place.
“A word or two, sir. Harmless enough.”
“Har, I be sure o’ that! A cute little specimen of her
species, though not marketable in her present condition,
fears I. A consequence of noncooperation.” Jon-Tom said
nothing, scrubbed harder, trying to push the brush through
the wood.
“That’s it, boy. Scrub well and we’ll see to giving you a
chance to entertain us when you’ve finished.” He shared a
laugh with the helmsman. “Though not the kind you
think, no. The two of you can entertain us together.”
“I wouldn’t get under that whey-faced stringbean if you
shot me with pins,” Folly snapped.
Corroboc turned that merciless eye on his prisoner.
“Now, what make you think you’d be having any choice
in the matter, Folly? It’ll be a pleasant thing to work out
the geometry of it.” He lashed out suddenly with his one
good foot. The sharp claws cut twin bloody gouges up her
thigh and she let out a soft cry.
Jon-Tom dug his fingernails into the wood of the brush.
“That be better now, and we’ll be having no more
arguments, will we?” Folly clung to the shadows and
THE DAY OF THE DISSONANCE
123
whimpered, holding her injured leg. “You’ve been disap-
pointment enough to me. As soon as we make land I’ll rid
myself of you, and I’ll make certain your buyer is of a
similar mind when it comes to staging entertainments.
Then perhaps you’ll yearn for the good old days back
aboard Corroboc’s ship, har?” He turned back to the deck
cleaners.
“Keep at it, slime.” He addressed his helmsman. “When
they’ve finished the deck, run them forward and set them