"Not that I owe you any kind of explanation, Coby, but Yomm followed the laws. Laws we made, and laws we have to obey. If we don't, n.o.body else will, and then this city really will be everything King Baede says: chaotic, anarchic, and lawless."

"Oh, so now it's all about what Baede's going to think of us."

"Yes. I mean, no. I mean-" Isaye thumped her whiskey gla.s.s onto the desk. "Kryta used to rule Lion's Arch. We're lucky King Baede's got his hands full with the war in Ascalon and the building of his new city, but that won't last forever. If he thinks Lion's Arch is a problem, he'll allocate Seraph from his army to conquer us. Then what do we do? We don't have the manpower to fight trained military.

"The only reason we've managed to keep operating independently is because we're not a thorn in the king's side. We're too small to give him reason to take us over, and despite our reputation, Lion's Arch does have laws, and we live by them." Isaye leaned forward and met his eyes. "The minute those two things change, King Baede will take an interest. I a.s.sure you."

Cobiah took another sip of his whiskey. "Fine," he said through gritted teeth.

More gently, Isaye continued. "Laws are important, and we need some new ones. We can't kick Gr.i.m.j.a.w off the council for not paying his bills. Or Nodobe for running a slaver. And maybe we should." She pointed at him with the hand that held her gla.s.s. "If this sets a fire under the council's a.s.s to make those laws, then I'm willing to be the one to do it."

"And then what? We turn into Kryta? Next we'll start making laws against norn in taverns because they brawl too much. Or outlawing asuran laboratories inside the city limits."

"The ones that research on skritt, yes," Isaye countered. "Those poor little rats." She rolled her gla.s.s between her hands in concern. At last, she said, "Cobiah . . . this city needs better morals. And so do you."

Cobiah thumped the gla.s.s onto the table. "I've got plenty of morals." He frowned.

"No, Coby. You don't. You've got a conscience, and that's different. Remember the time you sacked that norn vessel carrying settlers-women and children-south of the s.h.i.+verpeaks?"

Stung, Cobiah raised his voice. "I put them all ash.o.r.e!"

"But you kept their money," Isaye replied. "And the charr freighter carrying Ascalonian relics?"

"I had no idea they were carrying holy artifacts. Even if I had known, how was I to guess that they were a peace gesture bound for Port n.o.ble? You were as surprised as I was to see those statues of Dwayna."

"It's true, I was. But you sold them to a private collector for quite a bit of money, and that sank any hope of a treaty between Kryta and the charr," Isaye scolded. She stood up, pus.h.i.+ng her chair aside and moving to sit on the fore of the desk closer to him. In a gentler tone, she continued. "You'll do what you want, Cobiah Marriner. Usually, I like that about you-but in this case, it's hurting the city."

Cobiah gritted his teeth. "You're blaming this whole thing on me?"

"Of course not, but you are the leader of the council, and this is hardly a surprise. Lion's Arch isn't a cl.u.s.ter of buildings and landed s.h.i.+ps anymore. It's a town, and someday soon, it's going to be a city. But you're not mad at me over supporting the law. This is a personal issue for you, Coby, and you know it."

"Personal?" Cobiah leaned forward and placed his hand on her knee. "What do you mean?"

"You weren't half this mad before Yomm accused you of being a bad captain."

A pause. "All right, you've got me there," he said grudgingly. With a smile, he added, "How about this: I'll grant you that we need better laws, if you admit that Yomm's captaincy's bad for Lion's Arch."

"Granted," Isaye replied. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "So, what are we going to do about it?"

Grinning, Cobiah held up his empty gla.s.s. "I like the 'we' part of that question. How about 'we' pour another round of drinks?"

She laughed and shook her head knowingly. "Scamp." Emptying her gla.s.s in a single swallow, she let go of his hand and walked back to the table. Isaye uncorked the crystal bottle and refreshed their gla.s.ses. "I'm worried, Coby. It's clear that Yomm's not working alone. That bag of money? It wasn't his. He couldn't pay for the cargo I brought out of Rata Sum, so I know he didn't come up with that much cash on the spot. Yomm's finances aren't good. He must have had a backer."

"Interesting. Who?" Cobiah took the proffered gla.s.s.

With a smile, Isaye sat on the edge of the desk, taking his hand in hers. She smiled contentedly and intertwined their fingers. "I don't know. But they already know that you're their enemy, Cobiah. Based on the way you argued against Yomm in council, they know you won't let his shenanigans go on without a fight. I swear, if that asura had had a knife in his hand during the council meeting, you'd be a dead man."

