“I claim the privilege of an old family friend,” Phillip said. He embraced Kate and kissed her on the cheek. “I hope all goes well with Dalgren.”
Phillip went to mount his griffin, leaving his friends alone to say their farewell. The other griffin hooted and began to paw the ground in irritation.
“You better go,” Kate said to Thomas.
Before she could stop him, he pulled her close and kissed her.
“Good-bye, Kate,” he said, and walked away before she could utter a word.
Mounting his griffin, Thomas strapped himself into the saddle, then leaned forward to pat the griffin on the neck, letting the beast know he was ready. The beasts took off, loping across the field, spreading their wings as they ran, and taking to the air.
Kate stood watching them until they were out of sight and then she kept standing there, missing him already, feeling his absence like being lost and alone in the Deep Breath.
TWELVE
Leaving the field, Kate walked into Freeport. She had decided to go into town in the afternoon because it was the hottest part of the day and the road would be deserted. Most people chose this time to sleep. She entered the Parrot quietly, coming in through the back door.
She listened, didn’t hear anyone around. The dinner crowd would have left. The supper crowd wouldn’t come until the cool of the evening. She peeped into the kitchen and didn’t see anyone. Probably Gert had gone home to nap.
Kate headed for Olaf’s room. She sat down at the desk and was starting to write a note when she was confronted by a large and angry woman wielding a wooden spoon.
“Here, now, you rascal, what do you think you are doing?” the woman demanded, raising the spoon in a threatening manner. “You skedaddle this instant or you will get a thumping that will raise knots on your rascally head!”
“Gert, it’s me!” Kate cried, jumping to her feet and backing up.
She had a healthy respect for that spoon. Gert had raised seven children, all of whom were now grown and all of whom had lived in terror of the wooden spoon, which their mother could wield with energy, skill, and surprising accuracy.
Gert frowned, eyeing her.
“It’s really me,” Kate said. “Just without my hair—”
Gert dropped the spoon and rushed forward to fold Kate in a bone-breaking hug that squeezed the breath from her body.
“I heard you were alive, but I didn’t believe it! Goodness, child, what did those fiends do to you?” Gert held Kate at arm’s length. “Half starved you, by the looks of it, and your poor hair! You sit down here and I will bring you a beefsteak pie—”
“Gert, no, please,” said Kate. “I’m not hungry and I can’t stay long. I came to pick up some supplies. First, tell me, are there any Rosian naval ships around?”
Gert looked worried. “The ships aren’t here, Kate, but strangers turned up yesterday, asking questions about you. Bounty hunters, by the stink of them. Not one of us said a word, but you’re not safe in Freeport.”
Kate sighed. Bounty hunters. The Rosians must have put a hefty price on her head. This was just all she needed.
“I’m not planning to stay. I found the wreck of the Victorie. Olaf and Akiel and the others. They’re safe— Well, some of them.”
“Thank the good God!” Gert cried, and she hugged Kate again.
“I need information, Gert. Tell me what’s been going on since I left.”
“I will fetch us some ale, dearie, and we can have a good chat.”
Gert bustled off and soon returned with two mugs and a bowl of rice and beans which she insisted that Kate eat.
“Where did the Rosian ships go?” Kate asked.
“They’ve moved on, so we hear. Chasing pirates out of the Imperial Channel.”
“And Greenstreet?”
“He packed up and left. Good riddance to bad rubbish.” Gert glowered.
Kate sighed. “I had unfinished business with him.”
Gert grunted. “You and half the town!”
“Do you know if any of his men are still around?” Kate asked.
“They found Jules dead. Shot in the back. He must have crossed his master. No one’s seen any of the rest. Everyone figures they left with Greenstreet.”
Kate needed to find out if the dragon Coreg was still there or if he had gone, too. She couldn’t ask, because no one in Freeport knew that Greenstreet had been working for a dragon.
“I’m thinking of one man in particular, a man called Trubgek,” said Kate.
Trubgek had been Coreg’s servant. If Trubgek was still around, then so was the dragon.
Gert frowned and shook her head. “I would have remembered such an outlandish name.”
