course towards the coast. Tyrion was no sailor but he wondered at the wisdom of this. A storm might drive them onto the rocks, run them aground, break the ship up.
‘What is going on?’ he asked Korhien. The White Lion stood near him on the prow of the ship watching the onrushing clouds. He turned to face Tyrion, stretched ostentatiously as an elf without a care in the world. He looked as if he was contemplating simulating a yawn.
‘Big storm coming in. The captain is looking for a safe harbourage although I doubt she will find one on this stretch of coast.’
‘Is that wise? Might we not run aground?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. I am just going with what Malene told me. I think it’s because you are here. Normally they would run before the storm but they don’t want to take any chances with the Blood of Aenarion being onboard.’
Tyrion was not sure whether Korhien meant they were not taking any chances because they valued the lives of himself and Teclis or whether they feared the curse. Perhaps it was a little of both.
‘What should we do?’ Tyrion asked. Korhien laughed.
‘Not a lot we can do, doorkeeper. Neither of us are sailors. We can offer up a prayer to the sea gods and trust in the fact that the captain knows what she is doing.’
Tyrion smiled.
‘You don’t look too worried, doorkeeper.’
‘I wanted to find adventure. It looks like adventure has found me.’
‘You have a good attitude. Let’s hope that your first adventure is not your last.’
‘I am going below to check on my brother,’ Tyrion said.
‘I think I had better close the window,’ said Tyrion. Huge waves were already splattering against the side of the vessel and water was sopping onto the floor. He was very conscious of the swoosh of the sea against the hull.
‘I think you will find that sailors call it a porthole,’ said Teclis. ‘They can get very sniffy if you call it a window.’ He mimicked the tone with which Tyrion had earlier explained the ways of sailors to him with uncanny accuracy. It was a gift he had.
‘Window, porthole, big round thing with bullseye glass panes – whatever it’s called I had better close it.’ Tyrion wrestled with the handles. The wetness was making them slippery and the increased motion of the ship was making it difficult to force the porthole into place. Eventually he managed to. Turning, noticed Karaya standing in the door.
‘I was just sent down below to make sure the port was closed,’ she said. ‘Glad to see it is.’
Tyrion nodded and she ran off up the stairs again. Teclis lay on his bed. His face looked strained and Tyrion could tell he was doing his best not to moan.
‘Spit it out,’ he said. ‘You know you want to.’
‘I suspect the gods have found a new way to torture me. This is worse than normal seasickness – which is quite a feat.’
‘You are not in the least green. And you are not throwing up.’
‘That is because I am too frightened to.’
‘Really?’
‘Not everyone is so stupid that they feel no fear.’
‘You are afraid?’
‘Terrified.’ Tyrion wondered why he almost never sensed his brother’s emotions when he was close enough to see him. Was it because he did not need to know them then?
‘What are you afraid of, brother? Getting wet?’
‘Where do I start? Sinking? Being struck by lightning? Running aground? Being attacked by a maddened sea monster?’
‘Why not all of them at once?’
‘Why do I feel that you are not taking my distress entirely seriously?’
‘We are safe, brother. The crew have been through these storms a thousand times. This ship was built to endure these things.’
‘Ships still sink, brother, despite the best intentions of their builders. Crews make mistakes. Monsters get hungry.’
Tyrion shrugged. ‘There is nothing I can do about any of these things.’
‘You know how to swim.’ Tyrion felt like telling him that under the circumstances that would not make too much difference. He doubted anything could live in a sea like this if the ship went down. Saying that would not improve his brother’s mood though.
‘Don’t worry if the ship goes down, I will save you.’
‘How? We will both be stuck in this cabin. The ship will be a coffin for both of us.’ Now Tyrion sensed Teclis’s fear. It was becoming so intense his own heart was starting to pound. He was feeling a little uncomfortable. Normally nothing much frightened him. It was not part of his