𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

Ⅺ 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒏

THE SKIFF PUSHED FORWARDS THROUGH THE DARK. Shadows consumed the ship, the thunder grew louder and the people on the boat stilled. The Heartrender stood in the center of the skiff, his hands crossed over one another as he watched the darkness. "Can you feel them?" The general asked.

"No heartbeats yet, sir," The Heartrender confirmed.

Jesper took that as his queue and he turned to the hatch. He lifted it and slipped below deck. Kaz followed after, tossing his cane down. Elvira jumped down and Inej followed a second after. Volcra screeches around through the air and Inej slammed the grate closed.

Kaz sat on a crate as the others tossed their coats aside. Jesper immediately pulled out his guns, fiddling with the parts as he started to wipe them clean. Elvira tossed the hat and wig away, cursing under her breath.

As another round of growls resonated Jesper let out an annoyed grunt, his hands fumbling slightly. "This is a bad idea," Jesper complained, blowing a puff of air into the gun barrel.

"I think it's rather practical," Kaz said, his eyes watching the roof.

"What? Why?" Jesper scoffed.

"I don't see how we step off this boat without you pulling those guns.

So, cleaning them is a good idea," Kaz reasoned.

"I don't mean this. I mean this," Jesper gestured around with his hands, his movements becoming erratic. "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 their gullets. I should have brought Milo."

"Who's Milo?" Inej asked, her hands ghosting across her knives.

"The goat," Jepser huffed, throwing his hands down.

"How many bullets do you have?" Elvira asked as she tossed her coat away.

The growling continued and Jesper flicked his gun. "Not enough."

"That's comforting," Elvira huffed, rolling up her sleeves.

Inej's eyes wandered to her and grabbed her right forearm. "Did you break your wrist?"

"No." Elvira took her arm back and tapped her fingers against the curved bone sticking out from the centre of her wrist. "A Grisha's gotta have an amplifier if they're fighting volcra."

❅

A BRIGHT BLUE RAY OF LIGHT SHOT THROUGH THE FOLD AND THE RAYS SEEPED BEANETH THE WOOD, ILLUMINATING THE CROWS. "So?" Jesper started, his hands gripping the pearl handles of his gun. "What's our play?"

"We wait," Kaz said simply.

Jesper looked to Ira who shrugged. "Elaborate," Elvira requested.

"Wait for whatever the general has planned," Kaz explained.

"You figured him out?" Jesper asked.

Kaz looked down at his crows and shook his head slightly. "Not quite. Consider the scenario," Kaz ordered and Jesper stood. "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."

"See it enough in the mirror, do you?" Jesper joked, though there was no humour behind his tone.

"What revenge is he planning then Brekker?' Elvira asked.

Kaz turned to her, his hands moving to cross over the crow on his cane. "What do you think Dal?"

Elvira tapped her fingers against the bone and looked up at the boys. "He needs the Sun Summoner so she's valuable. And if I want to dive into how your brain works, we have her we have the power." Elvira paused and shook her head. "You want to threaten her."

"What?!" A duo of voices shouted.

Jesper and Elvira spun, Jesper pulling out his gun and Elvira extending her hands. They paused when they noticed Inej with a gun to the back of a boy's head who was dressed in a first army uniform. "Who's this?" Jesper questioned. "Who are you?"

"A stowaway," Inej answered, pressing then harder into the boy's back. "Why pick this of all skiffs?"

"To kill the general and save Alina," The boy said simply.

"I'll ask you now," Elvira said her hands moving to twist water into the boy's throat. "Who are you?"

"Enough," Kaz ordered.

Elvira let go and the boy coughed. "Mal Oretsev," he sputtered.

Kaz walked forward, his cane clacking against the wood. Jesper and Elvira trailed, a few paces behind. "You know Alina?" Kaz questioned, watching Mal's face very closely.

"I do," Mal confirmed.

"Who's in control of her?"

"The general I'm going to kill."

"Inej, give him his gun," Kaz orderd.

