Keffria looked troubled. 'My dear, I am not sure if that would be proper.'
'Proper or not, it is fitting. Let her do it.'
Malta looked in astonishment at her grandmother. Ronica returned the look almost defiantly. 'Bingtown has left us to stand or fall on our own. Let them see that we stand, even to our youngest daughter.' Her eyes locked with Malta's and something almost like understanding passed between them. 'Let the Rain Wilds know it as well,' Ronica added quietly.
ALTHEA STRODE DOWN THE DOCKS ON THE WEST WALL OF THE HARBOR. AT every third or fourth step, her skirts hobbled her. She would slow for a pace or two, then forget herself and step out again. Out on the beach, she had become accustomed to the luxury of trousers. Now that Paragon was tied up in town at the liveship dock, she had to make more of an effort to conform, but this was a compromise that suited no one. Her coarse cotton work-skirt scandalized Keffria and was still too confining to suit Althea. She longed to be out to sea, where she vowed she would dress as she pleased.
'Althea!' boomed Kendry. She halted in her tracks to turn to the liveship with a grin.
'Good morning!' She waved up at him. He was riding high today, but by sundown, he'd be heavy with cargo to take upriver. Barrows of melons were being trundled aboard him as they spoke. There was little arable soil up the Rain Wild River. Most of the foodstuffs had to be brought in. Kendry made it his regular run. He trafficked in little besides food supplies and Rain Wild goods.
'Good morning, yourself, young lady!' The figurehead put his fists on the sides of his ship as if they were his hips. He looked down in mock disapproval. 'You looked so like a scrub girl, I almost didn't know you.'
She grinned up at his good-natured teasing. 'Well, you know yourself, it takes more than one scrub girl to keep a liveship clean. I'll be all over grease and tar before the day is out. Then we'll see if you recognize me more easily.'
The Kendry had been carved as a handsome young man. His affable grin and wide blue eyes made him a favorite on the liveship dock. Althea was long accustomed to his casual ways with her. 'It'll take a rough scrubbing to get that off before the Summer Ball,' he suggested wryly.
That was a more sobering topic. After much argument with her mother and sister, she had won her way. 'I won't be going to the Summer Ball, Kendry. We hope to set sail before then. Besides, even if I went, who would dance with a scrub girl?' She tried to lighten her words with a smile.
He glanced about and then dropped her a slow wink. 'I know a sailor who might not be dismayed at such an idea.' He lowered his voice. 'I'd be happy to take a message to Trehaug with me, if you'd care to send one.'
So. Grag Tenira was still holed up in the Rain Wild city. She started to shake her head, then reconsidered. 'I might send a note, if you didn't mind taking it.'
'Always happy to do a favor for a friend.' He jerked his head down the dock. In a more confidential tone he asked, 'And how is our other friend doing?'
Althea suppressed annoyance. 'As well as can be expected. He has his difficulties. He was very isolated and neglected for a long time, you know. And we've put him through a lot in a very short time. New rigging, new crew, not to mention that he has no true family member aboard.'
Kendry shrugged his bare, broad shoulders. 'Well, if he hadn't killed so many of them, there might be a few more Ludlucks to go around.' He laughed at Althea's scowl. 'Just telling you how I see it, girl. Don't scrunch your face up at me. There isn't a ship in this harbor that doesn't feel he brought much of his troubles down on himself. That does not mean we do not wish him well. I would like nothing better than to see him straighten up and redeem himself. But,' he admonished her with a lifted forefinger, 'I don't think he's worth a lady taking big chances. If things don't feel right by your sailing date, you let him go without you.' He leaned back against his ship like a boy leaning on a sunny wall. 'Maybe you'd like to take a trip up the river with me instead? Bet I could get my captain to let you ride free.'
'I'll bet you could, and I thank you for the offer. But when Paragon sails, I'm aboard him. After all, it's my family liveship that we're going after. Besides, I believe he'll do just fine.' She glanced up at the sun. 'I've got to hurry, Kendry. Take care of yourself.'
