"If what you say is true, we cannot stay." Aaopo stood with his arms crossed on the beach, looking down at Ikal as Alex finished his explanation.

"And this is your opportunity," Alex said, motioning up at the ship. "It won't be an easy trip, but one island is nearby. We just came from it."

Alex hoped they would take the option. He hadn't told James and Ikal but had set the core to sink in the next few hours. It would be better for everyone if that entire temple complex were buried. The aetheric residue would still take centuries to dissipate. The same would have happened to Glory Plateau if it hadn't turned into a Black Spot.

"It will take time to rebuild the ship," James said, looking up at the giant ship. "But it has more than enough space to carry all of our people."

"You'll need to watch out once you get there," Alex said. "There are a lot of seedy people out there, not counting the Military Police."

"There are slavers." Sayed nodded, crossing his arms. "They would pay greatly to take some of your people."

"But we have James," Ikal said. "No one will take us so long as he's with us."

Alex smiled down at him. While it wasn't a complete reversal of what he had seen from the kid, it was probably the most open Ikal had been since he had gotten to the island. He saw the same grin cross James's place. They and their family had a chance, even if Alex found the entire situation too bizarre.

"It is a terrible undertaking," Aaopo said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

"But a necessary one," Maocir said. "They speak sense. We no longer have children. We must find a life away from here to keep the tribe alive."

"Then we will begin work immediately," Aapo said, nodding as he opened his eyes. "Thank you for your help, Alex and Sayed. What can we do to repay you?"

"I already took my payment," Alex said, tapping the side of his head. "But we will be getting out of here tonight. Do me a favor and leave your temple be for now. I hate to say it, but you need to just let it lie."

"That will be hard for some of the older tribesmen," Aaopo said. "But I will make sure they do. We will not leave anyone behind."

Alex smiled, and they exchanged pleasantries for a while before he and Sayed started their way back to the village. James followed along with them, with Ikal staying a safe but noticeable distance behind. Alex ignored it as he and Sayed returned to the village and gathered Erin, Jean, Artur, and the unconscious Li Wen.

Mari ran up to him last, wrapping her arms around his leg as he patted her head.

"Looks like we're all here," Alex said, looking over his crew. "Are we ready to go?"

"There's still a hole in our ship, is there not?" Jean asked, adjusting Li Wen's weight in his arms.

"Not to mention Wen's still out," Erin said, eyeing Li Wen with her arms crossed.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you need," James said. "Your people need time to recover, the same as anyone else."

"Yeah, but no." Alex sighed. "I have some metal sheets near the ship now. We'll get the hole sealed up and get out of here."

He left it unsaid but didn't want to bring more risks to the Zoan with their presence. He didn't know where Benbeck and the rest of his crew were, and Miss Glory had escaped. Either one of them could easily come after the crew again. The longer they stayed, the more risk there was. When they had come together, they had chosen a path of constant movement.

"We are pursued from all sides," Artur said, patting his shield. "If we wish to be kind, we must ride."

"Come on." Alex nodded, shaking his head but not disagreeing with Artur.

Together, they marched through the carved-through forest and returned to the ship. It remained in the same place they had left it, though several groups of flies buzzed around the ship from the nearby water. Sitting nearby the ship were several metal pieces that Alex had placed after bringing the ship from the water onto the beach. The metal itself wasn't created but taken from the ship. It wouldn't last forever but would hold until they could get repairs.

"Sayed, can you melt the metal onto the holes?" Alex asked. "I'll hold the metal up if you get tied off on a rope."

"Yes, brother!" Sayed said, practically flying up the ladder in a flurry of movement.

"We'll take Wen to her room and get her settled," Erin said, nodding to Jean before starting up the ladder.

"And I will watch Mari while we wait," Artur smiled, picking up Mari and following after Erin and Jean.

"Your crew practical, aren't they?" James asked. "They all seem to settle into your plans without much complaint."

"They trust me." Alex shrugged as he pulled up the first metal sheet with his curse and floated it over to the side of the ship as Sayed descended on a rope. "We haven't been together long, but we work well together."

"It reminds me of my time with my own crew," James said. "We got along well until we didn't."

Pssh.

Above them, Sayed melted the metal onto the ship's side, much like a welder. Alex picked up the next sheet, and Sayed lined that one up with the hole on the ship's side. Together, they made quick work of the holes, and Sayed began his climb back up the side of the ship.

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"It sounds like you're trying to warn me about something," Alex said.

"Not a warning, but just a hunch." James shrugged. "I know outlaw crews. They may last for a time, but usually, the thing that holds them together breaks apart. They fray and fight among themselves. I hope that never happens to you or your crew."

Alex nodded, reaching up one hand to the ship and pulling with his magnetic curse. He floated up through the air until his hand hit the rail and quickly flipped over to land on the deck. James wasn't wrong to say what he did, but Alex wasn't worried. All his crew members had a reason to go to Magnus Hortus and try for the Dark Meridian. That would be enough to keep them together.

Crack. Boom.

The ground shook in the distance toward the temple, riding a wave of energy toward the ship and the lake. The water began to slosh, and Alex grabbed hold of the Nighthawk's railing. He smiled down at James, already knowing what was happening.

"Sorry," Alex said. "But that's our signal to get out of here."

"You didn't," James said, looking toward the jungle.

"I had to be sure," Alex said, ducking past the railing and heading toward the central door on the deck.

The trees above the ship shook as the ground around the temple and ruins opened up. Alex ducked in before the trees could fall on the ship or outlaw might try to and saw Sayed running down the steps and heading toward the bridge already. Alex jumped down the stairs and yelled down the hallway.

