xii - everything goes according to plan?

chapter twelve,    everything goes according to plan?




















    TERRIFYING. Nothing else could describe the coldness that was infecting her heart. Clear and loud, the thoughts didn't leave her be. Her fingertips touched the cold marble floor underneath her, making her exhale shakily—cold, just like her heart.

     With a chuckle, a movement of her head bringing her down, she just started to laugh – deeply and honestly. Her voice echoed between the four, shining white walls of this room, creating an after sound that seemed as if she was a demon. Well, in here she was considered one.

     Lavender was a Grisha. It made her wonder if she will even find out what kind of Grisha she was before they will behead her or worse, torture her before the inevitable death. Or was it that the old lady just sent her into her own doom without any specific reason? It didn't matter right now, did it?

     The woman pushed her head back, feeling a painful crack in her neck. She let out a short huff of air as she felt that she wasn't in her previous clothes— she was dressed in some sort of linen pants and a simple tunic that was ripped, uncovering her blueish, spotted skin.

     The laughter soon turned into a twisted frown of disgust and panic—someone changed her clothes when she was unconscious. Someone touched her. She pushed the ripped spot of the linen apart, uncovering the blue spots on her skin that weren't yet from the coldness – it was a mark of a grip. Someone grabbed her, someone used her.

      An acid taste alongside saliva appeared in her mouth and soon enough she vomited the previous meal she had eaten, whenever she had eaten. Her lips started to burn from the acid of the stomach touching her mouth and the breathlessness made her feel dizzy.

     Someone touched her.

     Her mourning thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door and she moved further until her back hit the cold wall. In the room, a man, quite aged and with a decent beer belly came in, showing off his medals of honour. Meanwhile, his eyes looked at the Grisha with the burning passion of hate.

     "What an unfortunate time you got in here," he started, his voice rough as he talked in Fjerdan.

     "I don't understand," she sobbed out in Kerch.

     "You really thought you would get into Ice Court without getting noticed," the drüskelle said in a rough Kerch.

     "I was captured," Lavender gritted out.

     "There are seven errors in our documents. Different prisoners than expected," he started and Lavender's heart dropped. Fjerdans knew something was wrong and they ought to get it out of her.

     "It's not my problem," Lavender answered.

     "It is your problem, drüsje. Now, I want you to give me the names," he demanded, two soldiers appearing behind him.

     "I don't know any names," she exclaimed, her voice shaky as she knew they were going to torture her. She won't rat out the crew even if it causes her to die.

     "Drüskelle," the man declared and the two soldiers behind him stood straighter, pushing their feet together and they barged into the room, grabbing the woman by her hands and making her kneel on the cold floor, holding her hands tightly.

      Lavender huffed out in pain, her body slightly numb from the coldness that surrounded her. It was inhumane how Fjerdans were treating Grisha, how they saw them as animals... She didn't even know she was one— how was she causing them danger?

      "Names, now!" The man grunted, grabbing the chin of the woman and raising it for her to look at him. "Pretty, pretty— I like Kaelish women," he mumbled, looking at her pale, in the someplace purplish face.

     "Kaelish women don't really like Fjerdans, old man," Lavender replied, looking at the round man, seeing how his face turned red.

      The man roughly slapped her across the face and Lavender quickly spat out some blood on the marble floor, feeling how the cheek grew swollen within seconds. The next thing she knew, was how the two drüskelle pulled out hunting knives and placed them on her thighs.

     It clicked to her— they didn't want to kill her just now, they want to get the names and get rid of her after.

     "You will learn to answer— every drüsje does," the man started, nodding to the two men and stepping back a little bit as the soldiers dug their knives into the woman's thighs, receiving a shrilling scream from the top of her lungs as they begged her for air.

     "The names!" The man demanded as the soldiers took away their knives, leaving the woman wailing in pain— sweat dripping down her forehead, her eyes fixated on the bloody pants and marble beneath her. She couldn't describe if she was feeling the pain or if she was already slipping away.

    "I know no names," she gritted out, her teeth stained with blood as she coughed a little bit, her lungs hyperventilating. If she won't die from the drüskelle, she will die from her lungs.

     The commander didn't reply and the next thing Lavender knew was how the knives found their way on her body again, slashing it as if it was a mere piece of meat, meant to be butchered. The wailing screams of a woman echoed through the room, begging them to stop— but no name left her lips.

     Let them try.

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    JESPER WAS ANXIOUSLY waiting in the laundry room. Ever since Lavender was taken, all of them were separated into men and women categories and they were forced to change their clothes before they got thrown into cells.

     The Zemeni guy was going out of his mind, his hands were sweating, itching, his eyes were darting to every corner as he managed to pull the bars of the cell apart and make everyone escape.

     They soon ended up in the laundry room, Kaz and Nina doing rounds on the upper floor searching for Lavender and Bo Yul-Bayur. What if Lavender won't be there? What if she was already dead?

     The image of how his sister was taken away will never leave him alone. The fear in her eyes, the crack in her voice— she was terrified. Jesper doesn't know how he will survive if Lavender ends up dead. It was his fault that he let her go with him.

     "I am sure they will find her," Wylan silently exclaimed, standing near the shaking tall guy.

     "What will they do to her? What are they doing to her?" Jesper slurred out the words to Matthias while Inej was putting on her rubber shoes to make the climb on the incineration.

     Oh, and by the way— the plan was going to shit. Lavender was taken away, Kaz was making the climb with Nina even if it was supposed to be Matthias. The incinerator was turned on this afternoon and not this morning as predicted. They were all probably going to die.

