"Lets drop down, wait until we reach Novokribirsk." Kaz orders all of us, we do just that and enter a dark space filled with wooden crates. After a few moments we start to hear the growling of volcra, "This is a bad idea." Jesper states the obvious, "any idea which involves crossing the fold is a 'bad idea', this just happens to be our only choice to get back home." I criticize him, "I think it's rather practical." Has Kaz lost his brain? How in the hell is crossing the fold rather practical?
"What? Why?" Jesper sounds terrified. "I don't see how we step off this boat without you pulling those guns. So, cleaning them is a good idea."
"I don't mean this. I mean this." he gestures to our surroundings, the volcra growl again. "We are in the worst place in the world on a ship full of people who want us dead, surrounded by monsters who want us in the gullets. I should've brought Milo." Jesper explains, "Who's Milo?"
"THE GOAT!" Jesper answers, very annoyed, "How many bullets do you have?" Kaz asks changing the subject from our total damnation, nice one. "Not enough."
"So, what's our play?" Jesper asks, "We wait." oh, thank the saints.
"For what?"
"For whatever the General has planned" Oh for saints sake, "You figured him out?"
"Not quite. Consider the scenario, The Sun Summoner fled from his palace, now she's tied to the deck. We're sailing for a city where another Ravkan general hired Arken to kill her. And, I saw his face as he boarded, I know that look. He's a man consumed with vengeance." Kaz explains, "See it enough in the mirror, do you?" Jesper says, before I had a chance to say it, "Jesper, do me a favour will you and stop reading my mind." he just smirks, Kaz gives me a glare and I go back to my silence.
"So, what kind of revenge is he planning, exactly?"
"We know it requires the Sun Summoner, which makes her valuable to us." he isn't thinking of grabbing her again is he? If we're doing anything with the Sun Summoner it's freeing her and getting her back to her friend. "She's the one keeping everyone safe in here. If we have control of her, then we call the shots." I hear a footstep that doesn't belong to any of us, I look around and see Alina's friend being led at gunpoint by Inej, "We need to threaten her life."
"What?" Inej, the boy and I say in unison, "Who's this?" Jesper asks pulling his gun. "It's the Sun Summoners friend, I saw them reunite when I let her go." I explain, Inej lowers the gun. "Why are you here?" Inej asks, "Like the girl said, I'm her friend, Mal Oretsev, I'm here to kill the General and save Alina."
"Inej, give him his gun." Kaz commands, "Why?"
"I trust (Y/n)'s word, which aligns with his own, so that means he isn't with Kirigan, which means he's with us." she hands him his gun and he takes it.
A few minutes later the skiff stops. Jesper loads his guns, I call the flame. Mal gives me a wierd look, "I'm not a normal Inferni." I say, "I know what you are." Phoenix child.
"No, you don't" I say. he expanded the fold, all of those people waiting on the other side are dead, what if the couple who ran the butchers are there? They don't deserve this. "We need to go up there and stop them." I plead to Kaz, "No, we wait."
"Kaz, you can hear him slaughtering a city." Inej appeals to him, "So you understand the scale of his power, then? Good."
"The bold move is to strike now." Mal states, "And the smart one is to get clear of the damned fold first." Mal walks off to the main deck, "I never said I was smart."
"Can you believe him?" Jesper comments, I watch as Inej get's battle ready. I look at the ball of fire in my hand, I meet Kaz's gaze, "I'm going." he goes to grab my wrist but stops when he's a finger tip away, "Don't be an idiot." he orders, "I can kill Vulcra in seconds. And apparently melt the flesh of bones in seconds too. I'm going and you can't stop me." I take off my veil and robe and go to the deck, I hear Inej trailing behind me.
"Together?" she says, "Always." We walk up and I see Alina struggling as she tries to get up, Mal takes a shot at the General and is stopped by a heartrender, I send a blast of orange flame at the heartrender, killing him. "You." The General looks at me, "The child of the Phoenix, enemy of all peoples." he proclaims to everyone, "superstitous Ravkan nonsense." I reply before sending a fireball at the General, he dodges it. The skiff starts moving and I notice Inej and another Suli girl, the Squaller that harmed Inej. A noble woman distracts the General and I run to Inej fighting a heartrender. I call the flame and realise I can't do anything with Inej in my range of fire, shit.
"Hi" I say, getting his attention. This distracts him enough to allow Inej to slit his throat, she looks down at the Grisha. "I know, it's how I felt when I killed the Inferni. It gets easier." I grab her hand and pull her attention away from the dead Grisha. The General calls for the Squaller to stop, her names Zoya, nice to know. I hear a gun shot and notice Jesper, great he grew a pair and stopped listening to Kaz all the time. This distracts the General and Inej throws a knife into his chest.
Black lines form in his skin and he pulls the knife out, that is some creepy shit. "IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN THIS!" he throws the knife to the ground. He pulls the light in to the space around him. Where is Kaz? The light is away from Kaz where is he? "You stay in the dark."
