We heard footsteps in the hall before the door was flung open by a soldier in a leather jerkin. His sword was drawn, a wide, straight blade with a thin fringe of blood on its tip.

"Princess Joi," he looked between me and Marisa. "I'm here to escort you to the senate." He was breathing hard.

My mouth opened, and then the man was gone. He'd been grabbed by his tunic, and the fabric rucked around his throat so tight that he audibly gagged. There was a bang about a foot to the right of the door frame, and then the jarring staccato of a man tumbling down the stairs. Marisa picked up a comb and held it like a bludgeon, Hikami's name was on my tongue.

The Baker appeared in the doorway, his broad shoulders and belly filling it completely. There was a red stain where his apron hung open in a bloody grin.

"We need to talk," he said.

I relaxed, though Marisa looked like she was still ready to lunge and Havella was poised to try for the widow though it was obviously too small.

"Thank you." I said.

"Don't thank me." The Baker made no move to vacate the doorway. "They said they were looking for an effin princess. I said this was my building, and they couldn't come in without my permission. They said there was a big reward, and I asked how much I would get, and they said none. So I said they still couldn't come in. We had words."

"You saved me." I said.

"Did I? What if I turn you in myself? I can't stay here after this. Soldiers won't look kindly on what I just did."

"You can't turn her in," Marisa said.

"Why the eff not?"

"Because I'm worth more to you as a friend," I said.

The Baker narrowed his eyes, and scratched his pale face with broad hands that still had traces of flour on them.

"I am the future queen of Euphoria." I straightened up and tried to sound royal. "Before I return Cloud City there is something I have to do, but anyone who helps me will be rewarded, and I could use a guard."

"How much time do you need?" He asked.

"I'm not sure." I said. "A season or less."

"How much does it pay?"

"A thousand eagles."

Marisa's eyes got wide.

"I could make that turning you in."

"After killing soldiers? You think that would be safe? I imagine the senate isn't waiting around with a chest full of money to hand out to the first person who can find a Euphorian girl willing to play the missing princess. They'll have to confirm my identity, and that will mean a few days stuck waiting, long enough for them to repay you."

The Baker's mouth twitched.

"Also," I said, "Marisa doesn't owe you anything, that can be tacked on at the end."

The Baker cast his gaze between the three of us. "Who's she?"

"My lore master," I said, "Havella."

Havella sent me a wild look, but the Baker seemed to accept this. It was Marisa who looked ready to protest, and I shook my head to quiet her.

"Deal," he extended a hand that swallowed my own, shaking my whole forearm. "Where we going?"

"Kanto, and then beyond, to the Lost Kingdom."

"That's a long effin walk." The Baker said. "Lucky I've got a boat."

We packed quickly, then met on the ground floor. Havella didn't know what to say to me and I wasn't going to make it easy on her. I was mad she'd turned me in, but not mad enough to ignore how useful she could be as a source of information. She was the only reason I had a destination at all, and I wasn't going to risk not taking her.

There weren't any bodies when I went downstairs, and the Baker had sewn up the wound on his tummy before changing into travelling clothes. Three swords were arrayed on the counter like loaves of bread, an the Baker was deep in conversation with Patches, who looked terrified but resolute. I caught the end of it.

"You tell them exactly what I said and nothing more. This is your shop now, and as far as their concerned it was yesterday too. You bury the leaf as soon as we're gone, and sell it in a single go like we said. After that, you go clean, hire who you effin want, rent the rooms out. The buildings paid for, just treat the tax man right. You understand."

Patches nodded, tears forming in his eyes.

"Alright." The Baker heaved a rucksack over his shoulder and slipped one of the swords with its sheathe onto his belt. He'd traded his apron for an enormous wool cloak, and he looked like a giant travelling monk. He looked at me, "You ready, Boss?"

We went into the street, the Baker ahead of us, Marisa and Havella on either side of me to prevent any incipient squabbling.

"Do you know how to get to the Livius estate?" I asked.

"You need to visit your effin lover?"

My face reddened, but I kept the annoyance out of my voice. "I need to borrow some money."

The Baker knew every street and alley both in Kouros proper as well as the narrows. The island was completely overrun with worked wood and brick and stone, there weren't any natural areas left apart from the small coves that weren't stable enough to support a structure. Nevertheless, the Baker knew where people weren't. Whereas my normal procedure had been a constant press through buyers and sellers and porters going the wrong way, we crossed the island barely having to pause to avoid the occasional soldier.

It was early evening when we reached the Livius estate, a sandstone castle built among rocky spires, its foundations sinking into the surf. The last of the sunlight gave the whole a brassy glow, like something cast and forged.