'Well, little one, you take care of yourself. Mind what you said. Don't take too long about that note. I plan to be away from this dock before noon tomorrow.'
She turned and waved gaily as she walked away from him. She told herself they meant well, all the people who wished her success and then warned her about Paragon. Even Trell. Sometimes she had to work to remember that.
The work had gone better than anyone had expected it to. Their small budget had been supplemented by Amber's mysterious influence. No less an artisan than Nole Plate had come down to volunteer his services in setting up the canvas for the new rigging. Althea couldn't imagine what Amber knew about Nole that had prompted the stingy old man to be so suddenly generous with his time. Some nasty little secret, she didn't doubt. Yesterday, a score casks of ship's biscuit had been donated by a well-wisher who insisted on remaining anonymous. Althea suspected Amber's hand there, as well.
But the most useful had been Amber's slave recruits who quietly arrived in the dark of night, after Brashen had sent home the regular workers, to slip aboard Paragon and toil until dawn almost grayed the skies. Then they would disperse as swiftly as they had arrived. They spoke little and worked hard. Every face was tattooed. She hated to think what risks they took to slip away from their masters each night. Althea suspected that when they sailed, most of the night crew would be belowdecks. They'd fill out the hired crew as fighters and seamen. How this had been arranged, she didn't want to know. Brashen had tried to take her into his confidence about it one afternoon. She had lifted her hands to her ears. 'A secret is kept best by one,' she reminded him.
He had looked pleased.
That thought brought a smile to her own face. She shook her head at herself. Why should she care if he were pleased with her or not? He'd made very little effort to please her with his latest decision. It should have been a monumental argument, but damn Brashen had insisted on remembering his privileges as captain.
At least he had summoned her into the captain's quarters before breaking the news to her. No one would see her angry face, but the missing window meant that any passer-by might hear raised voices. Brashen had sat nonchalantly at the newly refinished chart table. He was studying a handful of canvas scraps he'd taken from a bag.
'I did as was my right. I hired my own first mate.' He had cocked his head at her maddeningly. 'Wouldn't you have done the same in my position?'
'Yes,' she had hissed. 'But I'd have hired you, damn you. I thought that was the agreement.'
'No,' he replied thoughtfully. He set a scrap of canvas down on the table, pushed at it thoughtfully, then seemed to decide the sketch on it was upside down. 'There was no agreement about that. Save that you would sail with me… with the Paragon when he sailed. We made no other agreement. As you might recall, I suggested some time ago that you not work alongside the men, in light of the type of men I'd have to hire.'
She had made a small sound of disgust. Some of them barely merited the title of men. She took a breath to speak, but he held up a hand.
'Any other ship, any other crew, you would have been first for me. You know that. But this crew will need a whip hand. Sweet reason will not sway many of these men. The real threat of a physical thrashing may.'
'I could hold my own,' she lied gamely.
He shook his head. 'You're not big enough. They wouldn't respect you until after they'd challenged you and had it proven to them. Even if you won, it would be more violence on the Paragon than I am willing to risk. If you lost-' He didn't go into the consequences of that. 'So I've hired a man who is big enough and strong enough that most of the men won't want to challenge him. Those that do will certainly lose. I've hired Lavoy. He is a brute, and that's one of the kinder things we can say about him. He's also a damn fine sailor. If it weren't for his temperament, he'd have risen to command years ago. I told him that I was giving him a chance on the Paragon. If he proves out here, all of Bingtown will know that he could be mate anywhere. He's hungry for this chance, Althea. The opportunity is what hired him; the coin I could offer was no better than he might get as a bully mate on a larger vessel. He wants to prove himself, but I suspect he doesn't have it in him. That's where you come in. I'm captain. He's the first. You will be second. We'll pin his authority between ours. Not undercut it, but moderate. Do you take my drift?'
