Chapter 13 · Into the Sun Well

"Strap in, Lyra, or the floor is going to throw you into the engine." Cassian caught her around the waist as the deck kicked sideways beneath them.

She slammed into his chest. His hand locked around her coat, hot through the fabric. The other gripped a rail that had just torn loose from the wall.

"I can stand on my own."

"You were standing on a ceiling ten seconds ago."

"That was your steering."

"And this is your warning."

The ironclad dropped another dozen feet.

Every bolt in the command deck screamed.

Lyra's boots left the deck. Cassian hauled her back before her skull met the brass instrument panel. Her blindfold had slipped crooked, exposing one pale eye that flashed with gold pain.

"Don't touch my face," she snapped.

"Then stop trying to break it."

"I wasn't trying."

"That somehow makes it worse."

The forward glass showed nothing but black water and falling sparks. The sub's search lamps had died three levels above, crushed by the pressure.