Xiphos' head snapped around as a loud crash rang out from the helm. His men were far too disciplined to cause unneeded noise at such a critical time. He gestured for four men to investigate, and a quartet instantly broke off from the their position at the rails and went to the room as silently as possible. They neatly split up into pairs to flank the door and held still with their swords at the ready. One of them, Xiphos could not discern whom it was, counted down as they prepared to enter.

Quite unexpectedly, a loud explosion caused all of the men on deck to take cover behind their shields. When Xiphos stood up straight, he was amazed to see most of the helm's roof and walls had been completely obliterated. The quartet staggered to their feet as they tried to figure out what had happened. The captain cut his hand through the air, and silence fell upon the deck. A figure materialized from the smoking remains, and everyone on deck simultaneously aimed their weapons at it. When Xiphos' eyes adjusted to the darkness once more, his bushy brow grew tightly together.

"I know you," he said slowly. "You are… Damien. Cassandra's phantom crewmember."

"Nah, that's Blackie."

"Halt!" Xiphos commanded, pointing his spear at the man. "Do not take another step."

Damien's beastly grin widened. "Or fuckin' what?"

"We will be forced to take appropriate measures. What do you want?"

"Yahahar! I got what I wan'!"

"And what was it you wanted?"

"Yer micropeen 'elmsman's lily liver!" He tossed something over to Xiphos that bounced wetly and slid to a stop.

"Hold!" As enraged as Xiphos was, he had to maintain his composure. "You killed Hierax. That has consequences."

He only scoffed. "I did ya a fuckin' favor. Now you can get a proper motherfucker wit more spine than a jellyfish." Even the most disciplined men can be pushed too far. With a cry of fury, one of his crew threw his spear at Damien. The man snatched the spear out of midair and crushed it in his fist. When the soldier rushed up with his sword drawn, Damien easily ducked and wove around the attempted attacks. "See, tha's more like it."

"Stand down!" Xiphos boomed. "Stand down!"

"Why?" Damien asked, catching the sword his armored gauntlet. "'E's 'ow a proper fuckin' pirate should be. None o' this army twaddle you cockgobblers been playin' at." The soldier punched Damien squarely in the face. Damien responded by putting him in a headlock. "Course you're all thick as pigshit, so it don' matter much, do it?"

Xiphos clenched his jaw. "Why do you never fight?"

"Yahahahahar! The fuck kinda stuff you druggies take?"

"Damien, release him at once."

The pirate grinned madly and pulled hard enough to twist the soldier's neck clean around. "Y'all 're messed in the 'ead, you know tha'?"

"Restrain him!" Soldiers rushed forward, each of them battle-hardened and strong enough to command a ship of their own if they desired. Damien avoided most of their attacks and ignored the slices and gouges that struck him. Strangely, his gaze never left Xiphos.

"Sides, yer the tricky fucker tryna sneak up on us. I wasn' tryin' ta fuck wit' all y'all."

Xiphos ground his teeth. Damien was obviously no ordinary man. Cassandra had been holding him back after all. "Forget restraining him; kill him! A cask and reward to the one who takes his head!"

"No!" The sharp cry caused them all to look around. The soldier who attempted to stab Damien while he wasn't looking was backhanded into the sea. Eventually, one of his men shouted, and they all followed his gaze to the broken helm. Someone was hiding behind the smoldering wall and vanished completely when it saw them.

"Why're you still 'ere?" Damien asked. "Thought you'da fucked off by now."

"She was worried about Damien. Should she go get Captain?"

"Does it look like I need 'er fuckin' help?"

Three men leapt clear up to the helm and aimed their spears at the other intruder. "Who are you?"

"How many godsdamned crewmembers does she actually have?" Xiphos growled. "Seize that one. Perhaps we can use her as leverage."

"No, no, no, nononono!" came the increasingly panicked yell. "Get away from Miserie! Go away! She'll never be captured again! Stop staring at her! STOP STARING! VERI KUOHUU!"

Xiphos slammed his spear on the deck. This was getting too out of hand. He knew that Cassandra was a duplicitous shrew with all sorts of ploys she was willing to use, but he could tolerate it no more. It was bad enough that she had somehow acquired a set Log Pose, forcing him to do the same, but to see through his sneak attack seemed completely impossible. For all she spoke of honor, she had remarkably little of it. He would put an end to her lies once and for all.

