She had her sword in one hand and her pistol in the other, though she was still dressed like a princess.“Do you know who it is?” I asked.The smell of smoke was everywhere.“Not any of the Hariri allies that I know about.”I slumped with relief, dropping my sword to my side.“They’re here because of Saida,” she said. “The Aja merchants always bring out the best jewelry and silks when she comes to visit.” Marjani took a deep breath. “Her guards have taken the queen’s ship. I told her we’d take the Nadir.”“As privateers?” I frowned. “Are we gonna have to swear allegiance to Jokja and all that?”Marjani scowled. “Does it matter? And not officially, no.” She jerked her head in direction of the shore. “Those pirates are going to try and take the Nadir once they’ve finished sacking the shore anyway.”That was probably true.We didn’t have much crew on the Nadir – most of ’em were on shore, and so we just had the few scoundrels who got stuck with the second shift.
