Ahead of them, the Bullet ships growled, charging forward faster now that she was alone.

“Captain,” Sledge called, jogging toward her from the bridge. “He’s on the radio.”

The feeling that landed in the pit of her stomach wasn’t fear. It wasn’t even dread. It was a bald, untarnished anger; a fury she’d tucked away long ago and forgotten lived somewhere inside her. By the time she reached the cabin, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to speak past the explosive feeling building in her chest, but the second her fingers closed around the receiver, that changed. A cold wash of focus slipped over her like a coat. She raised the receiver and pressed the button.

“This is Captain Styx,” she said smoothly.

The voice that came back to her rang clear as a bell. “Looks like you’re having some trouble, Captain.”

The volunteer ships were moving in either direction down the coast of the Rock Isles. Abandoning the fight before it had even begun.

Caledonia licked her lips, giving Nettle the signal to pull them out of speed entirely. “Just a change in plans.”

Aric laughed. It was a radiant sound, and his voice filled the entire cabin, tugged on every ear that heard it. But where Caledonia was entranced, she saw Sledge’s shoulders stiffen against the unwelcome onslaught. “I recommend you change your plans a bit more. This is the time for surrender, my girl.”

“I think you’ve misread this situation,” she countered.

His ships were closing the gap between them. In another few minutes, they’d be surrounded.

“Have I? The Sly King is nowhere to be seen, and you’ve been abandoned by your friends. It seems your conspiracy has left you both at my mercy.” His voice darkened like a stormy sky. “These are my waters, my seas. There is nothing that happens here that I do not know about or control, but I will make you a deal. Surrender now, and most of your people will live.”

Aric’s ships pulled more tightly together, aiming for her as though they were a spear and she a target they would tear through without a hitch in their pace.

Exactly what she wanted them to do. All she had to do was keep Aric distracted, focused on her.

“Have I given them enough time?” Aric asked, voice dripping with satisfaction. “Your deepships?”

Caledonia stopped. Her fingers were suddenly cold, her voice small, and for just a breath she dared to hope she’d misheard him.

“This won’t take long,” Aric gloated. “I have new tech, too.”

On the side of his ship, the broad barrel of a gun swiveled. For several long seconds, there was only silence.

The gun fired.

Caledonia’s sights landed on the shrinking ocean between her ship and Aric’s. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited. Then the water exploded. Her deepships were under attack.

Chapter Fifty

CHAPTER FIFTY