Pisces planted herself in the center of the lift, where she rode the whole way seated with legs crossed and eyes closed. Hime sat with her, taking one of Pisces’s tightly balled fists between her own hands. Amina stood at Hime’s back, while Nettle swung from one of the stationary ropes with one hand. Pine hovered nearby. He might not be willing to admit it, but he was always close enough to reach out and catch the girl should she lose her grip. Sledge stood apart from everyone, arms crossed against his chest, eyes pressed serenely shut, as though the sensation of being whisked up a mountainside were commonplace.

Caledonia stood alone at the edge of their pallet. Cold wind ripped through her hair, and the force of the lift’s speed pushed against her entire body, reminding her that if she stepped from the lift, she would sink like a stone in water, plummeting back toward the rocky shore.

As they approached the top of the cliffs, which curled protectively around the city within, their pallet slowed, then deposited them on a platform where five anxious figures waited. Hesperus was at the front, mouth pinched in a frustrated twist and brow creased. While the city was technically still his, it had transformed since the battle, and every time Caledonia returned from sea, he had something new to complain about. Today was clearly no exception.

Just behind Hesperus stood Ares. Unlike the Sly King, Ares did not look like he was chewing on something unpleasant, but his relief was visible when his eyes landed first on Sledge and then on his sister. Next to Ares was Kae, who was probably waiting for her own sister Mino to appear, and just behind her was Ennick. The man was several turns Caledonia’s senior with skin as salt-pale as her own and dusty brown hair. A former Ballistic turned rogue captain, he and his crew had joined with Caledonia’s during the Battle of Cloudbreak, and Ennick had been the rallying point for rogue ships ever since.

And there, standing at the rear of the entire group, was the one person she most wanted to see: Oran. He leaned against the low wall on the other side of the dock. His strong brown hands were braced on either side of his narrow hips and he watched Caledonia step off the lift with a private smile. Recently, Caledonia had come to know how often Oran’s expressions looked like one thing but meant something else. He laughed when he was worried, a frown that lit his eyes meant he was amused. But this slight narrowing of his warm brown eyes, the tightening of his lips, the tuck of his chin; these were things he only did when he wanted to kiss her.