LITMIR.BIZ

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'How dare you! Do you think I don't love our sister? Do you think I would…?'

      'What is wrong with you, Marigoth? Why haven't you grown up? What are you hiding from?'

      'I don't have to grow up,' Marigoth cried. 'I don't have to become some stupid, serious, self-satisfied adult always laying down the law like you. Just mind your own business, Yani!'

      'You would be better able to help Elena if you grew - '

      'Shut up! Shut up!'

      'Marigoth, think! Your power is - '

      'Chaos on you!' Marigoth shouted. She waved her arm and suddenly she was gone.

      'See!' Yani shouted. 'Running away from reality. Just like a Tari.'

      She stared savagely at the empty space. Then suddenly her face fell. She remembered a very similar argument seven years ago and Elena's voice saying to her reproachfully, 'We could have used her help.'

      She clapped her hand on her forehead.

      Idiot! she told herself. She needed Marigoth. Elena needed Marigoth. What had she been thinking? Elena was what was important now, not Yani's idea of what was good for Marigoth.

      'Marigoth, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken like that. I was wrong. Look, please, for Elena's sake. We have to stick together.'

      Silence.

      'I promise not to mention it again.'

      In the silence Yani heard heavy boots coming across the deck toward the cabin. A fist banged on the door. She pulled her boiled leather jerkin off her bunk. It had extra padding to give her body a more manly shape. With this, her breasts bound down and her hair cut short, she had been able to pass as a man ever since she left Dania. Women swordfighters were not common so people didn't need much prompting to assume she was a man. And everyone knew that the Mirayans had peculiar views about women. The fact that they always insisted on talking to Queen Sharma's husband - whose only official role was to father the queen's children - instead of the queen herself was testimony to this. Privately Yani thought masquerading as a man was a ridiculous concession to make to such fools, but Queen Sharma had insisted it was a good idea and she was usually right about such things.

      She had barely shrugged the jerkin over her shoulders when the door flew open and a Mirayan man stood there with another man.

      'Commander Barius! Highness! He's just a passenger!' cried the ship's master, who seemed to be trying to slow his companion's progress. An employee of the queen, the captain was well aware of Yani's gender and was probably trying to give her time. 'He's not responsible for anything. You really have no need to bother with him.'

      'I'm going to see everything on this ship. Don't try any of your cunning native tricks on me,' the Mirayan said. He flung himself into the room like a walking brick: a large man with a red, jowly face, big belly, broad shoulders and beefy fists. Two men-at-arms peered in behind him. He glared at Yani.

      'So who the hell are you?' he demanded.

      'Lord Yani, I told him you had nothing to do with my trading,' the captain said anxiously, 'but he insisted on coming to speak with you. It's not my fault, lord. I didn't know.'

      'Of course not,' Yani said. The shipmaster looked scared. Evidently there was some serious problem here. It was time to attempt some diplomacy. 'How may I help you, Commander Barius?'

      The moment she spoke she knew she had said something wrong. She could tell by the master's grimace and by the reddening of the official's face. Damn! Why was she so bad at diplomacy?

      'This ship is being confiscated and the crew are to be taken in for questioning on a small matter of illegal trading,' the commander said. 'What's your business here?'

      'I'm a passenger,' Yani said.

      'Where did you board?'

      'Dania.'

      'Ah, so you're Danian, are you? Don't look like any Dani I've ever seen. What's your business? Perhaps the Queen of the Dani sent you to spy on Duke Wolf's fortifications.'

      'No,' Yani said. 'Why would she care about that? I've come here looking for my sister. She's married to a man somewhere down here and we lost touch.'

      She turned to the captain. 'What does he mean illegal trading? What's illegal?'

      The only trading they had done on this voyage was when they had stopped at Fleurforet to examine the remains of the camp. The Mori survivors had come out of the forest to trade furs for arrowheads with the Danians, just as they had before the disaster.

      'His Highness Duke Wolf Madraga has declared all trade with the Mori to be illegal and this fellow had a hold full of Mori furs,' the watch commander snapped.

      Anger filled Yani at the sound of the name of the destroyer of Fleurforet.

      'But we didn't know it was illegal!' she snapped. 'That's not fair! What say does the duke have in it anyway?'

      The shipmaster groaned and put his hands over his face as the watch commander lurched forward, grabbed a fist full of Yani's shirt and pulled her face down to his.

      'Ignorance of the law is no excuse, shit-for-brains. I don't like your attitude. What say does the duke have in this indeed! I think he'll have plenty to say about a rich young Dani lordling like you and his bullshit stories. I think it's about time we taught you a lesson or two about what business it is of the duke's to say who trades what in his own port.'

      He shoved Yani away hard so that she should have stumbled, but she was ready and kept her balance. This seemed to annoy the commander even more. He turned on his heel with a disgusted look.

      'Bring him!' he ordered the soldiers. He turned to the shipmaster, who was wringing his hands anxiously. 'And you! Carrying illegal cargo and Dani spies! Just thank your heathen gods that I'm not the magistrate or I'd burn this piece of driftwood to the waterline.'

      'But Highness, he's not a spy. I swear it.'

      The commander was gone. The two men-at-arms moved in beside Yani and demanded her weapons.

      'Yes, of course,' she said. They seemed more than willing to shove her about so she showed them her sword and dagger on the bunk. They insisted that she pick them up and hand them to them. Some attempt to humiliate her? Who could understand Mirayans?

      They were tied up alongside the dock. It must have taken some kind of magecraft to have brought the ship so neatly in. Knowing the Mirayans, they had official mages to do this kind of thing. All around them towered huge Mirayan ships covered in gaudily painted statues. Three huge ballistae, the biggest Yani had ever seen, stood on the foredeck of the nearest one.

      On deck a long line of crewmen stood drearily waiting to climb the tall ladder up to the dock. Men-at-arms stood implacably behind them.

      'I could make a diversion if you want to run,' the shipmaster whispered.

      'Are they likely to strip us?' Yani asked. 'No? Well then, thank you, but I think we will stay here for a while.'

      'Lord, where is your sister?' The shipmaster had a healthy fear of Marigoth.

      'Around,' Yani said, hoping she was right. Now she really did need Marigoth. 'What will they do to us?'

      'I don't know. We are to go to jail and that commander fellow talks of taking my ship. They are trying to stop people trading weapons with the Mori.'

      'Well then, I shall tell them you traded nothing but cheeses.'

      'No, lord. I beg of you, say you stayed aboard during the trade and know nothing of it. You have not the way of dealing with these Mirayans. You are too proud.'

      'But that's outrage - '

      'It is best to humour them in this. You should let them think they are cleverer and stronger. Also you should always call them Highness. They like that.'

      'But why?' Yani cried, mystified. 'Are they all princes, to be called Highness? My honour does not like this.'

      'Move

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