A/N: Y'all didn't really think I'd kill Yseult, did you? Before it even gets interesting? Like Carrion said, I have plans for her.
I could have had this finished and posted yesterday, but instead I drew a cartoon based on an earlier author's note. Now, if I only had a scanner...wait! My birthday's coming up! There will be special cake for reviewers that week.
For those who don't know, the chapter titles are from the poem that opens Part Four of Book Two of Abarat, and I just realized that I skipped a line back in Chapter Six. So I've gone back and fixed that, which is why you may recognize this chapter title.

All along, it was the ocean's song
That called me down to listen to her.
Standing drenched by a 40 ft. coral fence.
Swallowed by a swiftly dripping ripple.

"What does this friend of yours do, Yseult?" Carrion asked as we navigated the narrow streets.

"He's a pirate." I replied.

"And you think you can trust him?"

"Of course, my lord. He may be a pirate, but he's a good man with an overdeveloped sense of chivalry, and I am a damsel in distress."

Carrion snorted at that, but I ignored it. Brosh was an old friend of the family, though I seriously doubted Fina and Xandra would have remembered him had I asked. They hadn't seen him since before we settled on Idjit, when, in the aftermath of our uncle's death, he had let us stay aboard his Tall Ship, the Mortal Sin. Every time he came into port on Idjit, I made a point of going down to the docks to visit with him. He was, as I had told Carrion, a pirate, and a damned good one at that. If anyone could help me now, it was Brosh. I only hoped that his neutral attitude toward governments of any kind would work in my favor.

We couldn't carry everything, and there was an agonizing evening before our departure when we had to choose what came with us and what we left behind. I took only half of my clothing, needing the extra room in my trunk for all my books. Fina took some of the more expensive cloth we had accumulated over the years, along with her own personal effects. Xandra took it upon herself to pack most of our more sentimental belongings, such as things that had belonged to family members long since passed. We did have Carrion and Letheo to help, so transporting the trunks down to the docks wasn't as difficult as it could have been. Carrion looked like a shadow moving down the streets, nothing of his form visible from beneath the black hooded robe, his hands encased in his gloves.

I had taken a long piece of cloth and wrapped it about my head to cover my newly cropped hair, thinking I would simply keep it covered until it grew out again, if it ever did. To cover everything else I wore a long, heavy coat made from red wool. It had a collar of dark brown fur, only a shade or two darker than my own hair, and I pulled the collar up to cover my ears and most of my face. Only a narrow band of red skin and my eyes were visible between the soft brown fur and the cloth of my head covering. Fina had made me a very nice pair of black gloves, similar to Carrion's, and I slipped these on as well, hiding my blistered hands.

Fina led the five of us up the gangplank onto the ship, Letheo bringing up the rear. As soon as I set foot on the deck I began looking for the captain. I spotted him chatting amiably to his bosun. Tugging the collar of my jacket up with one hand, I made my way over to him. He glanced at me once before turning back to the bosun, then did a double-take.

"Yseult? My God. What happened to you?" Brosh asked, concerned.

"There was a fire." I pulled him aside. "Can we talk for a moment? I need to take you into my confidence."

"Of course. Here..." he guided me to his cabin with an arm about my waist. Closing the door behind him, he gestured for me to sit in the large leather wing back chair beside his desk. There was a snifter of brandy on the desk. "Drink?"

"No thank you."

He shrugged and poured himself a glass before settling into the chair behind his desk. He took a sip before relaxing."What is it?"

"Thank you for doing this for me, and for not asking questions."

"It's not a problem. You shouldn't be embarrassed, Yseult. Which one of those men is yours? The tall one, right? I'd like to meet him."

"What?" I blanched. "No, no...you misunderstand me. I'm not romantically involved with either of them."

"Oh, so they're Fina and Xandra's?"

"Absolutely not! They're just traveling with us."

"Okay, okay, take it easy." he held up his hands in mock surrender. "So what is it you need to talk to me about?"