“Trubgek is a strange fellow,” Kate said. “Maybe you saw him, but didn’t pay much attention to him. He never has much to say. Dark hair, wears a leather vest.”
“I haven’t seen anyone like that around town, Kate,” said Gert.
Kate sighed. “I’m also looking for someone else. A man who was here when the Rosians sank my ship. He’s Freyan, tall, walks like a soldier, well spoken—”
“Mr. Sloan,” said Gert at once. “He comes into the Parrot most nights.”
“Did he ever say anything about me?”
Gert thought back. “He seemed pleased to hear you had escaped the Rosians, same as everyone else in town. But I don’t think he ever mentioned you specific.”
“Do you know why he is still here?” Kate asked. “Does he meet anyone?”
“He says he’s here on business, though he doesn’t say what. He met a man the first night he was here, but that man hasn’t been back and Mr. Sloan always comes in alone. He did say he’s planning on leaving tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” Kate repeated, alarmed. “Gert, I need you to deliver a letter.”
While Gert went to pack up food and other items for Kate to take back to the cove, Kate wrote a hasty note to Mr. Sloan. She did not sign her name, just said she needed to speak with him on a matter of the utmost urgency. She named a time and place: the Parrot, midnight tonight.
He would find that suspicious, but Kate dared not reveal that she was back in Freeport. She gave the letter to Gert and told her to assure him that no one meant him any harm, and that he could come armed if he wanted.
Gert knew where Mr. Sloan was lodging and promised to deliver the letter.
Kate ferried the supplies to the cove, saw to it that Olaf and Akiel and the others were safe and well, then made preparations to return.
“Where are you going?” Olaf asked.
“To the Parrot,” said Kate. “I have business. I won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“This has something to do with Greenstreet, doesn’t it?” said Olaf.
“He’s left town, apparently,” said Kate. “So I can’t talk to him, but I can talk to Mr. Sloan. You’ve heard me speak of him. He works for Sir Henry. I believe Mr. Sloan is here to find out who killed the dragon.”
“Or to find you,” said Olaf, scowling.
“I have to chance it,” said Kate. “The only way you and I can go back to Freya is for me to clear my name.”
“Do you want to go back, Katydid?” Olaf asked.
She looked at him, amazed by the question. “Yes, of course. We’ll sail back in the Rose. Our home is there, Olaf. You can live with me at Barwich Manor. I still have a contract with Sir Henry, and while I don’t have a ship, I can do other work for him.”
Olaf shook his head. “I’m not going back.”
“What are you talking about? Of course you are!” Kate said.
“I’m staying here with the Parrot. Winter is coming on in Freya and I never want to be cold again, Katydid. Not after what I’ve been through.”
Kate was dismayed. “But you have to come with me! I can’t do without you.”
“You’ll do fine, girl,” said Olaf. “You have your life to live and I’ve already lived mine. I want to finish my days at the Parrot with my friends, taking my ease in the sunshin
e.”
Kate suddenly saw how much Olaf had aged. She had not noticed before now. He moved slowly, leaning heavily on his crutch. His hair and beard were white, his face lined and seamed and haggard.
“I have to sail back to Freeport now,” Kate told him, “but we’ll talk about this later.”
She climbed into the island hopper. Olaf stood onshore to release the ropes. He grinned and called out, “I’d tell you to be careful, Katydid, but I know I’d be wasting my breath!”
* * *
Kate left the hopper tied up at the lighthouse, hidden among the trees. Mindful of the bounty hunters, she once again slipped into the Parrot through the back entrance and locked herself in Olaf’s room. She had a long time to wait until midnight and she whiled away the hours studying her father’s maps of Rosia, planning the route she would take to reach the Dragon Duchies.
Gert reported that she had delivered the letter to Mr. Sloan at his lodgings. She said he had been surprised, but not overly concerned. He had questioned her about the person he was supposed to meet and the nature of the meeting. Gert had played dumb, told him she didn’t know anything. When she said he could come armed, he had gravely nodded, thanked her, and promised he would be there.
