Zelda had nearly bitten her head off when Jo mentioned asking Holsten — a talented and experienced cursebreaker — to work on the ship. It was true that the Pictish language wasn't commonly known, but a curse was a curse, wasn't it? Surely, someone with everyday experience dealing with the intricacies of the magic involved was preferred over someone with none? Jo hadn't pushed the issue then mainly out of respect for her friend. But, given Alfred's near death experience she regretted that now.

Not that she was going to relay all of which to Alfred and further stress him.

"You're right." She said easily. "I've just known Zelda a long time...it wasn't hard to pick up on the fact that she was anxious about more than the ship. You'll have to talk to her about that."