lower back. "Oh my."

Dan stared at the ceiling and stretched his arms. "Oh, he's fine. It's me I'm worried about. I'm too old to bend over like that for so long."

Garibaldi took the piece of wood out of his mouth. His face was pale. "Can I have my hot sugar water now?"

Sallina felt sick. She had dropped the pot outside. She stared at Dan and said nothing. Dan bent down and picked up his light. He handed it to Sallina. "Take this. Find the pot. Fill it, and bring it back. No chatting outside with Baat. No shouting. Got it?"

Sallina nodded. She took the light and left the cave. It was easy to walk with the light. And what a marvelous thing the light was. It was cool and hard in her hand, but it shed bright white light in a circle.

She shone the light upon the rocks of the ravine floor. Towards the end of the ravine something sparkled. It was Dan's pot. She smiled. That was easy. She walked to the pot and picked it up.

When she was carrying the pot back to the cave, full of water, she looked up. Was it still dark? She pressed the end of Dan's light to her leg, covering it. She stared at the sky. No, the sky was not dark. It was brightening. The sun was rising somewhere, above the clouds, far away.

Baat was sitting at the entrance of the cave. Sallina stepped past him. Chimeg and Boli were beside the fire. Garibaldi was lying on the floor. Dan took the pot of water and the lamp. He put the lamp in his pocket and the pot on the fire. The coals of the fire were hot and bright. She looked at the space where the pile of wood had been. There was none left. When the fire died, the cave would get cold again.

She knelt beside Garibaldi. He had a fresh bandage on his leg. She touched the bandage. "Does it feel better?"

"I'm going outside," Dan said, "Chimeg, watch the water." He pointed at Garibaldi. "Make a hot drink for Garibaldi."

Dan smiled at her. "Oh, you'll need some time to talk to Baat while I'm gone, won't you?"

Sallina stared at him. Had he heard them talking outside? That was impossible. The wind was too loud. She looked at Garibaldi. His eyes were closed. Had Garibaldi said something to Dan? What could he have said? She had not spoken to Garibaldi about Dan.

When she looked up again, Dan was stepping outside. Baat watched him go. She sat next to Garibaldi. She did want to talk to Baat. But she would not do it now, not when Dan thought she was going to do it. She squeezed Garibaldi hand. His hand felt warm. It was getting smokey in the cave. She looked up at the ceiling. There was a cloud of smoke there. Where was it all going? She watched it. The smoke moved towards the back end of the cave, and into the crack in the ceiling. Where did it go after that? It must come out somewhere. She leaned her head against Garibaldi's shoulder and closed her eyes. He was breathing deeply.

When Sallina opened her eyes, her neck was stiff and her back hurt. She sat up and stretched her neck from side to side. Daylight shone through the mouth of the cave. It was sunny outside. The light was so bright she could not look at the cave mouth without squinting. Boli had his head in Chimeg's lap. They were asleep next to the fireplace. They had Baat's cloak pulled up over them as a blanket. The fire had burned out, but the rock around it was warm. Baat was sitting nearby, on the other side of Garibaldi, closer to the cave mouth than Sallina. He was awake and staring at the entrance of the cave.

Sallina tried to get up. Her left hip hurt. When did that happen? She fell when she stopped in front of the policemen. Her right knee hurt. She had fallen when she was running back to the cave in the dark. When she tried to use her left hand to help herself stand up, she felt a stab of pain. She could not use it. When did that happen? Also when she was running back to the cave. Why had she not felt the pain when it happened?

Baat looked at her. He nodded but did not smile. Sallina turned on her side, moved into a crouch and rose to her knees. She put her right hand upon the rock that Garibaldi was leaning against, and stood up. She winced. Her feet hurt all over. Her eyes were used to the sunlight now. She stared at the bright light outside, shining upon the walls of the ravine. She must have slept for at least three hours, but not more than that. The ravine walls were still wet from the rain.

Dan was sitting next to a rock just inside the cave. How was it that she had not seen him before? He had his cloak drawn about him. It was not the same color as the other rocks in the cave, but it had fallen about him in the shape of a rock. He did not move.

She needed to pee. She walked to Dan. He looked up at her and smiled. "Sleep well Miss?"

He shook his head and pointed to the back of the cave. She looked at the back of the cave. Fine, she would pee at the back of the cave. She walked over the rocks, past the fireplace to the shadows at the back. She found a crack in the floor. She pulled her trousers down and peed on the crack in the floor. She looked down to make sure her pee was going into the crack. It was. She watched her companions in the cave. Nobody looked at her. Baat was sharpening the end of his spear with a flat rock. Next to him on the ground was his helmet.

When she was finished, she stood up and buttoned her trousers. She was glad she did not have to poo. She would be embarrassed to poo in the cave. What if it was really smelly? She did not have any paper or water to clean her bottom, either. She had her canteen and Garibaldi's in her pack, but she had not filled them last night. She had forgotten. Dan's pot was next to the fire with water in it, and his cup too.

Baat sat up. He stared at the cave mouth without moving. Dan held his fingers to his lips and moved back into the shadows. Something was wrong. Sallina stood still and listened. There were voices outside.

The voices grew louder. Sallina crawled on her hands and knees from the back of the cave. She did not want to trip and make a noise. When she was near the entrance, she stopped. The voices were still far away. She guessed that they were on the path at the top of the ravine. She was surprised that she could hear them so clearly. The wind must have stopped, or else it would blow the voices away. They were mens' voices. There were at least ten of them, maybe fifty. She could not make out what any one of them was saying, but she could hear them talking among themselves and occasionally laughing or shouting. She heard the tramping of their boots on the path, and the crunch of the rocks in the stream bed where it crossed the path.

She had been holding her breath. Now she let it out. Whoever it was, they were not coming down the ravine. The voices grew quieter. Dan sat still, watching. Sallina sat down next to Baat. He held his spear and the sharpening stone in one hand. The three of them sat like that for what seemed like a long time. The only sound in the cave was Garibaldi breathing and the distant crashing of the waves on the beach.

Dan stood up and crossed the cave to Sallina and Baat. He squatted down in front of them so his face was level with theirs. "Policemen. About thirty of them, heading for the stairs down to the beach. They may search the beach from the top of the stairs, looking down, or they may go down the stairs and search it properly. If they come back and search here, we will have to fight. I'll wake you up for that. But for now, both of you get some rest."

Sallina nodded. How could they fight thirty policemen? They would be trapped in the cave. There was no way out.

Dan returned to the cave mouth and sat down. Sallina crossed her arms. While Baat sharpened his spear, she thought about the best way to explain to Baat why it was she did not trust Dan to take them all back to the ship. She closed her eyes. She was so tired.

She opened her eyes and blinked. She must have fallen asleep again. Baat was sitting in the cave entrance, frowning at his spear point. Dan was sitting next to the pile of rope in the corner with his back to her. There was a coil of rope beside him on the floor. It was made of several pieces of thick rope tied together. There were many knots in it. He had his little, curved knife in one hand and a piece of frayed rope in the other. He folded the rope over the blade. The blade cut through the rope without a sound. Garibaldi, Chimeg, and Boli were asleep. Now was a good time to talk to Baat. She moved across the floor to the entrance and sat beside him.

"Garibaldi and I have one thousand guineas on the Reliant. It is in the Captain's chest."

You and I know that this was not exactly true. Half of their money was in the form of furs she had bought from Baat's father. But Sallina wanted to keep her story simple. She leaned close to Baat's ear. "If we don't get back to the ship, that gold will belong to the Captain."

"If we don't get back to the ship," Sallina said. "Dan will be able to sleep in his cabin again."

Baat looked at the floor. His mouth hung open. Sallina had never seen him let his mouth hang open before. He blinked. He looked at Sallina. "One thousand guineas?"

Sallina thought for a moment. Ten times ten was a hundred. Ten times a hundred was a thousand. "Yes. Ten times ten times ten."

Baat put one hand in his hair and pulled on it. He stared at the floor. He put his hand on his lap and looked at Sallina. "Why not you tell me?"

Baat looked at Dan. Dan did not turn around. He was looking at a piece of white-stained rope. A shadow fell across the cave mouth. A seagull called outside, and the shadow was gone. For a moment, Sallina had been frightened, but when she heard the gull's call, she smiled. The call reminded her of being on the Reliant.

Sallina frowned. "No, I'm not crazy." This conversation was not going as she had expected. Why was Baat getting angry at her? He should be angry at Dan.

Baat shook his head and clenched his teeth. He looked at Chimeg. Sallina waited for him to say something. He leaned towards her. "They trick us."

Sallina breathed out. He understood what she was saying after all. "That's what I thought. I have been trying to talk to you about it."

Baat squeezed his knee with one hand. "I am stupid boy. You see now? How silly to bring you and Garibaldi and Dan. How silly. Why not me only, with sword. I get Chimeg. I come back." He stared at her. "You see?"

Sallina nodded. Baat tapped his head with one finger. "If you tell me about gold. I think and I know. But you not tell me."

"Today police will come. Big fight. Dan run away. We stay. Boat come get him tomorrow, maybe next day."

"When Dan go outside. You are sleeping." Baat said, "I hear him talking. He talking to policemen."

"I cannot understand. I hear he laugh. He come back, he smiling. He bring water. He say he hide marks of feet on rocks." Sallina waited for Baat to say more. His mouth was still next to her ear. He breathed upon her neck. Maybe he was trying to figure out how to say something in Weilandic. "Not make sense, Dan is. Feet not make marks on rocks. He make plan with policeman. They come get us. He go back boat. Captain keep money. Dan get cabin."

Sallina put her head in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? Ephistra warned them didn't he? That lovely, kind, old man in the forest. He warned her and Garibaldi. Don't trust anyone with the gold. And just because the Captain had been polite to her, she had trusted him.

Sallina looked up. Baat was pointing at Dan. She looked at Dan's back. "Yes. I know. He is an assassin."

Baat nodded. "Yes. My father tell me. He called manchurin, I don't know in your talk."

They watched Dan. He put the white rope aside and reached for another piece. "That knife kill many people."

Sallina shuddered. How could such a small knife kill many people? She closed her eyes. She did not want to think about it. After a while, she said, "But he's not going to kill us."

Sallina stared at the floor. Were she and Garibaldi going to be slaves? "But your father will be angry if you do not come home."

"Sukh will come and get you himself," Sallina said, "Then he will know the truth."

Baat picked up his spear and looked at Dan. "I am ready. He not kill me." He put his hand on Sallina's knee. "You help Garibaldi. He strong. He can walk. I keep you safe."

Dan sat up and turned around. He stood and stretched his arms. "Ah." He looked around. "I'm tired." He pointed his finger at Baat. "You should be looking out the cave mouth and listening for policemen, not talking to the young lady."

Sallina thought about what they would do if the police came looking for them. How could Baat save them? Perhaps if they had the man with white hair with them, they would be able to defeat the policemen. But not Baat on his own. And if Dan turned to fight Baat also, what then? She shook her head. She could not think clearly. She moved back to her place next to Garibaldi, leaned upon the cave wall, and closed her eyes.

A movement beside her woke her up. She looked around. Dan was kneeling beside Garibaldi. Garibaldi was eating a piece of bread. Seeing the bread, Sallina felt hungry. Her mouth began to water.

"Here," Dan said. He gave her a piece of dried meat, a lump of cheese, and a piece of bread.

"Thank you," she said. She put the cheese in her mouth. It was cheese from the Reliant. She liked it very much. Today it tasted better than ever.

Chimeg and Boli were still sleeping. Dan put food on his plate and set the plate beside them. Baat was awake, but he was not eating. He was sitting next to the cave mouth, watching the ravine. Sallina finished her cheese and ate her bread. The bread was delicious also, even though it was a bit wet. It was baked by Pops. She could tell from how it tasted. When she finished the bread, she looked at the small piece of dried meat. It was beef jerky. She bit a piece off and chewed. She closed her eyes so she could enjoy it better. She was still hungry when she finished her beef jerky. She took her canteen out of her pack and drank from it. It was half-full, which was better than empty.

Sallina stood up. Every part of her body seemed to hurt. Sleeping against the cave rocks was not good for her. "At the back. I'll help you."

She helped Garibaldi stand up. He had his spear shaft in one hand. They walked to the back of the cave. Sallina pointed to the crack in the floor. "There."

Garibaldi peed against the wall above the crack. His pee ran down the wall and disappeared. He closed his eyes.

"Ah," he said, "That's better." Sallina giggled. Garibaldi opened his eyes. "What?"

Garibaldi buttoned up his pants while standing on one leg. "Okay, I'll remember."

Sallina felt foolish. She was hoping that Garibaldi would say he loved her too, but of course he didn't. He never said things like that when she expected him to, only when she was not expecting him to. She helped him back to his place and helped him lie down. Chimeg and Boli were still asleep.

"No, you go inside." Dan pointed at the back of the cave. "Back there, like everyone else."

Baat stared at Dan. He walked to the back of the cave. Dan moved to the cave mouth and watched the ravine. Baat stood at the back of the cave. Sallina looked out the cave mouth at the sunshine. She did not hear any sound of Baat peeing. After a while, Baat came back and sat down near the entrance. He was frowning. Dan laughed. "Having problems, Baat?"

"This is what adventures are all about, you know," Dan said. "Hiding in caves, peeing in front of other people. Get used to it. Just don't pee in your trousers. Your father would not be proud of you." He laughed again and looked outside.

Baat held the shaft of his spear tightly in his hands. His eyes were red. Someone giggled on the other side of the cave. Sallina looked up. It was Chimeg. She had her hand over her mouth. Baat stared at her, frowning. She took her hand from her mouth and reached out to him. She said something in Kubla. Baat turned his head away. Chimeg looked down at Boli's head. Boli was still sleeping in her lap. She moved a corner of Baat's cloak so it covered Boli's bare feet. Nobody said anything. Garibaldi was snoring. Sallina lay down beside him and closed her eyes. The sun was warm outside, and the floor of the cave was warm from the fire.

Sallina dreamed she was being dragged away from Garibaldi. He was weak and did not know she was being taken away. In her dream, Sallina tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. She sat up and opened her eyes. She was awake. She was in the cave. Garibaldi was beside her. The sun was shining outside. The shadows had moved since she last looked out at the ravine. Warm air was blowing in through the cave mouth. She was breathing deeply.

Dan was sitting near the cave entrance. He had dark rings under his eyes. He seemed older than usual. He shook his head. "No."

Baat stepped into the mouth of the cave. The sun shone upon his head. Dan was no longer sitting down. He was standing up. Sallina did not see him stand up. One moment he was sitting by the cave entrance looking old and tired and the next moment he was standing behind Baat. He hit Baat on the back of the neck with the side of his hand. Baat fell, as if his legs had turned soft. His body crumpled up like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Dan grabbed the neck of Baat's leather shirt as Baat fell. Baat's spear scraped against the cave wall. Boli sat up. Chimeg opened her eyes and stared. Dan dragged Baat into the cave and dropped him on the dirt floor. Sallina put her hands to the sides of her face. "No," she whispered.

Dan wiped his hands against one another. He looked at Sallina and smiled. "Yes."

The Cliff

Chimeg rushed to Baat. He lay upon the floor of the cave. He was not moving and his eyes were closed. Chimeg knelt beside him and lifted his head in her hands. She was talking in her own language, saying Baat's name over and over. Dan sat down in the cave mouth and looked out.

Garibaldi sat up. Boli pressed himself against the the wall of the cave, staring at Baat and Chimeg with wide eyes. Sallina crawled across the floor to Baat. Chimeg put her ear next to Baat's mouth and listened. She sat up and started crying. She saw Baat's spear and picked it up. Sallina thought Chimeg was going to attack Dan, so she grabbed the shaft of the spear, "No."

Sallina let go. Chimeg held the shiny steel blade of the spear next to Baat's mouth and nose. She laughed and pointed to the blade. There was a patch of mist upon it. The mist meant that Baat was breathing. Chimeg rolled up Baat's cape and put it under his head. She arranged his arms and legs so he would be comfortable. Then she lay on the floor with her head upon his chest. Sallina could see tears dripping out of Chimeg's eyes and onto Baat's shirt.

Dan sat as he had been all day, looking out at the ravine from the shadows of the cave entrance.

Sallina knelt beside him. "Baat tried to go outside. Dan hit him and knocked him out."

Garibaldi nodded. He lay back down on the ground. He breathed deeply. He touched his wound with one hand. "Just do what Dan tells you to do." He closed his eyes.

Sallina stared at Garibaldi. Should she tell him about what Baat had said? Garibaldi was in pain. He could not use his leg. If she did tell him, what could he do about it? All he would be able to do is worry. She stood up and went to sit beside Boli. He looked into her eyes. "It's okay," she said. She put her hand upon his head.

And so they sat, waiting. Seagulls called outside. The shadows moved slowly. The color of the sun went from yellow to pink. Chimeg sat up and stroked Baat's hair. Dan said, "There are men on the beach. They're looking for us."

Sallina nodded. She did not know what to say. Baat opened his eyes. Chimeg moved away from him. He sat up and rubbed his head. He looked around. Dan smiled at him. "Feeling better?" Dan said, "I thought you needed some rest. You were up all night."

Baat shook his head. He moved backwards, and sat against the cave wall. He looked down at his trousers and then at the other people in the cave. Dan laughed. "I reckon you relieved yourself, too. I bet that feels better. I did you two services in one."

Baat ran his fingers through his hair. "I not understand you speak," he said. Chimeg picked up his spear and held it out towards him. He stood it against the cave wall beside him. She picked up his helmet, which was lying nearby, and put it beside his feet. He took it and set it beside the spear.

The light outside faded. The sun was setting. The ravine glowed pink and then grew dark. Sallina sat beside Baat. Chimeg sat beside Boli. The boy put his arms around her and held his head next to her tummy. Baat stared at the floor.

After a moment, Sallina noticed that Baat smelled like pee. Poor fellow, she thought. He must be so ashamed. What could she say to him to make him feel proud of himself again? She could not think of anything, so she just sat there.

"Your share of the food is on the plate there," Dan said to Chimeg. "It's for you and the boy."

Chimeg picked up the plate, and she and the boy ate the food. When they were finished, they picked up Dan's cup and shared the water. Sallina leaned close to Baat's ear and whispered, "Dan says he heard men on the beach. He says they are looking for us down there."

Now it was dark in the cave, and almost dark outside. This day had been the first of September. It was twenty-eight days ago that the Reliant had dropped anchor off Independence Island for the first time, and there had been a crescent moon for the first hour of the night. So there must be a crescent moon in the sky again tonight. In an hour or two it would follow the sun below the horizon, and there would be only the stars.

"I must be careful with my light," Dan said. "I don't want anyone to see us up here."

Nobody answered him. Garibaldi was sleeping. Sallina rested her head on the cave wall and closed her eyes. She tried to figure out a way to get her and Garibaldi away from here. The Endeavor had sailed to Faith Town to do business with the junk from Chiin. Surely the crew of the Endeavor would welcome them aboard? Jacqueline was on the Endeavor. She would welcome them. And once they were on board the Endeavor, they would be safe from Dan, and the Captain would not be able to keep their gold. But how could she get Garibaldi to Faith Town? Dan would not let anyone leave the cave. And even is she did leave the cave, how would she find the way in the dark, without Dan's light? Even if she knew the way, would Garibaldi be able to walk that far? She must have fallen asleep, because it was absolutely dark in the cave when she opened her eyes.

It's time, Sallina thought. Her chest felt tight. It was hard for her to breath. She wanted to sit up, but her body felt weak. She forced herself to take a deep breath. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees. When she opened them agin, Dan stood in the middle of the cave with his light in one hand and his coil of thick, old, rope over one shoulder. Baat sat near the cave entrance. "You say no light. Now you make light."

Dan did not answer. He looked at Sallina. "Wake up Garibaldi and get him to sit up." He shook Chimeg's knee. "Wake up." Chimeg opened her eyes and blinked. Boli sat up and did the same.

"Wake up, Garibaldi," Sallina said. She held the top of his arm and rocked him a little. He opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling. He looked at Sallina. He smiled. "Time to go?"

Sallina took Garibaldi's hand and helped him stand. He leaned on her for a moment, and then reached out for the cave wall and leaned upon that instead. He smiled. "Okay, ready to go."

Dan looked at everyone in turn. "Okay. We're going to climb down to the beach from the end of the ravine. We're not going to take the stairs. There's a chance the policemen are watching the stairs." He put his hand on his coil of rope. "This rope is thick enough that we can climb down the cliff with it. I tied knots in it to help us get down. But it's not long enough to get us all the way down. We have to climb down half-way. There is a ledge for us to stand on half-way down. I saw it this morning. The climb is not difficult, but we have to do it in the dark. We can't use my light while we are climbing, or we will be seen."

Dan looked at Garibaldi. "The climb is going to hurt you. Your wound may open up. But you're going to do it. You have strong arms. You can climb down with your arms and one leg."

Sallina looked at the fireplace. Dan had put all his metal things away. Her canteen was no longer on the floor, and her pack was next to the cave mouth. Dan had cleaned everything up and put the packs out ready for them to go.

Dan smiled. "I will go down first. You will follow. I will go back up again, untie the rope, drop it down to you, and climb down myself without a rope."

Sallina thought about it. The plan sounded good to her. If Dan said that he could climb down on his own, she was sure he could do it. He would go up to the top. She looked at Baat. He looked back at her. What if Dan untied the rope at the top, pulled it up, and left them there on the ledge, half-way up the cliff?

"Oh really?" Dan said, "You can come with me, or you can stay here. Which is it going to be? Because I am going now, and I have the rope."

Baat picked up his spear and put his helmet on. From underneath the helmet he stared at Dan. Dan shone his light straight into Baat's face. Baat blinked. Dan turned the light away.

Garibaldi looked around. He raised one eyebrow. His face was pale in the dim light. Sallina thought he looked confused and stupid. "I'm not going to stay here."

"Baat? Coming or going? If you come, you have to leave your spear behind. I don't want you climbing down the cliff with it. You can put your helmet in your pack, but don't wear it while you're climbing."

Baat stared at the floor. He thumped the butt of his spear upon the rock. He looked up at Dan, "I come. But I say to you now, if you trick us, I kill you. If I not kill you, my father kill you."

Sallina stared at Dan. His mouth was shut tight. The light was dim, but she thought his eyes were red, also. She looked down at the hand that held his light. It was clenched tight. She looked at Garibaldi. He was going with Dan. She was not going to stay behind on her own, that was for sure. But she wanted to say something to Dan, something that would make him change his mind about tricking them and leaving them on the ledge.

Dan held up his hand. "No. I'm not asking for your opinion, or any speech about me and what you think I should do. I'm asking you for a yes or no answer. That's all. Now give it to me. Are you coming with us or are you staying behind?"

Sallina clenched her fists at her side. Tears welled in her eyes. She looked down at the cave floor. "Going," she said, but it was hard for her to speak clearly because she was trying not to cry.

"I'll come with you." She turned away. Garibaldi held her close to his chest. She put her arms around him.

"Stop crying," Dan said, "You will have the rest of your life to think about how you acted here, right now, in this cave. You made your choice, now let's go."

He walked towards the cave mouth. Garibaldi whispered in Sallina's ear, "I don't know what is going on here. I was asleep. But we have to go with him."

Dan stepped outside. Baat picked up his pack and followed him. Chimeg and Boli went after Baat. Sallina helped Garibaldi across the cave. She picked up her pack and put it on her back. The pack was was full and heavy. Garibaldi's pack was still inside hers. The pack was not comfortable, but she did not take time to adjust it. Dan's light was moving away from the cave. She wanted to stay close to the light so Garibaldi would be able to see better. She put her arm around him. He leaned upon her. Together they stepped out of the cave. Garibaldi no longer had the second bandage holding his heel up off the ground. When he hopped on the rocks of the ravine, he groaned.

Dan put his light away. The wind was gentle. The sky was clear. The moon was gone. By the light of the stars, she could see the walls of the ravine. Dan was moving slowly, taking a step, waiting, and taking another step. When Sallina and Garibaldi reached end of the ravine, they looked over the edge. Sallina could not see the waves below, but she could hear them. The sea was black and the sand was gray. She could see the beach to her left, but not to her right. The staircase, and the place where the rowboat was supposed to pick them up, was to her right. But the cliff jutted out on that side and hid the beach from view.

Dan was tying the end of his rope around the trunk of a small tree growing a few paces back from the edge of the cliff. When he was done, he stood up. "Sit down, all of you." They sat down. He let the rope over the edge of the cliff. "I'm going down. Let your eyes get used to the starlight. Watch me go down if you can. Watch me with the corners of your eyes. The corners of your eyes see better in the dark than the middles."

He took the rope in both hands and walked backwards over the edge, holding the rope with his arms straight. He leaned back until he was standing sideways with his feet on the cliff. He took one step backwards, and another. At each step, he moved one arm past the other and held the rope farther down. The starlight was dim, but they could see him moving. Sallina looked to one side: she could see him better with the edges of her eyes, and especially when he moved. Soon, however, he was no more than a dim shadow, and a little while later, she could not see him at all. But she kept watching the darkness.

Baat crawled over the rocks and pulled on the rope. It was loose. "He not climbing."

"I got to the rope first, so I get to go first. You wait here. Hold the top of the rope in one hand. When I get to the bottom, I'll let go and tug on it so you'll know it's time for you to come down."

Garibaldi held the rope and stood on the edge of the cliff. He used both legs as he stepped backwards. The rope was thick and stiff. He put one hand around a knot, and held on tight with the other hand. He leaned back. He felt a stab of pain in his wounded leg. He tried to keep it straight, but it bent anyway. His other leg slipped and he fell towards the cliff.

Garibaldi did not let go of the rope. He held it with both hands. His knees hit the cliff. His forehead struck the cliff and he saw an explosion of white stars. His arms were stretched out and he was hanging by the rope. He blinked. He bent his good leg and put it on the rock. He pushed himself away from the cliff. He looked up. A face was looking down at him.

"Yes." He blinked. Something was dripping into his eye. It must be blood. He looked up. "Don't shout again, please."

Garibaldi looked down. He waited, hanging there on the rope, until he felt less dizzy. He wiped his forehead against the top of his jacket sleeve. That hurt, but he wanted to get the blood out of his eyes. He looked down. He put a little weight on his wounded leg. Pain stabbed through his thigh. He moved one arm down below the other. The rope was thick, but holding onto it was hard, much harder than he had expected. The rope hurt his hands. He took another deep breath. He just had to go slowly.

He did go slowly, one step at a time. After the tenth step, he was finding it easier to move down the rope. He lost count of his steps by the time he heard Dan's voice below him. "I'm here." Garibaldi put his good leg on the ledge and stood up. Dan found his hand in the darkness and shook it. "Well done," he said.

Garibaldi sat down a few steps from the rope. The waves were louder now. He looked up at the stars and stretched out his leg. He rubbed his wound with one hand, but that hurt, so he stopped. He closed his eyes and listened to the waves. They were not big waves. The beach was not far below, but still too far to jump.

Dan opened his jacket and wrapped it close around their two heads. He shone his light upon Garibaldi's forehead. "I see."

"Good idea. I forgot about a signal. I'm glad you decided to get on with it. I'll pull on the rope."

Garibaldi nodded. That was good. He closed his eyes. Dan was rustling around in his pack. Small rocks fell down and landed on the ledge.

"Move your head forward," Dan said. He wrapped a bandage around Garibaldi's head, covering the cut on his forehead. "Done."

"So am I," Dan said. Someone was right above them on the rope now. Garibaldi could hear whoever it was breathing as they climbed. It sounded like Sallina.

Boli came down next, then Chimeg. Sallina held the rope. It went loose. Something rustled above them and came rushing down past the ledge. The rope went tight in Sallina's hands. She started pulling it up onto the ledge.

"Baat is climbing down without the rope," Sallina said. "He threw the rope off the top and now I'm pulling it up again."

Sallina pulled the end of the rope onto the ledge and put it in a pile at her feet. She stretched out her fingers. Her hands hurt from climbing down. A few times, on the way down, she thought she would not be able to hold on.

