Edward the Terror staggered to the cell, searching for Charlisse in the darknessthe girl who had sent his life into a bilge pit for the past three days. The bars of the cage danced before him like slithering snakes. He held up the lantern and nearly toppled over. A belch erupted from his throat. He saw her, sitting toward the back of the cell, looking as innocent as her mother always had. Cursing, he wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to hang the lantern on its hook, but the blasted thing kept moving, and he barreled into the bars and nearly lost his footing. "Can't those powder-brained apes keep the ship steady!" Finally, he hooked the lantern and turned to face her.
Clinging to the iron bars, he stared at her, trying to collect his fragmented thoughts. The lantern swayed back and f
