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Prologue

A THREE-MASTED square-rigger with iridescent green sails that shone by day or night, the Flying Mantis was a fast and lucky ship She sailed the Border Sea of the House, which meant she could also sail any ocean, sea, lake, river, or other navigable stretch of liquid on any of the e, the Flying Mantis was cleaving through the deep blue waters of the Border Sea, heading for Port Wednesday Her holds were stuffed with goods bought beyond the House and illnesses salvaged fro waters There were valuables under her hatches: tea and wine and coffee and spices, treats for the Denizens of the House But her strongrooly rashes and strange stuttering diseases, all fixed into pills, snuff, or whalebone charo, the creas nervous and the lookouts red-eyed and anxious The Border Sea was no longer safe, not since the unfortunate transformation of Lady Wednesday several thousand years before and the consequent flooding of the Sea’s old shore Wednesday’s Noon and Dusk had beenwith many of Wednesday’s other servants who used to police the Border Sea

Now the waters swarers and traders, some ould happily turn to a bit of casual piracy To make matters worse, there were full-tiot through the Line of Storms and into the Border Sea from some earthly ocean

These pirates were still ed to learn soh to dabble in the use of Nothing This erous, and if they had the nu-fuelled ic would usually defeat theirMantis had lookouts in the fighting tops of each of its three masts, one in the forepeak, and several on the quarterdeck It was their task to watch for pirates, strange weather, and the worst of all things -- the eence of Drowned Wednesday, as Lady Wednesday was non

Most of the ships that now sailed the Border Sea had incoe, when the Border Sea swept over nine-tenths of Wednesday’s shore-based wharves, warehouses, counting rooher rooms had been rapidly converted into ships All these ships were crewed by former stevedores, clerks, rackers, counters, tally-hands, sweepers, and h they’d had several thousand years of practice, these Denizens were still poor sailors

But not the crew of the Flying Mantis She was one of Wednesday’s original forty-nine ships, con Her crew members were nautical Denizens, themselves made expressly to sail the Border Sea and beyond Her Captain was none other than Heraclius Swell, 15,287th in precedence within the House

So when theerrnot that bigclosing off the port bowunderwater!’ both Captain and crew reacted as well-trained professionals of long experience

‘All hands!’ roared the mate who had the watch ‘Beat to quarters!’

His cry was taken up by the lookouts and the sailors on deck, followed only seconds later by the sharp rattle of a drum as the ship’s boy abandoned his boot polish and the Captain’s boots to take up his sticks

Denizens burst out fro to climb aloft, ready to work the sails Some stood by the armoury to receive their crossbows and cutlasses Others raced to load and run out the guns, though the Flying Mantis only had eight working cannons of its usual counpowder that worked in the House were very hard to co Since the toppling of Grim Tuesday fourteen months before, poas in very short supply Sostockpiled for war by the mysterious Lord Arthur, who now ruled both the Lower House and the Far Reaches

Captain Swell climbed onto the quarterdeck as the cannons ru in coed feet, who alore the full dress coat of an admiral from a small country on a small world in a remote corner of the Secondary Realhtly at the waist, and had enorold braid on the shoulders and cuffs Consequently Captain Swell shone even reen sails of his ship

‘What occurs, Mister Pannikin?’ Swell asked his First Mate, a Denizen as tall as he was, but considerably less handsome At some ti-laced explosion, and his bare skull was ridged with scars He sometimes wore a purple woollen cap, but the crew claimed that made hi the port bow,’ reported Pannikin, handing his spyglass to the Captain ‘About forty feet long byvery fast Maybe fifty knots’

‘I see,’ said the Captain, who had clapped the telescope to his eye ‘I think it er Stand the men down, Mister Pannikin, and prepare a side-party to welco me my boots’

Mister Pannikin roared orders as Captain Swell refocused his telescope on the shape in the water Through the powerful lens, he could clearly see a dull golden cigar-shape surging under the water towards the ship For a second it was unclear what propelled it so quickly Then its huge yellow-gold wings suddenly exploded ahead and pushed back, sending the creature rocketing forward, the water behind it exploding into froth

‘She’ll broach any moment,’ muttered one of the crewmen to his mate at the wheel behind the Captain ‘Mark s broke the surface and gathered air instead of water With a great flexing leap and a swirl of sea, theMantis’swater like rain, it circled the ship, slowly descending towards the quarterdeck

At first it looked like a golden, winged shark, all sleek motion and a fearsoar-shaped body bulged and changed, and the golden sheen ebbed away before other advancing colours It becas

Then, as its wings stopped flapping and it stepped the final foot down to the deck, it assuh even the ship’s boy knew she was really a Denizen of high rank She wore a riding habit of peach velvet with ruby buttons, and sharkskin riding boots coilt spurs Her straw-coloured hair was restrained by a hairnet of silver wire, and she tapped her thigh nervously with a riding crop ator

‘Captain Swell’

‘Wednesday’s Dawn,’ replied the Captain, bending his head as he pushed one stockinged foot forward Albert, arriving a little too late, slid along the deck and hastily tried to put the proffered foot into the boot he held

‘Not now!’ hissed Pannikin, dragging the lad back by the scruff of his neck

The Captain and Wednesday’s Dawn ignored the boy and the First Mate They turned together to the rail and looked out at the ocean, continuing to talk while hardly looking at each other

‘I trust you have had a profitable voyage to date, Captain?’

‘Well enough, Miss Dawn May I inquire as to the happy chance that has led you to grace my vessel with your presence?’

‘You may indeed, Captain I a an urgent dispatch, which I am pleased to deliver’

Dawn reached into her sleeve, which was tight enough to hold no possibility of storage, and pulled out a large thick envelope of buff paper, sealed with a knob of blue sealing wax half an inch thick

Captain Swell took the envelope slowly, broke the seal with deliberation, and unfolded it to read the letter written on the inside The creas quiet as he read, the only sounds the slap of the sea against the hull, the creak of the timbers, the momentary flap of a sail, and the faint whistle of the wind in the rigging