wondered at the itch in his chest. “Interesting. The Commander could have come from your old tunic, the insignia. The trouble with uniforms, I’ve always thought. Besides, maybe you’re more famous than you think. They must have heard something about what went on. Holden, the man who killed the Master and set all Remorians free from the mage-bond. They’ll be singing songs about you by now, all up and down the western coast. You’ll be fighting the women off with a stick. Like Tallia.”
He really had to stop needling Holden. It wasn’t his fault Josie had hoodwinked him blind, well, hoodwinked them both really, because Van Gast had fallen for her twist too. Anyway, Holden was just so damn serious about everything. It gave Van Gast a nervous tic.
“Um, actually they d-don’t know,” Guld stuttered as they both turned to look at him. “I asked around the true-mages. Nobody really heard much at all. A massacre of racks, that got round quick, and that it was the Remorians doing it. After that—um, after that all they know is the Remorians all suddenly started raving, the ones who were here, and tore up the Godsquare, the licensed docks, inns, brothels, you name it. Fired their ships, at least four Remorian mages dead. They know the Master’s dead, the bonds are gone. That’s all, because the only people who were there to really know what happened are aboard this ship and Josie’s.”
“You mean we went through all that, and no one knows it was us? I hope you set them straight, Guld. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”
“Um, didn’t seem wise yet. See, no one knows about Josie either.” Guld dissolved into a blush bright enough to serve as a lighthouse.
Van Gast turned back to his desk and poured another brandy. He concentrated on that when he spoke, that and the cool smoothness of the glass dagger in his shirt. “What don’t they know about her?”
“Any of it, that she was bonded to the Remorians—that alone would be enough to give her trouble, don’t you think? That the racks might think she’d been one of them, maybe still is? They don’t know about, um, her and Holden, or you and her playing everyone for fools all that time, or any of it. It seemed best not to tell them. They think you’re after her because she stole your ship, that you hate each other still, like you were always pretending.”
Van Gast had to forget what had gone before and think about how to make it up to her. Finally he found his voice. “You’re right, best they don’t know. So this Tallia girl, Holden. She didn’t know your name because you’re famous, but she did know your name. That makes my trouble bone itch, just a little. So keep an eye on her, watch her. If I’m honest, Ilsa being ashore makes me itch a little too. Send one of the new crew to find her. We don’t want trouble for our Remorians if they go ashore, so one of them will have to do. Gilda, perhaps. I know her of old, and she’s good crew. I’m going to see who I can find, anyone who might know where Josie’s berthed.” He raised an eyebrow as Guld opened his mouth to protest. “Yes, in disguise. I’m not completely reckless. You, Guld, I want you scouring every place a ship of the Ghost’s draught could berth.”
“Van, there’s a thousand islands out in the delta. And half of those could be—”
“Best get on with it then, hmm?” Van Gast stared out the window, wondering where she was, what she was planning. She must have known he’d follow her, no matter what she said, known he couldn’t resist the thrill of it. Knew, he hoped, that she could trust him, that he would trust her. He wouldn’t make that mistake twice. He blindly watched the comings and goings along Mucking Lane, noting the brawl at the other end, ruthlessly put down by a phalanx of guards. Estovan was different, more dangerous now, after all that had happened.
So was he. This was going to be fun. He’d make sure of that—fun if it killed him.
* * *
Holden paced the deck of the Glass Dagger, trying not to fret about Ilsa and keeping a keen eye on the new crew. The men settled in well enough, old hands all of them by the look of it. The leggy woman, Gilda, had caused something of a stir amongst