prisoner (shadow & bone)

Chapter Eleven

RUN

Tatia didn't know how long it had been. The only thing she could focus on was the fact that she was trapped, locked in, imprisoned.

For as long as she had been in the crate, the girl kept her eyes on the lightbulb Alina had made for her, letting her focus get drawn to it as she tried to distract herself from her situation.

A few moments ago, the carriage halted abruptly, but no one had released the poor girl yet.

She heard movement in the crate beside her, and figured that Alina must have gotten out.

Please, please, please...

With a small 'click', the top of the crate was lifted, and Tatia instantly shot up from her position, her trembling hands grasping the edges of the crate desperately as she pulled herself up and out of the crate.

Alina put her hand on the girl's shoulder, steadying her. "Are you okay?" she mumbled softly, eyeing the girl with sorrow.

Tatia had to wait a moment to regulate her breathing, but was eventually able to nod. "Yeah, I'm alright," she whispered. She was so busy trying to soothe her own nerves that she didn't even notice the three people standing next to the carriage, waiting for them to descend.

Kaz Brekker, the one in black, leaning on his signature crow cane.

Inej Ghafa, the Suli girl who was staring at Alina in awe and disbelief.

Jesper Fahey, the Zemini man with his hand on his gun, ready to shoot if there were any unexpected movements.

Alina had noticed them, and was eyeing them apprehensively, but Tatia's eyes were drawn to everything else around her, distracting her from the situation at hand.

Even though they had stopped in a place more hidden from the public eye, you could still see a part of the village, and Tatia was staring at it full of wonder. She had never actually seen a village before, only camps and the Little Palace.

Her heart clenched as she thought of the place, but she reminded herself that she couldn't go back.

Jesper cleared his throat, snapping her attention over to him, and Tatia's eyes widened in fear as she saw the three people in front of her. Did she and Alina get caught already? Would these people send them back to the Little Palace? Her eyes filled with tears at the thought.

Her eyes flickered over the faces of the three, and she recognized two of them. The Suli girl had been at the Winter Fete, and so had the man with the cane. He had been the guard she spoke to for a while, defending him against Fedyor and Ivan.

"They're guards," Tatia muttered quietly to Alina, her entire body tensing as she realised that they would have to go back.

"We're not guards," Kaz spoke up clearly, his eyes piercing through hers. Her eyes shone with relief, and she glanced at Alina, but her dark-haired friend didn't seem ready to trust them just yet.

Alina jumped off the carriage, and gave Tatia a hand, who had to descend in the white dress that she was still wearing. Once they were both on the ground, the Sun Summoner stepped in front of the girl slightly, defensively.

"We don't want any trouble," Jesper said, who noticed.

"Neither do we," Alina said, gently grasping Tatia's hand, starting to back away, "so we'll just be on our way."

For one blissful, glorious moment, Tatia had hope that they would be able to leave without any fuss, but she was snapped from that daydream by Kaz's cane, which he used to block her path. She inhaled sharply as the cane landed half an inch from where her arm was.