CHAPTER FOURTEEN
vol i — bloody fjerdans!

EVERYTHING HURT, EVERY BONE FELT LIKE it was breaking, her muscles were tense, and her head felt like it was going to split open. Dinara's thoughts were jumbled, trying to remember what had previously happened. She remembered the fight with oomen and tracing the scar on Kaz's neck while she laid in his arms. She went to roll over, but pain shooting through her body halted her. she let out a groan, turning her head, noticing Nina drowsing on a stool tucked into the corner by the table."Nina," she croaked. Her throat was dry, causing her voice to crack and slightly burn when she talked.

Nina jolted awake. "I'm up!" she blurted, the peered blearily at Dinara. "You're awake." She sat up straighter. "Oh, Saints, you're awake!" Nina then burst out crying. Dinara tried to sit up against her better judgement, wincing in pain as she did so. "No, no," Nina said. "Don't try to move, just rest."

"Are you okay? You're sobbing all over my shirt right now," Dinara said, screwing up her face at the feeling of tears soaking through her shirt.

Nina started to laugh through her tears. "I'm fine. You're the one who got stabbed. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's just so much easier to kill people than taking care of them." Dinara blinked at her burst, then they both burst out laughing.

"Owwwww. Don't make me laugh. That feels awful."
"How do you feel?"
"Sore, but not terrible. Thirsty."
"It's fresh. We had rain yesterday."
"How long was I out?"

"Three days, almost four. Jesper is driving us all crazy. I don't think i've seen him sit still for more than two minutes together." She stood up abruptly. "Don't even get me started on how Kaz is. Oh, I need to tell Kaz you're awake! We thought—"

"How is he? Also," Dinara let out a puff of air. "Don't bother him. I don't want to get killed because he was busy plotting."

Nina sat back down, her face puzzled. "When do you plan on telling him then?"

"Is it night?" Nina nodded her head. "Okay, then tell him in the morning. Do we know who came for us at the harbor?"

"Pekka Rollins. He hired the Black Tips and the Razorgulls to keep us from getting out of Fifth Harbor."

"How did he know where we were leaving from?"
"We're not sure yet."
"I saw oomen—"
"Oomen's dead. Kaz killed him."
"Thank god. Bastard deserved it."

"Kaz killed a lot of people. Rotty saw him go after the Black Tips who had you up in the crates. I believe his exact words were, 'There was enough blood to paint a barn red.'"

Dinara let a smirk grow in her face. "Good. All of them deserved it." She closed her eyes, picturing all of the destruction the bastard of the barrel did. She had been close to death a few times, but this was the closest. She was dancing on a tightrope, trying to keep her balance so she wouldn't fall off and into the abyss beneath her. She was afraid for once in her life, and that was torture for her. Dinara had to be dependent on someone else to save her — it was scary. trusting her life in someone's hands, but thankfully, it was Kaz.

"He was afraid for you."
"Kaz isn't afraid of anything."
"You should have seen his face when he brought you to me."
"I'm a very valuable informant."
"Tell me he didn't say that."
"Of course he did. Well, not the valuable part."
"Idiot."
"How's Matthias?"
"Also an idiot. Do you think you can eat?"
"Starving."

Nina laughed, fishing out a toffee from her pocket. She passed it to dinara, screwing up her nose at the way she opened it. She wrapped her teeth around the edge, and pulled. The plastic surrounding the sweet pulled apart, leaving her with a gooey toffee. Dinara was in heaven — the savory taste, chewy texture, and the way it melted on her teeth. It felt like a summer day, sun beating down through the smoky air of Ketterdam, giving her skin a slight glow. Dinara threw the wrapper on the ground, turning to the girl she confiscated her best friend. "Can you lower the lights? I want to rest for a while." Nina nodded her head and obliged. Dinara closed her eyes, letting the darkness take her into a sleep filled with cold blue eyes.

