The tension on the ship was unbearable. Spade said he was aware of it and pestered Serenica to keep an eye on Seppei. There was little she could do, though, as the young man seemed to be consciously avoiding her.
She avoided the captain as well. It seemed like a bright idea to stay away from someone so closely linked with death.
It became hard, though. Spade followed her around as a vast, silent shadow, guarding her every step. She thought he feared for her sake, but what he imagined he could do against the Mother of Worms, that detail Serenica didn't know nor did she particularly like to imagine it in detail. All she knew was that his grandiose delusions were getting worse. He spoke of himself as if he could decide who lived and who died. In a way it was true, of course. The captain had the final say on many things, the most important of which was whom to keelhaul if the rumors of mutiny got serious.
