“Thank you for that,” Vi said, somewhat dryly. She folded her arms and leaned against the railing, looking in the opposite direction. “Or should I say to pass on my thanks to Lord Twintle?”
“Don’t get me wrong, you’re a fine sailor, Violet. But this is going to require loyalty—something you haven’t really been tested on.”
“What is?” She wanted him to say it outright, whateveritwas. Vi was more than ready to know if all of this following Twintle was actually going to lead to information on Adela and the crown, or not.
“Know I won’t hesitate to gut you and tip you over the railing should you betray us.”
“Noted. Now tell me what we’re doing.”
“We need to make some special deliveries into the South. Henrietta—you met her last night—is going to help us with that.” The Southerner with the scar over her eye.
“What kind of deliveries?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
“Are we still docking in Oparium?”
“Yes.”
“Will Henrietta be part of our crew?”
“In a matter of speaking. We’ll pick up some new crew members that are specially trained for this work.” Vi opened her mouth for another inquiry but Cole interrupted her. “That’s all you need to know for now. Do as you’re told. Keep your head down and your mouth shut.” Vi physically shut her mouth on the recommendation. “Good. We set sail with our new crew tomorrow.”
Vi watched Cole descend to the main deck amid the steady flow of departing sailors. Twintle was clearly up to something. The question was… what? And, more importantly, was Henrietta working for Adela?
* * *
Every time Vi laid eyes on Oparium, her heart fluttered to the point of breathlessness. She’d made five runs now with theLady Black, working with Henrietta and her crew.
Henrietta turned out to be the captain of a small smuggling operation that was now under Twintle’s employ. A day before theLady Blackreached Oparium, they’d drop anchor in the sheltered cliffs of the southern mountains and meet up with Henrietta and her crew. Vi and the rest would connect the two vessels by a few precarious planks and carefully offload heavy crates of Western rubies onto Henrietta’s boat.
Henrietta would then sneak the crates of rubies into the South through some secret dock to avoid taxes and questions raised about where they were going. Judging from the rumors Taavin and Deneya had heard, Henrietta was using Waterrunners to illusion her ship to look like theStormfrost. No one in town wanted to investigate a ghostly-looking vessel that might belong to the infamous Adela.
But where the rubies came from, what the money from their sales was going toward, who was buying them, and whether Henrietta was actually in league with Adela were all things Vi had yet to find out. Despite having so many unanswered questions, every time she returned to Oparium, she did so with optimism… and excitement.
Taavin,Taavin,Taavin, every pulse whispered. Vi paused at the deck rail, watching the city come into focus through the early morning fog. She knew he’d be waiting at the docks for her. Sometimes Deneya was there, sometimes not.
But as the ship neared port, Vi knew immediately that something was wrong. A host of city soldiers were lined up, waiting where theLady Blackusually tied off her ropes. Vi, along with the rest of the crew, regarded each other skeptically. No one said anything until Cole was on deck, staring down at the portmaster and the head of the city guard.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Cole asked.
“Your ship is temporarily embargoed,” the head of the guard announced.
“Under what cause?”
“We have reason to believe you’re not accurately representing your goods,” the portmaster said meekly.
Cole scoffed. “Your men inspect our goods every time.”
“This time the city guard will do it,” the head guard said, taking control of the situation once more. “No one on or off the ship until my men have time to go through every box and bag in your hull.”
“Be my guest. I’ll lower the gangplank now.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t spare you the men now.” The head guard smirked.
He couldn’t spare the men? But he had a whole score of them lined up for their arrival.Typical power play.
“When do you think you can spare them?” Cole ground out.
