I let our only lead to Alina get away, how could I be so stupid. "How could you be so stupid Salem?" Ivan asks and I look over him ashamed, we are all standing out in the open, I am helping David to his feet after being pushed out of the carriage and hit over the head. "I'm sorry I panicked, I was scared" I defend myself and everyone looks at me with contempt, even Aleksander who says "you can't let your emotions get in the way when we are on a mission Salem, I thought I trained you better" I look down at my feet and kick a stone "it won't happen again" I mumble like a child being scolded.
"I'll find a horse and I can catch up to them" Ivan tells Kirigan, standing straight and proud, being his right hand man. If Ivan is his right hand I am his left, as he looks at me for answer "no that will waste time, She's not with them" I say confidently, ever breaking eye contact. "Our priority now is to locate her as quickly as possible" Kirigan adds and David puts his hand up nervously as though we are back in a school room. Even though this is a serious conversation I can't help but smile as Kirigan says "you don't need to put-" before cutting it off with a sigh and with a smirk says "yes David?" the other man puts his hand down and shifts his jacket. "Well, Genya gave her a ring. Made of pure iridium, not native to Ravka" the Fabrikator explains "so when we get within one mile of her, I can direct us" I am impressed and give him a look that says as much producing a smile on his face.
Aleksander looks at David, a plan forming in his head "well done" he praises "proving again the many uses of a Durast" I smoothly move to his side and we go on the move through the town. While we are walking he slips his hand into mine and traces his thumb over the top of my hand, we head back to the pub we were at this morning and talk to a few of the officers there. "Yeah she was Shu" one of the men answer when we ask if they have seen anyone matching Alina's description, "pulled a trick with phosphorus or something, blinded my mate" but us from the Little Palace know it wasn't phosphorus it was sunlight. Damn it Lina, what have you gotten yourself in to? "any idea where she went" Aleksander asks the man David, Ivan, Zoya and I standing a little further up the path, listening to them talk.
"Neighbours said they saw her flee north, into the woods" he answers quickly, eager to be rid of us " as Kirigan comes stalking over to us the man asks "she's a spy, yeah?" a good lie we could tell to keep people from wondering how we managed to loose the one hope of salvation for this country. He stops in his tracks and turns to face the guard "what makes you say that?" he asks softly and the man shifts uncomfortable under Kirigan's gaze. "First Army came through here too, earlier" the man explains "looking for her" Kirigan steps forward and starts to ask "who..?" before we both know the answer to that question. He stops short and turns me, I am now feeling slightly sick "Mal" I say under my breath and David looks confused "who is Mal?" he asks and Kirigan answers "two orphans of Keramzin. Reunited. Adorable" and I can hear the spite laced in his words. This isn't going to be fun at all. He comes back over to us and says "Miss Starkov is in the woods. She's going after the stag" and I suck in a breath, sending a silent prayer to the Saints.
We make our way to the forest, I stay with Zoya wanting to give kirigan as much space as possible, he seems rather on edge and the last time he was like that we ended up clashing and we need to stick together if we are going to get my cousin back safely and talk sense into her. Once we reach the edge of the trees we stop and he turns to face me, the others walk on and I frown "you don't have to come" he says low enough so the others can't hear "it will probably get ugly" I look up into his dark eyes and place my hand cupping his face, closing his eyes he leans into my hand and I say "I am with you, through all of the beauty and all of the ugliness. I am hear" he opens his eyes and gently kisses me on the lips making me smile "lets go" he says and we head into the forest.
The woods is alive with wildlife and I watch as a bird flies over head, I am walking between Ivan and David, Zoya next to him and Aleksander leading us, "if my hair gets dirty I will kill him" I mutter as Ivan helps me climb over a fallen log, he smiles and whispers back "he would probably let you" I smile at him and we continue our journey through the forest in silence. My mind keeps going back to the man with the cane who I protected from Aleksander, the myth of my power states a man with a physical defect, could that mean a cane? and if it does and this man is the person with whom I shall reign with what will become of Kirigan, he wouldn't step aside so easily and I'm not sure I want him to. We have finally reached the point where we could be happy together I wouldn't want to ruin it but to know for sure, I have to find this mysterious man.