of leather crossed his body from shoulder to hip, festooned with tools and knives.
‘The dragon riding was a one-time thing,’ replied Steiner with a laugh. ‘And I’m glad to keep it that way.’
Sundra and Taiga joined them on deck moments after Tief’s arrival. The women spent a few moments greeting Marek and Kristofine warmly, which is to say Taiga was warm while Sundra merely greeted them. No one could accuse the high priestess of Frejna of being overly friendly. Sundra was attired in her usual black, the colours of her priesthood, while Taiga wore her customary green. Tief set about fixing his pipe for a smoke and Steiner felt a pleasant rush of relief that his friends had escaped their fate on Vladibogdan.
‘Do the bones still whisper my name?’ Steiner asked the high priestess, a small smile on his lips. Sundra looked at him from the corner of her eye and pursed her lips.
‘I have not communed with my goddess of late,’ she said. ‘And you would do well not to mock my methods of divination.’
‘I didn’t mean to mock,’ replied Steiner. ‘But if the goddess or her high priestess have any advice in the coming weeks …’ He let the request go unspoken, afraid he might reveal just how daunting he found the endeavour.
‘You’re a good boy, Steiner.’ Sundra’s usual severe demeanour softened and she patted him on the shoulder. ‘Not a Spriggani boy but no one is perfect.’ Steiner chuckled and ran a calloused palm over the long stubble on his jaw.
‘I’ve not been a child for a while now.’
‘You all look like children from where I stand,’ replied Sundra. There was a quietness to her words that almost hid the pang of sadness. Steiner was suddenly aware of the high priestess’s papery skin. The usual olive hue, so common to the Spriggani people, carried a hint of grey that had nothing to do with the forges of Vladibogdan. Her hair was run through with strands of dull silver, while her eyes, usually so quick and piercing, were heavy-lidded with a great weariness. Steiner offered her his arm.
‘The sooner we get you back on land the better.’
‘You’ll get no complaints from me,’ said Sundra, linking her arm with his. ‘Though I’d prefer Shanisrond to Svingettevei. Or Yamal for that matter.’
‘I’ll speak to the captain,’ replied Steiner. He cast his eye across the deck, over pirates and novices, pale-skinned and dark. It was hard to imagine where such a disparate gathering might settle in peace, if such a thing could be found.
Seen from afar, Virag was a sprawling port city that discoloured the Svingettevei coastline like grey lichen. Plumes of smoke dissipated above the buildings creating a fug over the winding streets. The pall of grey reminded Kimi of Vladibogdan.
‘I never thought I’d set foot on the mainland again,’ said Kimi. She was almost shaking with nerves. Tears of relief shimmered at the corners of her eyes despite the fierce wave of happiness she felt.
‘How long were you on the island?’ asked Marozvolk.
‘Five years,’ replied Kimi. ‘Five years as a political prisoner. Five years as a token of loyalty to the Emperor.’
‘You must have arrived just after I finished my training,’ said Marozvolk. Kimi could feel her trepidation. There had been no jailers on the island: the number of soldiers and Vigilants present was more than sufficient for the task. ‘I served on Arkiv for a time but found myself back on Vladibogdan four years later.’
‘Why didn’t you come to me sooner?’ said Kimi with a note of frustration in her voice. ‘I spent five years without hearing my mother tongue. Five years without even meeting another Yamali.’ A pained expression crossed Marozvolk’s face but Kimi received no answer. ‘Five years in the forges,’ continued Kimi, ‘with only the Spriggani and the souls of the dead for company.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Marozvolk avoided her eyes. ‘It wasn’t as if I could simply visit you and take off my mask. I had duties. I was lost when I first reached the island, unsure of myself, unsure who I could trust. The academy fill your head with strange ideas. They instil a sense that we couldn’t possibly survive without the Empire.’
‘So you could be loyal to Felgenhauer but you couldn’t make yourself known to me?’
‘Vigilants watch each other with constant suspicion,’ said Marozvolk. ‘Especially the young ones, and especially the Vigilants close to Felgenhauer.’ The ship drew closer to Virag and sailors made ready to drop anchor.
‘Well, it seems you’ve figured out who you’re loyal to now,’ said Kimi over her shoulder as she walked away. ‘And who you are.’
Marozvolk watched her go. ‘You don’t sound very convinced, your highness.’
The view had not improved as the Watcher’s Wait made port. Kimi waited to disembark with Maxim, drumming her fingers against the side of the ship with impatience.
‘All these beautiful chalk cliffs and the city looks like this,’ muttered Marozvolk. The pirates tied off the Watcher’s Wait at the long pier they’d been assigned to and Kimi clenched her fists with impatience. ‘I’ll never understand why people would willingly live in a city.’
‘I’ve never been in a city before,’ said Maxim, staring wide-eyed at Virag. Kimi could feel his excitement. She dropped to one knee and took his hand in hers. For a second she thought of her younger brother, though Tsen would be fully grown now, ready to take on the responsibilities of a—
‘Kimi, why are you holding my hand?’ asked Maxim, frowning slightly.
‘Sorry, I was miles away.’ Kimi smiled, aware even as she knelt beside the boy just how large she was. ‘You reminded me of my brother for a moment there.’
‘Can we go ashore now?’ he asked, eyes straying to the city and all the wonders and terrors therein.
‘I’ll need you to stay on the ship.’
‘But I wanted to see—’ Kimi held up one finger to silence the boy’s protests the way her mother had gently quietened Tsen when they were little. He was so like Tsen at the same age. Their mother had still been alive then.
‘It’s safer on the ship,’ explained Kimi, her tone calm and even. ‘We don’t know how unfriendly the locals are, or if there are Imperial soldiers here.’
‘But I can be useful!’ pleaded Maxim.
‘And more useful besides if you’re not dead,’ countered Kimi. ‘I don’t want to argue about this, Maxim.’
The boy’s shoulders sagged with defeat. ‘I’ll go up to the crow’s nest and watch you from there,’ he said solemnly.
‘Good. Keep an eye out for anyone unusual and stay up there if any fighting starts.’ Maxim nodded earnestly, then scampered off to start his long climb to the crow’s nest.
‘That’s