"We've been friends for a long time, haven't we, Brosh?"

"Yes, we have." he replied. "Are you in some kind of trouble, Yseult? It worries me that you start the conversation like that."

"Yes, I am in trouble. I need you to promise me that I can trust you." I said.

"You can always trust me. I think Xaver would find a way to strike me from the grave if I ever crossed any of you girls." he smiled.

"This is difficult." I began. "My sisters and I have a very big secret we've been keeping. But we can't do this by ourselves anymore, and there aren't any inventive lies that will keep this under wraps on a ship. I'm going to need your help with your crew."

"It's yours. Anything I can do." he assured me. "Does this have anything to do with the two men you're traveling with?"

I took a deep breath. "This has everything to do with them. Brosh, tell me what you think about the Carrions."

He blinked at the apparent change of topic. "Uh, well...I think Mater Motley's completely cracked, but so do most people. I tell you, between her and Pixler, these islands are..."

"Brosh," I interrupted him, "What do you think about Prince Carrion?"

"Well, I mean, he's a Carrion. Was a Carrion." he corrected. "I'm a pirate, Yseult. I don't really care about monarchs one way or the other, so long as they don't mess with me and mine. Prince Carrion pretty much left us alone if we left him alone, which is more than I can say for his hag of a grandmother. She comes into power, and suddenly decides she's going to claim possession of all the ships in the Night Isles. We had a pretty bad run-in with one of her ships, packed to the gills with stitchlings, a few weeks ago. She actually expected us to abandon our own business and aid her navy as some kind of reserve force."

"So things were better under Prince Carrion?"

"I guess you could say that. I never considered myself to be under Prince Carrion's rule, but he certainly wasn't as mad as Old Motley. He had an understanding with most of the pirates, as much of an understanding as could be reached, anyway. I think he approved of the pirate lifestyle. I respected him for that. I'm not saying I'd want to go drinking with him, but I get the 'I'll stay out of your business if you stay out of mine' mentality."

"Do you think the other pirates feel the same way?"

"I can't really speak for others, but yeah. I think so. Where are you going with this?" he asked.

I took a moment to gather my courage. Please help me, Brosh.

"Prince Carrion isn't dead."

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear in the taverns, Yseult. Once people get a little deep in their drink..."

"No, that's not why I know he's alive." I said. "I've seen him."

Brosh's eyes widened slightly, and I knew he understood. "The tall man..."

"He washed up on the beach outside of my house a couple months ago, and my sisters and I have been harboring him ever since. The boy is his...assistant, I suppose. He found us."

I waited for what seemed like ages for Brosh to react. He stood from his chair and crossed the room, his back to me, and stood there, swilling his brandy. Finally he turned to me, his face registering several conflicting emotions.

"Yseult, do you have any idea how dangerous this is? Not only have you been aiding and abetting a wanted traitor, but you took the ridiculous chance of telling me about it! You're not an idiot, girl, so how could do something so stupid? What if I were one of Motley's spies? What if there is a spy among my crew?"

"I had to take the chance, Brosh, I can't do this by myself." I replied. "You will help us, won't you?"

He sighed and sank back into his chair. "Aye, I'll help you, though I'm probably a fool for doing so. Tell Prince Carrion that I'd be obliged if he'd stay in his cabin until I come to speak to him. I need to think about how to deal with this."

"Thank you." I smiled at him nervously.

"Don't worry about it." he waved his hands dismissively.

I left his office and walked across the deck, pulling my collar up higher around my face. The stairs leading down to the cabins were narrow, and dimly lit, but the corridor was very clean. I loved the feeling of being in the bowels of a ship again. The creaking of the wood as we sailed was like music to me. I knocked on Carrion's door and waited. The door opened slightly, and I saw one of Letheo's eyes peering at me between the door and the wall.

"Oh, it's you." he said, dispassionately.

