‘Why would we be?’

‘I need to know.’

Jastrabarsk cracked a grin full of metal teeth at his colleagues. ‘Then we’re not, if it matters so much.’

‘I’m not Incer.’ Now that I was speaking the words tumbled out. ‘There’s no such person. I couldn’t tell you who I was, not when Bosa Sennen might be listening in.’

‘We had an inkling,’ Lusquer said, matching the captain’s smile. ‘Not that your name was a lie, but that something didn’t quite fit.’

‘My sister’s on Bosa’s ship,’ I said, relieved that the truth was at least a bit out in the open. ‘She’s in trouble, and it would have been worse for both of us if Bosa knew I was her. So I had to pretend to be someone else.’

‘What did Bosa want with your sister?’ Meveraunce asked.

‘We were meant to be the new Bone Readers. Cazaray was getting too old, so they brought us in to replace him. I can read a bone but Adrana was better than me. Bosa took her because she needed a Bone Reader as well.’

‘Why didn’t she take you?’ Jastrabarsk asked.

‘I hid. There was a woman, Garval, who offered herself to Bosa in my place.’

Meveraunce looked sceptical. ‘Noble of her, knowing Bosa’s reputation.’

‘Garval didn’t have much to lose,’ I said. ‘Anyway, it’s true. I’m Fura Ness.’

‘That’s supposed to mean something?’ Lusquer asked.

‘There’s something else.’

‘We may as well hear it all,’ Jastrabarsk said, settling his arms across the chestplate of his suit.

‘I’m not alone.’

They stiffened, Lusquer’s hand twitching as if he might reach for a weapon at any instant. Meveraunce eyed me doubtfully. Jastrabarsk lifted up his chin and nodded slowly.

‘Who. Where. And this had better be the last surprise out of your mouth.’

Meveraunce examined her carefully, then pronounced that she was satisfied that Prozor’s wounds were superficial.

‘Sure as hell don’t feel superficial.’

‘We’ll get you stitched up,’ Jastrabarsk said. ‘And fed and watered. And cleaned. Then you can start spilling some of that hard-earned wisdom our way. I’m sure our own Bauble Reader wouldn’t object to a good squint at your notebooks.’

We were taken aboard the launch, and then ferried back to the Iron Courtesan. Lusquer stayed behind on the Monetta’s Mourn, beginning the process of working out what might be salvaged. Once we were off-loaded, Jastrabarsk sent three more of his crew back to help Lusquer.

‘That loot still belongs to Rackamore’s crew,’ Prozor said, just in case she had not made her point the first six or seven times she uttered much the same statement. ‘We brought it back from the bauble good and proper, and it’s getting divided fair and square.’

‘Between the two of you?’ Jastrabarsk asked.

‘The four of us,’ Prozor corrected with a stern look. ‘Adrana’s still one of us, no matter who she’s being made to work with. We’ll hold her share.’

‘That’ll be a long wait. Who’s the other one?’