How could it have happened? How could he have been so wrong? He had no destiny; his actions weren’t guided by fate – it had all been an illusion, brought about by a mixture of stupidity and over-confidence. Blackrose had been right all along; she had known the truth, and had tried to persuade him, but he hadn’t listened. The two Ascendants had defeated him easily, and he had lost the Clawhammer before losing his life. And then… then Belinda had brought him back. Would she have done so if she had been able to see what life he was going to lead? No doubt she had done it out of pity, but part of him wished she hadn’t, and he had been allowed to die in peace.
‘Don’t try and stop me!’ yelled Vana, as a door was slammed somewhere in the lower level of the boat.
Corthie glanced down the stairs, and saw Vana charge up them, a bag over her shoulder, and Naxor a pace behind. She stopped when she saw Corthie sitting on the top step.
‘Get out of my way,’ she said. ‘Please.’
Corthie shifted to the side of the step, and Vana squeezed by. Naxor followed her, his expression dark.
‘You can’t be serious, cousin,’ he said, as they both stood on deck.
‘I am perfectly serious,’ she said, ‘and I advise you to do the same.’
‘But where in Malik’s name will you go?’
‘I’m not sure, but there’s a ship leaving from the main docks in a few hours. It’s sailing south, and will stop in at Capston, before turning and heading up to Cape Armour.’
‘It’s too risky,’ said Naxor. ‘We should stay together.’
‘I can’t believe you’re saying that, not after he nearly took my head off with that mug. He’s nothing but a vile thug; too proud to admit he’s wrong, and too stupid to stop drinking. If you stay here with him, it’ll be the end of you, dear cousin. Come with me.’
Naxor pursed his lips, his eyes lowered.
‘We have just enough money for both of us to go,’ Vana went on. ‘Leave the idiot mortals here to get caught; the Holdfasts have brought us nothing but ruin and despair.’
Naxor turned to Corthie. ‘Do you see how upset you’ve made her? Perhaps an apology would be in order.’
‘I don’t want his apology,’ she said. ‘I want nothing more to do with him.’
‘I’m speaking to you, Corthie,’ Naxor went on. ‘Apologise, and beg her to stay.’
Corthie shook his head. ‘Let her go. Maybe the ship will sink and she’ll drown.’
Vana raised her palms in the air as if to say ‘I told you so,’ then started to walk along the gangplank. Naxor glared at Corthie, then ran after her, chasing her as she strode down the pier. Within moments, both were lost in the thick crowds passing along the wide wharf, and Corthie turned his gaze back to the river.
* * *
Corthie was awoken a few hours later by the sound of boots coming down the stairs from the deck. He had gone to sleep in Vana’s cabin, as his own still stank of vomit. He listened to the footsteps as they passed the door and entered the galley, then heard voices. Corthie rubbed his face and sat up in bed. A few of Vana’s possessions were still lying around the small room, but she had taken most of her things with her when she had left. He leaned over and opened the shutters a little, then got out of bed. For once, his head wasn’t throbbing, and his stomach had calmed down, leaving just the usual collection of aches and pains. He felt hungry too, which was unusual, his appetite having been almost wiped out by his illness. He frowned. He should stop thinking of his condition as an illness. He had died, and had then been brought back, and his flesh and organs were damaged, perhaps irreparably. He felt for his battle-vision, and found it. Despite its weakness, it still gave him hope that he would fully recover.
He opened the door and walked into the galley, where Van and Sohul were sitting by the table. Sohul was serving the captain a bowl of hot food from a large pot on the stove, and they both glanced up at Corthie’s entrance.
‘I heard about Vana,’ said Van.
Corthie nodded.
‘And Naxor hasn’t returned either,’ said Sohul.
‘This is bad,’ said Van. ‘If Naxor has gone as well, then our chances of finding Kelsey and Aila are next to nothing.’
Corthie sat.
‘Even if it’s just Vana,’ the captain went on, ‘we have no idea what she’ll do next. She might go straight to the Ascendants in Alea Tanton to bargain for her life.’
‘She won’t,’ said Corthie. ‘They killed her brother; she’ll never willingly help them.’
‘And if she’s apprehended?’
‘Then we’re in trouble.’
Sohul placed the bowl in front of Van, laying out cutlery for him.
‘Could I have some?’ asked Corthie.
‘Sure,’ said Sohul. ‘You hungry?’
‘Aye, a bit.’
‘Good,’ he said; ‘that’s a good sign.’
‘This is great, Sohul, thanks,’ said Van, as he ate. ‘As soon as I’m finished, I’ll get cleaned up.’
‘How was work?’ said the lieutenant.
‘Fine,’ he said. ‘I’m tired, though. Ten hours of unloading crates from ships is not my idea of fun. Still, it pays the bills, I guess.’
‘And there’s one less mouth to feed,’ said Corthie.
Van narrowed his eyes. ‘Unfortunately.’
‘There was nothing we could have done to make her stay,’ said Corthie. ‘I heard Naxor try to change her mind, but she was having none of it.’
‘And I’m sure that throwing a mug at her head had nothing to do with it.’
Corthie frowned. ‘She was getting on my nerves.’
‘So?’ said Van. ‘We’ve been cooped up together for a month; we’re all getting on each other’s nerves. We relied upon Vana to detect if any gods or demigods were close by, but more than that, she was one of us.’
‘She’s not one of us. She’s a demigod.’
‘So’s Aila.’
Corthie glared at him. Sohul placed a bowl in
