Mopping the floor was quick work, once R\u00edll came to help, and soon enough he and Joddh\u00e8n were enjoying a few minutes of freedom. The officers had gone up the forecastle, and were discussing among themselves, which gave them a short relief from their ordinary chores. Soon enough, R\u00edll was asking Joddh\u00e8n about his life, and how he had gotten himself into this mess. His answer was short:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy family was accused of treason against Ysroc-\u00c9nlil, and we were all punished for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had used that explanation every time anyone had asked him the question. It was vague but true enough, and it was short enough to avoid further questioning. Of course, he could have said more: he could have mentioned his father being brought to the Lower-Court in Jodda\u00ef; he could have described the endless feuds and plots that hatched among the courtesans, as they all tried to bribe enough mouths and stab enough backs to climb their way up to the Middle-Court. He could have mentioned the hatred the Monazr\u00e1ns, his father\u2019s cousin\u2019s family, harboured towards his own; and how they forged documents and paid testimonies until every great family was convinced of his father\u2019s treachery. He could have described his father\u2019s sternness in front of the guards who came to arrest him; his mother\u2019s terror as she was dragged away; his two sisters\u2019 wailings as their home was burned to the ground with all their servants locked in\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHa! So you are <\/em>a Courtesan\u2019s son!\u201d R\u00edll exclaimed, bringing him out of his thoughts. \u201cKnew it. I told S\u00e8nthlo, and he didn\u2019t believe me! Guess he owes me five silvers, now!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought they\u2019d have noticed by now,\u201c he replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBah, these rascals don\u2019t know half as much as they think. But you should stick with me, Jod: as long as I\u2019m around, at least one of us will be getting richer!\u201d he added sarcastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joddh\u00e8n did not pay attention to his companion\u2019s snark: had anyone else made that remark, his sense of aristocratic pride would have led him to anger and resentment. But he sensed something different in R\u00edll\u2019s mockery: he was not taking an opportunity to take advantage of a highborn noble in a position of weakness. His humour was abrasive, but no harm or dishonour was intended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs for your family, don\u2019t think too much about them\u201d R\u00edll continued: \u201cthey\u2019re either dead, or wishing they were. No point dwelling on the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, you don\u2019t understand!\u201d Joddh\u00e8n said, \u201cThere was an error in justice, once our innocence is proven-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c-you\u2019ll have white hair,\u201d R\u00edll said. \u201cWhere I\u2019m from, you get justice like you get fish: you can sit down by the sea with a line and wait for it to pass by\u2026 or you can go get one from the market, at the right price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, how would you <\/em>know? How far does your<\/em> lineage go?\u201d Joddh\u00e8n was irritated by his friend\u2019s cynicism: but it was not unwarranted. The Higher-Court was known for making arbitrary decisions, to favour one family above the other, or ensure self-destructive feuds to get rid of political rivals. Yet he still believed in justice. Perhaps not the kind he had known up to that point, but he had to believe there was some way that the innocent could be freed from their unjust shackles\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBesides, I must believe things will get better. That somehow, some day, our innocence will be proven. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n R\u00edll\u2019s eyes hardened: \u201cYou\u2019re not the only one here waiting for deliverance. You see any chance of justice in their<\/em> future?\u201d He looked downward, to the floor beneath them. Joddh\u00e8n understood. There were people down there, innocents who were treated not like prisoners, not even as traitors, but as cattle. Shame tightened his throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo need to say anything. We\u2019re all just victims of circumstances. You can either accept it or live a lie. Say, want to know what they\u2019re discussing back there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? Who?\u201d said Joddh\u00e8n, who had barely started to enjoy this fleeting moment of idleness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Captain and his performing monkeys, on the forecastle. They\u2019ve been talking for a while now. Come on, a little curiosity won\u2019t hurt, Jod!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it was his companion\u2019s confidence, the thrill of doing something out of the ordinary, or just a way to avoid thinking about his own predicament; but either way, Joddh\u00e8n followed him. Soon enough, they had sneaked past the rest of the crew, entered the forecastle, and walked up to a small flight of stairs that led to the Captain\u2019s chamber. The door was open, and they could easily see the Captain and his men gathering around a large ebony table that shimmered in the dim lantern-light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, not here,\u201d R\u00edll hissed before Joddh\u00e8n could take another step. \u201cThis way!