‘Weak, I know. He always kept the worst of it from you. He didn’t want you worrying all the time. Do me one last favour, Fura. Whatever ship you’ve weedled your way onto, get off it and back to Mazarile. Go to him and promise you won’t leave.’

‘I can’t,’ I said, hoping she didn’t pick up on the terrible emptiness in me. ‘Not now. What about Garval? What happened to her?’

It was a cold mercy when my sister turned from questioning me about Father, to speaking of Garval. ‘It’s awful, Fura. Worse than I can describe. Bosa doesn’t often get the chance to make an example of a traitor, someone who’s got that close to her under the cover of a lie . . . but now she’s making up for it.’

‘Has she killed her?’

‘She’s killing her, Fura. Slowly. Horribly. There’s a drug, a chemical that does things to bones. Monkey bones. While you’re still alive. She’s got it running into Garval, and each day we get to see what it’s done to her, the change since the day before . . . and we all know where it’ll lead. Where it’ll end. I’d kill her if I could, Fura – honestly I would. I’d do her that kindness, and kiss her while I was doing it. But Bosa’s too sly. No one ever gets close enough to put Garval out of her misery, and most of her crew wouldn’t care to anyway. And if I did, she’d turn her rage on me, Bone Reader or not.’

‘If you’re trying to make me forget about Bosa, that’s not the way to go about it.’

‘No, Fura. I meant it. I’m glad that we’ve found each other again – better than glad. You’ve given me a reason to go on. But I’ll find a way out of this on my own. You can’t get involved.’

‘I already am. And I was going to find Bosa one way or another. We’re coming for her, Adrana.’

‘It won’t do any good. Do you remember how it was with Rackamore?’

‘Rackamore wasn’t prepared for her,’ I said. ‘And he wouldn’t have destroyed the Nightjammer even if he had the means.’

‘And you think you could?’

‘Hurt her,’ I said. ‘Badly. Yes, I can do that. And if she wants to play that game, I can start dreaming up cruelties as well.’

‘Then listen. I made a mistake, and you got caught up in it. For a while I thought I had your death on my conscience, and that was worse than anything Bosa could come up with for me. But now I know better, and whatever she does, she can’t take that knowledge from me. But I won’t see you put in harm’s way again.’