As soon as she took one step on the staircase she heard screams and groanings.
She couldn't see anyone, yet.
She now realized it was better if Sturmhond was with her, but he would have fallen of the wire as soon as he stepped on it.
She didn't know whether the show was still going or not, but as soon as she was on the first floor on top she saw cells without prisoners in them, she picked up her pace silently and did not stop to look until she reached the very fistt floor before then, making sure she was really on the first, she amde her way up again, to the second.
She read each number.
67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 and 78.
She smiled and looked inside the cell only to find the same prisoner of the first scene.
Her heart fell.
"No, no, no, no, no" she whispered just for her to hear.
The woman's gonna kill me.
She accumulated power in her hand and slowly and carefully tried to touch his chest, where his heart did not beat. The power rushed through him, she could see that as it was illuminating the cell and the cell behind her and still he didn't seem to move.
Her veins glowed with a deep blue color, with white in the middle.
She removed her hand and at her sudden movement she fell back and heared footsteps growing closer and closer.
There was no place to hide.
She took out her knives and held them at her sides careful not to make a sound.
There was a moment of silence, until Inara heard shooting.
Oh, Saints help me.
She figured the Hellshow ended as she dodge these bullets, she ran toward the staircase and felt something hit her arm, she groaned in pain, it burned but she knew it would heal.
The guards did not stop shooting, Inara threw one knife at the closest guard, aiming for the throat.
Then she threw another one to the guard near the one on the ground, still aiming for the throat and as he feel to the ground with a loud thud, she just heard footsteps, louder and they approach.
Inara just ran up the stairs knowing this time she had no time to reflect on her past or future.
She held her arms out as she moved up the stairs.
And it felt like hours until she reached the battlement, the guards were yelling and running, fully confident about a knew prisoner.
She looked down and found no boat.
He really left her?
She muttered a prayer before she jumped.
꧁꧂
I was outside with my mother as I run around and jumped happily, the sun was shining and mama was smiling as she peeled potatoes.
She was singing a song in Suli, it was delicate and sweet and with her gentle voice it was everything.
She sang it everyday around me.
She stopped singing and spoke "You will meet someone special today, my love".
I smiled widely "Who?"
My mama smiled and nodded her head and looked behind me.
I saw a girl with a mother and father walking side by side towards us.
I turned around to give mama a confused look.
"Them?"
Mama smiled and nodded.
Mama yelled "They're here" to her baba, the door opened and baba stepped outside smiling and waved once, the man with his wife and daughter waved too.
They slowly got nearer and nearer to us, the little girl smiled shyly and I did too.
"We're twins!" I said eagerly as I and her held out our hair "They're both so long!" the girl besides me said, Inej.
"I'm Inej" that time she smiled happily.
"I'm Inara" I smiled so widely my cheeks hurt.
We played the whole day, ate lunch together and then I showed her my room.
We played with my toys sitting on the carpet and my mama and baba spoke to her mama and baba drinking tea.
Inej spoke "Can we come back tomorrow?" her parents smiled
"Pleaseeeee? " I asked smiling.
Suddenly she was stripped away form the memory too.
She was coughing a lot, she felt strong hands around her helping her to sit up and heard someone whispering softly.
Water came out of her mouth as her coughing died.
"Are you okay, Inara?" she recognized that voice, Sturmhond.
"You came?" she nodded and asked.
He did not answer he question as he looked at her worried.
"Where is the son?"
"He's dead. It the the prisoner we first saw during the first scene".
He looked at her in the eyes as if he did not understand her words, he kept his arms around her until he slowly put some space between them.
"She'll kill us".
A chuckled escaped her lips "That's what I thought".
He chuckled and looked at her again "You didn't fall off the wire?"
"I'm here, aren't I, Sturmhond?"
He was going to answer as a light caught his attention and stared at her arm, a hole glowing.
Shit.
"What is tha- are you the-?"
"Will you kill me now that you know?" he scoffed and gave her a weak smile and shook his head "Why would I do that?"
She shrugged.
"We'll, trust me, Vensik. I am not that kind of man".
"And what kind of man are you?" she asked.
"The dashing and terribly brave kind of man".
She almost snorted and he noticed "Do understimate me being terribly brave and dashing?"
"You were the first one to understimate me, Sturmhond" that time she laughed a bit, he smiled and spoke "So Inara Vensik is able to laugh and not look so serious all the time".
"I'm serious when I have to be, Sturmhond".
They were getting nearer to the shore but Sturmhond spoke "Why?" he asked, Inara looked at him confused.
"Why what?"
"Why are you in Ketterdam, aren't you supposed to be in Ravka? You can tear down the fold with the Sun Summoner. ".
How could she respond to that? She was not about to tell him her life story.
"It's a long story".
He did not push her.
They got off the boat and it was nearly sunrise.
Was the woman still awake?
"Do you think Jahzara's still awake?"
Sturmhond asked as if he read Inara's mind.
"I hope so".
They knocked at the door, the same man from before greeting them and lead both of them to the same room of before.
They sat on the chairs and the look on the woman's eyes were not promising.
"Your son is dead, I'm sorry".
Her hand covered her mouth as she stared to cry.
All they could do was sit there either looking at the woman or glancing at one another.
The woman definetly took her time into shedding her tears before wiping her wet face.
"You didn't save my poor child" she was about to cry even more.
"I'm sorry, Jahzara. But you didn't give us a name nor a description, it is merely out fault-" Inara was cut off by the woman yelling "Zominov! Take them!"
"Wait what about the money?" Sturmhond asked, the woman looked at his hideously "The deal was save my son then I would have given you a prize".
The man appeared with really sharp knives, Inara's eyes widened and heard a laugh from behind, Jahzara.
"Foolish girl and boy. Kill them both!"
Sturmhond shared a look with Inara before the man ran toward Inara, she felt a hand gripping hers pulling her to their side and Sturmhond and Inara both ran outside the room and immediately opened the door, both ran as fast as they could and hid in a dark alley.
Both of them were panting, unable to regain their breath.
Why? Why send them to hellgate? Why wanting to kill them? And the laugh? Did she never have a son? Did she just give them any cell number? Floor?
Maybe she wanted me dead? But why Sturmhond?
"She wanted me dead, I have to leave Ketterdam" she breathed and gained his attention "But why did she want you dead?"
"You think I know?"
"Yes"
"You're too confident"
"Oh, is that so? I'll show you how confident I am, why did she want you dead? I know you know".
He couldn't possibly be someone that impor-
"I'm Nikolai Lantsov" he admitted.
Her jaw fell "Wha- What?"
"I'm Niko-"
"I heard you from the beginning, so what? You wnat be to bow, call you your highne-"
"Please don't" he chuckled.
Inara covered her face with her hands before looking back at him "What are we supposed to do now? We stay in Ketterdam, we're as good as dead".
He reached out his hand for her to take "Come with me".
She hesitated before holding on to it, they walked and made it far without being seen to their luck, he did not let go off of her hand once and held onto it tightly.
"You're not abducting me are you? I've had enough if that." he was about to chuckle but realized she was serious and instead he smirked "I told you, I'm dashing and terribly brave, and I'm not an abductor".
They came to a point where they stood in front a big ship.
Inara stared at it, the sun rising illuminating her face.
"Care to join me and my crew?"
She smiled.
"Of course, your secret will be secure with me, Vensik, and mine will be secure with you".
Inara spoke "Are you sure you want me? I'm sure I'll best you at anything, Nikolai Lantsov".
"You keep dreaming of that, Moon Summoner".
She smiled.