Of course it’s Code that’s caused this commotion, but I still gasp when I see him. His skin is patterned with bruises. Some must be from Swift, but others dot his body in places I know she didn’t hit him, and I’m sure they belong to the captain. He keeps his left hand clenched around his right, and when he shifts, I can see why. His index finger, the one that used to bear the inking of a little fish, has been sliced clean off.

Santa Elena stands behind him, one hand clenching his shoulder, and I’m convinced it’s the only thing keeping him upright at this point. The captain’s eyes glint when she spots me and Swift heading straight for her. “Glad you could join us, kids. Didn’t want to start the show without you.”

“What’s going on, boss?” Swift asks. I let my hand drop from the back of her jacket before Santa Elena notices it.

The captain shrugs. “Spectacle, mostly.”

Swift and I slot in next to Varma and Chuck. I glance over my shoulder to find Lemon hanging back against the wall, pressing herself as far away from the crowd as possible. Her eyes never leave Code, and I feel a twinge of sympathy for the lookout trainee. She and Code spend all day in the navigation tower together, and I get the sense that he’s the closest thing she’s ever had to a friend.

I set my gaze back on the boy who tried to get me killed, shuddering when his electric-green eyes meet mine. Even though he’s bruised and battered, Code shows no signs of remorse.

“Right, you bastards,” Santa Elena thunders. “Got a bit of news for you. I figured you’d all inferred that any attempt to mess with my beast or his trainer wouldn’t end well for you. Well, this scrap of meat here decided to risk it. And, as you can see, it didn’t pay off.” She shakes Code’s shoulder, and a vicious tumult of laughter rises from the crew.

My heart rate is rising, the anxiety prickling at the back of my neck. I glance at Swift, but she’s got her arms folded, her jaw set, and the hint of a cruel smile edging in on her expression. She wants him to suffer, and she’s enjoying every second of this.

“Got anything to say for yourself?” the captain asks Code.

He nods. “Not for myself. To her.” His eyes fix on Swift, boring into her. “If the captain had put you on the other side of this, you’d have done the exact same thing. You don’t get to stand there looking all smug. You’d have come down to that deck with a knife and a needle, same as me.”