"Sounds awful," Nina murmurs, suppressing a shudder. Living bodies made of wax is a disconcerting thought, though the reshaping itself is less so.

"The Vast - the ocean's part of that, isn't it? There are plenty of ancient things there. It does seem plausible, doesn't it? If he got his fingers in early, built himself a blind spot, found ways to exploit people to cause some chaos if he thought people might be looking in his direction."