'Why not?' Thasha pressed. 'I'm his friend, you know. Maybe his only friend.'
Now anger sparked in Neeps' glance. 'We tarboys take care of our own,' he said.
'Splendid! Tell me, then: what's the punishment for insulting an ambassador?'
'Whatever the captain wants.'
'What does Rose usually do?'
'Sometimes one thing, sometimes another.'
'Can you'-she took a careful breath-'at least tell me where they're keeping him?'
'No.'
They stood there, eye to eye. Jorl wheezed and flopped on his chin. Then Thasha put her hands to the back of her neck, beneath her golden hair. After a moment she frowned.
'Help me,' she said curtly, turning her back and lifting the hair aside.
'M-m'lady?'
'The clasp on my necklace. It's stuck.'
Neeps stared at her. She looked back steadily over her shoulder, daring him to say another word. Neeps wiped his hands on his pants, then reached into the golden hair as one might a nest of spiders. He made a face. She sighed and crossed her arms. He struggled with the clasp.
'Really, N-Neeps, it's not that-Ouch!'
'Augh!' screamed Neeps, as they both flinched. The necklace dropped to the floor.
'What did you do, imbecile?' cried Thasha, holding her neck.
Neeps scooped up the chain. 'It wasn't me, Lady Thasha! It was a spark-a ferrous spark. Got me, too! Must be iron in this necklace somewhere.'
'Don't be daft, it's pure silver! Let me see if it's harmed.'
Neeps held out the necklace, but she made no move to take it from him. The tiny sea-creatures gleamed in the lamplight.
'Well, it's fine, anyway,' she declared. 'And pretty, no?'
'It's beautiful, m'lady.'
'Too bad you tried to steal it.'
'What?'
Neeps dropped the necklace again. Thasha caught it and draped it over a chair. 'I'd taken it off to bathe, see? You slipped it into your pocket, but I noticed the bulge as you were turning to go. How do you suppose the captain punishes stealing from an ambassador's cabin?'
'You're a blary damn pigsty liar… m'lady!' sputtered Neeps, trembling with rage.
Thasha sighed. 'Of course you would say that. And perhaps the officers will take your word over mine. Well, go on, back to your duties, N-Neeps. I think I'll eat in the dining room after all-now that I have something to talk about.'
She was extremely proud of herself: a nicer piece of blackmail one could hardly ask for. But to her astonishment Neeps gritted his teeth and stepped toward her, only stopping when Suzyt growled.
'No, they won't believe an Outer Isles tarboy over a daisy-sweet bit of wife cargo like you. They'll clap me in jail, is what. And then make me work off twenty times that trinket's worth-and brand my arm. That's standard punishment for first-time thieves. Let 'em. Do your worst. But I'll not help you land Pazel any deeper in trouble. We-you've done enough to him already!'
Three steps and he was out, with a smart slam of the door. For a moment Thasha stood rooted to the spot. He was calling her bluff! Then she realized that if Neeps disappeared he would be no easier to find on the enormous ship than Pazel himself.
A moment later she was through the door, running with her boots unlaced. Neeps was thumping down the stern stairway. 'Wait, wait!' she cried, tumbling after him, but he only ran faster-down and down, across the berth deck to the opposite stair and down again.
Just above the mercy deck he abruptly turned, blocking her way. It was dark: they were deeper in the ship than she had ever set foot. She smelled animals and hay.
'You really are his friend, aren't you?' she said.
'That's right,' said Neeps, more winded than Thasha herself.
'I didn't know. I thought everyone hated him for being Ormali.'
'Only dumb louts hate him. The rest are afraid of him because of what happened with the augrongs, and because a few blary idlers say they heard him speaking devil-tongue.'
'Why aren't you afraid?'
Neeps just looked away. Thasha realized she already knew: this shrimp wasn't afraid of anything. Be careful, shrimp, she thought. Someone may try to cut off your head.
'What makes you so curious about Pazel?' Neeps asked.
'I don't know,' she said. 'Honestly I don't. But he seems special, smart maybe, also a fool like you, of course-Oh, that's not what I mean! I mean you're right. His trouble started with us, when Prahba tried to talk to him about the Rescue of Ormael. Or the'-she struggled with the word-'invasion, if that's what you like to call it. So at the very least I owe him some help. I want to get him out of the mess we got him into.'
'Well, you can't,' said Neeps. 'All you can do is make things worse. There was a collection for him among the tarboys-eight gold, enough for a third-class ticket, maybe. If he's lucky he'll ship out on the next boat, get into the lawless territories of the Nelu Rekere.'
'Can he sign on with another ship, out there?'
Neeps shook his head. 'The Sailing Code isn't enforced in the Rekere, but most decent ships end up back in the Quiet Sea sooner or later. His name would be checked against the registry in any big port. As soon as they found out what Chathrand dismissed him for, he'd be charged with misleading his captain.'
'Then what can he do?'
'Go out in a small fishing boat, one that doesn't stray far from its home port. Or work the docks.'
Thasha couldn't believe her ears. 'A docker or a fisherman? For the rest of his life?'
'Or a pirate. Lots of demand for pirates. Always getting killed, you see.'
'This is terrible!'
''Course, he might try going inland from Uturphe. Folks say there's work in Torabog, cutting cane.'
'You're lying!' Thasha cried. 'It can't be that bad!'
'You call me a liar? After that little game in your cabin?'
'That was just to make you tell me where he was!'
Neeps stepped closer, and she knew he could see her tears. His voice was gentler, if only slightly. 'Suppose I did tell you,' he said. 'What good would it do? How could you possibly help him now?'
'By hiring him,' said Thasha simply.
'Hiring him? Are you cracked? What do you imagine he'd do-sew you a blary wedding dress?'
'I can't tell you what I'd hire him for. It's a secret.'
'You're marrying a Sizzy prince. He'll have ten girls just handlin' your laundry. Pazel wouldn't know the word for 'sock.''
'Yes he would!' she said, her voice rising in desperation. 'Oh, sky! Can't you just take me to him?'
'I'm right here, Thasha.'
Pazel stepped around the bend in the stairs and put a hand on Neeps' shoulder. 'Thanks, mate,' he said.
'Be careful with this one,' growled Neeps. 'She's a trickster. She wants to get me jailed as a thief.'
'I wouldn't really have done it!'
'We can't stay here long,' said Pazel. 'Thasha, what's this secret you want to share? Anything you can tell me, you can tell Neeps.'
'I have two,' said Thasha. 'But you have to swear not to betray me.'
Neeps scoffed, but Pazel said: 'We'll swear if you like. We're not tattlers.'
After she had their promises, Thasha told them about Hercуl and the mysterious attacker. As she expected, neither boy had heard of the events: Fiffengurt's rumor-control efforts had so far succeeded.
'A murderer aboard,' said Neeps. 'That's marvelous. He shouldn't be too hard to spot, though, if his wrist is in such bad shape. All we have to do is find out who's been let off work.'
'How?' said Pazel. 'Mr. Uskins keeps track of that sort of thing, and Rin knows he won't tell us. We could ask