Despite the odd song pouring forth, his soldiers remained in formation. Damien, on the other hand, seemed to be suffering greatly. He took staggering steps back, writhing as if in pain. Flames began leaking from his body, and all of the Hoplite Pirates raised their shields as one. Xiphos saw a brief flash of white and red jump away, presumably Cassandra's other crewmember, but made no movement to chase after them. It was the man before them who demanded their immediate attention.

When Damien let loose a deafening roar that resonated in Xiphos' very bones, the flames pouring from his body seemed to manifest as some malevolent demon. It gave its own silent howl and arced towards them. "Take cover!" Xiphos shouted.

\\'/.\\'/.\\'/.\\'/.\\

Lyn's voice cut through her nightmare like a blade. "Captain! Stop! Wait, Captain!"

Cassandra shook her head. She had Miserie's silver collar in one hand and a knife in the other. The mermaid was hyperventilating and staring at her with eyes the size of dinner plates. Cassandra released the two pieces of metal like she had been burned and recoiled. Lyn pulled Cassandra off Miserie and, when the mermaid retreated slightly as Lyn extended her arms, drew the captain into a tight hug instead. When Miserie's terrified eyes went to hers, she immediately buried her face in Cassandra's hair. "Are you okay, Miserie?"

"I'm so sorry," Cassandra said hastily, also averting her eyes. "I didn't mean to- I didn't mean to do that! I'm not exactly the safest person to wake up!"

The mermaid burrowed into her captain's bedsheets before she spoke. "Captain can explain later. Miserie also did something."

"It's fine, it's fine," Cassandra said soothingly. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"Miserie isn't worried. She thinks Captain will be."

Cassandra gave a small frown. "Wait, why do you think I'll be-" The pounding in her ears had subsided enough for her to actually pay attention to the sounds outside. "Miserie, what's going on?"

"Damien said he was taking a swim, and Miserie followed him. He went to Xiphos' ship, which had long sticks coming from it, and Miserie helped him on board. He and Xiphos talked, and Xiphos said to kill Damien, so Miserie shouted, so Xiphos sent pirates after her, so she began to sing-"

The pirate captain was already on her feet and sprinting out the door, Lyn tight on her heels. Xiphos' ship was indeed on fire, and she could hear Damien's bellows with ease. "Why didn't you stop him?" she yelled.

Miserie peeked out from the doorframe. "Xiphos was going to hurt the crew. Miserie thought Damien should kill them all."

"This is exactly what I didn't want. I didn't want to engage Xiphos on familiar territory." All of her options flashed through her mind, and she had already begun acting upon it before she started talking again. "Give me ten seconds to arm myself, then take me over there. Lyn, wake the others. We need everyone prepared for this."

"Shouldn't Captain put on clothes first?"

Cassandra forced her hand by jumping overboard and shedding her pyjama bottoms. The last thing she needed was her legs hampered by soaked clothing. Miserie caught her on the way down and darted over to Aetos. She dove for a moment so she could propel herself over the ship and release Cassandra. The pirate captain grabbed a rope and swung around, landing on a yard so she could better gauge the situation.

Much of the deck was on fire and damaged, but the soldiers paid it little heed. They were in tight formation, shields locked together, spears pointed at the berserker in the middle of their circle. Xiphos and Damien were engaged in pitched battle, neither of them having the upper hand. Damien was using his superior speed to hammer the general from every direction, but Xiphos' spear enabled him to ward off attacks from every direction and his armor was still holding. Damien was barely bleeding at all, which was one more thing she didn't need to worry about, but the two ships were still drawing together. She needed to act.

"Voluntas Carnae." She slipped off the beam and landed noiselessly on the deck. She opened fire on the soldiers in front of her, sowing immediate chaos. The instant they turned on her, she kicked off and flipped overboard. Miserie quickly grabbed her as she sunk and glided under the ship, barely avoiding the spears piercing through the water.

"Captain should stay on board. Miserie was worried about all of the fighting, so she asked some butcher sharks and a squid to make sure other hungry fish don't come near. She isn't sure some the less cooperative fish will listen, though."

Cassandra had no idea what the mermaid was talking about, but she trusted Miserie knew what she was doing. The captain was whisked away, and they soared above the ship once more. Miserie got her signal and let her go midair. She skidded across the deck, noting how disruptive her initial attack had been. Something sharp caught the sole of her foot. and she left a trail of blood across the wooden boards. Two quads of soldiers instantly turned to her, boxing her against the forecastle cabin wall. "Andres, Libera is here!"

