Astra is Questioned

"Where was your ship headed for, dokta?" Granny asked. One of the men could not suppress a chuckle at this strapping, six foot tall, young woman being addressed as "little girl", but Granny quelled him with a glance. She went on: "Were you outward bound from Foggy Island or on your way home?"

"Outward bound. I was on my way to visit my sister, who has married a man from one of the Eastern Kingdoms and has settled there."

"Ah, you must mean what we in these parts call the Trans-Hespanic states. Which one were you visiting, and which port would you have disembarked at?"

Once again Astra wished that she had paid more attention to her geography lessons. The only port in any of the Eastern Kingdoms that she could remember was Petrona. Now which of the Kingdoms was that in? She was fairly sure that it was Torbus. "I was visiting Torbus. The ship's destination was the port of Petrona."

"Why did the ship sink? We have had no storms recently. Tell me what happened."

Astra wondered what story to tell. It must not involve any wreckage being left on the shore, for this village was not all that far inland and they would be sure to send someone to look for the wreck. "I was asleep in my cabin, when I was woken by the smell of smoke. The ship was on fire! We must have had a very combustible cargo, I think. Though the passageway from my cabin was full of smoke, I managed to find my way up to the deck. It was just before dawn, but there was plenty of light from the flames, for the ship was already well ablaze. I saw no-one else. I don't know if they had already abandoned ship or had been trapped below by the fire. It was too dangerous to delay, so I immediately jumped over the side. There was just enough light to see the land a mile or so away. Luckily I am a strong swimmer, and I managed to make it to the shore."

"What was the name of your vessel? We have few dealings with the authorities, but if a ship has been lost then they must be informed."

That was unwelcome news for Astra. Still, it would no doubt take quite some time for a message to reach the authorities from this remote region, and by then with any luck she would be long gone.

1. Remembering the ship that Gilder had told Fred that he was being deported on, [21858] she answered: "The Bloated Seal."
2. She chose a name at random.

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