A single flash answered him. That would be Andy, right in position. Turning in his place in the stern of their little craft, Marcus repeated the operation downstream, and got another answering flash. Viera. Marcus would have preferred not to bring the student along—she wasn’t going to be any use in a fight, certainly—but she’d insisted she might need to make some final adjustments. I think she just wants to watch the fireworks.

“Everyone’s set,” Marcus said.

Walnut nodded. He let go of his oar for a moment, put two fingers in his mouth, and whistled. The high, eerie sound echoed across the water for a moment before dying away. Then, taking up his oar again, he and George started pulling strongly toward the Rosnik.

They seemed to cross the hundred yards between them and the riverboat in an eyeblink. If all was going as planned, Viera’s boat would be headed for the boat’s bow, while Andy’s took the stern. Marcus’ boat, squarely amidships, bumped up against the hull of the much larger craft, rocking gently. The Rosnik’s rail was only a few feet overhead, so fortunately actual grappling hooks were not necessary.

Marcus put his hands against the pitted wood of the boat’s side, trying to hold steady. Raesinia, barefoot and in short trousers, took a hold of Marcus’ shirt and then swarmed up his back until she was standing on his shoulders. From there, she could grab the rail and haul herself aboard. Marcus looked up, waiting for the shout of alarm or even a pistol shot, but none came. A moment later, a rope ladder unrolled and landed in the boat, and Walnut immediately went to work securing their small craft to the bottom.

Most of the equipment and expertise for this part of the plan had come from the big man and his Leatherback friends, who, after all, spent their days on and around ships. Marcus’ experience with sea and river travel mostly involved vomiting, so he’d been happy to let them take the lead. Letting Raesinia be the first one over the side had been against his better instincts, but as she’d said to him in private: “If someone’s going to get her head blown off coming over the rail, probably best that it be me. I can put mine back together.”