The Sea Thief

Chapter V

"Did you catch these Lavellan yourself?" Tora asked.

The woman tipped back her head and laughed. "Oh, heavens, no! They're poisonous, my dear. One bite on my wee finger, and I'd be a goner!"

Tora laughed with her, but kept her gaze locked onto the seller. With each passing second, she found herself learning something new – something useful – about the woman before her. The weary and swollen eyes told Tora that she was tired. The way she shifted from one foot to the other told her that the woman's feet were aching.

And, best of all, the fact that she didn't give Tora's hands a second glance told her that the woman didn't suspect a thing.

Tora cocked her head to the side. "You didn't catch them? Who did?"

"The pirates, of course. Pirates of the Cobalt Sea."

"Who are they?"

"You don't know the pirates? Well, dear, the pirates are these young fellows..."

As the woman launched into her story, Tora moved her fingers closer to the table. From the corner of her eye, she looked at all the Lavellan scattered across the wood.

The one closest to her hand stood out too much – it was too plump. The one next to it had tufts of darker fur near its snout – still too memorable. So was the one with the long ears, as well as the one with the rounded, darker paws.

Tora's gaze then landed on the Lavellan in the very centre. Its ears weren't too big, nor were they too small. Its fur didn't have any colourful patches, nor did its tail seem longer than its body. It was just a plain, boring, forgettable Lavellan.

Perfect.

"If you don't mind me asking, dear, what happened to your lip?"

Tora nearly jerked back at the woman's question. "My lip?"

"It's cut."

"Oh."

The woman leaned across the table, her long, silver hair brushing against Tora's outstretched hand. "Well, dearie? Have you gotten into some trouble?"

Tora could feel heat brimming behind her cheeks as she shook her head.

She had completely forgotten about the cut Emil had left on her lip the day before. She had gotten away with it this morning, telling her parents and sisters that she had fought with a rather nasty shark, but she couldn't possibly tell that to a human.

Worse yet, if the woman were to take a quick glance down at the table, she would see Tora's hand hovering over the Lavellan.

Tora cursed beneath her breath.

There was no way out of this one.

"Was it yer husband?" the woman suddenly asked. "If it were yer husband, he ought to be stoned."

"Aye, it was," Tora quickly replied. She forced her lip to tremble, forced her voice to waver. "I don't know what to do about it."

That was all Tora needed to say.

Within seconds, the woman was stretching her arms out, reaching over to embrace Tora across the table. One hand around her waist. One hand around her shoulders.

Tora eased herself into the woman's arms, and she could have sworn that even the cold wind turned silent as she moved her own hands. One hand around the woman's waist. One hand around the Lavellan on the table.

Gotcha.

With a single flick of Tora's wrist, the Lavellan was no longer in her hand. It was buried inside her coat, its tail tucked into her bark belt.