‘Oh, I’m a fiend for ube,’ Ligaya says, excitedly. ‘Can’t get enough of it when the Summer Isle merchants come through. That’s not your trade, is it?’ she adds, hopefully.
‘Unfortunately not,’ I say, warily.
‘We’re in the business of sourcing crews,’ Isagani adds with a smile. ‘And what brought you to Paranish?’
‘I’m a kitchen witch, apprenticing with Narra for a spell.’ Ligaya nods at an older woman making her way slowly down the stairs into the hallway. Weaving between her legs is an otter-cat, black as midnight with steely eyes.
I choke down my drink. Holy Aistra, I thought all the touched were at the temple or the Bastion.
‘New guests,’ Narra says, coming to stand beside Ligaya behind the desk. Her expression is stern, but her large eyes are warm. ‘In the evenings we put on a spread and then guests are free to share drinks and tales by the fire. After you’ve refreshed yourselves, of course.’
Ligaya leads us up the narrow staircase behind the front desk. I follow in Isagani’s wake, watching them deftly hoist their skirts on the steep incline. The wooden stairs are rickety and uneven, but the room itself is cosy. A round window looks out to the town square below and the slanted roof’s cedar beams fill the room with a pleasantfragrance. Two short beds line the walls, and they’re softer on the buttocks than expected.
‘How long must we bide our time here?’ I whisper through gritted teeth, as soon as we’re alone.
‘I’ll put word out around town,’ says Isagani. ‘Get some of my old filchers to listen for any skeleton crews taking off.’
I shoot them an incredulous look. ‘And my ship?’
‘Didn’t you see it in the harbour well enough from the gallows?’
I deliberately let my bag swing around and hit them on the back of the legs. ‘Won’t be long until it’s repurposed as a Seaguardian vessel. Everything I’ve got left is on that hunk of wood.’
Isagani plumps the pillow and muses. ‘We need a time when Umasa will be swarming, when the Seaguardians will be distracted.’
‘No easier place to hide than blending into a crowd.’
‘Let’s go down and gather some gossip.’
The evening brings thoughts of warm dinners in bellies and soft beds. The chaos of the town square has long dissipated, and the stones of these walls feel like a sturdy sanctuary – at least for now.
‘Are you expecting a lot of guests now that the Nishian borders are open?’ Isagani asks politely, taking a sip of a cup of tea Narra has put in our hands.
‘We’ve seen a lot of ships pass through Umasa in the past few weeks,’ Narra answers. ‘Not just returners but many visitors for the birth.’
We don’t respond quickly enough, and an awkward silence hangs between us all.
‘Blessed be their arrival,’ Ligaya eventually jumps in, raising her cup.
I make a grumbling noise of assent. ‘No use visitors planning; a child arrives whenever they like.’
I’m dizzy, my tongue swollen in my mouth and sticking to the insides of my cheeks. I stare at Isagani. They look pale and green about the gills as they stare back at me.
I hear a sound under the table and look down to find the black otter-cat looking up at me. It wraps itself around my legs, but I spot the sharp glisten of its claws too late. I yelp, hitting my knee hard against the wood, sending the tea service flying and Isagani jumping into the air. My limbs spasm, as if caught in a cramp.
‘My good Larkin, are you quite well?’ Narra asks, standing suddenly. Her face is the picture of concern, but I notice a subtle glint in her eyes.
‘That abominable otter-cat,’ I shout, although it’s incoherent, because my tongue has become a rubbery nuisance in my mouth.
The black mass jumps onto my lap and gives me a self-satisfied smile.
‘Sinigang’s a vicious beast sometimes,’ Narra scolds.
‘It’s the otter in him, you see,’ Ligaya adds, half-apologetic.
‘Get off, you fiend,’ Narra insists.
The otter-cat reluctantly jumps down to the floor and sits, looking like a smirking loaf of bread. A voice, deep and vibrating, says, ‘You’re a dead man walking, aren’t you?’