The first mate immediately came over, three marginally smaller men trailing behind him. "Captain Libera." His voice was as harsh as ever. "You boast of honor, yet you leave as suddenly as mist in the sun."

"How is that honorless?" she snapped back. "We had to leave Rime as soon as possible. We gave you your feast and brawl. What more did you need?"

"You spoke of our alliance against the dangers of the island of frost and abandoned us not a week after."

"Yes, because in the end, my crew is more important than yours. Speaking of honor, who tried to sneak up on whom in the dead of night?"

"Once honor is tarnished, anything is viable."

She gave a dark smile. "Your mistake was thinking I didn't know what you were thinking. People with honor are so easy to read. That's why I don't have any."

Andres thrust his spear at her, and she ducked to the side just enough so he could slice her side. She dodged his next few pokes before leaping onto the railing behind her. She had contemplated leaving her Devil Fruit as an element of surprise, but malicious anger was simmering within her. "If you're not a crewmate or a sister of mine, you shouldn't believe anything I say."

"Any other advice you wish to impart?"

"One of us will be meeting their gods soon, so not really. Ferrum Bellonae!"

"Klisi tou Patroklos." Cassandra reacted the instant she saw the other soldiers move. Unlike her navigator, she had no intention of fighting inside a closed space. However, she did recognize the danger of Xiphos' spearmen. The soldiers in front of her still had their shields locked, and she knew she stood absolutely no chance of breaking through with brute strength. She grabbed her pistol and knife, and the force of the spear she blocked knocked her onto the forecastle deck. She slid to a stop and watched the men march up the stairs with infuriating coordination. The ship rocked slightly as it passed the Knave and the splintering of oars could be heard above all of the chaos. Things weren't going so badly after all.

After a few low shots deflected by lowered shields or greaves, she had a better feel for the opponent before her. Andres landed before her, his spear abandoned in favor of his sword. His blade came down with impressive speed, and slicing clean through her knife's blade and part of her opposite shoulder. She hastily grabbed the other knife as it fell from its ruined holster and hopped away from his subsequent attack. His shield was an impenetrable wall she couldn't breach, though she was patiently chipping away with the occasional shot in one particular area near the top. The soldiers surrounding her occasionally thrust their spears at her, but none of them managed more than a light scratch.

Their fight was interrupted as a familiar gunshot rang out and Andres' sword was knocked from his hand. As he turned to face the new threat, his three subordinates moved to cover him. Cassandra was darting forward before they had taken their first step. "Manus Lavernae!" She spun around the leading man, ignoring the spear gouging a long chunk of flesh from her side, and rammed her knife below the base of his helmet. She focused all of her strength into that one arm and pushed off, neatly avoiding the spears of the remaining two. She landed on the second's shoulders and violently twisted his helmet around. He grabbed her arm and yanked her off, but when he reached the peak of his throw, she used the unorthodox angle to shoot right behind the third's collarbone. The soldier yelled in pain and brought his shield arm to his neck, but she couldn't make use of the opportunity as she somersaulted across the deck.

She kicked up to a standing position and deftly slid between two outthrust spears. She slammed to a stop against a shield, and the two spears immediately closed to contain her. She slid down to the ground and tucked to the side, avoiding one of the spears stabbed at her. The other pinned her free hand to the deck, but she had the window she needed. The second of Andres' men turned his helmet back just in time for her to put a bullet through each of his eyes. Another spear punctured her left arm and bit deep into the wooden boards, immobilizing her completely. The third man ran over to her and put his spear at her throat, lifting her chin.

"Tell your men to stand down," he commanded as a sniper round crashed into Andres' shield. He just managed to use the split second that his shield had held and avoid any serious damage. The bullet tore through his armor, left shoulder, the other side of his armor, and the deck behind him. She felt a twinge of pride among the much more numerous and much stronger twinges of pain accentuated by the occasional falling grain of salt. There wasn't much that could stop a shot from her sniper rifle at this range.

"Nobody tells me what to do," she said through a mad grin.

"Tell them to stand down!" he repeated, pressing the spearhead hard enough to break her skin.

