Sledge climbed to his feet with a shake of his head. Stooping to gather her discarded plate, he said, “Get some rest, Caledonia. Tides know you’ll need it.”

For a second, it looked as though he wanted to help her back to her tent. If he’d offered, she might have accepted, but then he nodded in parting and left her there to make her own way back.

Caledonia tipped her head back to study the dimming sky. She pulled a deep breath into her lungs, willing her body to hold steady. A thin spray of stars pushed their light between skimming clouds. Somewhere far from here, her girls were studying those stars and using them to guide their course. A small piece of her heart hoped they would follow those stars back to her. They shouldn’t. They should make for the Net and find a better life on the other side of it. But oh, how she wanted them to return for her. She wanted it so keenly that a spark of hope wedged between her ribs like one of those stars, glimmering against all reason.

With a frustrated growl, Caledonia climbed to her feet. Her body trembled with the effort. It was a visceral reminder that she was stuck here until her strength returned. She turned her eyes toward the ocean, one thought holding space in her mind: her crew. In spite of everything—distance, time, injury—they would be fine, and she would find her way back to them.

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

The first time Caledonia left her tent without invitation and without guard, she was certain it was a trap. At the very least, a test.

Since receiving the nanopatch, she’d slept hard and long, awakening each morning to find herself covered in a slick of sweat. After three days of this, her ankle no longer ached, and she finally felt like her body had enough energy for more than the few exercises she could accomplish in her tent.

In spite of being assured she was not a prisoner, she was surprised to find the guard post next to her tent empty. It was midmorning, and the camp buzzed with activity. Nearly everyone was gathered in the central open space, sparring and cheering one another on. The clashing sounds of wooden staves punctuated their shouts and laughter. And on the other side of the group of sparring Blades, a single figure stood with arms crossed. His eyes planted on her.

Pine. She’d recognize those coiled muscles anywhere. There was nothing like being pursued and slammed into the ground by a person to learn all the ways their body was also a weapon. He watched her now with perfect focus, the way a bird of prey might watch a mouse in an open field. It made her skin crawl, but it would be foolish to assume she wasn’t being watched. At least Pine made it obvious.