CHAPTER ELEVEN
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FIGHTING A LIVING SAINT WAS EXHAUSTING. Kira wasn't used to it. Usually, the Saints were on her side of the fight—at least the only other one she'd met had been on her side. Saints in general probably weren't.

She had tried, really tried, using all her will and power to try and one-up Ohval. But the Saint had centuries of practice on her.

When she'd first arrived at the scene, Kira had been reminded of one relevant fact: she had gotten too used to having Inej around, which meant she'd gotten used to the heavy feeling of metals the Wraith carried with her through her heavily loaded portable armory.

This meant Kira had forgotten that, as an ancient Durast, Sankta Neyar would sense the spider of the Barrel no matter how quietly and gracefully Inej landed behind her.

And Kira, who, with the others, had been pretending to be dead, only remembered that fun fact when she heard Ohval back kick Inej into the patio. Kira's eyes snapped open and she stood up in time to see the Durast barely move a finger to deviate Inej's dagger from its path. And proceed to fly over the Wraith's head with such grace Kira envied her.

Afterward, it had been chaos. Always the good kind, but nonetheless frustrating. Pistols had been drawn, pistols had been bent. Foul play, Jesper had said, but honestly, it was smart play.

Kira had tried to throw wooden stakes at the woman, the little three she had taken as a precaution, but Sankta Neyar dodged them easily.

For a moment she had managed to fight Ohval's power when she drew their own weapons at them after Tolya tried to stop her heart (most likely).

Sankta Neyar was too powerful. Kira felt her head bursting as she tried to get the weapons from turning their way, but Ohval snatched her ring hand away from her. Kira gritted her teeth and tried to use the metal from her trusted boots to attack but her feet were stuck to the pavement and the metal was unmovable.

As the weapons were thrown their way, intending to kill, Kira could only manage to divert their path with one hand.

Then Ohval went feral in the most passive way known to man. She'd thrown her headpiece at Jesper, trying to choke the air out of him before engaging in combat with Tolya and Inej, whilst still controlling Kira's boot and hand.

She tried to move the hand she had in the air, using her other one to try and move the rings but they wouldn't budge. With a scrunch of her nose, Kira moved her hand towards herself, her rings remaining standing in the air.

With her two hands now free, Kira spun towards Jesper, and using the buttons on his waistcoats she flunked them at Ohval—but she wasn't in combat anymore she was just standing waiting for Tolya and Inej to attack. She stopped the buttons in the air and Kira had a mere second to deflect them.

Tolya and Inej used this opportunity to attack once more and instead of trying to help Kira tried to focus on getting the chain off Jesper's throat, so she could use it against Ohval—and maybe save her Zemeni brute's life.

Just as she was managing to do it, she heard Tolya call, "Ohval!"

Turning her head to the side, Kira saw Ohval hovering over Inej a dagger to the Wraith's throat. Keeping half her focus on helping Jesper as he muttered to himself—little rabbit, was all she heard—Kira used the other half to try and keep the dagger from piercing Inej's skin.

Tolya kept speaking in Shu before finally Kira understood something he'd said, "This is only about Neyar's blade, not you."

Irritatingly, because she couldn't understand, Ohval answered in Shu.

Jesper finally broke free.

And Ohval was blasted back. Kira turned around as she helped Jesper up and saw Zoya and Nina rushing into the patio, Wylan after them.

Both girls began using their Small Science immediately, as Jesper handed Kira one of his bent pistols. The girl was quick to set it straight, just as Nina and Zoya were stopped by the rings on their fingers as Ohval forced their hands apart—which reminded Kira of her own rings that were fallen on the floor; she quickly snatched them off, slipping them into her pocket.

"This is taking longer than I'd like," Ohval said as she made the two Grisha girls fall to the floor. "So perhaps we end it."

And then Kira started gasping, her veins were as if on fire, needles sticking from inside out, it was as if someone had stopped her heart.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Ohval mused. "The amount of trace metal there is in the body. Iron, for instance, in the blood."

