«That temper you've seen-it led me into a quarrel with certain powerful warriors. I went out with my three ships to win a victory and make myself a chief that others would support in that quarrel. Instead I lost the three ships and most of the warriors aboard them.

«So I have no home in Sarumland. Once I was not sure I wanted to seek one elsewhere. Now I have found it, among Rhodina and her people. So why shouldn't I defend my new home?»

The next night Khraishamo invited Blade to dine at his house in Mythor. Most of the rebel leaders took over the homes of Goharan officers who hadn't returned from the great battle, and Khraishamo was no exception. He'd even hired a cook and a maid.

Food was scarce in Mythor, but Khraishamo still did his best to keep up a Goharan standard of hospitality. It was a memorable meal, and Blade couldn't help noticing how relaxed and comfortable Khraishamo and Rhodina looked. They might have been happily married for years.

By the time dinner was over, it was raining heavily. Blade accepted Khraishamo's invitation to stay the night, and made his way upstairs to an attic bedroom. He'd just finished pulling off his clothes when there was a knock on the door.

«Blade? Can I come in?» It was Rhodina's voice.

«Certainly.»

Rhodina pushed the door open and came in as Blade hastily snatched up his sleeping robe and pulled it around him. Rhodina was wearing a robe too, a short one which barely came down to her knees and left shoulders and arms bare. She laughed when she saw Blade covering himself. «No, no, Blade. Less, not more.» Blade frowned. She saw the frown, caught his meaning, and nodded. «Khraishamo knows I'm here. In fact, he told me to come.»

«Told you?»

«Blade, you're not going funny in the head, are you? Khraishamo told me to come and say good-bye to you. We're going to get married.»

«Somehow I'm not surprised. I was just thinking that you two looked like an old married couple.»

«There won't be any children. I was sick two years ago, and I can't have any. But there ought to be plenty of orphans after this war's over. We can do right by them.»

She kicked the door shut, then pulled the bolt and stepped toward the bed. As she did, she unknotted the belt of her robe, then shrugged it off her shoulders. It slipped to the floor, and the moonlight played all up and down her bare body as she turned slowly in the glow from the window over the bed.

Blade found the words coming slowly as desire rose to choke him. «Rhodina, you and Khraishamo-«

Rhodina lay down on the bed beside him and put an arm around his waist. «Blade, you're about the best man I've ever met, next to Khraishamo. But you've got a trouble like all the rest. You talk too much.» Then she twined the fingers of the other hand in his hair and pulled his head down between her breasts.

Blade hadn't been planning on saying much-just that Khraishamo and Rhodina living together in Mythor might help make peace on the Sea. Everyone could see that the Sarumi weren't dangerous animals. But as Rhodina's arms went around him and her warmth and her perfume swallowed him, Blade realized that she was right.

This was no time to say anything at all.

They would have slept until noon if two urgent messages hadn't arrived for Blade.

One was from the captain of a ship just arrived in Mythor. He'd sighted a whole fleet of Bloodskin ships two days north of the city, nearly been taken, but escaped in a rain squall. He thought the Bloodskins were bound south.

The other message was from Degyat, a short letter.

Blade,

I have heard that the Pirate Folk are coming. I agree that our ships and men should fight side by side against them. I will meet you where and when you wish, to talk more of this.

Degyat,

Admiral Commanding the First Fleet

The sea was flat and oily, and ships were everywhere. From the masthead of the galley Lioness, Blade could count nearly three hundred ships in sight. The Sarumi had at least a hundred and twenty, seventy were from Mythor, and ninety were in the Goharan Second Fleet under Kloret.

The Goharans hadn't been there until a few hours ago. Then they'd come up over the horizon, running fast and free, Kloret's banner flying from the two-decked galley in the lead. Mythor's strange fleet-of merchant ships and Degyat's galleys-was already on its way out to meet the Sarumi, so Kloret slipped in between them and the city. There'd been a bad moment, as the Mythorans watched for signs that Kloret was landing troops to attack the city. The city was well-garrisoned compared to what it had been, but its walls were still too weak to stand against a determined attack from the land side.

Instead, Kloret's ships paraded back and forth across the mouth of the harbor, as if Kloret was waiting for something. Then the wind died, which turned out to be a blessing. It gave all three fleets an excuse to do nothing until their admirals figured out exactly what was going on.

The Mythorans were still the worst off. They couldn't move against the Sarumi, since half their strength was sailing ships. These were crammed with Maghri archers, but couldn't move until they got a wind. Also, they couldn't be sure that Kloret wouldn't attack them once they were engaged with the pirates. To be sure, the other half of their strength was Degyat's galleys, and the Prime Minister probably wouldn't attack the First Fleet simply for joining with Mythor's rebels in a battle against the common enemy. On the other hand, Degyat was one of the Emperor's most trusted men, and any plausible excuse to destroy him might be enough for Kloret.

In other circumstances, the uncertainty might have been amusing. Nobody in the Mythoran or Goharan fleets really knew what the other might do. The Sarumi at least could be sure that the other two fleets were their enemies, but they couldn't be sure the two would act together.

Mythor's fleet lay in three lines, the sailing ships in the middle and the galleys on either side. Five miles toward shore lay Kloret's fleet, and five miles farther out to sea lay the Sarumi. Aboard Lioness, Blade and Khraishamo were making a brief inspection tour, since there didn't seem to be anything better to do.

Lioness moved slowly down the line of sailing ships. Peacock, Sigluf's ship, was coming up. Her deck was nearly empty, except for the normal number of guards and sailors. Good. The Sarumi couldn't board without getting close, and if they got close they were in for a nasty surprise from the archers.

Blade didn't see Sigluf among the men on Peacock's deck. He picked up the leather speaking trumpet and shouted down, «Where's the chief?»

«Asleep,» came up faintly from below. Blade laughed. Sigluf had spent last night saying farewell to all his Mythoran lady friends. He'd finished his work first, though-getting three thousand Maghri with bows and war clubs aboard the ships of the Mythoran fleet. Sigluf had a right to sleep late.

Blade turned, to scan the horizon in a complete circle, then stopped with his eyes toward the land. A new squadron of galleys was coming up to join Kloret's fleet. In the lead was an even bigger galley than the Prime Minister's. At this distance even Blade's eyes couldn't make out the banner, and he wasn't certain of the galley's color. It certainly looked like Harkrat's King Bull, though.

He hadn't heard that the Emperor was joining his fleet before Mythor, but if he was, the fighting might take some interesting directions. Blade swung himself over the railing of the top and into the rigging, calling for Khraishamo as he scrambled down to the deck.

The pirate met Blade as his feet struck the deck. «Have our battleflags hoisted, and pass the word to the rowers to keep their weapons handy. I suspect we'll be doing more fighting than rowing in this battle.»