Jade Harbour was the noisiest of all the harbours she had been to. It smelled of salt water, smoke, piss and sweat. And wherever there were sailors of such noxious variety, there were also whores galore. She passed many along the wharf, as well as sailmenders, ropemakers, porters, and even brewers, serving and preying on the traders who crowded the alleys. The south side had grown busier as the north side of Jade Harbour was weathered to ruin by the encroaching sea and residual silt. The summer before, the north side had been abandoned by royal edict, even though the shortcut to the Palace lay through those ruins.

Mati pushed past boisterous Javans with their almond eyes and dark faces, and yellow Cinas who were deliberately making high-pitched foreign sounds to frustrate merchants into selling cheap. She brushed against fair-haired Yavanas, who were quick to cup a feel. Mati did not shy away either, and left one Yavana clutching his balls in pain. She turned, smiling wistfully. And then her smile dropped when she saw the Fat Mistress sail past the checkpost, escorted by a patrol boat.

Turning towards a commotion ahead, she saw a pair of Kalingan Guards barricade the alleys leading to the town. ‘Oh, c’mon!’ she heard shouts from disgruntled sailors. ‘What do we care if you must search for a murderer! This is Kalinga! Everyone is a murderer!’ Other sailors hooted and cheered but the Kalingan Guards did not budge. No one in their right mind would mess with the guards.

Storms! She had counted on more time because of the long queue at the checkpost. News had travelled fast. She considered her options. She had three copper marks and a half-filled dart of poison. It was not enough to rent clothes or a pony. Diamond Harbour had been minutes away from the Palace, but Jade Harbour was over an hour’s ride away, and she would have to go through the drowned northern ruins to avoid the Watch. If they were barricading alleys, they would be conducting searches. She did not even have the coin to bribe a whore to rent her a room. And no, it was too dangerous. Whores would gladly part with information on anyone if it meant a week free of harassment. And Mati wasn’t an easy face to forget, even without her red wig, and the grime of more than two weeks on ship. Her swaying hips and luscious lips left a lasting impression. Why did I have to be so enchanting? If not anyone else, the Lamb would surely identify her.

She needed time. She had to stop those on the Fat Mistress from disembarking. She needed a horse. It was imperative to avoid the Kalingan Guards. She had to take care of all these problems with one stone or else she would find a crossbow quarrel in her gut before she could even say sorry. She looked up at the tower where the banner with the Magadhan Lion hung limp. The Lion may rule the land, but on the ocean the Swan flies above all, she thought, smiling.