If she wasn't using all her power to get her blood moving and deflect Ohval's unwelcome attack on her blood cells, Kira would be gaping. What a brilliant wise Saint. Kira certainly had a new favorite Saint, no matter how hard she was trying to kill her. Sankta Neyar was someone she would pray for.

Kira groaned as she fell on the ground next to Jesper, trying her best to use her favorite Saint's advice and try to control the iron in her blood to act normal again—

The torture stopped. But it hadn't been her.

"Here she is!"

Kira's eyes snapped up to see Kaz walking from the main chamber, rolling an old man in a wheelchair into their company—Ohval's arms lowering as she turned to the man.

"Sweetheart, we have visitors," the man said. Jesper grabbed her along as he stood up. Kira brushed the dust off her dress before grabbing her rings and slipping them on her fingers again. "Art collectors from Kerch."

"I know, dear," Ohval said kindly. "I was just about to offer them tea."

"I could go for some tea," Kira agreed with a nod, her voice coming out slightly raspy. Jesper snorted at her side.

Ohval turned to Tolya and said something in Shu, and by the looks of it, it was something rather passive-aggressive.

Kaz's voice brought Kira's attention back to him. "These are the collectors I was telling you about. They'll be pleasantly surprised to meet you, the great thief of the art world." Kaz turned to them, "The Disciple."

Jesper frowned at her side. "This is The Disciple?"

The Disciple turned to Kaz. "Have we met before?"

"Yes, in your room just now," Kaz replied. He sounded sweet like poison. "And I've met your wife. In Bhez Ju. We had tea there."

"Bhez Ju Museum," the Disciple muttered. He turned to Kaz, rather cheery. "The support beams are under every second section of the floor. The others creak. Important to know the secrets of a place."

Kaz smiled a sinister smile as he turned to Ohval. "Truly."

Kira bit her grin down, and when their eyes met she winked at him. Kaz's sinister smile fell into a small barely noticeable one. One reserved for her eyes only, one that made him look handsome and young; that made him look like the boy he could've been.

Again, Ohval and Tolya had a quick chat in Shu. Again, Kira cursed not having the patience to sit through the lessons she'd had at the place. But she did curse in Shu. Nikolai would've laughed.

"The Neshyenyer?" the Disciple spoke up at the sound of the only word Kira had picked up from the conversation. "I stole it for her."

"Please, dear."

The Disciple seemed to not have heard the pleading tone in Ohval's voice. "It was the last piece I stole before we decided I should retire. Anyway, you couldn't really call it stealing. It was hers, to begin with. She made it."

Kira smiled victoriously at Kaz. I told you, her smile said. He gave a slight shrug of his shoulder, I never disagreed.

"I'm sorry," said Jesper. "Did you say she made it?"

The Disciple stood up wobbly and walked over to Ohval who took his hands in hers. "Hours of work. Prayers. And tears. To fight the unkillable army created by the clock worker Kho."

The chuckle Tolya let out was soft, a sound of disbelief and awe. "Three days and nights she fought the unstoppable soldiers. And when the last soldier fell, she laid down the weapon. And it was named Neshyenyer. Relentless." He knelt. "We are honored to be in your presence, Sankta Neyar."

"Sankta Neyar?" Inej said in awe as they all knelt on the floor.

Kira remained standing as did Kaz—Sankta Neyar might've been her new favorite Saint but she hadn't knelt for a Saint in more years than she could count; she would not start now.

"Come, my love. Let's get you to bed," Ohval said, leading the Disciple back to his wheelchair. She looked up at Kaz. "This is our sanctuary. Where we can sleep peacefully. Not have to worry about thieves and bandits like you."

"We're not bandits," replied Kaz.

There was silence for a moment before Ohval spoke. "No one gets past the poison. You're just a child, really."

"A child who understood your weakness," said Kaz.

Ohval scoffed. "Weakness. Four hundred years I've been alive. I've seen them all die. My family. All my loved ones. Taken away from me by time. Hundreds of years I closed my heart, as if that was the solution to ending all pain. What a safe way to live—" she turned to look at them "—What a small way, as well. You guard against pain. You guard against joy. But when you allow yourself to be blindsided by love... two worlds make a universe."

