36. A Death of Seagulls

Imprisoned in the goblin hold, Kinch averts his gaze as the crew moves to butcher the harpooner. To spare the old man terror, Kinch, Malk, and Norrigal sing the Pigdenay Round until the killing and salting are done, then succumb to exhaustion and horror.

Kinch wakes to silence, warmth of luck returning, and the absence of the old steam-maker. The ship rolls oddly and gulls cry above—strange, since goblins hate gulls. Finding their cage unlocked and the gaoler collapsed in vomit, Kinch arms himself and scouts the deck, where he discovers the crew dying or dead from violent sickness.

The goblin wizard, still alive, praises the captives’ supposed trick, but Kinch shoots him mid-sentence to prevent sorcery. Dead gulls near pools of sick confirm Kinch’s deduction: poison. He thanks Fothannon for the turn of fortune and laughs into the rising storm before Norrigal summons him below.

Below, Bully the cat has reappeared and has scratched Norrigal when she reached for the salt grinder—now revealed as the poisoned source. Kinch and Norrigal tacitly accept a “mysterious and wonderful” rescue, implying Bully’s role and Norrigal’s daring. With Malk’s feeble guidance through the storm’s tail, they manage the goblin ship; Galva, injured, mostly rests. Their single fresh-water barrel is fouled, and they survive by wringing rain from sails.

As thirst worsens, Kinch and Norrigal share a quiet, tender moment under vast stars, trading doubts and reassurance. On the second day, sails appear: a Middlesea warship. Though allies of Holt, it sees only a goblin vessel. Smoke signals firedarts being prepared; treaty or not, the Middlers mean to burn them.