The Verrhader was not a magic ship. It was a Kerch trader, its hold bursting with millet and molasses. It stank of unwashed bodies and the raw onions the sailors claimed would prevent scurvy. Its crew spat and swore and gambled for rum rations. The bread the boy and the girl were given spilled weevils, and their cabin was a cramped closet they were forced to share with two other passengers and a barrel of salt cod.
Guess what kind of story this is? That’s right: a seafaring adventure. This is not exactly what one normally things of when one things of a fantasy story that is also a something a science fiction story. Nor can one say that the novel which preceded this entry in the series is a seafaring adventure. This is the second paragraph of the Before which is a non-fancy way of saying Prologue. Sometimes a Prologue—or a Before, if you will—has nothing to do with the actual story. That is most certainly not the case here. This paragraph could almost come right out of a19th century novel if one were to, say, change spilled weevils to something more appropriate. This puts Siege and Storm into quite a distinct contrast with the novel preceding it which kicked off this fantasy series.
“So one day you decided to cast off your life of luxury and try your hand at playing pirate?”
“Privateer. And I wasn’t playing at anything.”
The names may not mean anything to anyone unfamiliar with the story, but here is the entire plot in a nutshell. Of course, that is hyperbolic, but actually not too far off the market. And, of course, this quote reveals that the novel is not merely a rollicking seafaring story, but it has pirates! Or, as Sturmhond would prefer it, privateers. Pirates see themselves as privateers the way that terrorists see themselves as freedom fighters. Or vice versa. Sturmhond is the key character introduced in this follow-up to Shadow and Stone and it is not just on the subject of privacy in which he is ambiguous.
“Watch yourself, Nikolai. Princes bleed just like other men.”
“Yes. They just do it in better clothes.”
Here’s the thing about Mal: he is exactly the thing he accuses Sturmhond of being. “You’re a prince. You’re a privateer. You’re a prat.” Mal is something of a prat, but did you catch what just happened there. What does Mal say to Sturmhond? Yes, yes, he says he’s a prat, but he also admits he’s a privateer. No, that’s not it. It’s the other part. It is Sturmhond to whom he is talking and he calls him a prince. That ambiguity that exceeds the issue of piracy versus privateering extends to Sturmhond’s claims. He claims to be Prince Nikolai. That’s why Mal accuses him of playing at being a pirate. Or, privateer or whatever. Yes, Sturmhond is an essential addition to the tale begun in Shadow and Bone. But can he be taken at his word? Is he really what he says he is? Does he really just play a privateer or is he an actual pirate?