"Move close to the cliff," Dan said. "If he falls, it's best he doesn't land on one of us."

They stood against the cliff, except for Garibaldi, who stayed sitting down. They waited. The waves washed against the beach below. A breeze ruffled their hair. A single cloud, drifted across the stars, blotting them out and revealing them as it went.

Sallina folded her arms and smiled. Because Baat was climbing down on his own, Dan would not be able to climb away and leave them on the ledge without a rope. It was Baat's idea to drop the rope down. When Sallina asked how he could climb down without a rope, he said "I am son of Sukh." So, she had agreed to his plan, and now she was glad of it. Dan had not said anything, which must mean that Dan did not know what to do next. If only she and Baat could think faster than Dan, they would be able to get to the beach, and when the rowboat came, she was sure that the sailors would not leave them behind. It may be that the Captain and Dan wanted to leave them behind, but not Pops, not Otis, not Jasper, and not Sharpy.

Nobody answered. No more rocks fell from above. They heard no sound except the washing of the waves on the beach and the hiss of the breeze against the cliff.

"I think he's stuck," Dan said. "There's an overhang about half-way down. It's no problem with a rope, but free-climbing it would be hard."

Sallina stared up into the darkness. She could see the cliff as a black wall taking up half the sky. The stars shone in the other half. She could not see Baat. She was sure he had started climbing down, because she heard rocks falling after Baat dropped the rope. Dan must be right. Baat was stuck.

"You tell me, Miss," Dan said, "It was your bright idea to have him climb down instead of me. You tell me what you're going to do about it."

Sallina stood and thought. She could not climb up to the top of the cliff and tie the rope there again. She closed her eyes. Surely there must be something she could do to help Baat?

Sallina picked up the pile of rope and held it to her chest. It was heavy. Parts of it hung down to her knee. Baat's plan had gone wrong. But that did not mean that she should give the rope to Dan. So far they had stopped Dan from leaving them behind.

Sallina held out the rope with both hands. What else could she do? She could not leave Baat on the cliff alone.

Sallina felt him take the rope. She let go. Part of the rope fell to the ground. Sallina pressed herself against the cliff.

"What a mess," Dan said. He crouched on the ground, and began untangling the rope and coiling it up in the starlight.

Dan did not answer. It took him a full minute to coil the rope. He put it over his shoulder.

"I'm going now. I'll have to climb up to the top and tie the rope. That will take me ten minutes. Baat will climb down. I'll pull the rope up and climb down myself."

"Why don't you drop the rope down," Sallina said, "And then climb down. Won't it be easier to climb without the rope?"

Dan did not answer. He grabbed the cliff with both hands, put the tip of his boot on the rock, and stepped up. He put another foot on the cliff, moved a hand, and stepped higher. Sallina watched him. He took a step up the cliff with every few seconds. He made it look easy. No rocks fell down. He made no sound. When he was about five arm-lengths up, Sallina could no longer see him. But she stared up after him anyway. On her way down, she had counted her own steps. She had taken forty-three small steps backwards down the cliff. She guessed that each of her steps was half an arm-length. The cliff was roughly twenty arm-lengths high.

She turned and looked down at the beach. She could see the white foam of the waves upon the sand. She could smell the salty water. The cliff was less steep below the ledge. There were large black shapes below her, which might be boulders. She guessed it was only another ten arm-lengths down to the sand, and only five arm-lengths down to the highest of the boulders. Five arm-lengths was too far to jump. She could jump from the hay loft of her barn at home and land on the dirt floor. That was four arm-lengths. But she had to land properly with her knees bent, or she would hurt herself. A five-arm-length jump in the dark, down onto black shapes that might or might not be boulders, would be dangerous.

On the other hand, they might be able to climb down without a rope, if they were careful. If Dan could climb up the sheer cliff above, she was sure they could climb down the steep slope below. She looked up again. She saw no sign of Dan or Baat. Dan was going to take the rope with him, she decided. He would think that they were stuck on the ledge, and he would go and meet the rowboat. But she and the others would climb down without the rope, and be there in time to meet the rowboat anyway.

Sallina put her head in her hands. No, that would not work. Garibaldi needed the rope to climb down. She stomped her foot on the ledge. That made her feel better.

Sallina crossed her arms and smiled. She knew what she would do. She would hold onto the rope after Baat came down. Dan could pull on it, but she would keep hold of it, and he would have to let go. Then they could all climb down to the beach with the rope.

Sallina stepped over to her. She reached out for the rope. Her hand touched it. She grabbed it and pulled it towards her. Chimeg let go.

She felt something shaking the rope above. A rock fell down. A dark shape moved above her. The dark shape said something. It was Baat. When he was close above her, she let go of the rope. The moment he stood on the ledge, she grabbed it again and held onto it.

Sallina felt a pull on the rope. "He's pulling it!" There was another pull, this time much stronger. Sallina was nearly lifted off the ground. "Help me, Baat!".

Baat grabbed the rope. There were two more pulls, each strong enough to jerk their arms in the air above their heads.

Sallina looked down at the place where Garibaldi was sitting. "Are you alright Garibaldi?"

"If Dan were such a devil," Garibaldi said, "He would leave the rope tied at the top."

Sallina frowned. She hadn't thought of that. There was a noise above them, and some clattering of small stones. The rope went loose. A moment later, it fell past them and over the edge of the ledge. The weight of the rope pulled on Sallina's hands. She pulled it up as quickly as she could and piled it on the rock at their feet.

She smiled at the dark shape that was Baat standing next to her. "Now we can get down on our own." He said nothing. "Baat? Is something wrong?"

Baat folded his arms. Boli sat next to Chimeg's feet. Sallina thought she saw his wide eyes shining in the starlight, looking up at Baat.

"He say he tie rope at top, then I climb down." Baat leaned back against the cliff and kicked a rock with one foot. The rock rolled off the ledge. Sallina counted two seconds. The rock clattered on the boulders below.

"Don't be ashamed, Baat," Sallina said, "You did your best, and look," she pointed at the rope. "We have the rope, and we're all here. So everything is fine."

Garibaldi breathed slowly. Sallina waited for him to say something more. He didn't. She touched his leg. His muscles tightened. "No, please don't touch it."

"I know," Garibaldi said. "I know you are doing your best. Maybe it's me who can't think straight."

"I know," he said. He reached out and held her arm. His grip was strong. He was almost hurting her, but not quite. He pulled her slowly towards his face. When her ear was near his mouth, he said, "No matter what happens, it was worth it to spend six weeks with you."

Sallina held her breath. She felt as if her heart had stopped. He let go. She pressed her lips against his forehead. They touched the bandage. She tasted his blood upon her tongue. She kissed the hair on his head. She decided to let herself stay next to Garibaldi for twenty seconds. After that, she would figure out what to do next. At least Dan would not be with them to frighten her. She would be able to think more clearly without him.

Behind her, Chimeg and Baat were whispering together. That was good. They should talk to one another. Baat should not be so angry. She closed her eyes. One, she said to herself, and breathed out. She had just taken breath number eighteen when there was a crunch on the stone in front of her. She looked up. A dark shape stood on the ledge.

"By the kraken," the shape said. "You kids are really starting to make my blood boil."

Sallina stared at Dan. Dan said nothing. He was breathing heavily. He moved something in front of him. After a moment, she realized that he was wiggling the fingers of both hands. Now he bent the fingers back, one after the other.

"I'm going to get you disobedient rascals back onto the ship," he said, "So that I can have the immense satisfaction of watching you flogged on the main mast."

Dan turned to Sallina. "I ordered you not to raise your voice. You just raised it. That's disobedience. So is keeping hold of my rope." He leaned closer to her. "Make no mistake, young lady, you being stupid may get you killed, and Garibaldi with you, but it ain't going to get me killed. I'm getting out of here alive, no matter what you do."

He stepped away and took the pile of rope from Baat. "What the devil have you done to it this time?" He dropped the rope on the ground. "Don't you have enough sense to coil a rope? You already watched me coil it up once, now you want to watch me coil it up again?"

He took out his light and shone it upon something he held in his hand. It was a tiny, round clock. He put the light and the clock away in his pockets. "It's forty-five minutes before midnight. We have plenty of time, and the sea is perfect for a landing. All we have to worry about are the policemen."

He crouched down and began untangling the rope. Sallina stood watching him, her heart pounding. Nobody said anything. When the rope was coiled upon the ground, Dan stood up. He took out his light and examined his tiny clock again. "Forty minutes until midnight. There's no place to tie the rope here. One of us has to stay and hold it. Sallina, who do you think should stay up here and hold the rope for the rest of us?"

Sallina looked at the edge of the cliff near her feet. Whoever held the rope would have to climb down without the rope. Baat had been stuck on the cliff once already, but Dan had climbed up and down. After some time had passed, waiting for Sallina to answer, Baat said, "Dan hold rope. Dan go last."

"Yes," Dan said, "That's what I was thinking. But I figured Sallina would start worrying about whether or not I would let go of the rope when she was climbing down. Do you trust me to hold the rope, Sallina?"

He moved along the ledge, past Sallina, and knelt beside Garibaldi. He put the rope on the ground. "Where do you hurt the most?"

Baat stared out into the night for a while. He turned his head and whispered. "If he want kill me, was good time to kill me when I up there." He pointed up the cliff.

Sallina frowned. Baat seemed to think that Dan could have pushed him off the cliff when he was stuck. But how would Dan do that? Pushing Baat off the cliff would not be so easy. It would be hard enough for Dan to hang onto the cliff himself, let alone try to push someone else off.

But then she remembered Dan striking Baat on the back of the neck with his hand, and Baat, the son of Sukh, falling to the ground, unconscious. If she had not seen Dan do that with her own eyes, she would not have believed it was possible. Never, in all her years of watching boys fight in school, had anyone ever knocked someone unconscious by hitting them with the side of their hand.

She watched Dan doing something with Garibaldi's leg. She guessed he was putting a new bandage on, but she could not be sure, because he was doing it in the dark. There were three or four clouds in the sky, black patches against the stars. Dan put his pack on, picked up the rope, stood up and turned around. "So, who's going first?"

Dan took two steps towards her. "Are you sure you can go down first, into the darkness?"

Dan looked over the ledge and stared into the darkness at the base of the cliff. "Not likely, but possible."

Sallina looked over the ledge herself. After a while she said. "I'll scream if there's anyone down there."

Dan picked up the rope and threw it over the edge. It fell out of sight. A moment later it slapped against the rocks at the bottom. He sat down with his back against the cliff.

"I have my feet braced against two rock edges here. I have the rope wrapped around my arms. I won't let go."

She stood up and walked to the place where Dan was sitting with the rope. She found the rope where it passed over the top of the cliff. She slid her legs over the edge and felt with her boots until she found something to stand on. She leaned back, moved her hands down the rope, and stepped backwards down the cliff. Her hands were still sore from the first climb. She wanted to reach the bottom quickly so that she could let go of the rope, but she forced herself to go slowly. Her hands would get better in a day or two, but a fall might kill her. She remembered her mother telling her that the difference between an animal and a human is that a human will choose to endure pain so as to stop themselves from being wounded or killed.

After fifteen steps backwards, she could hear the rope brushing against the sand below her, and she knew she was almost at the bottom. Her hands were hurting so badly, and she was so frightened that she would not be able to hold on any longer, that she did not care if there were policemen waiting at the bottom or not. She took her last few steps quickly, pushed away from the cliff, and landed on the sand.

She stared into the darkness and listened. There were boulders on either side, but she could see between the boulders to the sea. She could not see the waves, but the sound of them was loud and clear in her ears. She rubbed her hands. She waited while ten waves washed upon the shore. She saw no sign of anyone between the rocks or on the beach. She found the rope and pulled on it three times.

Lights

Sallina watched the shadows. She tried to breath quietly so she would be able to hear anyone hiding nearby. Above her, she heard scraping and scratching. The bottom of the rope jerked about on the sand. A black shape moved on the cliff. She could not tell who it was. From the boulders on her left, Sallina heard what sounded like someone coughing. With the corners of her eyes, she could see the outlines of two boulders, each twice as tall as she was. Starlight shone upon the boulders, and between them was a dark space. Was there someone hiding in there?

Sallina reached into her pack and took out one of her fighting sticks. She crept towards the dark space. The noise came again. "Cloff!" She stopped. She waited. If there was someone in there coughing, they must not see her, or else they would stop coughing. Unless they could not stop themselves from coughing, because they were sick.

"Cloff!" She counted her breaths. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, "Cloff!"

That was strange. Whoever was coughing was coughing every eight breaths. I had better count again, she thought. I'll start at three because I started late. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, "Cloff!" The sound was not loud, but she could always hear it, because it always happened between the times the waves washed upon the beach. Surely, if someone was going to cough while hiding between two boulders, they would do it when the waves were washing upon the beach so they would not be heard, not when it was quiet. "Cloff!" On the other hand, it could be someone making noises to cover up the fact that they coughed earlier. No, that was silly. The waves were washing up on the beach, and somehow they were washing up against the other side of the boulders and making the coughing noise. That had to be it. She crouched lower. Her heart was thumping. She breathed deeply.

"No." Sallina wanted to tell him about the coughing noise, and ask what he thought about it, but she decided not to. Now that Baat was here, she was certain the noise was just the waves.

Baat unslung his pack and took out his helmet. He put it on his head and fastened its chin strap. He patted the helmet on his head and held up his sticks. "I ready for police."

Sallina smiled. She believed him. He may be no match for Dan, but he had run right into that crowd of policemen back on the road to Faith Town, and at the end of the fight he was unhurt.

Boli came down, then Chimeg. Chimeg fell the last two arm-lengths and landed upon the sand with a thump and a groan. Baat and Boli helped her sit up. She could hardly breath for a while, but she said she was not hurt.

Sallina looked up the cliff. It was Garibaldi's turn to come down. After a while, the rope began to shake, and another black shape moved above her. He was coming quickly. Suddenly, he was only four arm-lengths up, and then he landed on the sand with a grunt. Sallina almost cried out Garibaldi's name, but she remembered Dan's orders and just let out a whimper. She crouched beside the dark shape on the sand that was Garibaldi. "Are you okay?"

She and Baat moved Garibaldi away from the rope and sat him up against the cliff.

"How did you get down so fast?" Sallina said, "It looked like you were bouncing down."

"I can hold my weight with one arm for a short time," he said. He took a deep breath and leaned back. "So I held my weight on one arm and another. I kept myself away from the cliff with my good leg."

Sallina sat beside him. All they had to do now was wait for Dan. She could not see him coming down, but she was not worried about him. She stared ahead at the sea. Boli and Chimeg were sitting on the other side of Garibaldi. Baat was sitting farther from the cliff, cross-legged on the sand with his sticks in his lap and his helmet glinting in the starlight.

What was Dan going to do with the rope? Sallina stood up and reached for the rope with her hands. It was not there. She moved back and forth along the cliff, waving her hand in front of her. There was no rope hanging down. She searched on the sand. She could not find it. Dan must have pulled the rope up after him. Why would he do that? Here they were, alone. There might be policemen on the beach nearby, or hiding on the other side of the rocks. If Dan left them here, waiting for him, they might be captured. But she was glad they were down here on the sand instead of up there on the cliff. At least they had a chance to run for the rowboat when it came along. If it came along. It must be fifteen minutes until midnight by now.

Was Dan climbing down at all? Yes, she saw something moving. That must be him. She kept staring. The pure, steady light of Dan's luminous stone shone against the cliff face. Then it was gone. She looked around her. Surely the policemen would see that light and come and look for them? She moved across the sand to Baat. "Dan is coming down."

"And I just saw him shine his light on the cliff. The policemen will see the light. I think he wants the policemen to find us."

Baat stood up and turned so he could watch the cliff and the sea at the same time. "He want to flog me on ship, not leave behind."

Even though it was dark, and Baat could hardly see her hand, Sallina pointed up at the cliff.

Dan's light swept back and forth across the cliff and disappeared. He was about half-way down, but he was off to one side, away from the place where the rope had hung down.

The coughing noise Sallina had heard earlier came again, particularly loud this time. Baat spun around and stared into the darkness.

She stared at the cliff. She guessed that the rope weighed as much as a small bucket of water. If Dan had the rope, he was carrying it over his shoulder. Climbing would be much more difficult with the rope over his shoulder. Of course, he had done it before, but what use would the rope be when he reached the bottom? He could have just dropped it down.

Sallina ran her fingers through her hair. There was no way the Captain was going to order Harry to flog Baat. Baat was the son of Sukh. Sukh would be furious. And Sallina was a paying passenger on the ship. How could the Captain have her flogged? All that talk about flogging was so much nonsense.

She jumped and almost screamed. Baat stood quickly and raised his sticks. Even as Sallina landed two steps away, she knew the dark figure standing on the sand was Dan. He stood between Baat and Sallina, but neither of them had seen or heard him coming.

"I was shining the light because I could not get down in the dark. The rope is tied to the cliff. I found a place to tie it, and I climbed down with the rope. But of course: I had to leave it up there."

"That was a chance I had to take. You may recall, Miss, that I plan to come out of this alive. Falling off the cliff and dying on the rocks so that you can make it to the boat without being caught would go against my plan." Dan crouched beside Garibaldi. "How's the leg?"

"Thank you. I'm beginning to think you're the only one who appreciates me around here."

Sallina was staring at the ground. Dan was here. He used the rope to help himself climb down. He had bound Garibaldi's leg. Somehow he had figured out how to get them all down to the beach without using the stairs. Could it be that all along he was just doing his best to get them back to the Reliant, but somehow she had misunderstood him? Back in the cave, Baat had agreed with her. He had said she was crazy not to tell him about the gold. But Baat had not said anything insulting about Dan since Dan had climbed up to rescue him on the cliff. It seemed as if Baat had changed his mind.

She looked up. Dan was shining his light upon his tiny clock. "Five minutes to midnight," he said. He covered the light and stood up. "We're just in time. The Captain is a punctual man. He will be here in five minutes."

"Aye," Dan said. After a moment he said, "That it is, lad, dwarf-made. And a prettier dwarf you never saw."

After a few breaths, Dan said, "When a man says a woman is pretty, think twice before you argue with him."

Dan said, "Sallina, get Garibaldi up. Baat, come close behind me. Sallina and Garibaldi after Baat. Chimeg and Boli at the end."

Sallina put her arm around Garibaldi and he put his arm over her shoulder. Dan crept towards the sea and Baat followed him, bent low over the sand. Sallina and Garibaldi could not bend over. Garibaldi leaned on Sallina's shoulder and hopped on his good leg. Sallina's boots were sinking into the sand.

The sand ahead glowed in the starlight. She saw the slope of the beach and the white foam of the waves on the sand. At the sight of the waves, she smiled. When they came to the last boulder between them and the waves, they stopped and hid in the shadows. Dan pulled himself up onto the bounder, and looked to the south, which was to their left. To the north there was forty paces of open beach and a large pile of boulders.

Sallina whispered in Garibaldi's ear. "The beach we landed on is the other side of that pile of rocks."

Garibaldi looked at the pile of boulders. "How far to the staircase we went up?"

Garibaldi was standing on his good leg and resting the foot of his injured leg upon the ground. He was trying not to lean against Sallina. He put more weight on his injured leg. He felt pain in his wound, but his leg held him up. If he could endure the pain, he could walk on his own. Maybe he could even run, if he had to.

Dan crept towards pile of boulders to the north. Baat, Sallina, Garibaldi, Chimeg, and Boli followed him. When they reached the boulders, they moved towards the waves. The sand around the last of the boulders was wet with sea-water. Dan raised his head over the last of the boulders stared to the north. Garibaldi lowered himself to the sand, leaned against a rock, and closed his eyes.

Sallina looked to the south. The beach and the white waves stretched away into the starlight. After a while, she saw water flowing out from beneath the boulders at the base of the cliff, about fifty paces away. She decided that this water must be from the stream that flowed down the ravine outside the cave. She had forgotten about the stream until now. The stream must fall down through some kind of crack, and come out of another crack at the bottom of the cliff. Perhaps it was the water of the stream mixing with the waves that made the coughing noise. She listened for the sound again, but she could not hear it.

"The staircase is three hundred paces along the beach, on the other side of the rocks," Dan said, "I don't see the rowboat yet. I don't see any police, but they could be hiding."

The boy was pointing along the beach to the south, over the stream, in the direction Sallina had been staring a moment earlier. There was a light on the water. Sallina guessed it was four hundred paces away. The light went out and on again. It was an oil lantern like the ones the Reliant used at night.

"It's not easy to find your way by starlight," Dan said. "They missed. And that may be very good for us."

He stood up and looked once again to the north, towards the staircase. Sallina heard a shout carried on the wind. The shout came from the staircase. She stood up. There was movement on the sand, a few hundred paces away. She heard the clank of metal upon metal.

Chimeg and Boli ran across the sand to the south. When they reached the stream, they stopped. Chimeg took Boli's hand and waded into the water. Sallina turned to Dan. "What do we do?"

"There's a bunch of policemen over there," Sallina said. She pointed north. "They are about two hundred meters away and running towards us. The rowboat is coming over there." She pointed south. The rowboat light flashed. "The rowboat is a hundred meters from the shore, and it will land on the beach two hundred meters from where we stand now, in about a minute. We are between the police and the rowboat." She watched Chimeg and Boli wading in the stream. "We have a stream to cross to get to the rowboat. The water in the stream is waist-deep. Boli and Chimeg are half-way across." She looked down at Garibaldi. "And you are wounded."

"Oh," Garibaldi said. He smiled. She could see his white teeth. "Tough spot for us."

"You two get going," Dan said, "Baat and I will hold the policemen here for a minute, then we'll come after you."

Dan stared at the stream. "Yes," he said. "They may have bows. Good thinking. Okay, we'll all cross the stream right now."

Sallina and Garibaldi jogged towards the stream. Baat caught up with them and took Garibaldi's other arm. Together, Sallina and Baat almost carried Garibaldi across the sand. He hopped as best he could to make it easier for them.

Dan followed behind. "Hurry! We have to get across before they reach the rocks."

They reached the stream and plunged into the water. The water was cold, but Sallina did not notice. All she thought about was getting across as quickly as she could. A wave washed up from the sea and pushed them sideways. Sallina and Baat held Garibaldi and dragged him through the water. When they were half-way across, Sallina put her foot down and felt no bottom . Garibaldi's weight was upon her shoulder, pushing her down. Her head went under. She let go of Garibaldi's waist. Garibaldi wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her up. She spat out a mouthful of salty water and wiped her face with her hand.

Garibaldi pulled her another step forward. Her boots found the bottom and she stood up. She grabbed Garibaldi around the waist with her right arm and pushed forwards through the water. Baat did the same. Garibaldi let them drag him along. She looked ahead. They were over half-way across. Chimeg and Boli stepped out of the stream in front of them. The rowboat's light flashed. It seemed hardly nearer than before. Chimeg and Boli ran along the beach.

Sallina waited for the twang of bowstrings. Dan lunged through the water. She felt his hand grab the top of her head and push her down. She tried to hold herself up, but the strength in Dan's arm was astonishing. She slipped on the sand and sunk down. Garibaldi went down with her. She had her arm around his waist. Dan's hand was off her head, but she was still under water. She bent her legs to her chest and reached out with her boots for the bottom. One boot touched the sand, then the other. She pushed up, holding Garibaldi.

She burst out of the water. Baat reached out and grabbed Garibaldi's arm. They pulled him up. He cried out. "Ah!"

Dan was behind Sallina. "Move up the beach when you get out of the water." He spat to one side. "The boulders will cover you!"

In that moment, Sallina was more terrified than she had ever been in her life. The archers would fire again. She had no time to think. She had no time to wonder if she should trust Dan or not. She would do whatever he told her, and maybe, just maybe, she would survive.

Sallina felt Dan's arm wrap around her waist. He pulled her sideways. The water was knee-deep, and she tried to stop herself from falling by thrusting one leg to the side, but her boot caught in the sand, and down she went. She fell flat upon her face in the water. When she came up on her knees, Baat was pulling Garibaldi out of the stream in front of her. Arrows were sticking out of the sand. She splashed through the water and out of the stream.

Garibaldi stood up. He tried to run up the beach, but he stumbled in the soft sand. Baat caught him and helped him forward. Sallina ran beside them. After twenty paces, she looked back. There was the stream, shimmering in the starlight. Dan was five paces behind her. Several enormous boulders hid the archers from view. If she could not see the archers, she supposed that they could not shoot her. She took a deep breath. The sand was dry beneath her boots, but her boots were full of water.

They jogged along the soft sand towards the flashing light. The light on the rowboat flashed. It was at least a hundred paces away, and some uncertain distance out from the shore. Above the sound of the waves and the sloshing water in her boots, she heard splashing behind them. Ten men were pushing through the water of the stream.

Sallina put her arm around Garibaldi's waist and tried to help him and Baat to go faster.

"Go down to the wet sand!" Dan said. "It's easier to run and we're far enough ahead."

They turned down the beach. Sallina looked back at the stream. Several men were splashing out of it, a hundred paces away. She felt the sand harden beneath her boots as they neared the waves.

Garibaldi looked back. He let go of Baat and started to hop and limp as fast as he could. He was not quite running, but he was going faster than before, and he was doing it on his own. Sallina ran too. Baat slowed down and she ran past him. She was behind Garibaldi, with Baat and Dan somewhere behind her. The light from the rowboat shone out again. It was then that Sallina realized the rowboat would not reach the shore before the policemen caught up with them.

In the Waves

A wave crashed on the sand and rushed up the beach. Garibaldi hopped and limped through the foaming water. Sallina's boots splashed behind him. A light shone ahead and to her right, out beyond the breaking waves. The light shone upon the backs of six men in a rowboat. At the back of the boat, a man with a white beard sat with his hand upon the tiller.

Another man stood in the front of the boat. He was man. He held the lantern above his head and looked towards the beach.

There was movement on the beach in front of her. Chimeg called out to the Captain. She and Boli were standing at the top of the waves. A moment later, Garibaldi stood next to Boli and the lantern shone upon his face. "Ahoy Captain!" he said. He leaned upon Boli with his left arm and waved with his right. Sallina stopped beside Garibaldi and stood panting.

Sallina looked back along the beach. Dan and Baat were standing forty paces away. Beyond them she was the flash of metal helmets and spear-tips. Dan held his hands upon either side of his mouth, and shouted. "Enemy on the sand!"

He walked backwards towards Sallina. Baat came with him. The Captain put the lantern in the bottom of the boat. "Full stop!" he called. The light of the lantern went out.

A wave crashed. The rowboat's oars splashed. A little farther from the shore, there was a clunk, and a thump. Sallina stared at the moving gray surface of the sea. There was a black shape on the water near the first rowboat, and about the same size.

A voice called from the the group of armed men. "Lay down your weapons! We are the Independence Island Police."

By now, Dan and Baat were standing only a few steps from Sallina. She stared past them and into the darkness. The man's voice came again. "Lay down your arms!" Sallina guessed that the man was still fifty paces away.

Garibaldi took hold of Sallina's hand and led her to the waves. She looked once more at Baat and Dan and put her arm around Garibaldi's waist. They walked and hopped into the water. Boli and Chimeg were splashing into the water on the other side of Garibaldi. A wave washed around their knees. Cold, salty, water rushed around their waists. The wave fell back into the sea, pulling them with it.

Sallina looked back towards Dan and Baat. She could hardly see them. They were crouching on the beach. There were men running along the sand. Where were the archers? Who were they going to shoot at? Another wave washed past their tummies and Sallina felt herself lifted off her feet and pushed back towards the beach.

"Come with me, handsome," Jacqueline said. She lifted her hands up out of the water. Her bare shoulders shone in the starlight. Behind her, another wave was coming, and the top of it was higher than Jacqueline's head.

