CHAPTER 19
Just Sisters
Nina's pupils dilated as soon as the parem entered her system. Something changed in the air as the power shifted to the Heartrender in front of Brynn. Even though she was half-naked, Nina couldn't have looked more regal. With a flick of her wrist, Nina killed the Heartrender immediately, crumpling without a sound. "Be free," Brynn heard her whisper.
Nina turned to the soldiers, Matthias moving to protect her as their rifles raised. She lifted her hands. "Stop."
They froze immediately.
"Lay down your arms." They obeyed.
"Sleep," commanded Nina. She swept her hands in an arc, and the soldier toppled over in their slumber without protest, row after row. The air was still and silent, the wind louder than anything else.
Wylan and Inej climbed down from the tank, the rest following. Brynn helped Sasha out, never happier to see her face, even if it was covered in ugly burns. The group stood in stunned silence at the field of fallen bodies. Brynn had seen it herself, but it still didn't feel real.
They had to go through the soldiers to reach the harbor. Without a word, they picked their way through, the faraway bells of the Elderclock breaking the silence. Brynn made sure to keep Sasha close. She might have been thirteen, but Brynn wasn't taking any chances.
When they made it to the Ferolind, the docks were deserted. Brynn didn't bother looking at Specht or Rotty, who were sure to probably have faces slack with fear. She'd seen enough and she just wanted to go home.
"Matthias!"
They turned. A group of drüskelle stood in the quay, their uniforms soaked, their black hoods raised. Their masks were dull, gleaming gray chain mail over their faces, features obscured. The drüskelle at the front was the one who spoke.
"Traitor," he snarled. "Betrayer of your country and your god. You will not leave this harbor alive. None of you will."
Nina raised her hands calmly. "For Matthias, I will give you one chance to leave us be."
"You cannot control us, witch," he said. "Our hoods, our masks, every stitch of clothing we wear is reinforced with Grisha steel. Corecloth created to our specifications by Grisha Fabrikators under our control and designed for just this purpose. You cannot force us to your will. You cannot harm us. This game is at an end."
Nina lifted a hand, and nothing happened. What this drüskelle was saying was true.
"Go!" shouted Matthias. "Please! You—"
The drüskelle in the front lifted his gun and fired. The bullet hit Matthias in his chest. He stumbled back, then Brynn saw the bullet emerge from his chest. It hit the ground with a plink. Matthias pulled his shirt open, revealing no wound.
Nina walked past him. "No!" Matthias cried.
The drüskelle opened fire on her. Even though she flinched at each bullet wound, red blooms of blood appearing everywhere they hit, Nina healed herself just as quickly, the shells falling harmlessly to the dock. They gaped at her.
She laughed. "You've grown too used to captive Grisha. We're quite tame in our cages."
"There are other ways," said the lead drüskelle, pulling out a long whip attached to cables with barbs in it. "Your power cannot touch us, witch, and our cause is true."
"I can't touch you," said Nina, raising her hands. "But I can reach them just fine."
Behind the drüskelle, the Fjerdan soldiers that Nina had put to sleep rose soundlessly, their faces blank. While one of them tore the whip from the drüskelle's hand, the others snatched the hoods and masks from the drüskelle's faces. Nina flexed her fingers, and the drüskelle dropped their rifles, hands going to their heads, screaming in pain.
"For my country," she said. "For my people. For every child you put to the pyre. Reap what you've sown, Jarl Brum."
Brynn watched as they convulsed, listening to their screams. She was reminded of the ones she'd caused four years ago, and only a week ago. They were all monsters of some sort, but the trick about being a monster was to do it for the right reasons. Mercy where it was needed, and pain where it was deserved. Brynn might not have gotten what she deserved for all the people she'd killed, but she'd make sure others would.
Matthias stepped closer to Nina. "Nina," he said hesitantly. "Nina, please."
"You know they would not offer you mercy, Matthias," she replied.
"I know. I know. But let them live in shame instead."
Nina hesitated.
"Nina, you taught me to be something better. They could be taught, too." She turned her gaze to his, eyes ferocious. "They fear you as I once feared you. As you once feared me. We are all someone's monster, Nina."
After a long moment of them staring at each other, Nina dropped her arms. The Fjerdan soldiers fell back into their slumber without question, the drüskelle crumbling to the ground in pain. Then her hand shot out once more, and Jarl Brum screamed. His hands held his head, blood trickling between his fingers.
"He'll live?" asked Matthias.
"Yes, said Nina as she stepped onto the schooner with the rest of them. "He'll just be very bald."
The Ferolind, at Specht's command, sailed out of Djerholm's harbor. The air was eerily silent, but it didn't last for long. As soon as Matthias was on deck, he turned to Kuwei.
"How long does she have?" he demanded.
