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“I must advise that you—”

“Stand down,” I say.

Tessa looks between the two of us. “Corrick,” she says in a rush. “Rian—stop. You don’t know— He can fight—”

“So can I,” we say at the same time, and we both scowl at each other.

I have no idea which one of us she was truly warning.

Then Lochlan says, “The prince broke my wrist with his bare hands,” and a little murmur goes through the crowd.

Rian looks at me steadily. “I’m hardly surprised.”

Despite my order, both Rocco and Kilbourne have moved closer. Any levity is gone from the air now. The whole crew has gone silent.

“If you wanted to fight for it,” I say, “we could have settled this yesterday.”

“That’s not my challenge.” Rian nods at the main mast, then walks to where the ropes and rigging are connected to the crossbeams. “I’ll race you to the top. Go.”

Before I can even process the words, he’s ten feet off the ground.

Well, damn.I don’t think. I just leap.

I’ve never done this, but I’ve watched his crew do it a dozen times now, and I’m no stranger to climbing. There are dozens of footholds, and this is easier than scaling the wall of the Royal Sector. Weeks ago, the rebels dislocated my shoulder when they took me prisoner, and I feel it give a twinge now, but I ignore the pain. I look up at the miles of chains and netting and try to find a path, but I cling to the outer edge and swing myself higher with each pull, hooking the ropes with my feet to gain more momentum. Harristan taught me to climb when I was a boy, and I can still remember his voice.Just keep your eyes on the rope, Cory.

I’ve always been a strong climber, swift and nimble on the ropes. When Tessa and I were making rounds as Wes and Tessa, she was brilliant with medicine—but I was twice as fast at getting over the wall. I’d take the harder runs because of it.

To my left, the captain is quick, using a combination of ropes and rungs, but I’m nearly even with him. In another ten feet, I’ll be close to the first crossbeam and I’ll have better leverage. When he glances down to check my progress, I enjoy the flare of surprise in his eyes when he finds me nearly even with him.

“You should’ve picked the fight,” I say.

“You’re on the outside edge, and it’s a good way to fall.”

I brace my foot against the ropes and half leap, half drag myself ever higher—ahead of him. “I’ll take my chances.”

He redoubles his speed. “Did you really break Lochlan’s arm with your bare hands?”

“Yes.”

“And you claim there’s no basis for yourreputation?”

“I never claimed that.” We make it to the beam, and the wind is strong up here. My fingers grip tight to the rigging, and I fight a wave of vertigo. I have to keep my eyes on the ropes, because if I look out over the sea, I know it’ll be disorienting.

I can’t believe we’re only halfway.

Rian puts a hand on the next section.

I let go of the ropes entirely, thrust my feet against the rigging, andjump.

For what seems like an eternity, I’m weightless, nothing around me but wind and sky. When my fingers close on the rope, a gust of wind catches the sail, and I nearly miss it. My feet miss the rigging entirely, but I haul myself upward with my hands, rope fibers tearing into my palms. That twinge in my shoulder turns into a needle of fire.

If I survive this, Harristan might kill me. Or Rocco might beat him to it. Down below, the shouts are incomprehensible.

There.My feet find the ropes, and I shove myself higher. The netting is narrower here as we near the top, with extra ropes and chains that make the climb more complicated. My breathing is ragged, my heart wild, but it’s worth it, because I gain a lead. I scramble along the ropes as the boat tips and sways with the current.

“If we catch a gust of wind,” Rian calls, “you’re going to end up in the ocean.”

“Save you a lot of trouble then, won’t I?”