The clouds were low and heavy, and a light drizzle fell as the Black Marlin edged closer to the wreck of the Dancing Lady. She was a two masted schooner, half again as long as the Marlin. At least she would have been if she was whole. The schooner had run aground on a shoal where she had taken the full brunt of the storm she had been smashed to bits against the unforgiving rocks.

They had only rowed just over two miles from their anchorage, but Katrina’s arms and legs were burning, and she was grateful when the captain had given the order to ship all oars save for two which would be used for station keeping, which had been assigned to Nismond and Logrin, their strongest rowers. The others each ran to a side of the ship and searched the now calm sea with a mixture of hope and horror. A ship sunk with all hands was every sailor’s nightmare.

The only part of the Dancing Lady that had been left intact was a section of her bow that bobbed against a rocky outcropping. It was sky blue and bore the name of the stricken vessel. Flotsam bobbed in the now calm seas around them, splintered wood, barrels, sacks of grain, a bottle here, a chair there.

“I can’t believe it,” Croocq breathed as he searched the seas frantically off the starboard quarter. “They couldn’t get a single boat or swimmer away? The water was calm on the other side of the Spines!”

“It was a dark night, Croocq,” Nismond remarked quietly from nearby. “And the storm must have been terrible to do that to a ship like the Lady so quickly.”

“They must have arrived after dark,” Stolya observed. “That’s the only way they could have approached us without being seen.”

“What madness possessed Jackern to get so close to the Spines after dark?” Elouise asked from behind the wheel.

“I see something off the port quarter!” Kerran exclaimed.

The Black Marlin rocked as the crew charged over to the boy, only to find it was a body, floating face down in the sea.

“Get us close,” Elouise ordered the rowers. “Croocq, fish him out, will you?”

“Aye, captain,” the old, gangly man replied.

He opened a locker and fished out a pole with a loop of rope attached to the end. Kerran held onto him as he leaned over the side and passed the loop over the body’s shoulders before pulling it tight around its waist on his first try.

“Got him!” he cried.

Without needing to be ordered, the rowers dug their oars into the water, slowing the Black Marlin down. When Stolya released the aft anchor, Elouise hopped down from the quarterdeck and rushed over to help Kerran and Croocq wrestle the body out of the body and onto the deck.

“That’s Tibern,” Croocq remarked as he examined the body. “They just got back from Feldrin last week. What in Domaris’ name were they doing out here?”

“Look, his throat’s been cut!” Stolya gasped.

The others fell silent when they saw the ugly wound across the ropey man’s neck. At length, Elouise spoke. “I think it’s safe to assume our rats last night coerced Jackern and his boys to approach us last night.”

“Jackern would never agree!” Croocq exclaimed. “He’s a cautious one, Domaris rest his soul, and he wouldn’t be caught dead within thirty leagues of the Spine at night, never mind in a storm.”

“They must have slit poor Tibern’s throat to make their point,” Elouise mused.

“What do we do, captain?” Kerran asked. The boy’s voice was trembling and there were tears in his eyes. “The Karru are maniacs. We can’t go up against them.”

“Perhaps we could salvage their provisions,” Logrin suggested. “Then we crack on to the Maelstrom, stay away from Solitaire until the heat dies down.”

Elouise shook her head. “Maybe we get lucky and beat the fish to some of their salt meat, but their grains will be waterlogged, and their water barrels contaminated by the sea. Gamlin is our best bet.”

“What if the Karru got to him?” Logrin asked quietly.

“We’ll have to take that chance,” Elouise sighed. “It can’t be more dangerous than going back to Solitaire.”

“I don’t know about that,” Croocq remarked darkly.

“This job is already turning out to be more trouble than it’s worth,” Logrin added, staring daggers into Katrina.

“Eyes on the prize, everyone,” Elouise declared as she hopped up onto the quarterdeck. “Four thousand sovereigns. That kind of money doesn’t fall into your lap unless you’re royalty. Hoist the mainsail, we’re going to Gamlin’s.”

The reminder of the prize at stake caused the crew’s mood to hearten somewhat. Katrina stepped back and out of the way as the crew hurried around, rigging the ship for sail. Croocq and Nismond stowed the oars while Stoyla and Kerran climbed out onto the yardarms to unfurl the sails.

“We’ll travel under the headsail only,” Elouise ordered. “We don’t want to look like we’re running from anything.”

“That’s not going to fool that old fox,” Croocq sniffed as he and Nismond hauled the headsail up the cutter’s only mast.

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“Captain,” Nismond began, and Elouise sighed. She knew that tone. “I know the contract is signed and all, but I’m beginning to have second thoughts.”

“Yes, we know where the gap is, and getting through it will be a miracle in and of itself,” Croocq chimed in. “But what are we going to do if we get to the other side?”

“Have some faith in your captain, Croocq,” Elouise said with a wink. “Besides, I’m not trying to sound like a tyrant, but if you had reservations, the time to air them was before we signed the contract.”

“That’s right, we all signed it,” Kerran remarked as he climbed down the mast. “We play our cards right and we’ll never have to work another day in our lives.”

“The same is also true if we play our cards wrong,” Croocq muttered.

The cutter lurched as it caught the wind and shot off like a bolting horse. Katrina was caught by surprise and knocked off her feet. Stoyla smirked as she jumped down from the mast and helped her to her feet.

“You know I like to think positively,” Elouise beamed while Stoyla fussed over a lump that was forming on the back of Katrina’s head. “It’s not just our employer’s sovereigns that are at stake. Admiral Argan is still living off his exploits. That could be us quite easily, eh? Think about it. Landed gentry, the lot of us. Never mind us, none of our descendants will ever have to work again.”

“Eyes on the prize,” Elouise muttered half to herself as she swung the Black Marlin around to catch the wind.

