“Flier,” I said as I indicated those on the ground with a wave of my arm. “Does this sort of thing happen often?”
“When there’s not enough food to eat, men do whatever it takes.”
So, he was something of a philosopher too. If he had run away from us, the thieves would have allowed him to go in peace. Now word would spread of how he’d helped us. I glanced around, at the nearby buildings, looking for more danger. There had been more than one set of eyes watching from the windows above, and those people would carry the tale of what we’d done. And of what Flier, the cripple had done. There would be retribution aimed at Flier.
Will said, “Sorry, I should have been closer. They moved in from a side street quickly and without being seen.”
“Most were in the King’s Army ten years ago,” Flier said in a somber fashion as if that excused their actions as well as explained why it had been a precise military operation.
Will said to Flier, “Is this going to cause you trouble?”
Flier started to lie but finally nodded, eyes on the ground.
Kendra was still consoling the girls and had moved them down the hill where the dead and wounded attackers were not so close. The cries of pain from them were difficult for my ears, too. The smell of blood scented the air. I said to Flier, “You didn’t have to help us. Now, it’s my turn to return the favor. You said you’d like to go home to Vin. I’ll purchase you passage on our ship.”
Will said with a grin, “If you don’t, I’ll do it. Bravery and loyalty should be rewarded.”
Flier had tears in his eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”
“You didn’t have to fight to protect us, either. Come on, what do you need to gather up, so we can go back to the ship?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said.
The answer didn’t surprise me. He placed his crutch back under his armpit and limped along while wearing a huge smile. Will went on ahead, acting as a lookout, while I hung back behind the girls, my hand still on the hilt of my sword. I hadn’t missed the admiring looks Will had given it, nor his surprise at my skill in using it. That hinted again that he was not from Crestfallen, as I’d suspected. It would be hard to live in the castle and not know me or my reputation.
Not that I bragged about myself, but I often heard others who did. Because of my foreign looks, my position serving the princess, and my penchant for getting into boyish trouble, all made me more than known. Some said I was a scamp. Besides, Will was unknown to me, and I made a point of knowing all the best warriors so I could learn from them. For a swordsman to remain the best, he had to practice. When they did, I attended and watched—and learned. Often, I challenged them in mock battle, and my reputation grew as I defeated them.
However, the king obviously knew of Will—and where and how to quickly summon him to crestfallen. That said they’d encountered each other before. Kendra would be proud of my line of logical reasoning if I shared it, and probably wonder why it had taken me so long to come to an obvious conclusion. While not as accomplished at that sort of thing as her or Elizabeth, I was learning that, too.
The narrow streets allowed for two people to pass each other without contact, yet for the eight or ten blocks we traveled down the side of the hill to the waterfront, not a single person walked the other way. Word of the conflict had spread. Many windows and doorways were boarded up with slats of wood nailed haphazardly across them. At least half the buildings looked totally empty, and far more might have been. The city was dying, the buildings rotting.
The purser waited at the gangplank, his ever-present clipboard in hand. He watched Flier approach beside us with a curl to his lip, and when we reached the ship, he said rudely, “No visitors allowed on the ship.”
“I wish to pay his passage.” My voice was intentionally over-friendly.
He lifted his chin and looked down on Flier. “We have no empty cabins.”
I fought to withhold my smile. “At least six people departed the ship here, and I saw no new passengers come aboard.”
“Nevertheless, all the cabins are bought and paid for.” The purser had moved slightly, so his hip prevented us from advancing until the matter with Flier had been settled. The ship served only passengers, the fares considerably more than on the slower, more cramped cargo ships.
My temper was about to flare. Before it could, Kendra stepped past me and met the cold gaze of the purser with one of her own. She said, “Then a full complement of passengers is good fortune for the ship’s balance sheet, isn’t it, sir?”
“A full ship is always good.” His voice sounded hesitant as if expecting a trap, which showed intelligence on his part.
Her smile grew. “I happen to know that there is an empty hammock in my brother’s cabin, so there is room for one more passenger—and without any expense to the ship, because our guest will eat our food and we will pay for any other food or drink for him. The cost to the ship is nothing. The benefit is all profit with no expense. I’m certain the captain will find a few extra coins in his bonus because of it, and perhaps we should locate him and ask his opinion.”
The purser swallowed and stepped aside as he cleared his throat and said to change the subject, “I am asking all passengers if they know anything about a large man who traveled with us.” He turned to me. “The one you had a confrontation with at the gaming table.”
Will answered before I could. “The man was a bully and cheat if you ask me. As soon as he departed from the gaming table, we did also, to prevent trouble if he returned. Damon and I went directly to our cabins, but I couldn’t sleep and went back on deck for some air. He was there, still cursing and drinking. Not wishing to contend with that, my bed called to me.”
The purser nodded and said, “I heard much the same story from another passenger. We cannot seem to locate him.”
“Do you mean he fell overboard?” Kendra asked, after a brief glance in my direction.
The purser said in a condescending manner, “That is always a hazard when on a ship but happens most when too much wine or ale is involved. Combined with an angry temper, it is dangerous.”
Kendra, never one to argue with, continued in her sweetest voice, the one I detested when she argued with me, “Then you may have a vacant cabin after all? If so, my brother would like to book it and move out of that stink-hole he has below decks. Should he pay you now for Flier’s passage and the upgrade?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
T he purser hemmed and hawed, but finally accepted defeat in the form of the coins Kendra offered for Flier’s passage and the upgrade in the cabin but seemed none too happy about any of it. He instructed me to remain clear of the new cabin until we sailed, and if it was still vacant, it was ours. Otherwise, we would share the small cabin below decks. More returning passengers were waiting to board, and he allowed us to pass.
Once on board, Will quickly took his leave, intent on remaining unassociated with us.
Kendra watched him depart. I hadn’t shared his mission with her and knew what was coming. She hissed at me from the side of her mouth, “We’ll talk more at dinner.”
It sounded like a threat, not an invitation. Flier began apologizing for the trouble he caused, but I noticed he never once offered to leave the ship. He went to the rail and watched the city, not with regret, but the anticipation of leaving. I stood beside him. He said, “Trager was not good to me.”
“I’ve heard mages caused many of the problems.” My statement was made with the intention of getting him to discuss what he might know.