Chapter 10 · The Ribcage Maze

"Left. Now, Cassian. Hard left!"

Lyra slammed both hands against the console as the Iron Leviathan scraped through the first rib of the dead leviathan.

Steel screamed under the impact. The whole ship lurched. Cassian caught the wheel with one hand and caught Lyra with the other before she went down between the pipes.

"You said the gap was clear."

"It was clear three seconds ago. You took four."

"You want to steer?"

"I want you to stop driving like you're trying to murder the ocean."

Another bone punched out of the black water ahead. It rose like a crooked tower, sharp enough to cut the submarine in half. Cassian turned the wheel. The Leviathan's engines shrieked, pushing the ironclad sideways through a gap barely wider than its hull.

The bone dragged across the starboard plates.

Lyra's shoulder slammed into his chest. Her wet hair struck his jaw. For one stupid second, Cassian felt the heat of her through two layers of scorched cloth and heard her breath catch against his throat.

Then a depth charge hit above them.

The blast drove both of them to their knees.

Bolts rattled loose from the ceiling. Red lamps swung on their cables.