"Do you believe him?" asked Atalanta in a hushed voice, yet her words seemed to thunder through the quiet darkness.

She and Damon lay in their bed, now several hours into the night. Damon stirred to Atalanta's right as if resentfully waking, but she knew he had been awake. Sure enough, Damon soon rolled on his back to face the grey form of his wife, propping his head up on his arm to address her.

"Four Navy boats happen upon a marauder craft from all directions, then smash the vessel to pieces and scatter the sea with the bodies rather than enslave them. But Laertes remains alive to be returned to us by a Captain who has few ties with Gavdos? Attos is a mighty pirate. He inspires men and cripples enemies like no other. But there's no stealth in the man's thinking, he's so confident in his own abilities that there's no need for stealth," replied Damon flatly, his eyes fixed upon the spot where he guessed Atalanta's eyes might be looking back at him.

Atalanta's chest rose and deflated in rapid succession, thereafter a sigh escaped through her nostrils with a rush of air. "But that's so apparent, it's hard to believe one would dare be assured enough to beat one of our own, then return him to us and with an expectation of help."

"That's Attos perfectly!" said Damon impatiently. "Laertes is the plot for an assualt of Crete, and showing him damaged to us allows us to demand revenge. I hear rumors that he has brough similar deceptions to the other villages as well, telling them stories or something as such. As an outsider here I had to learn of the rancor shared here for the Cretans. Their wealth has been mighty compared to the simple means of this isle, and their ships have long sent of our islanders to the blue deeps or into captivity. All our Captains wish to plunder them, yet so near are we that the threat of their retribution hangs upon all. The island would be overrun, the communities dispersed into bondage, and the families are lost to one another."

Damon reached forward with his free hand and sought his wife's hair. Once found, he began to twist the locks about his fingers.

"Attos has both the blindness and notoriety to seize upon our envy and bend for his own greed. Alone we fear the Cretans, but with his guidance the unease lifts and the impossible seems real. With our numbers combined we are enough to overwhelm the Cretans in Phaistos and pillage the city. Attos shall sail east or west, and the Gavdos raiders return to be swept away when the Navy arrives."

Damon had thought Atalanta would have considered this scenario on her own, and in all probability she had, but her intentions were to hear Damon speak of it himself. If he joined Attos he agreed to obliterate the life of his family, his friends, and his community. Around him the entire island readied for the assualt, and Damon's crew yearned for his announcement of their preparations for sail. If he denied them, they would sail with another.

Neither husband nor wife achieved sleep for the remainder of the night, though they spoke no more and retreated to their respective portions of the bed. Their son Cilix would awake the following morn to Atalanta's protests as Damon spoke of his decision to join the fleet. He had not told her of the correspondence he'd received from a Cretan who had once been his crew.