I see Jesper and Kaz in the dark parts of the skiff, when was Jesper put unconscious? I run to them and keep guard. The Volcra start coming. They attack Zoya and Inej goes to her defence. Inej throws knife after knife holding her own, until she runs out. Another Volcra comes for her, "Keep Jesper safe." I command Kaz, he nods. I run to Inej and send a blast of flame killing the creature. "Here." I pass her my two knives, she takes them.
Somehow Alina must've taken back control of her summoning because the light comes back.The General tries to attack her but Mal jumps him and they start fighting. Jesper starts waking up and I slap him to speed up the process, "Ow, you may not be as pretty anymore, doesn't mean you can do the same to me." he complains, but gets up. "We better get moving." Kaz insists, Mal comes back after ending the General, congratulations to him the boys got guts.
We come out on a beach outside Novokirbrisk, that means that the couple did die. I feel a tear roll down the cheek covered by my mask, outside of it is a field covered in frost. I start a fire and all of us sit down. "I've never met a saint before." Inej says to Alina, I'm glad she gets this, "I've never been a saint before." Alina replies, they hold hands, "Wherever you are, whatever you need... my hand is yours."
"I like that hand with a dagger in it. I couldn't hold onto yours, so take mine as a replacement. It's not much but it'll fend off a bully or two"
"I know just what to name it." Sankta Alina. "Step one for any good plan, a change of clothes. It's worked for me." Jesper gives the bag of clothes to Mal, "So... will you still be trying to kidnap me?" Alina asks, looking at Kaz. "He won't get the chance." I say.
"You are quite valuable, you know?" Alina starts walking to Kaz, "So is this?" she presents to him something, Zoya taps me on the shoulder, "May I steal you for a moment?" I look at Kaz and he gives me a nod, I walk with her.
"What do you want with me?" I say, "You are a child of Ravkan legend." oh for saints sake, "No, I'm not, I'm an Inferni from Kerch who was forced into becoming a whore at the Menagerie." I say, "Have you found the anchor yet? I mean according to the dead Inferni you killed in the chapel you have." what the hell? "You people are insane. Kaz is definitely someone I can live without." I state, "Look, I don't plan on causing a full scale apocalypse, and I'm pretty sure I only see Kaz as someone who can give me my freedom, which is all our relationship is, well maybe a friend but I don't really know the guy that well."
"Okay, whatever you say, but I have a warning for you, people know what you are now, and they believe in this legend, so when you are free of the Menagerie, come to the Little Palace and you can make people believe that you are not the creature in Legend." she offers, "Don't all people want me dead even Grisha?" I ask, "Yes, but some are open-minded enough to see that you're powerful."
We head back and I see Alina throwing her dress into the flames. I sit down next to Jesper, "What was that about?" he asks, "I'm a powerful Grisha, she wanted me to join them, I said no and that I wanted to remain a dreg and be in Kerch with you three." he wraps his shoulder round me, "I'm glad, Ravka kind of sucks."
"It's a two day walk to Os Kervo from here, given our condition." Jesper stands up, but I stay seated, "We can smuggle ourselves onto a ship to Ketterdam from there." he stomps out the fire and we start our trek.
"You berated Inej and I for letting her go and now that's what you're doing. So what's your angle?" I ask, "I'm keeping my promise to you. I swore you won't go back to the menagerie, and just one of these gemstones cover Inej, two cover you. You're free." he states, "Wait, seriously?" I ask, "Yes, seriously. Per Haskell will never know about this."
"Thank you, Kaz." I look at Inej and smile, "Zoya said she wanted me to join the reformed second army once I'm free, she needs me." I say "We need you, I need you."
"I want to see the look on Heleen's face when you clear the books." I say, affirming that I'll stay for a time, "After that, we'll see, I can't allow this place to go to shit." I laugh and walk off. I join in rank with Inej and Jesper, "Hey, the darkling called you something out there -" Jesper starts, "And like I said then it's superstitous Ravkan nonsense."
~
"We set out with a clear mission, a prize of a million kruge, and a new member, apart from (Y/n), on our crew. So... What did we learn? People with trains are evil, you can't kindnap a human sunbeam, and maybe, just maybe, greed is a poor motivator. True wealth is the friends you make along the way." Jesper explains as we board, "I just might be impressed." Inej says, "I'm talking of Milo, of course. But I won't have my smelly friend when walking into Ketterdam" I bury my head in my hands and my mask almost slides off, "Can I take this off? The only reason I wear it is so Jesper isn't frightened." I say, Jesper gives me a death stare and I laugh, "No, it's part of who you are now, live with it." Kaz orders, I groan. "Dreesen will be waiting for our return." Inej states, "And Pekka Rollins." Kaz adds, "They'll both want our heads once we show up without the Sun Summoner."
"They won't get close enough without me turning them to ash." I say, "You won't be turning anyone to ash, I have a plan. And just how this all started... we're going to need a heartrender." he expains, "Milana?" who the hell? "No. For this to work, it has to be someone neither of them know. Someone desperate for work with loyalties only to us."
"Excuse me is what he said true?" A woman calls to us, "I don't know if she's dead, but she is a saint." What did Kaz just say? I look at him and he smirks.