Garibaldi turned around and Jacqueline reached under his left armpit, across his chest and grabbed his right shoulder. "Lie back!" The wave washed over their heads, leaving Sallina alone above the water. The wave rushed up her chest, into her ears, and over her head. Her feet left the sand. She tried to swim forward, but the wave turned her sideways. She tried to swim up, but there was no light to tell her which way was up. She kicked with her feet, but her boots slowed her down. Suddenly, her head came out of the water. Her feet found the sandy bottom and she stood up. She wiped her face and looked around.

She pushed herself off the sand and started swimming. She looked up at the stars and tried to swim in the right direction. A wave rolled towards her. As it passed by, her head was in the water, but then she was free of it. She kept swimming. She swam like her mother taught her. She pulled hard with her hands and breathed at the right time.

A wave lifted her up. She saw two rowboats. She did not know which one Garibaldi was in. She swam towards the closest one. The wave let her down, and she could see nothing but water all around. The beach was somewhere to her left. She heard sticks clattering against metal and wood. That must be Dan and Baat fighting with the policemen. What happened to the arrows the policemen were going to fire? How were Dan and Baat going to get to the boats?

The side of the rowboat was a black wall. Oars clunked and sailors moved across the benches. Two hands grabbed her under the shoulders.

Oars came down from above and stretched out from the boat. Two sailors pulled her out of the water and into the boat. She fell on her hands and knees in the bottom. "Where's Garibaldi?"

"Back-stroke!" Otis said. The oarsmen pushed upon their oars to move the boat backwards.

"Captain!" a woman's voice cried from the second rowboat. It was ten paces away. "We have a boy in the water, do I take him aboard?" It was Natasha's voice.

The boat moved farther from the shore. Sallina looked at the other boat. She heard someone call, "Back-stroke!" Oars dipped into the dark water and the other boat moved backwards as well.

A wave splashed on the beach. She stared into the darkness. Clack! Thump! Clang! The sounds drifted across the water. The Captain's voice called out loud and clear.

There was another thump, this time right next to her, on the outside of the boat.

Sallina felt weak. The thumping noises were arrows hitting the side of the boat. Any moment now, an arrow might fly out of the darkness and stab through her chest, or her arm, or maybe her eye. She crouched low in the boat.

"I'm doing my best," the Captain said. "But I can't see much and I don't want to hit our people."

Sallina crouched as low as she could. A strong smell filled her nostrils. It was the smell of the black stuff the sailors used to fill the gaps between the timbers of their boats. The black stuff mixed with the water in the bottom of the boat. It was sticking to her hands and soaking into her trousers. The smell was better than being shot.

So far as she could tell, the Captain was in the front of the boat, firing arrows at the policemen on the beach. Meanwhile, the policemen were firing at the boats. Dan and Baat should be in the water, swimming, but she did not know that for sure. The boats were moving away from the beach.

The rowers pushed and pulled on their oars. Sallina felt the boat turning. She did not hear any more arrows striking the boat. She felt ashamed that she was hiding, while the sailors were sitting up and rowing.

Sallina sat up. Otis was reaching over the side. She looked down at the water. Baat was swimming next to the boat. She could tell it was Baat by the way he turned his head and spat before he reached up and tried to grab the side of the boat. He missed, but Otis caught Baat's hand and held him. Baat put his other arm over the side. Sallina grabbed his leather shirt and pulled. Baat tumbled into the boat and landed in the bottom just as she had done.

"Where is Dan?" Sallina said. Baat did not answer. He spat water out of his mouth and tried to wipe his eyes.

Sallina looked across the water. The boat had turned. The breaking waves were behind Otis. The Captain walked from the front of the boat. She saw a glimmer of light in his hands.

"Take this, Miss," the Captain said, and handed Sallina the lantern. She took it, and one of the little covers on the lantern glass swung open. Light poured out of the lantern and onto Baat's face. There was blood all over his cheeks and forehead.

"Keep it covered!" the Captain said. He stepped between Baat and Sallina, and sat down next to Otis. As Sallina pushed shut the cover on the lantern, the Captain pulled an arrow out of a quiver. In his other hand, he had a short-bow.

There was a thump on the side of the boat. A second later there was another, but this one sounded different.

"Otis, take his oar," the Captain said. Otis got up, stepped on Sallina's leg, and went up between the sailors.

The Captain turned sideways and put one leg over the bench so he could look back towards the beach. He held the tiller in place with his knee. He strung his arrow and stared into the darkness. Baat sat up. Sallina looked for Dan, but she could not see him. On the beach, dark shapes were moving.

One of the dark shapes turned and ran into the waves. It was Dan. She knew him by the way he ran.

The Captain fired his bow. Sallina did not see where the arrow went. He strung another arrow and fired it in the space of a few heartbeats.

"Get down, boys!" the Captain said. He fired his arrow. The sailors slid off their benches and hid behind the walls of the boat. Sallina did the same and pressed herself down into the smelly water. Baat stayed sitting up, staring at the sea. The Captain took out another arrow and strung it in his bow.

Sallina waited for the sound of arrows striking the boat, but she heard none. She sat up.

Sallina held the covered lantern in her hand and did not move. If she held the lantern up, the archers on the beach would be able to see her and shoot at her. She might get killed. She did not want to be killed. She was only eighteen.

"Sailors, ready to pull!" the Captain called. He strung another arrow in his bow. "Endeavors!" he shouted, at the top of his voice. "Pull for home!" He pulled the arrow back and took aim at the shadows on the beach. "Sallina! Uncover the lantern!"

One of the sailors had already been shot. He was shot because he was rowing. The only reason they were going to get away was because the sailors were brave enough to row, even though they knew they might get shot. Did she want to be like them, or did she want to hide in the bottom of the boat?

She took the cover off the lantern and held it up. Her hand was trembling, but the lantern's light shone out clear and bright across the water. They were forty paces from the beach. The Captain fired an arrow, and another. "Got one!" he said, "That should give them something to think about."

A wave rolled under the boat and towards the beach. Dan's head and shoulders came out of the wave ten paces from the boat. He shook his head. He was standing up. For some reason, the sandy bottom of the sea was shallow, even though Dan was thirty paces from the beach. He put his arms out and bent his knees. Sallina expected him to dive into the bottom of the next wave and swim for the boat. But instead of diving, he stood still and fell sideways. As he fell, he turned, and the lantern light shone upon the straight, glistening shaft of an arrow.

Sallina stood up and reached out with her free hand towards him. "Dan!" she screamed.

The boat gave a lurch. Sallina fell backwards and sat down in the bottom. Baat's legs disappeared over the side. He splashed into the water. Sallina held the lantern high with one arm and pulled herself up to the edge of the boat with the other.

The Captain dropped his bow in the bottom of the boat and picked up a coil of rope. Sallina watched him. In the light of the lantern, he checked that the coils of the rope were not tangled. His hands were shaking. An arrow struck the side of the ship beside him, but he did not look up from the rope.

Sallina held the lantern high. The boat had turned a little when Baat jumped out. The side she looked out from was facing the beach. She saw Baat's head. The waves were all about him. He stood up. He had Dan in his arms. He must have found the same shallow place that Dan had been standing on, and when he reached it, found Dan too.

There was a wave moving away from them. The wave hid the them men from the archers on the beach so that they were, for the moment, safe. Baat turned Dan sideways. The arrow was still sticking out of his back. Baat grabbed the arrow and tried to pull it out. His hand slipped.

He grabbed the arrow again. The wave behind Dan and Baat crashed upon the beach. In a moment, the archers would be able to see the two men standing among the waves, and they would shoot. Baat pulled hard on the arrow, and this time, it came right out of Dan's back. Even above the splash of the wave on the beach, Sallina heard Dan scream.

Baat pulled Dan forward. A wave rolled over them. Their heads came out of the water on the other side. An arrow hit the boat. The archers could not see Dan and Baat. But they could see her lantern. Why where they missing the boat? The archers were no more than fifty paces away. Surely they could hit the boat easily? The boat moved down as a wave passed by, and then up.

Baat was trying to keep Dan's head above water. Dan was moving, but he was moving slowly. The Captain threw the coiled rope towards them. The rope landed in the water next to Baat. Baat reached for it with one hand and grabbed it.

She lowered the lantern and closed the cover. It was suddenly dark. She could see nothing at all.

The sailors pulled on their oars and the boat moved forwards. Sallina could see the stars. The Captain was a dark shape behind her. He had his hand upon the tiller.

"Right here, Miss," the Captain said, "Cleated off, secure as can be. As long as our young hero does not let go, we'll tow him and Dan clear away from shore."

She had been wrong about Dan. Instead of Dan leaving them behind, he had fought alone on the beach while they swam to the boats. Now he had been shot in the back. He was their doctor. Who would look after him, now that he was hurt? Would he survive?

Not Faith Town

When the Reliant's rowboat was far enough from shore that Sallina could hardly hear the waves on the beach, the Captain said, "Stop rowing! Sallina, uncover the lantern."

Sallina opened the lantern cover and raised it above her head. The Captain pulled on the rope. She watched where the rope went into the water. Baat's head moved through the water towards the boat. He was holding the rope with one arm and Dan with the other.

"Stand back, Sallina," the Captain said, and to one of the rowers, "Lend me a hand there, sailor."

"Aye, aye, sir," the sailor said. He stepped past Sallina and stood with the Captain. When Baat and Dan were next to the boat, the Captain wrapped the rope around a piece of metal. He and the sailor pulled Baat and Dan closer. Baat let go of the rope and held onto the boat. Sallina moved away and sat on the sailor's bench. The Captain and the sailor lifted Dan out of the water and into the boat where Sallina had been sitting. They laid him down on his back as best they could, with his legs stretching out under the benches and his head towards the rear. There was blood on the Captain's hands.

Baat went hand-over hand along the boat, ducking under the oars. The sailor sat next to Sallina on the bench. Sallina leaned forward and stared at Dan. Dan opened his eyes and looked back at her. He smiled.

Dan turned his head and looked at the Captain. His face was pale. "I haven't been safe in thirty years, Captain."

Dan closed his eyes. Blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth. When the Captain saw the blood, he held one hand over his eyes and breathed out. The boat gave a lurch to one side.

"George," the Captain said, "Are you going to be able to hang on until we get to the ship?"

"I request that we row for the Endeavor so's Dan and I can be cared for by the Endeavor's surgeon, sir."

Sallina turned and looked at George. He was sitting between two benches. Baat sat down at the front of the boat, and the boat pitched. George leaned back, and the arrow sticking out of his leg pushed against the underside of a bench. He grunted and held the arrow.

"Aye, Captain," he said, "Sally Benton is my wife. And a fine surgeon, second only to ours."

The Captain sat at the back of the boat and shouted into the darkness in front of them. "Ahoy there, Endeavors!"

The Captain took hold of the tiller. "Sallina, sit down next to Dan. Hold his head up."

Sallina sat down in the bottom of the boat and set the lantern beside her. She put her hand under Dan's head.

"Take your oars," the Captain said. The sailors sat on their benches and took their oars in hand. "Full speed!"

Dan's breathing was slow and shallow. He kept his eyes closed. Every now and then he would grimace and clench his teeth.

Sallina looked up and around. A few hundred paces across the water, were two groups of lanterns. The Captain looked down at Dan. "Not long now, Dan."

"Sally will take care of him," the Captain said, "And how badly is Garibaldi hurt?"

"Ahoy! Come around port side!" it was Alicia's, captain of the Endeavor. The big three-masted ship loomed ahead of them. Its lanterns shone brightly on the deck and at the stern.

The Captain steered the rowboat around the port side. The sailors on the Endeavor dropped two ropes, and threw two rope-ladders over the side. Alicia leaned over the ship's rail and shouted. "Do you need a stretcher?"

Dan opened his eyes. He spat some blood from his mouth. "I'm not going to make it, Captain."

"Of course you are, old fellow," the Captain said. He knelt beside Dan. Sallina moved to one side. The captain put his hand on Dan's forehead. "Of course you are."

Sallina started to cry. Dan looked at her and smiled. "So, you do care about me after all."

The Captain sat up. "You know what?" he said, "We'll take you right away to Faith Town, that's what we'll do, and have them fix you up in their hospital. We'll do that right away. We'll have you there by morning."

The boat rocked. The sailors were climbing up the side of the Endeavor. Two of them helped George climb with an arrow sticking out of his leg. Otis and Baat stayed in the boat.

Sallina looked up and saw a board, like a narrow bed, coming down from above. It was hanging by four ropes. It came to rest upon the rowboat. "Sallina, Otis, Baat, help me lift him," the Captain said. "Let's use all our hands at once, and keep him straight."

They lifted Dan into the stretcher. He groaned as they laid him down. The Captain looked up at Alicia. Dan opened his eyes and grabbed the hem of the Captain's shirt with one hand.

"I killed the mayor," Dan said. He closed his eyes, then spat a small lump of blood from his mouth. He took a deep breath. "Right in front of his young-uns."

The Captain nodded slowly. Dan grabbed the Captain's wrist. "Not Faith Town." He closed his eyes and put his head back on the stretcher. He still held the Captain's wrist.

Dan opened his eyes. "No it's not. I bit my tongue when they shot me, and it's been bleeding. I'm shot in the liver. I've got a few days, maybe a week."

The sailors on the Endeavor pulled the stretcher up and away. Sallina looked up at the ship's rail. There were many faces looking down at her. She recognized most of them. There was Jacqueline, and Natasha. She did not see Garibaldi. But there, on the end, was a face she did not expect to see. It was Yohiromaki, the man with white hair.

"That's a long story," the Captain said, "But it looks like the Endeavor is going to have two passengers, just like the Reliant."

The Captain looked up at Dan's stretcher. Several sailors lifted the stretcher over the rail and onto the deck.

"Another time, Miss Sallina," the Captain said. He stepped off the rowboat and climbed up the rope ladder. Sallina looked at Baat. There was blood on his forehead and in his hair, but no more fresh blood dripping into his eyes.

"Very good," Otis said. "I'll wait here for the Captain's orders. Baat, go aboard with Sallina so Sally Benton can see about your forehead. And while you're there, Sallina, you had better pay a visit to Sally's infirmary also."

Not long after that, Sallina sat on a coil of rope staring at the polished boards of the Endeavor's main deck. She was so tired that she could not see well. The light of the lanterns flickered and confused her. The ship's mainsail was full above her and the ship was rolling. Someone put a wool blanket around her shoulders. She could tell the blanket was wool by the smell of the cloth. A woman's hand held a cup of hot chocolate in front of her face. She took the hot chocolate and looked up. Jacqueline was smiling down at her.

Jacqueline knelt and put her arm around Sallina's shoulders. "Everything's going to be fine. Everyone made it. Sally's taking care of them all, one by one. You'll be last, I'm afraid, because you don't seem to be bleeding."

Sallina nodded. She took a sip of hot chocolate. It tasted good. "Is Dan going to die?"

Jacqueline laughed. "Sooner or later he will. But not this week, if that's what you mean."

Sallina closed her eyes and put the cup of hot chocolate to her mouth. Jacqueline stroked her hair and pressed herself close to Sallina's side.

Sallina turned her head and looked into Jacqueline's face. "I don't want him to die."

"Don't worry about being unfair to him, Sallina. He has debts he can never pay." Jacqueline leaned over and kissed the top of Sallina's head. "And he's not going to die anyway. Sally will take care of him. She's a good surgeon, she is."

The Endeavor sailed on into the night, out across the dark water and away from Independence Island. Jacqueline took Sallina's socks and boots off and bathed her feet in warm water. Sallina asked Jacqueline for some medicine to stop her wrist and hip from hurting, but Jacqueline said no.

Sallina squinted at the lantern swinging from the mast in front of her. "Where is the Reliant?"

"She's ahead," Jacqueline said. "We're following her." She stood up and stared forward into the night. She pointed over the bow of the ship. "I can see her stern lights."

Sallina rested her head in her hands and looked at the deck. Jacqueline sat beside her. The first mate shouted orders. Sallina listened to the creak of the masts above her. She felt the gentle roll of the ship beneath her. She wished she could go to sleep. She was tired of being awake. She was tired of worrying. She closed her eyes, but the pain in her wrist kept her awake.

Jacqueline helped her down the stairs. The light in the infirmary was bright. A steady white light came from a luminous stone set in the ceiling. The light shone upon a table made of bright, shining metal. On one side of the room were bunk beds. Dan lay upon the bottom bunk. Another man lay upon the top one. A short, plump woman stood in the room. She wore a long white smock. This was Sally Benton, the Endeavor's surgeon. Sallina had not spoken to Sally before, but she knew her by sight.

"She's a good girl, that Jacqueline," Sally said. She leaned over Sallina and smiled. "Now, how do you feel?"

Sallina told Sally about her aching feet, her aching hip, her painful wrist, and her cuts and bruises. Sally nodded and frowned. "Oh dear, I'm sure that hurts." She looked at the injuries and touched them.

"My husband. He's fast asleep. So is Dan. I gave them something stronger when I stitched them up."

"Yes," Sally said, "He won't be climbing the shrouds for a while, that's for sure, but he'll be fine."

Sally turned and looked at Dan. He was sleeping on his back with a white sheet pulled up to his neck.

"He'll be okay," she said. She went to the corner of the room where there was a white, ceramic sink. She turned a tap and water came out. She picked up a bar of soap and worked up a thick lather on her hands and wrists. "He told me the arrow had pierced his liver, but I don't think he's right."

Sallina remembered Baat pulling the arrow out of Dan's back, and how Dan had screamed. "The wound in his back must be horrible," she said, "Arrows have barbs on them, don't they? Baat pulled the arrow right out."

Sally rinsed her hands in the tap water. She picked up a white towel from a pile beside the sink and rubbed each of her fingers dry. "It's not too bad, actually. The arrow in George's leg didn't have a barb. The problem is that Dan was wearing a silk shirt. Silk is so thin and strong that arrows don't often cut through it. The silk twists around the arrow and slows it down. You pull the silk, and the arrow comes out."

"The silk shirt is usually dirty, and it drags its dirt all the way into the wound." Sally said. She looked at Dan. "If the wound gets infected deep inside, he'll have a rough time."

That night, Sallina slept in a hammock for the first time in her life. She did not like it, but she supposed she could get used to it. In the morning, Jacqueline brought her a cup of tea. Sallina sat up to drink it. She was in the sailor's dormitory under the Endeavor's main deck.

"Garibaldi says hello," Jacqueline said, "He slept in the first mate's bunk last night. He's doing well."

"Oh," Jacqueline said. Waving her finger at Sallina. "Suspicious, are you?" Jacqueline patted Sallina's knee. "The first mate slept somewhere else."

Sallina sipped her tea. The hammock moved. A few drops of tea spilled on her shirt. Her shirt was too large for her, and it was clean.

"I saw the man with white hair last night," Sallina said, "The one from the junk. How did he get here?"

"A few hours after midnight, the wind was blowing something rotten, with waves a meter high in the harbor, when here comes Jayhan with his litter and his lanterns and his litter carriers, all running as fast as they can."

"I'm always on night watch, up on deck," Jacqueline said. She waved her hand at the ceiling. "So, they all go aboard the junk, litter and all. They drop a rowboat in the water, cast off, and start towing the junk towards the harbor mouth. They're shining oil lanterns out on the water, and the waves are tossing the rowboat. I get Captain Alicia awake, seeing as this is quite extraordinary, and she hails the junk, asking if they need help, and they say no, they don't need any help, and they can't trade with us either and goodnight."

"They tow the junk to the harbor mouth, hoist sail, and try to get out, which of course they can't, because the waves are three meters high and the wind is blowing them back in. But they keep trying anyway, and we're all up on deck watching, and finally we hear a crunch, and the junk is on the rocks by the harbor mouth, run aground in the storm."

"Yes. So we put a rowboat in the water to go out and see what we can do to help."

"We couldn't tell at the time, but it turned out that yes, it was sinking. And Jayhan orders his crew to get off and climb over the rocks to shore, which is not so smart, because it's dangerous, what with the waves and all. So some of the sailors are swimming around in the waves, but most of them, it turns out, can't swim at all."

"I know," Jacqueline said. "Amazing, isn't it? Well, Horatio can't swim, but I'm pretty sure the rest of us can." She folded her hands on her lap and looked aside. "Anyway. It's pretty sad, really."

"The Faith Town coast guard comes out with three big rowboats. We turn back to the Endeavor, and we're almost there, when we find two people in the water. It's Yohiromaki, and a girl. Her name's Chiou. So of course we pull them out of the water and take them aboard the Endeavor. Alicia sends them below and tells us to keep our mouths shut."

"It turns out that Yohiromaki doesn't want the police, or even the coast guard to know he's there."

"She figured that we were all going to be in trouble with the police anyway, so why not make a friend out of Yohiromaki?"

Jacqueline took Sallina's teacup. "We think Jayhan and about thirty of his crew are in the custody of the Faith Town police. So far as we can tell, the other thirty drowned."

"We left first thing in the morning, taking Yohiromaki and the girl with us. When we sailed out of the harbor mouth, Jayhan's ship was lying on its side on the rocks, all smashed up by the waves. And we saw the bodies of several drowned sailors on the rocks."

Sallina said nothing for a while, and then pointed to the teacup. "Thanks for that."

Late that afternoon, the two ships furled their sails and slowed to a stop. The Reliant's rowboat came across to the Endeavor to bring Sallina, Garibaldi, Baat, and Dan back to the Reliant. Chimeg and Boli remained upon the Endeavor, along with Yohiromaki and the girl from Chiin. The sailors put Dan in the lower bunk of his own infirmary. Garibaldi and Sallina returned to their cabin.

When Garibaldi was comfortable in his bed, Sallina went to the Captain's cabin. She sat at his table. There were two glasses, a bottle of wine, and a bowl of nuts. The Captain drank wine and ate nuts while Sallina told him the story of their adventure on Independence Island. When she told him how she thought Dan was going to leave them behind, he nodded. When she told him how she thought maybe the Captain was going to sail away without them and keep their gold, he smiled.

"And so we were wondering if the policemen were still on the beach," Sallina said, "When we saw your light on the water."

The Captain turned the stem of his wine glass between his fingers. Sallina stared at the tablecloth. Pops clattered his pots around in the kitchen on the other side of the wall. Someone flushed a toilet. The Captain said, "Are you glad to be back?"

"Just take care of him," the Captain said, "Bring him tea, read to him, talk to him. Laugh at his jokes. That sort of thing. Sally will come aboard once a day to see to his bandage and check his wound."

Sallina frowned. "The last he told me, he wanted to see me flogged at the main mast."

The Captain sat back and looked out the port window. "You won't be flogged. You didn't disobey a direct order, so far as I can tell. But Baat did." He looked at her. "So we might have to punish him for that."

"Good. I'm going to leave you and Garibaldi in the cabin for now. You'll be passengers until our next port. But you're going to have to become crew members after that, or I'm going to put you off the ship."

The Captain smiled. "You're thinking about my declaration in the wrong way. I'm inviting you and Garibaldi to join the crew of the Reliant."

The Captain poured a little wine into the second glass and slid the glass towards Sallina. "Where I come from," he said, "We share a drink of wine at a moment like this. To show we are at peace." He nodded at the glass. "I invite you to drink."

Sallina looked at the wine and at the Captain. "What am I agreeing to if I drink this?"

The Captain leaned back in his chair and laughed. "You will be agreeing that I am not the sort of man who would sail away with your gold. Not now, not ever. Other than that, you agree to nothing. You can decide if you want to join the crew when we get to Cloghlogan."

Sallina looked at the glass. She took the stem between her fingers. She picked it up. The crystal sparkled. She moved the glass towards her lips. She stopped. She looked over the rim of the glass at the Captain. He stared back at her. He was not smiling. Sallina closed her eyes. It's not easy to trust people. She held the glass to her mouth, tipped it up and drank the wine in one gulp. The Captain drank the wine from his glass, sat back, and nodded.

Sallina folded her arms. "I'm not going to join the crew if I have to be on one ship while Garibaldi is on another."

"Yes," the Captain said. "I figured as much. You'll be glad to know that Alicia and I have agreed to end our experiment soon."

"Yes." The Captain pulled his glass towards him and began to turn it once more. "It was better when we were mixed up. Fights, scandals, jealousy and all, it's better to have the men and women mixed up together." He smiled. "It's more fun for the crew."

"No. She does not like to sail, although I don't think she suffers from seasickness. She's a locksmith and a watchmaker.

"Cloghlogan," the Captain said, "Is on the west coast of the Satian Sea where the Trukulent Mountains come right to the shore. There's a harbor-town called Cloghloganport, and Cloghlogan itself is under the mountain. It's a dwarf city."

The Captain raised his hands. "Enough. I have work to do. Ask Sharpy. It's a city of dwarves."

That evening, Garibaldi lay in his bed wearing a pair of shorts made by cutting an old pair of trousers. His legs were bare. A bright white bandage was wrapped around his right thigh. He had slept most of the day. Sallina sat upon a stool beside him. She had just finished telling him about her interview with the Captain.

Garibaldi nodded. "Of course. Do you remember he said the person who made his watch was the prettiest dwarf woman he had ever seen?"

"Maybe," Sallina said, "But it won't be much fun if all we have to tell her is that Dan is dead."

"True," Garibaldi said. He stared at the top bunk. Sally Benton had told Sallina that Dan would live if he wanted to live, or die if he wanted to die. Garibaldi did not quite believe Sally Benton. Dan said his liver was pierced, and he would die in a few days. Either his liver was pierced and he would die, or it was not pierced and he would live. Either way, he wanted to see his wife.

"Cloghlogan." Garibaldi was about to ask her another question, but Sallina said, "I think the Captain drinks too much wine."

Garibaldi nodded. "That could be. My father says people drown their sorrows in drink."

Sallina leaned forward and put her head upon Garibaldi's chest. "He misses his wife."

Garibaldi stroked Sallina's hair. The ship pitched as it forced its way through the waves. The sun was setting in the west, and they were sailing south. The cabin was growing dark. Their small, round window was open. Garibaldi listened to the sea washing against the side of the ship. He lay with his head towards the ship's wall, and he could feel that his head was higher than his feet. The ship was leaning over to port. The wind was blowing out of the west, and had been all day. Up on deck, the sails would be set almost in line with the ship. The wind would be filling the sails tight, and the white sail-cloth would be shining in the red light of the setting sun. He did not feel seasick at all. How could that be? Maybe seasickness was like chickenpox: you get it once, and you never get it again. He wanted to go up on deck and watch the sea cresting over the bow.

"It would be a good life," he said, "being sailors on this ship. These are good people. I'm sure my father would think the same, if he met them."

Sallina tried to imagine life as a sailor. She knew hardly anything about sailing. She had not paid particular attention to the ropes and the masts and the wind. But she supposed she could learn. She wondered how much the sailors were paid. Did they get rich?

Sallina raised her head and looked down at Garibaldi. "You're right. It has been fun." She looked out their cabin window. She could see the sky above, with some high, pink clouds, but not the sea. "How strange. I have been frightened a lot of the time, and worried most of the time. But it has been fun." She lowered her head. "I miss my family."

Sallina closed her eyes. "I miss Molly. I miss the cows. I even miss the pigs. We don't have any animals here on the boat. We don't even have any chickens. I don't know if I can live without having animals around."

They lay quietly. Garibaldi wondered if his parents had yet received the letter he mailed to them from Independence Island. His father would be proud of him for learning to write. His father could not read or write himself. His eyes were not good enough for it, he said. But Garibaldi's mother could read, and she would read his letter to his father, if it ever reached them.

His mother must have been crying every night missing him and worrying about him. He was sure Sallina's parents were doing the same. He doubted they were sleeping well. He imagined Sallina's parents arguing with one another because they were tired and worried. He did not imagine his own parents doing that, because his parents did not argue. But most parents argued.

"We must get home somehow," he said. "First we must go home and stop our parents from worrying. Then we can think about becoming sailors."

Sallina pressed her nose into Garibaldi's chest and breathed in the smell of him. A tear squeezed its way out of her eye. She held her breath to stop herself from crying. She seemed to be crying a lot these days. What was making her cry right now was that Garibaldi had said, "We can think about becoming sailors," and he said it as if he had not even thought for one moment that one of them would go sailing without the other. She smiled. Whatever happened, she wanted to be with Garibaldi.

