"Move it," the captain said to the creature and also to his men.
There was hesitation at first. No one wanted to be the first to step closer.
But orders were orders.
A few sailors stepped forward.
Then a few more.
But they were careful and kept their distance.
Their eyes on the creature as if it might vanish and reappear among them at any moment.
The creature didn't resist. It rose slowly, not suddenly, not threateningly.
But there was nothing weak about the movement either.
Even now, it held itself with a certain presence.
Its wings folded tighter against its back, though they still twitched faintly.
Its gaze never left Sonder.
Not the captain.
Not the sailors.
Her.
The sailors formed something like a loose circle around the creature.
"Keep movin'," the captain said, already turning toward the stairs. "Don't give it reason to think."
That got them going.
Step-by-step, they moved toward the stairs leading below deck. The creature walked with them.
Not bound or forced but contained all the same.
They descended.
The tighter space made everything worse.
Lantern light cast long shadows, and some of the passengers who had followed stopped at the top of the stairs, unwilling to go further.
The sailors didn't have that choice.
Down they went.
Past the cargo.
Toward the small section of reinforced doors set into the hull.
Simple cells, thick woods, and iron bands were built for holding trouble, but nothing like this.
The captain stepped ahead and pulled one open.
It creaked.
He gestured inside.
"In."
The creature paused at the threshold.
Just for a moment.
Then it stepped inside.
There was no trick or a struggle, just compliance, for now.
The captain shut the door immediately.
He locked it with heavy iron keys, and one sailor moved quickly to secure an iron latch for a bar that held the door shut.
The captain stepped back and looked at it.
He turned.
"You," he said, pointing to four sailors nearby.
"You don't leave this spot," he continued. "Not for food, not for piss, not for nothin'. You trade out when I say so."
The four nodded.
The captain gave a short grunt.
Then turned to Sonder.
"Walk with me."
He didn't wait for an answer.
Just turned and moved a few steps away, far enough that the others couldn't hear easily.
Sonder followed.
"…That thing," he said, not looking at her. "You believe it?"
Sonder didn't answer immediately.
"I don't," he went on. "Don't have the luxury."
He finally glanced at her.
"But I've got a ship full o' people, and I'm not riskin' them on a guess either way. You're the only one here it didn't try to tear apart."
That wasn't praise.
Just a fact.
"I want your eyes on it," he continued. "You keep watch on that cell. When you can. When you're willin'. Can you do that?"