Mia held her breath, pressing herself like a stone into the cold shadows against the wall.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
The evidence was conclusive. They were the Church's Witch Hunters.
Mission accomplished! Mia gave a little inward cheer.
The next step was to send the information out.
That was a whole crate of moonlight candy! Ninety-eight percent pure!
Her craving for delicious food overwhelmed everything else. Mia crouched low and retraced her steps under cover of the noise and darkness.
She needed to return to Barbosa's room. That was her temporary safe house.
Candlelight still flickered in the room on the fourth floor.
Barbosa's thunderous snores mingled with bleating.
Mia slipped nimbly through the window and saw the pirate chief sleeping soundly on the bed, hugging a black-hoofed mountain goat. There was even a contented smile on his face.
The goat seemed used to it, too. Its eyes were half closed, and its mouth worked occasionally.
The corner of Mia's mouth twitched. It felt as though she was the outsider.
Holding back a bellyful of snide remarks, she returned this great herbivorous sex worker to where it belonged.
The next step was to leave a signal.
She and Kale had hastily devised this plan, and Veylin had approved it.
They had agreed to leave a mark in an area on the outskirts of Peaceful Bay that the locals called the Bone Coast. The bones of ancient giant sea beasts littered the place. Its ominous legends kept visitors away, and the pirates could not be bothered to patrol that beach of jagged rocks.
It would be the ideal place to pass on intelligence.
The GEBU's people would check it regularly.
Mia reverted to the appearance of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl and walked barefoot through streets steeped in mud