The Quartermaster

"It's that girl, what's her name? The one who came with Yohiromaki," Sallina said.

She stood with Jasper and Sharpy on the fore deck of the Reliant. She shouted above the sound of the ship crashing through the waves. The wind hummed between the ropes and hissed across the sails. She gripped the ship's starboard rail with one hand and pointed with the other. Two hundred paces away across the water was the Endeavor. The big ship's sails were spread full up to the top of her tall masts, and it was leaning towards them with its deck shining in the morning sun.

Sharpy squinted at a figure at the Endeavor's port rail, looking back at them. "No," he said, "I think it's that little woman from Sax, Anapitra. The one with those big brown eyes and the long straight nose."

Jasper frowned and shook his head. Sallina and Sharpy waited for him to speak. The figure on the Endeavor moved slowly forward, keeping one hand upon the rail.

"No, it's that Chiin girl," Jasper said, "Look, she's leaning over. She's seasick."

Sharpy shrugged his shoulders. "Not as strange as those Chiin sailors who couldn't swim."

"Yes it is," Sallina said, "In the one case, you have people thinking it's not worth learning to swim, because there's no way you can swim your way out of the ocean, and in the other case, the case of being seasick, you're feeling awful all the time, which is something you can't ignore."

Sharpy stared at the Endeavor for a while. He shook his head. "I don't think we can agree on a definition for the word strange that will be clear enough to decide which is more strange: sailors who can't swim or sailors who get seasick."

Otis was walking by with a coil of rope over his shoulder, but Jasper touched his shoulder and he stopped and looked at the three of them. Jasper pointed at the Endeavor. "Who is that walking along the port rail?"

It was the second day of their voyage from Independence Island to Cloghlogan. The date was the third of September. The wind blew steadily out of the west. The sky was clear and bright. The sailors of both ships raised as much sail as the masts could hold. The Reliant and the Endeavor raced across the waves. By mid-afternoon, the Endeavor was one thousand paces ahead. The Endeavor slowed and waited for the Reliant to catch up. The sailors threw a wide plank across the space between the two ships and strung two ropes above the plank to act as hand-holds. Sally Benton came across from the Endeavor staring down at the plank and the water. She went below to check on Dan and Garibaldi.

Baat walked the other way across the plank from the Reliant to the Endeavor. He stood on the Endeavor's deck for a while talking to Chimeg and Boli. Sallina watched them through the ship's shrouds. Since his return to the Reliant, Baat had hardly spoken. The sailors had thanked him for saving Dan in the waves. On their first day's sailing they cheered him just as they had cheered Garibaldi after Garibaldi saved Sharpy. But none of their thanks or praise made Baat smile.

Chimeg hugged Baat. Baat did not hug her back. Boli stood nearby, his hands by his side, looking up at Baat with his eyes wide. Baat knelt down and put his hand on Boli's shoulder. He said a few words. The boy looked down at the deck, shook his head, and clasped his hands together. Baat stood up. He and Chimeg stared at one another. She turned her head and looked towards the Reliant. She waved at Sallina. Sallina waved back. Boli took two steps forward and hugged Baat's waist. He held on and closed his eyes. Baat put his hand upon Boli's head and stroked his hair.

Sallina heard Sally Benton's breathing coming up the stairs behind her. Sally walked across the deck and stood in front of Sallina. She held a leather bag in front of her. "Good afternoon, Miss Sallina."

"I offered to read to him yesterday," Sallina said, "But he told me to go away because he was cranky and tired."

"Ask him four times a day," Sally said, "He'll say yes sooner or later. He's miserable about something, I don't know what, and it's not helping that he's telling everyone to leave him alone. He needs some company."

Sally leaned close to Sallina. "But let him rest more, dear girl. You can hug him and kiss him when his leg is better. But for now, he's supposed to be resting."

"Otis said she was. We were playing Whosit this morning, and he said she was pregnant."

"Really?" Sally said. "She's not even showing yet. Surely he must have known already?" She shook her head. "That old devil. Either way, he's right. She is pregnant, and she has been quite sick because of it."

Sally stepped onto the plank. She walked back to the Endeavor holding a rope in one hand and her bag in the other. When she was on deck, Baat patted Boli on the back, nodded to Chimeg, and stepped onto the plank. He walked quickly to the Reliant without holding the ropes and without looking down. Sallina smiled at him when he reached the deck. He stopped and said to her, "Boli thanks you for making him free. Chimeg thanks you too."

The sailors pulled the plank back onto the Endeavor and untied the guard ropes.

"They are both welcome," Sallina said, "I wish you were happier about it all. But you seem miserable."

Baat stared at her. His eyes were the same height has hers. He looked up at the sails and took a deep breath. "I do not know words in your speaking. I do not want to be here. I do not want to be with people who know what I did."

Baat waved one hand, and made a sharp sound. It was a sound she had heard people making in Kublaminsk. It was an angry sound.

"I think bad thoughts about Dan, starting when I come on this boat. I am bad to him. All the time until I see him with arrow in his back. That time I see that he was what we hate, but he the one that keeps us safe." Baat clenched a fist and struck the ship's rail. He put his hands in his pockets. "I will never be like him," Baat said quietly, "I will never be like my father, or Yohiromaki. I have anger." He put his hand upon his stomach. "Inside my stomach. I have hate." He clenched his fist again. "I will always be like a child. Always afraid."

Sallina stared at him. She thought Baat had good reason to be angry at the world. She did not see why he should be ashamed about being angry.

Harry shouted from the aft deck. "Baat!" He held out a telescope and pointed to the top of the main mast. "Up in the crow's nest until sun-down!"

"Yes sir!" Baat said. He ran up the steps to the aft deck and took the telescope from Harry.

Sallina watched Baat climb the shrouds. The telescope hung from his wrist by its leather strap. He climbed slowly, but he did not seem to be afraid. The crow's nest was a little platform near the top of the main mast. There was always someone sitting up there during the day, watching for land and other ships. There was a sailor up there now, waiting for Baat to come and take his place.

"Sallina." Sallina looked away from the crow's nest. Jasper stood in front of her.

When Sallina knocked on Dan's door, she held three books in her hands. She had chosen them from the ship's library because she thought Dan might like them. From beyond the door she heard Dan's voice. "Come in, Sallina."

She entered the infirmary. Dan's infirmary was more crowded than Sally's. There were two bunk beds and a metal operating table, and a ceramic sink in the corner. But Dan had filled the walls around the bunk beds and above the operating table with book shelves that had glass doors. The book shelves were mostly filled with books, but there were also metal tools, shiny and clean, and rubber hoses and glass beakers and funnels.

Dan was lying on the bottom bunk with his eyes closed. He looked pale and tired. Sallina sat on a stool beside his bed. "What can I do for you?"

Sallina nodded. She held up the three books. "I don't know if you have read these already. Here's one I'd like to read. It's called The Psychology of Time Travel, which I think sounds rather intriguing."

Dan looked up and frowned. "That's my book. Where did you find it?" He reached out for it. Sallina put it in his hands. It was a large book, maybe five hundred pages. Dan opened the front cover and looked inside. He closed it again and put it beside him on the bed.

Sallina looked at the two remaining books. "How about this one, The Windmills, by Torque Edwards. He was a wizard. This is the story of him growing up in Weiland and meeting a black orc called Dreadmanifold."

Sallina nodded. She picked up the third book. "This one is called White Bear. It's the story of a boy raised by a polar bear."

Sallina opened the book and began to read. "It was in the seventh year of the cycle of the Red Sun that Little Fishbone was born. His mother held him up in the dim light of their ice-house, and smiled."

Sallina read for half an hour. When she stopped, Dan seemed to be asleep. His eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly. She waited for a while, watching him, then she stood up. Dan opened his eyes. "Just one minute," he said.

Sallina leaned against the operating table with the two books in her hands. Dan looked at her. "There's going to be a trial. I'm accusing you and Baat of breaking orders. I think you'll get away with it. But Baat won't."

"He'll be flogged for what he did," Dan said. He closed his eyes. "He deserves it, and he knows it too. So when it happens, spare me your anger, resentment and bitterness at the unfairness of the world, and the cruelty of old men. I'm too tired to deal with it." He opened his eyes again. "And I like you, Sallina, so it tires me out to have you hating me."

Sallina opened her mouth, but said nothing. Baat was going to be flogged? Dan wanted him flogged? Dan didn't want her to be mad at him? How could he expect her to not be mad at him? Baat was her friend. She looked at the old man lying in the bed, watching her. He might be dying. What good would it do to be angry at him for doing what he thought was the best thing to do? Why was it so important that she thought he was cruel? She loved Dan, even though he was old and hard and cruel. When he was standing in the waves and she saw the arrow sticking out of his back, she had screamed. She did not want him to die. She wanted him to get well again. She wanted to see his unpleasant, confident smile again, and know that he was strong.

She breathed out. "Dan, I will not be angry at you. You do what you think is right. I admire you and love you. I want you to get better."

Soon after breakfast on the fourth of September, Baat and Sallina sat next to one another on a bench in the center of the Reliant's common room. The common room was at the front of the ship, beneath the fore deck. It was eight paces long. At the fore end, which was the end that Sallina and Baat were facing, the room was only four paces wide. At the aft end, behind Sallina and Baat, it was ten paces wide, and it was in this wide space behind them that twenty of the Reliant's crew were standing, sitting, and squatting. None of them spoke. At the narrow end of the room was a desk. Harry sat behind the desk and looked at Baat. On the desk was a black notebook, a pencil, a letter, and a large red book. The notebook was open. To Harry's right sat the Captain. To his left sat Otis.

"Baat," Harry said, "You are accused by Dan Milatos, surgeon of this ship, of Insubordination of the Second Degree."

Harry stared at Baat. The ship pitched into a wave. Water landed on the deck above them. The sky was cloudy outside, with darker clouds on their way. The Captain had said before breakfast that there was a storm coming. Five of the crew were up on deck sailing the ship.

"I'll read from the law book." Harry pushed the notebook away and pulled the large red book towards him. He opened it at a page marked by a piece of red cloth. He put the red cloth on the desk and cleared his throat. With his finger on the letters in the book, he read out loud. "Insubordination of the Second Degree is refusal to obey an order in such a way that the lives of other members of the crew are engendered."

The Captain leaned over and whispered in Harry's ear. Harry frowned. He moved his finger back to the place he had started. "I'm sorry, I read that wrong. I'll read it again." He took a deep breath. "Insubordination of the Second Degree is refusal to obey an order in such a way that the lives of other crew members are endangered."

Harry closed the book. He looked at the red piece of cloth. He had forgotten to put it back in the book. He put the piece of cloth on top of the book and pushed the book away from him slowly. He looked at Baat. "I, Harry Senequel, am quartermaster of the Reliant, elected by the crew to judge the law on this ship. Do you agree that you are a member of the Reliant's crew?"

"Here is Dan's testimony," Harry said. He picked up the letter. "I hereby testify under pain of perjury. On the afternoon of the first of September, I was hiding in a cave with Baatarsaikhan two crew members, and two friends of the crew. I ordered Baatarsaikhan to remain in the cave. He attempted to leave the cave. There were armed men outside looking for us. If these men had found us, they would have used force to capture us and make us slaves. If Baatarsaikhan had gone outside, I believe the armed men would have seen him and discovered our hiding place. I knocked Baatarsaikhan unconscious to stop him from leaving. His disobedience put the lives of his fellow crew members in danger."

Harry looked up at Baat. "We assume you are innocent of any wrong-doing until we have proved that you are guilty. Knowing this, how do you plead, Baat son of Sukh. Do you plead guilty or not guilty?"

Sallina held her breath. The crew was absolutely quiet. The Captain sat with his arms crossed. Otis scratched his chin.

Harry nodded. "I hear that you plead guilty. I will decide your punishment." He looked down at the letter for a little while. He looked at the Captain and Otis. He looked at Baat. "When you tried to leave the hiding place, did you know that there were people outside looking for you?"

Harry looked down. "You didn't answer my question," he said. "Did you know you were endangering your fellows?"

Baat folded his arms. He rested his chin upon his chest. The ship struck another wave and water splashed above them.

"No," Baat said, "I am not knowing. I am not go out if I think I make danger for us."

Harry made some marks in his notebook with his pencil. Sallina did not know if Harry was writing or just drawing circles. After a while he looked up. "If I was outside, looking for you, and I saw the cave, I'd look inside, no matter if I saw anyone hanging around or not. Do you think the armed men could see the cave?"

"Yes," Baat said, "At night we find out they are on beach. I think they see me if I go. It was good for Dan to stop me."

Harry nodded. He made more marks in his notebook. "The law book says that the punishment for Insubordination of the Second Degree shall be between one and ten lashes with the long whip." He leaned forward and looked at Baat. Baat stood with his chin high, staring straight ahead. Sallina clasped her hands together. The sailors stared at Harry. The Captain stared at Baat.

"I sentence you to one lash with the long whip, at four bells today, on the main mast. I'll deliver the stroke myself."

The sailors whispered among themselves. A few of them frowned and nodded. Harry looked around. "Does anyone have anything to say about this judgment for the ship's record?"

Baat sat down. Harry looked at Sallina. He asked her to stand up, and asked her the same questions he had asked Baat. When Harry asked her if she was a member of the Reliant's crew, she said, "No."

Harry said, "Dan Milatos accuses you of Insubordination of the Fifth Degree. You disobeyed an order, and so made it more difficult for other crew members to obey their own orders." Harry picked up Dan's letter. "Dan says he ordered you to let go of a rope so he could pull it up. You didn't let go of the rope. Instead, you held onto it and Dan had to drop the rope. He had to climb down with no rope to help him if the climb became difficult."

Some of the sailors spoke to one another. They seemed irritated by something. Sallina did not know what they were saying. Were they angry at her for holding onto the rope? She held her hands together in front of her and stared down at them. She had thought she was so clever at the time. Now she was ashamed.

"Sallina," Harry said, "You are not a member of the Reliant's crew. The Captain tells me that you agreed with him that you would obey orders. You and he must decide what to do about Dan's accusations. As quartermaster, I cannot hold a trial for you because you are not a crew member. I do not have authority over you. I cannot punish you. I dismiss the charges against you from my court. I declare this trial closed. You are free to go."

He bent over his notebook and began to write in it. The Captain stood up. The sailors talked among themselves. Sallina sat down. She looked at Baat. He looked at her. She wondered if he was frightened. His sentence was only one lash, but one was more than enough, she was sure.

Baat folded his arms and looked straight ahead. "Not be sorry. I am son of Sukh."

At mid-morning, the crew of the Reliant gathered upon the main deck. The Endeavor was several thousand paces away across the water. The sky was cloudy. A cool wind was blowing one way and another. The sails flapped and the masts creaked. Darker clouds moved towards them from the west. In the distance, Sallina saw rain falling, and every now and then a flash of lightning. On the aft deck there was a bell beside the ship's wheel. The Captain struck the bell four times with a hammer. The crew went quiet.

"The quartermaster has sentenced Baat, son of Sukh, to one lash with the long whip," the Captain said. "Baat, son of Sukh, are you here?"

Baat stepped forward and stood next to the main mast. "I am here." Harry and Otis stood beside him. Harry held the same, long, leather whip Sallina had seen him carrying in Prudence Harbor.

"Strip to the waist," the Captain said. "And permit yourself to be tied to the main mast."

Baat's shirt was already unbuttoned. He pulled it off and handed it to Otis. Baat put his arms around the base of the main mast. His arms reached only half way around. The muscles stood out on his back. His skin was smooth and tanned. Baat's muscles were not as large as Garibaldi's, but Sallina still thought Baat's back was beautiful. And Harry was about to strike Baat's beautiful back with a whip. Would Baat have a scar for the rest of his life?

Otis tied a piece of rope to Baat's left wrist. He took the rope around the other side of the mast, up over a peg that was just above the height of Otis's head, and tied the other end to Baat's right hand. He made the rope tight by wrapping it around the peg. When he was finished, Sallina understood that if Baat did not want to stand up on his own two feet, the rope would hold him up so Harry could still whip him.

Garibaldi leaned upon a crutch beside her. She held his hand. She bit her lip. She did not want to watch Baat being whipped, but the Captain had ordered all the crew to stand on deck and watch. That was what they always did. The only people who did not have to watch were the look-out in the crow's nest, the man at the ship's wheel, and anyone who was sick or injured. Dan and Garibaldi did not have to come up and watch. Dan was down in his infirmary. Garibaldi came up because Baat wanted him to be there.

Baat pressed his cheek against the smooth, varnished wood of the mast. He closed his eyes. Otis held up a piece of wood. He pressed the piece of wood to Baat's lips. Baat shook his head.

Baat looked at the piece of wood. He opened his mouth and Otis put the wood between Baat's teeth and Baat bit down on it.

Harry walked five paces from Baat and turned around. He uncoiled his whip. He looked at Baat's back. He took a half-step forward. A sail flapped.

"Baat, son of Sukh," Harry said, "I have sentenced you to one lash with the long whip." Harry flicked his whip and it lay itself out across the deck between himself and Baat.

Harry drew his whip up off the deck with a smooth backward movement of one arm. The whip stretched out behind him and almost touched the aft deck. He thrust his arm forward and the whip followed.

The tip of the whip struck Baat's back, just to one side. Baat's body jerked. His eyes opened wide. He must have tried to scream, but the only sound that came out was a kind of grunt, because he had Otis's piece of wood between his teeth. There was a long, red mark on his back.

Sallina's Choice

The wind howled through the rigging. Rain flew in Sallina's face, stinging her eyes and her cheeks. The wet boards of the Reliant's aft deck sloped beneath her feet. She held onto a post beside the ship's wheel to stop herself sliding towards the port rail. The ship's masts creaked and the sails hummed. Off to starboard, waves five meters high rolled out of the west. The waves came with the wind, and the wind whipped their crests into a white foam. It was the afternoon of the day that Baat was flogged. The Captain was at the wheel, sometimes he sang a song about a sailor and a mermaid. He laughed when the waves swept over the main deck. Harry stood down there, holding a brass handle screwed to the starboard rail. Five sailors stood on the fore deck, at the far end of the ship. They were crowded watching the waves rolling towards them out of the rain, each one of them tied by a rope to the ship. Sallina herself was tied to the post she held.

The Captain took one hand from the wheel and pointed to the right side of the ship. "What side of the ship is that?"

"Aye, that it is." He pointed to the left side of the ship. "And what's that side called?"

A wave rolled over the starboard rail and leapt over the bow. It rushed around Harry's waist and flew in the faces of the sailors on the fore deck. The sailors shook their long hair and laughed.

"The port side it is. And what are those holes in the rail that the water is pouring out of?"

"And the sailors up there," the Captain pointed at the front of the ship, "What deck are they standing on?"

"The fore deck, at the bow of the ship, sir!" Sallina said. "Learning a few words about sailing does not make me a sailor, Captain sir!"

The Captain nodded. The wind slowed for a moment. Two of the sails went slack. They tightened again with a crack. The ship shuddered. The Captain turned the wheel. "Easy girl!" he said.

Lightening flashed across the water. A heartbeat later came a crack of thunder. The ship plunged forwards into a wave. Water flew high in the air over the bow, right over the sailors heads, and landed where Harry stood on the main deck. Harry straightened his oilskin hat and shrugged his shoulders.

"Steady on there first mate!" the Captain said, "Spill me ten degrees off the fore sail!"

Harry turned to the sailors. "Spill ten degrees off the fore sail. Sharpy, Jasper, jump to it!"

Sharpy and Jasper loosened a rope and pulled it. The sail on the front mast turned a little.

The Captain pointed to the rope around Sallina's waist. It was tied to the post by wrapping it around a piece of metal with two prongs sticking out of it. "Don't underestimate the power of words, my dear. What's that metal thing?"

He turned the wheel. Sallina reached up to pull her hat forwards. She had tied it under her chin with a piece of string, but the wind kept blowing it backwards. The Captain had his rubber hat tied to his head also, but it never seemed to blow back or sideways.

"We're sailing across the wind, miss," he said. "There's no faster way to sail. The wind is blowing westerly at fifty kilometers per hour." He pointed to the sails. "See how we have the sails set?" He looked at her. "Tell me about them."

Sallina looked at the sails. The starboard side of each sail was in front of the port side. The sails caught the wind and turned it so it blew back towards the stern. "The wind must come back here to get around the sails," she said.

Sallina thought about the wind pushing into the sails and sliding across the tight sail-cloth. Once it reached the back of the sail, it would be free. "The wind spills off the back of the sails, Captain."

"It does!" the Captain said. "First Mate! Another ten degrees off the fore sail!"

When Sharpy and Jasper had done as the Captain commanded, he wiped water from his eyes and said, "Tell me more. What makes the ship go forwards?"

Water was running into Sallina's eyes. She could hardly see. Shouting was making her throat hurt. But she wanted to learn to shout like the Captain. She took a deep breath. "To make the wind go backwards, the sails must push on the wind."

A splash of sea-water blew right into her mouth. She coughed and spat the water out.

Sallina frowned. Her mother did not approve of spitting. But what could you do if you had a mouth full of sea-water and you were standing on a ship in the middle of a storm?

"The wind pushes upon the sails. Pushes us forward." She pointed to the front of the ship. "The sails push on the masts. The ship goes forward."

"Yes!" the Captain said. "The wind blows from the west, but we can go south. And you know, if we want to, we can go south-west also, up into the wind." He looked at her. His smile was broad and his eyes were wide open. "We can go up against the wind! We can go anywhere we like, as long as the wind blows."

The Captain looked up at the clouds. Lightening flashed. Thunder boomed and echoed above them. The ship rolled to port, then to starboard. It pitched into a wave. He looked at Sallina. "But there's more than the sails and the wind, Miss. There's the water and the ship. The wind is blowing us sideways." He pointed to the port rail. "It's rolling us to port! Why doesn't the ship go east with the wind?"

Sallina looked at the port side of the ship. She held firmly to the post and stared across the waves. They had white tops, but they were not like the waves you see on the beach. Those waves are breaking in the shallow water. These waves had no sharp tops or steep sides. They were the long, rolling waves of the open sea that the sailors called swells. The swells lifted the ship up and lowered her again. They flowed over the main deck and kept going. The ship did not seem to mind. The doors that led below decks were shut and sealed. Water might drip through, but not much water.

The sailors below might be napping in their hammocks, or playing cards in the common room. Pops might be playing his little guitar and singing. Baat was down there somewhere. He had not been frightened of the whip, Sallina was sure of it. But when thunder cracked for the first time, and the wind started to howl, his face went pale. Looking at the sea and the sky, and hearing the crack of thunder and the howling of the wind in the ropes, Sallina was afraid also. But she was glad to be afraid of things so large and breath-taking. There was no cruelty in the wind and the sea. Why fear a mere person or a whip, when you could fear such great things as these?

"We're alone out here, Miss!" the Captain said. "We're alone and we're free! We are a law unto ourselves. There is no country, no tradition, no place, no king, no social convention that we must bow to other than our own, which we make for ourselves upon this ship by consultation and embracing one another."

Sallina turned to watch the Captain. He was frowning now, and for a while he said nothing. Sallina waited.

"The sea took my wife from me. But she would not have had it any other way." He looked at Sallina. "My Penelope loved the sea. She loved this ship." He wiped his face. Sallina thought he was crying. She wanted to walk to the end of her rope and put her arms around him, but she did not think the Captain would like that, and she knew the sailors would laugh at her.

The Captain stared forward. Sallina stared forward also. She did not want to stare at the Captain while he cried. She watched the fore deck. A wave crashed over the bow. Jasper fell and slid across the deck with the water. His rope went tight and Sharpy helped him to his feet.

"You didn't answer my question," the Captain said. "I'll answer it for you. The ship has a ridge along the bottom, from front to back. We call it the keel. The keel stops the ship from sliding sideways through the water."

Sallina nodded. "We saw the keel when we were swimming." She pointed to the ship's wheel. "The wheel moves the rudder, which is a big board at the back of the ship, under the water. The rudder makes the ship turn."

"Aye," the Captain said, "Or it makes the ship go straight, which is what it's doing right now."

The Captain held the wheel and shouted an order to Harry. Sallina watched the sailors move the main sail. They moved the fore sail back where it was before. The wind blew steady and hard. The ship sliced through one wave after another.

Sallina figured he meant two hundred kilometers. If the wind blew like this for ten hours, and they went two hundred kilometers, that would mean they were going twenty kilometers per hour, which was about as fast as she could run. She looked down at the water rushing past the port rail. "We're going fast!"

Water dripped down the Captain's rosy cheeks. "Yes we are! We're sailing fast on the wind of the world, across the swells of the deep!"

Sallina held the post with one hand. She felt the ship pitching forward into the next wave beneath her feet. She felt the deck timbers shudder as a gust of wind bent the masts to port. The wind blew hard and the ship went fast. She put her hand on her hip. "Captain!"

The Cliffs of Cloghlogan

On the evening of the fifth of September, which was the day after Sallina decided she wanted to be a sailor, the Reliant dropped anchor one kilometer outside Cloghlogan harbor.

"We can't take her in now," the Captain said, "It's getting dark and the channels are narrow. We'll wait until morning."

Garibaldi and Sallina stood on the fore deck watching the sun go down. It was setting behind huge, jagged mountains that came right down to the shore. There were a few clouds up above, and these glowed pink underneath.

Garibaldi leaned on a crutch with one arm, but his other arm was around Sallina's waist. Sallina stared into the shadows at the base of the mountains. "I can see the waves crashing on the rocks, but I can't see any sign of the city."

There was a cloud like a thin line, going from north to south, high above the mountains in front of the sun. The cloud moved as she watched, going south. The south end of the cloud was sharp, and the north end was blurred.

"Have you?" Garibaldi said. "I have never seen one. It's some kind of cloud, isn't it?"

"I guess so," Sallina said, "It's glowing pink underneath like the other clouds."

Sharpy nodded and stared at the cloud. "Made by a dragon flying high up in the sky."

"I like that. A dragon cloud." She put her arm around Garibaldi and leaned against him. "How romantic."

Pops called from the aft stairs. "Miss Sallina, the Captain's asking for you. He's waiting in his cabin!"

Pops had already disappeared. He did not like to leave his kitchen right before supper-time. Sallina wondered why the Captain had sent Pops up at all.

Sallina jumped down the steps from the fore deck to the main deck, and turned to the little door that opened onto the top of the fore stairs. She walked down these and into the common room. A lantern hung from the ceiling. Four men were playing cards. Two lay on cushions, reading. Two others were smoking tobacco from a water-pipe and talking. The common room's round windows were open, and the sea breeze flowed through the room, taking the tobacco smoke with it. She walked through the common room and along the length of the dormitory. This was where the sailors slept. Each sailor had his own hammock, and an area on the floor marked out that was his to use. Each area was three paces long and two paces wide. Most of the sailors were here. They were talking, resting, or reading. The sailors liked trading books, talking about books, and going to book shops when they went ashore.

Jasper looked up. He held a shiny crystal in one hand. Above him was an oil lamp. In front of him was a tray with many rocks in it.

Sallina was cheerful because she enjoyed being able to walk through the common room and the dormitory whenever she liked. That morning the Captain had accepted her and Garibaldi as members of the crew for one week, so they could see how they liked it. They were still sleeping in their cabin, but they were going to be treated like one of the crew. Of course, being one of the crew meant that they had to obey the Captain's orders, but Sallina trusted the Captain, so she was willing to obey him for a week and see if she liked it.

She passed through the door at the end of the dormitory and entered the ship's corridor. The cabin she shared with Garibaldi was on the left. The infirmary was on the right. The next door on her left was the toilets. There was a short flight of stairs that led down to what the sailors called the hold. Sallina could go down into the hold too, if she wanted. The hold was where the ship's cargo was stored. Sallina had been down there in the morning. There were hundreds of bags of a strange white powder called gypsum that the Captain had bought in Independence Island. He said the powder was used for making statues and walls.

