I felt a twinge of panic as though I were back in Kaphra’s house, Mephi beneath that sword’s blade. The sword. “Yes, I needed to tell you. This is something that concerns you, me and Ragan. I don’t know how or where Kaphra found it –” a lie. “ – but he has a sword with a frayed hilt and a white blade. It did this to me.” I unbuttoned the top of my jacket and drew the collar aside. The wound beneath was still red. “It hurt as badly as if he’d run me through and it still hasn’t healed. Mephi isn’t bleeding anymore, but he has a wound like mine beneath his fur. Kaphra meant to use the sword to threaten Mephi, to force me into serving him.”

“A white-bladed sword…” Lin trailed off.

“Phoenix Rise,” I said. “The play.” A lie with some truth in it. How much truth, though? “Did your father ever talk about a sword, or how exactly the Sukais fended off the Alanga?”

She laughed bitterly. “I’ve had to uncover things myself. He didn’t think me worthy of telling such secrets to.”

“Am I worthy of telling such secrets to?” I wanted the answer to be “yes”; I wanted it to be “no”.

Outside, vendors had begun setting up their stalls, shops had begun to open. Voices and footsteps sounded muffled through the palanquin curtains. We were cloistered in a hushed space. Her hands twitched toward mine, and then she clenched her fingers around the fabric of her sleeves. “I found something,” she said finally. “In the cave we fought that beast in. It was a sword like the one you described. I brought it with me. And there’s something you should know, too. I don’t think Ragan is telling us everything.”

The palanquin came to a stop at the docks.

I opened my mouth to ask her what she thought he was hiding, but she held up a hand to forestall me. Later.

When she’d implied later, she’d meant much later. She waited until after the ship had disembarked, the first meal aboard had been served and Ragan had retired to the servants’ bunk to meditate. The crew hadn’t brought out the store of witstone yet, and Mephi had taken the opportunity to go for a swim. I was taking my shift outside Lin’s door when she opened it and beckoned me inside. I hesitated for a moment, knowing that anyone passing by would raise eyebrows at my absence. But I needed to know. So I slipped inside and let her close the door behind me. Thrana lay on the bed, her sides gently moving with each breath.