Darkness fell and Kate lit a lantern and tried to read a book on seafaring crafting. She knew midnight was near when she heard Gert shooing the late-night stragglers out of the Parrot. She and her son began cleaning up, sweeping the floor and washing the dishes.
Rain showers rolled in, bringing a cool breeze blowing through the window, rustling the leaves in the trees.
Kate laid down the book. She checked the pistol Thomas had given her, made certain it was loaded, and placed it on the desk in plain sight. Mr. Sloan would know she was armed, but that she wasn’t hiding anything.
As midnight drew nigh, Kate could not sit still. She walked the floor. Her future, her very life depended on the outcome of this meeting.
She heard Gert’s son greet someone at the main entrance. Footfalls crossed the floor and Kate went cold all over. She forced herself to sit down in the chair, picked up a map, and tried to seem nonchalant.
Gert’s son knocked on the door and called, “A gentleman to see you.”
“Come in,” said Kate.
Mr. Sloan opened the door and entered. He remained standing in the doorway. He was wearing a cloak against the rain and a tricorn. He had thrown back one side of the cloak and was keeping his hand near the pocket of his jacket.
He saw her and raised an eyebrow, evincing his surprise. He noticed the pistol on the desk, cast a swift glance around the room. Finding that they were alone, he lowered his hand from his pocket and removed his hat, shaking off the water.
“Should I close the door, Captain?” he asked.
“Please,” said Kate.
Her mouth was dry, her hands were trembling.
“Thank you for coming, Mr. Sloan,” she said.
Mr. Sloan sat down and placed his tricorn on his knee.
“I am glad to see you alive and well, Captain,” he said. “I was sorry to hear of your capture. How did you escape?”
Kate brushed that aside. “I need to come to the point. I did not kill that dragon, Lady Odila. Miss Amelia said she told you about Coreg, how he’s involved with Greenstreet and his criminal empire. Coreg knows who killed Odila and Greenstreet knows how to find Coreg. Do you know where Greenstreet has gone? I have to talk to him!”
“I am afraid you are out of luck, Captain,” said Mr. Sloan. “Greenstreet is dead. And so is Coreg.”
“Dead?” Kate gasped.
“They were both murdered. I saw the bodies.”
Kate jumped to her feet. “I didn’t kill them, Mr. Sloan! I swear I didn’t! Oh, God!” She sank back down into the chair and lowered her head into her hands, overwhelmed by despair. “Now no one will believe me!”
“I believe you, Captain,” said Mr. Sloan.
Kate raised her head to stare at him in astonishment. “You do? You believe me? Will you tell Sir Henry?”
“Sir Henry’s friend Mr. Yates convinced him of your innocence. Sir Henry sent me here for the same reason you are here, to find out the name of the killer. Unfortunately, the killer reached the dragon first and silenced him.”
“You said you saw the bodies of Greenstreet and Coreg, Mr. Sloan,” said Kate. “Were they killed by magic?”
“I found Greenstreet’s body lying in the tunnels. He had been felled by a pistol shot to the back of his head. The dragon was slain inside his lair. The murderer used the same magical spell to incapacitate Coreg that he had used on Lady Odila.”
“I think I know who killed them, then,” said Kate. “Coreg had a servant named Trubgek—”
“I met him,” said Mr. Sloan. “A strange man, dark hair, empty eyes, dresses in leather, never smiles, almost never talks.”
“That is Trubgek. And he is more than strange, Mr. Sloan,” Kate said. “He is extremely dangerous. Coreg trained him in dragon magic.”
Mr. Sloan frowned, clearly thinking Kate was exaggerating. “I am a crafter myself, Captain, and I have never heard of such a thing. How is that even possible?”
“Trubgek said that given enough pain, anything is possible. I have seen him cast powerful magic spells that no human crafter, not even a savant, could cast. He is more than capable of murder and he hated Coreg. The name Trubgek is not a name. In the language of dragons, it is an insult.”
“He seems to wear it as a badge of honor,” said Mr. Sloan.
“Be careful of this man, Mr. Sloan. Trubgek is deadly, and probably killed Coreg and Greenstreet.”