Sallina walked past the stairs to the hold. On her right was the kitchen. The kitchen door was open and the smell of roasting meat was wafted out with hot air and the clattering of pots and pans. Just past the door to the kitchen was the base of the rear mast, which came down through the deck and passed through the floor into the hold. After the kitchen door was the end of the corridor. On the left was the base of the staircase that led up to the main deck. If she wanted to go up these stairs, she would have to turn around and walk up them in the other direction. The door to the Captain's cabin was at the end of the corridor, facing her. She knocked on the door.

The Captain smiled. The red light of the setting sun shone through the starboard window. A lantern hung from the ceiling above him. He had some papers in front of him on the table, but there was no glass of wine. He pointed to a chair on the other side of the table. "Close the door and sit down."

"Tomorrow morning we will enter Cloghlogan harbor," the Captain said. "The town around the harbor is called Cloghloganport. But Dan's wife does not live in Cloghloganport. She lives in Cloghlogan itself, the city beneath the mountain."

The Captain looked out the starboard window at the clouds. He frowned and looked at Sallina. "Very funny, dear girl, but I'm worried about Dan, so please be yourself."

"I know," the Captain said, "Everyone does. Half the time I think you're all making fun of me."

Sallina reached out and put her hand upon the Captain's. "No, Captain, we're not making fun of you. We're enjoying our work."

The Captain picked up a piece of paper with a name and address written on it. "Dan's wife's name is Margaret MacLockanlock."

"Be that as it may, my dear new sailor, you will go into the dwarf city tomorrow and find her."

"Operor vos narro Latin?" the Captain said. He was speaking in Latin. As I have said before, Sallina studied Latin in school. She understood that he had said, "Do you speak Latin?"

"That's good enough," the Captain said. He looked down at the piece of paper. "Margaret lives at Number Six Cinnabar Street, Cloghlogan." He looked up. "I have no idea where that is. I've been in the city several times, but I don't know my way around."

"You may take two of the crew with you. Not Garibaldi, because he's injured, and not Sharpy, because he speaks Latin also, and I will need him here."

The Captain leaned forward a little, holding the paper between his hands. "I want you on my crew because you're smart. You can learn new languages. You've a good head for numbers. I can send you places and have you speak for the ship." He smiled at her. "That's my hope, anyway. So, I want to try you out. I'm ordering you to go into the city and find Margaret MacLockanlock. Give her a letter from me." He picked up a letter, sealed with red wax on the back, and handed it to her. "Tell her Dan is here and wants to see her."

Sallina looked at the wax seal. The seal was of the letters H and T. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll take Baat and Otis."

The Captain handed Sallina the piece of paper with Margaret's address. She took it and sat back in her chair. "You're not drinking wine, Captain."

"I think you drink too much. It's not good for the safety of our ship. Now that I'm a sailor, I have the right to say such things to you, isn't that correct?"

"I have been wanting to say it for some time, but I never did because we were your guests. It's not good for your health to drink a bottle of wine at every meal."

He frowned. "I stopped drinking today." He looked up at Sallina. "But it's because I'm worried."

"Dan." He shook his head. "No, I'm not worried about him, I'm worried about us. I'm so used to having Dan on the ship to take care of us that it's frightening to have him be sick. Now he's going to leave the ship, I think, and go into the city to one of their hospitals. I don't know if we'll get him back, and without him, we don't have our doctor and we don't have our…"

Sallina looked at her hands. The ship rocked on the waves. The light of the setting sun faded, leaving only a faint, red glow. The lantern swung slowly upon its chain. Sallina clasped her hands together. She looked up. "Your wife would not want you to be sad. You know that, don't you?"

"We have Baat now," she said, "He's good with a stick. I've seen him in action. And on the Endeavor, we have Yohiromaki, and even Dan is impressed with Yohiromaki's fighting. So with the two of them, we'll be safe."

The Captain stared at the table, but said nothing. After a while, he cleared his throat. "I hear what you say, Sailor Sallina, and thank you for your advice. Now you are dismissed."

The Cloghlogan lighthouse stood upon the rocks beside the harbor. At night, it flashed every twenty seconds. Sharpy said the light shone out all the time in a beam that turned around the lighthouse and pointed far out over the water. When the beam moved across the ship, they saw the light, so the light appeared to flash.

"But she's a faster ship than the Reliant, isn't she? Why didn't she get here first?"

"She's faster in fair weather, but our captain is more daring. We always pull ahead in a storm."

The next morning, the sun rose in the east and shone brightly upon the rocky slopes of the Trukulent Mountains. The Reliant sailed between two great cliffs into a wide expanse of calm water. There were a dozen ships tied up to stone docks. Tall, stone buildings with slate roofs crowded about the shore. There were taverns and shops. There were long warehouses for storing cargo. The expanse of calm water was Cloghlogan Harbor. The town beside the harbor was Cloghloganport.

Two rowboats came out from Cloghloganport and towed the Reliant to an empty dock. Garibaldi and Sallina stood once more upon the fore deck and stared at the streets. They took turns to look through Sharpy's telescope. Garibaldi's leg was hurting less. He rested his crutch against the ship's rail and held the telescope with both hands. He looked past the buildings and into the narrow space between the cliffs beyond the town.

The cliffs were so high that Garibaldi could hardly believe they were real. They met about a kilometer from the harbor. Where they met there was a wall of gray rock that rose so high he doubted he would be able to see anyone standing at the top, even with the telescope. He could see no way to get into the narrow space between the cliffs other than by going through the town. At the base of the wall where the cliffs met, he saw water sparkling in the morning sun.

"I think there is some kind of waterfall back there," he said. He handed the telescope to Sallina.

The Reliant bumped against the dock. Sailors jumped off the ship and tied her to the dock with thick ropes. Sallina handed the telescope to Garibaldi. "I'd better get going."

"Look, bales of cloth," Garibaldi said, looking over the edge of the ship. A small, two-wheeled cart was going by on the dock, pulled by one man. In the cart were bolts of colored cloth.

Garibaldi frowned. He did not like it when Sallina corrected his speech. It made him feel foolish. But he supposed he had better learn how to use the right words if he was going to spend time with someone as clever as she was. He stared at the cliffs looming above the town. There were a few trees here and there, holding on to the cliffs. There were a few trees growing between the houses, too. But almost everything he could see was made of stone, except for the sky. He shook his head. His father would be amazed by these mountains.

Sallina nodded and put her arm around him. "I'll sell my furs here if I can, and we'll be able to go home."

"In case you walk past a fur-seller or a coat-maker or something. You could show him some of your furs."

Sallina laughed. Garibaldi moved a step away from her. "What's so stupid about that?"

Garibaldi frowned. She reached out and touched his arm. "I'll go and get some furs and bring them in my pack. It's a good idea." She stepped towards him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be right back."

Sallina went down the aft steps to their cabin. She put four mink pelts and a rabbit pelt in her backpack. She picked up a wolf pelt, but it was too large. She picked up a small piece of mink fur that had fallen off one of the other pelts. It was soft and smooth. She liked to feel it between her fingers. She put it in her pocket.

Next to the piece of fur in her pocket was a small crumpled piece of paper. Over the past few weeks, this piece of paper had been soaked in water many times. But each time she had spread it out and let it dry, folded it up and put it back in her pocket. It was the shopping list her mother had given her on the day she and Garibaldi had found the gold. Sallina wondered what happened to the big wicker basket she had left behind in the forest. Had her mother found it? Did someone else find it and give it to her? Did her mother still use the shopping basket, and if she did, did she cry thinking about her daughter when she carried it?

Sallina put her pack on her back and left the cabin. She had to sell her furs so they could go home.

When she came to the toilet door, she stopped. Better to pee before she left the ship. You never knew how hard it would be to find a clean toilet when you were in a strange city. She put the sign on the door and went inside. While she was in there, she heard the Captain calling for her. "Sallina! Where are you Sallina! Time to go!"

When she ran up on deck a minute later, Baat and Otis were waiting by the gang-plank that led down to the dock. The Captain was on the aft deck talking to a very short, broad man with a beard and a large nose. His beard was twisted into two points. He wore a black leather jacket and baggy wool trousers. On his head was a bright metal cap. In his hands he held a small board with papers on it.

Garibaldi came down the steps from the fore deck as fast as he could on his injured leg. He held his crutch in one hand and Sharpy's telescope in the other. His brow was furrowed.

Oh dear, Sallina thought, he's worried about me going into the dwarf city without him. She met him at the ship's rail. Garibaldi leaned close to her and said, "I just saw Lawrence Matthews on the next dock. He was staring at our ship."

In case you don't remember, Lawrence Matthews was one of the three ruffians who had attacked Sallina and Garibaldi when they first found the gold. He was the tall one, the son of the richest man in town. Sallina held Garibaldi's arm tightly. She looked at the dock next to theirs, and then at Garibaldi. "Are you sure?"

Sallina watched the street that ran along the water front. She could not see Lawrence. "Where did he go?"

"He walked off down the street." Garibaldi pointed left along the docks. "I lost sight of him over there."

"He's Jameson Matthews's son," Garibaldi said, "He's probably here with one of Jameson's ships. My mother is friends with Mrs. Matthews's sister, Lawrence's aunt, and she says Jameson is forever talking about his ships, and all the stuff they carry back and forth across the sea. One of these ships must be Jameson's and he's sent his son here with it. Maybe Jameson is here himself."

"No," Garibaldi said, "The Duke won't be here. Don't worry. There's nothing the Duke can do to you here. We're not on the Duke's land. The Duke has no power here."

And so it was that Sallina left the Reliant with Baat and Otis, and started off towards the City of the Dwarves. In her pack she had her furs and two letters for Margaret MacLockanlock. One was from the Captain. The other was from Dan. Also in her pack was the sheet of paper with Margaret's address. Otis did not appear to be carrying anything. Baat carried his sword at his belt.

Sallina expected Otis to ask her what she was really frightened of, but he didn't.

Two dwarves stood beside the road, talking to one another. Baat slowed down to look at them. But Sallina stared straight ahead. Lawrence Matthews was here. She had never liked Lawrence Matthews, but he was a smart boy, even if he was insecure and selfish. Garibaldi had hit Lawrence pretty hard a couple of times, and a boy like Lawrence Matthews doesn't forget being made a fool of in a fight, especially in front of Sallina. Lawrence used to follow her around in school. He used to pick flowers for her and give her insects in cages made of straw. He knew she liked insects. But most of the insects had legs missing or were dead. Lawrence could not put them in the little cages without hurting them.

Did Lawrence know that she and Garibaldi were on the Reliant? The Duke's soldiers in Godiva might have figured out that she and Garibaldi had stowed away. Maybe someone saw her and Garibaldi climb into the crate of silk, but had not said anything about it until later. Maybe their letters home had arrived, and their parents had told everyone about the Reliant. She hit her hip with one hand in frustration. She should not have given the name of the ship in her letter.

Because she was thinking about Lawrence, Sallina hardly noticed the shops, houses, taverns, and squares of Cloghloganport. Baat and Otis followed close behind her. Baat pointed at things and asked Otis questions. Otis answered some of them, but made jokes in answer to others. Baat laughed at the jokes. Sallina looked back at him. He was in a good mood.

What could Lawrence do to her and Garibaldi here in Cloghlogan? Nothing. Garibaldi was right. The Duke had no power here, and nor did Lawrence.

The town ended suddenly with an iron gate in a stone wall. The gate was open. Two dwarves stood upon either side. The sun shone in their faces. They faced straight ahead, but Sallina could not see their eyes because they were wearing dark glasses. Their large noses stuck out from between the circles of dark glass. They wore chain armor and rested double-bladed battle-axes on the ground. They both had beards. Sallina stopped in front of them. They stood as high as her shoulder.

Baat smiled at the dwarves. He pointed at their battle-axes. "It is like my father's axe."

A sapien man (that is, a man who was not a dwarf or an elf or any other humanoid race) walked past Sallina. He was carrying a leather bag. He looked at Sallina, nodded at the dwarves, and went through the open gate and up the path beyond. The dwarves did nothing.

"Come on," Sallina said. She walked through the gate. Baat and Otis followed her.

On the other side of the wall was an open space five hundred paces long between towering cliffs. Where Sallina, Baat, and Otis stood, the space was two hundred paces wide. At the far end, the cliffs came together, and at the bottom, where the met, there was a huge stone door. Sallina felt sure this door was the entrance to Cloghlogan. But the door was closed. Coming down from the door was a wide flight of stone steps. At the base of the steps was a fountain. A second flight of steps led down from this fountain to a another fountain, and a third flight of steps led down to a yet another fountain. Sallina, Baat, and Otis stood on a level with the third fountain.

Sallina stopped and stared. The middle fountain was the largest. It was a sculpture of tubes and blocks and many-sided shapes like jewels. It was made of stone and crystal and metal, and set in a pool fifty paces wide. What made Sallina stop and stare was the water spraying from the center of the fountain. The water shot into the air as high as the main mast of the Reliant and fell in a crashing cascade into the pool.

"How do they do this?" Baat said, pointing at the water high in the air and sparkling in the sun. "Is it magic?"

There were two ways to get to the door of the dwarf city. One way was to walk past the fountains and climb the stairs. That was the way Baat wanted to take. The other was to follow a wide, smooth road that ran along the base of the cliff on the left. Sallina could see the man with the leather bag walking along the road. He must be going to the city, she thought, and he is taking the quickest way. He does not want to go past the fountains. He might get wet.

She stepped out onto the marble paving that surrounded the lowest fountain. She walked past it and up the steps to the second fountain. She thought she would have time to look at the lowest fountain on her way back. For now, she was more interested in the big one, and she stopped beside it. She had never seen or heard anything like this fountain in her whole life. She stared at the water flying high in the air, and falling down to land in the pool. The water shooting up from the fountain roared, and the water falling down into the pool hissed like a rain storm. There was hardly any wind here, between the cliffs, but when a breeze blew, water would fall on either side of the pool. The black paving stones on either side of the fountain were slippery with water. Sallina looked towards the sea. It sparkled in the morning sun.

"Well well," a voice said behind her. The voice had the accent of her home town, "If it isn't dear little run-away Sallina."

Four men were approaching from the direction of the dwarf city. Sallina had noticed them descending the steps, but she had been too fascinated by the fountain to pay them any attention. Three of them were large and muscular. They wore sailor's trousers and the kind of shoes that sailors put on when they go ashore. The fourth was Lawrence Matthews. They stopped a few paces away. The three sailors stood side by side with their arms folded. Lawrence stepped in front of them and looked down at Sallina. He was taller than she remembered. Had he grown? No, he was wearing boots with high heels.

"I see you've made some new friends," Lawrence said. "I like them. One is small and young, the other is small and old." He pointed back at the three large sailors. "I've made some new friends too." He smiled. "Only mine are large and tough."

Sallina raised one eyebrow. What did he want to say to her that he could not say in front of his sailors? Perhaps he wanted her to give him some of the gold so that he would not tell the Duke he had seen her. She wasn't going to give him any of the gold. She needed it all to get back home. And she did not like the thought of being alone with Lawrence, either.

Instead of moving out of the way, Lawrence stepped towards her. He scowled and pointed a finger at her face, "You'd better think twice about…"

Baat drew his sword, stepped between Lawrence and Sallina, and put the point of his blade to Lawrence's neck.

The sailors behind Lawrence stepped forward. One had a truncheon in his hand. Sallina did not see where the truncheon came from. He must have been hiding it under his folded arms. He swung at Baat's sword with his truncheon, trying to knock it away from Lawrence's neck.

The truncheon swept through the air, but it did not touch Baat's sword. The sword flicked out of the way, around the sailor's arm, and back to Lawrence's neck as soon as the truncheon had passed by. The sailor dropped the truncheon, cried out, and pressed his wrist with his hand. Blood seeped between his fingers. He stepped backwards and slipped on the paving stones. Another sailor caught him as he fell. The third sailor held a truncheon in his hand. He looked from Lawrence to Baat.

Lawrence clenched his fists. He stared down the length of Baat's sword at the face of the Son of Sukh, with its dark, smooth skin and strange, narrow eyes.

Lawrence stepped back. "Come on," he said to his sailors. "We'll go get the police."

The sailor whom Baat had cut was gritting his teeth and holding his arm. His friend helped him walk towards the road. The third sailor shrugged and followed them. When he reached the road, Lawrence turned and shouted above the noise of the fountain. "You and that woodcutter! You'll both face justice! You'll be sorry!"

Sallina bit her lip. Otis put a hand on her back. "Come on, girl, let's be going."

Sallina walked up the steps to the top fountain. She tried not to look back over her shoulder. She did not know what Lawrence was doing back there on the road with his three sailors. All she could hear behind her was the roar of the middle fountain. She wanted to know what Lawrence was doing, but she did not want Lawrence to think that she was worried. She wanted him to be the one that was worrying, not her.

The top fountain was made of green pipes that sprayed water in all directions. The pipes twisted around one another and sprayed water into buckets that turned wheels. The wheels pulled chains that lifted up balls and dropped them onto chimes and cymbals. A cool mist settled on Sallina's face. The sound of the chimes and cymbals joined the roaring of the fountain below. She stopped and watched a ball rolling around in a glass funnel. Otis watched with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Baat had his back to the fountain, watching the road. Without turning her head towards the road, Sallina tried to find Lawrence and the three sailors, but she could not see them.

A silver-colored ball rose up high on a jet of water. The jet lasted for a few seconds and stopped. The ball dropped into a dish on top of the fountain with a clang. The jet turned on again, shooting the silver ball high in the air and letting it fall once more into the hole. The ball clanged ten times and did not rise again.

"It's a clock," Sallina said. "It chimed ten times to say it's ten o'clock in the morning."

Otis and Sallina stood watching the balls and chains and wheels of the fountain. Time passed. Sallina She wondered if this fountain was some kind of dwarf magic that made you forget what you were doing. She shook her head. No, it is a machine driven by water, and maybe a little magic, whatever that was.

She heard voices behind her. A party of twenty sapiens was walking up the steps from the large fountain. On their heads they had hats with high crests in the shape of animals and beads hanging down at the back. Around their waists they wore short, thick skirts, and on their chests they wore open shirts. There were five or six children among them. The children rushed across the paving stones to the edge of the fountain pool and pointed at the wheels and balls.

He placed his hand upon Sallina's back. She moved away from the tourists and ascended the final flight of stairs.

"Do you think I would ask you what a tourist was if I already knew what a tourist was?"

Baat stood on the step below. He shook his head and held his hands up. "No argue. Sallina, not be scared." He put a hand on the hilt of his sword. "You are safe with me."

Sallina put a hand over her eyes. Okay, she thought, Baat likes to think that people are safe with him. And the fact is, Baat has protected me several times. So, I'll let him be proud of himself. As to Otis, he's a crafty old devil and I never know what he's up to, except that he's loyal to the Captain. I'll ask Sharpy what a tourist is later. She put her hand down. "Very good, sailors. We're going into the city to get Dan's wife."

They walked up the steps. Behind them, the tourists were standing beside the fountain. A cymbal clashed. The tourists clapped their hands and laughed.

The City of the Dwarves

Sallina, Baat, and Otis climbed the last flight of steps. At the top was an open space paved with gray stone that sparkled in the sunlight. On the other side of the space was the cliff that Sallina and Garibaldi had examined through Sharpy's telescope. The cliff curved around to form the sides of the valley behind them. Sallina had to look straight up to see the blue sky above. The entrance to the dwarf city was closed by two large doors. In front of the doors was the man with the leather bag who had set off along the road in front of them. He was tall and thin, wearing a black coat and a white collar. When he saw Sallina and her companions, he moved away from the door, and stood beside a sign.

Sallina stopped in front of the doors. Each door was twice as tall as she was and three paces wide. On the left door was a carving of a pick-axe and a shovel. On the right door was a carving of a cart being pulled by a dwarf with a long beard. Around the pick-axe and the cart were shapes with straight edges and sharp corners. Most of the shapes were six-sided, but others were more complicated. Sallina touched the door. It was warm from the sun. The door was solid metal. There were spots of red rust hiding in the corners of the carvings.

Baat walked to the sign. The man with the leather bag took several steps backwards. Sallina thought he looked nervous. Why was he nervous? Baat had put his sword away, and he was not large. The man with the bag must have seen Baat draw his sword and cut the sailor.

Sallina walked to the sign. It was made of shiny metal. A notice was carved upon it in three languages. The top notice was in Latin, with the largest letters. Beneath that was Weilandic, which was Sallina's own language. At the bottom was writing made of pictures and lines. The pictures and lines were hieroglyphs from Sax. She read the Weilandic writing out loud.

"No Loitering, Cloghlogan City Law, Chapter 7, Section 12." She turned to Otis. "It says no loitering. But I don't see what else we can do. How are we supposed to get in? Are we supposed to knock on the door?"

The man leaned forward slightly and rubbed his chin with one hand. He pointed towards the doors. The doors were moving into the mountain. They made no sound. The space beyond the doors was dark at first, but when the doors were half-open, the sun shone upon the floor and walls of a wide, short passage. Beyond the passage was a cavern twice as high as the doors and twenty paces deep. The doors opened until they were pressed against the walls inside. Sallina could not see anyone moving the doors. A dwarf in chain armor walked out of the cavern and into the sunlight. He said in a loud, deep voice. "Stand clear!"

The dwarf stood just inside the the doors. He placed a hand above his eyes to shield them from the sunlight. Sallina stared at him. A sapien man as tall as the dwarf would be a man she would say was "very short". But the dwarf was wide across the shoulders and from front to back. He looked solid and strong, like a bear. His chain mail shirt hung down from his chest to his knees. The chain links shone in the sunlight. The sleeves came down to his elbows. His hands and lower arms were covered with gauntlets made of solid metal plates. When he flexed his fingers, the metal plates moved over one another silently. Upon his lower legs he wore plate armor also. His boots were black leather, polished until they reflected the sun as a bright spot. Upon his head was a helmet with a red plume sticking straight up. On his back was a round shield. Hanging from his belt was a broad-bladed sword in a sheath painted bright blue and yellow.

He lowered his hand and smiled at Sallina. His beard was red. It was twisted into two points at the bottom, and these points were so bushy that they were tied with gold rings. So far as Sallina could tell, the dwarf's face was the same size as a sapien's, but every feature in the face seemed larger. His nose was wide and long. His mouth went almost from one side of his face to the other. His rosy cheeks stuck out like those of a character in a children's picture book. To Sallina, the most extraordinary thing about the dwarf's face were his eyes. They were huge. Sallina guessed they must be half again as wide and as high as a sapien's eyes. Even from three paces away, with the bright sunlight on one side of the dwarf's face and the shadow of his nose falling across the other half, Sallina could see that the dwarf's eyes were green.

Five dwarves walked out of the shadows of the cavern. They laughed and talked in Latin. They wore dark glasses and wide-brimmed hats. Instead of armor and weapons, they wore brightly-colored clothes. Two of them were women. Sallina could tell they were women because they had no beards, they were half a head shorter than the men, and they had breasts as big as Natasha's. Sallina could not see their eyes, but their skin was clear and pale in the shade of their hats. Their lips were red and full.

One woman wore blue trousers down to her calves and sandals on her feet. Her feet were broad but not long. Her toenails were painted green. Her shirt was shiny green, and came down to her thighs. The second woman wore black trousers and red leather shoes. The trousers hung low on her hips. Her shirt was made of stretchy yellow fabric that was tight on her body. It clung to her arms, tucked in below her chest, and ended just above her waist, so that a strip of white skin showed between her shirt and trousers.

The men wore short-sleeved shirts. Two of them wore short trousers. Their legs and arms were broad, muscular, and hairy. The man at the back pulled a cart with two wheels. He was the one wearing long trousers. The cart had two poles for handles. He stood between the poles and pulled the cart with both hands. The outside of the cart was carved and painted with lines and shapes. The inside was bare metal, scratched in many places. In the cart were a dozen bamboo fishing poles. Also in the cart were a metal box, three wicker baskets, two stools, a frying pan, and a bottle of wine.

Sallina watched the woman in the stretchy yellow shirt as she walked down the road. She was no taller than Sallina's shoulder, but her hips were wider, and her waist was just as narrow. She walked with one hand upon her hip, and her bottom swung from side to side.

Otis and Baat stared at the dwarves. Otis leaned towards Baat and said something. Baat nodded and laughed. Sallina did not hear what they said. Were they making fun of the dwarf women, or did they think the women were pretty? Dan married a dwarf, so he must think they were pretty.

Farther down the road was another cart, pulled by one dwarf on his own, coming up towards the city. He saw the open doors and started to run. Sallina turned to the dwarf in chain armor.

"Do you have papers already?" the dwarf said. This time he spoke Weilandic with a strong accent, but she could understand him.

The dwarf walked into the passage. She walked beside him. The sun cast long shadows before them and into the cavern beyond. Sallina looked down at the floor. There was a hole, half an arm's length across. All around the hole, and into the cavern beyond, the floor was polished, sparkling gray stone. The stone was so smooth it looked like glass or still water in the sunlight. But there was a hole in the stone, and at the bottom of the hole were triangular white crystals, long green, sharp-edged rods, and purple stones with flat, sparkling sides.

The dwarf laughed. "Don't worry," he said. He stepped on the hole, and to Sallina's surprise, he did not fall in. "There's a window over it." He stepped away from the hole. "It's your first time here, isn't it?"

The dwarf kept walking. Sallina followed him. There were more windows in the floor. To her right, next to the cavern wall, was a stone desk. The dwarf walked to the other side of it. There were metal trays on the desk with papers in them. The cavern was wider than it was deep, and there was another set of metal doors on the wall opposite the passage. The windows in the floor made a path across the cavern to the inner doors. Standing in the center of the cavern was another dwarf in a plumed helmet.

The cavern roof was bare, jagged rock. Luminous stones hung from chains. Their light was dim compared to the sun shining through the doors. The cavern walls were straight and flat and square. They were covered with rectangular metal plates. The plates were engraved with Latin writing.

The dwarf behind the desk saw Sallina looking at the plates on the walls. "Those are the Laws of the City," he said. "We expect you to obey them."

The dwarf took out a piece of paper with lines, words and boxes printed in blue ink. "To get into the city, you must have a visitor pass. To get a visitor pass, you must agree to abide by our laws." He took a pen from a cup. He started to write upon the paper. He did not dip the pen in ink before he wrote. It just started writing on its own. The ink was red.

The man with the leather bag walked into the cavern and went to the dwarf in the cavern center. Sallina watched him over her shoulder. He showed the dwarf a piece of paper. The dwarf took the paper, read it, and gave it back to him. A cart rattled into the cavern, pulled by the dwarf who had been jogging up the road. He leaned against his cart and breathed deeply. The dwarf behind the desk looked at a clock hanging on the wall. The clock had a white face and black hands. He wrote on his paper and pushed the paper towards Sallina. He pointed to a line at the bottom. "Sign here."

He had written Sallina's name, the name of her ship, the time, the date, and his own name on the paper. His name was Joseph MacIntyre. He had ticked a box marked "sapien", a box marked "female" and another box marked with a Latin word that Sallina did not know.

Joseph watched Sallina. "It says, 'While in Cloghlogan City, I agree to abide by the Laws of the City'."

Joseph took out two more printed papers and filled them out for Otis and Baat. Otis gave his name as Otis of the Reliant. Baat was Baatarsaikhan son of Sukh. The dwarf handed then each heir papers and they both signed on the blue lines.

"Keep the papers with you at all times while you are in the city. Visitors always have to carry their visitor papers with them."

The dwarf who had been talking to the man with the leather bag walked up. "The gentlemen in the coat over there says you had a sword fight down by the fountains."

Joseph opened a drawer in the desk and took out a printed pamphlet. "Here," he said. He unfolded the pamphlet. There was a map inside. "Take this. The map shows Cloghlogan Avenue and the main caverns. On the back are some of our most important laws."

Sallina took the pamphlet. The writing was in Weilandic. They had a special pamphlet printed for visitors who did not speak Latin. She turned it over and read the first law. "No fire without a permit, save one lamp or candle per person, Chapter One, Section Seventeen." The second law was, "No smoking in the streets or caverns, Chapter One, Section Three."

