Chapter 1 | the fold

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The shadow fold
A place where the dark lurks and the
sun hides.
A place I didn't look forward to visiting.

"Raise the gate!" Sergeant Yure shouted.
"Ready to lock up!" He added.

"Heres how it goes, we go into the fold,
it gets dark but we like it dark, that keeps us from drawing attention! That's how we travel." I exclaimed plainly as I clapped my hands together to get everyone's attention as I walked calmly to the end of the ship.

"The only light we use is the blue one at the mast! It's weak but safe!" I exclaimed while pointing my finger in the direction of the small lantern.

"But you're an Inferni, right?
Why are you here if we're supposed to keep things dark?" A mid-aged women questioned from behind me. I gripped my hands together as I turned my attention to her and not the fold.

"For when the dark comes to keep you."
I answered with a fake smile.

"Where's your general? Kirigan?"
I young man around my age with a military haircut asked from behind the blonde women as he walked closer to my figure. Suddenly the sails were set free causing everyone to look up in curiosity.

"Ready for launch!" A sailor exclaimed.

"That's our cue." I declared instead of answering the boy as I walked past him.

I stopped in front of the polar that held the blue lantern as I peered up at a Squaller I knew as Cristal. I motioned with my hands for her to start moving the ship by forcing wind against the sails to which she nodded.

Pushing my hair over my shoulder in satisfaction, I glanced over at a girl on my right who stared at me with gaped open lips. Staring her up and down, I turned back around and placed my hands behind my back as I listened to sergeant Yure speak.

"Right, listen to me, cartographers.
Until we reach the western dry docks,
you are to remain at your station.
Do not, I repeat, do not leave the skiff during the crossing." He exclaimed briefly.

My eyes turned to the left when the girl
shouted as she watched her scarf fly away in the wind.

The wind flew through my loose hair as I walked back to the front of the ship while the fold peered closer to us by the second.

"In we go," I whispered in uncertainty as the dense cloud of darkness swallowed our ship like a small fly.

Our surroundings fell quiet only to hear the rumbling of thunder in the distance and the nervous breathing of our crew members.

A distant growling in the distance filled my ears, causing me to turn my head around only to be met with the dark eyes on the male tracker from earlier. When our eyes met he turned his head away from me and focused on the growling of volcras.

"Marker one," I announced after a moment as I
peered over the side of the ship.

"How many more are there?" Questioned the same girl as she stepped closer to me.

"Thirty-seven," I answered as she stared at me in shock. Her eyes scanned my face for an expression of uncertainty but I kept a neutral expression as I let go of the railing and gripped my gloved hands together.

The screeching of volcras peered through the steady silence of the dark causing everyone to look up in horror. One of their shadows appeared on the sails of the ship as it flew dangerously low and growled loudly.

The sound of a volcra flying through the air on the other side of the ship caused the trackers and soldiers to cock their guns in its direction.

"Get low." I ordered the girl as I pushed her down to her knees with my hands before crouching down beside her.
Suddenly my eyes landed on the blue lantern that blew out causing me to stand in panic.

"No, no." I groaned as I tapped it gently.

The heavy breathing of a man behind me caught my attention as I heard the sound of a lighter being flicked on.
Turning around slowly in panicked as my eyes grew wide when I noticed a large monstrous figure behind the mapmaker.

"Blow it out! What are you doing?" I crowned in between teeth as the creature growled behind him. The volcra straightened its humongous back as it stood up to reveal its large teethed maw before screeching loudly and penetrating the man with its claws. In a near instant, it flew away into the darkness with the mapmaker as its price.

The mapmaker dropped the lantern he lit before he disappeared into the fold causing flames to light the wooden floor beside the girl.

My eyes scanned our dark surroundings for another attack as I leaned against the pole.
A scream from above forced me to look upwards as I spotted Cristal being dragged away from the ship by a volcra.
A gasp left my lips as I stumbled away from the pole causing the blue lantern to shatter on the floor beside me.

"Watch out!" A girl's voice shouted as a volcra flew down next to me and grabbed the blond girl from earlier before flying away and hitting me hard enough with its wing to through me across the ship to where the female mapmaker was crouched down.
I struggled to regain my breath as she turned me around on my back and winded her eyes when she noticed a large gash on my stomach.
I groaned in pain before standing back up and alighting a small fire in my hands as a volcra flew straight for the mapmaker.
When the flames made contact with the volcra it flapped its wings harshly causing me to lose my balance and fall through a hole in the railing.

My back hit the ground brutally which nocked the breath out of my lungs as my eyes and mouth flew wide in pain.
The ship had already moved too far away for me to catch up by the time I regained my breath and stumbled to my feet.
My arm flew to my stomach to keep pressure on it as I stared at the ship and the volcras that flew around it as horse flies would around a horse.

A loud screeching sound behind me caused me to turn around in terror as I peered around me for any signs of a volcra. To my good luck, no volcra jumped out at me.

Gathering all of my strength, I took a run for the nearest exit that was now in front of me but miles away. Groaning in pain every few seconds, a strong force pushed me to my knees as I fell flat on my face. I turned my head around and covered my eyes with my arm as a bright searing light radiated through the darkness coming from the ship.

When it darkened a little, I focussed my eyes on a figure that diffused the strong light and scared off the volcras.



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Alright comment your thoughts on this chapter so far and comment your thoughts on the real show as well, I'd love to hear them.

Kaz Brekker x reader Where stories live. Discover now