For a long moment, she stayed where she stood. The day was clear with a bright sun. The ocean was calm and as blue as the skies. The crew was waiting. If she were in her own ship, she’d tell them to drive the engines to full and outrun this mysterious deepship. But this was not the Mors Navis, and it was not built for outrunning anything.

The ship rocked again; the explosion sent Caledonia to her knees, and a sharp spray of water splashed across the quarterdeck. They were targeting their propellers. Caledonia hurled to her feet and leapt to the deck below.

“They’re beneath us?” Sledge asked, uncertain and wary.

The entire crew was watching them, their expressions panicked. They’d armed themselves with guns and blades, and every single one of those weapons was useless right now.

“They are.” Caledonia was careful to keep her voice firm and commanding. If they saw concern on her face, they’d lose the battle before she’d determined how to fight it.

“Are we running?” he asked, closing the distance between them so he wouldn’t be overheard. “Shouldn’t we run?”

She curled her fingers into a fist. “We’re not running.”

“We can’t fight something we can’t see,” Sledge protested.

“Then we’ll have to find a way to see it,” she countered.

Apprehension pressed at the corners of Sledge’s eyes. Caledonia knew he worried for his people more than anything, and she also knew that running was likely to get them all killed. She needed him to trust her.

Holding herself steady and calm, she raised her hand, palm facing out. His eyes flicked to it and back to her face. All around them, the Blades stood locked in place as though the ship were holding its breath. Then Sledge raised his hand and placed his palm against her own.

It was a simple gesture, but it came with a power so palpable, Caledonia felt it shift in the air between them. He stepped back, waiting for her orders, a signal to every other person to do the same.

She was in command.

“Thank you,” Caledonia said solemnly, panic spinning in her chest.

“Your orders?” Sledge asked.

She had none. She had no experience fighting a deepship. No one did. And if she didn’t figure out how to do it successfully, she’d waste the trust Sledge had handed her and probably lose this too-slow ship in the process.

If her girls were here, she’d ask them for options. Pisces, Amina, and Hime would circle around her and offer any idea that occurred to them in the moment. They wouldn’t all be good ideas, but they’d lead to one. And one was all she needed.

“Caledonia?” Sledge asked again, growing nervous.