‘I suppose I was hoping that, against better judgement, you would linger for a while. It has been nice to have humans about in the village again.’

‘And your hospitality has been …’ Don’t say‘ horrifying’. ‘-lovely,’ Lenk said. ‘But we’ve got other places to be.’

‘And there is nothing I can say to convince you otherwise, I’m assuming, or you would not have come to me.’

A great yellow eye swivelled to the portal, regarding Bagagame sourly as the smaller Owauku came teetering out with a tiny censer full of smouldering coals. He quickly applied them to the waterpipe, the rich scent of flavoured tobacco filling the air almost instantly as the water burbled inside its vase. Togu drew in a breath that lasted for ages, his chest inflating to a size preposterous for a creature his size. When he did speak again, his words came out on a cloud of smoke that made him resemble some great, fire-breathing beast.

‘Which does make old Togu wonder why you havecome.’

Bagagame cringed at even the brief, dismissive wave Togu offered him and quickly ran, bowing apologies to both of the companions as he scurried between them and out the door. Lenk watched him go only until he was exactly three and a half feet out of earshot then turned back to Togu.

‘Well, as you may have noticed, we aren’t in much shape to be getting anywhere,’ he explained. ‘We hadbeen expecting a …’ Don’t say ‘hired peon.’ ‘-friend to come retrieve us, but we haven’t seen any sign of a black ship lately.’

‘Have you?’ Kataria chimed in.

Togu coughed slightly, apparently choking on a stray ash that had crept its way into his hose. He shook his head, thumping his chest gently.

‘Not as such, no,’ he said. He appeared to furrow his scaly ridges in thought, Lenk thought, but that might just be some other emotion too deep for eyes the size of grapefruits to convey. ‘No … no … the Gonwa would have spoken of such a boat.’

‘Ah, well, that seems-’

‘ Lies.’

A cold ache crept through him, a frosty hand wringing his spine for a moment before releasing it. He shook his head, as he might shake snow from his hair.

‘Discouraging,’ Lenk finished, his voice degenerating into a mutter. ‘I suppose it might have been helpful if the Gonwa had actually told usfirst, though.’

‘They are … a complex people,’ Togu replied, scratching his chin. ‘They come from Komga, an island with too many trees, not enough sun and, as such, they lack our “sunny” disposition.’ He grinned at his own joke. ‘They must be more than a little irritated at having moved here, anyway, but Teji will grow on them.’

‘And why did they move here, exactly?’ Kataria asked, drawing a glance from Lenk.

That does seem important … Should … shouldn’t I have asked that?

‘ Why would you?’

That’s usually my thing.

‘ Worrying? Let someone else do it.’

Togu’s eyes rotated to regard her carefully. ‘Feel free to ask them.’

She accepted the retort with what would appear, to anyone else, as a cool silence. Lenk, however, could see the faint tremble of her upper lip, the minuscule twitch of her eyelid, and a tiny, distinct quiver of her ears.

‘ Sees. Hears. Lies.’

‘What?’ he whispered inwardly.

‘Point being,’ Togu continued, ‘Teji warms all and all warm to Teji, in time.’ He settled back, taking another deep puff of his pipe. ‘I’m sure you could find your place in it, if you wished.’

‘Point being,’ Lenk retorted, ‘that we don’t. We appreciate the hospitality inasmuch as we canappreciate having loincloths slapped on us, but-’

‘We are mending your clothes. It takes time when we lack thread.’

‘That, too, is appreciated, which brings me to my next point,’ he continued. ‘We were wondering if we could ask a little more of you.’

Togu’s eyes shifted to him. ‘Ask away.’

‘A sea chart to find the nearest shipping lanes to the mainland, a boat to take us there, food to make it there and-’

‘ Sword.’

‘And …’

‘ Sword.’

‘Something …’

‘ Need.’

‘Pants,’ Kataria interjected. ‘We want our pants back.’

‘Pants?’ Togu began to mutter, clouds of smoke roiling out of his nostrils. ‘Pants, pants, pants … It’s alwayspants with humans, isn’t it?’

‘What isit with lizardthings and calling me human? I’m nothuman!’ She took her ears in her hands, pulling them out for display. ‘ Look at these things!They’re huge!’

‘Can you get us that sort of thing or not?’ Lenk asked with a sigh. ‘You can keep whatever it is you found from our wreckage in payment or we can work something out.’

‘What sort of something?’ Togu asked.

‘We can do … things.’

‘Such as?’

‘Kill stuff,’ Kataria said, sniffing, ‘mostly.’

‘We do other things,’ Lenk countered with a glare.

‘Like what?’ she asked, sneering.

‘ Things, you know …’ He leaned back, twirling his hand in what he hoped was at least vaguely thoughtful. ‘Such as … well, Denaos, I know, can play the lute. You probably have something like that, right?’

‘Ah, yes, the tall one,’ Togu said, inclining his head approvingly. ‘My people are quite fond of him. Does he have anything to say about your decision to leave?’

‘Nothing worthwhile,’ Kataria replied. ‘The only thing missing by him, or the rest of them, not being here is a bunch of whining and probably some attempt at innuendo or something stupid like that.’ She frowned, shrugging. ‘So can we have the boat or not?’

Before Togu could even open his mouth, Lenk whirled upon her.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Negotiating.’

‘No, you’re just speaking loudly. You don’t understand negotiation.’ He tapped his chest. ‘That’s what Ido.’

‘So … don’t this time,’ she replied, regarding him curiously. ‘Is that such a problem?’

‘ It isn’t, you know.’

‘ Yoube quiet,’ Lenk snarled.

‘Who be quiet?’ Togu asked.

‘ Why even negotiate? Why leave? Everything you need is right here.’

‘Everything we need …’ Lenk whispered to himself.

The words seeped into him on the silence inside his head, sowing his mind with seeds of comfort. In his brain, they began to bloom, a calm logic spreading over him. Why was this important? he wondered. Why go back to the fighting and death on the mainland? What was the point of it all?

Everything he needed was here: sun, water, food, and though she may have been regarding him with a stare that twitched between confusion and worry, she was here, too. He smiled, not knowing why, not caring why.

‘ No.’

It came back, a sudden frost that swept over his mind, killed the blooming calm. His skull throbbed with fear, anger, contempt, all swirling about his mind, all carrying the voice through.

‘ Cannot leave now.’

‘Cannot leave now,’ he whispered.

‘What?’ Kataria asked.

‘Then,’ Togu muttered, hope rising in his voice, ‘you wish to stay?’

‘ Need to stay … need to kill …’

‘Kill,’ he uttered quietly.

‘What was that?’ Togu asked.

‘Lenk …’ she whispered, leaning close.

‘ Lies all around us. Surrounded by worthlessness. Need to kill. Need to stay.’

‘Need …’

‘ Sword.’

‘Sword.’

‘Sword?’ Kataria asked.

‘ Need sword.’

‘Need it,’ he whispered.

‘Need what?’ Togu asked.

‘ Sword.’

‘Sword.’

‘ Sword!’

‘Not again, Lenk …’

‘ SWORD!’

‘ WHERE IS IT?’

Togu recoiled, threatening to teeter off his throne as Lenk leapt to his feet and flung an icy stare at him. Lenk could feel his lids narrowing to slits, feel himself freezing despite the sun, but did not care. His head throbbed with need; his hands hungered for leather and steel.