The chain of islands was famous, supplying a major portion of the stones that made up the gem trade in the Unnamed Sea and the Narrows alike. From above, their crests looked like a tangle of veins, pulsing with a steady heartbeat.

The clang of metal rang out and I turned to see Koy at the stern, slinging his belt over his shoulder. He’d slept through the hours it had taken to get to Yuri’s Constellation and the moment he woke, the crew’s eyes were on him. He pretended not to notice as he came down the steps to the main deck.

The dredging tools I’d had Hamish track down for him gleamed in his hands as he slid them into the belt one at a time. We would be dredging from sunrise to sunset, without a chance to have picks sharpened or broken mallets repaired on shore. Hamish had purchased more than enough tools to last all three of us.

Koy fit the belt around his hips and tightened the buckle absently, his eyes on the water. “Looks tame enough.”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

He was talking about the currents and I’d thought the same. The tides were meticulously documented on the charts Holland had given us and we’d dealt with far more unpredictable water on Jeval.

“You going to tell me what I’m looking for down there?” he asked.

I’d been dreading this moment. In fact, I’d been sure that if I’d told Koy the truth at the tavern, that he wouldn’t have ever stepped foot on the Marigold. I pulled Holland’s ship logs from inside my jacket and slipped the parchment from under the leather cover.

Koy plucked it from my fingers, unfolding it. His eyes narrowed as they moved over the diagram. “Midnight.” He scoffed. “You’re even more insane than I thought.”

I ignored the insult. “Opaque black stone. Violet inclusions. That’s all you need to know.”

“Good thing you paid me in advance.” He handed me the parchment.

Auster came up from belowdecks with two steaming clay cups, and I jumped down from the railing to meet him. He set one into my hands, and the bitter scent of strong black tea rose to meet me.

I took a sip, wincing. “Better keep them coming.”

“I figured as much.” He smirked.

Paj untied one of the baskets from the railing on the quarterdeck and tossed it down to Hamish, who was stacking them. He glanced at me over his shoulder, eyeing the cup.

Of everyone on board, Paj would be the most difficult to make peace with. His love and his hate seemed to be intrinsically tied together, with little in between.

“What did Henrik mean when he said that Paj was your benefactor?” I asked, taking another sip.