‘I made sure, yes. And I wasn’t blabbing. Did you hear what I said to Jastrabarsk? Nothing that would let Bosa know I’m Adrana’s sister. I made up a name, Incer. Jastrabarsk can get the full story when we’re eye to eye. He’ll understand why I had to bend a few facts, knowing she might be listening in.’

‘Maybe you should have checked with me before beggin’ for rescue. Seeing as I’m as close to captain now as I’ll ever get.’

‘You were unconscious, Prozor. So unconscious you looked dead. You know what my next plan was? I was going to move all the bodies into the airlock, one at a time, so I didn’t have to share the ship with them. Then I was going to vent all the lungstuff in the lock so they’d freeze up and stop decaying. You’d have been one of them. So instead of giving me the hard stare, you can start counting your blessings I didn’t get to it sooner. And there was no begging to Jastrabarsk. Rack told me he knew the man and they were friends. I don’t mean to die on this ship, so I did what I needed to do. Besides, Jastrabarsk was already on his way – I just asked him to get here sooner if he could.’

She chewed on that for a few moments.

‘The ship took a beating. I remember that much. Maybe we could use some outside help. Just to get us straight again, patch up our sails . . .’

‘And then we sail her, just the two of us? Rack said he ran a light crew, Prozor, and it still took seven of you. The ship’s finished. If it keeps us alive until Jastrabarsk gets here, I’ll be grateful.’

‘You sound harder than you used to. Almost like you could have been one of us.’

‘I was, wasn’t I?’

‘Maybe,’ Prozor said, and I suppose I’d have to take what I could get.

‘I never saw Bosa. But I heard it, and that was bad enough. Heard her hitting you, too. You can’t blame me for thinking you were dead.’

‘Did you move the bodies?’

‘No . . . not much.’ I didn’t want her to know I’d had to clean my own sick off them. ‘I got rid of some of the blood, that’s all. Other than that, they’re the way I found them.’

‘Then that’s how she left Rack?’

‘Yes,’ I answered, not quite reading her drift.

‘That crossbow he was clutching to himself?’

‘Yes?’

‘It was Rack’s own crossbow. Not Bosa’s.’