‘Children!’ whispered one.

‘Blood!’ suggested another.

‘Thickleberry tarts,’ guessed the baker.

‘Spoiled boingy deer meat,’ drooled Vrod.

Many Quentarans remained at the harbour where one of the sky-traders waited with his craft, but he was less talkative than his captain.

Eventually the doors to the palace opened and the two sky-traders stood with the Grand Council on the steps.

Tab picked up the hooey ball and cradled it in her arms. Many of the children sat down cross-legged.

‘We have reached an agreement,’ Drass Nibhelline called out.

The crowd waited.

‘Captain Kel and the sky-traders will trade goods with us in return for us teaching them how to play Quentaran games.’

A doubtful murmur rippled through the crowd.

‘When you're in the sky a long time you get bored,’ Captain Kel explained. ‘My people start scrapping amongst themselves. New sports are an excellent way to pass time, and they are something we can trade with other cities. You might know something new that we haven't seen before. That's valuable to us.’

The people gathered in the square seemed unconvinced.

Captain Kel shrugged. ‘Adding games will do. Games with a wager. Joy tiles. Whatever you have.’

Philmon, Amelia and Tab smiled at each other. Tab had been worried about cities attacking, about war and fighting. Now she felt silly. ‘That's it? We're going to teach them how to play hooey?’

Ordered Hubbub

After Captain Kel and his crew returned to their skycity, the Archon invited Tab, Amelia and Philmon into the throne room.

Tab's eyes wandered across immense tablets, up the vast tapestries on the walls, and further up to the vaulted ceiling. The councillors sat around an intricately carved wooden table. Tab hoped she wasn't in trouble again. She wouldn't mind being yelled at in the street, but something about these walls made it seem as though her actions were being judged and recorded for all time.