Of course. Nisong wouldn’t have that many shards to begin with, so she’d have used them sparingly. They’d be wedged into the serpent close to the base of its skull. I looked up the daunting face of its sinewy neck. Well. I’d climbed more slippery surfaces in the past. Spears and arrows were embedded in its scales. They’d provide foothold enough. This was just a different sort of wall. A moving wall. With teeth.

I’d come this far.

Thrana whimpered below me as I grasped the first of my handholds and pulled myself upward. After only one handhold, the serpent began to move again. I looked down to see Thrana circling below and Gio with his daggers drawn. They looked laughably small next to the serpent. This was the most foolish thing I’d ever done. But it also felt the most right.

My muscles aching, I climbed as quickly as I could.

Not quickly enough. The serpent’s muscles tensed beneath me. I gritted my teeth, trying to wedge my feet into the wounds made by the rocks. I locked my fingers around a splinter of wood above me. The coiled muscles released. My stomach soared into my throat as the beast struck out at Gio and carried me hurtling toward the ground. Both my feet slipped. I found myself hanging from that splinter of wood. Before I could decide to drop right then while the ground was close, it drew its head back into the sky again.

Endless Seas, I hoped this piece of debris was pushed in deep.

It stayed in place, and so did I. I almost wished it was still night so I didn’t have to see exactly how far I’d have to fall.

Only a little farther. I could see the spot where the construct had sat, wedged between two webbed spines. I forced my screaming muscles to move, scrabbling for handholds. The serpent tensed again. I took in a deep breath, trying not to think about how I had no splinter of wood to hold this time, and plunged a hand into the creature’s neck.

This time, I found shards.

I pulled one free and without even looking at it, shoved it back inside the serpent in the wrong spot.

The beast froze and I slid my way back down its neck. Thrana was there to catch me, supporting me with her shoulder. “It’s going to collapse.” Together, we limped away from the sea serpent. I heard its scales hiss against the paving stones as the creature unfroze. Gasps arose from the surrounding soldiers and fear made my shoulders rigid. I’d rearranged the shards. Hadn’t that interrupted the logic of its commands? I whirled to find the serpent’s head coiled to strike.

“Thrana!”