The Nightingale

Chapter Forty-Seven

After returning to her cell, Natasha couldn't sleep. Aldein's revelation, the plan they had formulate, rolled over and over again through her mind, through her body, prickling her skin with questions and doubts, plaguing her mind with wonders. There was so much she still wanted to know, but Aldein had insisted their time in the gardens had to end, lest they be caught, and he would answer her questions after the events of tomorrow quieted. There were still so many doubts she had, and even Aldein had expressed that his plan was not fool proof, nor would it be easy if they succeeded, but it was still their best course of action.

Her adrenaline had still not worn off by the time the door to the jail opened again, and Natasha's body jolted at the sound, turning to the sound of multiple footsteps.

Her mother and sisters rose slowly also, clearly accustomed to the wake-up call of others entering the space, standing back slightly from the bars but close enough that they could still see the small group of guards that crowded the space between them.

Natasha took a step back the way her family had as one of the guards stopped in front of her cell, two others standing just behind him. These men were dressed differently than those who had escorted her to the cell the previous night. They more closely resembled those who had patrolled the former streets of her destroyed village. These wore dark, hooded cloaks, pulled up over their heads covering most of their forehead, open in the front to reveal a dark, armored chest plate. Dark pants tucked into dark boots, a thick belt around their hips heavily hung with swords and daggers on either side. Gloves covered their hands, and a thin stretch of white fabric hung was wrapped across their cheekbones and nose, hanging loosely over the lower half of their face, covering their neck and draping over the top of their armor.

The only visible part of these guards were their eyes, but that was all Natasha needed to be able to see. She took a small step forward, narrowing her eyes slightly at the guard working to unlock her door. The guard glanced up at her from twisting the key in its place, and Natasha immediately recognized the dark brown eyes set against warm brown skin, the same kindness she had seen the first time she encountered Adan flashing through them briefly as he nodded his head, the most subtle of movements that the two guards behind him didn't notice.

When she was first placed in the cell, the sight of familiar eyes would have been a welcome relief. After her conversation with Aldein last night, even with his suggestion that her pirates, as he referred to them, might show up, she couldn't help but fear their presence would disrupt their plan.

When Adan pushed aside the cell door, Natasha stepped out, moving her eyes past Adan to the two other guards standing behind him. Even with only their eyes revealed, Natasha could see the coldness etched into them, and as much as she trusted Adan, she deeply wondered how he had managed to get past the gates, who was with him, and what their intentions were, knowing now that she had to carefully watch him for any glimpse or hint as to what his plans were, the few of her own she had formulated the night before no longer working with Aldein's revelations.

"Natasha." She turned at the sound of her mother's voice, throwing a glance towards Adan and the others before she stepped towards her mother, carefully watching to see if any would step after her. When they didn't, Natasha took another step forward and reached out to take her mother's hand.

"Everything will be fine, trust me," she whispered, squeezing her mother's hand tightly, nodding her. "I'll see you soon, I promise." She could tell her mother didn't believe her, as strong and stoic as she was trying to make her expression, Natasha could still see the fear hidden deep beneath her eyes. She wished she could tell her mother just how true her words were, that there was a plan that would turn the tides in their favor, but even if she could without giving away Adan, a hand was suddenly roughly grabbing her arm and pulling her away. Natasha glanced at the hardened eyes of the man whose hand was around her arm, setting her jaw as the second grabbed her other arm, turning her forward.