"If Yomm wants a shot at me, he can stand in line." Cobiah winked.

They laughed together, voices lifting in camaraderie.

A knock on the door drew their attention. Isaye set down her gla.s.s and rose, chuckling as she crossed the room. "I swear, Coby. You're incorrigible."

"According to Sykox"-he smiled and leaned back comfortably-"I've made a career out of it."

Isaye opened the door. The deck outside was empty. Frowning, she glanced in both directions, trying to spot the watch lantern. "Verahd?" After a moment, she called again. "Verahd?" There was no answer. Isaye took a step onto the deck, hair blowing in the sea breeze, and Coby noticed a small package resting at her feet.

"What's that?" Getting up from the chair, he walked toward her, pointing at the brown-wrapped parcel. As Isaye bent to pick it up, Cobiah caught sight of a small figure hurtling down the dock toward the Nomad. Multicolored braids bounced wildly in its wake as a familiar voice shouted into the darkness.

"Coby! Get off the s.h.i.+p! That package, it's a-"

Questioningly, Isaye reached for the bundle. Something sparked along the edges of the paper as she did. Before Macha could finish her sentence, the spark blazed into a flicker of scintillating yellow light. Flame leapt across the surface of the package. In the same instant, Cobiah leapt toward Isaye.

A ma.s.sive explosion rocked the Nomad, roaring over the deck in a wave of hungry flame.

The boom of the detonation echoed across the harbor with the impact of a thunderclap. The quarterdeck of the Nomad splintered from the concussion. Fire caught the timbers and spread through the back of the clipper with the speed of a racing centaur. On the dock, Macha screamed and called for aid, calling sailors on the docks and guards from the town with shouts of "Fire! Fire on the wharf!"

Aboard the Nomad, sailors dove into the ocean, choosing the cold darkness of waves over the scorching heat of flame. Only one remained on the upper deck, his steely blue eyes flas.h.i.+ng with impenetrable surety. Verahd raised his hands in the motions of magic, holding his staff high to summon wind. As flame trickled up the wrappings around his wrists, Verahd stood fast and directed the steadily rising gale, pressing it into service against the fire.

Macha made it to the top of the gangplank, raising one hand to s.h.i.+eld her eyes from the glare. "What are you doing? We have to get off the s.h.i.+p before the munitions catch fire!"

"I'm not leaving my captain." Verahd's voice was barely audible above the inferno.

"Isaye's dead!" Macha grabbed for him, but her fingers were singed by the burning straps that wrapped around the elementalist's wrist. "We have to go!"

"I'm not leaving my captain!" The wizard's voice cracked like gla.s.s. Renewing his efforts, Verahd pounded his staff against the deck of the s.h.i.+p. Magic thundered around him, pouring over Verahd's body, churning wind and flame into a storm across his skin. Macha was thrust back by the power of it. The elementalist continued to chant, his eyes wide, and with a roar of energy, his body transformed into a tornado of swirling wind.

"Verahd! No! You can't-" Macha raised a hand before her eyes to s.h.i.+eld them from the overwhelming gusts, but if the elementalist could still hear her, the tornado didn't change its path. She stumbled backward. With a curse, Macha clawed her way back to the gangplank and made her way down it to the dock, unwilling to lose her own life to the blaze.

The tornado-bound Verahd showed no such self-interest. Amid the flame and thick clouds of smoke, he spun unwaveringly, fire lacing each sweep of ma.s.sive wind as he pounded the s.h.i.+p with gusts. The tornado drew spray and water from the sea around the clipper, drenching the deck as well as blowing the fire out. As the tornado slowed, Verahd could again be seen walking across the Nomad's deck. Clothing alight, hair greasy with sweat, and skin pink from the heat, Verahd took step after step toward the rear of the s.h.i.+p, pus.h.i.+ng the flame apart with wind and storm despite his own injuries.

There, amid the wreckage of the cabin, lay two bodies. Protected from the initial blast by the solid oak wall, they now huddled in the center of the room. Cobiah had managed to wrap a blanket about them, dumping water from the washbasin over it to slow the fire. Even with that, the smoke had overcome them, and Isaye lay huddled in Cobiah's arms, both of them unconscious from the heat.

Verahd's anger was like the tempest of storm winds. He pushed through the blaze, tamping out the fire, fighting his way toward them. The elementalist's wrappings roasted, and his flesh seared, but no pain, no suffering, no injury would make him abandon his loyalties. At last, Verahd knelt beside the sodden, roasting blanket pile. They were alive. He tucked the blanket tightly around them, like a father putting his children to rest.

