‘You could have told us who we’d be dealing with.’ Draco kept glancing over his shoulder for a while, wondering if the goblin would follow them any further to try and sell him something else.
‘Was I supposed to risk you getting stuck somewhere in the harbour just to avoid him? You’ve got to be joking.’ James took a deep breath and grinned. ‘Thanks to Debroth keeping you occupied, I was able to sort everything out quickly. I once spent nearly three hours at his place, and I’d only gone there for a freeic leaves.’ He shook his head. ‘That's why the master avoids going to see him on his own. Every time he went to him for something, he came back much later than he’d intended and was completely knackered.’
‘I don't know whether to thank you or take offence,’ the dragon muttered dispassionately.
‘At least you saw something interesting.’ The elf shrugged and picked up the pace slightly, heading towards the open waterfront.
Draco decided not to comment, but simply kept pace with his friend.
They quickly emerged from between the warehouses and made their way to the passage in the ramparts, where this time no one checked them, and they were barely even noticed.
‘Let’s walk along the shore,’ James suggested at one point. ‘Maybe we’ll be able to see the naval port on the other side of the bay.’
‘If we can see it, it’ll be worth it.’ Forth agreed. ‘There should be two or three ships of the line anchored in the bay, and a few more in the naval port itself. If we manage to walk along one of the piers to the end, we might even see the sea gates and the forts protecting them. The merchant ships won’t set sail until evening, so nothing will be blocking the view.’
‘Just be careful where you go,’ Ari warned. ‘It’s best not to hang around ships that are preparing to set sail or are currently being unloaded. The best vantage point would be a pier where there aren’t too many people milling about, or
