I am scared,’ she replied firmly. ‘And we are not going out into the current. Not until I’m better at managing this boat.’
But suddenly, partnering with Rapskal instead of Tats did not seem such a poor trade.
Leftrin waited until Alise was aboard the barge before he started up the ladder. He knew he needed to focus his mind on the final loading of the barge and shoving the Tarman back out into the current. No one had expected the dragons to stampede off like that. The plan had been that the barge would lead the way, followed by the keepers in their canoes guiding and encouraging the dragons. Now the dragons were completely out of sight and the last of the canoes would soon vanish around a bend in the wandering river. And here he sat, on shore still, with a cargo of dried meat, hardtack, salt pork and pickled breadleaf still being loaded. If any of the young keepers overturned their canoes, there would be nothing he could do to help them. And from what he’d seen of the youngsters, mishaps seemed more likely than not.
Well, all he could do right now was worry about them until he had all the stores safely stowed. Then he’d have to get his barge back out into the water and headed upriver. He tried to push Alise out of his thoughts. Now was no time to be wishing that he could sit her down in the galley and offer her a quiet cup of tea and some talk. He’d been so proud of her for standing up to Sedric when he tried to bully her into backing out of her adventure. She’d kept a stone face and a stern resolve all the way back to the barge. He followed her up the ladder, wondering if he’d have time to let her know how impressed he was.
But as he stepped onto his deck, he encountered not only a heap of unstowed cargo but three strangers lounging against it. Alise had frozen where she was, just off the ladder, her back to the barge’s rail. Instinctively he moved between her and the men. He sized up their scattered goods in one glance. Spears and bows, one a heavy bow for distance shooting. A carefully folded net. Several quivers of arrows. Hunters’ gear. These would be the fellows they’d been waiting for, the hunters hired by the Council. One turned toward him, grinning, and only then did he recognize Carson. He’d grown a beard. The big man put out a callused hand to him, saying, ‘I’ll bet you’re surprised to see me here! Or maybe I was exactly what you were expecting. This is just the sort of misadventure that always finds us, so it’s no coincidence we’ve both signed on for it.’
Simple words spoken between old friends, yet they suddenly made Leftrin’s heart sink. He desperately hoped there was no meaning layered beneath that greeting, that his use of the words was a true coincidence. He didn’t want Carson to be the one that the note had warned him to expect. Not Carson. He forced an answering grin to his face and asked him, ‘Now why would I be expecting a drunken sot like you on my clean deck?’
‘Because drunk or sober, I’m the best damn hunter this river has ever seen, and I’m exactly what you’re going to need to keep those dragons from eating each other or you before this is all over. This is Davvie here, an up-and-coming bowman who still needs his arse kicked from time to time. He’s my nephew, but don’t let that stop you when it comes to arse-kicking time. And this fellow is Jess, who I only met this morning, but he seems to think he can keep up with me. I’ll soon teach him better.’
The first was a youngster near fresh-faced as a Bingtowner but with the shoulders of a good archer. He bore a strong resemblance to his uncle, with the same unruly brown hair and dark eyes. He shook Leftrin’s hand and met his eyes with an honest grin. If Carson was up to something nefarious, Leftrin would wager that Davvie had no knowledge of it. He still gave the boy a serious look and told him firmly, ‘You see that Skelly? The deckhand with the long black braid down her back? Well, she may look like a girl but she’s not. She’s my deckhand and my niece. And that means that, to you, she’s not a girl.’
Davvie looked properly daunted but Carson just shook his head, a smile twitching the corner of his mouth. ‘I guarantee you, Leftrin, there will be no problems with Davvie in that department,’ he said as the lad ducked his head and blushed.
Jess was an older man with greying hair above grey eyes who scowled at Carson’s deprecating introduction and offered Leftrin only a curt nod. Leftrin instantly disliked him, and felt a thrill of distrust go through him as well. He didn’t offer the man his hand and Jess didn’t appear to notice that lack of courtesy.
Carson demanded abruptly, ‘And aren’t you going to introduce me and explain what a fresh flower like this is doing on your stinking old barge?’
It seemed impossible but he had briefly forgotten that Alise was standing there behind him. He glanced at her then grinned as he confronted Carson. ‘Stinking barge? Not until you came on board, Carson. Alise Finbok, I’m afraid I have to introduce you to an old friend of mine. Carson Lupskip. Hunter, braggart and drunk, not necessarily in that order. Carson, this is Alise. She’s aboard as our expert on dragons and Elderlings, is newly arrived from Bingtown and happily willing to advise and educate us on this voyage.’
He’d thought his words would make her smile. Instead, she ducked her head and abruptly declared in a husky voice, ‘You must excuse me. I’ve a few things to do before we depart.’ And before he could say another word, she scuttled away to her quarters and slipped inside, shutting the door firmly behind her. He suspected it would be dark and hot in there, but off she’d gone anyway. And even knowing as little of women as he did, he suspected she sought privacy for weeping. Damn him for a fool. He should have known that the confrontation with Sedric would upset her. He was just as glad the man wasn’t going to be accompanying them. She’d get over her doubts a lot faster without him around. He wanted nothing so much as to follow her and reassure her, if she would allow such a thing. But he couldn’t, not with this threesome cluttering up his deck with their gear and themselves. When he turned back to Carson, he found his old friend regarding him knowingly.
‘Is she expert on more than dragons?’ he asked teasingly.
‘I wouldn’t know,’ Leftrin snapped back at him. Then, embarrassed, he tried to soften it with, ‘Welcome aboard, Carson. Maybe tonight we’ll find some time to catch up on old news. For now, please, all three of you find yourselves some space in the deckhouse and stow that stuff where it won’t be underfoot. Swarge! Did the rest of our cargo come on board yet? Because at the rate those dragons were travelling, we’d best be after them.’
‘They won’t keep up that pace for long,’ Carson predicted. ‘By afternoon—’
The hunter stopped speaking abruptly, staring past Leftrin. The captain turned to find Sedric awkwardly climbing over the rail of the barge. He gripped his supply case to his chest with one arm while he struggled. ‘What do we have here?’ Carson asked quietly. A slow smile spread across his face.
‘Oh, him.’ Leftrin fought for neutrality in his voice. He spoke to Carson alone, saying, ‘He goes where Alise does. Supposed to look after her.’
‘That must be inconvenient,’ Carson muttered quietly.
‘Just shut up,’ Leftrin replied with feeling.
Davvie had darted over to the ladder and attempted to help Sedric by taking his case for him. The man scowled at the lad and held tight to it as he clambered awkwardly over the railing. As he straightened up, he brushed at his clothing, and then came directly to the captain, demanding, ‘Where’s Alise?’
‘She’s gone to her quarters. We launch soon. You’d better round up your gear if you want it to go ashore with you.’ Leftrin kept his voice flat.
The Bingtown man stopped and stared at him. He didn’t quite grind his teeth but he clenched them for a moment. ‘I won’t be going ashore,’ he grated. He turned away from Leftrin and said meaningfully
