And she plans to begin by burning the world down.

The Admiralty had a file on her two inches thick—charts of her crimes, sketches of her patchwork coat, and a nameplate that read simply “Captain B.” Some whispered it stood for “Banshee,” for the scream she loosed before boarding. Others, “Bastion,” for the way she held the impossible line. Her own crew just called her “Cap’n Bee,” and swore she had a hive of fury in her chest.

She took one chest. Not the silver. Not the gold. One chest of letters . Personal letters—love notes, debts, secrets, promises to mistresses, promises to kings. She sailed away laughing, and within a month, three governors resigned, two admirals were quietly shot for treason, and one queen stopped sleeping without a candle.