‘Silence!’ Leftrin roared at the humans on his vessel. Then he leaned over the railing and glared at Mercor. ‘If you’ve a problem with me or any of my crew, then speak it to me and hold me responsible. Touch my ship again, any of you, and I’ll put a harpoon in you.’

‘Have you a harpoon?’ Mercor asked in such intense curiosity that Sintara heard someone, perhaps Thymara, give out a wildly nervous giggle before stifling herself.

The captain didn’t answer his question. ‘What is your grievance, dragon?’

‘Last night, one of your company came among us as we slept, and sought to do harm to Kalo. Not just harm, but to take from him blood and scales, to sell to other humans.’

Leftrin didn’t dispute the truth. ‘It wasn’t me or any member of my crew.’

‘Greft is no longer my keeper!’ Kalo roared this out. Sintara was ashamed for him. He did not cover the anger and hurt he felt. How humiliating, to admit that the human and his loyalty had mattered to him.

‘Very well.’ The captain’s anger was actually helping him behave as if he were calm. Sintara could almost see it shimmering around him. ‘Greft is no longer your keeper. I’ve no problem with that. I do have a problem with your battering my ship!’

Kalo opened his mouth wide. For a moment, Sintara feared he would release a venom mist. Of late, all of the serpents had acquired enough venom to be dangerous, but Kalo was largest of all and had always had a bad temper. He probably could release enough venom to kill every human aboard the Tarman as well as do extreme damage to the liveship. On the deck, some of the keepers were scrambling away in alarm. Leftrin crossed his arms on his chest and stood, legs splayed wide. Beside him, gritting her teeth so hard that they showed, Alise tucked her hand into his arm and stood beside him. As the keepers retreated to the stern of the ship, the crew moved forward to flank their captain. Even Tarman knew he was too ponderous to flee such an attack. She sensed one lash of his hidden tail and then the liveship stood his ground, facing Kalo.

Just as Sintara gathered her muscles to slam into him and spoil his aim, Kalo tucked his head into his chest. She winced, imagining the burn of Kalo’s swollen poison glands as he denied them release. Then he slowly lifted his head. ‘I demand a new keeper,’ he said harshly. ‘One of my own choosing.’

Most of the keepers had mustered their courage and were creeping forward to watch the confrontation. She saw Thymara in the forefront. At her elbow, Sylve looked heartsick. Her eyes clung to Mercor, begging him not to make her choose between the dragons and her human companions. Foolish, foolish girl. If she did not stand by the dragon, she stood to lose everything.

Thymara showed no sign of such schism. She looked at Sintara, her mouth a flat line. She’d expected something like this, Sintara decided. She looked at the girl, at her defiant glare, and found that it pleased her. Yes. Thymara had long recognized what she was, and had expected the dragons to behave as dragons.

Leftrin had glanced back over his shoulder at the keepers assembling on the deck behind him. ‘That’s keeper business.’ He spoke flatly. ‘It has nothing to do with my boat or my crew. That’s for you to discuss with the keepers.’

‘All the keepers are taken,’ Kalo responded. ‘There were never enough to begin with.’

‘I have no keeper!’ the silver dragon suddenly bellowed. ‘Am I not a dragon? Where is the one who will serve me?’

‘Silence!’ Kalo roared at him. ‘This is my time, lump!’

In response, Spit flung his head back. Sintara knew what would come next and saw with absolute clarity that his venom would hit not just Kalo but that the drift would encompass the ship and keepers as well. Thymara had reached the railing and was staring in horror.

Sintara and Mercor hit Spit simultaneously, crashing into the smaller silver dragon from both sides. She feared the water would not be deep enough, but they both bore him down and succeeded in submerging him. His venom sprayed, silver-grey, into the water. All around them, dragons were trumpeting in anger and dismay as they moved hastily away from the spreading toxins. The current here was not swift. As it spread visibly in the water, Tarman raised himself on his stumpy legs and scuttled sideways to avoid it, dragging his anchor after him. On board the ship, Captain Leftrin was roaring threats of vengeance at Spit while the keepers and crew shouted in dismay and fear. For a time, noise and disorder prevailed. Then, as Spit struggled to his feet, Mercor clamped his jaws on the smaller dragon’s throat. He dragged him upright and spoke through his teeth. ‘Will you keep the peace while we speak, or shall I kill you now?’

Spit rolled his eyes wildly. Mercor’s threat was unprecedented. He had no right: this was no battle for a mate. But none of the other dragons offered him support in any way. Even so, Spit did not concede. His trumpeting was strangled but his thoughts reached them all. ‘I’ve a right to a keeper! More right than Kalo! He did not teach his keeper proper respect and now he discards him and demands a new one. When I have not had one at all! Is this fair? Is this just?’

Mercor did not relax his grip. On the contrary, he lifted his head even higher, stretching Spit’s silver throat. The smaller dragon made a noise, a sound that was pain but not surrender. Mercor growled through his teeth. ‘You have not been neglected. My own tender spent hours upon you, as did others, grooming you and bringing you meat at a time when you were scarcely better than a riverpig. No one owes you anything. I release you now. Keep silence until Kalo has finished. Then speak your words. But if you spit venom again, or try, I will kill you and eat your memories.’

Disdainfully, he flung the smaller dragon aside. Spit splashed into the shallow water, righted himself, scrabbled away and then turned back to face them all. He tucked his head tight to his neck, a threatening gesture as if he were filling his poison sacs. When Mercor turned slowly to stare at him, the smaller dragon rumbled quietly but lifted his head. There were angry glints of red in his spinning silver gaze. Trickles of blood ran down his neck, outlining his scales in scarlet.

Kalo slowly moved closer to the Tarman. The blue-black dragon had grown since they’d left Trehaug. He now looked down on the ship and the humans aboard it when he stood alongside it. ‘I require a keeper,’ he said quietly.

Leftrin stood his ground. ‘All the keepers are spoken for, unless you wish to take Greft back into your service.’

From the stern of the boat, Greft shouted angrily, ‘I will serve no dragon!’

Jerd had been standing beside him. She gave him a look the dragon could not read, and then walked away to join the cluster of keepers who stood at the railing looking anxiously at their dragons.

Sintara was shocked when Thymara lifted her hand. ‘Kalo! I will serve you, if it will mean no harm to this ship or the humans aboard him. Sintara has indicated her dissatisfaction with me more than once. Still, I have continued to hunt what meat I could, and to groom her as she requests. This I will do for you, also, if it brings peace to us.’

‘And what about me?’ Spit demanded furiously before Kalo could even reply. Several dragons turned to hiss at him warningly.

But before Kalo could speak further, Sintara surged forward. She lifted her head to pin Thymara with a glare. ‘I have not released you from my service, human.’ She turned to face Kalo, who had looked intrigued by the girl’s offer. ‘This girl is not free for your choosing. She is of my blood and my shaping. You cannot have her.’

‘Of your blood!’ Thymara sounded outraged. ‘You have not given blood to me, nor spoken to me of shaping.’

‘Nonetheless, you have had my blood and I am aware of your shaping. I do not need to speak to you if I do not choose to do so! This one is mine, Kalo. I keep her. Choose another.’