I knew why he’d lied to me. I saw now he hadn’t meant to hurt me. As desperate as I’d felt in the last few weeks, for my home and my family, I thought I understood.

It would be so simple. Winchester was so much less complicated than Asgard. It felt so much safer than the Imperiya.

But my path didn’t lie backward.

Lang’s head jerked up. “I’m the captain here—”

“And it’s her decision,” Andersen shot back.

“We have a responsibility,” Yu argued.

Andersen raised his voice. “Potomac’s alliances are at risk. Her position. Her life. Her father’s life.” He pointed at me, determined. “It’s well past time we started trusting her.”

My hands made fists on the table. My engagement ring caught the gleam of Homer’s lamp, flashing a warning. Or an invitation.

You can see more by some lights than others.

Be free, elskede.

I thought of the Saint George of Constantine’s England, who did not wander abroad, searching for other people’s dragons to slay. He had changed his ways, and of that, I was glad.

But this dragon had landed directly in my path. And I had the power to put a sword in the right hands to help those it threatened fight back.

They were still arguing when I strode out of the office and across the deck.

The ship pitched and swayed beneath me. But I was rock steady.

“Selah, wait!” Lang called.

Yu and Andersen and Homer scrambled close behind him.

The crew kept working around us—Yasumaro steering, Jeanne watching the fjords above, her amber eyes scanning the cliffs carefully for any sign of someone following. Vishnu’s and Basile’s muscles knotted with strain as they pulled at the lines. J.J. hurried into the galley, and through its swinging door, I saw Will hurrying around, no doubt fixing us a late supper. Overhead, Cobie scrambled across the rigging, unfurling our sails like jasmine in moonlight. Anya and Skop watched each other.

Perrault stopped in front of me, utterly still, eyes boring into mine, black as secrets in the dark.

Funny, how I’d never noticed the fear there before.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, Seneschal-elect,” he began unevenly. “But I will say one final time: we cannot avoid the court at Shvartsval’d. You are obliged to court Fürst Fritz.”

“I’m surprised you came quietly, Perrault.” I cut him a glance as I strode around him. “Weren’t you afraid of slighting our Norsk hosts?”

“It’s not as though things could’ve gotten much worse. Treason and spies, indeed.” Perrault scrambled after me, pitch rising. “The hertsoh will be waiting! Seneschal-elect, you know what is at stake. You know what happens to the tsarytsya’s enemies.”

Don’t I, though. I stomped on, undeterred.