( ...⛓... )

DINARA HAD BEEN AWOKEN TO A LOUD noise, turning her head, she saw Nina crouched on the ground, mumbled curses in some foreign language, probably Kaelish. She ignored the girl, leaning over to the chair placed delicately to the side of her bed. Dinara grabbed the trousers she had been wearing that night, standing up to slip them on. Nina snapped her head up at the sound of the bed sheets ruffling. Spotting Dinara slipping on her trousers. "Dinara! What do you think you're doing?"

"Changing."
"No, let me help you."
"Nina, I'm a grown adult, I think I can put my trousers on."
"Sit down. That's final."

Dinara let out a groan, allowing Nina to let a triumphant smirk to spread across her face. Dinara was stubborn but so was Nina, making them quite the pair. Both to stick in their own ways and feelings to let anyone else do something they didn't agree on. So, it was quite the sight to see Dinara give up and let someone else take care of her for a change. Nina lifted the sweater she had placed on dinara's body, bringing a brand new dress shirt onto her skin. Dinara was utterly in love with the shirt, the way it showed off her cleavage, her curves, and managed to keep her warm in this weather. thank god for Ivan. As Dinara was throwing on her trench coat and Nina was getting her boots on, the door flew wide open, revealing a wide-eyed Jesper.

"Dinara! You're not dead!"
"I wasn't ready to go."
"Ah, the great Dinara philosophy. You must be feeling better."
"Don't just stand there. Help me get these blasted boots on."
"If you just let me—"

"Do not bend," Nina snapped. "Do not leap. Do not move abruptly. If you don't promise to take it easy, I'll slow your heart and keep you in a coma until I can be sure you've recovered fully."

"Nina Zenik, as soon as I figure out where you've put my knives, we're going to have words. I'm done being babied."

"The first ones had better be thank you, oh great Nina, for dedicating every waking moment of this miserable journey to saving my sorry life."

Dinara reached over, cupping Nina's smooth skin in her blistered hands. "Thank you for keeping me in this world when fucking Oomen decided he tried to kill me. I owe you a life debt."

Nina blushed scarlett, her cheeks warming up under dinara's hands. "I was teasing, Di." she paused. "I think we've both had enough of debts."

"This is one i'm glad to bear." Dinara's lips curved into a smile as she spoke. This debt was one of the good ones, making her extra alert, wanting to keep the girl she considered her best friend alive and well. She knew that if anyone was dying it was going to be her first.

"Okay, okay. When we're back in Ketterdam, take me out for waffles."
"Kaz owes me waffles anyway. I can ask him for money."
"Good. He owes us."
"True, especially after this shit."

"I know just the place," said Jesper. He had felt left out and wanted to join the conversation to feel wanted. "They have this apple syrup—"

"You're not invited," Nina said. "Now come help me get her standing."

"I can stand on my own." As if to prove her point, Dinara slid from the table, the sheets crinkling under her. Her feet planted into the ground, swaying slightly before catching her balance. She mocked a bow at the two, showing them she could do it all on her own.

"Humor me." With a sigh, Dinara wrapped her slender arm around the bicep that Jesper offered. They made their way out of the cabin and up to the deck, Nina trailing behind them.

"This is stupid. I am fine."
"You are, but I may kneel over at any moment, so pay attention."

Once they were on deck, Dinara squeezed his arm to get him to halt. She tilted her head back, breathing deeply. The salty air invading her lungs, giving her a different feeling. She felt free for once in her life, no danger lurking around the corner, not having to fear every dark corner. The sea breeze lifted her hair, letting it dance in the wind.

"It feels good to be this kind of cold."
"This kind?"
"Wind in your hair, sea spray in your skin. The cold of living."

"Two turns around the deck," Nina warned. "Then back to bed." She went to join Wylan at the stern. It didn't escape the two left that she had moved furthest away from Matthias.

Dinara let out a whistle at the sight of them. "Have they been like that the whole time?" She asked, looking between the two brooding humans.

"It's like watching two bobcats circle each other."
"But what do they mean to do when they pounce?"

the tension between nina and matthias could cook an egg