Among Wolves. Nancy Wallace K.

father had me follow you. I called to you from outside the dormitory when you ran down the steps. You must not have heard me.”

      So the protection his father had assigned him had started immediately, even before he’d left the city of Coreé. Devin found it odd.

      Marcus paused, Gaspard slung over his shoulder like a sack of grain. “You’re certain Gaspard still wants to go?”

      “We haven’t spoken since this morning…” Devin said, suddenly unsure he was doing the right thing.

      Marcus made the decision for him. “We’ll take him with us. If he decides to return, your father will pay his passage back. Go now. You’ll be late.”

      “What time is it?” Devin asked.

      “Nearly five,” Marcus told him.

      “The ship…”

      “Will wait,” Marcus replied “You father’s seen to that.”

      Devin smiled. This morning there seemed to be some advantages to being the Chancellor’s son.

      Even though the sun had yet to rise, the docks in the harbor swarmed with activity. The Marie Lisette sat low in the water, her hold filled with Sorrento wine bound for the Northern Provinces. Marcus carried Gaspard aboard while Devin gathered their belongings from the carriage. He turned to see his father ride up on his dappled gray gelding.

      “I decided to see you off,” Vincent Roché said, drawing his coat closer around him. “It’s a cold morning to be heading north, son. You’ll keep an eye on the weather?”

      “Of course. But we have to visit the Northern Provinces first; they’ll be snowbound again by the first of September,” Devin said, even though he’d left his father their proposed itinerary.

      “Just be careful and listen to Marcus. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

      “I will,” Devin replied. “I hadn’t expected to see you this morning.”

      “I have a small gift,” his father said, extending a package.

      Devin laughed, pleased that he’d come. “I thought you’d already given me Marcus.”

      “Marcus is going with you to ease my concerns.” He held the package out again. “Open it.”

      Devin tore the brown paper away to reveal a cloak of russet suede.

      “A storyteller’s cloak?” he gasped in surprise.

      “You’ve always wanted one,” his father said, guiding his horse in closer as a wagon pulled by to unload. “You’ll need it if you’re going to collect all fifteen symbols.”

      “Thank you,” Devin murmured. “I’d planned to purchase one in Arcadia but this will mean so much more.”

      His father smiled. “It’s a peace offering. I didn’t want you to think that I agreed with the Council members who would have prevented this trip.” He glanced around them. “Where’s Gaspard?”

      Devin sighed. “In his cabin. Marcus has already proven invaluable.” He told him briefly what had happened.

      “I’d better let René know, Dev. You can’t go, and let him think his son has disappeared. I won’t mention that he didn’t leave under his own power. That’s between the two of you.”

      They both glanced up at the same time and saw the Captain waiting at the top of the gangplank. “You’d better go, son, we’ve held your ship up long enough.”

      Devin nodded, suddenly reluctant to leave. “Give Mother my love.”

      “I didn’t tell her I was coming to see you off. She’s feeling quite fragile this morning. She would have begged you to stay.”

      “It’s difficult to say ‘no’ to her.”

      “I’m well aware of that!” his father said with a laugh, backing his horse away. “Have a good trip, Devin. Stay safe.”

      “You too,” he called after him. He turned then, not wanting to watch him go, and walked toward the Marie Lisette.

      The Captain welcomed Devin aboard himself, first bowing then shaking his hand.

      “I’m sorry I’ve given you a late start,” Devin apologized, before he’d stepped off the gangplank.

      Captain Torrance smiled, handing Devin the key to his cabin. “Don’t worry. Your father made it worth my while. I hope your friend will feel better by this evening. We put him in the cabin next to yours.”

      Devin couldn’t shake the nagging doubt that, perhaps, he’d forced Gaspard to accompany him when he’d decided otherwise. Obviously, Gaspard had made the decision to walk away from any chance of passing his exams and staying on at the Académie. Perhaps, he’d changed his mind about visiting the provinces, too. Devin carried his knapsack down into the hold, passing by the cabin the Captain had assigned to him, and going into Gaspard’s instead.

      His friend lay sound asleep, snoring loudly. His face had been washed, the cut doctored and bandaged. Someone had even strapped him in his bunk, a basin in easy reach on the table. The Northern channel of the Dantzig was notoriously rough when the snow melt had swelled its course. They weren’t in for an easy ride.

      The door opened behind him and Devin stepped aside in the tiny space.

      “Gaspard’s fine,” Marcus assured him. “Go up on deck and get some fresh air! When he starts to puke, he won’t want you hanging around. Let the man have a little privacy.”

      Devin nodded, secretly glad to escape sickroom duty. He’d been planning this departure for months. But last night his father’s concern and Gaspard’s irresponsibility had dampened his enthusiasm. Here with the ship bobbing under his feet he felt the rush of excitement return. He stopped to drop his knapsack on the bunk in his own cabin and went back up on deck.

      In the first flush of dawn, the lines were being untied and two tug boats were moving into place to tow them out into the main channel. The wind pulled at the edges of the furled sails and ruffled the water. Whitecaps topped the waves. He stood at the prow, with the wind in his hair, and laughed. This was what he’d waited for, Devin thought. This was the beginning of an adventure!

       CHAPTER 3

       The Marie Lisette

      The first mate tapped his shoulder.

      “Move to the forecastle if you want to watch, monsieur. When we hoist the sails, these booms will start to swing. You could be knocked overboard before anyone has a chance to warn you.”

      Devin nodded, embarrassed that he hadn’t known better. He’d had no experience with ships and he had sought out the first deck available. He found steps to another level, and stationed himself out of harm’s way on the upper deck with a good view of their course.

      Devin had the forecastle to himself. The Marie Lisette only carried seven travelers besides himself, Marcus, and Gaspard. The others must have boarded last night, he thought, and were still lingering below deck, sleeping through their departure. Devin enjoyed the solitude, watching as the huge ship made its way out of the harbor. They might have been on the eastern coast of the empire. The Dantzig’s waters stretched beyond the horizon in three directions, dividing Llisé nearly in half. Six provinces bordered the eastern side of the Dantzig, separating them from its culture and learning as effectively as an ocean. The Rhine provided almost as great a barrier for the eight provinces to the west. Only Arcadia connected by land to Viénne, the capital province, but the mountain ranges between proved a formidable impediment even in the summer months.

      To