“I appreciate the information,” said Mr. Sloan, looking troubled. “I know for a fact, however, that Trubgek is not the murderer, although I do believe he was complicit.”
“How do you know, Mr. Sloan? How did you find out?”
“Because I am currently friends with the man who did.”
Kate stared at him.
Mr. Sloan rose to his feet. “I was wondering if you could do me a favor, Captain. Are you returning to Freya? I need someone to carry a confidential message to Sir Henry.”
Kate shook her head. “I am not returning to Freya for at least a month. I am traveling to the Dragon Duchies. You remember my dragon friend, Dalgren. He is in serious trouble and needs my help.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” said Mr. Sloan. “I wish you both luck. And now, if there is nothing else, I must take my leave.”
“The door is locked and the others have gone home. I will fetch the key,” said Kate.
She picked up the lantern to light the way and stopped to retrieve the key that hung behind the bar. Outside, the rain continued to fall steadily and would likely do so throughout the night.
Kate unlocked the door.
“I bid you good night, Captain.” Mr. Sloan paused, then added, “You say you are traveling to the Dragon Duchies. Perhaps you should inform the dragons about this Trubgek. You can tell them he sails tomorrow for Bheldem and might be found in the employ of the Marquis of Cavanaugh.”
Mr. Sloan put on his tricorn, made a military bow, and stepped out into the rain.
After he was gone, Kate felt as though the weight of the Six Old Men had been lifted from her soul. Sir Henry knew she was innocent. Her future was once more bright with hope.
Kate had to find a way to extricate Dalgren from his predicament, but once that was accomplished, the two of them could return to Freya, continue working as privateers. She might even see Thomas. She had tried not to think about him, with the result that he was all she thought about. She imagined sailing a seventy-four gun, the HMS Barwich Rose, into the port of Haever, a Rosian treasure ship in tow, to be met by Thomas standing on the quay, hailing her as a hero.
“And pigs will fly like dragons,” Kate said, laughing at herself. “The only way I will see him is when he rides past in his fine carriage, waving to the crowd.”
She banished Thomas from her dreams after that and spent time w
orking on repairing the real Barwich Rose. Once she and Dalgren were together again, she had planned to return to the Aligoes and sail the ship to Freya. But now that Olaf had decided to remain in the Aligoes, Kate was going to leave the Rose for him.
“My sailing days are over, Katydid,” he said.
“Don’t say that,” said Kate. “You and Akiel will need the Rose to come to Freya to visit, see Barwich Manor again.”
Olaf shook his head, but he did not argue. He and Akiel promised to keep the ship in good repair, should she ever need it.
“Which I have no doubt you will,” Olaf said, grousing. “Knowing you, Katydid, it will be only a matter of time before you find yourself in trouble again.”
Kate laughed. “From now on, I plan to be a staid and proper lady. Once my hair grows back, I might even start wearing dresses.”
Olaf snorted, and Akiel regarded her gravely.
“I hope you mean that, mum. About staying out of trouble.”
“I do,” said Kate. “Trust me, dear friends, I have learned my lesson.”
“She may not find trouble,” Akiel remarked as Kate walked away. “But trouble has a way of finding her.”
“Just like her father,” said Olaf with a sigh.
Kate pretended she didn’t hear.
After five days had passed, she returned to Freeport and went to the field to await the arrival of the griffin.
When the beast landed it indicated it was carrying something in its saddlebags. Kate found a letter from Thomas.
Dear Captain Kate,
King Renaud has granted pardons to Olaf and the others, though not, I fear, to you. Captain Favager has resigned from the navy in disgrace, forced to do so when the king learned the truth—that he had fired upon your ship after you had surrendered.
Dalgren’s trial is scheduled to be held the last day of the month at a place in the Dragon Duchies known as Cieleterre. This griffin has been well paid to fly you to the border of the Dragon Duchies. (The beast refuses to carry you beyond that, I fear.)
You will find a purse tucked into a secret compartment in the saddle. I know your first impulse will be to decline to accept the money …
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