Nova took a step back as Amelia Rose settled onto her back. She wrapped her arms around Aiden. Holden hopped up onto his grey horse. He tapped his heels and steered the horse around the gardens.

Aiden urged Nova forward. "Holden, what kind of bushes are these?" he asked, as he guided Nova through the green plants. With a yank, he pulled her to a stop. The thick bush scraped against Amelia Rose's legs. She grimaced. They weren't completely healed yet. But she felt calmer at a strange smell that was oddly familiar yet so very distant. She studied the little yellow flowers and the white pom-poms that lined the sturdy stems.

At the crunching of branches, Holden pulled the reins and tugged his horse around. "Don't let your horse step on my creosote bush! You ass!" His face turned red. "I had to ride all the way out to Nooseneck Valley just to collect these."

"Oh, you see, I thought these were an invasive species." Aiden patted Nova on the neck and guided her along, not without stomping on a couple more plants in the bed.

"Invasive..." he muttered and continued on his way.

"Mr. Holden," Amelia Rose called. "You seem to have been gardening a bit while I was away."

He took a deep breath. "I do enjoy gardening. That creosote bush smells like rain, doesn't it? I find it to be quite sought after, at least by me," he said. For a moment, she swore there was a brightness to his voice, a little bit of passion that she'd never heard him have for anything else. "But what I enjoy most is not seeing my plants stomped upon."

"Nova is a bit ardent, I ought to have warned you," Aiden said. "And she has a taste for tomatoes—her owner has a bit of—well, an obsession maybe, but he's not one for labels—"

"I'd like to continue the ride in silence," Holden said.

So, they trudged together along the outskirts. Amelia Rose held herself close to Aiden even though they weren't going much faster than a trot. She couldn't help but think about her mother. What Holden had said stuck with her. Apparently, she didn't know much at all. Something must have happened after her parents married. Or at least, that's how Mr. Holden had made it sound.

They neared the coast and Holden pulled his horse to a stop. "God bless it, what is that?" Out in the bay, the Alphard was still sailing. It was listing to the side, but it must have had supports to stop it from sinking.

"I don't see the Coronis," Amelia Rose said.

"Let's hope that's a good thing."

"Is that a pirate ship?" Mr. Holden asked.

"They, uh, they don't bite. Missing a Captain," Aiden replied, but he still pushed Nova back to a trot. She snorted and flicked her dark tail. Aiden didn't seem very convinced. There was tingling to Amelia Rose's fingers, like restlessness. She pressed them into Aiden's stomach, but they still felt a little numb. the Alphard should've sunk. She thought it was all over, and maybe it was, but with it out there in the bay with the Coronis, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Let's just go," She shouted, pushing her heels into Nova's side. The bay horse jolted forward, faster into a gallop. With her arms wrapped tight around Aiden, Amelia Rose turned her head. Mr. Holden wasn't that far behind. His dark horse was fast and well-built.

They traveled along the coast, passing the Devil's Frying Pan, passing the old claim, the cove where Tanner died, and up, up, up until they reached the Lighthouse. Sweat ran down Nova's bare sides, thick and hot. Before she let Aiden and Amelia Rose down, she wandered over to a patch of grasses for a snack.

Mr. Holden dismounted his horse, who was all tacked up, fitted with a saddle and a traditional desert blanket. He hitched his horse near the grasses.

Aiden left the group behind. He ran up the staircase and pushed at the door. It creaked open. "It's broken," he mumbled. Amelia Rose followed him up the steps and the three walked into the lighthouse tower. Holden pushed past them and walked in first, onto the staircase.

"Who's there?" The metal staircase rattled as Holden came to a stop and Dr. Nejem stepped out from one of the rooms, a gun pointed at Mr. Holden. Amelia Rose folded her fists into a bunch at the sight of the doctor.

"I'm the mayor, who are you?" he asked. Jade stepped out of the room. Her arm was bandaged up, her face as pale as dust. Amelia Rose and her shared a silent exchange, but she could tell that Jade was glad to see her.

"That's Josh Holden," Aiden paused and looked at Amelia Rose. "And this is Amelia Rose Holden."

Sabik slowly dropped his arm back to his side and stepped over to the railing. He studied her features. She looked away. "You've been calling me Dirty Jim, though."

Sabik cleared his throat, "Pardon me then, Mrs. Holden."

"Don't call me that,"

"Yes, don't," Mr. Holden said. He walked up the staircase and looked into the room. He stepped back into Sabik. "Has this woman been bleeding?"

Aiden and Amelia Rose stepped up the staircase. The landing was small, but everyone was able to wedge themselves into the room for a moment. The carpet had been ripped up and was covered in blood. "My name's Harris. I'm fine," Jade said to Holden. "We were just heading back to the Coronis."

Amelia Rose looked around the room. "What happened?"

"Captain Fairburn showed up for another fight. But he's—"

"Who?" Mr. Holden asked.

Jade's lip pulled back slightly. "You're the mayor, you say?" he nodded. "Perfect," she said. "He's run off. Do you understand? There is a rogue Durantan Naval Captain loose in your waters." She stepped forward, unsteady on her feet until she was yelling in his face.

He stood his ground. "I don't police these waters. You ought to go see Governor Carneus Oriol about your problem."