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pulling him by his ragged shirt until it ripped, he led him into a narrow corridor on the right that passed by the forecastle, then down the dark slippery stairs that led to the cook\u2019s galley. They were soon met by clouds of greasy smoke that seemed to cling to the descending rooftop above them. Joddh\u00e8n noticed the smell was somehow even fouler than the food would taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome on,\u201d snapped R\u00edll. He noticed his companion had vanished in the darkness on his left. Lowering his head, he made out the rim of a small door that opened into what he had assumed to be the wall. It was barely bigger than a window, yet R\u00edll had managed to get in. Crouching down, Joddh\u00e8n followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They clambered up a steep, twisted incline on hands and knees. Holding their breath instinctively, they went on until they saw a faint light, passing through a wooden grid. There the floor was more level. As R\u00edll slid to the side and allowed him some breathing room, Joddh\u00e8n looked through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first he did not recognize the room, dimly lit as it was by small oil lamps hanging from either side. Another lamp\u2019s flickering light burned at the centre of a large table, casting off four trembling shadows over the wooden walls. Then as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he noticed a reddish-brown rugged cloth hanging from the wall facing him. And there was only one place where any tapestry hung on this cursed vessel. They were looking into the Captain\u2019s cabin, from one of the inner walls. This must be a trap door of some kind, too small for an adult man to slither through, but big enough to hide messages or weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The four men were speaking in low voices, but not low enough that Joddh\u00e8n could not recognize them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026 and if there\u2019s any risk that the killer is on board, we must take action now,\u201d said the lieutenant, a hard-faced young man with brownish hair and dark glimmering eyes. He brandished the fatal black shafted, red-quilled arrow: \u201cone more death like this, and we\u2019ll be facing all-out mutiny!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow now, let\u2019s not be hasty\u201d D\u00f3nd\u00fa replied, \u201cwe cannot risk punishing innocent sailors, that would only make it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s right\u201d, the captain said in a cold voice. \u201cLieutenant, leave this arrow on the table before you stab someone\u2019s eye out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the lieutenant obeyed, the quartermaster\u2019s gargled voice rose: \u201cbegging your pardon captain, we can\u2019t be too careful. This rabble\u2019s all but good-for-nothing gallow\u2019s game anyway, they\u2019re all guilty of something\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo not talk of guilt in my presence, quartermaster. I know more than enough on your account,\u201d the captain spat. The quartermaster\u2019s large silhouette seemed to melt under his harsh eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain, there\u2019s something written on the arrow\u2019s shaft!\u201d D\u00f3nd\u00fa exclaimed, turning the three men\u2019s attention back to the fateful weapon. \u201cI cannot quite make out the words, but it might be \u2013 yes, these are N\u00e9meddic glyphs!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The physician leaned over the table, bringing the arrow closer to the lamp; its faint light glimmered strangely in his broad-rimmed spectacles as he translated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnder your heel\u2026 I am peril<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d asked the quartermaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt comes from no tale or song that I know of,\u201d said the Captain, \u201cand the N\u00e9meddi are not known for their poets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnder your heel\u2026 Could this refer to the \u2013 our merchandise down below?\u201d said the lieutenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen he\u2019s been hidden among us all this time, right under our noses!\u201d the quartermaster stammered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is something else,\u201d D\u00f3nd\u00fa added, \u201ca shape carved into the wood\u2026 It\u2019s faint\u2026 Like a lizard\u2026 No, a scorpion! Look at its curved tail!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo our killer likes to sign his crimes,\u201d the Captain wondered aloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlood n\u2019 bones, what good would that do him in the middle of the ocean?