Jalia Prevails (Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page B

resting against the base of the oil lamp. She picked it up and turned out the lamp. One danger she could do nothing about was that the lamp would remain warm for some time. There was nothing she could do about it, so she ignored it.
    A minute later, she climbed back up her rope. Nobody saw her as she climbed onto the deck and unfastened it.
    Gally Sorn laughed politely at the Captain’s joke. She had heard it many times before, but she felt she should make the effort. Captain Toren escorted her back to her suite, ordering the First Mate and Bosun to the bridge to check that all was well. Toren kissed her passionately as they stood in the corridor, and she put up little resistance. When he tried to follow her into the suite though, she held him back.
    “Not tonight, Gil. I am too tired to appreciate your body.”
    “But it’s been some time since Little Gil has docked in his favorite harbor,” Toren complained.
    “Tomorrow, Gil,” Gally said firmly and shut the door on him.
    Alone in her suite, she lit the lamp in the reception room and looked around. The suite looked to be exactly as she had left it. A quick inspection of the bathroom showed no signs of disturbance.
    When she walked into her bedroom and touched the lamp in readiness to light it she knew at once that Jalia had been in the suite and searched the room. Gally went at once to the pillow that held the only thing of value in the suite. She checked the stitching and felt the box in the pillow.
    “You are good, Jalia al’Dare, unless it was your thieving accomplice, Daniel al’Degar. But if you thought I was stupid enough to leave either ring or dagger in my suite, then you have most surely underestimated me.”
    Gally started to sing to herself as she prepared for bed. Life was being good to her, she felt.
     
    Hala leaned against the cabin door shaking with either anger or embarrassment, she wasn’t totally sure which. She couldn’t get the image of Nin’s smiling face out of her mind. Hala wanted to kill him and yet she didn’t. She was confused.
    She turned up the lamp. Walking over to Daniel, she found him lying much as they left him. His face was still white as snow. Hala put her hand against his cold cheek and checked that he was breathing. He looked as though he was dead.
    “I’m sorry I allowed this to happen to you. Please get better soon,” she told him in a whisper, before lightly kissing him on the cheek. If he heard her, he gave no sign.
    Walking over to her bunk, she slumped on top of it. Nin’s face popped into her mind as soon as she closed her eyes. ‘ Drat the boy ,’ she thought as she drifted into a light sleep.
     
    Hala woke when Jalia dropped her skirt onto her face.
    “Thanks for the loan. I’ve put the needle back where I found it.”
    Hala put her skirt back on though it was way past her normal bedtime.
    “Did you get the ring and dagger?” she asked eagerly.
    “Lady Sorn is playing games with us, I’m afraid. They must be somewhere on this boat, but it will be tedious to search for them. However, I did find these.”
    Jalia took out the four small rolls of paper from the box. She put them on the bedside table next to Hala’s bunk and sat on the chair beside it. Hala looked over Jalia’s shoulder as she carefully unrolled the first paper. It was blank. Jalia turned the paper over and held it up to the lamp so its light could shine through the paper. She saw no markings of any kind.
    Unconcerned, Jalia unrolled the second paper, which was equally blank and repeated the procedure. Soon all four rolls had been thoroughly examined and all were exactly the same.
    “Was there supposed to be something written on them?” Hala asked.
    “I’m sure that there is, if we knew how to read it.” Jalia had a thoughtful look on her face.
    “You think they have invisible writing on them?”
    “Perhaps, I know of a few techniques to reveal such things. However, I don’t have the ingredients to hand.” Jalia stood. “I must