Storm padded over and nuzzled Cywen, almost pushing her over. Pax took an involuntary step back. Cywen stroked the coarse fur of the wolven’s muzzle. As she looked closer she noticed a host of scars latticing Storm’s head and body, silvery stripes where fur no longer grew, one ear ragged and frayed. The last few years have given us all scars, of one nature or another.

Storm saw Buddai and bounded over to him, a cub again.

‘Cy,’ said Corban, smiling. He looked to Pax. The young man mumbled something unintelligible and left.

‘He thinks you a hero,’ Cywen said.

‘Then he’s wrong,’ Corban replied. ‘I’m sure you told him.’

Cywen grinned. ‘I’m starting to think of you as a bit of a hero, myself. Even if it wasn’t so long ago that I used to tell Mam on you for wiping your nose on my cloak.’

‘I can always count on you.’ He smiled. ‘Walk with me.’

The two of them picked their way along the deck, a companionable silence settling between them.

‘I’m sorry – I’ve wanted to see more of you,’ Corban said.

Cywen shrugged. ‘There’s a lot to be done, I imagine.’

‘Huh.’ Corban snorted.

‘You have to learn to delegate. Learn from Brina.’

He laughed at that, something that he’d done rarely of late, she realized, seeing him.

‘I’ve done better, I’ve asked her to delegate for me.’

‘I know.’ She paused, wondering whether to speak her mind. Then she did. ‘I’m worried about Brina,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘She’s different.’

‘What, you mean grumpier?’

‘No, not really. If anything, less grumpy, less sarcastic.’

‘And that’s something to worry about?’

‘Aye. She seems less interested.’

‘That doesn’t sound like her. If anything she’s too interested in everyone else’s business.’ He said it with an affectionate smile.

‘Exactly. It’s out of character. At first I thought she was ill, but it’s not that. She just has no interest in anything. Except her book.’

‘The giant book?’ Corban asked.

‘Aye. She doesn’t know I’ve seen her, but she sneaks away to read it. And she won’t let me look at it any more.’

Corban frowned. ‘I don’t like the sound of that. After Heb . . .’ He fell silent, lost in a memory. ‘She grieved hard. But I thought she came through it, in the end. As much as any of us do.’ He glanced at Cywen. ‘I’ll try and do something . . .’

Laughter rang out from above and they both looked up. Figures were climbing in the rigging about the sail. After a moment Cywen realized it was Dath and Kulla.

‘I think she likes Dath,’ Cywen said.

‘I think so too. The only person that doesn’t seem to have noticed is Dath.’

Ha. Cywen laughed to herself. I could say the same about you, brother.