the first time, he would have money, money that was his, earned solely by his own efforts. Not his father’s money, not his family’s money, not even the inflated wages that Hest paid him for his services. His own money, to spend as he desired. Exactly as he desired. Dreams that had slowly shaped themselves inside his heart for the past four years clamoured to be free. With this money, he could take Hest and they could leave Bingtown. They could go south, to Jamaillia, no, beyond Jamaillia, to lands he knew only as exotic names. There were places where two men could live as they wished to live, without questions, without condemnation or scandal. The money these scraps of dragon flesh would bring him would carry the two of them to those places, far from their families and their histories. It would buy them a future without secrets.
He scarcely dared to taste the thought that followed. It would buy him a future in which he and Hest were on an equal footing. For far too long he’d been completely dependent on Hest financially. The inequity had intruded more and more cruelly into their relationship. Hest was no longer merely assertive; he’d become cruelly dominant of late. If he had a fortune of his own, perhaps Hest would give him more respect.
He had what he needed; all that was left to do was to get his treasure safely back to Bingtown and make contact with Begasti. And the sooner the better. It was a long sea journey to Chalced, but he would not trust these goods to any hand save his own; the swifter he delivered his merchandise, the better. Vinegar and salt were excellent ways to preserve many sorts of vegetables and flesh, but they had never been tested on dragon meat. The stuff that the girl had cut from the dragon wasn’t exactly of the best quality, either. He planned, when he had a quiet, private moment, to clean both strips of maggots and tidy them up a bit. He’d pluck the scales free and store them separately from the flesh. But the important thing was to get them back to Bingtown as quickly as possible. An extended wander along a riverbank following a herd of dim-witted dragons did not feature in his plans.
‘Alise,’ he said, and her name came out more sharply than he intended. She turned away from Captain Leftrin, her brows raised quizzically. The others were watching them but he spoke as if they were alone. ‘You can’t intend to follow through on this wild adventure. Surely by now you’ve seen that nothing is to be gained by following the dragons? They’ve scarcely spoken to you, and what they did say wasn’t useful. Alise, it’s time to admit that you’ve learned all you can here. We can’t get on Captain Leftrin’s boat and leave here. Once we do, we’re committed to travel for weeks, perhaps months. Neither of us can do that. It’s time to admit we’ve done all we can with these creatures.’ He left his voice drop into gentleness. ‘You did what you set out to do. It’s not your fault that they aren’t what you hoped to find. I’m sorry, Alise. It’s time to go home.’
She stared at him. She wasn’t the only one. Leftrin was looking at him as if he’d taken leave of his senses. The two Rain Wilds youngsters exchanged glances and Tats suddenly said, ‘I think Thymara and I had best be going after our dragons.’ It was as awkward an excuse to flee from the site of a quarrel as he had ever heard. But the girl was obviously grateful for it, because she nodded emphatically. The two of them immediately set off at a dogged trot.
Alise was silent for a moment longer, obviously waiting for them to be out of earshot. He could almost see her putting her objections into polite phrases. They would quarrel, yes, but politely and calmly, as civilized people did.
Leftrin had evidently never been taught such niceties. The colour had come up in his face. He took a deep gulp of air, struggled for control and then blurted, ‘How can you say such a thing to her? She can’t go back now. She’s the only one who knows about Kelsingra. Besides, she promised. She signed the contract! She can’t go back on her word.’
‘This doesn’t concern you,’ Sedric said flatly. His voice had risen in spite of himself. He was offended, both that Leftrin had dared to challenge him on this and that he had sided with Alise. It was going to be hard enough to herd her safely back to Bingtown; if she felt she had an ally in Leftrin it was only going to complicate his task.
‘It does,’ the captain said flatly. ‘She was there when I made my deal with the Council. Think I would have agreed on this trip if she hadn’t said she’d heard of the place and that it did exist? I only took the contract because I thought that she’d be along as a guide, not just to the possible location but to the dragons.’
Sedric glanced at Alise but she seemed content to let Leftrin speak for her. Sedric focused his words on her anyway. ‘You may have heard of the city, but that doesn’t mean you know the way. Come, Alise, be your calm, sensible self about this. You’re a scholar, not an adventurer. Even the dragon that can speak to you told you nothing; you said so yourself. And the silver and Tats’ dragon don’t seem promising sources of information, either. If you are honest, you have to admit that you’d gain more from spending a week in Trehaug, touring the underground city. There is a treasure trove of material there for you to study and translate. Why not return there with me and put your time to something that will not only increase our knowledge of Elderlings and dragons but will gain you the respect you deserve from those who know the most about these creatures?’ Even if they had to spend a few days in Trehaug to placate her, that would be better than setting off on a hare-brained journey to parts unknown. He knew that once they boarded that barge and departed upriver there would be no easy way for them to return, save on the barge itself. And that stubborn old goat of a captain was not likely to turn back until he’d given the task an honest try. ‘Alise, it’s not safe,’ he went on desperately. ‘How can I accompany you on this journey, how can I allow you to go? You’ve all admitted you don’t know where you are going, or how long it will take to get there, or even if the city still exists. This is a ridiculous journey.’ He firmed his resolve and ended his lecture with, ‘We aren’t going. That’s all there is to it.’
He had never spoken so firmly to her. For a long moment, she regarded him in silence. Her mouth worked and he feared she would cry. He didn’t want to make her weep, only to be sensible. She glanced over at Leftrin. The riverman had folded his arms across his chest; his face was set like stone. Even the stubble on his unshaven cheeks stood out stiffly. He looked, Sedric thought, like an indignant bulldog.
When her gaze came back to him, she was pink all around her freckles. Her voice was low, not shrill. She declared stubbornly, ‘You may do as you wish, Sedric. As you say, it’s a foolish quest. I won’t argue with you there, for I can’t. You’re right. It’s insane. But I’m going.’
He stood stunned as she turned away from him. She put her hand out as if groping blindly and suddenly Leftrin was there, offering her his arm. She set her hand on his grubby jacket sleeve and then he was leading her away, leaving Sedric staring after her. He clutched his precious case with the preserved bits of dragon in it and weighed his options. In his anger, he wanted to just do as she had suggested; leave her there and go home himself. Leave her to her own foolish decision and let her find the disaster she was so eagerly courting.
But he couldn’t. He couldn’t go back to Trehaug, let alone Bingtown, without her. Certainly not back to Hest, not even if he had dragon flesh and scales worth a fortune preserved in his case. It would take time to change those things into money, time and discretion. And returning to Bingtown without Hest’s wife would be the most indiscreet thing he could ever do. He’d have no way to explain it. It would focus attention on him, attention he could not afford to attract to himself just now.
He realized abruptly that they had nearly reached the barge. Ropes were being untied, and the polemen stood ready to shove the barge back out into the river. He looked up and down the mudflats. The dragons were gone. At the river’s edge, the keepers were dragging small boats down to the water. In a very short time, he suspected this area would be deserted. ‘Alise!’ he shouted, but she didn’t even turn her head. The sound of the river and the endless wind carried his voice away. He cursed then and began to walk toward the barge as swiftly as he dared. ‘Alise, wait!’ he shouted as he saw her start
