Page 69 of Empire of Shadows

Ellie just managed to catch the plank and keep it from toppling into the water as he walked away.

Adam kicked the toolbox by the boiler in its favorite spot. The lid flew open, just as it was supposed to. He pulled out a hammer and a handful of rusty nails.

“Why are we nailing this board to the bow?” Ellie demanded.

“So you’ve got something to sit on,” he replied.

“You expect me to climb out onto this thing?” she protested.

“How else are you gonna sound our way forward?” he returned before popping the nails into his mouth.

Ellie eyed the chipped gray paint of the plank nervously.

“How old is this board?” she asked.

“Hoff ffould I ffhow?” Adam replied around the nails. He plucked one out and drove it into the rail with an easy thunk of the hammer.

“Are you sure it’s entirely sturdy?” she pressed.

Adam drove in another nail and plucked the rest from his lips as he shot her a skeptical look.

“Exactly how much do you think you weigh?” he pushed back.

“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” she retorted, folding her arms crossly.

Adam eyed her critically.

“I give you a hundred and forty pounds, tops.” He shoved the nails back in his mouth. “Bwoard ffhould holw you juss ffine.”

Ellie watched him with an expression of muted horror as he knocked in a few more nails, then gave the plank a few rough pushes with his hands. The far end of it bounced a bit, but the near side stayed good and fixed, which was what really mattered.

“Aren’t you going to test it properly?” she asked a bit desperately.

“What—do you want me to jump up and down on top of it?” Adam retorted, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “I’m a hell of a lot more than a hundred and forty pounds. I’d snap the damned thing in two. Just get on out there—don’t worry about it. Oh, and take the stick.”

He tossed the sapling to Ellie. She caught it awkwardly.

“What about crocodiles?” she demanded a little desperately, holding the tree like a weapon.

“You hardly ever see them this far from the coast,” Adam assured her.

“Perhaps they will make an exception if I am dangling over the water like a piece of bait,” she snapped.

“You wanna do this or not?” Exasperation crept into his tone.

Ellie’s mouth firmed into an entirely dissatisfied line—but without further protest, she crawled out onto the board.

Now that Adam could see her out there, he had to admit that it did look a little dicey.

Ellie tried scooting out on the plank while sitting upright, but quickly decided that was less than stable. Instead, she lay flat along it with her elbows and knees on either side for balance.

“Keep the low end of that stick in the water and shout at me if it hits something,” Adam instructed as he relit the oil lamp and hung it off the bow near to where she was suspended.

“I am familiar with the concept of a sounding pole,” she bit back.

“Great. This should be a piece of cake, then.”

Adam untied the line that anchored them to the bank. He set the throttle to a little more than a crawl and eased them forward, resting his hand on the control for the rudder.

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