Chapter 2 #3
Murky waters bled into a foaming current, and the Grand Canal swept the hull in the direction of the South Docks with little guidance from the throttle.
I passed larger boats heading up the river.
Steamships, steam trawlers, riverboats for those traveling domestically, and empty barges returning north for timber and coal, and one or two that might even be here to pick up my deceased contraband.
I sped toward the very edge of the city, the edge of my world, and the closest point to the world beyond.
The Freelands.
It was more fable than fact. Ships from our only neighbor had paused their routes when trade between the rival ports faded with the rise of our esteemed Academy.
There was nothing but storms violent enough to peel a ship apart, open sea, and legends of a distant, unknown shore.
So the bay was the end of all things. Where all roads, rivers, and sidewalks fell into a great, frothing barrier.
Twilight settled over the steamships lining the largest port on the southern coast. Silver smoke puffed from chimney vents and added to the opaque film covering the first peek of stars.
Thankfully, a lonely steam trawler was still moored at the very farthest of the loading bays, though it wouldn’t be for much longer.
I swung the stern of my vessel toward the back end of the fishing boat, reducing the speed of the motor to a quiet hum. The constables littering the docks were weary and inattentive from a long workday, and I slipped between ships unnoticed as usual, unremarkable in the busy port.
My contact found me immediately.
Maurice was a man of middle age with silver and black hair and a graying beard that only grew on the edges of his jaw.
He stood watching the direction of the canal at the end of the pier, wiry shoulders sagging beneath a weathered tunic.
His thin lips tipped in a crooked smile before waving me into his lane.
“You must have a death wish, Nina,” he said as he counted the boxes. “Ought to take a few days off this business. Don’t want the coppers to start wondering what you’re bringing to the Loralynn every time the whistle blows.”
I grinned at him. “But then I’d miss you too much.”
“Your sentiments are going to get us both found out,” he grumbled as he scribbled something on a yellowed parchment beneath his usual forms before slipping it beneath an arm to unload my cargo.
The sooner the bodies were out of my possession, the sooner I could take a full breath.
He set up the docking lines to raft our boats together before jumping in the small river cruiser to help me unload.
“You know they’d never get me to talk.” My voice strained against the deadweight as we lifted the first body.
He grunted his agreement before following the last load onto his steam trawler.
Discretion was the most important part of the body trade.
Bring in one unlike-minded individual who didn’t have as much to lose, who wasn’t as desperate as Maurice and me for the payments, and we’d all be thrown in the mineral mines.
Everyone… except the buyer who paid for all these bodies.
No one knew who he was, nor what he was doing with them.
Maurice once claimed the stock was picked up just outside the city gates, with no idea who took it where afterward.
We were merely part of a chain where every link was seamlessly forged.
No one knew where the chain led, or even who else was in it beyond their own connection.
“Double drop this time,” he murmured while assessing the boxes. “Give me a moment. I’ll owe you after I get these through. Didn’t realize you’d be bringing more than one this trip.”
“Is that a problem?”
Maurice straightened. “Doubtful. They’ve never turned down a body.
Seems they can’t get enough of them.” He disappeared below-decks, dragging the boxes behind him.
The weight slid across the grimy deck, thumping on each stair on the way down the hole.
When he returned moments later, he tossed me a heavy purse full of coins.
I tucked the velvet pouch beneath my seat. “Have you ever wondered what they want with them? Or where they’re going?”
The old captain laughed derisively. “They pay me too much to care about that. As long as I’m not the cargo, it’s not my problem.” He must have noticed an emotion on my face, as he added, “Don’t look so guilty. They’re dead, Nina. They don’t need these bodies anymore.”
“I don’t feel guilty; I was just wondering.” I shrugged off the lie. “When will you be back?”
“I’ll make my way down as soon as I drop these off. I’ve heard we’ve got an important delivery in a few days. One that has been paid for ahead of time. Very unusual. I need to be ready when it arrives.”
That surprised me. “I wasn’t aware death ran on such a predictable schedule. What do you think it means?”
Maurice glanced at the docks, frowning. “I’m only telling you what was requested.
Like I said, I learned long ago not to ask those kinds of questions.
You shouldn’t, either.” He cleared his throat and backed away from the hull.
“And you should get home before dark, Nina. Too many dangerous types out at night around here.”
I looked at my now empty boat and sighed, knowing too well how much that was true. The murder rate in Valveron was as steep as the taxes, and I was carrying too much coin to be safe on my own—even with my forbidden magic.
“I’ll see you in a few days, then. Have a safe trip.” I bid him farewell and restarted the motor.
The dice in my pocket poked uncomfortably in the fold of my hip as I motored back to Matthieu’s place.
I nudged my fingers inside the slip of my pants, feeling the cold, cubed edges and the engravings in their faces.
If these had gotten the beggar killed, I’d be wise to get rid of them as well.
But not without getting a proper payoff out of them.
Crime was high, taxes were high… so was rent.
I wondered if Bernard had finished working on my patient and how things had gone after I left.
After I’d seen his teeth and understood he was Cursed, I hadn’t worried as much about his prognosis.
Cursed patients always healed well—and quickly.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the man went looking for his dice at Opal’s tonight, which meant I needed to get them to Bria as soon as possible, if only so he could find them.
Thankfully, Bria just so happened to be where the drinks were, not that I needed another reason to run by the pub before heading home tonight.
“A drink,” I murmured to the mist covering the canal, grateful it kept my secrets for another day.