I glanced at Jucai. “Not certain, but there are signs of deception, including a change in smell that Hadren didn't exhibit.”
“Fascinating,” Diaya drawled. “If only we had Dragons in the Talons.”
“You know, that's an interesting thought. I'll suggest it to the King.”
“Really? A Dragon would be helpful.”
“There may be reasons against it, but I'll ask.”
The carriage stopped.
“Are we here already?” Jucai asked.
“Sailors tend to live near the docks, Your Majesty.” Diaya got out of the carriage, and we followed.
I glanced toward the bay, wondering how daring the pirates were. Could the ship be moored there, full of stolen cargo, at that very moment? I doubted it. Whoever was behind this was too smart to take such risks, even if they trusted their magic.
Chapter Twenty
After speaking with the other survivors, we took Diaya back to the Hall of Talons. Two of them remembered the wolf figurehead without prompting, and a third remembered that the ship was a sloop. Not surprising. Sloops were fast and more maneuverable than other ships. Still, that narrowed things down a little.
“I'll send some men down to the docks and let you know what they find.” Diaya climbed out of the carriage. “I should know something by tomorrow.”
“Great, and thank you for your help today.” I reached out to shake his hand.
A soft growl came from behind me, reminding me of my promise to avoid touching Diaya. I jerked my hand back.
Diaya acted as if he hadn't noticed. “This is my case. So, technically, you were helping me. Which means I should thank you.”
“In that case, you're welcome.”
Jucai reached past me and shut the door. As I glared at him, he tapped the roof. I waved at Diaya apologetically as we rode away.
As soon as the Hall of Talons was out of sight, I leaned out the window to call up to the driver. “Take us to the wharf.”
“Yes, sir!” The driver took a turn.
I slid back in and sat down.
“We're going to the docks?” Jucai grinned.
“Yes, but just to look. Claw Mahdred is right about people being wary of us. I doubt we'd get anyone to talk. Still, I want to check the ships in port.”
“Do you think they'd be careless enough to anchor here?”
“No, but I'm going to check anyway.”
It was a quick ride to the wharf. Before we reached them, I advised our driver to make a slow pass along the docks. We wouldn't get out if we didn't have to. If the ship were there, they'd recognize Jucai, and I didn't want to scare them off.
The scent of fish and seaweed strengthened until Jucai wrinkled his nose. I chuckled.
“What is so amusing?” Jucai demanded.
“A sea king disgusted by sea smells.”
“Those are not sea smells. They are coastal odors. You can't smell anything underwater.”
“But I thought sea dragons could track people through the water by their scent?”