"I only have strength enough for two, Captain," Verahd whispered to the unconscious Isaye, not caring if she could hear him. "You'll be all right." With a great effort of will, he summoned the wind once more. This time, he commanded the gale to lift the sodden burden, raising it high above the leaping flames. As the cabin began to collapse around him, Verahd's final spell swept Isaye and Cobiah out the shattered windows and into the night.

On the dock, a bucket brigade had started. Sailors and workmen, guards and villagers struggled to dump water on the flames before the blaze could spread. Macha stood at the forefront. As the wind lowered its bundle to the boards, Macha raced toward it, tears streaking the ash on her cheeks. "Coby!" she shouted, dragging away the smoking blanket. "Are you all right? By the Alchemy, say something. Please!" She shook him, splas.h.i.+ng seawater on his face until he roused. "Blessings on the etheric equation," the asura breathed gratefully. "You're alive."

"Macha?" he asked groggily. She smiled and nodded, squeezing his hand in hers.

Just at that moment, the munitions room on the Nomad caught fire. There was a roar of flame and a thundering boom as the stern of the s.h.i.+p detonated in a ma.s.sive explosion of spraying gunpowder and shot.

- Dawn was rising, pink stripes lightening the horizon and giving them a clear view of the damage. The fore of the Nomad was in fair shape, but the rear-the quarterdeck, the captain's cabin, and the lower berths-were seared, blackened, and torn open. "Who would do this?" Isaye asked quietly, standing on the end of the dock. "Verahd . . . my brave, loyal friend . . ." Tears overwhelmed her, and she bent her head as they slid down ash-stained cheeks. Cobiah pulled Isaye close, cradling her head against his chest as she wept.

Cobiah looked down at Macha. "What did you see?"

The asura was covered in ash and soot, her once-bright braids a melange of grays. "I was on the Pride. A messenger from the city stopped by-I didn't get a good look at him, just some human dressed in normal clothes-and said he had a package for you. I told him to leave it, and he wouldn't. After he left, I followed him here."

"I'm glad you did." Cobiah gently squeezed Macha's shoulder, trying to ignore the way his hand shook. "You saved our lives." Macha's face reddened, and she nodded mutely.

Yet again, Cobiah thought, smiling down at the asura, a little angel saved my life. Biviane, Macha . . . Isaye. I'm fortunate to have them in my life.

The fire was out aboard the Nomad, and the s.h.i.+p's crew moved across her deck numbly, a.s.sessing the damage. "It's going to take weeks to repair," Isaye said, shaking her head. "Hundreds of gold."

"I'll help pay for it. It's my fault that this happened aboard your s.h.i.+p. They were targeting me, not you. You're still a captain, and the Nomad will sail again." Cobiah struggled to focus his emotions. Anger, pain, frustration, and shock fought for his attention, but right now, Isaye needed him to be stoic. He managed a rea.s.suring smile for her sake.

"Who did this?" Isaye met his eyes frankly. "Was it Yomm?"

"Possibly. Or Gr.i.m.j.a.w. Both of them have good reason to be angry at me."

"So does Nodobe. I could probably think of two or three others who've sworn vengeance against you over the years," Macha chimed in helpfully. Cobiah made a face. "What?" she chided. "C'mon, Coby. There's an old asuran saying: you can judge an inventor's success by his enemy's firepower. Yours happen to be pretty well armed."

Cobiah stayed on topic. "If it was a bomb made of sparks and oil, I'd guess that a charr made it. If it was magic, it'd more likely be of asuran make. Did you get any kind of look inside the package before it blew up, Isaye?"

"Not really. It was s.h.i.+ny, I remember that," she sighed. "I don't think I'm going to be much help."

Macha glared at Isaye. "s.h.i.+ny? What, did you think it was a Wintersday present?" Isaye bristled, and fearing for his life, Cobiah stepped in.

"I'm going to have a talk with Yomm and Gr.i.m.j.a.w. It's likely one of them was behind this." He clenched his fists and grinned. "If they were, they're going to regret their part in it."

"Just barge in and ask?" Isaye admonished him. "Do you really think they'll tell you the truth?"

"Why not? I've never been afraid to go straight to the source. I think the word you used was 'incorrigible.'" Cobiah winked. "Are you coming with me?" Isaye had little choice. With a frown, she turned to follow. Glaring and ducking her head, Macha trotted along behind the pair.

The three walked through the village toward Yomm's general store. Although dawn brightened the horizon, they could see that workers had been inside the store for some time, loading the shelves and readying the day's inventory. Cobiah pounded on the closed door of the shop, his thudding fist shaking it so furiously that it creaked on its hinges. When those inside didn't respond at once, Cobiah banged on it again, yelling, "Yomm!"

