The Emperor's Edge 3: Deadly Games

The Emperor's Edge 3: Chapter 13 Part 1

“Too sanitized?” She pointed down a rickety dock with missing and broken boards. A sign magnanimously called it Pier 173.

“Not if your next job will be teaching small children.”

“Will they be less vexatious than you?” Amaranthe led the way down the dock.

“Doubtful,” Books said.

Three ships lined the dock, none with lights burning on the decks. She started to check the first one, but paused. The skeletal frame of a crane rose from the deck of the last ship, a steamer. It possessed a metal hull instead of wood and had the sturdy look of a tug. Other equipment bristled from the deck like quills on a porcupine, creating a strange silhouette against the moonlit sky. Gear for pulling treasures off the lake or sea floor, Amaranthe guessed.

She turned off her lantern, and darkness engulfed the dock. She padded toward the salvage vessel, stepping lightly on the warped, creaking wood. In the still night, she grew aware of the sound of her own breathing and a breeze flapping a loose sail a few docks away. The air stirred the omnipresent fishy scent of the waterfront, and for a moment Amaranthe thought she smelled something else. Something rotten. The breeze shifted, and the scent disappeared. Maybe it was nothing—a dead fish washed up to a nearby beach.

The starlight did not offer enough illumination to read the name on the bow, but she could not imagine this being anything except the ship they sought, the Tuggle.

“Must not be any treasure on there now,” Maldynado said. “Nobody’s on guard.”

“Some of the crew might be sleeping below decks,” she whispered.

They stopped beside the ship. No gangplank offered easy access, but Amaranthe had come prepared. She unwound a length of thin rope she had looped around her waist several times and dug out a collapsible grappling hook. She fastened it and swung the tool, releasing it toward the ship’s railing. The hook clinked softly and caught on the first try.

“You’re turning into a proficient burglar,” Books said.

“Is that a compliment or a condemnation?” Amaranthe tested the secureness of the rope.

“It depends on whether we’ll be leaving monetary compensation for the suits we’re stealing.”

Maldynado groaned. “You’re wholesome enough to teach toddlers right alongside her.”

“I was hoping to return the suits without doing any damage,” Amaranthe said.

“Such as with the trash vehicle?” Books asked.

She winced. “When we have our men back, I’ll see what I can do about compensating those we’ve wronged.”

“I know,” Maldynado said in response to a muttered comment from Akstyr. “They are the worst outlaws you’ll ever meet. What criminals worry about such things?”

Amaranthe shushed them, then shimmied up the rope. Before climbing over the railing, she paused to listen for voices or movement on the deck. Only the soft lapping of the waves reached her ears.

She slipped over the railing and landed in a soundless crouch. Nothing stirred. She glided through the shadows, skirting the crane and capstans the size of huts. A single closed hatch allowed access to the lower levels. She collected the men before exploring further.

“Shall we light the lanterns?” Books whispered.

“Wait until we’re below decks,” Amaranthe said.

At this point, she did not think anyone was aboard, but she did not need someone on another dock noticing their light and coming to investigate.

Amaranthe pressed an ear to the hatch. Again, she heard nothing. She turned the latch and eased the door open.