Jason hauled the small sail up, swinging the short boom so it caught the night breeze. The sail filled and the boat swung away from the pier.

Kira moved around the mast to avoid the boom and keep her eyes on the pier. "They're still coming. Blast. They've started running. They must have seen this boat moving away."

Reluctant to fire again and draw more attention, Kira stood as tall as she could in the dinghy, extending her arm holding the pistol as if aiming to fire.

As she had hoped, their pursuers dove for cover.

The boat swung on around, pulling away from the pier. "Where are we going?" Jason asked.

"Outside the city walls," Kira ordered. "Tell him to take us to a point outside the walls where we won't be spotted."

She heard a soft thunk from the direction of the pier, then something whistled past. Another thunk, then a louder sound of something striking wood. Kira saw a bolt sticking in the mast uncomfortably close to her.

"What is that?" Jason demanded.

"A crossbow bolt," Kira said. "A small one. They must be using small hand crossbows. We'll be out of range of them soon. Don't worry."

A flash of light and the boom of a shot was followed by the crack of a bullet whipping past. "That was a pistol," Kira called to Jason.

"Should I worry this time?" he called back.

"Maybe a little." She aimed at the spot where the flash of the shot had come from, cursing as the swaying and pitching of the small boat kept throwing off her sights. Another flash of light, another crash of sound, and another bullet tore by. Kira braced her back against the short mast and fired four times, pausing briefly between each to center her weapon as well as she could on the place where the shots had come from. "That should keep their heads down!"

Cries sounded across the water as sailors keeping watch on ships called out warnings that something was happening ashore. At least one of those ships would be part of the Free Cities navy, and she had no desire to get too close to them.

She glanced at the inside of the dinghy and saw the owner was huddled on the bottom with his head buried in his hands. Jason had taken the tiller and was steering the boat away from the pier. "Good job, sailor."

Jason grinned, his smile slightly frantic. "They make you a second mate and you're drunk with power, aren't you? Is there any chance our ship is still here?"