Brynn took the liberty to translate from Shu to Kerch for the rest of them, then to Kaelish for Sasha. It was hard to do it, with all the thoughts swirling around Brynn's head, but she managed.
"The high will last one hour, maybe two. It depends how long it takes her body to process a dose of that size."
"Why can't she purge it from her body like the bullets?" Matthias asked desperately.
"It doesn't work," said Kuwei. "Even if she could overcome the craving for long enough to start purging it from her body, she'll lose the ability to pull the parem from her system before it's all gone. You'll need another Corporalnik using parem to accomplish it."
"What will it do to her?" asked Wylan.
"You've seen for yourself," replied Matthias bitterly. "We know what's going to happen."
Kaz crossed his arms. "How will it start?"
"Body aches, chills, no worse than a mild illness," Kuwei explained. "Then a kind of hypersensitivity, followed by tremors, and the craving."
"Do you have more of the parem?" Matthias asked.
"Yes."
"Enough to get her back to Ketterdam?"
"I won't take more," protested Nina.
"I have enough to keep you comfortable," Kuwei said. "But if you take a second dose, there is no hope at all." He glanced at Matthias. "This is her one chance. It's possible her body will purge enough of it naturally that addiction won't set in."
"And if it does?"
Kuwei held out his hands in part apology and in part shrug. "Without a ready supply of the drug, she'll go bad. With it, her body will simply wear itself out. Do you know the word parem? It's the name my father gave to the drug. It means 'without pity'."
There was a long pause after Brynn finished translating. They were all feeling the same hopelessness and dread that Brynn was feeling.
"I don't want to hear anymore," said Nina. "None of it will change what's coming." She drifted to the prow of the ship. Matthias watched her go, almost mournfully.
"The water hears and understands," he muttered under his breath.
Brynn took a deep breath, turning to her sister. "Are you okay?" she asked in Kaelish.
Sasha nodded solemnly. "I know that I've only known everyone here for an hour or so, but I want to do something. I feel like this could be our family, Brynn. And it's already falling apart." Her gaze turned to Nina, Inej silently approaching with a wool coat for the girl.
"We've always had the worst luck, haven't we?" murmured Brynn, pulling Sasha closer.
When Inej left Nina, Brynn and Sasha slowly approached the Heartrender. Inej had come by them, as well, and given them wool coats to keep them warm in the chilly midnight air and to cover up Brynn's torn dress. Brynn should have been tired, but the last thing she wanted to do was sleep.
Nina turned to them silently, a small smile on her face. "I'm glad you didn't take the parem, Brynn." She spoke in Kaelish, for Sasha to understand.
Brynn shook her head. "I'm not. Nina, you deserve everything good, and taking the parem should have been my burden to bear."
"And then what of Sasha?" Nina asked. "She'd be alone without you. Kaz, too."
She frowned. "Kaz?"
Nina exhaled. "I really wish you could see what I do. I can hear everybody on this ship, the blood rushing through their veins, their hearts beating in their chest. I can hear the change in Kaz's breathing when he looks at you."
"You... you can?"
"It catches every time, like he's never seen you before."
Brynn saw Sasha grinning out of the corner of her eye and was eager to change the subject. "And what about Matthias?"
Nina raised a brow, unimpressed by Brynn's attempt at changing the subject. "Matthias is afraid for me, but his heart thumps a steady rhythm no matter what he's feeling. So Fjerdan, so orderly."
Sasha rocked back and forth on her heels. "Um, Nina?" she asked. "I heard you could heal my burns? Can you really?"
"I can." Nina smiled fondly at the girl. "This might itch, but try to stay still."
"I know how being healed feels like," protested Sasha.
Nina had a twinkle in her eye, but said nothing as her hands passed over Sasha's skin. The dark red, leathery burns disappeared, instead replaced by Sasha's pale, smooth skin. The girl stared at her skin in amazement, her silvery grey eyes wide. When it was over, she looked up at Nina, then flung herself into a hug with the taller and older girl. Nina stumbled back a bit, before reciprocating the hug.
When Sasha stepped back, Nina turned to Brynn. Brynn gave her a nod and Nina got to work tailoring her back to her regular self. It took a little longer than it took for her to heal Sasha, but it was quickly over. Brynn grabbed a piece of her red hair and smiled.
Her gaze met Sasha's. There was no moment of confusion, before she realized that the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl was her sister in disguise. Just two sisters, years after seeing each other, whole again.
While Brynn held Sasha close, she saw Kaz on the other side of the ship, staring at her. She wanted to talk to him, but now was not the right time. Maybe there would never be a good time. But she needed to get her thoughts in check before she confronted him.
a/n— Sorry for the hiatus guys, soccer has taken over my life, and now school is starting, so that's great. I'll try to update as soon as I can! Thanks for being patient!