"Who is it, Letheo?" I heard Carrion's voice.

"Her."

"Well, by all means, let her in, Letheo." came the patronizing reply. Letheo frowned, but opened the door wider and stepped to the side to allow me passage. I noted the sparseness of the room he and Carrion had been installed in, and walked over to where Carrion was lining his books up on the cabin's only shelf.

"There you are girl. Finished your conversation with our intrepid Captain Brosh?" he said, placing the last book on the shelf.

"Yes, my lord. I informed him of the situation and..."

I didn't get to finish my sentence as Carrion had seized my arm with one hand and taken me by the throat with the other. He leaned toward me, bringing his face close enough that our noses would have touched, had he had a nose. My eyes widened at the expression in his, and I realized this was the first time I had ever seen him truly angry. I was convinced in that moment that he had saved me from the fire only to squeeze the life out of me now.

"You told him about me?" his voice was nearly a whisper, but quivered with rage. I nodded. "You betrayed me to him. After all I have done for you and your sisters, you betray me now?

I struggled to breathe, his hand a bruising force on my neck. I fancied I could feel bones breaking.

"Tell me, my dear," he pronounced the endearment with naked hatred even as he loosened his grip enough to allow me to reply. "Is he on his way now to lock me up and await my delivery to Gorgossium, or are you here to give me a grace period to make my peace with it?"

"No...my lord..."

"No? No what?" he tightened his hand on my arm, and I could hear the bones popping in truth.

"My Prince, I did not betray you!" I cried. I heard Letheo snicker behind me. "Brosh has promised to help you, my lord. He has no love for Mater Motley!"

"It is not love that keeps men in her thrall, it is fear." Carrion spat at me.

"Please, my lord, he is on his way to speak with you, to assure you of his intentions..."

Carrion threw me violently to the floor. My head hit the wood with a loud crack, and white spots bloomed in my vision. There was another knock on the door, and then Brosh's gruff voice asking to speak with Carrion. Letheo looked to his master, who nodded, before opening the door. I struggled to raise myself to a standing position; Brosh would never agree to helping Carrion if he thought I had been hurt by him. I straightened my head covering as Brosh entered.

"Captain, this is Prince Carrion." I kept my voice steady as I made the introductions.

"Leave us, Yseult. I would like to speak to the captain alone." Carrion instructed. "Letheo, escort Yseult to her cabin."

"Yes, my lord." Letheo made a deep bow to Carrion before ushering me out of the room. I assumed he knew where my sisters had been taken, I certainly didn't, and I followed behind him as he quickly turned down the passage, passing the stairs I had come down earlier, and stopped in front of a door identical to the one opening on Carrion's cabin. He nodded at me curtly before walking away. I knocked hesitantly on the door, wondering if he had taken me to someone else's room as a joke. I was relieved to see Xandra's face as she opened the door.

"Oh, Yseult." she opened the door wider and waved me inside. She and Fina had already unpacked everything that needed unpacking for our 14-hour voyage to Hobarookus by way of Huffaker. "I was just going to bed. Are you in for the night?"

"No, actually, I think I need some air. I'm going to go walk about the deck for a bit."

She nodded and started changing into her nightgown as I left. I made my way back up the narrow stairs, noting that the dim lights had been turned off. As I emerged topside, the vast expanse of the sky opened before me, peppered with innumerable stars. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the heavens, unmolested by artificial light, the heavy orb of the moon looming pendulously over the water. I walked across the deck and halfway up the stairs on the opposite side that led to the upper deck, folding my arms on the bannister and breathing deeply. I stood like that for quite some time, listening to the sound of waves lapping against the side of the ship. The cold wind off the sea felt wonderful against my skin, though I still felt like stripping everything off and immersing myself in the freezing water.

The salt would drive you mad...

My reverie was interrupted by footsteps behind me. Brosh, I thought, turning with a smile. My smile faded away as Carrion stepped up beside me, leaning against the rail in a similar fashion.

