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Back The Abyss Surrounds Us Save as PDF
Chapters (37)
  1. Dedication
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. Acknowledgments
  37. About the Author

I find Swift’s eyes when I’ve recovered, and she looks like something’s shredded inside her. But when my gaze meets hers, she blinks and stows the expression, her face settling back into that hardened mask that she always wears for the captain. Her hands are still locked tight around the wheel, keeping the ship on the course Santa Elena ordered her to take.

“Yatori, take over,” the captain instructs the helmsman. “Put us back on our old heading. I want us at the Flotilla in two days. The rest of you, clear out. Lesson’s been learned.”

She hops back down the ladder, and her lackeys follow her one by one until it’s just me, Swift, and the helmsman left in the navigation tower.

Swift moves for the ladder, then pauses. “Are you getting up?” she asks me, but she’s masking something with that question.

“I have to … go make sure Bao’s uninjured,” I rasp.

Then she does something unexpected, something she definitely wouldn’t do in sight of the captain. With a furtive glance over her shoulder to check that Yatori’s distracted by the controls, she reaches down and offers me a hand. “C’mon, quick,” she hisses.

Though the pain in my back is screaming for me not to, I take her hand and let her drag me to my feet.

Everything’s happening too fast for me to take it in. Maybe the captain’s right. Maybe I’ve gotten too comfortable in my position aboard this boat. Maybe I deserved to get slammed into the wall like that, and the pain that rattles me now is a reminder of my place. I catch myself. It’s disgusting, letting her make me think like that. I don’t deserve any of this. I deserve freedom and safety and a thousand other things that aren’t available on this ship.

I must look particularly woozy, because Swift’s still holding on to me. I steady myself and let go, tottering toward the ladder. It’s a miracle I make it down in one piece.

After what just happened, I don’t feel safe wandering the halls of the ship alone. Every corner is a risk, and the shadowy light doesn’t help. I descend into the bowels of the Minnow by myself, making my way back to the trainer deck and vaguely wondering if Reinhardt is allowed to treat damages inflicted by the captain.

I round the corner that leads to the trainer deck and freeze. A chill floods my veins as I take in the sight. This isn’t possible. This can’t be happening.

The hatch, which I left locked, is wide open. Someone is on the trainer deck.

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