She might as well have slapped me in the face—repeatedly. Cami shuffles closer in solidarity, but I can feel her trembling with emotion. Whether it’s rage, sorrow, regret … I’m unsure.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Arryn,” Kael says in a firm voice, placing a warning hand on her shoulder that she shakes off. “Of course Lyss didn’t help Ward.” His gaze pins me. “Did you?”

I open and close my mouth, lost for words. I’m so angry that my throat feels like it’s swelling up, blocking my airway. But I force a deep, calming breath into my lungs and try to keep my tone even when I respond, “Firstly, I was too busy trying to catch the breakout who was running away from me to have considered sitting him down for hot chocolate and a chat.” I glare at them both as I add, “I didn’t get a chance to tell him anything, least of all about us.”

I suck in another calming breath before I continue, “Secondly, I have no idea how he knew my name. I’ve never seen him before in my life. Never.” I hold their disbelieving eyes as I finish, “And lastly, what possible reason would I have to hand him over to Ward—especially since Ward was clearly under Manning’s mind control? Why would I suffer anyone the fate of being trapped at Lengard, after everything they did to me?”

“It doesn’t matter that Ward wasn’t himself—we all know you have a soft spot when it comes to him,” Arryn says, relentless.

I wonder how she can possibly know that, since I only met her for the first time tonight. But I refuse to let her sling accusations at me, regardless of her authority within the Remnants.

“If by ‘soft spot’ you mean that he repeatedly lied to, betrayed, and confused me, then sure, I guess I do. It totally makes sense that I’d want the breakout to experience that for himself.”

My sarcasm isn’t lost on anyone.

“All right, let’s just back it up a step,” Keeda says, glancing quickly at the captain before returning her attention to us. “Break it down for us, Lyss. Tell us what happened.”

It takes a great deal of effort to shift my angry gaze away from Arryn, but I manage to do so in order to share the events of the night from my perspective, including everything that happened inside Coney Island.

“I don’t get it,” Pandora says, looking at me as she chews on a chipped nail—painted almost the exact same shade as her hair. “If you’ve never met the breakout, how did he know your name?”

“He was probably watching us from the shadows early on and heard one of us mention it,” Kael says, waving a dismissive hand. His forehead is crinkled as he looks back in the direction we’ve traveled, but Luna Park is no longer visible through the yacht’s rear windows, having been swallowed by the night. “Whatever the reason, the breakout is lost to us now, so we need to focus instead on those other Speakers. If they’re not with us and they’re not with Lengard, who are they? And why haven’t we encountered them before now?”