nikolai lanstov things

the girl #1

Suddenly, the sound of voices filled the alley. A conversation spoken in some foreign tongue that a couldn't understand. Fjerdan?
"Hold tight." I heard Tolya say before he hauled his heavy body upwards on some kind of ladder suspended precariously from the wall.

The air was crisper and a bitter breeze ruffled my hair over my eyes. I brushed the hair from my eyes and I couldn't believe what I could see. The silhouette of a busting city. A port to the east of me where ships were docked and shipments being transported to and from vessels. A cathedral with a domed roof and a spire stretching upwards to the heavens, where the few stars that laced the sky sat. The clouds shifted and the light went out and the city of Ketterdam disappeared again.

It wasn't long before Tamar hoped onto the roof where Tolya, the girl and I were stood waiting. Mal flopped onto the roof, much less graceful than Tamar - like a wet fish on the deck of a fishing boat.
"Obviously not built for long distance running then, are we?" The girl grinned as Mal looked as if his lungs would collapse in his chest. "Surely a soldier in the first army should be quite fitted for this sort of activity." Mal's eyes flashed as he pushed himself from the floor. Before he could say anything she'd already vanished over the other side of the roof.

"Mal." I said. "Calm down." I touched my hand to his as he dragged his other one through his tattered hair.
"Don't waste your breath on her," Tamar said passively, staring off into the distance. "It's not worth the oxygen." She scanned the skyline, searching the narrow streets for something, the people chasing us I presumed before continuing in her journey.
"She's a waste of oxygen." Mal mumbled under his breath as he heaved himself to his feet.

Tolya put me back onto my feet and we, together, descended another ladder. Tamar led the way and Tolya stayed at the back - for protection reasons I assume. Mal hovered by my right side. The girl really had vanished, and we were now just walking aimlessly behind Tamar. We kept a quick pace but Tamar allowed us to walk rather than run, which gave Mal and I a chance to catch our breaths.

The air had crisped. So we must be close to the sea. I couldn't keep a hold of my thoughts. They were rampaging through my brain like wild boars in the forest. Mal linked his arm through mind.
"Hey. We're going to be alright." He could obviously sense my anxiety. His words warmed me and I smiled. "It's not like this is the first time we've been taken hostage." He joked bumping my shoulder with his considerably larger one.
"You're not being held hostage. If you were do you think I would have been this kind to you and your summoner?" Her voice was somewhere to the left of me, Like a ripple in the dark. She hadn't been there before. Or had she?
I felt Mal tense beside me. If I weren't between them I think he would have grabbed her. However I thought she'd be a pretty good fight.
"Well it doesn't seem that way!" He growled through gritted teeth. She stopped dead in her tracks and in one swift motion, pushed him away from me, grabbing the collar of his shirt.
"Listen Oretsev, I could've left you in the Barrel with a handful of criminals and spies to fend for yourselves and I promise you, you wouldn't have made it out alive. So unless you want my help stop arguing with me okay?" She was sharp and authoritative like a commander of some army, but she was only some young girl out here on her own. She threw Mal back against the brick wall and turned away from the group.

He stared the girl down as she soundlessly floated down the alleyway. We'd only had a short interaction with her and Mal had already developed a deep hatred for her. So why was I jealous?

"Come on." Tolya grumbled.
"What did I say?" Tamar shrugged disapprovingly.
"Tamar where are we going?" I looked her up and down. She was dressed head to toe in deep blue, the suit hugged her strong structure tightly. There was a leather satchel slung tightly over her left shoulder, it looked stuffed. And soft, brown leather boots.
"Nikolai wants to see you." She sighed and turned turned away from us.

Nikolai? Doesn't he have more pressing matters, like running a country?

We'd plodded on slowly Mal and I hand-in-hand followed by Tolya in his usual warrior-like stance, quite clearly alert.

We were by the sea after all. Even at night the docks were busy. Streaming with workers. Some talked in foreign languages others in the rough Kerch accent.
We slipped through behind some crates which had been piled in stacks of three or four, we'd reached a clearing and were surrounded by what seemed to be abandoned buildings. I took a guess and assumed they were old office's where business owners and captains would have met to discuss transportation and shipping arrangements and other very important matters

Each building was the same uniformed ugliness. Cheap bricks and roof tiles sliding out of place, letting the light seep through cracks in the wall and spaces in the boarded up windows.

Tolya came to a window boarded up with planks of wood and gave it two sharp knocks. There was a moment of silence before we heard a voice in the other side of the door.
"Qui ostium quaerit?" A thick accented voice from the other side of the window spoke.
"de turba autem rex." Tolya said and the boards slid open and revealed a window for us to climb through.

well, there's part #1. a little disappointing i know but there's your first taster of "the girl". i really like her character and i'm looking forward to developing her further, along with her relationship between Alina and Mal.

thank you very much for picking this story, part #2 is coming.
:)