31. A Galtish Love Song

Kinch, Galva, Norrigal, Malk, and the harpooner Gormalin reach a tiny, bird-swarmed island with their battered oar-boat hidden among rocks. Kinch despairs over missed deadlines and prays to Fothannon, immediately rewarded by a gull fouling him. With blindness lifting from Galva and Gormalin, a grim debate erupts over drinking urine to survive, which Galva rejects, forcing a fragile ceasefire of tempers.

Malk confronts Kinch about killing the poisoner Menrigo. Kinch proposes suspending their feud until landfall; Galva demands Malk apologize to Death. Recognizing Galva’s resolve, Malk grudgingly complies, and a pragmatic truce forms, preserving crew strength for any escape attempt.

Norrigal and Kinch scout and find a rain-filled rock basin for water. They also discover an old Gunnish skeleton hidden in a cleft, arrows lodged in the remains. Kinch pockets the silver and repurposes the warrior’s breastplate as a griddle and helmet as a pot, enabling boiled water and hot eggs despite Galva’s misgivings about dishonoring arms.

Kinch and Norrigal share playful flirtation and arrange to meet later, while the group settles into survival routines. Malk and Gormalin catch and slow-cook a large fish to eat at dawn. Under clear, cold stars, Norrigal leads a Galtish rebel song; Kinch and Malk join, and even Galva approves, a brief bond forming over defiance and memory.

As the camp drifts to sleep without formal watches—Galva nodding off for once—Kinch finally succumbs to exhaustion. The uneasy peace and fragile hope are broken when he awakens to the sound of shells, signaling a new threat or change.