Goa (Blood of the Goddess)

On the cusp of the medieval and modern worlds, dream-haunted journeyman apothecary Thomas Chinnery sets sail on Bear's Whelp for Cathay to trade in drugs for his master. But the Whelp's captain wants easier money from attacking Portuguese ships. Among the usual plunder, they find two prisoners to ransom: a Portuguese man accused of sorcery and a beautiful Indian woman accused of heresy, both being shipped from Goa to Portugal for trial by the Inquisition. In their possession is a potent drug called the Blood of the Goddess, and Thomas determines to find more of it. But others in Goa have heard of the drug as well, and the price of the Blood of the Goddess begins to mount, promising to cost more dearly than Thomas could have imagined.