Cassandra slowly, agonizingly, pulled herself to her feet. Her limbs left blood as they slid up the spear shafts, and as composed as the soldier pretended to be, she could see the flickers of shock in his eyes. "Did Xiphos tell you to take me alive? Such a shame."

Yet another spear plunged through her thigh, stopping her ascent. "You are not needed in one piece," he informed her.

"Nor is Xiphos. How's he doing, by the way? Once Damien gets it in his head he wants to kill someone, he's awfully hard to stop."

Any further conversation was cut off as a large shape slammed into the deck. She instantly recognized Cain's distinctive white armor, still sporting much of the damage Flake had inflicted upon it, but the second figure gave her pause. A much smaller person dropped off his shoulders and landed lightly, a rapier in one hand and a broken greatsword in the other. As horrified as she was to find Lyn aboard, she was amazed by the suit of armor the swordswoman was wearing. It was nowhere near as extensive as Cain's plate mail, but she was still much more protected than she normally was. Her long white and black hair streamed from beneath her helm, and her eyes were completely devoid of her usual cheer.

"Help me with Captain, then help Damien!" she yelled.

"Reidi!" Basilikos came around like a reaper's scythe. Three men raised their shields in an attempt to block, but the shields and soldiers folded in half across the great battleaxe's blade.

The men backed warily away, but Andres' last immediate subordinate crouched in anticipation. "You shall not have her!"

"I will!" Lyn shouted back as she sprinted forward. The soldier swung his spear in a defensive swipe, and Lyn raised her broken sword to block. Before Cassandra could shout in protest, the spear was cleanly shorn off as it hit the blade. Fragments bounced off the swordswoman's armor, and she was pushed slightly to the side. Both he and the pirate captain were shocked as Lyn continued to run. "Taco de Billar!"

Her rapier stabbed clear through his hand. He roared and pulled his hand back, and her rapier slid easily out. He brought his shield around to knock her aside, but she drove her broken sword clean into the metal until it stuck fast. She hopped up and planted one foot on the hilt, using it to boost herself into the air. The soldier removed the shield from his vision just in time to see her knee smash into his nose hard enough to knock him backwards. She landed on the deck and pushed off once more.

"Pio Sajo!" Her rapier whipped across his forehead, slicing deep enough to cause blood to spurt out of his face. He howled and blindly threw his shield with enough force to knock her head clean off. Cain caught it, allowed Lyn to extract her blade, and hurled it back, smashing the man through the railings.

Cassandra could only gape as Lyn began pulling at the spears pinning her to the deck. "And just where the hell did that come from?"

The first mate ducked as Cain sent another man flying above them. "I didn't wanna fall behind, so Cain's been helping me out with some training and armor for a while. Do you like it?"

"Considering it just saved you from grievous harm, can't say I don't."

Although Lyn was able to slowly move the spears, she quickly gave up and simply hacked through them. Cassandra immediately fell to her knees, her face creased with pain as Lyn pulled out the remaining small pieces. "You should have waited for us."

"I needed them on the back foot," she said through gritted teeth. "Now they are."

"But-"

Cassandra clenched and unclenched her right hand, eyeing the repaired skin visible through the hole in her glove. "I'll be fine. I'm just glad Jay didn't get knocked off the Knave. That Eraser has one hell of a recoil."

Lyn carefully helped her to her feet. "You still should have waited."

She waved the matter aside. "How're the others doing?"

"Alexander and Morgan are holding off the boarders," Lyn said quickly. "Miserie's also jumping all over the place. She said to just knock them overboard."

"She does have her surprises. As do you. Why aren't you back on the Knave? It's safer there."

"It's safer here. Oh!" Lyn thrust several knives into her grasp. "Presents!"

"Lyn…" she growled.

"Look, I'm here now, so deal with it! Let's go!"

Seeing that the two women were okay and the other soldiers were scattered, Cain jumped over to the main deck. Andres had evidently figured out where Jordan was and threw his spear with impressive speed. Cassandra's jaw clenched as she heard the top of her mast explode into splinters. "That was a bad move, Andres. Farben von Isis!"

They both dashed forward with their blades in their hands. Andres turned back to them, a dark scowl visible through his helm. He drew his sword as he swung his shield. Cassandra slowed to avoid the shield while Lyn planted her feet firmly on the deck. She braced her rapier against her damaged sword, accepting the full force of Andres' blow. The blade that was shorn off hit her armor, biting through her back shoulder plate. It left a trail of blood as it spun away, and Lyn gave a cry of pain.

