Page 60 of Broken Fate
“Not for us,” Kiel said. “We’ve never used this tactic before. Helisson is the only port city in the empire. Anything coming in, therefore,mustbe coming from outside the empire. And we’re most definitely inside it.”
“But if they inspect it as normal, they’ll still find us.”
Kiel smiled. “Things make it past the inspectors all the time. How do you think outlawed items from the other realms make it in? A proper bribe ensures the inspectors will turn a blind eye to us.”
“Okay,” I said with a shrug. “What is it I get to pretend to be?”
“Something no inspector wants to actually open up and check,” Kiel teased mysteriously.
“Which is?”
He smiled broadly, and my heart soared.
Control yourself! Now is not the time for that.
“Dragon shit.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“You’re joking, right?”
Kiel had to be joking.Everyoneknew that dragon shit was among the foulest-smelling things in existence. Hauled down the coast from the mountains in the north where the great dragons lived, it was also the single best fertilizer that existed. That was the only thing that made it worth hauling.
“Not at all,” he said, gracing me with another one of his still rare—although increasingly more frequent—smiles. Not a false, tight thing, but a real, relaxed, full-of-humor smile.
If only it hadn’t come at the expense of my nostrils and whatever shreds of dignity I might have had remaining. Though I was sure I’d be leaving those behind once we climbed into the boxes of dragon doo-doo.
“Great,” I muttered, leaning against the railing. “Just great.”
“It’ll work,” Kiel assured me.
“Yeah, I believe that. I just don’t want to smell like it for days.”
“Weeks,” Andi put in from nearby, joining the conversation as the ship exited the inlet and made her way out to the sea, turning south to hug the coastline on our left.
“Lovely.” I shook my head. Then a thought struck me. “Wait, how will we sneak around if we reek of dragon dung? We might stay hidden, but a scent that foul will give us away in seconds. Trust me, they use it on farms near my … near where I used to live. Every spring, it fouls up the air for days. There’s no mistaking it.”
My voice hitched slightly as I remembered that my house was gone. As were the people who had lived in it and all their memories.
Kiel’s heavy hand landed on my shoulder, squeezing it. I glanced up, meeting his eyes. For a moment, they burned with the bright blue warmth of a sunny summer day. A gentle acknowledgment that he understood my hurt. That I wasn’t alone.
“There are ways to get it off,” he said. “You don’t really think farmers just use it and bathe in the scent for weeks on end, do you?”
I shrugged. What was I supposed to do, tell him that yes, that was exactly what I’d believed? It wasn’t like I’d ever worked on a farm before. Better to stay silent than admit ignorance.
“We’ll be fine,” he said, shaking his head at my tight-lippedness. “You can trust me on that, Jada.”
“I know,” I said, finding I believed it.
Whatever Kiel was hiding, I was starting to accept it wouldn’t affect the mission. He was as dedicated as the rest of us. Which only drove my curiosity harder because I knew it was no small thing he wasn’t telling us. So, whatcouldit be?
The sails caught and pulled taut against the lines as we caught a stronger wind farther offshore. The ship surged forward, then began to rock with the rise and fall as we plunged through the waves.
“Oh,” I muttered, clutching at my stomach. “What the …”
“Over the side, if you please,” Kiel said, sounding none the worse for wear.
“What do you—Urk!”
