Naxor’s eyes widened. ‘Then why are we still here? We need to leave at once…’
He tried to get to his feet, and Corthie punched him on the chin. Naxor’s head jerked back and he slumped down onto the bed, unconscious.
Corthie glanced at Silva. ‘Sorry about that.’
Silva shrugged. ‘He’ll be fine. It’ll be sunset soon, and her Majesty will let us know what she needs.’
* * *
They lit a small oil lamp when the light in the cabin got too dim to see, and settled down to wait for Belinda. Corthie ate some of the food that Silva had brought back to the ship, then he lay on his bed, his mind going over the endless possibilities. He had guessed that, sooner or later, the Ascendants would discover that he was alive. They would be hunting him, so perhaps it made sense to strike before they could find him. The consequences of them finding Naxor would be worse, but he was sure the demigod would see sense when he sobered up.
He felt someone nudge his shoulder, and his eyes opened.
‘Time to wake up,’ said Van. ‘We need to transfer to the other ship.’
Corthie stretched his arms and sat up. He blinked. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and his mind was groggy. Van and Sohul were in the cabin, both smelling of raki. They were packing their bags, while trying to remain quiet. Corthie’s eyes went to Naxor’s bed. It was empty. He frowned, then turned to Silva. The demigod was sleeping in the chair where he had last seen her.
‘Where’s Naxor?’ he said.
‘He’s gone outside to get some fresh air,’ said Van.
‘Did he seem sober to you?’
‘Yes. We woke him up, and then he muttered something about needing to clear his head.’
‘Did he tell you anything?’
Van frowned. ‘Such as?’
‘The Ascendants know I’m alive, and they’re looking for me and Naxor. If they find him, they’ll be able to use what he knows to get to the salve world.’
‘What?’ said Sohul, his eyes widening.
‘Go look for him,’ said Van to the lieutenant. ‘We can’t have him wandering about the ship.’
‘Sure,’ said Sohul. He put down his bag and slipped out of the cabin.
Corthie jumped off the bed and knelt by Silva. He shook her arm. The demigod started, her eyes snapping open, and she glanced around.
‘Sorry to wake you,’ Corthie said. ‘What happened? What did Belinda say?’
Silva stared at him, her face paling. ‘She didn’t contact me. I waited and waited, and then I must have fallen asleep.’
‘She didn’t contact you?’
‘What does that mean?’ said Van.
‘We don’t know,’ said Corthie. ‘Vana might have been captured. Naxor thinks that Belinda might have betrayed us, but I don’t believe that.’
‘Tell me everything,’ said Van.
Corthie went through all that Naxor had told them.
‘This is bad,’ said the former mercenary.
Corthie glared at him. ‘I know. Thing is, what do we do now?’
‘Let’s think it through. If Belinda didn’t contact Silva when she said she was going to, then that points to her being unable to do so, either because she thinks it would be too dangerous, or because she physically can’t. If she had betrayed us, then surely she would have made contact, to reassure us that everything was alright. Or else, Banner soldiers and Ascendants would already be here? Damn it, there are too many variables. My best guess is that we press on, and travel to Alea Tanton as quickly as we can.’
‘And what about Naxor? We can’t risk them capturing him.’
‘We should kill him,’ said Silva. ‘Then we would be sure.’
Corthie frowned. ‘That’s the kind of thing I’d expect Belinda to say.’
‘Her Majesty had a reputation for being ruthless when she needed to be. It would be different if we knew we could trust Naxor, but we can’t; he has shown time and again that he thinks only of himself. I believe he would sell us to the Ascendants to save his life.’
The door to the cabin opened and Sohul came back in.
‘Well?’ said Van.
‘Naxor’s not on the ship,’ he said. ‘I checked everywhere. He must have gone for a walk in town.’
‘Grab your things,’ said Van; ‘we need to get off this boat; now.’
Sohul raised an eyebrow.
‘I’ll explain later,’ said Van; ‘let’s go.’
Naxor had left his possessions by his bed, and they packed them quickly, then picked up their luggage and left the cabin. The ship was quiet, with only a couple of night-watchmen on duty, and they ascended a narrow flight of steps to the main deck. Corthie breathed in a lungful of fresh, ocean air and gazed up at the blanket of stars covering the sky. The lights from the harbour front were illuminating the taverns and port buildings, but the streets were empty.
‘Where’s our next ship?’ said Corthie.
Silva pointed at a long, sleek merchant vessel tied up on the pier to the left of them. Sailors were out on its deck, preparing the craft for its pre-dawn departure. Silva led the others to the gangway leading down to the wharf, where a night-watchman was sitting.
‘Are you all leaving us?’ he said as they approached.
‘Yes,’ said Silva; ‘we’ve booked passage on another vessel.’
The night-watchman nodded. ‘Well, you’re all paid up here, so have a good voyage, ma’am.’
‘Thank you. Tell me, did you happen to see a man leave the ship a short time ago?’
‘I did indeed, ma’am. He said he was going to find one of the all-night taverns, so I gave him some directions.’
‘Thank you.’
The night-watchman stood to the side, and Silva strode down the gangway, the others following her with the bags. Corthie noticed that the night-watchman gave him a long glance, and he kept his head down. They reached the stone wharf and turned left, heading towards the pier where their new ship lay.
‘Should I search the taverns for him?’ said Sohul, as they walked.
‘He won’t be there,’ said Van.
‘How do you know that?’ said Sohul. ‘He