Cassandra ducked under his follow through and, with more adrenaline burning through her body, drove her fists hard enough into Andres' armor to knock him backwards. A few of her fingers broke, but they healed completely by the time she struck again. She leapt up while he was off-balance and tried to drive her knife into his eye. He twisted his head to the side, and she split his cheek and ear in half. Lyn bulled into him as well, causing him to lose his footing completely.

All three of them crashed through what little remained of the forecastle railing and onto the main deck. He knocked Cassandra aside, shattering a few more bones, and rolled to his feet. Grabbing a discarded sword, he faced off against the rival first mate once more. Cassandra couldn't tell whether Lyn was shaking due to excitement, fear, or both, but she knew she couldn't leave the swordswoman on her own. She tried to move, but agony lanced through the entire left side of her body, leaving her wheezing on the floor.

"Damas Saltando!"

"Sintrofos!"

Andres' wounds slowed him greatly, but Lyn was hurt as well. She relied significantly less on her left arm, keeping her right angled towards him at all times. She ducked and dodged his swipes, but he had a significant range advantage on her. She darted in to jab at weak points in his armor, but she was unable to score any hits. When the side of his shield clipped her rapier, she used the momentum to spin out of his reach and bat aside his attempted surprise strike.

The more they fought, the more haphazard Andres' attacks grew. As much as Cassandra wanted to help against Andres, she had to admit Lyn was holding her own. Cassandra focused on the few soldiers managed to avoid Cain's large swipes and the battle between Xiphos and Damien. Still recovering from the worst of her injuries, she did her best to put the errant pirates in the path of one of the other fights or incapacitate them herself. Their armor was proving difficult for her knives, but her bullets increased her effectiveness somewhat.

Lyn's clipped cry instantly drew her attention. The swordswoman was staggering backwards, clutching the armor crushed on her right side. Andres shield clattered away as he brought his sword down in a two-handed slash. She barely had time to brace her left arm against her right before he hit. She managed to deflect the sword away and push herself to the side, but her rapier was knocked from her hands. Andres gave a victorious shout as he swung down again, knowing there was no way she would be able to block or dodge this time.

"Hostiae Luae Munificae!" Cassandra's fists slammed into his fingers, completely stopping his strike. Both of their fingers broke, along with several bones in Cassandra's wrists and arms. Andres shouted and dropped his sword, giving her the briefest of moments she needed. Her extremities realigned themselves and her bones fused back together with painful rapidity, but she bore through the agony. Her upper body felt as if it were filled with lightning and thunder. Andres lunged forward, intent on finishing the two women with his bare hands, but Cassandra halted him once more. Their hands interlocked as they strained against each other. Cassandra knew in some corner of her mind that her body wasn't healing as fast as it was being torn apart and it wouldn't last forever, but she refused to yield.

Andres abruptly buckled, and Cassandra succeeded in pushing him over. Lyn pulled her greatsword from his leg and crawled after him. The pirate captain jumped forwards, her knives spinning into her hands. With a cry of pure fury, she lit into his face, ferociously stabbing and slicing away. Bits of flesh and hair flew all over, but she never let up her assault. His screams were swiftly stifled by blood, then silenced completely. He stopped flailing about as his limbs fell limply onto the deck. Cassandra sat back, her breast heaving with ire and the thrill of battle. Blood soaked her skin and what little clothes she wore and dripped from her knives. She leaned in and put her mouth to his ear, even though she knew he was dead. "Never, ever, touch my crew."

She slumped to the side and hit the wet deck hard. She knew the fight wasn't over. Damien and Xiphos had demolished the a good portion of the deck and moved their fight within the ship. Cain's armor was compromised in a dozen places, but he never took one step backwards. He continued to fend off the smaller soldiers, not letting them one hairsbreadth closer to the women behind him. Lyn finished dragging herself over and tugged Cassandra onto her with a small smile. "You went overboard again."

Cassandra shrugged, then her brain caught up with her. She pulled herself away, distancing herself as best she could from the first mate. She knew that regardless of how brave a face Lyn put on, the novice was still horrified by the sheer brutality and violence Damien could wreak upon his foes. Now she had first hand experience that Cassandra could be just as cruel and savage. The blood covering her was testament enough. "I had to."

"What's wrong?" Lyn asked softly.