"Artur, get Mari to the bridge. It's time for us to get out of here!"

***

James watched the ship rise into the sky, shaking his head at the cheeky brat as the ship pulled away. The ground beneath him shook, and he turned to reach out a hand to Ikal as the boy ran up to him to grab hold of his leg. While it wasn't as bad as a ship under fire, the shaking made standing hard.

"It'll be over soon," James said, kneeling to wrap his arm around Ikal.

Ikal clung to him, claws biting through the cloth on his shoulders as the ground shook beneath them. James closed his eyes but rode it out. In the distance, trees fell as the jungle around the ruins caved in. He didn't need to see what was happening any closer. He could imagine the ground opening up and swallowing the entire temple complex.

Rumble. Crunch. Boom.

The cacophony of crumbling stone and consuming dirt echoed through the ground, and the vibrations rose James's body. However, in time, the vibrations faded away, and James stood, releasing Ikal to cling to his leg until the boy was sure that the ordeal was over.

"We made it through," James said.

Ahead of him, a cloud of dust and dirt rose from the tops of the trees. The temple would be buried now, and the problem was gone. However, he did not think the Zoan should stay. The reality was that they would face more problems if they didn't move from their old home. He knew better than most how dangerous a new island was out on the nightsea. Soon, someone would discover the new island and bring all the troubles of the nobles and the Military Police down on it. Even if that central authority didn't come to rule, a warlord or outlaw might try to take control of the land to turn it to their own use.

"What about father?" Ikal asked, walking ahead of James and looking to where the temple would have been. "Is he gone forever now?"

"I would say he is resting," James said. "All old spirits have been given a deep place to sleep. They'll be protected from anyone desecrating their tomb."

Ikal looked up at him, and James was unsure if his logic would play over well. It was important because Ikal was a test. If Ikal wouldn't accept his reasoning, he knew he would have an uphill battle with the rest of the Zoan. In a way, Alex had put him in quite a bind by sinking the temple without asking.

James understood but didn't think the Zoan would be as understanding. The temple had been the resting place of their people for centuries, long before James arrived on the island. Tradition was a powerful force. It was one of the reasons that the Military Police policy was to leave most native practices alone when they took over a region, so long as the people were human enough.

He grimaced. How long had it been since he had those words on his mind? The directives for the Military Police, when they took over an island in the Dark Meridian as an outpost for one of their fortresses across the nightsea or were preparing an island for acceptance into the core, were clear. The focus was on maintaining humanity and nothing else. So long as an island respected the authority of the Scions and the Military Police, they could enjoy the military force's protection.

The exception was people like the Zoan. They weren't human-looking enough to qualify for protection. Even if scholars found some relation between humanity and the Zoan, the mere fact that they were covered with fur and had such strange faces was more than enough for the Scions to rule them as beastly creatures not worth protecting.

It went against his sense of justice, much like Ortega's sense of justice motivated him to sink the temple. James did his best to put a smile on his face as he reached down and picked Ikal up from the ground. Despite his protests, he threw the boy over his shoulder and started back toward the village.

"Ikal, what do you think your mother will want for dinner tonight?" James asked as Ikal finally rested on his shoulder.

"Fish," Ikal said, wrapping one arm around his head.

***

Benbeck opened his eyes to the blue sky above him, and a hot noonday sun pierced his vision. He tried to lick his lips, but his mouth was dry. He raised one arm, and in the periphery of his vision, he saw sand fall from where it had built up around his arm. A splitting pain nestled in the center of his head as he closed his eyes and opened them again.

Then, he remembered what had just happened. Ortega had beaten him and busted through Robismo like it was just a toy. His crew had been beaten and taken up by the plant woman. She had thrown him through the sky. Benbeck winced as he remembered the landing. The cold water of the sea had wrapped around him as he sank.

If that was the last thing he remembered, he should be dead at the bottom of the sea. Yet, he wasn't.

He forced himself up from the ground, his muscles burning and fighting him as more sand fell from his body. His chest was mostly bare, and his suit rested around him in tatters. Benbeck noticed it vaguely, as if he was looking over his body from another time and place.

"Where is everyone?" he rubbed his head before taking in his surroundings.

Splash.

A mass of water stretched all around him, making a glittering, shiny floor that went all the way to the horizon. Behind him was a tall palm tree with a dark forest jungle running deeper in. Benbeck stood, looking around the edge of that forest. At first, he thought he might have washed up on the main island, but the more he looked around, the more he realized he was wrong.

"No," he whispered.

As he had seen from the sky, the main island had risen high up with large cliffs along most of its shores. That wasn't what he saw as he looked around the edges of the beach. The island he was on was largely flat, with a single peak dominating its center. He had to be on a second smaller island inside the bubble.

"My ship." Benbeck fell to his knees. It would be on the main shore, and all he had to rely on to figure out he was on this small island were his two henchmen back by the Gilded One. "Marooned!"

He kicked at the dirt but didn't have the energy to do it well. His foot slipped past the stand, and he returned to land in the sand again after everything. After betraying the group he came after Ortega with, after nearly capturing Ortega with his hostage plan, he was here, alone on an island in the middle of the sea, and ages away from his ship.

"Of all the rotten luck."

As he said it, he remembered the trip into the water. He hadn't been alone. His crew, or at least most of his crew, had been captured by the plant woman. He stood again, looking out into the jungle. He needed to find food and water first, but if there was a chance any of his crew had survived, they would be on this small island. He would find them, and then he would figure everything out. If nothing else, he had a plan.