Cheno sat at the helm, her face a grim mask against the salt spray and the gray dawn alike. Her hands were stiff and her fingers numb from gripping the tiller all night, and her fingerless boating gloves were soaked in cold brine. Any moment, the smell of torches, the shouts of the mob�it was worse this time, because she�d let herself believe, fleetingly, that it would last, that happiness would be hers, that she could really make friends. A wave of exhaustion broke upon her, as a wave of saline broke upon the prow of the little dinghy. She was sturdy, had weathered plenty in the years. A dark form hit the near horizon, obscured by the misty fog, which the morning sun hadn�t yet the height or heart to burn off. An island it was, just off the mainland, but not near enough Raegwilde that she�d been there. She drew closer, and saw the shadowy form of a building. Just a little farther. She nosed Lucy up near the dock, then thought better of it and beached the boat a ways down the coast, and covered it with branches. Perhaps an escape might be slowed, but this way at least she might pass through this island unnoticed. Plus, there was always the danger, docking at ports, that her escape might be stolen. Like her friends� escape was stolen�she felt guilt tugging at her, but brushed it away. They�d find another way. And while they were stuck on the island, so was the group from Periwinkle. She resigned herself to a cold meal and a hard bed, and laid upon the bench of the boat, falling asleep almost immediately.

***

            Cheno woke up with cold steel pressed to her gullet. She looked up to see a dark figure, features obscured by the sun�s noon shadows, kneeling over her. The blade was a thin one, of middling length, held by gauntleted hands that were steady. She breathed shallowly, struggling to control the crisiswrath. An amazing gift it could be, but it would do her no good to get her throat slit at first lunge. �Kill me if you will, but you�ll not defile me while I draw breath.� Cheno said, a lot more bravely than she felt.

            The figure laughed with a note of surprise. �Well that�s something I�ve yet to do, though I�ve slain plenty of bounty hunters like yourself, though few so striking. How much is he paying you? Did none warn you it�s not worth it? Seems a waste, but anyone foolish enough to come after me has earned death.�

            ��What?�

            �Come now, no one on honest business docks down the beach rather than going to the inn, and arriving when most people aren�t even awake? What else should I think?�

            �Please, I don�t know what you�re talking about, suspicious as my circumstances may be.�

            The dark stranger moved the blade slightly away from Cheno�s neck, uncertain. �Do you truly know nothing of me?�

            �Truly. Should I? I�ve been on a little island called Raegwilde for the last three months, I don�t know what�s been going on elsewhere.�

            The stranger appeared to think it over and withdrew the blade, extending the other hand to help Cheno stand.  �No. Not really. I guess I�ve just been looking over my shoulder too long.�

            Cheno accepted and stood, looking the stranger in the eye. Not difficult, considering those entrancing dark orbs were the only visible feature of the stranger�s countenance. A cloth mask was wrapped around the stranger�s face, shielding features from view, and, it would seem, recognition. Slightly shorter than herself, the stranger was compact, dressed in mobility-enhancing black clothes, covered by a long black coat. The knife disappeared with a casual twirl of the stranger's wrist, so quickly that Cheno couldn't see where it had been sheathed.

            �Hey, I understand that. I was half sure you were sent by the Council to hunt me down.�

            �Ah, the Council. Nasty lot, and not too hard to get on their bad side, from what I hear. Lord Mellaw of the south has sent many of His Majesty�s royal bounty hunters after me. It�ll be quite a while before his royal temper cools off�it might never.�

            �Wow. What did you do?�

            �What did you do?�

            ��Point taken. Okay. So what�s your name?�

            �Thorn Stecco. You?�

            �Cheno Bellissimo.�

            �Fancy. Hey �Mo, why don�t you come with? They�ll be serving lunch at the inn soon.�

            �What�s the catch?�

            �No catch. But your pursuers are looking for one fugitive and my pursuers are looking for two fugitives, so perhaps three fugitives will escape notice.�

            ��What?�

            �Do you want a free lunch or not?�

***

            Two hours later, three fugitives were on the Lucy, sailing for the next island. �So where are you headed, �Mo?� Thorn inquired, reclining against the cabin.

