‘Visas are eight shillings per person. You will of course need three,’ he said.

‘Three? Why do we need a visa and a permit for Mr. Crane?’ Stanton asked.

‘Just pay him,’ said Pelter.

Stanton shook his head. It was the wrong thing to do. You gave people like this any leeway and they’d have you. Nevertheless he pulled out four ten shilling notes and handed them over. The man folded them and put them in his pocket.

‘That’s six shillings change,’ said Stanton.

The man made no move to search for any change. ‘I will need to look in the briefcase,’ he said.

Abruptly Mr. Crane stepped forwards and raised his head, which until then had been bowed. The man took an involuntary step back. He licked his lips. Stanton thought that, though Mr. Crane’s marbles were scattered far and wide, he did ‘menacing’ very well.

‘You will not need to look in the briefcase, and we will not require change,’ said Pelter.

The man was obviously riled by this. ‘Just one word and I can have ten men here with proton guns,’ he said.

Pelter’s face went dead. ‘I don’t even have to speak. It would take a second for Mr. Crane to rip you in half. Now get out of our way.’

The man bridled and the woman slapped her hand on his arm.

‘Jarl, leave it,’ she said.

‘But—’

‘Jarl!’

The woman and Pelter were staring hard at each other again. Stanton wondered what the hell all that was about. She pulled at Jarl’s arm and gestured to another ship that was landing over the other side of the field.

‘Another one coming in,’ she said, then glanced towards a gate in the far fence where some uniformed guards were lounging. To Pelter she said, ‘There will be no trouble over there, Arian Pelter. They’ll let you through.’ She pulled at Jarl and they moved away.

‘What the hell was that all about?’ Stanton asked Pelter. Pelter’s dead face had now taken on an expression of puzzlement. He looked at the retreating woman, then back towards the Lyric.

‘How much would Jarvellis have told them here?’ he asked.

‘She wouldn’t have said anything more than that she had some passengers. I know her, Arian, and she does stick to her word. I specifically asked her not to say anything, because if they’d run some sort of search on us they’d know to ask for bigger bribes.’

‘How did that woman know my name then?’

Stanton was at a loss. He too looked towards the Lyric again.

Pelter continued. ‘I was going to charter her for the trip back out of here. It’s best to stay with those you know so long as they don’t get too greedy.’