It was irrational of me to consider myself dirty from a mere gaze. The warm water in the shower helped quell my shivering, though I needed a lot of it.

As soon as I recovered most of my composure, I stepped out of the shower and dried myself.

On the bed was a bundle of fresh clothes with a faint scent of acidic fruit. The gown was resplendent crimson satin with pearly white decorative embroidery. It was a bit too small for me, but the train made the huge hem reach the floor. Still, I had to tighten my corset to fit inside, and around the shoulders it remained quite cramped. Presumably I wasn't supposed to lift my arms while wearing it.

I arranged my still wet hair in an imitation of a loose boudoir coiffure. There was no makeup, so I applied a bit of soot from the incense burner to my eyelids.

Ayimun could have made our little encounter much worse for me. I wasn't grateful, merely relieved. The man had a reason to despise me, even outside the mild treason I had committed. In more ways than one, I hadn't been suitable material to become a 'lady'. But poor breeding and unwholesome education wasn't going to stop me from doing my best to be a deserving wife.

The door was knocked. A man spoke: "Lady Usinilim? You are expected at the main deck."

Servants swarmed the enclosed terrace, which overlooked the restless sea at the aft of the ship. With associate Ayimun sat Bemariq. My husband's shoulders were slumped in a posture of a forlorn pet.

My heart jumped inside my chest. "Bem?"

Bemariq lifted his gaze. "Sirin!" He jerked forward, but after a glance at Ayimun didn't stand up.

"Take a seat, lady Usinilim", Ayimun said.

There was no place next to Bemariq, so I was forced leave Ayimun between us. A small object glinted in my husband's fidgeting hands. My ring.

I had to turn my eyes away. Staring into Ayimun restrained scowl was easier.

"Are you ready to discuss your recent visitations?" Ayimun asked me.

I sighed. The mess I had cooked myself into wasn't going to fix itself with more lies.

"I admit I visited the acting ambassador of the Jaan", I said. "And the Lauded Researcher ni Salng. Both agreed, that in order to avoid a destructive war, the vault should be deemed inaccessible for the time being by an international accord."

"You have no say in that", snapped Ayimun.

Bemariq lifted his gaze. "Is this really true, Sirin? After all we have done here, you'd just leave the vault reburied?"

"Even if your plan worked out, nothing would happen in an instant. You wouldn't be able to stop the Jaan and the Conglomerate from fighting over the facility."

Ayimun snorted. "Associate Bemariq. My friend. Your wife can't be said to be an expert on international power balances. Trust me, when I say, that the Conglomerate is more than capable of answering any provocation from the Directory. They will not stop you from completing your work."

"This isn't ideal, but..." Bemariq squeezed my ring inside his fist. "I'm sorry, Sirin. I can't give up. Not now."

"Lady Usinilim." Ayimun turned to me. "Based on what your husband has explained to me, we could still use your help. Such service would wash away this unpleasant talk of 'treason'."

I shook my head. "No. I'll be a traitor, if I can keep my husband. Bemariq, please. I need you."

My husband glanced at me. His mouth quivered, and his eyes darted to stare into the ocean. "Sirin, I..."

"She's not essential." Ayimun stood up. "We must leave. The operation will commence presently, and the time frame will be tight."

"What operation?" I demanded.

"Come now, associate Bemariq. Great deeds await." Ayimun turned to a servant. "Make sure the lady remains comfortable and secure."

Bemariq stood up and turned away from me. I bit my tongue to stifle a wail unbecoming of a lady.

My head throbbed enough to cloud my vision, as I was led back to the cabin. Bemariq had chosen his work over me. Faulting him for that was immensely selfish of me, yet I couldn't help it.

The first impulse in my mind was to jump on the bed and scream into a pillow. It wouldn't do any good, however.

In order to let out my worst frustration, I grabbed the seams on my gown's shoulder and ripped them open. I did the same to the other side. My arms could move freely. I picked up a white pelt from a couch and wrapped it around my shoulders as an improvised fur shawl.

I missed my auxiliary skin. With it I could have run out. The cabin window was too small to escape, even had I been half my size. The door would be guarded by a man smart enough not to fall for any prisoner ploys. Those only worked in chip dreadfuls, anyhow. To escape, I had to be more than a captive.

The only tool I had left was the audacity implicit to my supposed station.

I kicked off my heeled shoes and knocked on the door. "I am hungry to the point of fainting. As a state of affairs, this is beyond intolerable."

"Food can be delivered to you, lady Usinilim."

"That would not do! All this musty fabric stifles the air."