            �I dunno. I�ve spent all my life it seems running away, I�ve not really thought about anything to run towards. What about you two?�

            Thorn�s companion, Lagromi Mellaw, youngest wife of the king of Muria Est, laughed. �Yeah, tell me about it. Since Thorn abducted me five weeks ago, we�ve almost constantly been on the move. My �husband� is definitely not pleased to have been robbed of his newest bride on his wedding night�we�ve been plagued by bounty seekers constantly.� She stretched luxuriously. �Mm, the weather here is so delicious. Muria Est, where I grew up, is always either frozen over or complete desert. It�s said that on the day I was born a Chinook wind blew down the mountains and melted all the snow on the ground, leaving green grass and frost blossoms in its wake.� She chuckled. �Luckily the Authority hadn�t yet reached our island, they would have surely denounced me for an Odd.� Cheno stiffened, but no one noticed. �They did a lot of that when they arrived, when I was one year old. That was their big Odd sweep, going to all the southern islands, converting, condemning�they took my mother. My father told me she could do great things; she was a healer. I guess she�s in some Authority factory now.�

            �Authority?� Thorn looked up from polishing the ship�s spyglass with the edge of her coat.

            Cheno spoke up. �Yeah. An offshoot of Caprisc�nism, as if the original weren�t enough. Authority stirs up most of the anti-Odd sentiment, which the Caprisc�n Council seems to turn a blind eye to. The Council keeps its hands clean, mostly, letting Authority officers and excitable villagers take care of any undesirables. The Authority is lead by the Six Lords. None see their faces, but their signet rings mark the seal of many a document. For minor things only one is needed, but for larger�the Conversion of the South had the seals and signatures of all six. I remember the Aunts talking about it, when I was two or three, not long after I�d arrived at the orphanage.�

            �You�re an orphan? Lagromi asked with interest. �Do you remember anything from before the orphanage?�

            For a moment the only sound was the lapping waves and the gentle breeze. Haltingly, Cheno spoke. �I remember�being held, feeling safe and being enveloped in soft warmth�I remember never being alone or scared. I remember vague colours, green and blue and purple and orange, and flavours, sweet icy milk, fresh buttery rolls, honeyed meats-�

            �Stop! You�re making me hungry!� Lagromi interrupted pitifully.

            �We just ate!� Thorn said, raising an eyebrow.

            �So?�

            �So you�d think being on the run for five weeks would teach you a little about living frugally.�

            �Hey, I may�ve been a fugitive for three weeks, but I haven�t lost my sense of taste!�

            �And excellent taste you have, I�m sure.�

            Lagromi grinned, trailing her fingers in the water lazily. She flicked some at Thorn, laughing. �Aren�t you hot in all that heavy black clothing? Both of you! I�m surprised you haven�t gotten heatstroke yet, and we�re going north. It�s only gonna get hotter from here on out, y�know. Shouldn�t a wise fugitive dress a little less conspicuously?�

            Cheno and Thorn shared a look. �We-ell�I guess so�� Cheno removed her outer cloak, tossing it into the small cabin of the boat, so just the sleeveless black top and canvas pants she�d worn at the concert remained. Thorn sighed and shrugged off the heavy coat, leaving just a black tee shirt and pants underneath. Then was unwrapped the headscarf, which had left everything to the imagination. Lifting her newly bared face to the sky, Thorn took a deep breath. Lagromi cleared her throat conspicuously, and Thorn shot her a venomous look.

            �What?�

            �Your hair.�

            Thorn reached up self-consciously. �What�s wrong with my hair?�

            �Please. That bun�s so tight it hurts me to look at it.�

            �So don�t!�

            �I�m just saying, you still look too much like you could be a vicious kidnapping bounty hunter on the run.�

�Gee, thanks.�

�You need a less�severe look.�

Grumbling, Thorn released her hair from its harsh bondage. It fell to just below her slender shoulders, and though it was nearly black, when it caught the sun it shimmered crimson. �Bleagh. See why I keep it tied up all the time? It�s such a pain.�

Lagromi and Cheno just looked at her like she was crazy. �I would kill for looks like yours.� Lagromi stated flatly.

�Hush,� Cheno said without inflection. �Killing is nothing to enter into lightly, even in jest.�

Lagromi looked at her quizzically, but Cheno had turned to the sea. Thorn nodded grimly. �Even bounty hunters like m�self know that. I only take contracts I think are just, and I always give thanks afterwards, for their deaths allow me to live. I kill them as quickly and painlessly as possible, and like the great carnivores of sea, forest, and plains, I kill little more than I need to survive.�

It was silent in the boat, as each turned inward, to her own thoughts. Clouds gathered swiftly, stealthily; a loud booming sounded from nearby, and the air was thick with rain. Two bedraggled, underdressed, and very wet girls glared at the third, who could only grin helplessly.