“So we take the prison boat,” Serina said now, raising her voice over the skeptical murmuring of the crowd. “We go to Azura. We make new lives.”

Anika’s shoulders slumped. Serina noted her reaction, wondering at the girl’s disappointment. Her gaze climbed to the women filling the amphitheater, some seated on the stone benches, some standing on the frozen wave of black volcanic rock that covered half the curved seating area.

There were so many gaunt faces, so many bruises, so many sunken eyes. Serina saw hunger staring back at her, and fear. Some of these women had been here for years, had watched countless fights, seen countless women die.

“You all have been fighting for so long,” Serina said, the words catching in her throat. “It’s hard to believe it’s really over. It’s hard to imagine things getting better. But they will. For the next ten days, this is our island. Just like our names, just like our lives, we’ve earned this. We’ve earned our freedom. No matter what happens when we get to Azura, this will always be true. We’re not prisoners anymore.”

The energy of the crowd lightened. She saw hints of hope scattered throughout the exhaustion, in the glint of a smile here and there. Even the leaders of the other crews perked up a little. Twig’s steel-bar arms were relaxed at her sides. Among the Southern Cliffs contingent, a small smile flitted across their leader Blaze’s scarred face. But Anika wasn’t the only one who still looked troubled.

“We’re not prisoners anymore,” Serina said again, as much to remind herself as the rest of them. Even for her, who’d been on the island for weeks, not years, this truth still felt like a dream.

She turned to Anika. “Can you organize the sleeping arrangements and help distribute this food? Val and I’ll check on the guards.”

Anika straightened her shoulders and nodded. She pushed the squeaking cart up the aisle, calling out suggestions to the other crews: Take your injured to the old ballroom. If you’ve got rations or belongings in your camps, bring them with you. We’ve only got so many rooms. You’ll have to pair up.

When Serina moved to follow, her legs wobbled. She paused to steady herself. She couldn’t afford to collapse now.

“I can check on the guards by myself,” Val offered, taking Serina’s arm. “Why don’t you rest?”

Serina shook her head and limped up the steep aisle of the amphitheater, using his grip on her arm to help steady her balance. “Soon.”

He didn’t argue, which was good, because she might not have had the energy to stand her ground. The truth was, Serina was afraid to slow down. She didn’t want to rest. Didn’t want to stop. If—when—she did, Jacana’s small, broken body would fill her mind.