"Associate Ayimun was explicit that you should be kept safe."

"I am sure that this exalted personage in question did not assume you were unable to handle the security of one feeble woman, without a door between her and you. Now, take me to the restaurant so I may dine in dignity."

To my surprise, the lock whirred open. The footman outside bowed and gestured me to follow. I did so, mimicking the deliberate gait of wearing heels. Fortunately the floor was softly carpeted, so the sound didn't give me away.

The footman rounded a corner. I ran straight, towards the outer deck.

"Hey!" the man yelled. "Stop her!"

A servant at the door retained his confused look but reached for me and caught my shoulder. I twisted, and only the fur shawl remained in the man's hand.

I reached the deck, but both directions had sailors and liveried men. Experience told me that they wouldn't be likely to entertain the idea that I might have a perfectly legitimate reason to run around without shoes.

The grey sea was dizzyingly far below. I climbed the rail and closed my eyes. The impact would only hurt for a moment. I leaned forwards and slipped from the rail.

Air roared past me. I straightened my frame just in time to hit the hard water. The precious breath was punched from my lungs.

Around me, the sea was a stinging cold blackness. Agony pulsed from my bones. The huge gown trapped my legs. I had moments before it would soak and drag me down.

I swam upwards. As I sunk after each of my strokes, the hem expanded. I must have looked like a huge clumsy sea mollusc, but I reached the surface.

Gasping for air, I looked for the harbour with my blurred eyes. Somewhere, men shouted, but I couldn't hear the words.

The short dive had sapped my strength. I had to float on my back and concentrate on staying above the water. The shallow breaths allowed by my over-tight corsets weren't enough, but my attempts to open my bodice failed. Already my fingers were stiff from cold.

The escape wasn't working out quite as smooth as I had hoped. In fact, I was about to drown, the faster the more I struggled.

Water splashed outside my vision.

"Stay... still", a man said.

Bemariq. He hadn't abandoned me. I allowed my rescuer to wrap his arms around my shoulders. With strong kicks of an experienced swimmer, he pulled me to a pier.

I clutched a ladder and turned to face inspector Ansis.

"Are you alright?" the Roluan asked.

For an instant my disappointment overpowered my desire to live. Luckily my hands were too stiff to let go of the ladder. "Yes... Thanks."

The few steps up the ladder were almost too much to my remaining strength. Sailors pulled me up, and I collapsed on the pier. I barely managed to fumble my bodice open and press the lump to loosen the corset.

Catching my breath took a while.

"What are you doing here?" I asked the inspector.

He smiled. "I received a report from our mutual friend that a young woman had been kidnapped at the gates of the Academy. Unfortunately the men guarding the Conglomerate ship did not allow me to step onboard for an inspection."

"I'm glad that it was you and not my people, who fished me out", I sat and tested my limbs. Though I ached all over, nothing was broken. "I'd be dragged back to the ship."

A sailor handed me a thick blanket. "That was quite a stunt, lady. People break bones from that height."

I wrapped the blanket around me and forced a confident smile on my face. "I have incidental experience on such escapes. Though not in a gown like this one."

Men in Conglomerate uniforms came running down the pier.

"I need to seek political asylum in Rolu", I said.

Ansis made a whimsical gesture. "The right to seek such asylum is thus granted. You are under our protection, lady Usinilim."

After a short exchange of hard words, in which I was too weary to participate, inspector Ansis and his men escorted me from the harbour. I stepped into the wheeled cart of the watch, but I couldn't sigh from relief yet.

"I need to get to the hills", I said.

"You need medical attention." Ansis tapped the side the cart. The driver in front manipulating the rope steering system, and the beasts in front grunted and groaned into a brisk walk.

"There's no time for that." I shivered in my clammy clothes. Unlike a proper carriage, the Roluan cart wasn't warm inside. "The Conglomerate is trying to get back inside the vault through a secondary entrance. I suspect they have attacked the Jaan to steal the equipment they need."

"To risk a war with the Directory..." Ansis shook his head. "Official response from the Roluan government will take too long. Could you, lady Usinilim, de-escalate this?"

"My ability to do anything useful is slight. I want to keep my husband safe. If he refused the cooperate with the Conglomerate, that might buy time for a diplomatic solution."

The inspector rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's better than nothing. I do detest sending you into danger, mere moments after helping you out of it."

The cart stopped at the a station of the city watch. Inspector Ansis hurried inside and came back with a set of oversized men's outfit for me. He told the driver to do as I said and bid me good luck.

I changed into the dry clothes, while the cart rumbled out of Heva and towards the ragged heights of the inland hills.