"Carneus—" Jade laughed. Amelia Rose wrapped her fingers around her uninjured arm to steady her. "Carneus Oriol? Notoriously unreliable that man is."

"How should you know? You're from the Durantan Union, what with a voice like that."

"Absolutely, and taverns are abuzz with his miserable conduct," she said. "Why, it's like he has ten other jobs to focus on!"

Holden looked at her and drew his eyebrows in. He didn't look an ounce intimidated or impressed by her. "I've never seen the man once. I'm of no help, so why don't you request an audience with him?"

She stared, unblinking for a few seconds too long. "I will." She looked over at Amelia Rose whose hand was still wrapped around her arm. "Your husband is refreshingly sane."

"Ugh," Amelia Rose muttered.

"The safe is up on the catwalk," Holden said before turning. He pushed past Aiden and Dr. Nejem and walked back out onto the staircase. "Hurry up." Amelia Rose stepped out onto the staircase and Aiden joined her.

"Who in the good grace of Aydesreve is she?" Mr. Holden asked quietly as he tugged himself up onto the ladder.

"She the captain," Aiden replied, pulling himself up the shaky ladder. Mr. Holden reached out a hand to help pull him up. Amelia Rose followed them.

The air in the lantern room felt hot and cramped. She could barely breathe. On the other side of the glass, there was blood all over the catwalk, smeared against the panes of the lantern room, and streaked on the railing. "He's still alive? After all of this?" Amelia Rose asked, stepping out onto the catwalk.

"What is going on here? You've run away to fight pirates?" Mr. Holden said, desperately searching through the inter pocket of his waistcoat for something. He was careful not to touch anything. He withdrew a handkerchief.

"It's really a long story, Mr. Holden, I ought to tell you it all some time. You'd be utterly appalled," she said. He huffed out, exasperated.

Finally, he spotted a little metal compartment in the platform and dropped his handkerchief. He mopped up the blood and kicked the handkerchief to the side. "Shall I open it or?"

"I will," Amelia Rose said. She crouched down and stared at the little box. She paused, looking at the box. Emotion trembled in her throat. "Wow, so everything I need to know about her is in here?"

"Should be."

"Oh," she nodded and looked back at the box. "And is it quite obvious to hide the box up here?"

"Helios doesn't know they're being hidden, so go on. Open it." His hands were shaking. Amelia Rose turned the combination wheels. 1, the box clicked, 1, click, 1, click.

Amelia Rose took a deep breath. She had memorized those numbers Runa gave her. In fact, Amelia Rose memorized everything about Runa Hyde. 6, click.

She flinched, ducking into the platform as the sound of an explosion filled the air, leaving a loud ringing in her ears. All the noise around her dulled for a minute and the catwalk shook violently. She looked back. Holden and Aiden turned to the bay. The Alphard was smoking. Was it sinking? Was the Coronis attacking it?

Amelia Rose smiled until a cannonball came tumbling through the air, with a delayed pop. It rushed towards them and Amelia Rose cried out. The platform shook again. She thought she felt the entire tower shift underneath her.

"They're knocking it down, we have to go!" Aiden called.

"Go!" Tears of frustration burned Amelia Rose's eyes. "I have to open this!" She turned back. She spun through the number on the next dial, frantically, her finger trembling. 2, click. The tower shook. She yelled out in frustration and spun through the final dial. Her heart pounded faster and faster as she ran through the numbers. There was another explosion. This time it felt closer, angrier, louder. She grabbed ahold of Aiden and Holden by the arms and tugged them down on top of her. The cannonball flew up and smashed into the lantern room. Amelia Rose screamed, as burning glass and pieces of stone assailed her. She curled up in a ball, Holden draped across her and Aiden beside her. There was another crash as the cannonball rolled off the gallery and smashed into the rooftop below.

"We have to go!" Aiden shouted. He tugged at her arm.

"No! I have to open this! I have to!"

"Amelia Rose, come on, we have to—"

A cannonball hit the tower, shattering a window. The interior moaned and Amelia Rose panic. Mr. Holden pushed her with shaking hands. "I'm not dying here, let's go!"

She looked back at the box and bit down on her tongue, all the curses she had. There was another bang and the three dived to the ground again. The tower rattled again. The platform started moving under her feet, she pulled herself away, over piles of fine glass. The stone tower broke away in places. Aiden shouted and before Amelia Rose could do anything, a wedge of the catwalk crumbled away. Aiden flailed on top of it, reaching out to grab part of the railing. Amelia Rose screamed. The railing broke off and Aiden fell over the edge of the tower in a shower of debris.

"Aiden!" Amelia Rose screamed, her chest tightening. Mr. Holden grabbed onto her and dragged her back into the half-shattered lantern room. The floor was covered in scalding oil and broken glass.

"We have to go," he said. The floor began to shake again and Amelia Rose screamed, reaching out for Holden. He grabbed her hand. As their fingers awkwardly laced together, the floor stopped shaking. The bay was quiet. Smoke puffed from the Alphard's gunports.

There was a wail, something mechanical, something harsh and metallic. It carried on at an agonizing pace. The two stiffened, holding onto each other only because they hadn't another option. The wail reached a crescendo until it had the tower shaking again at their feet. As soon as she felt the first brick give away at her feet, she fell back, but there was nowhere to go. The top-level floor crumbled apart and in a blast of dust and heat, Holden and Amelia Rose plummeted into the tower.