"Why?" Inej asked.

"Because if he isn't with Kirigan's crew, he's with ours," Kaz explained. Jesper flicked his gun away and Inej held the boys out. He cautiously took the gun and gave Kaz a nod.

The group silently waited until the skiff suddenly stopped. Jesper instinctively pulled out his guns and they all looked up to grate. "What's he doing?" Inej questioned but Kaz was quick to quiet her.

"One more demonstration!" Kirigan yelled, his voice echoing below deck. "You've seen what the Sun Summoner can do. Now bear witness to what I can do... with her power!"

"What the hell does that mean?" Jesper questioned but Kaz quieted him with a slight clack of his cane. The air around the skiff picked up and hung creep forward, shadows raced forward and the light that seeped through the desk disappeared in an instant.

Rumbles and screams grew louder as the Fold raced forward and consumed Novokribirsk, the volcra swarming down and flying away with whatever poor bystander wasn't fast enough to take cover. Another surge of power ran forward as Alina tried to make a tunnel but that only lasted a few moments before the shadows overpowered the light.

Terrified screams grew louder and rawer. Jesper dropped his arms, letting out a soft huff. "What now?" Jesper asked, looking up at Kaz.

"We wait," Kaz said sternly.

Inej looked to Ira before moving closer to Kaz, "Kaz, you can hear him slaughtering a city."

"So you understand the scale of his power, then? Good," Kaz snapped.

"The bold move is to strike now," Mal spoke up.

"And the smart one is to get clear of the damned Fold first," Kaz insisted.

Mal gave a nod and turned, "I never said I was smart."

"Clearly," Elvira muttered.

Inej tossed her coat away and followed after Mal. "I'm going with him." Inej ran off but the others didn't follow her.

It was silent for a minute before two gunshots rang out. Elvira hissed through her teeth and turned to Kaz. "Please tell me you have a plan," Ira said in a rush. Kaz opened his mouth to speak but ultimately closed his mouth.

Jesper huffed and slotted his guns away and picked up his blue coat, throwing it over his shoulders. "We wait!" Kaz insisted as Jesper tried to run off.

"The action's up there," Jesper shrugged.

"They have the advantage," Kaz argued.

"Only because I'm not in the game."

Jesper turned and ran for the ladder.

Elvira let out a loud groan and strung together a plethora of Fjerdan curses as she moved forward. "Elvira!" Kaz shouted and Ira paused.

"I did not run from a monstrous place to be killed by monsters," Ira snapped. "I will die happy, rich and not on Ravkan soil." Elvira spun and pulled herself up the wooden ladder and onto the deck.

Elvira slid against the wall beside Jesper. "I can shoot through their Keftas," Jesper complained. "And having both attention's gonna get me killed."

"I'll get you an opening," Ira nodded. A dozen bodies hit the floor and Elvira spun around the wall immediately targeting the Heartrender. He coughed and sputtered as Ira flooded his lungs. The Inferni clicked his fingers and Ira pulled out her boar knife and flung it into his leg.

The Heartrender moved forward kicking Elvira back. Elvira tumbled, losing her grip on the water in his lungs. "Dinara!" The man yelled and the Inferni ran for Ira. He tried to stop on Elvira's leg but shuffled back and landed on her knees. Ira grabbed a crate and slammed it across his face making him tumble back.

"Zoya!" Kirigan yelled, looking up at the sails.

"Jes now!" Elvira yelled, looking over her shoulder.

Jesper ran out, his guns drawn. He shot towards the Heartrender, landing a shot on his chest. He lined up another but Kirigan sent a Shadow cut racing towards him. Kaz rushed forward grabbing Jesper and slamming them to the wall. The cut missed them but Jesper was knocked unconscious.

Inej reeled her arm back and sent a slim blade racing towards Kirigan. The knife pierced the space between the buttons on Kirigan's Kefta, digging into his sternum.