\u201d the quartermaster blurted out, concealing creeping fear behind a mask of anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBe that as it may,\u201d the Captain said, \u201cwe must be ready for anything. Judging by the nature of Ishgar\u2019s belongings and the night-crew\u2019s alertness this morning, I surmise they had more than plain water to drink. Lieutenant, you will have tonight\u2019s crew searched thoroughly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seizing his opportunity to leave the conversation, the young officer stood up straight, gave a rigid salute to the captain, and stomped away to the bridge, passing straight by Joddh\u00e8n and R\u00edll\u2019s hiding place. R\u00edll contained an amused chuckle, leaving Joddh\u00e8n to wonder yet again how he could keep his nerve so well in such a perilous situation. At any rate, he would do his best not to lose face. He had had enough being treated as a pampered noble-born, and his scolded pride was mingled with his genuine desire for a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon after, they all left, one by one, the Captain coming out last. The door was left open as was M\u00f3narzan\u2019s custom when he was about to make a speech. And soon enough, his harsh voice bellowed over the ship:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe all know Ishgar did not die on his own. There is a traitor among you, and if he will not make himself known even now, he will not make his case easier in the future. Now, I should have picked ten of you rabble to hang by the mast and let the seagulls eat away at your rotten flesh. But, after deliberation, I have decided otherwise-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow,\u201d muttered R\u00edll, \u201cit\u2019s as good a time as any.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And with a small knife Joddh\u00e8n had not noticed until then, he unsealed the wooden grid and pushed steadily until it opened sideways on invisible hinges. Before he could say anything, R\u00edll had already slipped out of their hiding place. He held his breath as his companion went up to the table, on the balls of his feet, giving quick glances toward the open door from where the Captain pursued his harangue. He felt beads of sweat mopping his forehead and another rolling down his back. He had not noticed how hot and stuffy the air in the corridor was. His bent knees were cramped and his heart pounded in his temples as R\u00edll finally stalked back from the table. He was glad to slide to the side to let him back in, and held his breath until the grid was shut once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy did you get-\u201d he started, but R\u00edll frowned and put his finger to his mouth. He signalled him to get back inside their hiding place, and sealed the wooden panel behind him as soon as Joddh\u00e8n had done so. In his belt, he saw the red quill of the black arrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a few minutes, they crept out of the other end of the tunnel, dropping as lightly as they could on the stairs below, and climbed back to the main bridge. As Joddh\u00e8n\u2019s eyes squinted under the blazing noontide sun, the Captain\u2019s voice rolled like thunder over the lower deck:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c-if you see anything suspicious without reporting it to me or my lieutenant, you will be lashed. If another man\u2019s life is taken tonight, I\u2019ll have ten of you hanging by the mast before sunrise. The lieutenant will select twenty of you for tonight\u2019s watch. Dismissed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the Captain turned back to the shadowy room behind, they slunk among the crowd without being noticed. Or so they thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the day waned, the quartermaster called the crew once more, asking for volunteers for the night\u2019s watch. Joddh\u00e8n looked round: not a single hand rose, safe that of a broad-shouldered, sullen-eyed man who stood right behind him, his mouth twisted in a bloated grimace. Then another rose: it was R\u00edll\u2019s. Before Joddh\u00e8n could say or do anything, he felt the scoundrel\u2019s foul breath blowing on his neck as he bellowed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cQuartermaster! How\u2019s about we give a chance to these two?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAn excellent suggestion, R\u00f3kaz,\u201d the quartermaster smiled, .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joddh\u00e8n looked up at the man, and noticed his cruel grin mirrored the quartermaster\u2019s. He had heard they had both been pirates until they met Monazr\u00e1n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eleven other men were designated. They were to take their watch in groups of three, walking along the hull, watchful for anything suspicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSee you tonight, Jod,\u201d R\u00edll said under his breath, smiling, as he joined back with his group. Joddh\u00e8n muttered something, but soon reeled under the rotten stink of R\u00f3kaz\u2019s breath: \u201cdon\u2019t be sad, princeling, you\u2019ll be fine\u2026 if you don\u2019t get an arrow stuck in your gut!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read chapter 4 next monday!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mopping the floor was quick work, once R\u00edll came to help, and soon enough he and Joddh\u00e8n were enjoying a few minutes of freedom. The officers had gone up the forecastle, and were discussing among themselves, which gave them a short relief from their ordinary chores. Soon enough, R\u00edll was asking Joddh\u00e8n about his life, and how he had gotten himself into this mess. His answer was short: \u201cMy family was accused of treason against Ysroc-\u00c9nlil, and we were all…<\/p>\n