‘That’d be a long explanation, Corporal, and all I can think of right now is sleep. I’ll take next watch.’ He rose and went off to find some shade of his own.

Wide awake, arms wrapped around herself, Felisin watched the mage rig a sunshade, then slip beneath it to sleep. She glanced over at the marines, feeling a wave of gleeful disdain. Followers of Fener, that’s a faugh. The boar god with nothing between his ears. Hey, you fools, Fener’s here, somewhere, cowering in the mortal realm. Ripe for any hunter with a sharp spear. We saw his hoof. You can thank that old man for that. Thank him any way you care to.

Baudin had gone down to the water to wash himself. He now returned, his beard dripping.

‘Scared yet, Baudin?’ Felisin asked. ‘Look at that soldier over there, the one that’s awake. Too tough for you by far. And that one with the crossbow – didn’t take him long to figure you out, did it? Hard men – harder than you—’

Baudin drawled, ‘What, you bedded them already?’

‘You used me—’

‘What of it, girl? You’ve made being used a way of life.’

‘Hood take you, bastard!’

Standing over her, he grunted a laugh. ‘You won’t pull me down – we’re getting off this island. We’ve survived it. Nothing you can say’s going to change my mood, girl. Nothing.’

‘What’s the talon signify, Baudin?’

His face became an expressionless mask.

‘You know, the one you’ve got hidden away, along with all your thieving tools.’

The man’s flat gaze flicked past her. She turned to find Heboric standing a few paces away. The ex-priest’s eyes were fixed on Baudin as he said, ‘Did I hear that right?’

The one-eared man said nothing.

She watched what had to be comprehension sweep across Heboric’s face, watched as he glanced down at her, then back to Baudin. After a moment, he smiled. ‘Well done,’ he said. ‘So far.’

‘You really think so?’ Baudin asked, then turned away.

‘What’s going on, Heboric?’ Felisin demanded.

‘You should have paid better attention to your history tutors, lass.’

‘Explain.’

‘Like Hood I will.’ He shambled off.