"It's not over yet," was her curt response. "You're hurt. Get back to the Knave and send Jay over."

"You're hurt too!" Lyn protested.

"I'll heal. Go, now."

"No! I can still fight!"

"But not as well as you could before. You know the Knave; you'll have defender's advantage."

Lyn bopped her forehead. "You're gonna pass out soon! I'm not leaving you!"

"You're not. We're still a crew fighting together. Cain! Get Lyn out of here and throw Jay over, Captain's Orders!"

"No, wait!"

"Vald!" He swung his axe around, giving him enough time to turn on his heel and run. He scooped the objecting first mate in his free hand and bounded from the ship. A few spears followed him, but Cassandra was upon the soldiers before they could retrieve fallen ones to throw again.

"Ferrum Bellonae!" As skilled as the soldiers were, it was much easier to deal with humans around her own size. The broken deck was not easy to maneuver upon, but she could still use mobility better than she could before. She knocked a few soldiers into the hole and listened in satisfaction as they caught on fire. Her pistols had been lost in the scuffle, and there was a disappointing lack of unused firearms that she could use. Lyn was right; her regeneration was beginning to flag, and her Fruit-enhanced stamina was reaching its limit.

She shook her head. Those were only excuses. She had to give absolutely everything she had. Her crew depended on her. Failure was unacceptable.

She used every trick she could to disrupt their formation. If they managed to group up once more, she would lose. She grabbed an outthrust spear and bodily heaved the man into the air. She sliced another's neck open, and the resulting arterial spray blinded a few nearby. When a sword bit into her shoulder, nearly cleaving her arm from her body, Cassandra used the resulting spasm to drive the butt of her knife into the soldier's philtrum, caving the center of her face in and killing her instantly. A sweeping downward kick pinned a spear to the ground, and her other foot followed through and hit the man's helmet hard enough to daze him.

The soldier about to run her through yelled as he was slugged right out to sea. Cassandra blinked in surprise as a shrunk-down Andres spun grabbed a spear and shattered it on a couple close soldiers. "Fucking madwoman, you know that?"

Cassandra didn't bother hiding her relief. "Gods, its good to see you."

He grabbed her and brought her into a rough kiss on the cheek. His grip weakened considerably, and he gave a roguish grin. "You always need me to save the day. How about-"

"Don't push your luck. Andern Mond."

"Andern Mond." Jordan clasped her hand and led the attack. The soldiers might have trained as a unit, but Cassandra felt unstoppable coordinating with herself. She knew her own fighting style, her reactions, her rhythm, her openings. Jordan had the advantage of knowing how she fought on top of his copied body mechanics doing what seemed most natural. He also was considerably less exhausted as she was, moving with a speed and fluidity she didn't currently possess. They swept through the soldiers like a hurricane. Jordan kept their shields from interlocking and dished out as much damage as he could while Cassandra covered the opportunities for counterattacks he allowed himself to have, blocking and intercepting the soldier's spears and swords.

With a final shout, they simultaneously drove their knives into the armpits of the final soldier. Her weapons tumbled from her limp fingers, and she was silenced when they stabbed deep into her neck. Their finishing twists were hard enough to separate her head from her body, and the two pieces fell wetly to the deck. They lowered their weapons and leaned heavily on each other's shoulders to catch their breath.

"We should do this more often," Jordan said brightly.

Cassandra couldn't do much but nod in agreement. Although she usually preferred two different styles to keep the opponent constantly guessing, fighting alongside her clone was a refreshing change of pace. She wished Morgan were nearby to rinse most of the gore from her body, but that could wait until after everything was done. There still the rowers below, and she could hear the fight going on aboard her ship. "Who's doing worse?"

"Your guys are fine. I'm surprised Didi hasn't beaten Xixi yet."

"Why do you think I didn't want to fight him?"

"Didi doesn't like help though."

"Life's full of disappointments."

Before they could enter the flaming hole, they were knocked off their feet as the ship gave a mighty jolt and slowed enormously. The sounds of splintering wood and snapping cord reverberated through the air, and Cassandra's heart plummeted through her stomach. She scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could to the front of the ship. All of her anger and energy drained from her, replaced by only numb dread. She hoped against hope she was wrong, but she rarely was when it came to situations like this.

She let loose a yell of anguish as she saw her trusted ship, the Howling Knave, broken nearly in two across Aetos' bow.