The crew gathered towards the rear of the cutter and muttered a few words for Tibern before throwing him over the side. It was an ignominious end, but none of them wanted to spend more time close to the wreck than they had to. The sea was calm, and the storm had blown over. The sky was blue now, and white, puffy clouds floated high in the sky.

“Looks like another squall,” Elousie remarked as she cast a worried look at the sky.

“No we’ll be fine,” Croocq offered, following his captain’s gaze. “The wind will blow it past us. Worst we’ll get is a light drizzle.”

“Will we be at the Maelstrom by then?” Katrina asked as she sat by the stairs leading up to the quarterdeck. The Black Marlin had ridden the storm out with few issues, but the fate of the Dancing Lady chilled her to the bone, and she’d heard that smaller vessels were vulnerable in inclement weather.

The captain pressed her lips together before replying, “No.”

“The sea’s a big place, girly,” Kerran pointed out. “We won’t reach Gamlin’s until midday tomorrow.”

“Alright lads, that’s enough flapping your gums, secure the deck,” Elouise ordered.

“What about me?” Katrina asked as the others sprang into action.

“Just sit there and stay out of the way.”

The winds were in their favour, and the Black Marlin picked up speed as it scudded across a calm sea. The vessel rocked lazily as glided over the waves, and Katrina, who had not slept a wink the night before, soon dozed off.

It felt like she had just closed her eyes when she heard shouting that sounded distant but urgent. She opened her heavy eyelids to see a flurry of activity on deck.

“The Karru are here!” her sleep addled brain screamed, and she jumped to her feet with a start.

“Ah good, you’re awake.”

Katrina turned to see Elouise smiling sardonically on the quarterdeck. Dark circles had appeared under her eyes, and she looked exhausted. Katrina then noticed how dark it was and saw that the sun was slipping below the horizon to the west.

“Is something the matter?” she asked.

Elouise cocked her head forward, and Katrina followed her gaze to see a strange structure that seemed to float on the sea up ahead. It looked like a large two storey house made from wood and was topped by a sloped slate roof. Stranger still was the tall mast, taller than the Black Marlin’s, sprouted from its midst, topped by a roofed observation platform with large bay windows facing all directions. A black flag emblazoned with a gold coin fluttered proudly from a flagpole mounted to the top of the observation platform.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, thinking she was dreaming. “What is that?”

“That’s Gamlin’s Trading Post,” Elouise replied thinly.

“That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” Katrina murmured before blurting, “Wait, weren’t we supposed to arrive tomorrow?”

Elouise smirked. “It is tomorrow, girly. You’ve slept for almost two days.”

Katrina’s jaw dropped. No wonder she felt so refreshed. She then realized that she was wearing a wide brimmed hat and wrapped in a blanket to protect her from the sun’s rays.

“I’ll be taking those back,” Stolya said with a grim smile.

As she handed the blanket and hat back to the petite woman, Katrina noticed Croocq, discretely handing hatchets and swords out to the other members of the crew and she whirled around to face the quarterdeck.

“Are we expecting trouble?” she asked.

“We’d be fools not to,” Elouise replied. She then noticed that Katrina’s hand was on the hilt of her sword and narrowed her eyes. “You had better get that sword below decks.”

She paused before adding. “It would be best if you just hid below decks with it.”

“Come on then,” Stolya said as she took her by the arm and guided her below decks. “We’ll be in and out before you know it.”

“It doesn’t look like it,” Katrina remarked, noting the tension that was clear on everyone’s face.

“Oh everyone’s always this tense whenever we have to deal with Gamlin,” Stolya said, trying to sound cheerful.

“I’m not a child,” Katrina snapped irritably as she was led down the stairs. “You don’t have to coddle me.”

The red haired woman’s face hardened abruptly. “I shouldn’t have to spell things out for you if you’re such a grownup.”

As she turned to leave, Katrina grabbed onto her arm and was surprised at how strong the petite woman was. “I’m armed. I can fight if it comes to it.”

Stolya turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever fought before?”

Katrina bit her lip and shrank back slightly before admitting, “No, I haven’t.”

The petite young woman nodded and turned around to walk up the stairs. She paused at the top and turned around. “You needn’t worry about having nothing to do. If it does go tits up, we won’t have the luxury of letting you cower down there. Come charging up at the first sign of trouble.”

“Ahoy there!” Katrina heard Elouise shout. “We’re here looking to trade!”

“At reasonable prices, mind you!” Croocq, added with forced cheer.

“My prices are always fair!” came a distant reply.

Katrina heard thumping come from below. Then, a shudder ran down the ship as he came to an abrupt halt, sending her crashing to the deck. Then, the Black Marlin began moving again, but there was something strange about its motion. Before, she seemed to glide over the waves. Now, it felt like she was being dragged against her will.

“What’s the meaning of this, Gamlin?” she heard Elouise demand as she picked herself up. “What have you done to my boat?”

“You have a passenger on board,” a voice high pitched, nasally voice stated. It sounded close now. Very close.

A ball of ice formed in Katrina’s stomach when she heard it. There could be no mistaking it. That clipped accent was possessed only by those from the heartlands of Malcith. The Karru had found her and had somehow sunk their claws into the Black Marlin.

“Send her out,” the voice ordered. “My friend here wishes to speak with her.”

Katrina’s heart pounded as she stood by the stairs, ready to spring into action. She could hear tense whispers from the quarterdeck but couldn’t make out what was being said. Several tense minutes elapsed, and she became aware that her feet were wet. She looked down and saw water had come half way up to her ankle. Whatever the Black Marlin had been caught by had punctured the hull.

Then, Stolya’s face appeared at the top of the stairs. There was fear in her green eyes. “The captain wants you up top.”