     "I don't know," Matthias replied, his voice unusually silent as he didn't care much about Grishas. Ever since he was initiated as a drüskelle, he was told they are his biggest enemies and they all want to lure him into their traps and kill him. However, this was different... Matthias knew Lavender didn't know she was a Grisha.

     "Tell me— is she— is she going to survive? Lavender is strong— she— she has been through a lot," Jesper was messing up with the words, his breathing off. "Where the fuck is Kaz and Nina?" He grunted out, looking at the door where they are supposed to get from.

     Within those words Nina showed up, her eyes wide and cheeks flustered— she must have encountered some guards. "Where is Kaz?" She asked.

     "He is supposed to be with you!" Jesper pointed out.

     "We separated— I thought he was back already," Nina pointed out, catching her breath back before she gave Jesper an apologetic look. "I checked the cells where Matthias told they would keep Grisha— they were all empty."

     Anger, disbelief and disappointment overtook the tall guy and he slumped on the floor, his hands angrily tugging on his short, curly hair. "She can't be dead— No!" Jesper shook his head, tears welling in his eyes again.

     "I am so sorry, Jesper," Nina whispered and Inej walked over Jesper and placed her hand on his shoulder supportively.

     "Can you make the climb?" Jesper asked, his voice shaking, breaking Inej's heart.

     "I can. I will make it," she whispered. The woman got Kaz's gloves, putting them on hesitantly since the stones of the wall were hot. She pushed the self-made rope over her shoulders and quickly made her way to the stones.

     The alarm started to ring, eight bells were heard in the distance, making everyone feel as if they are going to throw up. They were not going to make it— they had no idea which protocol it was— Was it the Black one? Are they doomed already?

     One thing was clear, in about five minutes the guards will find six prisoners missing from their cells and they will barge into the laundry room, arresting them again or killing them on spot— WHERE THE FUCK WAS KAZ?

     Soon enough the rope fell down to the floor, meaning Inej has made it and they all breathed in relief. "Go! What are you waiting for?" Nina exclaimed and Matthias started to climb first, after him, was Wylan and then Nina.

     As soon as Jesper took the rope, the door smashed open and Kaz showed up, with his bloody shirt, wincing quietly in pain. "She is not in there, go," he roughly said and Jesper made his climb quickly, getting on top of the roof, feeling the little drops of rain on his face.

     They made it— but Lavender was not with them.

     Matthias and Wylan seized the rope to pull Kaz up and they all made their way to the embassy roof, where Inej already rigged up a sling for everyone else.

     The roof of the embassy was curved, many different entries were on it to let light into the rooms— they hid behind the base of the biggest dome, the rain falling on them mercilessly as they all were just happy to be alive.

     Nina was working on Inej's feet as the rubber burnt into the woman's flesh, making her skin look red and swollen. All of them felt thankful to have Inej— without her, they would have been caught.

     "Where were you, Kaz? We were supposed to meet on the landing!" Nina hissed out the words.

     "I searched the fifth floor," Kaz replied, his voice rough.

     "You know they don't keep Grisha there!" Nina pointed out.

      "I searched for Lavender," he croaked out, feeling only clear rage towards this whole situation, towards losing Lavender again.

    That's why Kaz couldn't even dare to look at Jasper. He knew the Zemeni guy blamed him and he deserved every inch of his hate. After all, he could have done more to stop Lavender from coming to her, but she was so persuasive.

     "I don't about you guys, but I am getting in there. I need to find her," Jasper said, turning his back to them and looking down, further where people were gathering for the Ball.

     "Are you insane? We almost broke out of the jail!" Nina hissed the words out, clearly irritated.

     "I am not asking for you to go!" Jasper pointed out, sharply turning his head to them with a glare. "I need to find her."

     "Why did you even go instead of Matthias?" Inej asked, her silent voice shaky.

     "Yeah, why did you? Even if he is an idiot, Matthias knew the floors better," Nina mumbled.

      "I don't have to explain myself to you," Kaz grumbled, dropping his glare to all of them.

     "Whose blood is on your shirt?" Inej didn't back down.

     "Run in with a guard," Kaz lied without even blinking. The blood was Pekka's. That Kaelish idiot was in there, locked in a cell and left to rot for trying to get into the Ice Court and retrieve Bo Yul-Bayur.

    No one believed his answers, but everyone knew they won't get the truth out of him until he will want to tell it.

     "What is our situation? Which Protocol was it?" Nina asked.

      "Yellow one, a sector disturbance," Matthias replied.

      "That means we need to get out of here and as soon as possible. They will find the people that we left from the wagon," Wylan pointed out.

      "Then go," Jesper sternly said.

      "Don't you think she might be—" Wylan couldn't even finish as the realization took over him and he shook his head. Even for him, the thought of Lavender's death was too horrible.

     "Don't you dare say it," Jesper snarled at the merchling.

      "We should leave while we still have the chance," Nina said, her voice gloomy as she closed her eyes for a second.

     "We are not leaving without Bo Yul-Bayur," Kaz disagreed, "We are getting Lavender out."

     "Nina and I can get inside— We can reach the treasury," Inej started.

     "Inej— No," Jesper shook his head as he knew what she meant already.

     "We will enter through Menagerie," Inej finished and everyone shared looks.

     Kaz cursed underneath his breath, looking at the distance of the clear sky above them—pain. Only pain was flowing in his heart as he knew his crow was on the edge of death. His little crow was on the edge of death.

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