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Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for SEAFIRE
  3. Dedication
  4. Before
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Chapter Six
  11. Chapter Seven
  12. Chapter Eight
  13. Chapter Nine
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Chapter Fifteen
  20. Chapter Sixteen
  21. Chapter Seventeen
  22. Chapter Eighteen
  23. Chapter Nineteen
  24. Chapter Twenty
  25. Chapter Twenty-one
  26. Chapter Twenty-two
  27. Chapter Twenty-three
  28. Chapter Twenty-four
  29. Chapter Twenty-five
  30. Chapter Twenty-six
  31. Chapter Twenty-seven
  32. Chapter Twenty-eight
  33. Chapter Twenty-nine
  34. Chapter Thirty
  35. Chapter Thirty-one
  36. Chapter Thirty-two
  37. Chapter Thirty-three
  38. Chapter Thirty-four
  39. Chapter Thirty-five
  40. Chapter Thirty-six
  41. Chapter Thirty-seven
  42. Chapter Thirty-eight
  43. Chapter Thirty-nine
  44. Chapter Forty
  45. Chapter Forty-one
  46. Chapter Forty-two
  47. Chapter Forty-three
  48. Chapter Forty-four
  49. Chapter Forty-five
  50. Chapter Forty-six
  51. Chapter Forty-seven
  52. Chapter Forty-eight
  53. Chapter Forty-nine
  54. Chapter Fifty
  55. Chapter Fifty-one
  56. Chapter Fifty-two
  57. Chapter Fifty-three
  58. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  59. Excerpt from STORMBREAK
  60. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  61. What’s next onyour reading list?

“It does mean something to me,” she said, hoping Sledge heard the truth in her words even if they ignited his anger. “And he’s still a part of my crew.”

The muscles of Sledge’s jaw flexed, his eyes narrowed to slits.

Caledonia let his anger wash over her without feeding into her own. “He’s part of the reason I came here,” she added. “And I’m not leaving without him.”

For a moment Sledge didn’t say anything. He stood with his back to the corner, shadows draped over his shoulders making him look even more mountainous than usual. Finally, he took one step forward, stopping with his shoulder even with hers.

“We’ll help save your crew, but you don’t want any of us near the Fiveson.” He nodded as though that was as far as he’d go toward an agreement, and then he was gone.

Chapter Twenty-one

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Caledonia woke the next morning before dawn after a fitful rest. None of the others stirred, and she moved silently toward the washroom for a quick shower. Dressed once more and with a fresh smear of grease down the side of her face to cover her sigil, she left Barrack D.

Slipmark was quiet so early in the morning. The lanes bore a few figures hurrying in different directions, and the air carried the first yeasty scent of fresh bread. In the distance, the harbor was waking to the soft cries of shore birds. Up and down the streets, solar lights flickered and went out as high in the east dawn light glazed the sky.

Where Slipmark was quiet, Caledonia’s mind was a driving storm, and she could no longer stay indoors. She needed room for her thoughts. So she tucked her chin into her chest and turned her steps uphill, away from the harbor.

All night, her mind had tossed out question after question. Where were her girls? What state were they in? How would she get them away from this place that made a show of torture? How was she going to get any of them through those massive walls? And how was she going to save Oran without Sledge’s help?

Oran. The Steelhand. Architect of suffering and the shadow that still haunted the Blades after so much time. They’d served with Fiveson Venn, yet it was the Steelhand they feared.

It was more than that. Sledge hated him. And Caledonia was certain that if he found himself alone with Oran, one of them wouldn’t survive. Which would present an enormous problem when they were on the same ship.