She nodded. "Okay, thank you." She looked at Joseph. "We don't want to start any trouble."

"I certainly can. Follow the avenue through the first and second caverns and it's the second turning on the right."

"If you lose your way, ask someone," Joseph said, "You'll find we are quite friendly."

Sallina nodded. She looked at the open doorway. She wondered if Lawrence and his sailors were going to follow them into the city and make trouble for them. She wondered if she should explain their fight by the fountain to Joseph. She ran her fingers through her hair.

"As you wish, madam," Joseph said. "Now, if you please, wait over there." He pointed to the inner doors.

Sallina and her companions walked across the cavern floor. The man with the leather bag held his bag to his chest and watched them go by. They stood in front of the inner doors and waited. Joseph walked to the outer doors and came back. He talked at the wall behind the desk. There must have been a hole in the wall, or a pipe. The outer doors began to move. They swung together until they closed.

At first the cavern was dark to Sallina's eyes, but after a few seconds she could see by the dim light of the luminous stones hanging from the roof. The jagged roof was white and black with sparkling crystals. The dwarves must be wealthy, she thought, to be able to afford so many luminous stones. She counted ten of them.

She heard rushing of air. The inner doors were opening. They opened away from her. Air rushed from the cavern and into the passage beyond. After only a second or two, the rushing stopped. The light in the passage was dim, but she could see three dwarves with carts. They pulled their carts into the cavern. All three carts were loaded with rocks. The man with the leather bag went through the doors, followed by the dwarf who had come up the road with his cart. In the cart were a few metal boxes, a shovel, a pick-axe, and a sledge-hammer.

Sallina nodded. She walked through the doors. The floor of the passage was the same polished stone as the cavern, with windows in the floor. The passage was six paces wide. Its walls were solid rock, and joined in a smooth arch as tall as the doors. "This must be Cloghlogan Avenue," she said. After ten paces, a smaller passage led off to their left. A sign above it said, MacIntyre Street. The street was dark. She felt cool air upon her neck. She looked up. There was a hole in the roof. The cool air was coming out of the hole.

There were no lights in the avenue. The only light came from the cavern behind them, and from something around the bend ahead of them. Sallina walked around the bend. On the right side of the avenue was another cavern. Two luminous stones hung from the roof, and in their dim light six or seven dwarves with plumed helmets sat at tables, talking and playing chess.

They followed the avenue past the first cavern. The floor was no longer polished, but it was flat and smooth. As they left the lights behind them, it grew dark. Air blew from another hole in the roof. They passed a street leading off the the right. There was a bend ahead of them. Sallina was sure it would be absolutely dark on the other side.

She stopped. Otis and Baat stopped beside her. Otis had his hand on Baat's shoulder. How could they go on like this? They needed light. Why hadn't she brought a candle? Should she go back and ask Joseph for one, or perhaps one of the guards playing chess? How had the man with the leather bag come this way without a light? Were the dwarves able to see in the dark?

As she stood there in the darkness, she heard voices. The voices were not loud, because they were coming down the avenue from far away. But there were many voices. There were people calling out to one another, and laughing and talking. She felt as if she were standing outside a ballroom in which a party was being held. She heard metal clanging against stone, and a splash, as if someone had jumped into a pool. Beneath her feet she heard another noise. It was a quiet hissing. What was beneath the floor? She held her breath and listened. She heard another sound, unlike anything she had heard before. She could hardly hear it among the other noises, but it was there. It was a deep humming, too deep for human voices, like the deepest note on the largest church organ.

She breathed out. She must deliver the message. Dan was wounded. Lawrence might be waiting outside the city with the police. Surely she could move along the avenue by touching one of the walls? Something brushed against her leg. She jumped. "Something touched my leg!"

Sallina took another deep breath. Otis must be teasing her. A light shone in the avenue ahead of them. Two tiny dwarves came running around the corner. Each wore a round, hard hat with a luminous stone attached to it, shining ahead of them. They saw the sapiens standing in the avenue. They stopped and looked up. They were barely higher than Sallina's knees. Their mouths were open and their big eyes were wide and staring.

The two tiny dwarves turned and ran back the way they had come, taking their light with them.

The dwarf children were not fast runners. Sallina caught up with them quickly. But she did not want to catch them, she just wanted to share their light. The dwarf children looked back, squealed, and turned into an opening on the right. Sallina stopped beside the opening and looked in. A spiral staircase went up and down. The children had gone up. She could see their lights shining on the walls above her.

A dwarf walked around the bend and stopped. He had his own helmet with a luminous stone. The stone was not bright, but it was bright enough for Sallina to see the floor. His face was in the shadow of his helmet.

"Come with me," the dwarf said. He walked back the way he came. Sallina, Otis and Baat followed him. There was a street leading off to the left. The dwarf stopped beside a cart, which Sallina recognized the cart from the entrance cavern. This was the dwarf who had been hurrying to get to the doors.

"Yes," the dwarf said. He opened a box in his cart and took out a candle. "Here." He held the candle out to Sallina.

He took a box of matches from his pocket, struck one, and lit the candle. "There you go," he said.

The dwarf picked up his cart and walked off along the side street. Sallina held up the candle. The sign above the street said MacIntyre Street. She frowned. They had already passed MacIntyre street. Had they turned around in the darkness and gone back? No, that could not be, because the street would be on their right if they had turned around, and it was on their left. This must be the other end of MacIntyre street, where it came back to the avenue. Sallina was glad to have the candle, but it turned out that she did not need it. Beyond the next bend they passed several dwarves. The dwarves carried luminous stones, candles, and little oil lamps.

The sound of voices, clattering and splashing grew louder. Sallina heard birds singing and there was a larger light ahead of them. They walked around a bend and came to the edge of a huge cavern. They stopped and stared. The cavern was sixty paces long and almost as wide. The roof was so high Sallina thought the main mast of the Reliant would be able to stand up in the middle of it. The avenue ran across the cavern floor, past a stone fountain, and out the other side. Light came from dozens of luminous stones hanging at various heights from the roof by chains. The walls sparkled. Hanging from the center of the roof was a clock. Sallina could see the hands of the clock clearly. The clock read twenty minutes past ten.

Beside the main floor of the cavern were higher floors, and above these there were balconies running around the walls. On the main floor, around the fountain, was a market. Half the stalls were run by sapiens. Sallina put her hand in her pocket and touched her piece of mink fur. Perhaps she could bring her fur here and sell it to the dwarves. No, what use would they have for fur? Surely it was never cold here in their city.

Stairs led up to the higher floors, and even to the balconies. There were tables and chairs, and many dwarves sitting and talking and drinking from cups. There must have been several hundred dwarves in the cavern, and twenty sapiens among the market stalls.

Baat pointed up to their right. A metal cage hung from the wall. In the cage was a small yellow bird. It was singing. "My aunt have bird like that," he said.

There were many bird cages around the cavern, most with yellow birds, but some with larger, multi-colored birds. The sound of the birds singing and squawking joined with that of the dwarves talking at their tables and the sapiens calling out the price of their goods, and echoed off the cavern walls. Sallina leaned against the cavern wall. It was so loud here that she could hardly think. This was the second cavern, wasn't it? Cinnabar street should be on the other side.

Upon the ledge sat a ginger cat licking its paws. Sallina stopped and looked around. She saw a black cat sitting under a market stall, and a small tortoise-shell cat walking along the stone rail of a balcony. The thing that brushed her leg in the passage earlier must have been a cat. She frowned and turned to Otis.

Two market stalls were selling cloth. Others sold fruit, meat, vegetables, spices, and coffee. None were selling furs. She looked at her candle and saw that it had gone out. They came to the fountain. Sallina dipped her fingers in the pool. Coins sparkled in the water. Some were gold. Were they really gold? Sallina almost stopped to look at them. But she kept walking. First she must deliver the letters, then she could look in the pool. She squeezed the candle wick with her wet fingers and put the candle in her pocket.

They crossed the cavern and continued up Cloghlogan Avenue. A channel of water, half a pace wide, ran down the middle of the avenue, flowing towards them. Every ten paces there was a luminous stone hanging from the roof. They passed two streets on their left, then a door on their right. The door was made of iron. They passed Quartz street on their right, and another street on their left. They walked around a bend and entered another cavern.

This cavern was not nearly as large as the one they had just come from, but it was more brightly lit. Its roof was a smooth dome. The dome was painted sky-blue. The cavern floor was covered with metal tables, chairs, and stone pots full of flowers, bushes, and small trees. In the center was a fountain. A dwarf woman was bent over, drinking from a water spout beside the fountain. When she stood up straight, she let go of a metal button and the water spout turned off.

There was a gurgling and hissing coming from somewhere in the cavern, but Sallina could not tell where. The sound echoed in a way that confused her ears. The air smelled strongly of coffee and spices. Cloghlogan Avenue continued out the other side of the cavern, but there was another passage leading out, on the left side. Sallina turned and looked back the way they had come. Had they missed the turning? They should have passed Cinnabar Street before they reached the third cavern.

Sallina stopped scratching her head. "No I don't." She looked at the cavern. "Yes, I'm lost."

She took the pamphlet out of her pocket. She was about to open it and look at the map when a dwarf walked past them. It was a male dwarf, but he was clean-shaven.

The dwarf stopped. He looked at Sallina, Baat, and Otis. He frowned. "No," he said, "Number Two." He continued on his way.

"Okay," Sallina said, "It's on the other side of this cavern." She put the pamphlet back in her pocket and crossed the cavern to the avenue on the other side. Two dwarves pulling carts full of rock went by the other way. They passed a wide passage on the right, wider than the streets they had passed earlier. A sign above it read Turmaline Road. Around the next bend, six dwarf men and women were talking outside the entrance to another street. They had a cart with them filled with iron boxes, pipes, and tools. A luminous stone hung from the roof outside the street, and by its light, Sallina read the street sign. It said Cinnabar Street.

Sallina walked up to the dwarves. They looked at the three sapiens and smiled. "Good morning," they said.

"Good morning," Sallina said. Baat and Otis nodded. Neither of them could understand Latin, but they understood that the dwarves were saying hello.

The dwarves had lifted several rectangular paving stones and put them to one side. This was the first time Sallina realized the floor of the avenue was made of paving stones and not solid rock. A channel ran beneath the avenue. In the channel were five or six pipes made of a reddish metal Sallina thought must be copper. The pipes were about a hand's width across. One of them was spraying water. The water was steaming as it came out. One man pointed to the steaming water and said something in Latin. Another man nodded, but a woman shook her head. "No, that won't work," she said.

"Excuse me," Sallina said. "May we go?" She pointed to the entrance of Cinnabar Street.

"Sure," the woman said. The dwarves moved aside. Sallina, Otis, and Baat entered Cinnabar Street. The street was narrow at first, just wide enough for the three of them to walk side by side. But it opened up after twenty paces and curved to the left. Every ten paces along the right side the wall of the passage bulged out a few meters, and in each bulge was a door made of vertical iron bars. The doors faced towards Sallina and her companions. Opposite some of the doors, two-wheeled carts were parked against the left wall. Every twenty paces, a luminous stone hung from the roof by a chain.

Behind each gate was the entrance hall to a dwarf home. On the right side of each entrance hall was an archway leading into the home. Nobody standing outside the gate could see through the archway. Above each door was a metal sign with a number on it. They stopped in front of door number six. Sallina felt a breeze on the back of her neck. Air was moving along the street through the gate. In the entrance hall of number six was a wooden table. Upon the table were a few envelopes and a carving of an animal with four legs. Cloth tapestries covered the walls and ceiling. The tapestry upon the ceiling was stretched tight between four hooks at its corners. On the floor was a carpet.

Beside the door was a chain with a handle on the end. The chain passed over a wheel above them, and disappeared into the wall. Sallina pulled the chain. Chimes sounded beyond the door. They waited, but nobody came out of the house.

Sallina looked at the other side of the street. There was no cart parked there. What use would a watchmaker have for a cart? The carts were for carrying rocks.

Sallina frowned. "Well, Otis, what do you think we should do? Should we slide the letters through the door and leave, or should we wait for her?"

Otis shook his head. "I don't make the decisions on this trip, Miss. My job is to look handsome."

Sallina was about to tell him not to be difficult, but changed her mind. "You're doing that very well."

If they went and had some coffee, Sallina thought, they could ask if anyone knew Margaret, and where they might find her. When they were done with their coffee, they could come back and ring her doorbell again.

Sallina Alone

There were a dozen smaller caves in the cavern wall, like shops on a street. Most were a few steps up from the cavern floor, but the one Otis led them to was on a level with the floor and included a long, polished stone bar. Behind the bar were two dwarf men washing white cups and talking. Otis walked to the bar. The bar came up to his tummy. He reached into his pocket and put seven silver coins on the bar. One of the men stepped forward. He had a thick, black, beard.

Otis did not speak Latin, but he held up three fingers and said a word Sallina had never heard before. "Cappuccino."

Otis looked at the pastries sitting beneath a glass cover on the bar. After a moment, he shook his head. "Just coffee."

The dwarf smiled at her through his beard. "I like your accent, Miss." He looked at Otis's silver coins. "Father," he said to the other man behind the bar, "What do you think about taking this silver coin?"

The other dwarf walked to the bar. He had a short white beard and deep lines about his face. He touched the silver pieces with his thick fingers and moved them around on the counter-top. He said something to the man with the black beard and walked away, all without looking at the sapiens.

The man with the black beard said, "We'll take one of these for the coffee." He held up one finger to Otis.

Otis nodded. He pushed a silver piece towards the dwarf, slid the rest of the pieces off the bar into his hand, and put them in his pocket. The man with the black beard looked at Sallina. "Tell your friend to go to the bank and buy some Cloghlogan Shillings. He'll get a better deal."

It took her a few moments to figure out what the man had said. She heard "bank" and "shilling" and guessed the rest. She nodded. "Okay."

Otis sat down at a table a few paces from the bar. He stretched his legs out in front of him. Baat looked around the cavern and sat with his back to the bar. Sallina sat between them. She took her piece of mink fur from her pocket and rubbed it between her fingers under the table. The gurgling and hissing she had heard earlier started up behind the coffee bar.

Sallina watched the man with the black beard working at a machine with levers, cups, and spouts. Steam burst out from one place on the machine, and then another.

Baat looked once at the cappuccino machine, but otherwise watched the cavern. He seemed relaxed in his chair, with his legs stretched out like Otis. But he had his hand upon his sword hilt. Sallina stroked her wrist with her piece of fur. There were yellow birds in cages around the cavern. Ten or twenty dwarves sat at tables. Some were talking. Others were reading books. One was writing in a notebook with a pen. The lights hanging from the roof were not bright compared to daylight, but they were bright compared to the light in the avenue. Here in the cavern, she could see other people's faces easily.

The man with the black beard put a tray upon the table. On the tray were three white cups on saucers. He put one cup in front of each of them, picked up the tray, and walked away.

In her cup was a drink with white milk-foam on top. The white foam was mixed with brown foam. The brown foam was in the shape of an apple. Sallina looked at Otis's drink. His brown foam was in the shape of a pick-axe. Baat's was in the shape of a spiral.

"Pretty ain't it?" Otis said. He picked up his cup and sipped his drink. He closed his eyes and put the cup down. "Ah, that's good, that is."

Sallina tasted hers. She let the taste of the milk and coffee sit on her tongue for a while and then swallowed. "It is good."

They sat in silence. Otis and Baat sipped their coffee and watched dwarves coming in and out of the cavern. Sallina looked down through the holes in the metal table at her piece of fur. "That guy from my home town might walk in here with the police at any time. We might all be arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, and then we won't be able to deliver our letter."

Otis shook his head and smiled. "You worry too much, Miss. That little brat ain't going to do anything. He's all bark and no bite. And none of the dwarves are going to listen to him anyway."

There were crystals in the blue paint of the ceiling. When Sallina moved her head, the crystals sparkled. She stared at them for a while, wondering if Otis could be right. He probably was right. That was why she had asked him to come along. But she was not certain he was right, and she wanted to be certain that she delivered the letters. Lawrence said he was going to the police. Why wouldn't he? Baat had cut one of Lawrence's sailors with a sword. What if the police told Sallina and her companions to leave the dwarf city? She would have to go back to the Captain and say she had failed to deliver the letter. She would be ashamed.

She drank the last of her coffee and put the cup in its saucer. "I want to go back and check Margaret's apartment, or whatever it is, at number six Cinnabar Street."

Otis raised his eyebrows. He pointed to his coffee cup. "I'm not finished with my coffee."

Otis rubbed his white beard with one hand. He stuck his chin out and showed his straight, yellow teeth. His teeth were yellow from smoking his pipe, even though he cleaned them three times a day with a tooth brush. "I don't know, Miss. You're the boss on this here mission, so I'll take your orders, but I don't have to like it. If you make me leave my coffee, what I paid premium silver for, I'm going to think twice about agreeing to come along with you again."

Sallina looked at Baat. He was smiling. "I like this cappinochino," he said, and pointed to the cup. "I like very much."

Sallina sat back in her chair and folded her arms. Otis watched her and sipped his coffee. She sat up. "I'll go back there on my own." She put her piece of fur in her pocket. "You stay here and have your coffee." She put her hands upon the table. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Sallina stood up, pushed her chair back, and walked away across the cavern towards the sign that said Cloghlogan Avenue West. She reached Number Six, Cinnabar Street and rang the doorbell. She waited. Nobody answered. She stood in the street. She looked around. Perhaps someone would walk past and she could ask if they knew Margaret, and whether or not Margaret lived here.

After a while, a dwarf woman came walking along the street towards her. She was whistling to herself. The whistling echoed along the street. Sallina liked the sound of it. When the woman was walking past her, Sallina said, "Excuse me."

The woman smiled at Sallina and nodded, but she did not stop walking or whistling. Sallina frowned. Was her Latin verb wrong? She waited a while longer. Nobody walked along the street. Otis and Baat might be worrying about her by now. She should go back to the cavern.

She walked to the door of Number Six. She took the two letters out of her pack and held them in her hand. Should she slide them under the door? She stared through the iron gate. No, she would not leave the letters here, not yet. She was not sure this was the right house. There was no name on the door, or any sign that this was Margaret MacLockanlock's house. She put the letters in her pack and walked back to Cloghlogan Avenue.

As she stepped into it the cavern, she saw a Lawrence with two dwarves in plumed helmets standing next to Otis and Baat's coffee table. Otis and Baat were still sitting there. Baat saw her but said nothing. Lawrence's voice rang out. "There she is!"

Sallina started running. She ran to the entrance of Cinnabar Street, said, "Excuse me," to the dwarves working on the exposed copper pipes, jumped though a cloud of steam, and ran along the street.

She stopped at the door of Number Six and took off her pack. Her hands were shaking. She took out the letters, dropped one on the floor, picked it up, and threw both of them through the iron gate so they landed upon the carpet where Margaret would see them.

Now what should she do? If Lawrence and the police ran after her, they would be here very soon. Maybe she should try to find Margaret herself. Maybe she should let the police catch up with her. She needed time to think. She ran up the street, carrying her pack in one hand. The street bent to the left. The gates to the houses were on the outside of the bend. Two dwarf men were walking the other way. They stopped as she ran by and said, "Good morning."

The street continued its turn to the left. It must be bending back to the avenue, she thought, like MacIntyre street had done. Between two of the house gates was a solid iron door in the right wall. She stopped. She looked up and down the street. This door was not like the other doors. She heard a voice echoing along the corridor. "Up here!" it said, in Latin. It was a dwarf's voice. The voice sounded like it was right behind her, but it could be coming from the entrance to the street. Noise traveled easily between the walls.

Sallina turned the handle of the door and pulled. The door opened. Behind it was a dark passage, just wide enough for a two-wheeled cart, and just higher than her head. Air rushed past her and into the passage. She stepped inside and closed the door. She reached out with her free hand and touched the wall. It was absolutely dark in the passage. She took two steps forward. She put her pack on her back. Her hands were still shaking and she was breathing hard.

She touched the wall with one hand and felt in front with the other. She walked forwards. After twenty steps, she felt a cold metal door. She found a handle on the door, turned it, and pulled. Nothing happened. She pushed and the door opened.

The air on the other side smelled of garbage and many other things that she remembered from Prudence City. She heard a far-off roaring, something like the large fountain, but not a fountain. There was no light in the new passage, so she could not tell which way it went. She stood with her hand on the door. Her heart pounded in her chest. Perhaps she could stay here and think. If anyone opened the door from Cinnabar Street, they would see her.

She stepped into the smelly passage and closed the door. She stood and listened. She tried to breath slowly. After a while, she could see that she stood in an alley running to the left and right of the door she had just closed. Directly in front of her was another dark passage. Out of that passage came the roaring sound.

She walked to the left and came to an iron gate. The gate was facing her, in the same way as the gates in Cinnabar Street. There was a room behind the gate, like the entrance halls on the street. A dwarf woman was singing in the home beyond the gate. Sallina walked backwards to the solid iron door she had come through. When she reached the door, she took four quick steps across the alley and entered the dark passage. Once she was inside the passage, she let her breath out. Air was blowing out of the back-alley and into this dark passage. She would wait here and think for a while. She leaned against the cold stone wall and breathed slowly.

Why was she running away from the police? She was running because she was not sure that Number Six Cinnabar street was the place Margaret MacLockanlock really lived. She wanted to make sure that Margaret received the letters. But it was too late to get them back now if they were in the wrong house. What more could she do?

A brighter light flickered in the back-alley. It was coming from the direction of the dwarf woman's house. Had the dwarf woman seen her? The passage might be dark for Sallina, but dwarves must be able to see better than sapiens in the dark, or else they would have brighter lights all over the place. The light was coming closer. Sallina did not want the dwarf woman to find her. She would be embarrassed being caught hiding in a passage behind the woman's house. How would she explain herself? Would she say, "Don't mind me, I'm just running from the police?"

Sallina moved into the dark passage. The flickering light kept getting brighter behind her. After twenty steps, the passage branched to the left and right. She stepped to the left and leaned against the wall. The flickering light was still following her. Some of its light reflected off the passage walls to where Sallina was hiding. The floor Sallina was standing on was made of stone slabs. From under the slabs, she heard rushing water. Up above, along the ceiling, were copper pipes.

The tread of boots sounded behind her. The light waved up and down on the wall to her right. She looked left. That was the direction the roaring noise was coming from. She did not want to go towards the roaring noise, but if she went the other way, she would have to cross through the light, and whoever was following her would see her. What she really wanted right now was a little time hidden away somewhere to figure out what she should do.

She moved along the passage to the left. The light helped her go quickly at first, but the passage went around a bend and it was dark again. She held out her hands and went slowly. A steady breeze, carrying the smell of cooking, smoke, coffee, garbage, and toilets blew from behind her.

Sallina had never been afraid of the dark when she was young. Other people would be scared of ghost stories, and vampires, but Sallina did not believe in ghosts. She knew about tigers and wolves, but there were no tigers where she lived, and the wolves came only in winter, and they always made lots of noise so you knew they were about. No, she did not believe in ghosts or spirits.

She moved forward through the darkness. She came to an opening on the right. The roaring came from that opening. She stopped. She could just wait here. Most likely, the dwarf woman would give up and go back to her home. She was just beginning to relax when the flickering light appeared around the bend behind her. Now she could see ahead of her. The passage ran straight for fifty paces. She could not get to the next bend in time. She entered the side passage. After two steps, her head smacked against a stone wall.

"Agh!" she said. She saw little flashes of white light moving around. She sank to her knees. She felt dizzy and nauseous.

The flickering light was getting brighter. The passage she was in turned sharply. She had not expected it to turn so soon, and had bumped right into the corner. She stood up and followed the passage. It turned again and again. After the fourth turn, she could see nothing, not even the flickering light behind her. The roaring was getting louder with every step. A wind blew upon her back.

She banged her nose against something hard and cold and made of metal. It rang when she struck it. She sat on the floor. She felt her nose in the darkness. Her fingers were wet. She tasted them. They tasted of blood. The flickering light grew brighter. Above the roaring and the sound of the rushing air, she heard a growl. Whatever was coming along the twisting passage was growling. What could it be, a dog?

She had never believed in spirits or ghosts. But now she remembered that she never believed in dwarves either. But they were real. Maybe ghosts were real too, and vampires, and here she was, deep under the ground in a dark passage with something following her. She slid herself into a corner, curled up into a ball, and tried to make herself as small as possible. She had nowhere to run. Blood seeped from her nose and into her mouth. She clenched her teeth. The flickering light came around the last corner. It shone in Sallina's face. She put her hands over her eyes and tried to look between her fingers.

Sallina looked up. A dwarf man stood before her. He wore a metal helmet with a light on top. The light shone forwards in a beam like Dan's. She could not see his face because the light was shining from just above his forehead. But she saw that he had a long, gray beard. On his feet were big, black boots. He wore leather gloves. His jacket and trousers were made of leather also. He wore a thick belt, and from the belt hung metal tools of many sorts. Sallina recognized a hammer and a pair of pliers. On his back was a pack with pipes sticking out of it.

Sallina took a moment to understand what he had said, and nodded. She was shaking all over.

"You are hurt," the man said. He pushed his light up to the top of his helmet, so it shone straight up. "What are you doing here? You should not be wandering around the tunnels without a helmet and a lamp." He looked at her feet. "At least you are wearing boots."

The man was saying all this in Latin. Maybe she did not understand everything he said, but she understood some of it, and she was sure he was being kind to her. She took her piece of fur out of her pocket and wiped her face.

"Well, come along," he said, "I cannot help you here. Come to my office and I will see what I can do."

He stood up and moved backwards. "Come on, you are bleeding. I have not a single piece of cloth on me that is not dirty. You need a bandage."

She took a few breaths. The dwarf's beard was bushy and gray. His smile was wide. His eyes stared at her from beneath a forehead with deep lines running from side to side. He was old, like the father of the man in the coffee shop. But he stood straight, and he must be strong, because his pack was large and full of heavy things.

The man laughed. His voice was deep and loud. "Who am I? Lady, who are you? Tell me that, and I will tell you who I am."

"I am Sallina from the good ship Reliant. I am here to find Margaret MacLockanlock, if she still lives in this city."

"Yes." Sallina put her hand to her forehead. There was a lump there and it hurt. Her nose was bleeding, but she was catching the blood in her piece of mink fur. "It's a funny name for a watchmaker," she said.

"It would be a funny name for anyone," the old man said, "But it's MacLoghanlogh, not MacLockanlock."

When he said the "gh" sound, it came from the back of his throat, like in Cloghlogan.

The old man turned his back and walked around the turns of the twisting passage. Sallina followed him, her mink fur under her nose, and one hand touching the walls. She could see well enough with his light, but she touched the walls to keep her balance. She felt dizzy.

The old man led her back to the straight passage, went straight for a while, turned to the right, then left, went around a corner, and took another turn. After the fifth turn, Sallina gave up trying to remember them all. All the passages looked the same and all of them smelled bad. When they had been walking for about a thousand paces, they came to an iron door.

The old man opened the door and they stepped into a room filled with tables and shelves. Most of the tables were piled high with devices made of metal and glass. The shelves held cans of nails, screws, and other small metal parts. Tools hung from racks on the wall. Under the tables were more strange devices. Some of them were obviously broken. The room smelled of grease, oil, and some things that Sallina had never smelled before. But it did not smell of garbage.

The old man took his light out of his helmet and put it in a holder that hung from the roof. He took his pack off his back, grunting and complaining as he did so, although Sallina could not understand what he was saying. He dropped the pack on a table.

She closed the door. There was another door on the other side of the room. Both doors had windows with metal bars.

He went to a sink in the corner. The sink was made of shiny metal. He turned a tap and water rushed out, with a cloud of steam rising above it. Sallina looked around the room. She could not think clearly. She blinked. The light was too dim. Her eyes were getting so tired.

