West’s eyes on me, I didn’t look up. I didn’t want to see his face when I said it.
But he cut me off, stepping forward to face the crew. “There’s something we have to do before we go back to Ceros.”
“West—” I grabbed hold of his arm but he pulled away, turning to Paj.
“Set course for Yuri’s Constellation.”
Each of the crew looked as confused as I was. “What?”
“Yuri’s Constellation?” Willa glanced between us. “What are you talking about?”
“West,” I lowered my voice, “don’t.”
“And what exactly are we doing in Yuri’s Constellation?” Hamish asked, with his best attempt at patience.
“We aren’t doing anything there. I am,” I answered. “It’s a dredging job. A one-time thing. When I’m done, I’ll find you in Ceros.”
“What’s the cut?” Hamish put his spectacles back on, comfortable as long as we were talking numbers.
I swallowed. “There isn’t one.”
“What’s going on, Fable?” Paj took a step toward me.
“As soon as I take care of this, I’ll be back in the Narrows. You can take my share of the Lark and—”
“Fable made a deal with Holland,” West’s voice rolled over the deck between us.
The confusion in the crew’s eyes instantly turned into suspicion.
“What deal?” Auster pressed.
“I’m going to find something for her.”
Paj scoffed. “Why?”
I ran a hand over my face. “Holland is…”
“She’s Isolde’s mother,” Clove finished, exasperated.
The four of them looked to West, but he was silent.
“Holland is your grandmother?” Hamish pulled the spectacles from his face. They dangled from his fingertips.
“I didn’t know until the night of the gala,” I said, staring at the deck. “She’s after Saint and I told her I’d find something for her if she left him alone.”
Another sudden, howling silence fell over the ship.
“You can’t be serious,” Paj rasped. “Is there a bastard from here to the Narrows you’re not related to?”
“No way are we taking on a job to save Saint’s neck,” Willa snapped.
“I agree,” Hamish echoed.
“I know.” It was exactly what I expected them to say. “That’s why I’m doing this on my own.”
“No, you’re not. And we’re not taking a vote,” West said. “Set course for Yuri’s Constellation.”
Every eye snapped up to him.
“West,” I whispered.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Willa almost laughed.
“We’re going to Yuri’s Constellation. We’ll do the dive and then go home.”
Paj pushed off the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you telling me we don’t have a say in this?”
“No. That’s not what he’s saying,” I said.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” West interrupted. “The Marigold is going to Yuri’s Constellation.”
“What are you doing?” I gaped at him.
“I’m giving orders. Anyone who doesn’t want to follow them can find passage back to the Narrows.”
The crew stared at him in disbelief.
“Do you have any idea what we’ve done to get here? To find you?” Willa spat. This time, she was talking to me. “And now you want to save the man who’s made our lives hell for the last two years?”
At the bow, Clove watched with an air of amusement. He crossed his arms over the chest in his lap, eyes jumping from West to the others.
“You still haven’t told us what we’re supposed to be dredging,” Auster said calmly. He looked as if he was the only one not ready to punch West in the face.
“Before my mother left Bastian, she stole something from Holland,” I said. “Midnight.”
Paj’s eyes went wide, but Willa’s narrowed.
Auster laughed, but it bled to silence when he met my eyes. “What, you’re serious?”
“It’s in Yuri’s Constellation. All we have to do is find it.”
“There is no we,” Paj growled. “Not in this.”
I bristled, taking a step back. But Paj didn’t blink.
“No one’s even seen it!” Hamish shrieked. “It’s probably not even real. No more than a story some drunk Saltblood bastard told at a tavern.”
“It’s real,” Clove said, his deep voice silencing them.
Hamish shook his head. “Even if it is, another piece of midnight hasn’t been dredged since it was unveiled by Holland.”
“My mother found it. So can I,” I said.
The familiar fire reignited in Willa’s eyes. “You’re insane. Both of you.”
“I want everything together by the end of the day. We shove off at dawn,” West said.
All four of them stared at him, furious. After another moment, he pushed off the mizzen, running one hand through his hair before he started for the breezeway. I watched him disappear into the helmsman’s quarters before I followed.
The light from the room crept through the open door and the floorboards creaked as I stepped inside. The familiar smell of West’s cabin