Black Port (Knight Protector: Black Wyvern Book 1) by Rachel Ford

Author:Rachel Ford [Ford, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Two days later, Portia Daysen was once again at the Ellison warehouse. This time, her red hair was cut short and hidden under a chestnut wig she’d acquired from a costumer’s shop in the theater district.

She had pasted on her face a mustache and set of mutton chops of the same color and texture, and little smudges of dirt that approximated the sort of thing of a hardworking laborer might have after a long morning of work.

They’d taken a long time in front of her mirror to perfect, but here, among the other hands, she felt she’d done a good job. She could see streaks where men had wiped sweat off their brows, and spots where they’d touched their faces. The same sort she’d applied with thespian’s paint.

She looked an authentic member of the group, and she felt rather pleased with herself for her efforts. Not that she had much time or energy to luxuriate in the feeling.

The work was hard and heavy, and as she was undercover, she took part in it with as much energy as any of the men.

She didn’t want funny looks or suspicious glances when they boarded the Ice Kraken. Those would be the sort of thing Valia would pick up on.

For their part, the men took little notice of her. She had the idea that no one expected much permanence among the work crew, and new faces came and went with some regularity.

Probably, as people realized the demands of the job and found easier employ, or took berths on ships leaving Black Port.

A few of the men asked her name, and she gave it as Beirne. A few asked if she lived in the city, and if she had family. She said she was new to the docks and had come to the city for work. She had a girl back home, she said, but no family yet.

They’d nodded and accepted the story at face value. They’d probably heard it, or some similar version, a hundred times from fresh new faces.

Then they’d got to work, and that was that.

Valia Iceborn had bought a shipment of fine wine, and it was this that the work crew had now to load – first, on a pair of horse drawn wagons, and then onto the ship itself.

The wine was in barrels and bottles, and loading it took the better part of an hour. Portia worked up a devil of a sweat, and began to fear that it might dissolve the glue that secured her false beard and mustache.

But it survived loading, and she jumped onto the back of the second cart with several of the work crew.

They crossed the city blocks in short order and found the hands of the Ice Kraken waiting for them. Valia was there, and for a moment Portia’s heart stood still as their eyes met.

But the captain’s gaze moved on without a hitch. She hadn’t recognized her, then. The mutton chops and false hair had done their work.

Valia looked over the merchandise and signed off that it was what she’d ordered.

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