A young asura opened the door a sliver, staring at Cobiah with wide eyes. "What do you want?"

"Where's Yomm?" Cobiah pushed the door open, shoving his way past the boy. "Go get him. Tell him Cobiah Marriner's here, and I'm not leaving 'til we have a chat."

Gulping, the nervous youth rushed into the store, weaving through piles of imported cotton, foodstuffs, and trade goods toward a light in an office behind the main counter. Cobiah followed. Other asura scattered before him, stumbling and dropping their wares in surprise as he strode angrily through the store.

Yomm sat in his office behind a wide desk, three pencils tucked behind his ears. On the shelves surrounding him were books, stacks of paperwork, small trinkets and tools, and a pile of rucksacks waiting to be repaired. When the young asura pushed open the door, he scowled and snarled, "Blipp! What is your hypertrophic malfunction? I said I didn't want to be disturbed!"

Cobiah didn't wait to be invited. Pus.h.i.+ng past the asuran lad, he strode to Yomm's desk and slammed his hands down on the tabletop. "Tell me about the bomb, you sniveling little skritt."

Yomm yelped, aghast. One of the pencils fell from behind his ear. Macha and Isaye stepped into the doorway behind him, the first scowling fiercely, the second eyeing the asura and his surroundings with a studious gaze. "What do you want?" Yomm protested with a squeak. Regaining his equilibrium, the shopkeep pulled the other pencils from his ears and tossed them down onto the paperwork. He fixed Cobiah with a withering gaze. "I could have you arrested for breaking in here."

"And I could have you hanged for murder." Cobiah's voice was cold. Slowly, as if he were talking to a child, he leaned in and repeated, "Tell . . . me . . . about . . . the bomb."

The asura's ears twitched. He glanced at Cobiah and Isaye, and lastly, he scowled at Macha. Turning to his young apprentice, the shopkeep snarled, "Blipp, go adjust the golem pattern so they'll stack ale kegs. We have a norn freighter coming in this afternoon. I want those kegs marked up by fifty percent and placed prominently in the front of the store." Eager to leave the room, the youth rushed to obey, not daring to look back.

Yomm reclined smoothly in his chair. Picking up one of the pencils, he spun it through his fingers with nervous energy, much like a drummer boy on festival day. "I don't know anything about a bomb, Marriner. You've gone completely off the deep end. Are you planning to blame me for some imagined perfidy simply because you disagree with my appointment to the council? Shame on you."

Cobiah reached out and grabbed the asura by his ears, lifting Yomm bodily from his seat. Yomm squawked, reaching up to grab Cobiah's wrists. He hung there, kicking and squirming, his feet flailing above the ground. "I'm telling you-I don't know anything about a bomb!" Yomm shrieked.

"You're lying." Cobiah bounced the asura up and down. "Talk, you mangy, gold mongering-"

"Static sucker!" Macha encouraged. "Shake him again, Cobiah!"

"Cobiah." Isaye laid her hand on his arm. "Take a look at this." She spun Yomm's logbook around on the desk, running her finger down the entries. "Every captain in town owes him something. Gr.i.m.j.a.w's not the only one. Nodobe and Hedda . . . even Moran."

Macha stood on her tiptoes and studied the numbers. "Maybe everyone who voted yes on the council owed Yomm."

"Well, that would explain part of it. But if they paid him with their votes, where'd he get the retainer money?" Isaye mused. "And why set the bomb?"

Yomm kicked free of Cobiah's hands. He landed on the floor with a heavy "oof" and scrambled to his feet. "I don't make bombs! If you're referring to the fire down on the docks last night, I had nothing to do with it. I was here all evening."

"You could have sent the messenger. That doesn't prove anything." Macha poked him, and Yomm squawked.

"I didn't send any messages, you nitwit. You and your captain both have heads made of oak!" Seizing an opportunity, the shopkeep kicked her viciously in the s.h.i.+n. Macha yelped and grabbed her leg. While she was hopping about and cursing, Yomm rounded on Cobiah. "I don't know anything about bombs, or explosions, or murder. I spent my youth in a respectable laboratory, building packing golems like the ones I use to stock my store. I've never built an incendiary device in my life."

"Look at this." Isaye was still reading the ledger. "Gr.i.m.j.a.w's last s.h.i.+pment was a load of construction materials to a charr outpost. Charr use explosives to plant deep poles for building foundations. He could have kept some of those to make the bomb."

