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"Da, kapitan," Privyet responded crisply He hesitated "Kapitan … could be people will pay good on scales, no ave a terse nod "Take what you want, then clear the deck and get usYou have our coordinates"

Several of the crew fell on the sea whip’s body to cut away its scales This I couldn’t watch I turned ut in knots

Sture the over his shoulder

"It’s not the," I said "You’re the captain"

"And they have purses to fill, parents and siblings to feed We just lost nearly half our crew and took no rich prize to ease the sting Not that you aren’t fetching"

"What a here?" I asked "Why did you help us?"

"Are you so sure I have?"

"Answer the question, Stur us "Why hunt the sea whip if you onlythe sea whip I was hunting you"

"That’s why you raised a et at me?"

"You can’t very well mutiny on your own ship"

"Call it what you like," I said, exasperated "Just explain yourself"

Stur the deck "As I would have explained to the Darkling had he bothered to ask--which, thankfully, he didn’t--the proble a man who sells his honor is that you can always be outbid"

I gaped at hi forword I hardly know the fellow"

"You’re mad," I said "You knohat he can do No prize is worth that"

Stur will hunt you for the rest of your days"

"Then you and I will have so in common, won’t we? Besides, I like to have powerful enemies Makes me feel important"

Mal crossed his arms and considered the privateer "I can’t decide if you’re crazy or stupid"

"I have so ood qualities," Sturmhond said "It can be hard to choose"

I shookwas outbid, then who hired you? Where are you taking us?"

"First answer a question forinto his frock coat He drew a little red volu carrying this around with hiht it and turned it over, but I already knehat it was Its gold lettering sparkled in the sun

"You stole it?" I asked

"And a nuain, since it was technically my cabin, I’m not sure you can call it theft"

"Technically," I observed in irritation, "the cabin belongs to the whaling captain you stole the ship froh," ad doesn’t work out, you ht consider a career as a barrister You see disposition But I should point out that this actually belongs to you"

He reached out and flipped the book open My name was inscribed inside the cover: Alina Starkov

I tried to keepThis was iven to o in the library of the Little Palace The Darkling would have had my room searched after I fled Os Alta, but why take this book? And why had he been so concerned that I es The voluiven that it was rueso hs Sankta Anastasia ridding Arkesk of the wasting plague But es showed the Saints in theirdrawn and quartered, the beheading of Sankt Lubov, Sankt Ilya in Chains I froze This ti, no?" said Sturer "Unless I’m very much mistaken, that’s the creature we just captured"

There was no hiding it: Behind Sankt Ilya, splashing around in the waves of a lake or an ocean, was the distinctive shape of the sea whip But that wasn’t all So to the collar at ed "Just another story"

Mal shot me a baffled look I didn’t know if he’d seen as on that page

I didn’t want to return the Istorii Sankt’ya to Sturh Ihe couldn’t see the tremor in my hand

Sturmhond studied me, then levered himself up and shook out his cuffs "Keep it It is yours, after all As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I have a deep respect for personal property Besides, you’ll need soet to Os Kervo"

Mal and I both gave a start

"You’re taking us to West Ravka?" I asked

"I’ you to meet my client, and that’s really all I can tell you"