Ship of Destiny

Wintrow came slowly to stand beside Ke

The pirate seemed genuinely moved by this confession. He set his hand on Wintrow's shoulder. For a time, they shared silence. "You, my dear boy, are so very young. You must speak aloud what you want." Ke

Wintrow turned to him in surprise. Ke

"Blood of your blood, and true family to the ship," Ke

The figurehead shrugged her great shoulders. "Whatever Ke

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

Ke

"I suppose not." It was the best he could do tonight. He wondered, if he had been alone with the ship, could he have forced her to admit she still had a bond with Althea? Althea, he thought fiercely at the ship. I know you remember her. She woke you from your long sleep; she greeted your return to life. She loved you. Can you turn your back on that kind of love?

A shudder of agitation ran through the ship, and beside her, a loud splashing a

AS KENNIT WATCHED WINTROW CROSS THE MAIN DECK, THE CHARM SPOKE. IT did not whisper, or try to conceal itself from the ship at all. "Feelings end," it mocked. "Bolt is not who she was. Oh, yes. Convince yourself of that, dear heart, and you'll be able to deal with Paragon again." It suddenly dropped its voice to a confiding undertone. "You always knew you'd have to deal with him again, didn't you? When first the rumor reached you of a blinded liveship returned to Bingtown, you knew that eventually your paths must cross again."

"Shut up!" Fear tinged Ke

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

"Oh, quite mad," the charm agreed affably. "But then, who wouldn't be, given all the memories that are soaked into his planks? It's a wonder he can speak at all. Don't you agree, Ke

"Be silent!" Ke

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

CHAPTER NINETEEN — Strategies

THE FOG AND MISTS WERE RELENTLESS. EVEN ON DAYS WHEN IT DID NOT RAIN, everything dripped with the constant condensation. Garments hung in the galley to dry merely became steamy. The clothes in her duffel bag were as damp as the wool blanket she took from her bunk. Everything smelled green and sour. She half-expected to comb moss from her hair in the mornings. Well, at least they would all have a bit more room now. She'd cleared Lavoy's things from the first mate's cabin and was moving her gear in today. The promotion was traditional and hers by right. Brashen had moved Haff up to second. He seemed very pleased with his new rank; an even better sign was that the crew in general approved of his promotion.

"Do the rain and the fogs never cease in these wretched islands?" Amber demanded as she came into the tiny cabin. Moisture had beaded on her hair and eyelashes. Water dripped from the cuffs of her shirt.

"In summer," Althea offered her. "But for now, this is the weather. Unless it rains hard enough to clear the air."

"That would almost be preferable to this constant dripping. I climbed the mast to see what I could see. I'd have been as wise to stuff my head in my duffel bag. How do the pirates move about on days like these? There's neither sun nor star to steer by."

"Let's hope they don't. I'd hate to have one run us down in the fog. Try to think of it as concealing us from hostile eyes."

"But it conceals them from us just as effectively. How will we know when Ke

They had been anchored for the last day and night in a small, sheltered inlet. Althea knew what others did not. They anchored here, not in wait for Ke

Damn Lavoy. When I first suspected him of talking mutiny, I should have keelhauled him."

"That would have been good for morale," Althea had murmured from the shelter of his arm. She lay in his bunk beside him. The length of his naked body was warm against hers and her head was pillowed on his shoulder. The mellow lantern light made shifting shadows on the wall, tempting her to simply clasp Brashen close and fall asleep beside him. Her fingers idly walked the long seam down his ribs that was the track of the pirate's sword.

"Don't," he had muttered irritably, twitching away from her. "Stop distracting me and help me think."

She had breathed out a long sigh. "You should have said that before you bedded me. I know I should be putting all my wits to regaining Vivacia from Ke

He had rolled toward her. "So. Do you just want to give it all up? Go back to Bingtown, and leave things as they are?"