After the boat’s explosion, Jesper stands in the midst of a gunfight, savoring the thrill of combat he first discovered on the Zemeni frontier alongside his father. He notices Wylan “curled up on the dock” (143) and pulls him up, forcing him to shoot. Kaz tells them to go to the next dock, where the real schooner is waiting; the boat that just exploded was a decoy. Kaz had anticipated other teams wanting to go after Yul-Bayer and knew they would ambush his crew.

Jesper sees Nina fighting the attackers with her Grisha powers. She frees Matthias, who is bound beside her, and gives him a pistol to join in the fight. Running through gunfire, Jesper and Wylan get to the real schooner, the Ferolind, first. Jesper orders a terrified Wylan to hold off the assailants while he heads for the crow’s nest, though he’s shot in the thigh on the way. Despite the painful injury, he picks off enemies from high in the sails, reminding himself how badly he needs the money to pay off his gambling debts.

Wylan yells for Jesper to close his eyes, and when Jesper opens them again, he realizes Wylan has set off a flash bomb.