I peer into the water, watching as the trunks of his forelegs sway back and forth in his shadow. They’re huge against his body, now that he’s grown into his adult proportions. The sun is setting on the other side of the boat, and the long shade of her guns stretches out into the sea like ragged claws. My heart still thunders in my chest, and Bao watches me with eyes the size of dinner platters.

I don’t care that I’m not in my wetsuit, that I don’t have my respirator around my neck. I jump into the water headfirst. Bao shies away from me, the suction in his wake almost pulling me beneath the waves, but I fight against it, keeping my head over the water. Once he settles, I swim forward and grab onto his plating. I’m here, I will him to understand. Don’t forget.

I move down his side, checking for any signs of damage from the hull. Every time he draws a breath, his flanks swell out several feet, pushing me away before drawing me back in again. If I close my eyes, I can pretend that it’s Durga. I can pretend nothing’s changed. I can pretend I’m safe at home. It’s the same ocean, after all.

There are no wounds in Bao’s hide and no sign of bruising. I circle him twice, just to be sure. By the time I settle back by his head, clinging to a plate on his jowls, the sun has sunk below the horizon and my heart has stopped thundering. I haul myself up until I can stare directly into his eye. “Hey, little shit,” I mutter, and Bao pulls his head up, lifting me halfway out of the water, just like Durga used to. A bitter smile twists my lips. “Saved your ass today, and what do I get for it?”

Bao only blinks.

I shake my head and haul myself higher, slotting my bare feet into the gaps in his armor until I can clamber out on top of his skull. He’s used to my weight there. He keeps absolutely still, waiting for me to make my next move. There’s still a glow on the horizon that lights the sky afire, and I turn my face toward it, wincing as Bao releases a rancid breath from his blowholes.

They can try to kill me all they want, but I’m the girl who stands on the backs of the beasts of the NeoPacific. The Minnow blazes from within, promising life and warmth and villainy, but out here I’m mighty.

Or at least Bao’s mighty, and I’m with him.