A bridge connected the castle to Kouros, the surf lapping at the rocks below. A single guard with a thick wooden staff was standing at the near end.

"Marisa," I said, "I need you to ask him to get Tokar. Do you think you can?"

"Maybe," she flashed me a smile, "but however will I charm such a strong, silent man?"

Marisa swayed over to the bridge in a manner that made me feel slightly embarrased to watch and engaged him in conversation. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but he seemed amenable, and he nearly fell over when Marisa touched him on the arm.

The guard called to a servant on the other side of the bridge, who disappeared inside. There weren't any other groups on the street and our party was conspicuous waiting in the open so I had us move over under the eaves of a nearby building. Then I kept peeking around the corner at Marisa, which was just as conspicuous.

After several minutes, Tokar did come out, and they walked over to us together. Marisa, who hadn't met him before, seemed quite taken. She was hanging on his arm. "So much for silent," she said, "he was trying to invite me to a politicol rally. Apparently, he's a plutocrat."

"A what?"

"He thinks the wealthy should make all the laws," Havella said. "As if they don't already."

"What are you doing here?" Tokar asked, extricating himself from Marisa.

"We're leaving Kouros," I said, "and I need to see Castor before we do."

"Aster is arriving today." Tokar was already shaking his head. "She could already be in the city."

"I need to see him. Then I'll be gone for good." I didn't really need to see him, Tokar could have gotten us money. But I hadn't been with Castor since the party and I wasn't going to leave without being able to say goodbye. Did he really want me out of his life or had he been keeping his distance to keep me safe?

Tokar could see I wasn't going to be dissuaded. He held up his hands in defeat.

"Marisa," I said, "you come in with me. You two wait here."

"Boss." The Baker said in acknowledgment, though I could swear there was amusement tucked up somewhere in that big pale face.

Tokar brought Marisa and me across the bridge along with a few envious looks from the guard. We passed a few servants and took a spiral staircase up to Castor's private tower. The door was unlocked.

Castor's sitting room was a mess. There were books open on the table, and clothes spread across the divan. Along the mantle above the fireplace there was a row of glasses and half finished bottles of wine. Dressed in a white toga with a saffron sash, he was lacing up a pair of rather ornate sandals when we arrived.

"May I announce," Tokar said, but Castor jumped to his feet.

"Joi!" He looked nervous. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm leaving Kouros," I said. "I had to see you before I went."

He crossed the room and wrapped me in a hug, pulling me into the room. He smelled good, like him.

"I'm glad," he said, lingering before letting me go, "but Aster will be here any minute."

"We're going around Kanto," I said, "I need some money for the journey. "

"Just you two?" He barely glanced at Marisa, which is not something that could be said of many men. "Alone?"

"Not Marisa." I said, taking her wrist. "I want you to find her a place here, like you were going to do for me."

"Fine, fine," he waved it away, "but you can't be travelling that far alone."

"I won't be. I've hired the Baker to protect me, and we have a guide."

"The Baker," Castor could not have looked more aghast. "That's a terrible idea."

"He's honorable, in his way," I said.

Marisa took her wrist back, "I'm not staying," she said.

"You can be safe here." I said.

"I don't need to be safe. You've done a lot for me, Juno, Joi, whatever, and I'm not abandoning you to be a maidservant."

"Great," Castor said, "and Tokar is coming with you too."

Tokar sighed.

"What?" I said.

"You want my help," Castor said, "you have to take all of it. Tokar's a survivor, and I don't trust the Baker. My man's going with you."

"Okay," I said, though I thought our party was getting crowded. "I'm not going to argue."

Instead of looking pleased, Castor was proving that he could, in fact, look more aghast that he had only moments before.

"Aster," he said. "Could you give us a minute?"

I didn't move, with my hair dyed and in Gracian clothes she probably wouldn't even know it was me.

"You've been hiding here?" She shrieked. No luck then. "And you dyed your hair like mine!" That was an unfortunate coincidence.

Aster grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. "It is you!" She was stuck somewhere between fury and bewilderment. Aster was dressed for her first meeting as bride-to-be with Castor, wearing a perfectly fitted green dress with matching emeralds in her ears. Her lips and eyes were colored orange, like her hair, which was contained in a glittering lattice that shaped it into a beehive.

"I was just leaving," I said.

"He's mine." She said, and slapped me. Then a strand of flame leapt from my hair to hers, and things got rather out of hand.

In the moments that followed Castor shoved a metal box into Tokar's hands before trying to put out Aster's flaming coif. Tokar pushed Marisa and I quite hurriedly out of the room and we all took the stairs down two at a time.

