‘I am Palemon, king of Malakai and the lands as far south as the red desert. This is Kyphos, one of my advisers.’ Palemon inclined his head at the hunchback. ‘Your ship. What manner of vessel is it?’

‘A trireme, King,’ Cob said. ‘A hundred feet long, fourteen feet wide at the beam.’

‘It is a sound vessel?’

‘Aye,’ Cob said.

‘How does it handle rough seas, out on the open ocean?’

‘Well enough.’

Palemon nodded. ‘Kyphos has a proposition for you.’

As Kyphos talked, the king started to pace. He tugged on the braids of his beard and stared out to sea, as if fascinated by the ocean. Dion studied him, but then Kyphos’s words struck him like a slap on the face.

‘We are at war.’ The hunchback’s voice was gruff, his manner direct. ‘Your visit is welcome, but your vessel is far too valuable to us to let you go on your way.’

Cob paled and glanced at Dion.

‘The king wants your ship,’ Kyphos continued. ‘We will take it by force if necessary, but we want to spare your crew. We would much rather have you work for us than kill you.’

Dion swallowed. Gazing at the king and seeing the lines of concern on his forehead, he sensed that these people didn’t just want the ship – they were desperate to have it. He thought about his soldiers, hidden below decks. If Palemon tried to seize the Liberty, he would soon get an unpleasant surprise.

‘Why do you want it so badly?’ Dion asked.

Palemon glared at him. ‘Let your captain speak.’ He strode directly to face Cob, towering over him, his expression grim. ‘Well, Cobrim? Is it to be surrender or death?’

Undeterred, Dion pressed on. With every word he spoke, Cob turned a sicklier shade of gray. ‘Who are you? Where did you and your people come from?’

‘You are in no position to ask questions.’ Palemon’s eyes narrowed at Dion. ‘Are you a fool? Do you want to be the first to die?’

Cob gaped, while Palemon stared down at the shorter man, waiting for a reply. The silence dragged out.

Dion could almost see the thoughts crossing Cob’s face. Cob knew Dion wanted information, but he’d just been asked to surrender his ship, and an answer was expected. If he agreed to the demand, there would be fighting when they tried to seize the Liberty. If he said no, the outcome would be the same.

As the tension grew, Dion took a breath and unfastened his silver necklace. Cob was staring at him and shaking his head, but Dion put the necklace in a pocket.

Neither Palemon nor Kyphos realized the significance of what he’d done. Dion’s experiences with the Free Men had taught him to accept who he was, and now he could change his form with almost as much ease as a full-blooded eldran.