"Here," the old man said. He held out a clean, white cloth. She took it from him. It was hot and wet. She held it over her face and breathed in the steam. He held a silvered-glass mirror in front of her. She looked at her reflection. She wiped the blood from around her nose and mouth, cleaned the dirt off her forehead and cheeks, and wiped her hands.

He took the cloth, put the mirror down and went back to the sink. He rinsed the cloth and squeezed it dry. "I am the Chief Custodian of Cloghlogan City," he said.

"I am not surprised," he said. He pulled a stool out from under a table and sat upon it. "Now, young lady, what were you doing in my tunnels?"

The Watchmaker

"I hide from the police," Sallina said to the Chief Custodian of Cloghlogan City in her best Latin.

The custodian spoke slowly. Sallina had to think sometimes after he spoke, but she was able to figure out what he had said, or at least she thought she figured it out. Maybe she was wrong now and then, but he did not complain.

The custodian nodded. He scratched his big nose. "Did your friend start the fight?"

The custodian nodded. He folded his arms across his broad chest and blew air out of his mouth. "So, running from the police." He looked into her eyes over his bushy gray beard. "And you want to find Margaret, do you?"

"She does not know me. I have a message from her husband. He is…" Sallina tried to remember the word for injured in Latin. The custodian had used it earlier. But she could not remember. "He is hurt bad."

The custodian frowned at the floor. Sallina waited for him to say something. Her tummy grumbled. She put her hand upon it and grimaced.

"On our ship, the Reliant. He wants Margaret to come and see him. He says he dies."

The custodian put his hands upon his knees. Sallina waited. He said nothing. She looked around at the strange machines on the floor. Beneath a stone table there was something with a thick belt made of dusty, greasy fur. She rose from her seat and knelt beside the belt. She touched the fur. It was mink. When she touched it, the fur fell away from the pelt.

"That's my old electrostatic machine," the custodian said. "I was one of the first to make one here."

Sallina had no idea what "electrostatic" meant. "This is like my fur," she said. She took her piece of mink fur from her pocket. It was covered with blood.

The custodian stared at her. Perhaps he did not understand her. He stood up. "You'll need a helmet and a light," he said.

He walked to a shelf full of helmets, chose one, and put it on a table next to a metal machine. He pumped a lever on the machine and dropped a small ball into a hole in the top. He pumped the lever some more. The machine hummed. The ball rolled out the bottom, glowing. He put the ball in a hole in the helmet and it stayed there. He gave the helmet to Sallina. Sallina put the helmet on her head. It was a bit too big for her.

She took hold of the two straps that hung down from the sides of the helmet. She could not tie them together. After watching her for a while, the custodian came forward and reached under her neck. His fingers moved quickly. He tugged on the helmet and the strap was tight. While he was close to her, Sallina looked at his eyes and teeth. Some of his teeth were whiter than others. Some, on the left side, had yellow stains on them like Otis's. Now that he was close, she could smell him. Apart from the smell of garbage and grease, he smelled of garlic, curry powder, and tobacco smoke. She wanted to ask him if he smoked, and if so, how he could when the laws of the city said no smoking, but she did not know the Latin word for tobacco.

He looked up at her. He was small, but he was wide and solid, and he stood with his arms crossed. He smiled.

The Chief Custodian of Cloghlogan City led Sallina out of his office, along a winding tunnel, past roaring side-passages, over a stinking pool of water, and through a cavern filled with steaming copper pipes. With the light in her helmet, Sallina had no trouble walking behind him.

He turned into a narrow tunnel and opened an iron door. They stepped into a wide passage. The sound of clattering, hammering, and yelling in the passage was so loud, Sallina held her hands over her ears. Dim luminous stones hung from the ceiling. The passage sloped downwards. Dwarves walked with carts full of rock down the slope, and others pulled empty carts the other way. She could not see where all the noise was coming from.

She followed him down the passage. The floor was uneven in most places, but there were tracks of flat paving stones for the cart wheels. He turned down a side tunnel. It was dark. Her helmet bumped against the roof. The walls were uneven and jagged, but the tunnel was still wide enough for a cart, and after twenty paces, a plain, metal cart stood in their way. On the other side of the cart, the tunnel ended. A dwarf woman stood there. She swung a sledge hammer at the rock wall. Sallina could tell it was a woman by the shape of her bottom.

The woman turned around. She put the head of her sledgehammer on the ground and leaned against the shaft. She had a helmet and a head-lamp on too. She lifted the helmet and wiped sweat from her face. When she saw the old man she smiled. "Argle Frood!"

The woman looked at Sallina. Without saying another word, the custodian turned and walked back down the tunnel. As he and his light disappeared around a bend, Sallina shouted after him. "Thank you Argle Frood!"

The custodian raised his hand and waved, then he was gone. Sallina and the woman were alone at the end of the tunnel. The light of their head-lamps cast shadows on the walls. They stood facing one another with the cart between them. The woman had white dust all over her face. The dust covered her canvas overalls and her gloves. It was clinging to the hair that stuck out from the sides of her helmet. On her face, the dust was mixed with her sweat, so that it looked as if her face was caked with mud.

The woman nodded. She breathed hard and leaned upon her sledgehammer. She stared up at Sallina.

Margaret raised her hands slowly to her mouth. The handle of her sledgehammer fell sideways and struck the floor.

Margaret picked up the sledgehammer and put it in the cart, on top of a pile of rocks. There was a pick-axe there too, and a toolbox. She climbed over the cart and stood between the cart handles. She took the handles and lifted. She shook her head and put the cart down. She turned and looked at the rocks and her tools.

"I'll just leave it," Margaret said. She pushed her way past Sallina and into the tunnel. "Come on, follow me."

Sallina smiled. She had done her job. Now the police could catch her if they wanted. She followed Margaret out of the jagged tunnel. Margaret led her down the big, noisy passage, through a side door, down a narrow tunnel, down a flight of steps, through another door, and back into an avenue. The floor of the avenue was smooth, with a stream flowing down the center.

Even though Margaret was more than a head shorter than Sallina, her legs moved fast, and Sallina had to run to catch up at times. Without looking back, Margaret said, "No."

They hurried on. People in the street watched Sallina go by. A sapien man talking to three dwarves waved to her. She did not recognize him. She smiled and waved back. Margaret turned right into a spiral staircase. She ran up the steps. Sallina had to take the steps two at a time to keep up with her. They came out into another avenue.

They went down the avenue, in the direction of the stream in center. They hopped over the stream and walked past a street on the left. Sallina saw in front of her, on the left side of the avenue, the exposed copper pipes and the crew of dwarves working upon them. Two of them were on their knees in the channel beside the pipes, with clouds of steam around them. One of the crew looked up. "Hello Margaret."

As she entered the street, Sallina heard the crew talking behind her. She heard the word "police", but could not understand the rest. Oh well, if they told the police, she would not mind. Margaret stopped at the door of Number Six. She reached up above her front door and took a key from a ledge. She opened the lock and put the key in her pocket. She went inside, saw the letters, bent down, and picked them up. She looked at the writing on the letters and tore open the one from Dan.

Margaret stood and read the letter. It was a short letter. Sallina could see that from the amount of writing on the page. Margaret folded the letter and put it on her side table. She opened the letter from the Captain. This letter was longer. It took her half a minute to finish reading it. She folded the letter and put it on top of Dan's letter. She held her hands to her face and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. She pushed aside the curtain that led into her house, and disappeared inside.

Sallina stood outside the door. A few moments later, Margaret pulled aside the curtain. "Come inside."

Sallina walked through the door and passed through the curtain. There was a step up, and then another curtain, and she entered a room six paces square. The floor was covered with a bright carpet. The ceiling was a head higher than Sallina. Garibaldi's hair would probably brush against it if he were with her. There was a couch in the corner on her left, and a low table with stools. On the far wall was a wooden table with tools and boxes on it.

Margaret sat on one of the stools and began to unlace her boots. She tugged at the first boot, but couldn't get it off. She took her helmet off and shook her head. Long, curly red hair fell down over her shoulders. She put the helmet on the floor and pulled again at her boot. Sallina came forward, knelt down, and said, "I help you."

"No!" Margaret said, and looked straight at Sallina. Her eyebrows were drawn together. Her mouth was frowning. The caked mud on her face was cracking, and one piece of mud fell on the floor. Margaret said something to Sallina in a harsh voice, but Sallina did not understand her. Sallina stood up and moved away. She held up her hands, palms towards Margaret. "I am sorry."

"Don't treat me like a baby just because I'm small," she said in Weilandic. She had hardly any accent, and she spoke quickly and clearly. Sallina put one hand in her pocket and felt her piece of bloodied mink fur. "I'm sorry."

Margaret pulled her boot, but it would not come off. "Damn!" she said, also in Weilandic. She looked up at Sallina, "Okay, pull the stupid boot of, go on." She held her leg out straight.

Sallina knelt down and pulled Margaret's boot off. Margaret was wearing a red sock on her foot. Margaret unlaced the other boot and held her foot out. Sallina pulled the other boot off. Margaret's other sock was blue.

Margaret picked up her helmet. She took her head-lamp out of its holder. She stood up, holding the stone between her fingers. "I'm going to take a shower."

Margaret walked through an opening in the wall to another room. Her light stopped moving. Sallina sat on one of the stools and looked about her. A violin leaned against the wall to her left. There was another opening in the far wall, and a small door also. Margaret came back without her light. She put her hands on her cheeks. She lowered them and rested them upon her hips. "Maybe I should just go right away." She looked at Sallina. "How bad is he?" She frowned. "Is he dying?"

Sallina's head-lamp shone upon Margaret's face. The dwarf woman's eyes were big and round, with green irises. A tear dripped out of one eye and soaked into the dust upon her face. She stomped her foot upon the stone floor. "How can he be dying? I spoke to him a few days ago!"

Sallina stood up and shook her head. "The Endeavor's surgeon says he's just unhappy. But Dan thinks his liver is pierced and he's going to die. I don't know what the truth is."

"He's not going to die today," Sallina said, "I'm pretty sure of that. He looked okay when he gave me his letter this morning."

Margaret stopped and stared at her boots. She touched her face. "I can't go to him like this. He won't recognize me."

Margaret looked up and stroked her curly red hair. "Did he?" She frowned and waved her arms. "Well I'm not so pretty now am I?" She stepped up to Sallina and took Sallina's shirt in one hand. "What happened to him!?"

Before Sallina could answer, Margaret let go of Sallina's shirt, turned around, and took three steps towards the other room. She put her head in her hands and started to cry. Sallina watched her. She would have been happy to put her arm around Margaret to comfort her, but she did not want to be shouted at again. And in any case, she was not sure Margaret was in her right mind: Margaret could not possibly have spoken to Dan a few days ago.

"I missed him," Margaret said, "Now he's back, and I'm angry at him. And he's hurt, too."

Margaret sat on the floor and leaned against the wall with her head down and her face hidden behind her hands. She sobbed and sniffed. Sallina frowned. Was there something wrong with this woman? How old was she? Was she a young dwarf? Maybe a teenage dwarf? Was this really the woman that Dan loved?

"I suggest," Sallina said, "That you have a shower, compose yourself, and we'll go. I'll wait here."

She stood up and went into the other room. Sallina saw her shadow on the wall and heard her taking off her clothes and dropping them on the floor. A door opened and closed. Sallina heard running water. She tried to undo the strap on her helmet, but her fingers could not figure out how the clasp worked. She gave up.

She walked to the wooden table. A metal arm with a joint in the middle was clamped to one end. The arm held a circular window. Sallina looked through the window. It was a magnifying glass. On the bench were small, metal boxes with glass covers. Hanging from hooks on the wall were files, screwdrivers, little hammers, tweezers, and many other shiny tools Sallina had never seen before. A clock stood in the center of the table. It had stopped. Four small, open boxes made of wood held tiny springs, gears, and watch faces.

When Margaret returned, she was wearing a tight blue shirt and a baggy pair of yellow trousers. Her red hair was tied up in a towel. She held her light stone in one hand and a hair brush in the other. Her skin was white. Her cheeks were round. Her nose was straight and smooth and her lips were red. Her hips were full and her waist narrow. Sallina smiled. She was sure Dan would be glad to see Margaret, no matter how crazy she might be.

Margaret put her light stone in a holder on the low table. Sallina sat on the couch and Margaret sat on a stool in front of her. Sallina took the brush. She brushed Margaret's long red hair, and while she brushed Margaret's hair, Margaret asked her questions. How old was she? Was she married? Did she love Garibaldi? Was the Captain still fat? Did Dan sleep with other women? Did Sallina get seasick? Was Dan happy on the Reliant? Sallina answered the questions as best she could.

She went into the other room and came back with a ribbon. She tied her hair behind her head.

"Of course I have a toilet," Margaret said. She pointed to the door beside the work bench. "Through there. Mind your head."

Margaret reached out her hand and took the piece of fur from Sallina. She looked at it and handed it back. "What is it?"

"I have mink fur to sell," Sallina said. "Do you know if anyone will buy it here?"

"No, I don't want to buy anything right now," Margaret said. She pointed to the small door. "Go and do your thing and let's go."

Sallina walked to the small door and opened it. She bent down and stepped into Margaret's bathroom. She closed the door. The air was hot and steamy. The walls and floor were pink tile. The bathroom was two paces deep and six paces wide. There was a sink made of polished, pink granite. The taps were shiny brass. She turned both taps at the same time. Hot water came out of one and cold water out of the other. She cleaned the blood out of her piece of fur, squeezed it dry, and set it on the edge of the sink.

On the wall opposite the door was a white toilet like the ones on the Reliant, but slightly smaller. There were pieces of tissue paper in a box on the floor. Sallina sat down and peed. When she was done, she looked for a bucket of water to flush the toilet with, but she could not find one. She ran her fingers through her hair and scratched her head. She did not want to leave the toilet un-flushed.

There was a silver lever behind the toilet. She had paid no attention to it, because the dwarf city seemed to be full of things with levers and buttons on them, and she had no idea what any of them were for. She pressed the lever. Water rushed into the toilet with a roar. She jumped back and bumped into the sink.

When the toilet finished flushing itself, Sallina washed her hands in the granite sink and dried them upon a fluffy towel hanging on a ring in the wall. She stepped back into the main room. "You have a very nice bathroom," she said.

Margaret stood by the front curtain. In one hand she held her light stone. She had green shoes on her feet and a wide-brimmed, yellow, hat on her head. "Thank you," Margaret said. "Let's go."

Margaret ran most of the way to the city entrance. Sallina followed her. At any moment she expected the police to see her and arrest her. But she saw no policemen. She and Margaret passed through the caverns without stopping. When they reached the entrance chamber, where the laws of the city were carved on the walls, the inner doors were open, but the outer doors were closed. A dozen dwarves were waiting in the cavern talking to one another. There were several hand-carts full of crushed rock.

She did not answer. She walked straight to the desk on the other side of the entrance hall. Joseph MacIntyre was still on duty, standing behind the desk and looking at some forms. Sallina followed Margaret. Joseph looked up and smiled. "Margaret!"

Joseph looked at the clock on the wall. It said ten minutes past one in the afternoon. "In a few minutes," he said.

Sallina had been in the dwarf city for three hours. As soon as Joseph recognized her, she thought, she would be arrested. How long would it be until she was able to leave? Joseph pointed to Sallina. Here we go, Sallina said to herself.

"No," Joseph said. He opened a draw in the desk and took out a folded letter with a wax seal and a ribbon. He held it out. Sallina stepped forward and took it.

"You must appear here tomorrow at nine in the morning," Joseph said. He pointed towards the inner doors. "In the hallway off the avenue. That's the visitor's court. It's in session in the morning."

"I understand," Sallina said. She was not going to be arrested. How could that be? She had run away from the police.

Joseph turned to Margaret. "You look lovely," he said in Latin. "How about dinner this week?"

Margaret frowned. She said something in a low voice. Joseph smiled and held up his hands. "Hey, just asking."

Margaret turned and walked to the passage that led to the outer doors. Sallina went with her.

"We went to some trouble to find you," Sallina said. She smiled, because she was pleased with herself for saying something so grown up and calm.

They waited. The inner doors began to move. Within a minute, they were closed. The voices of the dwarves echoed in the cavern.

"Why do you have two sets of doors?" Sallina said. "Isn't one enough? This seems like a lot of trouble just to stop people coming in an out."

"It's an airlock. I'll explain it to you another day," Margaret said, "Right now, if I tried, you probably wouldn't understand, and I'd get frustrated with you."

Sallina frowned. The outer doors began to move. Sunlight shone upon the passage floor. Sallina blinked and held her hand over her eyes. Joseph walked to opening. "You may pass," he said.

Margaret walked out into the sunlight. Sallina followed her. They stood in the open space at the top of the valley of the fountains. Sallina smiled. The fountains were spraying water high into the air. The breeze blowing up from the sea was fresh and warm. "What a lovely day!" she said.

Sallina looked down the valley to Cloghlogan harbor. The water sparkled in the sun. It looked warm and clear. She would love to go for a swim.

"Look!" she said. "There are the Reliant's top-masts sticking up above the white building by the dock. And look!" She jumped in the air hoping to see better, but it made no difference. "That's the Endeavor's main top-mast. The Endeavor has arrived!"

"That's great," Margaret said. She walked down the steps towards the first fountain. Sallina ran after her.

When she caught up with Margaret, she was struck by how bright the colors of Margaret's clothes were. Sallina did not wear bright colors. Her mother had always told her, "A pretty woman wears plain cloths. That way, women who are not pretty can have something special to make them look good." Sallina thought Margaret was beautiful. Margaret did not need to wear bright clothes. The colors were okay inside the city, where the light was dim. Out here in the sunlight, they were too bright. But Sallina was sure that this was not the time to start telling Margaret what she thought of her clothes.

When they were crossing the black stones beside the lower fountain, Margaret said, "There are many marvelous things in our city. But you walked right over one of the most marvelous things of all, and didn't even notice it."

Margaret pointed behind her with her thumb. "Those windows in the floor back there."

"I noticed them when I came in," Sallina said, "Joseph told me he'd cover them up if it was up to him."

Sallina put her hand in her pocket. She felt for her piece of mink fur. It was not there. She stopped walking. Where had she left it? The last time she had seen it was when she set it on the side of Margaret's sink. What had happened to it?

Margaret stopped and turned around. She pointed to Sallina's head. "When are you going to take that helmet off?"

Garibaldi Alone

Two days later, Garibaldi sat on a chair in First Cavern of Cloghlogan City. In front of him was a low table made of wood, which Sallina had rented in Cloghloganport. The chair upon which he sat was one of the chairs in First Cavern that everyone was welcome to use. The chair was made of cast metal. On the back was written, in letters that Garibaldi could read himself, "First Cavern". Behind him was a two-wheeled cart that Sallina had also rented. He needed the cart to bring all Sallina's furs to First Cavern.

He watched the dwarves walking by. He listened to the canaries singing. He watched the water in the fountain. He stared at the lights and the sparkling crystals in the ceiling. He sipped a cup of coffee he held in his lap. The coffee was the type that Otis had told him to buy. He bought it for four shillings in the Diablo Coffee Bar. He was supposed to return the cup when he was finished, but each time he went back, he bought another coffee. This was his third cup of the day. He was feeling wide awake. He wiped his palms on his trousers. They were feeling sweaty.

On the table in front of him were some of Sallina's furs. The black mink was on one side, and the white snow-rabbit was on the other. The wolf furs were underneath, covering the table. He was pleased with the display. Hanging from the front of the table was a sign giving the prices of the furs in shillings: one hundred for rabbit pelts, two hundred for wolf, and eight hundred for mink.

Leaning against the side of his chair was his axe. He stroked the end of its shaft every now and then. There was no problem bringing an axe into Cloghlogan. Lots of the dwarves had double-bladed battle axes. Many of them were made out of the same sparkling, gray metal as Sukh's battle-axe.

Garibaldi rubbed his injured leg. He wore a bandage under his trousers. His wound ached, but it had not opened on his way into the city, while he was pulling the cart.

The clock in the cavern struck two times. It was two hours after noon. He had been there four hours. He had sold four rabbit furs for one hundred shillings each. That was a good price, because Sallina had paid only half a gold piece for each of them, which was the same as fifty shillings.

One thing that Garibaldi had decided in the past four hours was that the light from the luminous stones above him was half as bright now as it was when he came in. Nobody seemed to be worried about it, so it must happen every day. If it happened every day, then at some time during the day, perhaps in the morning, the lights must get bright again. He wondered how the dwarves made that happen.

A dwarf man stopped in front of the table. His beard was uncombed and his hair stuck out in all directions. He wore a jacket made of black wool, and trousers to match. He said something to Garibaldi in Latin. Garibaldi heard Dan's wife's name, but did not understand the rest. Garibaldi did not speak Latin. Sallina had taught him one phrase, and he spoke it now.

The man nodded. He walked away. A little while later, he came back, just when Garibaldi had decided to ask the sapien man at the next stall to watch his furs again so he could go and get another cup of coffee. This time, the man with wild hair had another dwarf with him, a man wearing a white hat and holding a wooden spoon. The man with the wooden spoon pointed to the man with wild hair. "This man," he said in Weilandic, "Friend of Margaret MacLoghanlogh. He want know if you are friend of her also."

Garibaldi thought for a few moments. The only time he had met Margaret was two days ago, when Sallina had brought her to the Reliant. Margaret had gone straight below and locked herself in the infirmary with Dan. Later, Margaret had ordered Jasper and Baat to carry Dan on a stretcher to the city. They did not like her telling them what to do, but when the Captain told them to do it, they did it. So off they went, Jasper and Baat carrying Dan, and Margaret walking beside them.

The man in the white apron shook his head. The dwarf with the wild hair frowned. He waved his hand at the man with the white apron. The man with the white apron looked at Garibaldi, rolled his eyes, and walked away. Garibaldi sat up in his chair. He did not like this man with wild hair.

The man picked up a mink pelt. He rubbed it on his nose. He ran his fingers through it. He took out a short rod of orange glass from his jacket pocket. He rubbed the fur up and down the rod. He held the rod over one of the pelts on the table. The fur on the pelt moved as the rod went over it. Garibaldi leaned forward. He had seen the pelts acting strangely before. They made sparks and the fur seemed to move on its own sometimes. Were they magic pelts? Had they been taken from a magic type of mink?

The man with the wild hair stood up and put his rod in his pocket. He picked up five mink pelts and set them on top of the rabbit pelts. He took some colored pieces of paper with writing on them from his pocket and gave them to Garibaldi. Garibaldi looked at each one carefully. These were Cloghlogan City bills. He had bought some that morning at a bank. He paid ten gold pieces for one thousand shillings. The sign gave the price of mink pelts as eight hundred shillings each. This man wanted to buy five of them.

Garibaldi took a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. Upon it was a table written in black ink by Sallina. On the left were numbers of mink pelts, rabbit pelts, and wolf pelts, and on the right was how much they would cost. He found the line that said "5 mink" and saw that they would cost four thousand shillings. He put the paper down and counted the money the man with wild hair had given him. There were four red notes, each saying one thousand shillings. Four times one was four.

Garibaldi smiled and nodded to the man with wild hair. The man with wild hair took the pelts and walked away. Garibaldi put the notes in his pocket. He wondered how many cups of coffee he could by with that amount of money. He spent some time figuring the answer to this question in several different ways. Most of the time he came to an answer of two thousand, but once he came to three hundred. Mathematics was interesting. Maybe there is more than one answer to some questions, and only one answer to others.

A dwarf woman stood in front of Garibaldi's table. Her hair was gray, but there was a lot of it. It hung down to her waist in a single, large, braid. She wore thick glasses and her nose was rather small for a dwarf. Her lips were thin and pale. She pushed her glasses higher up her nose. Garibaldi wondered if it was hard for her to find dwarf glasses that fitted her, because her nose was so small.

"I'm looking for a sapien woman called Sallina," the gray-haired woman said. She spoke Weilandic, so he understood her perfectly. "Do you know her?"

The gray-haired woman looked at Cloghlogan Avenue East. That was the way down to the main gates. Garibaldi thought it was interesting that the woman looked at the entrance to the avenue, because he would have looked east instead. Cloghlogan Avenue turned several times on its way from the main gates to First Cavern. When it entered the cavern it was going north, not west. He knew this because he had a compass with him. Otis had lent the compass to him that morning, saying, "You'll be glad of it." That was what Otis had said to Baat when he put the piece of wood in Baat's mouth before Baat was flogged. And Baat was glad of the piece of wood. So Garibaldi took the compass, and he was glad he did, because now he knew which way was home.

"That way to Cloghloganport," Garibaldi said, and pointed east again. "But you look that way," he pointed to the avenue.

The woman stared at him for what seemed like a long time. He raised one eyebrow. She turned and walked away. For a moment, Garibaldi thought she was not coming back, but she picked up a metal chair with one hand. Garibaldi was surprised that she could pick up the chair so easily, because the chairs were heavy. She carried the chair to the other side of Garibaldi's table, set it down, and sat upon it.

"If you lived in tunnels all your life," she said, "You would think of up, down, with the wind and against the wind, with the water and against the water. These are our directions. And besides, compasses don't always work well underground, especially near iron ore. You can't trust them." She smiled. "So." She pointed to the entrance of Cloghlogan Avenue East. "That is my way to Cloghloganport." She pointed north-east. "And that is your way."

Garibaldi looked in the direction she was pointing. She was still pointing the wrong direction. She really did not know which way it was. He nodded. "I understand."

The woman stared at him. Garibaldi stared back. She pushed her glasses up her nose. "Why isn't Sallina here?"

The woman tilted her head sideways. "She was banned? I thought it was just the boy she was with who was banned because he attacked someone with a sword."

The woman seemed to be waiting for him to say something more. After a while, she said, "The boy was banned, wasn't he?"

She sat back in her chair, folded her arms, and smiled. "You are an interesting fellow. Now let me see if I have this right. Sallina was banned, and the boy was banned, but the boy was not banned. Is that right?"

Garibaldi looked at the wall of the cavern. After a while, he understood why the woman was confused. "Baat agreed not to enter the city for a week," he said, "So that he did not have to go to trial. On the day of the court hearing, that was yesterday, Lawrence and his sailor did not come to the court. So the judge offered Baat a deal, and Baat accepted the deal. The judge dismissed the complaint against him."

The woman nodded. "I take it that Baat is the boy, and Lawrence is someone who was on the other side in the fight."

The woman looked at the furs on the table. She touched one of the mink pelts with one finger. "I am friends with Margaret MacLoghanlogh. I was at her home yesterday and she showed me a piece of mink fur, a very small piece, black like these. The fur was finer than any I have ever seen, and for my work, I need strong, fine fur."

Garibaldi picked up one of the mink pelts and ran his fingers through it. He smiled at the woman. "Is your work anything to do with glass rods?"

"Another man was here earlier," Garibaldi said. "He rubbed the fur with an orange rod. The fur acted strangely after that. He bought five pelts. He asked if I was a friend of Margaret's."

The gray-haired woman bit her lower lip. "Subtended Frood," she said. She looked at Garibaldi. "How did he find you so quickly?"

The gray-haired woman took a lump of orange glass from her trouser pocket. She held it up. "This is amber." She pointed to the mink pelt Garibaldi held in his hand. "May I?"

He handed her the pelt. She rubbed the amber lump against the fur. She held the fur close to her face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth half open. She moved the amber lump over the fur and the hairs moved as the lump passed over them.

Garibaldi stared at the pile of mink pelts. He started with forty, and he had sold five. He counted backwards from forty.

Garibaldi took out his piece of paper with prices on it. He frowned. The table of prices went only to ten mink pelts. Sallina had not expected anyone to buy all of them at once. He put the piece of paper on the rabbit furs. He scratched his head. At the bottom of the paper something was written. "We must get at least 39,000 shillings for all of them." That did not help, because the gray-haired woman did not want the wolf or rabbit pelts, and he had already sold five mink pelts and four rabbit pelts.

He could figure out how much it cost for all the mink pelts, but it would take him a while to do that. The guy at the next stall, who sold spices, was a nice fellow. Garibaldi could ask him to check his sums. For now, he should say something to the gray-haired woman. She was watching him and smiling.

