Sabotage!

The early morning air, usually a crisp promise of a new day, felt heavy and still. Anya, accustomed to the gentle rocking of the *Sea Serpent*, found herself waking with a jolt, a prickle of unease crawling up her spine. The boat wasn't moving. Not a gentle sway, not a lazy drift, but a dead, unnerving stillness. Padding barefoot across the deck, she peered over the railing. The water, a placid mirror, offered no explanation. It was then she noticed it – a faint, acrid smell, like burnt rubber, clinging to the air. Her heart gave a lurch.

She hurried to the engine compartment, her breath catching in her throat. The sight that greeted her was grim. Wires, thick and black, had been crudely severed, their copper innards exposed and frayed. A small, dark stain marred the metal casing of the fuel pump, smelling faintly of gasoline and something metallic, something unnatural. This wasn't an accident. This was deliberate. A knot of cold fear tightened in her stomach. Lilly. The name sprang unbidden to her mind, a venomous whisper in the quiet dawn. Lilly, with her sharp eyes and even sharper smile, who had shadowed them from the moment they’d entered these murky waters.

Panic threatened to overwhelm her, but Anya pushed it down, a skill she was slowly, painstakingly acquiring. Her grandfather’s words echoed in her mind, a steadying presence: “Anya, my girl, the sea will test you, but so too will the hearts of men. Be strong, be clever, and never, ever give up.” This was a test. A cruel, infuriating test.