The Phoenix Summoner (ON HOLD)

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'Alina.' Alina jolted out of her sleep, her chest rapidly falling up and down. She lifts her head from Mal's lap looking at her surroundings.

'Just a dream, Alina. Deep breaths....you're not in the Fold....you're safe.' She thinks to herself, trying to calm her fast beating heart. Suddenly alert, Mal places his hand on her back, gently rubbing soothing circles across her spine.

"It's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's okay." He reassures her, giving her a small quirk of a smile.

"More bad dreams?" Alina exhales nodding her head. While Alina rubs her throbbing eyes in exhaustion, Mal opens the book on his lap to a page with a drawing. It was a picture of the Fold with people running away from it. Exactly like in her dream.

"Same as what you showed me before?"

"Worse." She replies. Alina looks down at her lap, taking a deep breath.

"Tell me again." She says. Ever since they escaped, she hasn't been able to escape the looming thought in the back of her head.

"Kirigan is dead." Mal states. "I saw the Volcra take him. No one survived." Alina nods her head in return.

"I keep seeing the Fold growing, sometimes a little, sometimes in a surge. I don't know what it means. And even though she won't say anything, I know she feels it too. She hasn't been the same since we left Os Kervo. I want to think it's because of Kaz but at this point I'm not sure." The two friends turned their bodies to look over at a figure, standing opposite side of the ship. Her arms were crossed, and she stared blankly into the horizon. Her hair that was once pulled back into her signature braided ponytail lied in ringlets down her back. Her eyes were sullen and her face was pale.

"When was the last time she slept?" Mal asked, sharing the same look of concern as the girl beside him.

"I don't know...Inej confided in me before they left that she's been having dreams..." Alina said. She turned back to Mal with a worried look.

"The same dreams....it can't be a coincidence."

~

Anya knew she had eyes on her. She had felt their stare as soon as they turned towards her. In the distance she heard the soft bells of Novyi Zem's clock tower echoed in the distance. She watched from the corner of her eye as the ship bustled with life. Residents returning to their home, sailors waiting for the moment until they can't step of the ship and enjoy the much needed rest they yearned for.

They were normal people, living normal lives. Anya had always longed for normal. To not have to worry about the fate of peoples lives resting on her shoulder. To be able to breath without fear of someone lurking near her like a vulture ready to prey. She didn't need to turn around when she heard the soft patter of footsteps behind her. She knew who it was.

"You know, if you two are going to talk about me behind my back. Maybe try being a little more discreet." She teased, looking over her shoulder at Mal. He looked down at his feet before looking back to her. Her gave her a sheep smile before moving to stand next to her.

"And what makes you think we were talking about you, huh? For all you know, I could've been talking about Alina and how bad she snores." Anya lets out a chuckle causing a wide grin to form on Mal's face. It was silent for a moment before, in a more serious tone, Mal spoke again.

"How are you? Really?" Anya's smile dropped. This wasn't the first time he's asked. Ever since the left Os Kervo, Mal has made it his mission to look after Anya. He came to the realization that Anya had never had someone who truly looked after her. Well, besides Zoya. It seemed to him that the only person to ever really care about Anya was Zoya.

She wasn't just the Phoenix Summoner to him or Alina's long lost sister. He had grown to see her as the sister he never had.

"I'm fine." She replied. Of course, Mal knew better than that. He saw the dark circles that hung under her eyelids. He gave her a looked that showed her that he didn't believe her at all. She let out a sigh dropping her head to her chest.

"Okay, you're right. I keep having dreams that he's alive."

"Kirigan?" Anya nodded. "I just can't help shake the feeling that this is far from over." He didn't want to tell her, but deep down he was also feeling the same way. Sure, he had watched Kirigan get pulled away by his own creations. But for some reason he just couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that lingered in the back of his head. The ships spotter had yelled from above to the captain, signaling that they were close to shore. Mal placed a hand on her shoulder, bending down slightly to reach her eye level.

"We'll sort it out, yeah? As soon as we reach the harbor we can send a letter to Zoya to see if there's any updates. For now, let's think about what's next."

"What do you mean?" She asked, her eyebrows raising in confusion. He stepped closer to the railing, looking towards the town.

"I'm assuming this is the first time you've left Ravka since going to the Little Palace, right?" Anya nodded.

"Well, this is the first time Alina and I have ever left Ravka. The two of you haven't had a good meal or good sleep in about two weeks and we're gonna change that soon. They have hot stones to keep your bed warm here." Anya almost fainted at the sounds of hot stones. It was moments like that where she actually missed her bed at the little palace.

"Well, that's if they let us into the country first." Alina said, joining them. She intertwined her arms with Anya's. Anya grabbed Alina's hand with her free one, pulling her sister into a reassuring hug. Together, the three of them turned to face the now approaching town.

"We just keep our cool and once we get past the checkpoint, we'll be free. There's so much to do." Mal said smiling at the girls.

"Yeah. There is." Anya said, her gaze never once breaking from the town. She knew what they needed to do. The questioned only remained whether they would be strong enough to do it.

~

Updates might not be as frequent over the next few weeks. I'm moving out of my parents house and I am just now realizing how hard it actually is lol. Anyways, cute little moment between Anya and Mal. Let me know your guys thoughts!!!