"Aha! Aha! See?" Yomm rubbed his aching ears. "You're barking up the wrong tree, bookah. I don't care about your politics, but when you march in here accusing me of attempted murder, you've gone too far." He smoothed his ears back, wincing. "I'm calling the city guard!"

Cobiah narrowed his eyes, ready to pick another fight, but Macha stepped between them. "Come on, Yomm. They've just been in an explosion. Isaye's s.h.i.+p took a pounding, and somebody tried to murder Cobiah. Give them a break." She took another step toward the older asura, helping him straighten his clothes. "We're all friends here, right?"

"Friends? Are you delirious? I should . . . What's that you're doing, woman? Is that some kind of . . . what is that?" While Yomm was talking, Macha had reached for the wand at her belt and murmured a few words of magic. Before he could blink, she pa.s.sed her palm in front of Yomm's eyes. Her hand moved away, his eyes unfocused, and the shopkeep began to wobble on his feet. "Oh . . . oh. Oh!" he said, staring blithely at the empty s.p.a.ce between them. A slow, droopy grin plastered itself on Yomm's features and his voice took on a woozy tone. "Councilor Flax! Why, yes, I would like an award . . . and here I didn't think you'd noticed. How wonderful . . . It comes with a research grant, you say? Marvelous . . . just . . . uumph . . ." Yomm's eyelids drooped. He muttered something indistinct, and his body sagged toward the floor.

Catching him, Macha called, "Help me get this idiot back into his chair." Coby lifted the small asura and placed him in the seat behind the desk. Before he was even completely situated, Yomm was snoring. Macha thumped his head with her finger for good measure. The tap put Yomm off balance, and he slumped face-first onto the top of his desk. "He's completely down for the count, but it'll only last a few hours. Sadly, he'll probably be up and around for the council vote at noon." Macha went over to the weathered rucksacks in the corner of the room, where Yomm kept his storage goods. Noting a sailor's name st.i.tched to one shoulder strap, Macha swept up a heavy bag and looked at the letters appraisingly. "Henst," she read. "Heh heh heh." She lifted Yomm's head and shoved the heavy bag like a pillow between the asura's face and the desk. Patting the sleeping asura's cheek, she smirked. "Boy, I really hope Yomm drools."

"Good work, Macha." Cobiah crossed his arms grimly. "Darn. I was really hoping it was him."

"Me too," Isaye sighed. "Cobiah, I think we're working against the clock. Whoever did this had to have worked fast, or the attack wouldn't have been so sloppy. It would be far easier to spend a few days looking for the opportunity to get a bomb hidden in the berth of your s.h.i.+p than it was to track you down on the spur of the moment and hope for the best. They could even have planted charges on your keel and set it off after you took the Pride out of harbor. You'd be lost at sea. n.o.body would have found out about the bomb."

"Maybe they weren't willing to wait that long," Macha muttered as she draped a lace doily over Yomm's head. "Could have been years."

Cobiah shot the asura a stern look and then turned back to Isaye. "You're right. There are easier ways to kill one person if that's your target. It's messy and designed to work even if you can't get close. They could have hired a mercenary to attack me at night on the streets."

"True." Isaye added, "Or sneak aboard your s.h.i.+p and set a fire by hand. A bomb does seem like a pretty obvious way to go about things." Isaye's brows furrowed in thought.

"What does that mean?" Macha asked.

Isaye wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. "It doesn't add up."

Bombs were hard to make and harder to design effectively. It had to be a makes.h.i.+ft plan, based on something scavenged and used as an attack rather than planning out a better strategy, which meant that Isaye was right: the attacker had been in a rush. Cobiah frowned. Yomm had good reason to want Cobiah dead, but he didn't have the materials or the skill to put this plan together so quickly. Moreover, now that he was on the council, it didn't seem like he'd be in a very big rush. He'd gotten what he wanted: a voice. Yomm could afford to take weeks to slowly get control over trade.

Cobiah looked at the ledger, once more noting Gr.i.m.j.a.w's recent cargo. It had to be more than a coincidence. He set the book back on Yomm's desk. "We need to have a chat with a certain ill-tempered charr."

"So." Macha trotted behind him as Cobiah left the office. "Tell me we're not going to use the same tactic with Gr.i.m.j.a.w. You don't grab a charr by the ears. We'll just talk to him, right?" When Cobiah didn't answer, Macha asked more stridently, "You've got a plan, right?

". . . Cobiah?"

Now the darkness comes, and the stars above Circle 'round like sharks at sea, O Instead of fighting for our lives We should be sitting at our ease But I chose the strife of a sailor's life And the ocean, she chose me, O.

-"Weather the Storm"