The Diamond Throne

had given him and counted silver into the riverman’s grimy hand. The man’s single eye came alight when he saw the pouch.
    They boarded the boat and tethered their horses amidships as the three sailors slipped the hawsers, pushed the boat out into the current, and raised the single, slanted sail. The river was sluggish, and the stiff onshore breeze blowing in off the Arcian Strait pushed them upstream against the current at a goodly speed.
    ‘Watch yourselves,’ Sparhawk muttered to his companions as they unsaddled their mounts. ‘Our captain appears to be an independent businessman with his eye open for opportunities.’ He walked aft to where the one-eyed man stood at the tiller. ‘I want you to keep as close to shore as you can,’ he said.
    ‘What for?’ The captain’s lone eye became suddenly wary
    ‘My sister’s afraid of water,’ Sparhawk improvised. ‘If I give you the word, put your boat up against the bank so that she can get off.’
    ‘You’re paying.’ The captain shrugged. ‘We’ll do it any way you like’
    ‘Do you run at night?’ Sparhawk asked him.
    The captain shook his head. ‘Some do, but I don’t. There are too many snags and hidden rocks for my taste. We moor up against the bank when it gets dark.’
    ‘Good. I like prudence in a sailor. It makes for safer journeys –which brings up a point.’ He opened the front of his robe to reveal his mail coat and the heavy broadsword belted at his side ‘Do you get my meaning?’ he asked.
    The captain’s face clouded with chagrin. ‘You have no right to threaten me on my own boat,’ he blustered.
    ‘As you said before, I’m paying. Your crew looks a little undependable to me, Captain, and your own face isn’t one to inspire trust.’
    The captain’s face grew sullen. ‘You don’t have to be insulting,’ he said.
    ‘If I’ve misjudged you, I’ll apologize later. We have certain valuables with us and we’d prefer to keep them. My friends and I will sleep on the foredeck. You and your men can sleep aft. I trust that won’t inconvenience you too much?’
    ‘Aren’t you being a little overcautious?’
    ‘Nervous times, neighbour. Nervous times. Remember, when we tie up to the bank for the night, keep your men on the aft deck – and warn them against sleepwalking. A boat can be a very dangerous place for that sort of thing, and I’m a light sleeper.’ He turned and walked back forward.
    The river banks on either side were covered with thick, rank vegetation, though the hills rising behind those narrow strips of green were barren and rock-strewn. Sparhawk and his friends sat on the foredeck, keeping a careful eye on the captain and his sailors and watching for any signs of unusual-looking weather. Flute sat astride the bowsprit playing her pipes while Sparhawk spoke quietly with Sephrenia and Kurik. Sephrenia already knew the customs of the country, so Sparhawk’s instruction was directed primarily at his squire. He cautioned him about the many minor things that could be taken as personal insults and about other things that were considered sacrilegious.
    ‘Who made up all these stupid rules?’ Kurik demanded.
    ‘Eshand,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘He was crazy, and crazy people take great comfort in rituals.’ ‘Anything else?’
    ‘One other thing. If you should happen to encounter any sheep, you have to step aside for them.’
    ‘Say that again?’ Kurik’s tone was incredulous.
    ‘It’s very important, Kurik.’
    ‘You’re not serious!’
    ‘Deadly serious. Eshand was a shepherd when he was a boy and he used to go absolutely wild when someone rode through his flock. When he came to power, he announced that God had revealed to him that sheep were holy animals and that everyone had to give way to them.’
    ‘That’s crazy, Sparhawk,’ Kurik protested.
    ‘Of course it is. It’s the law here, though.’
    ‘Isn’t it strange how the Elene God’s revelations always seem to coincide exactly with the prejudices of His prophets?’ Sephrenia murmured.
    ‘Do they do anything at all like normal people?’ Kurik asked.
    ‘Not many things, no.’
    As the sun went down, the captain moored his boat against the river bank, and he and his sailors spread pallets on the aft deck. Sparhawk rose and went amidships. He laid his hand on Faran’s neck. ‘Stay awake,’ he told the big roan. ‘If someone starts creeping around in the middle of the night, let me know about it.’
    Faran bared his teeth and shifted