The first mate looked them over again, shaking her head. "All right, then, girl, let's see what you and this boy have in you." She pointed up. "To the mast. See if you can reach the topsail."

Kira followed the gesture with a sinking sensation in her stomach. Maybe it wasn't actually that tall, but faced with climbing it Kira thought the mast seemed incredibly high, the highest sail a small patch against the sky. Someone shoved her toward ropes interwoven into squares, one end of the ropes fastened to the ship's railing and the other end to a small platform high on the mast. "Feet on the ratlines and up the shrouds, girl!"

Kira set her jaw and walked to the ropes, grateful that at least this test didn't involve personal humiliation. She made a clumsy effort of getting up on the rail and onto the ropes while the crew howled with amusement. On the other side of the ship, she saw Jason being shoved toward the identical shrouds and ratlines leading up on that side. Jason, his face set in surly lines, was taking considerably more punishment from the crew's rough-housing than Kira had.

The rope was rough, with sharp fibers sticking out randomly enough that they couldn't be avoided. Kira started up the shrouds cautiously, wincing at the pain in her hands as they gripped the horizontal ratlines. "Move it, girl!" the first mate roared, and two sailors sprang onto the ratlines behind her, racing up and past Kira in a flash, each one dealing a blow to her back as they passed. Kira tamped down her anger and moved faster, trying not to look at the deck and how far below it already was. After what seemed a long climb, she reached the platform, only to find her tormentors grinning and pointing at the smaller set of shrouds leading up the tiny platform serving the topsail.

Kira shot them an ugly look and grabbed the ropes again, pulling herself up and praying she wouldn't look down and freeze with fear. She heard shouts of derision and without thinking looked that way, seeing Jason still only halfway up the first set of ratlines and getting more blows to encourage him. Without realizing what she was doing, Kira let her eyes slide down from there to the deck.

It looked terrifyingly far away and ridiculously small against the sea. Kira felt her hands lock on the ropes as she shuddered with fear. Then a hand punched her shoulder and she looked over at one of the crew. "You're almost there, girl. Why quit now?" he asked in a rough but encouraging voice. "You afraid? Too weak for it? Too young?"

"I'll show you who's weak," Kira growled, her temper driving fear from her for the moment. She went the rest of the way up as fast as she could, reaching the top and hanging there, breathing heavily.