Ranger's Apprentice 3 & 4 Bindup by John Flanagan Page A

unexpected arrival of Slagor’s vessel, Wolf Fang , made life even more unpleasant on Skorghijl.
    The crowded living conditions were now worse than ever, with two crews crammed into the space designed for one. And with the crowding came fighting. Skandians weren’t used to long hours of inactivity, so they filled their time with drinking and gambling – an almost certain recipe for trouble. When the members of one crew were involved, the disagreements that arose were usually settled quickly and forgotten. But the separate loyalties of the two crews inflamed the situation so that arguments flared, tempers were lost and, at times, weapons were drawn before Erak could intervene.
    It was noticeable, Will thought, that Slagor never raised his voice to quell the fights. The more he saw of Wolf Fang ’s captain, the more he realised that the man had little real authority and commanded minimal respect from the otherSkandians. Even his own crew worked for pay, not out of any sense of loyalty.
    The work for Will and Evanlyn had doubled, of course. There was twice as much cooking, serving and cleaning to be done now. And twice as many Skandians to demand that they take care of any other job that needed doing. But at least they had retained their living space. The lean-to was too cramped for any of the massive Skandians to even consider co-opting it for their own use. That was one compensation for having been captured by giants, Will thought.
    But it was more than just the fighting and the extra work that had made life miserable for Will and Evanlyn. The news of the mysterious Vallasvow taken by Ragnak had been devastating for the princess. Her life was now at risk and the slightest mistake, the slightest incautious word, from either of them could mean her death. She pleaded with Will to be careful, to continue to treat her as an equal, as he always had before she told him her real identity. The least sign of deference on his part, the smallest gesture of respect, might well raise suspicions and spell the end for her.
    Naturally, Will assured her that he would guard her secret. He schooled himself never to think of her as Cassandra, but always to use the name Evanlyn, even in his thoughts. But the more he tried to avoid the name, the more it seemed to want to spring unbidden to his tongue. He lived in constant fear that he would inadvertently betray her.
    The bad feeling between them, borne out of boredom and frustration as much as anything, had melted away inthe face of this new and very real danger. They were allies and friends again, and their resolve to help and support each other regained the strength and conviction that they had enjoyed in their brief time in Celtica.
    Of course, Evanlyn’s plan for ransom was now totally destroyed. She could hardly reveal herself to a man who had sworn to kill every member of her family. That realisation, coupled with her own natural resentment at being forced to do menial, unpleasant work, made her life on Skorghijl miserable. The one bright spot in her life was Will – always cheerful, always optimistic, always encouraging. She noticed how he unobtrusively took the worst, messiest jobs for himself whenever possible and she was grateful for it. Thinking back on the way she had treated him a few days earlier, she felt ashamed. But when she tried to apologise – and she was straightforward enough to admit that she had been in the wrong – he dismissed it with a laugh.
    â€˜We’re all a little cabin crazy,’ he said. ‘The sooner we get away, the better.’
    He still planned to escape, and she realised she must accompany him. She knew he had something in mind, but he was still working on his plan and so far he hadn’t told her the details.
    For now, the evening meal was over and there was a massive sack full of wooden platters, spoons and mugs to clean in the sea water and fine gravel at the water’s edge. Sighing, she bent to pick them up. She