CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
vol i — bloody fjerdans!

THE FARTHER SOUTH THEY TRAVELED, THE coast long gone, ice broken more and more by slashes of forest, glimpses of black earth and animal tracks, proof of the living world, the heart of Djel beating always. The questions from everyone around Dinara were endless, it was starting to drive her insane, so insane that she was going to end up stabbing someone in the eye.

"How many guard towers are on the white island again?"
"Do you think Yul-Bayur will be in the palace?" "There are guard barracks on the White Palace. What if he's in the barracks?"

Jesper and Wylan debated which kinds of explosives might be assembled from the prison laundry supplies and if they could get their hands in some gunpowder in the Embassy sector. Nina tried to help Inej and Dinara estimate what their pace would have to be to scale the incinerator shaft with enough time to secure the rope and get the others to the top. They drilled each other constantly in the architecture and procedures of the court, nailing everything into their heads so they wouldn't get killed.

"First checkpoint?"
"Four guards."
"Second checkpoint."
"Eight guards."
"Four when the gate is non operational."
"Yellow Protocol?"
"Sector disturbance."
"Red Protocol?"
"Sector breach."
"Black Protocol?"
"We're all doomed?"

"That about covers it," Matthias said. Dinara pulled her hood tighter around her head, wanting to block the cold air nipping at her ears out. She was going through every plan in her head, trying to figure out every thing that could go wrong, and how to fix it.

"When I'm rich," Jesper said behind Dinara. "I'm going someplace I never have to see snow again. What about you, Wylan?"

"I don't know exactly."
"I think you should buy a golden piano—"
"Flute."
"And play concerts on a pleasure barge. You can park it in the canal right outside your fathers house."
"Nina can sing."
"I can play the triangle."
"We'll duet. Your father will have to move."

Nina did had an awful singing voice. She had sung too often in Dinara's opinion. She loved the girl to death, but she couldn't hold a tune to save her life. They had continued walking, Dinara passing the time by annoying Kaz, wanting to get a rise out of him. Whether he blushed bright red — It's the cold, Dinara — or threatened to bash her head in with his walking stick, she enjoyed every minute. When Dinara was done with Kaz, she moved on to begging Nina to teach her Fjerdan. "No, Hring-kaaalle. You have to hang in the last syllable a bit."

"Hringalah?"
"Hringkaale?"

"Dinara was the closest. Better but — here, it's like Kerch is a gazelle. It hops from word to word," she pantomimed. "Fjerdan is like gulls, all swoops and dives." Nina made her hands into what she called birds, riding currents on the air. her hands paused, so Dinara looked up, seeing her and Matthias caught in a stare off, making her cough to bring their attention back.

Matthias cleared his throat. "Do not eat the snow," he counseled. "It will only dehydrate you and lower your body temperature." The group plunged forward, eager to be up the next hill witn some distance between them. Matthias halted in front of all them, making Dinara cock her head at the big Fjerdan. He threw out his arms, turning around. "Stop! You don't want
to—"

His warnings were too late. Dinara's eyes grew wide, not expecting the sight in front of her, turning to Kaz for confirmation on the whole thing. He caught her eye, nodding his head in the slightest, giving her all the confirmation and reassurance she needed. In front of her, a pyre had been made on a bluff. Whoever was responsible had tried to build a fire in the shelter of a rock outcropping, but it hadn't been enough to keep the flames from dying out in the wind. Three stakes had been driven into the icy ground and three charred bodies were bound to them, their blackened, cracked skin still smoldering.

"Gheezen. What is this?"
"This is what Fjerdans do to Grisha."
"This is disgusting."
"It's what criminals do. The pyres have been illegal since—"

Nina whirled on him, shoving his chest hard, and Dinara knew it wasn't going to end well. "Don't you dare," she seethed. Dinara could practically see smoke billowing out of the girl's ears. "Tell me the last someone was prosecuted for putting a Grisha to the flames. Do you even call us murder when you put down dogs?"

"Nina—"
"Do you have a different name for killing when you wear a uniform to do it?"

Then they heard it, a sound that would send shivers down Dinara's spine. It was a moan, like a creaking wind. "Saints," Jesper said. "One of them is alive."The sound came again, thin and keening, from heaven black hulk of the body on the far right. It was impossible to tell if the shape was male or female. Its hair had burned away, its clothing fused to the limbs. Black flakes of skin had peeled away in places, showing raw flesh.

A sob tore from Nina's throat, Dinara moved closer to the girl, hoping to bring her some comfort. She raised her hands, attempting to use her power to end the creature's suffering. Dinara could see the unshed tears lining the corners of her eyes as she turned to the others. "I... please, someone..."

Jesper moved before Dinara had the chance to. Two shots rang out, and the body fell silent. Jesper returned his pistols to their holsters. "Damn it, Jesper," Kaz growled. "You just announced our presence for miles."

"Do they think we're a hunting party."
"You should have let Dinara do it."
"I was a bit busy consoling Nina, Kaz."

Thank you," Nina choked out. She plunged ahead of the group, Dinara watching as Matthias charged after the girl. She knew that there was something going on there, but decided to let it take its own course.

The two of them started going at each other's throats again, Jesper having to say something to stop them. "He's right. You can't go on this way." Jesper was standing in the snow next to Dinara.

"Stay out of this."
"If you two keep fighting, you're going to get us all killed, and I have a lot more card games I need to lose."
"You must find a way to make peace. At least for a while."
"It is not your concern."

Kaz stepped forward, his expression dangerous. "It is very much our concern and watch your tone."

Matthias threw up his hands, Dinara could have chuckled at his expression. "You've all been taken in by her. This is what she does. She makes you think she's your friend and then—"

"Then what?" Dinara asked, her hands crossed across her chest, hip popped out, a brow raised. Inej mirrored Dinara's stance and expression to the t, slightly scaring Matthias.

"Let it go. I can handle this on my own," Nina snapped at the two girls.

"No, Nina," Matthias said. "Tell them. You said you were my friend once. Do you remember?" He turned to the others. "We traveled together for three weeks. I saved her life. we saved each other." Dinara was tempted to 'aww' at the moment, but decided against it, due to the murderous look in Matthias' eyes. "When we got to Elling, we ... I could have revealed her to the soldiers we saw there at any time, but I didn't." Matthias started pacing, his voice rising, as if the memories were getting the better of him.

"I borrowed money. I arranged lodging. I was willing to betray everything I believed in for the sake of her safety. When I saw her down to the docks so we could try to book passage, there was a Kerch trader there, ready to set sail. Ask her what she did then, this honorable ally, this girl who stands in judgement of me and my kind." No one said a word, wanting to see how this was playing out. "Tell them, Nina," he demanded. "They should know how you treat your friends."

Nina looked up, locking eyes with Dinara. "I told the Kerch that he was a slave and that he'd taken me prisoner. I threw myself on their mercy and begged them to help me. I had a seal I'd taken from a skating ship we'd raided near the wandering isle. I used it as proof." The group was silent, not knowing how to react.

"I didn't understand what was happening," said Matthias. "I didn't speak Kerch, but Nina certainly did. They seized me and put me in chains. They tossed me in the brig and kept me there in the dark for weeks while we crossed the sea. The next time I saw daylight was when they lead me off the ship in Ketterdam."

"I had no choice. You don't know—"
"Just tell me one thing. If you could go back, If you could undo what you did to me, would you?"

"No. I'd do it all over again." Well shit. Dinara knew there was clearly a lot more to them then she knew. She figured that Kaz knew everything about this, but this was one thing Dinara didn't know. But she knew everything was shit between them and that it was going to be like that for a while.