nearly there,’ Malvery said. ‘Do it.’
Crake drew out his small brass whistle. He put it to his lips and blew. It made no sound at all.
‘That’s it?’ asked Pinn, bemused.
‘That’s it,’ said Crake.
‘So now what happens?’
‘Bess has just woken up to find that she’s in a box,’ Crake replied. ‘I wouldn’t want to be in the Delirium Trigger’s cargo hold right now.’
By the time the palette bumped down onto the deck, the howling and smashing had begun.
‘I suppose you know I’m innocent, don’t you?’ Frey asked.
Trinica was pouring two glasses of whisky from the drinks cabinet. She looked back at him: a moon-white face partially eclipsed by the black slope of her shoulder.
‘You’re not innocent, Frey. You killed those people. It doesn’t matter if you were set up or not.’
‘The Ace of Skulls was rigged to blow. Those people were going to die anyway, with or without me.’
‘Everyone is going to die, with or without you. It doesn’t mean you’re allowed to murder them.’
She was needling him and he knew it. It enraged him. She always had a way of pricking at his conscience, puncturing his excuses. She never let him get away with anything.
‘You were in on it, then?’ he asked. ‘The plot?’
She handed him his whisky and sat down again. The card table lay between them, the cards face down where they’d been thrown by Frey. Skulls, Wings, Dukes and Aces, all hidden in a jumble.
‘No. I didn’t set you up. I didn’t know you were alive until I heard you were wanted.’
‘But you know now. You know Duke Grephen is the man behind it all, and that Gallian Thade is in on it too. You know they made me the scapegoat?’
She raised an eyebrow, blonde against white. ‘My. You evidently think you’ve learned a lot. Was that your sucker punch? Should I be awed at how clever you’ve been?’
‘A little awe would be nice, yes.’
She sipped her whisky. ‘I assume you’re appealing to my better nature? Wondering how I could be part of such a terrible miscarriage of justice? How I could willingly let you take the blame for the death of Hengar when I know it was Grephen’s idea?’
‘That’s about the size of it.’
‘Because Grephen is paying me a lot of money. And because, frankly, I’d do it for free. You deserve it.’
‘It doesn’t concern you to be an accomplice to the murder of the Archduke’s son? Don’t you think there might be bigger implications involved?’
‘Possibly there are,’ said Trinica. ‘But that’s none of your concern, since it’ll all be over for you very soon.’
‘Come on, Trinica. Hengar’s death is only the start. You must know if
