All I could see were the ships in the harbor over Archer’s shoulder, and memory after memory filled my mind’s eye: Ben and I at sea as boys, learning to navigate, to chart, to identify morgories and huden and read the weather in the clouds; Ben sharing a cup of spiced chocolate with me at Festus in an unidentified port, back when he still, occasionally, manifested the ability to give and share.
I cleared my throat.“But there were survivors.”
Archer nodded.“To your brother’s credit.His Sooth foresaw the danger in enough time for Captain Rosser to dispatch much of the crew.”
That felt like a kick in the ribs.Most ships were equipped with a Sooth for just such reasons, but the notion that someone else had foreseen a danger to my brother while I had remained ignorant was not easy to swallow.
“Will the Admiralty arrange for his release?”I asked.“I believe him to be alive.”
Archer shrugged one shoulder noncommittally, but I saw the truth in his grave eyes.“Even if he did survive, Mr Rosser… The Admiralty will make no allowances for him, not in the light of… his… indiscretion.”
I felt the last traces of color leave my cheeks, never mind the burn of the cold.“What has he done?”
Archer cleared his throat, looking suddenly awkward.The change in his demeanor sparked a realization—he had been remarkably kind to me these past few moments.No one from my former life treated me with kindness, even if my actions with Lirr had won their respect.
“I am loath to cite rumor.”He avoided my eyes.“But it has become known that you, good fellow, may have been blamed for hisindiscretion with a certain lady.Again, rumors.However, they are prevalent enough that the certain lady’s husband has—discreetly— marked him for disfavor.Outside of clear, indisputable evidence of his survival presented in a public way, I fear Captain Benedict Rosser is beyond aid.”
The Dark Water once again lapped at my heels and I grasped the coin in my pocket.Vindication and horror warred within me, livid in the sudden, strangled stillness of my thoughts.
For all I strove to keep my expression composed, Archer must have seen something slip through.
“My very deepest condolences,” he said again.He studied the street, as if searching for someone to take his place, then forced a smile.“Let me buy you a stiff drink.I’ll be but a moment with the mistress?”
I broke my gaze over the harbor, blinked back an unwelcome wetness in my eyes, and shook my head.“No, no.Thank you, Captain, for your kindness and your honesty.Until next time.”
“Next time.”He nodded with a relieved smile and strode away.
I watched him turn the corner, against the backdrop of snowy street and many-masted harbor.No sooner was he gone than a woman passed by.She was small, the bottom third of her face hidden by a thick scarf and the upper third by a windblown sweep of blonde hair and the fur brim of her cap.
My Sooth’s senses jangled.I recognized her.She wore an Aeadine coat now, double-breasted and bronze-buttoned, but there was no mistaking the Mereish woman from Hesten.
I retreated farther into the shadows.My movement snagged her attention and she glanced towards me, but evidently decided a man skulking in an alley was not someone she wanted to be caught staring at.She picked up her pace and carried on.
Curious, I waited a few heartbeats then inched to the mouth of the alley.A dark-haired man bumped into me, the cold skin of his hand brushing mine as he muttered an apology.
My attention fractured.I glanced after him then quickly searched for the woman once more.
She had vanished, and I stood alone with Archer’s words drifting through my beleaguered mind.
The lady’s husband has marked him for disfavor.
I fear Captain Benedict Rosser is truly beyond aid.
USTI—The Usti are widely considered to be the most powerful nation upon the Winter Sea.Staunchly neutral in the wars between Aeadine and Mere, the Usti are mediators and peacemakers, focusing on trade and the pursuit of knowledge, though the latter may be questioned in regards to their religious pursuits.Formed from an amalgamation of peoples, various influences from across the known world can still be seen in their religion, which, at odds with the enlightened mind, continues the worship of many saints, ancestors, and even gods.See alsoKALSANK,TITHE,USTI CHAIN,USTI HOLDINGS.
—FROMTHE WORDBOOK ALPHABETICA: A NEW WORDBOOK OF THE AEADINES
SIX
The Ess Noti
MARY
Ifound Samuel standing at the end of the dock whereHartwas moored, staring out across the quiet harbor.He had his coat open and his hands shoved into his pockets, his attention somewhere beyond what I could see.
“Samuel,” I said from a few paces away.
He glanced over his shoulder.The corners of his mouth moved as if he intended to conjure me a smile but lacked the will.“Hello.”
