It was a tricky situation, that much was obvious. Ducarte had to allow the ferry to run; it was a good investment - L'Olius had made sure of that. Yes, there were bridges across the Sil in other spots, but out in the estuary, a ferry was a logical solution. And, now that the Atwi were land-locked, letting them operate the barge was a solution for everyone. It allowed the natives to have a base where they could access the sea, and it ensured that the connection was managed by a neutral party. So what if they had turned it into an impromptu marketplace? It helped to keep his ticket sales up. And there were all sorts there; barber-surgeons, native artists, fishermen, tattooists, livestock sellers, and those who trade in goods best exchanged in international waters... No, what really worried Ducarte was that it was L'Olius himself who had proposed the connection. The man had been his friend for a dozen long years, and his enemy for six short months. And during those dozen long years, Rodrigo Ducarte had learned well that forgiveness was not something that Cristóbal Diego L'Olius gave without extracting a heavy price.