Kirigan met Inej's eyes and wheezed. Dark black veins took over his skin, running up his neck and over his cheeks. He groaned and reached for the knife tearing it out with a pained moan. "It will take more than this!" Kirigan yelled and tossed the knife down. Kirigan moved his hands and the fold raced forward, consuming the back half of the skiff.

Elvira reached out and pulled the Inferni back into the shadows with her. "What are you going to do now röd drüsje," Elvira taunted. "Set me aflame? You'll get yourself killed."

The Inferni dove forward, sending a fist Elvira's way. Elvira dodged the hit and kneed the man in the chest making him stumble. Ira reached for her second knife but the Inferni kicked her hand making her drop the weapon. The Inferni grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. Elvira knocked her head forward, colliding with the man's nose.

Elvira sent another kick his way but grabbed her ankle knocking them both off balance and sending them over the edge of the skiff's wooden railing. They tumbled onto the sand with a series of groans as they pushed themselves up just as the dome of light expanded, pushing the shadows back.

Elvira tried to move forward but the Inferni sent a flame her way. Elvira dived to the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand. Elvira barely got a second to breathe before another flame raced at her. How do stop the fire? Elvira knocked the man at his knee, but this Inferni was skilled. Far better than the one she fought at the bar.

"So do Inferni control fire?"

"No, no. They use their gloves. Get their gloves away and they're like any other Ravkan. Skittish."

Elvira slid under a shot and shoved her fingers into the bleeding gash in the man's leg. He screamed out in pain and Ira grabbed his hand. She slipped her hand under the glove and tore it off.

The man kicked her back and the man become skittish. His swings were unpredictable and erratic. Fast and impossible to counter. A volcra scream rang through the air and Elvira steadied her footing, leading them both back into the shadows. "I told you drüsje, you'll get yourself killed." Elvira dived to the side, back into the light, as a volcra dove down and grabbed the Inferni in its sharp claws.

The bright light that expanded over the sand, suddenly shrunk and Elvira looked up at the boat. Elvira tried to run back but a volcra dived knocking Ira to the side. It skidded onto the sand and ran forward, tearing its claw into her side.

Elvira screamed in pain and beat at the volcras face with her ring. It whipped its head to the side and the metal ring smashed agaisnt the beast's teeth. "Elvira!" Kaz called, looking over the side of the skiff. He flung his cane out, knocking against the side of the monster. Elvira grabbed it before it was too far from her reach and stabbed the end through the gash made by her ring. It screamed and let her go. Elvira reeled the cane back and slammed the crow's head across the volcras face until it was a bloody mess.

"Ira!" Jesper yelled. Elvira ran to the skiff with a hand pressed to her side. She grabbed the side of the boat and hoisted herself up. Jesper reached down and grabbed her forearm, pulling her up the rest of the way. Elvira fell to the skiff's deck, the cane slipping from her hand.

Inej, Kaz and Zoya raced down the stairs, Zoya and Inej rushing to Alina. Kaz stopped to grab his cane, before extending it to her. She grabbed the end and he pulled her to her feet. Jesper put his arm around Elvira keeping her steady.

Mal pulled himself up from the other side of the boat and they made their way to Alina's unconscious body. "What happened?" Mal asked, dropping next to Alina's body and pulling her into his arms.

"It's Kirigan's Heartrender," Inej answered, watching her closely.

"Come on, Alina," Mal pleaded, cradling Alina's face. "Alina, come back for me, please." Mal continued to plead for Alina as the others stood guard, trying to keep their eyes trained on the Volcra flying around them. A volcra swiped down, the only thing making it miss was Inej and Ira's small height.

Inej pressed her hand to her mouth and cried as Alina's eyes opened slightly. "Mal..." Alina whimpered.

"I'm here," Mal soothed. "Don't you dare say, 'Meet me in the meadow'." Alina smiled but her eyes caught the monsters flying above them. Alina's hand shot out, making a large explosion of light. Zoya was the next to move, forcing the skiff from the fold.

❅

❝ swim to deep and the 𝒊𝒄𝒆 will claim you ❞