Strange Birds | Kaz Brekker & Inej Ghafa

eleven | a vision

Inej pressed her lips together, knowing that Kaz did like having Neave around. He wouldn't admit it, maybe not even to himself, but Kaz Brekker had warmed up to Neave, and not through simply trusting her. It wasn't a complete surprise; Neave was innocent and sweet, which did make her a little naive, but she also brought out the goodness in them and made the dark corners of their world seem brighter.

"Neave's apart of our crew," said Inej, not giving Kaz a chance to tell them otherwise. "We don't leave each other behind."

"I agree," Jesper's hand tightened on Inej. "We're saving Neave."

"I never said we wasn't," Kaz told them, hands gripping onto his cane tightly in support. "Our best chance is fleeing and if it was anyone else, then we would be. But Neave is with us now and I won't be returning without her. But first, we need to guarantee that we have a way through the Fold."

Jesper grinned. "So we're starting a war with the Darkling?"

"He already made the first move, Jesper."

☼

Even if Neave had been left behind, she still did her duty in making sure that the crows had enough time to flee. With that, she had used her head as an excuse to stall the Darkling; putting on a display as she acted faint, gushing about the blood and how she might die.

Maybe she could annoy her father enough to let her go. She was certainly on a roll with the number of frustrated sighs she had received from him.

However, once they finally reached the General's meeting point, Neave laughed at the sight of the Darkling's dark carriage being long gone that caused her father's grip on her arm to tighten. Laughing caused her head to splinter as she winced, pressing the cloth against her head to stop the flow once more.

"They stole—" the heartrender went to speak.

"I know," the Darkling cut him off. "It was the thieves... they have a habit of stealing what's mine."

Neave wanted to shout that no one had stolen her, but she wasn't sure about risking herself among the two Grisha. Whether they knew Neave or not, she wasn't sure, and she didn't want her face becoming identifiable as the Darkling's daughter. The heartrender, though, furrowed his brows as he studied Neave, which caused Neave's eyes to slide to the blue man.

"I'll find a horse and I can catch up to them," said the heartrender.

Neave glared at her father, reminding him of his promise.

The Darkling sighed. "No, it's a waste of time," he said, which caused the Grisha in red to look at Neave once more in confusion. "She's not with them. She's on her own. And our priority now is to locate her as quickly as possible."

The Grisha in blue raised his hand.

"You don't need to put..." the Darkling sighed a second time. "Yes, David?"

"Well, Genya gave her a ring," explained David. "Made of pure iridium, not native to Ravka. So when we get within one mile of her, I can direct us."

Neave didn't like the sound of that, wishing for Alina to get away more than anything now. If it was Neave, then she would have pawned the ring for money, but if the ring held sentimental value, well... Alina could still have it. Then again, Neave had been foolish enough to give up the Villena rose heirloom that she now regretted.

"Well done," said the Darkling. "Proving again the many uses of a Durast." Then his hold on Neave tightened again. "Let's go. And bring me a healer."

A healer came soon after, causing the throbbing pain to disappear in Neave's head and her skin to seal itself back together again. Then, handcuffs were clasped across her wrists, keeping her hands apart so that she couldn't escape. Neave spent a day shut away inside a carriage, unknowing what was going on or as to what would happen to her.