“I sweetened the pot by offering to not grant my fleet three days of shore leave.” “There’s a difference between that and sacking the town?” “Not much. The council took my point. You were a more fundamental bone of contention. To the tune of thirty thousand silver ryols.” Pen gasped, appalled. “That’s a prince’s ransom! Or, wait, no, were they demanding reparations…?” Adelis stared, then laughed. “Ah, no, Penric! I wouldn’t have offered a copper for that. No, that’s what they’re paying us to not leave you here.”
