"I am Serilla, Heart Companion to the Magnadon Satrap Cosgo. My area of expertise is Bingtown and its history. He chose me to accompany him here. Now, weakened by illness and in sore distress, he chooses me to come to you and present you with his greetings. Will you send a boat for me?"

"Of course we shall!" a portly man in a wide yellow vest declared, but a bearded man shook his head.

"Quiet, Restart! You're only here on my suffrance. You! Companion. You say you will come to us. You alone?"

"I, alone. To make known to you the Satrap's will." She lifted her arms wide, holding her cloak open. "I am a woman, and unarmed. Will you let me cross to you and hear my words? There has been a great misunderstanding here."

She watched them confer. She felt confident that they would take her. The worst that could befall her was that she would become their hostage. Even that would get her off this hellish ship. She stood tall and still, the wind blowing her hair into gradual disarray. She waited.

The bearded man came back to the railing. He was obviously the captain of the liveship. He pointed at the Chalcedean captain. "Send her across in your boat! Two sailors at the oars, no more."

The captain actually glanced at her before he looked at the Satrap. It sent a small shiver of triumph through her. Did her rapist finally realize that she had taken a share of power for herself? She cautioned herself to discretion and cast her eyes down. For the first time, her hatred of him was the equal of her fear. Someday, she thought, I might be strong enough to kill you.

Once it was settled, things happened quickly. She was bundled into the boat as if she were cargo rather than a person. The boat itself seemed alarmingly small and lively. The waves lifted and dropped it, and an inordinate amount of water splashed over the sides on their way to the Bingtown ship. When she reached the other ship, a young sailor descended to meet her. The most frightening part of the episode was having to stand up in the boat. As a wave lifted the tiny vessel within reach, the sailor leaned out and scooped her into an arm like a cat snatching a mouse from under a cupboard. He said not a word, nor did he allow her time to feel more secure before he dashed up the ladder with her.

Once they reached the deck, he set her on her feet. For a moment, her ears roared and her heart thundered so that she scarcely heard the introductions the bearded man barked at her. When a silence fell and she realized they were all staring at her, she took a breath. It was suddenly daunting to stand here, in the middle of a group of strange men on the deck of a liveship. Suddenly Jamaillia was so far away, it almost didn't exist. She willed it back to reality with her words.

"I am Serilla, Heart Companion to the Magnadon Satrap Cosgo. He has come a long way to hear your grievances and resolve them." She looked at the faces of the men. They were all listening intently. "On the journey here, he was taken gravely ill, along with many of his party. When he realized how sick he was becoming, he took steps to assure that his mission would be completed successfully, no matter what became of him." She reached deep inside her cloak, to the pocket she had stitched there just last night. She drew out the rolled parchment and proffered it to the bearded man. "In this document, he appoints me as his Envoy in Residence to the Bingtown Traders. I am authorized to speak for him."

Several of the men looked incredulous. She decided to risk it all rather than not have them take her seriously. She opened her eyes wide and looked at the bearded man beseechingly. She lowered her voice, as if she feared the Chalcedeans might hear. "Please. I believe the Satrap's life is in danger, as does he. Think on it. Would he ever have ceded so much power to me if he thought he was going to reach shore alive? If it is at all possible, we must get him off the Chalcedean ship and to the safety of Bingtown." She glanced fearfully back at the Chalcedean ship.

"Say no more," the captain cautioned. "These words should be for the Bingtown Traders' Council. We will send a boat for him immediately. Do you think they will allow him to leave?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I but ask you to try."

The captain scowled. "I warn you, lady. There are many in Bingtown who will consider this but a ploy to get into our good graces. Feelings for the Satrapy have run foul of late, for you have not…"

"Please, Trader Caern! You are distressing our guest. My lady Companion, please, allow me. I shall be proud to extend to the Satrap the hospitality of Restart Hall. Although we Traders may seem a bit divided at the moment, I am sure that you shall find that the hospitality of Bingtown lives up to its legendary standards. For now, let us get you off this windy deck and into the captain's sitting room. Come along. Fear nothing. Trader Caern will send off a boat for the Satrap. You shall have a hot cup of tea and tell us all about your adventures."

There was something almost comforting in the broad man's assumption that she was a helpless, trusting female. She set her hand atop his forearm and allowed him to escort her away.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Shakedown

"IF SHE LEAVES HER GEAR BAG STICKING OUT FROM UNDER HER BUNK ONE more time, I'm going to kill her."

Althea half-rolled over in her bunk, then worked the rest of the way over on her elbows. The bunk was so damn narrow she could not even roll all the way over in it. She peered down at Amber. The carpenter stood, hands on her hips, and teeth clenched, glaring at Jek's gear bag. She was panting as if she had just run the rigging.

"Calm down," Althea cautioned her. "Take a breath. Tell yourself it doesn't really matter that much, it's just the cramped quarters." She grinned. "Then kick it as hard as you can. You'll feel much better."

For an instant, Amber stared at her. Her eyes were flat and hard as her namesake. Then she turned wordlessly and kicked Jek's duffel under her bunk. With a sigh, she hunched down onto her own bunk. It was immediately under Althea's. Althea heard her trying to arrange herself in it. "I hate this," she muttered savagely after a few moments. "I've seen coffins that were bigger than this bed. I can't even sit up all the way."

"If we get into any weather, you'll be glad it's so tight. You can brace yourself and still manage to sleep," Althea advised her.

"Now there's something to look forward to," Amber muttered.

Althea hung her head over the edge of her bunk and peered down at her curiously. "You're serious, aren't you? You really hate this that much?"

Amber didn't look at her. She stared at the bulkhead that was in front of her nose. "All my life, I've always had somewhere I could go to be alone. To go without solitude is like going without salt."

"Brashen offered you the use of his room, when he is not in it."

"It used to be my room," Amber said without rancor. "Now it is his, with his things in it. That is all the difference in the world. I cannot settle myself in there. I feel like an intruder. Nor can I latch the door against the world."

Althea pulled her head back up. She racked her brains. "It would not be much, but you could curtain your bunk with canvas. It would be a tiny space, but Jek and I would respect it. Or you could learn to climb the rigging. Up at the top of the mast is an entirely different world."

"Exposed to everyone's view," Amber suggested sarcastically. But there was a note of interest in her voice.

"Up there, the sky and the ocean are so large that the little world below you does not matter. In reality, once you are up the mast, you are almost invisible to anyone on deck. Take a look up there the next time you're on deck."

"Perhaps I shall." Her voice was low again, almost subdued.