A Thief's Tale

Beneath the loading platform, Alleria wedges her dagger into a warped hatch and levers it upward. Wet wood groans, revealing a cramped bilge passage threaded with ropes and dripping beams.

The service punt nudges alongside the barge. Above, its cargo shifts with heavy thumps as the vessel pulls away from the foundations, dragging the passage toward deeper darkness.

Alleria lowers herself through the hatch, copper hair brushing the beams. A fresh trail of dark sealing wax dots the wet boards and disappears toward the cargo hold.

The argument filters through the planks overhead, muffled by river water and shifting crates. Alleria crouches beside the wax trail, studying its direction without touching it.

L'Sara grips the dripping ropes and climbs from the bilge passage toward the cargo hold. Her boots find narrow beams while she keeps her body clear of every swinging loop.

She ascends without a snag, sliding between wet supports as the hull groans around her. Through a seam overhead, lamplight cuts across stacked cargo and moving feet.

L'Sara reaches the cargo hold's low access hatch and rises beside its warped frame. The ropes hang behind her untouched, and the hold opens above in shadowed tiers of cargo.

Alleria climbs after her as quietly as the rocking passage allows. Beyond the hatch, footsteps cross the hold, while a faint glimmer of dark sealing wax marks the nearest stack.

L'Sara moves toward the marked shipment, keeping low among the shadowed tiers. The faint dark wax glimmers ahead, guiding her between stacked cargo and swaying ropes.

Alleria follows close behind. Above them, the barge rolls gently on the river, making the cargo creak while lamplight slides across the hold.

L'Sara reaches the shipment without hesitation. Its bound crates bear the broken-circle mark beneath fresh wax, matching the genuine manifest hidden under her cape.

Footsteps pass along the far side of the hold as Alleria crouches beside the marked shipment. The nearest fastening lies within easy reach, untouched and ready to be examined.

L'Sara crouches beside the marked shipment and studies its fastening without disturbing the wax. The cord is freshly tied, but its inner knot bears a tiny cut and resealing smear.

She traces the fastening's construction with her eyes. The visible seal secures only the outer crate; a concealed bronze pin beneath the binding holds a narrow false panel in place.

Alleria leans nearer as L'Sara eases the bronze pin free. The panel releases silently, revealing a shallow compartment lined with oilskin beneath the marked crate's lid.

Inside rests a black-bound packet, a small iron key, and a strip of parchment covered in route marks. The broken-circle seal appears again, stamped over a second symbol: a crowned serpent.

Above the concealed compartment, footsteps shift toward the marked shipment. Alleria steadies the false panel while the packet, key, and parchment lie within L'Sara's reach.

L'Sara lifts the black-bound packet and iron key from the hidden compartment. The parchment remains beneath the false panel as she lowers it into place without disturbing the fresh wax.

The bronze pin slips back into its socket. The false panel settles flush, restoring the crate's sealed appearance while the river rocks the barge beneath the shadowed hold.

Alleria presses two fingers against the restored binding, then withdraws beneath the beam as lamplight crawls across the adjoining stack.

Three pairs of boots thud closer through the hold. Alleria points toward a narrow gap between the cargo tiers, where darkness conceals a route deeper beneath the barge's awning.