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I

THE ARNESIAN SEA

Delilah Bard had a way of finding trouble

She’d always thought it was better than letting trouble find her, but floating in the ocean in a two-person skiff with no oars, no view of land, and no real resources save the ropes binding her wrists, she was beginning to reconsider

The night wasthe starry darkness to every side; only the ripple of water beneath the rocking boat marked the difference between up and down That infinite reflection usually made Lila feel like she was perched at the center of the universe

Tonight, adrift, it made her want to scream

Instead, she squinted at the twinkle of lights in the distance, the reddish hue alone setting the craft’s lanterns apart froht And she watched as the ship—her ship—moved slowly but decidedly away

Panic crawled its way up her throat, but she held her ground

I aht as the ropes cut into her skin l am a thief and a pirate and a traveler I have set foot in three different worlds, and lived I have shed the blood of royals and held ic in my hands And a ship full of men cannot do what I can I don’t need any of you

I am one of a damned kind

Feeling suitably eazed out at the sprawling night ahead

It could be worse, she reasoned, just before she felt cold water licking her boots and looked down to see that there was a hole in the boat Not a large hole by any stretch, but the size was little comfort; a small hole could sink a boat just as effectively, if not as fast

Lila groaned and looked down at the coarse rope cinched tight around her hands, doubly grateful that the bastards had left her legs free, even if she was trapped in an aboreen contraption with too ht she could hardly breathe and why in god’s name must women do this to themselves?

The water inched higher in the skiff, and Lila forced herself to focus She drehat little breath her outfit would allow and took stock of her le cask of ale (a parting gift), three knives (all concealed), half a dozen flares (bequeathed by the men who’d set her adrift), the aforementioned dress (damn it to hell), and the contents of that dress’s skirts and pockets (necessary, if she was to prevail)