"I have had a long talk with your friend, the Captain." Carrion said.

"Yes, my lord?"

"I am content to leave things as they are, for now. He seems genuine."

"Y...yes, my lord. Brosh is a good friend, and a good man. I trust him with my life."

"You are trusting him with your life, Yseult, because you know what will happen if he or his crew betrays me."

"I know, my lord. No one will betray you." I answered, softly.

"For your sake, I hope not."

My heartbeat tripled as he reached over and took my hand.

"You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you, Yseult?" he looked at me from under heavy lids as he ran his finger down the inside of my wrist, tracing the pulse. I ignored the flash of pain that sped up my arm as he did so. It was a deliberately sensual gesture, and it terrified me. He knows. My mouth went dry and my heart pounded in my throat.

"Of course not, my lord." I managed a whisper.

"Of course not." he echoed, just as softly. "Because you haven't proven yourself invaluable to me yet."

Abruptly, he released me. The corner of his robe hit me in the face as he spun around and began descending the stairs.

"Sleep well." he threw over his shoulder as he headed back down to his cabin.

Alone once more, I steadied my breathing as the wind stung my face. Breathe, Yseult, breathe...

He knew. He knew exactly what his nearness did to me, and he now had as much power over me as he could ever possibly need. If terrifying me into submission failed, he could switch to blatant seduction. I pressed my forehead against the smooth wood of the railing and counted the tears that fell onto its surface. It seemed like I had done nothing but cry for the past week, and it made me feel weak. Damn my traitorous body for delivering me so completely into his hands. Letheo would certainly have nothing to fear from me after this, Carrion was probably even now laughing at the silly little deformed chit with a crush. How would I ever be able to look at him again?

I stood there for a moment longer, trying to empty my mind until all it held was the sound of the sea. I was phenomenally unsuccessful. Fatigue was creeping steadily over me, and my feet felt like they were made of lead as I began walking down the stairs and across the deck. The stairs leading down to the bowels of the ship were completely dark and the lack of any sort of light was comforting. My hand trailed lightly over the railing, guiding me in the pitch black, while my mind wandered to places I'd rather it not go. I turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs and let my hand continue along the wall until I felt the edge of the door to the room Brosh had put my sisters and I in. There was a faint light creeping around the edges. Inside, Xandra was already asleep under the covers of the single bed. Fina looked over as I entered.

"There you are, it's time to put some more of this on." she held up the bottle containing the potion she had mixed up at the house and gestured to the bed. Sighing, I removed my shirt and laid down on my stomach. Fina began massaging the lotion into my back.

"You're quiet tonight. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing new. I'm an idiot." I smiled over my shoulder. "Thank you, Fina."

"Of course." she replied. "This is looking really good. I think you're going to heal up quite nicely."

"I hope so. What exactly did you put in that stuff?"

"I'm not quite sure..." she began, hesitantly.

"What?" I tried to turn around, but she pushed me back on my stomach. "I've been letting you rub it into my skin and you don't even know what it is?"

"Carrion sent Letheo to get the ingredients as soon as we arrived at the house, I just mixed it together." she explained. "And it's working beautifully, so don't worry."

"I can't believe you administered something of Carrion's devising to me without questioning its contents. What if it were poison or acid or..."

"Yseult, what is wrong with you lately?"

"I don't know!" I groaned. "I'm just...confused, I think. I need to sleep."

"I wish you both would." came the irritated response from Xandra, whose head was hidden beneath a pillow.

Fina and I murmured apologies, and I crept under the covers beside Xandra while Fina turned out the lights and joined us. It had been a very long time since the three of us had shared a bed and fallen asleep to the rocking of the Izabella. Lying in the dark beside the two people I loved more than anything in the world, I pretended that the events of the past 14 years had never happened, and that we were safe aboard the Boudicca, with Xaver awake and watchful at the helm while his trusting nieces slumbered.