"Do you have the money with you?" he said. "Because it will cost a lot of money to buy them all."

The gray-haired woman nodded. "You really are an interesting fellow. What is your name?"

"Let me tell you something, Garibaldi," she said. "I don't want anyone else to get these furs, but I have to go to the bank to get the money. I'd like you to promise me that you will keep them here for me until I get back."

Pipette's eyes widened. "No? Just like that, you say no? Aren't you even going to think about it before you say no?"

She folded her arms. "How about this." She took her wallet from her trouser pocket and opened it. She took out a blue note and held it out to Garibaldi. "You take this, it's a two thousand shilling note, as a deposit. If I come back in an hour and buy all the mink furs, you give me back the note. If I don't buy the furs, you keep it."

Garibaldi took a minute to think. He wanted to understand what it was she was offering.

"No," Garibaldi said, "For two reasons. First, I will take only one-thousand shilling notes or smaller. Second, I don't want to."

Pipette laughed. She clapped her small, strong hands. "You don't want to! Marvelous. Look, Garibaldi, I really don't want Subtended Frood to come back while I'm gone and get the rest of these. I expect he's at the bank right now. We both need about thirty furs to perform an experiment. The first one who performs the experiment writes a paper and gets the credit. Do you understand? Science is a race."

Pipette breathed out slowly. "Well. I don't want to argue with you about what's magic and what's science. I just want the furs."

Garibaldi nodded. The man in the next stall called out, "Cinnamon, sugar, pepper, nutmeg, chili powder, turmeric!"

"I tell you what," Pipette said. "Bring all your furs with you and we'll go to the bank together. I'll pay you there."

"No," Garibaldi said. He pointed to the rabbit furs. "I have to sell these too. I can't go with you and sell the snow-rabbit or the wolf at the same time."

When she said "serious" she had trouble with the second half of the word. She did not seem to be able to get the "r" out of her mouth. Garibaldi smiled.

Pipette shook her head. "You are a charmer, aren't you? I learned Weilandic working in Rockport on a pump for their city water supply. I was there for three years."

"Thank you. Now, we still don't have a deal." She touched one of the mink pelts. "Garibaldi, do you want me to buy your furs or not?"

Garibaldi stared at the pelts for a while. If the dwarves kept buying Sallina's pelts like this, even the snow rabbit and the wolf pelts would be gone by the end of the day. That would be great, of course. But he was enjoying sitting here in First Cavern. It smelled good. The coffee was good. Everywhere he looked, there was something interesting to see.

He looked up. There was a dwarf in front of the spice stall. He had a cart full of rock. The cart was painted orange, red, and yellow, as if it were on fire. The dwarf had his helmet hanging from his backpack. His beard was waxed to a sharp point under his chin.

If Garibaldi sold all the pelts today, he would have no reason to come back tomorrow. He could come back if he wanted, just to look around, but he would have no business to do. He would be a tourist, as Otis called people like that. Garibaldi looked away from the dwarf with the waxed beard and faced Pipette. She was smiling.

She sat back in her chair. "Yes and no? You're like the oracle of Drakma!" She laughed. "Well, you tell me, Garibaldi, what do I have to do to get these furs before Subtended Frood gets them?"

Garibaldi stared at his piece of paper. The most important thing for him to do was to sell the furs.

"Buy all of them," he said, "Including the snow-rabbit and the wolf, for thirty-nine thousand shillings. If you do that, I'll put them all in my cart and come with you to the bank."

Pipette rubbed her chin with one hand. She looked at the sign for a while. She picked up a rabbit pelt and touched her neck with it. She ran the fingers of her other hand through the thick wolf fur.

"Twenty," Garibaldi said. He pointed behind him. "Most of them are in the cart, along with the rest of the mink and snow-rabbit."

"I started with one hundred," Garibaldi said, "But I sold four to the judge's tailor this morning."

Pipette pointed to her neck. "For that white fur thing the judge wears on his gown?"

Pipette picked up a rabbit pelt and rubbed her piece of amber against it. "It's very fine." She shook her head. "But no good for my work, not strong enough. It will wear off the belt in a few minutes." She stroked her face with the fur and looked at Garibaldi. "I could have a hat and a coat made out of them, for winter, when I travel."

The man in the next stall called out, "Mint, oregano, thyme, cumin, vanilla extract!"

The Duke and the Captain

That night, after Garibaldi sold the furs, he and Sallina sat with the Captain in the Captain's cabin. It was late. Most of the crew was already asleep. Sallina was smiling and hugging Garibaldi's arm. There was a pile of red and green Cloghlogan City Bills on the table, as well as three bags of gold pieces. The Captain and Sallina had counted the money and gold three times. The Captain was adding numbers on a piece of paper. When he was finished, he put his pen down and picked up the paper.

"Once you change your shillings into gold," he said, "you will have a total of one thousand two hundred and sixteen guineas." He looked up. "That's ten-gram gold pieces. Not all your pieces are ten grams. Some of the coins from the chest are twenty-gram, and a few are five-gram. If we want to do this right, we should weigh all the gold, divide by ten grams and say how much it is in guineas. But you want to say gold pieces, so there it is."

The Captain read numbers from the paper. "Sallina bought furs for two hundred and fifty. Together you sold them for a total of five hundred and fourteen." He nodded at the paper. "That's very good going. Meanwhile, Garibaldi lent me two hundred, which I have paid back with ten guineas in interest."

"You're welcome." The Captain put the paper down and stood up. "If you'll forgive me, Sallina, I think this calls for a celebration."

He opened his wine cabinet and took out a bottle of port and three glasses. He poured them each a glass and sat down again, with his back to the rear windows. He lifted his glass. "Cheers."

They drank from their glasses. The Captain closed his eyes. He swallowed and smiled.

"We'll set sail for Godiva on the fourteenth of September, one week from now," the Captain said, "The Endeavor will sail with us. When we reach Godiva, we'll give the crews three weeks shore leave."

Sallina leaned against Garibaldi's shoulder. Garibaldi stroked her hair. This was one of the best days of his life so far. Sallina was proud of him and he was going home.

"I'll send a letter to the Duke of Brickwater," the Captain said, "If I remember correctly, he moves his court to Farthing for Summer and Autumn. I'll send the letter to Farthing."

"You know a lot," Garibaldi said, "How did you know the name of our home town? We never told you."

The Captain touched his nose. "I have my secrets, Garibaldi, but they won't hurt you."

Sallina sat up and scratched her head. The Captain looked at her. "Do you have lice?"

The Captain pointed at her. "You will go to the Endeavor first thing tomorrow morning, both of you, and have Sally Benton check you for lice."

Sallina frowned. The Captain stared at her. She raised one hand to her forehead. "I hear and obey, my Captain."

"I should think so, too." The Captain said. He looked down at the piece of paper. "In my letter to Duke Marcus…"

The Captain raised his hand without looking up from the paper. "Quiet, woman. In my letter to Marcus, I will tell him you found one thousand and fifty gold pieces on his land, and that you are willing to return them. Furthermore, you are willing to pay a one hundred gold piece fine for running off with the money in the first place." He looked up. "I think he'll accept your offer. Eleven hundred and fifty gold pieces is a lot of money, even to a Duke. Either way, we'll wait for him to write back. If he writes and accepts, I will go with you to Farthing and present you to him personally."

"If he does not write back, or if he writes back refusing your offer, we'll take you to Farthing secretly so you can see your families before we leave Godiva."

"Maybe you did," Sally said, "But you can get them just about anywhere in a city like Prudence. You swam in their pools didn't you?"

Sally took out a comb with fine metal teeth. She sat Sallina down on a stool beside the sink in her infirmary and combed the lice and nits out of Sallina's hair. She tapped them off the comb and into the sink. Garibaldi sat on one of the infirmary beds and watched. Sallina's hair was past her shoulders. It took Sally a long time to comb all of it. Garibaldi's hair, on the other hand, was short. Sally combed his hair in a few minutes. She found six lice and a nits. After that, Sally washed their hair with a special watery soap that killed lice and their eggs. Sallina and Garibaldi then spent the afternoon washing their sheets twice and hanging them out to dry.

That evening they went out for supper with Natasha and Sharpy at a restaurant in Cloghloganport. They sat around a table with a view through the windows of the ships in the harbor. Natasha pointed to the bruise on Sallina's forehead. "How does that feel?"

Garibaldi imagined his parents sitting alone in the evening, worrying about him. "We hope so."

Sharpy wiped his face with his napkin. He put the napkin on his lap. He looked at Sallina and Garibaldi. "And what will you do after that? Are you going to come with us?"

Natasha leaned forward over the table. "Yohiromaki wants to take Jayhan's girl back to Chiin." She opened her eyes wide. "Maybe we'll take him. What do you think of that?"

Garibaldi frowned. "But what about Jayhan, the Captain of the junk? He was Yohiromaki's boss, wasn't he?"

"He was, but he's not now. He's probably in the mines of Independence Island by now."

Natasha shrugged. "Nobody knows. He doesn't say much. All he's said so far is that he wants to take the girl to Chiin. So Captain Alicia says, 'How much will you pay us?', and he says nothing." Natasha put her elbows on the table and leaned upon them. "And even better than that, the girl is pregnant."

Natasha laughed. "Really? He can spot nits and pregnancy? Did he say who the father was?"

Garibaldi put his soup spoon down beside his empty soup bowl. "We didn't ask him."

Natasha sat up. There was soup on the tip of her sleeve. She put the sleeve in her mouth and sucked the soup out of it. When she was satisfied that her sleeve was clean, she leaned forward and smiled. "We think Yohiromaki is the father."

Sharpy shook his head. "No." He pressed his finger-tip against Natasha shoulder. "You think that. I don't think anything. It's their business."

Sallina raised one eyebrow. "How are they going to get home, if you don't take them?"

Natasha picked up her bowl and drank the last of her soup. Sharpy sat back in his chair and watched her. She put the bowl down on the table and wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve. "Yohiromaki seems to think we're going to take him there." She shook her head and picked up her tea cup. "He's very strange. Did you know that he sleeps on deck at night?"

"Yes. He sits cross-legged on the aft deck, near the wheel." Natasha watched Sallina and Garibaldi while the two of them imagined Yohiromaki sitting cross-legged on the deck in the light of the ship's lantern. "He doesn't even lie down."

Garibaldi folded his arms. He was not sure he believed Natasha. "Even in the storm?"

Natasha raised one finger. "No. Not in the storm. In the storm, he came down and sat in the infirmary with the girl. She was sea-sick." She lowered her finger. "And even then, when he was in the infirmary, he would not talk to Sally. He hardly talks at all."

Garibaldi remembered the night of the circus, when he was lying in the road with his leg wounded. It was raining. He heard Yohiromaki talking to Baat in Weilandic. "Yohiromaki spoke to Baat on the night of the circus."

The waiter brought a fresh pot of tea to their table. Garibaldi poured tea into their four cups. He wondered what would make someone want to sit on the deck at night, instead of sleeping in a hammock or a bunk. "Maybe Yohiromaki is seasick," he said, "but too embarrassed to say anything about it."

Sharpy blew on his tea. "That could be." He looked at Natasha. "But you must be glad to have him on board the Endeavor. Dan said Yohiromaki was worth forty pirates in a fight, and Dan's a good judge of that kind of thing."

Natasha sat back in her chair. She smiled at Sharpy. "How many pirates is Dan worth?"

Natasha looked at Sallina. "How is Dan, anyway? His dwarf wife took him away to the city hospital. What do the doctors say? Is he going to make it?"

Sallina put her spoon down. "He's going to be fine. The Captain went into the city today to visit him. Dan was asleep. The dwarf surgeon said they had cut him open and done something to his liver and given him some kind of divine medicine. Now he's going to sleep for a few days, and they are feeding him through some kind of tube." She picked up her teacup and breathed in the steam that rose from the hot water. "I don't think the Captain understood what was going on, and I can't go visit him myself. I don't know if Dan would have died if we hadn't brought him here. But the doctors at the hospital said for sure that Dan was going to be okay, and he'd be awake in the next few days."

Natasha nodded. "That's great news." She raised her cup of tea in front of her. "A toast to Dan."

Natasha put her cup down. "I went over to the Sea Mist today just before she set sail."

"It's the ship from Godiva. The one that brought the guy who bothered Sallina by the fountains."

Sallina leaned forward. She had not seen Lawrence Matthews since the day they had arrived. But she knew the Sea Mist was still in port. She could see the ship every day, on the other side of the harbor. "What did you find out?"

Sallina sat back. That was good news. The Sea Mist would not reach Godiva before they did. She did not want Lawrence to tell his stories to the Duke before she and Garibaldi had time to tell him their own story for themselves.

It was a good meal they ate in that restaurant, and Sallina was happy when she and Garibaldi walked back to the Reliant. The two of them had paid half of the restaurant bill, and Natasha and Sharpy had paid the other half. Sallina was proud that she had enough money to pay for her own meal.

The fourteenth of September was Garibaldi's nineteenth birthday. It was also the day the Reliant was due to sail for Godiva. Sallina had been banned from the dwarf city for seven days. This was the eighth day. Now she could go back, and she did. She left in the morning, saying she was going to give her helmet back to Argus Frood, the Chief Custodian, and maybe visit Dan and Margaret in her apartment.

Garibaldi spent the morning with the rest of the crew, preparing the ship to sail in the afternoon. Sallina had been gone for an hour, and Garibaldi was coiling a rope next to the main mast when one of the crew shouted, "It's Dan!"

Dan must have walked up the gang plank without making any sound, because there he was, standing on the deck next to the end of the plank. He stood straight, with his arms crossed, and looked about with a smile on his face. It was that smile he had that went up on one side and was straight on the other. It was a crooked smile, the one that Sallina had told Garibaldi she didn't like, but then decided she did like. Garibaldi was glad to see Dan's crooked smile again.

There were a dozen sailors on deck. They cheered when they saw Dan. Garibaldi cheered with them. They gathered around him. The Captain was on the aft deck. He looked down at Dan and smiled. "You're better."

"Aye," Dan said. He held his hands up in the air and called out, "I have something to say."

"Here's the deal, sailors." He looked from one face to another. "I'll come back to the ship with my wife or I won't come back at all."

The sailors went quite. They started whispering to one another. Garibaldi leaned towards Otis, who was standing next to him. "What's the matter? Seems like a good idea to me. She could help fix things."

Sallina also thought Margaret was crazy. If Otis thought the same thing, it must be true. They would have a crazy dwarf woman on board. That seemed like fun. How bad could it be?

"And sailors!" Dan said. "I want to know your answer now, because I don't have much time to get her ready to come on board. You sail in four hours."

The Captain leaned upon the rail that overlooked the main deck. "Well, sailors. Talk about it and I'll count votes on Dan's proposal." He took his watch out of his jacket pocket. "I'll give you ten minutes."

"I'm not done yet," Dan said. He pointed at Harry, who was sitting on a barrel nearby. "Margaret gets your bunk."

"Those are her terms," Dan said. "She's not like us. She's shy. She won't get undressed in front of other men. So it's in a private cabin, or not at all."

"Dan," Harry said, "I love Margaret, you know I do." He stared at the deck for a while. "But she's nuts, Dan. Face it. She's nuts."

Harry looked up at the sails. "And I was so looking forward to having that bunk back."

"Last thing," Dan said, "Margaret and I will pay Harry five hundred shillings a month for Harry's bunk."

The crew laughed, and while they did, Otis spoke to Garibaldi. "Dan bargained with his own wife for Harry." He shook his head. "This is going to be trouble, you mark my words." He smiled. "The good kind of trouble, mind you."

In the end, the crew voted to take Dan and Margaret with them. What else could they do? They loved Dan. He had once been The Master-Assassin of the Satian Sea, or so they believed. And he was a good surgeon, too. Who would leave someone like that behind?

When Sallina returned from Cloghlogan, Dan had already left the Reliant to fetch Margaret. She and Garibaldi moved their belongings out of their cabin. Harry gave them two hammocks next to one another in the dormitory. Sallina was nervous about sleeping in the dormitory. She would be the only woman. She was not shy about undressing in front of men, and even if she was, she could change in the toilet if she wanted to. But being among men all the time was tiring. When she had the cabin to go to, she could sit there and read and relax on her own. But the crew of the Reliant would be all-men only for the trip to Godiva. They would be in Godiva in three or four days, and after that, the Captains were going to mix the crews of the two ships, and there would be women to keep her company.

Dan and Margaret came aboard in the afternoon. The Reliant was ready to sail and the Captain was pacing the aft deck, waiting for the two of them to arrive. The tide was going out, and he wanted to leave.

Margaret and Dan carried Margaret's luggage down the stairs to their cabin. Sallina was just making the beds when they came in. Margaret put two suitcases on the floor and put her hands upon her big hips.

Sallina shook her head. "You don't have to do that. Sally Benton already did it."

"I'm glad to do it," Margaret said. "And when I get lice, you can do it for me."

Sallina looked at Margaret's cascading red hair. "Well," she said, "That doesn't seem like a fair deal."

"I never said it was a fair deal," Margaret said. She reached in her pocket and took out Sallina's little piece of mink fur. "Here, I brought you this. I found it on my bathroom floor."

Margaret looked at her. "I don't want to keep it. You take it or I'll throw it out the window."

Sallina took the little piece of fur and put it in her pocket. She was glad to have it back.

"Now, get out of here. I want to unpack a few things before I start getting seasick."

Sallina left the cabin. Dan smiled as she went out. "Thank you for making the beds."

Sallina walked towards the stairs. When she reached the deck, Garibaldi was coiling a rope and Harry was watching him.

"It's going well." She smiled. She was happy for Dan. And Dan was wrong: she would get used to Margaret.

"I'll be waiting, Miss, you can be sure of that. Waiting like a mouse under a trash barrel in tom-cat alley."

"Of course it does," Harry said. He pointed to a pile of rope on the deck. "Get that rope coiled up right away, sailor Sallina."

On the twenty-eighth of September, Sallina, Garibaldi, and the Captain stood outside the large, painted, oak doors of the Duke of Brickwater's audience chamber in Farthing, their home town. It was late afternoon, and they had just arrived by stage coach from Godiva. The coach had stopped outside the Duke's estate.

Garibaldi wore a pack on his back. It was full of gold, and it felt warm. Also in his pack was an axe-head made in Cloghlogan. This was a present for his father. The axe-head was made of bright, hard, steel, and he was sure his father would be pleased with it. Garibaldi had hoped to bring his father an axe-head made out of the same sparkling gray metal as Sukh's axe, and there had been such axe-heads for sale in Cloghlogan. But they cost hundreds of guineas, which was more than Garibaldi could afford. So he had settled for the best steel he could buy. For his mother, he had a bright blue, stretchy shirt, and a bag of coffee beans.

Sallina had her pack on too. Sticking out of the top was the end of a bolt of silk the Captain had given her in exchange for her thermometer. The thermometer was hanging in the Captain's cabin, near the aft windows. The silk was for her mother. For her father she had an iron tobacco pipe made by the dwarves. The bulge in the bottom of her pack was the helmet Argle Frood had given her. He had told her to keep it. She was going to give the helmet to her brother. But she had the little light stone in her pocket for herself. It no longer glowed, even though Argle had put it through his machine again when Sallina visited him on the fourteenth of September. But she liked the little stone. It went well in her pocket with the little piece of mink fur. Sallina shifted her weight from one foot to another. Her heart was beating fast.

"Good heavens woman," the Captain said, "You keep asking me the same question. Of course he will keep his word."

Sallina shifted from one foot to another. "And anyway," she said, "I like to hear you calling me 'woman'. You always used to call me 'girl'. But now you call me 'woman'. I like that."

The Captain shook his head. "Please calm down before you go in." He pointed to a seat next to him. "Here, sit and breath deeply. I don't think I have ever seen you like this."

One of the doors to the audience chamber opened. A man in a red coat embroidered with gold thread spoke loudly, but without looking at anyone. "The Duke of Brickwater calls the party from the Reliant."

The Captain stood up. "Oh well. You'll have to do as you are." He walked towards the door.

Sallina and Garibaldi followed him. The man in the red coat went back through the door and said to whoever was inside, in an equally loud voice, "Presenting the Honorable Horatio Tawnish of Tonbridge Manor, Captain of the Merchant Vessel Reliant."

Sallina looked up at Garibaldi. "Tonbridge Manor?" she said. Tonbridge was a town north of Godiva. Her father's brother lived there. She and Garibaldi walked through the door.

The Duke's audience chamber was thirty paces long and twenty paces wide. The ceiling was high. There were fireplaces on either side, but the fires were not lit. The sun shone through windows high-up along both sides. The floor was polished wood except down the middle where there was a green carpet. Upon the walls beneath the windows were portraits of the Duke's ancestors.

The Duke sat upon a chair at the far end of the room. The chair was set upon a low platform. He wore a plain white shirt and brown trousers. His beard was gray and square. On either side of the platform stood a dozen people in fine clothes. Sallina recognized one of them as the Duke's son. Another was Lawrence's father, Jameson Matthews. Sallina almost stopped in mid-stride when she saw Jameson, but she kept walking. Lawrence could not be back yet. The Sea Mist had sailed for Sax.

When he saw the Captain, the Duke stood up, stepped off the platform and walked forward with his arms held wide. "My dear Horatio," he said.

The Captain met the Duke half-way across the floor. The Duke hugged the Captain, and the Captain hugged him in return. The Duke stepped back, his hands on the Captain's shoulders. "How long has it been? Ten years?"

The Captain smiled. The Duke looked down at the Captain's tummy. "You have grown fat. I hope that is a sign of prosperity."

"I see you have your sword. Do you still fence?" The Duke jabbed one hand sideways a few times, as if he was fighting with a small-sword.

"No? But you were the greatest, Horatio! Remember Harry Rakes? Oh," the Duke clasped his hands together. "What a duel. Swords flashing, metal clattering upon metal, the sawdust on the floor of the common room of the Chequers Inn. What a day! What a victory for you! And what a prize!"

The two men stood quietly. The Duke squeezed the Captain's shoulder. "Won't you be my guest at supper tonight?"

The Duke nodded. "Good." He let go of the captain's shoulder and looked at Sallina and Garibaldi. "You must be Sallina Franks and Garibaldi Smith."

The Captain stepped aside. Sallina and Garibaldi bowed, just as the Captain had taught them. "We are, my Lord," Sallina said.

The Duke walked forward. "Horatio tells me you have had some adventures since fleeing my domain with my gold."

"Yes, we have," Sallina said. "My Lord." Her hands were shaking, so she put them behind her back.

"That's right," Garibaldi said. The Duke waited. The Captain coughed. Sallina nudged Garibaldi.

The Duke leaned forward and whispered. "You are supposed to say 'my Lord'. It's polite. I don't mind, really, but it's the law."

Sallina clenched her teeth. What was Garibaldi doing? They were almost free. Was Garibaldi going to ruin everything by being rude?

The Duke turned and said aloud to the men and women standing at the other end of the room. "Just like his father!"

The men and women laughed and nodded. "Indeed he is, my Lord," one of them said.

The Duke waved his hand at the man with the red coat. The man walked up and stood beside the Duke. "The little book, give it to me," the Duke said.

The man with the red coat reached into a bag he carried by a strap around his shoulder. He took out a small, green book and gave it to the Duke. The Duke opened it at a page marked by a ribbon. "This is the diary of my great-grandmother, the Duchess Lidia," he said. "She writes here, at the age of seventeen, that she buried her dowry of one thousand gold pieces in the forest above the estate when she was twelve years old. She did it because she hated my great grandfather, Duke Osmund, and never wanted him to have any of her father's money."

"It was her father's money?" Garibaldi said. Sallina nudged him. "My Lord," he said.

"That's what a dowry is, Garibaldi Smith. Money from a woman's father to her new husband. It's supposed to make the marriage more attractive to the man." He shrugged. "I don't understand it. But that's the custom among aristocracy. We all have to do it."

He closed the book. "So, it would appear that you found those one thousand gold pieces when you uprooted a tree."

"My great-grandmother never found the chest after she buried it. She was only eleven when she married my great-grandfather. Poor girl."

The Duke shrugged. "Who knows." He pointed to the wall on their right. "There he is, Duke Osmund. Does he look like the sort of person you would love?"

Sallina squinted at the portrait. It was in the shadows beneath a high, sunny, window. "I couldn't say, my Lord."

The Duke turned away from the portrait. "I have been thinking about your case since I received Horatio's letter, and I have come to a better understanding of it, I think."

Sallina bit her lip. Oh no, she thought. He's changed his mind. He's going to take the gold and throw us in jail. Why had she come here? Why had she believed that he would be fair to them?

"On the the one hand," he said, and he held one hand out beside him. It was the hand that held the green book. "Because you are bringing the gold back, I can't really say that you stole it. Maybe I could say you borrowed it without permission, but I'm not inclined to. On the other hand," He held out his empty hand. "You ran away from my police in Godiva." He laughed. "Jumped out a window, if I recall correctly, throwing my great-grandmother's dowry pieces all over the street so you could get away." He looked at them.

The Duke nodded. He put his hands and the little green book behind his back and stared at them for a while. "So," he said. "I'll accept the return of the one thousand gold pieces you found, and thank you for it. But I must punish you for fleeing the law. You must each serve six months in jail, or—"

"Fifty guineas each," the Duke said. "Fifty guineas is almost two month's income for the average family in this Dukedom. A very heavy fine, I think, for the average person." He leaned forward. "So far as I know, you are not exceptionally rich, are you?"

The Duke smiled. "Good. That's settled then." He looked up at the man in the red coat. "Arrange this." He turned back to Sallina and Garibaldi. "Don't do it again."

"We won't, my Lord," Sallina said. "But there's one thing that you have not mentioned, my Lord."

The Duke frowned. He opened the little green book and held it up. He pointed to the page, but he did not show the page to Sallina. "It says here that the chest contained one thousand gold pieces." He looked up. "Are you disputing the written statement of the Duke's honored great-grandmother?"

Sallina stared at the Duke. Was he being serious? The girl was eleven years old when she buried the gold. She probably couldn't even count up to one hundred, let alone one thousand. Maybe nobody had ever counted how many gold pieces were in the chest.

"Yes," Garibaldi said, "We dispute the statement made by your great-grandmother, the Duchess. But we accept your judgment as our Duke, my Lord."

The Duke snapped the book shut. "I am not a judge, Garibaldi Smith. I make laws, but I do not sit in a court and judge people. I do not have that power, nor would I want it."

Garibaldi did not know what to say. If the Duke was not a judge, why was he deciding how much they should pay as a fine, and how much time they should spend in jail? The Duke stepped backwards and spoke aloud, so that everyone in the audience chamber could hear. "Sallina Franks and Garibaldi Smith found a chest of gold on my land. It belongs to me. I believe it contained a thousand gold pieces."

The men and woman nodded and whispered among themselves. The Duke waited until they were quiet. He looked at Sallina and Garibaldi. "I thank you for returning my gold. But I accuse you of fleeing from my police. I will press charges against you in the Farthing Criminal Court unless you pay compensation of fifty guineas each to me, the Duke. If you decline my offer, and you are subsequently found guilty in court, you face up to a year in jail."

The men and woman whispered. Sallina saw Jameson Matthews with his arms folded, staring back at her through his thick beard, smiling. After a while, the men and women were quiet. "As you can see, Garibaldi Smith," the Duke said, "I am not judging you. I am offering you a settlement out of court." He smiled.

"You are welcome." He pointed to the man in the red coat. "Follow him and he will take the gold and issue you a receipt."

The Duke smiled. "Your families will be glad. They have missed you very much. They came here several times to ask for my clemency."

The Duke laughed. "You restored to me one thousand gold pieces that I had lost. I rather think you have nothing to be sorry about, Sallina Franks, nor you, Garibaldi Smith."

The Duke laughed. He said aloud to the men and women, "He agrees!" They laughed.

"And after your two weeks here," the Duke said to Sallina and Garibaldi, "What are your plans?"