Rhodina frowned. She'd been pale and unusually quiet while Blade and Khraishamo talked. Now she sighed. «I have to. But-I swear, Blade, if you're not talking true and end up turning against-«

«Rhodina! You've heard what he did for me? Would a man like that betray his best allies? Or are you calling me a liar?»

«No, but-oh, I'm sorry, it's just that-«She closed her eyes, forcing herself to speak calmly. «It's too much happening, too quick.»

«And it's going to get worse before it gets any better,» said Khraishamo, laughing and patting her on the shoulder. «What's more, there's not a damned thing you can do about it.»

The pirate turned back to Blade. «You're planning to help the rebels, Blade? What about this changing the future, doing something to England and you?»

Blade hadn't expected to find Khraishamo raising the question of time-travel paradoxes. It increased his respect for the man. Fortunately it didn't catch him without an answer ready.

He looked at both Khraishamo and Rhodina. «Do I have your word of honor that this will stay a secret?»

Both nodded.

«Good. This is something I haven't cared to tell anyone else since I came here. Mythor is going to be independent. At least-«

Rhodina let out a shriek of delight.

«At least there's about nine chances out of ten it will win, sooner or later. I've compared what I've learned about this time with what we know in England. Somewhere along the line, Mythor becomes its own master. I don't know when, and I don't know that it's because of a successful rebellion. But I do know that I'm not taking a dangerous risk, helping the rebels.»

Rhodina was now crying for sheer happiness, but Khraishamo still looked skeptical. Blade went on. «Also, there's a good chance I couldn't do anything to myself or my England.»

«Even if Mythor won only because you helped?»

«Yes. I wouldn't change the history that produced my England and me. I would start a whole new history, like a new branch starting on a tree. The theory goes that all the possible things that can happen have happened, and they all exist side by side, like-«

Khraishamo held up both hands. «Enough, enough. I understand. You don't need to hurl all your Historians' wisdom at me. You aren't going to vanish in a puff of smoke if you help the rebels win. I hope you're right, Blade. I'd hate to be saying death-prayers for you.»

That brought the conversation to a halt, while Blade and Rhodina laid more driftwood on the fire. When they started talking again, they talked of how to escape from Shell Island. Khraishamo was optimistic. He'd come to the island with Blade's words firmly in mind, and kept his eyes and ears open. If he had more time to look around-

«We don't have time,» said Rhodina firmly. «What Blade says means the faster we're gone the better.»

Blade nodded. «None of the guards or the other prisoners know me by sight, or even that I'm on the island. That means I can disguise myself as a guard.»

Khraishamo frowned. «I don't see how we can get a guard's-«Then he stopped as Blade started to explain his plan. He listened in silence, then slowly nodded.

«Broogas do attack men. It'll look all right. But so do other things. They'll be around when we're out on the reef, waiting for the guard boat. You think it's worth it?» Blade nodded. «Just wanted to be sure you knew the dangers.»

«Going to be a lot more dangerous for a lot more besides us if we don't,» said Rhodina.

Khraishamo stood up. «Blade, maybe you could keep watch for a few hours? I think we'd better start-«

«I understand.»

The pirate pulled Rhodina to her feet and put his arm around her waist. A moment later the curtain over the shelter's entrance closed behind them. Blade laid out several pieces of fish close to the fire, so that they would smoke-dry during the night. Then he moved to where he could lean back against the sand dune and sit with a fish spear across his knees.

Even if he hadn't promised to keep watch, he wouldn't have got much sleep. Rhodina's welcome home to Khraishamo was not quiet, and it went on for hours.

A wave rose to Blade's chest, then sank down and rolled on past him. He easily stayed on his feet, but the tide was definitely coming in. The water was already deep enough to let sharks in through the reef. In another hour he and Khraishamo would have to tread water. After an hour of that, they might as well swim back to shore and hope nothing caught up with them on the way. They'd be tired enough to make it too dangerous to attack a guard boat, even if one came by.

In the darkness Blade heard Khraishamo cough. He looked toward the sound but could see only a vague shape. If he hadn't known, Blade couldn't have told if it was alive or not, let alone whether it was human. The combination of soot and fish oil they'd smeared on themselves made good camouflage. Hopefully it would also repel hungry fish.

«If it stinks to the fish like it does to me, they won't come near you,» Rhodina said after she finished smearing them both. Now she waited on shore, ready to load their gear aboard a captured guard boat if Blade's plan worked.

And if it doesn't work? They could certainly try to ambush a guard boat two or three more times before Khraishamo had to go out on his next fishing trip. Each time, the chances of their being spotted by the guards or attacked by fish increased. After that Khraishamo would have to go back to work, and Blade couldn't lay the ambush alone even if he'd been willing to abandon the pirate chief. By the time Khraishamo returned, the secret of Blade's presence on the island might be out. While they could try to escape without his being able to masquerade as a guard, the odds would turn against them.

Even tonight someone might come along the beach. Then if Rhodina couldn't explain what she was doing there, she'd have to fight.

«Fight anyway, if you don't come back,» she said to Khraishamo. «I make an end here, not go back to being thrown around, among all the men. Make an end of a few guards, too. Animals!»

Blade turned back to look along the shore and stiffened. A faint reddish-yellow glow showed in the blackness. It was the color of the lanterns carried by the guards, but for a moment Blade couldn't tell whether it was moving along the beach or in a boat. Then he saw that it was rising and falling in a rhythm possible only if it was aboard a boat.

For some reason the guard boat was rowing its rounds inside the reef tonight, rather than just outside it. That could make the escapers' work even easier. Khraishamo moved closer to Blade, and they whispered together briefly. Then they slipped into the water and swam silently toward shore, on a course to intercept the approaching light.

It grew steadily larger, and now they could see a second, smaller light in the stern of the boat. They could also count the guards in the boat-four of them, unfortunately. They still had to keep any from escaping to give the warning. That would be a disaster for all of them, and it wasn't much consolation to Blade that Kloret's wrath would probably descend on the guards who killed him. He intended to avenge the Prime Minister's victims, not be avenged by him!

It was time. «All right,» said Blade. He gripped Khraishamo's shoulder. «Good luck.»

«And to you.» The pirate dove out of sight, silent and hopefully invisible. With his lungs well filled beforehand, he could stay underwater a good five minutes, then surface still ready to fight.

Blade was supposed to be noisy and visible. He started thrashing wildly, churning the water into foam and shouting at the top of his lungs.

«Help! Help! Over here! Help!» He made his voice sound as panic-stricken as he could. The wind was behind him, so his words easily reached the guards. He saw the boat come around on a new course, but didn't dare stop shouting. He wanted those guards to come straight on without thinking about possible traps, until Khraishamo could reach them.