"I do not know how many times I have asked you not to call me 'Rass', but it appears I must do so again."

"Damn, thought I'd got away with it there."

"Well, seeing as how it's Doronatha I'm talking about, there's bound to be lots of political manoeuvring and infighting in the aftermath. Just the sort of thing that you three should be good at, I'd have thought."

"Mmmyeah, maybe. It pays alright, I suppose, but it's really dirty work."

"Too much skulking and scuttling in shadows?"

"Something like that, yeah, but also too much trying to work out what the bugger paying us really wants us to do."

"What was that about?" asked Margrite.

"Fuck knows. Shady folks in a tavern, trying to start something off by talking to likely-looking people, a prop and some patter. Seen it before, not interested. It was fairly good, as they go – y'know, mysterious hooded stranger with a package. But, nah – that's a mug's game."

"I asked just what you thought you were doing?"

"As in..?"

"As in, sneaking down this alley with a grapnel hook?"

Cullan decided to go for effrontery. "What, you can't guess?"

"Good. Right. Let's get on, then." He looked around. "Where are we?"

Morgan looked around as well. "I don't know. I was following you – I mean, you've been here before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but we generally stuck to the southern half. This bit's new to me."

"We're lost, aren't we?"

"Looks like. Bugger."

"We're going to get you out, even if it takes an army to do it."

"Yeah, well, we know a couple of people who've got one, don't we?"

"What if Cadell doesn't come?"

"Then he'd better send Kenyon, because if at least one of them doesn't come, as soon as we get Cullan back, we're going up there to cut them both new arseholes!"

"Yes. So, I'm afraid, that for your own safety, I'm going to have to move you out of these rooms into more secure ones."

"More secure? As in, 'harder for people to get in'?"

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, storming in, banging the door back against the wall.

"And 'good morning' to you," he replied.

"Good morning! What is this?"

"Why, yes, Your Highness, it is a lovely morning, and might I be permitted to actually see some of it today?"

"But, when Cassandra came, she had instructions to make sure you were healthy!"

"Oh yeah, she did that. She checked me over, healed up my wrists, cast something to help keep me awake, and then left when my breakfast came in."

"And took your shirt off?"

"No, that was your guard captain's idea. Seemed to think it was part of what was necessary for chaining me up like this."

Cullan joined the panting group on the quay, staring hopelessly out to sea after the escaping ship. He came up next to Alys and rested his hands on his knees. "Typical," he gasped. "You rescue one ... kidnapped person ... suddenly ... you have to rescue three."