What she didn’t say was that this was one more decision none of them had to make. This was one more wound they did not have to carry. Every one of them had their demons. Every one of them would be haunted by the things they’d done for the rest of their lives, but when it was all over, they would have to move forward without letting those things control them. They needed someone who could shield them from the worst decisions.

And, Caledonia realized as her friends and her crew watched her with increasingly shuttered expressions, that person was always going to be her.

“Steely?” she asked.

She could sense the strain in the room as they answered with varying degrees of conviction. Their trust had stretched thin, and while it was still there, she could feel the way it was unravelling at the edges. The threads that wove them together might be strong, but they were not invincible. They would all need time to recover from this.

But time wasn’t something she could give them.

“Good,” she said, knowing that what came next wasn’t going to sit well with any of them. “Then we need to discuss who will join me on Tassos’s ship.”

“For a meeting?” The skepticism in Sledge’s tone suggested he knew the answer and didn’t like it.

Caledonia shook her head once. “Tassos has agreed to a brief alliance, but while we work on exactly how to go after Lir, he wants me on his ship as a gesture of goodwill and assurance. No one from either side will fire on a ship if we’re both on board.”

“Maybe not, but they can still slit your throat in your sleep,” Pine retorted.

“Which is exactly why I’m not going alone.” Caledonia took a breath before offering the rest of her plan. “Hime, I’m leaving you in charge of the Luminous Wake; Pine, you have the Blade. The two of you are in command of the fleet. I want Pisces, Sledge, Oran, and Nettle with me.”

“Nettle?” Sledge asked, appalled. “You can’t be serious. She’s just a girl.” Somehow, he was still unable to reconcile Nettle’s actions with her appearance. Even after so many moons.

“A girl who navigated Slipmark better than any of us,” Pine reminded him.

“Which is exactly why I need her,” Caledonia said. “She can get in and out of places we won’t be able to. Any other objections?”

The rest shook their heads, still in various stages of shock, both at what was happening and what they’d learned. Caledonia wished there was time to sort through everything, but there was barely time to pack a bag.

“All right, then make your preparations.”

>><<