We hustled across the bridge, maintaining a pace just below what would be identified as sprinting for our lives.

Havella looked ready to jump out of her skin. "What happened?"

"Please," Tokar said, "who has the boat?"

The Baker maintained his usual stoicism, and took off down another side street, expecting us to follow.

"We ran into someone," I said, breathing hard and having some difficulty keeping up with the Baker's long strides. "More people will be looking for me."

"Oh, oh..." Havella didn't have the energy to be properly worried, her legs were even stubbier than mine, and she was carrying more weight. Tokar had no trouble with the pace. He'd taken the rear to be sure none of us fell behind. I wasn't exactly pleased to have him joining my crew. How close were he and Castor anyway? He clearly listened to him, but would he listen to me the same way? I doubted it.

The Baker took us into the narrows and out of it onto one of the islands many secluded coves. There was a dingy tied to a twisted old stump.

"Is that your ship?" Marisa said.

The Baker ignored her, and when he stepped onto the dingy it visibly settled in the water before we all piled in. It was a tight fit, with half the boat taken up by the Baker as he untied us and began to work the oars. We maneuvered slowly out of the cove and into the open water, heading around a rock ridge that revealed a sea afloat with scores of ships.

Marisa breathed out her relief. We were going to get a bigger boat after all.

"Who's after us?" Havella asked, still recovering from the run. Her face was splotchy and her hair was plastered with sweat.

"The Kantons," I said. "one of them doesn't like me, and I'm engaged to another. That's on top of the senate trying to pick me up as a favor to my dad."

"Do you really think it's best to have me with you?" Havella asked.

"After what you did, I wouldn't have you anywhere but at my side."

She fell quiet at that.

The Bakers ship was long and slim, with a single mast and settings for oars. There was no cabin, the entire longship was open to the elements. A man waved at us as we came alongside. There were two more relaxing at the forecastle.

"Little early for another run," the first man said. It was Sponga, and he didn't look happy to see me or the others coming aboard.

"We've been hired as an escort," the Baker said. "Are you going to be a problem?"

Sponga didn't take his eyes off me. "No. I'll be right professional."

"Good. Where's Porus?"

"On land. He's been no use since." He didn't have to say since what.

"Then get the boys ready. We're moving now. Southeast."

"Any particular destination?" Sponga flashed his copper tooth.

"Southeast."

"Aye aye."

The oars allowed us to maneuver out of the field of ships, then the two men who worked for Sponga hoisted the sail and had us moving under wind. I had no idea how to sail an actually sailboat, as there was no daemon trapped in its decking for me to communicate with.

By unspoken agreement, the women set up camp at the back end of the boat, arranging our things and checking supplies. Marisa seemed to have forgotten her aversion to Havella and was primarily concerned with sneaking glances at Tokar, who had taken off his shirt to row. It was an impressive sight, though my interest was more aesthetic than romantic. Euphorians tended toward overdressing, and went swimming in full body suits designed for that purpose. I'd never actually seen anyone naked other than myself as an adult. I was noticing that men were...different.

As we'd been dashing back and forth across Kouros, the evening had seen fit to turn to night, and the sea was blood black. The sailors navigated by the stars, something I could have helped them with. The stars had relationships to compass readings, and a trained reader had to be able to correctly identify over thirty constellations just to be considered proficient. I could tell the directions anywhere in the world, but they didn't seem interested in my help.

The motion of the ship and the near constant slap of the waves made sleep an impossibility. Havella and Marisa were using their packs as pillows, and blankets had been found and refused. They stank, and were crawling with lice or something like them.

Though Kouros had disappeared, we occasionally saw lights on the water, lanterns suspended on high poles to help navigate among the multitude of reefs and shoals. The longship, with its oars and shallow draft, was well suited to navigate the scattering of smaller islands that clung to Kouros.

One of the lights was behind us, but rather then retreat as we went on it remained steady. I called Tokar's attention to it, and he shrugged. Eventually, I did sleep, and morning found us at sea. The moon was high, but the stars were gone and Kouros was a dark wave frozen on the sea. A ship was in sight behind us.

"Baker?" I called worriedly.

"She's been following us," the big man said. He was stretching his arms.

"What can we do?" I asked.

"We can row, but he's got two masts to our one and we can't row forever." He held out his hand and Sponga handed him a looking glass.

"That's a Kanton ship," he said.

I took the eye piece from him and scanned the other ship. What I was looking for wasn't hard to find. A man with a topknot and a double breasted suit was standing at the prow. It was Thomas Caldwell.