Kira's eyes met Kaz's gaze. His face was emotionless, but Kira saw all he was trying to say in his eyes, in the way he was looking at her like she was the Saint in the room.

"He's not my weakness. He's my universe. And I will see him through his days. Sharing every moment... until he is part of the night sky. What do I care about a blade?" She bent down and pressed a kiss to the Disciple's head before slowly turning to Kaz again. "What do you care about a blade?"

"The Darkling has created an unkillable army made of shadow. Your sword is the only one sharp enough to cut them down."

"That sounds like Ravka's problem."

"You think he would be stopped by a line on a map?"

Ohval covered the Disciple's ears. "I think I can still kill you where you stand before you can blink."

"Sankta Neyar," Tolya spoke up. "I have met the Sun Summoner who will take leadership in Ravka if the Darkling is gone. She is benevolent, and she is also Shu. She could be the living bridge between our two countries, but that can only happen if you grant us use of the blade."

"Use of it? All this just to borrow the blade?"

"All this just to protect your husband in his sleep?" replied Kaz. "We each fight for what matters most."

"And on my life," Tolya added. "I will make sure that it is returned to its rightful home. With you, Sankta Neyar."

"Ohval," she corrected. "The last thing I need are... pilgrims crowding my gate."

"Is it time for bed now, darling?" the Disciple muttered.

Ohval nodded. "All of you, out. Except for you, stake girl and hat boy. I'll give the blade to you." Kira's eyebrows raised in delight, ready to ask her favorite Saint all about controlling the iron in someone's body. Ohval turned to Kaz as she added, "Alone."

Kaz's jaw clenched but he walked over to where the others were already leaving before stopping in front of Kira and Jesper. "We'll wait for you outside before we head back to the Hummingbird."

•••

"Is that... a person?" Jesper gasped.

Kira gaped as she looked down at the glass table in the room, displaying the mummified body of, what was indeed, a person. Her new favorite Saint just got better and better, a pure unhinged neutralness.

"My first husband," replied Ohval. "Terrible marriage. Adequate table."

"You're brilliant," Kira muttered turning to Ohval as the woman bent down and picked up a long wooden box putting it atop her dead-husband table.

"You are Durasts," Ohval replied with a short nod of gratefulness toward Kira as she opens the box. And as Jesper stumbled over his words Kira merely grinned.

"You're an adequate one, resourceful, but you lack focus and the scope of your power could use help," she informed Kira, as she raised the sword from the box, and then turned to Jesper. "You're a terrible Durast. You could've come at me in any number of ways. Buttons on your waistcoat, the metal in the boot of your shoe. You are too old to be a terrible Durast."

She handed Jesper the sword. Kira watched enthralled as Jesper pulled the sword from its scabbard. Her mouth fell open in awe as the sound of the blade echoed around the room, the sight of the crystal-looking surface having her fingers itch to understand the way it worked like she'd never wanted to before.

"I have a lot of catching up to do," Jesper muttered. "I can see that now."

"Do you have any tips?" Kira asked the woman in front of her eagerly.

"Practice makes progress, and with time you may achieve perfection," Ohval told her. "For me, it took centuries of practice for a blade so sharp. But as Grisha time is all we have."

Kira nodded, pursing her lips in disappointment. She was waiting for something more practical. Like, if you click your fingers the magnesium around her would gather together—even though that was utter nonsense and not at all like Small Science worked.

"About the poison..." Jesper's smile was small, filled with emotion, and gratitude. "I know you were trying to kill us, but, um... thank you."

"Life doesn't often give second chances. And it would be a shame to waste the talent of any Durast. So do catch up."

•••

Kira walked with Inej as the latter swished the sword around, observing the blade like Kira had back in Ohval's house. They were both silent, only the sound of the blade and the distant chats around them to be heard. Then Inej sighed.

"I saw my family," she said, placing the sword back in its scabbard. She turned to Kira. "My... dream. I saw my family. We were together, laughing, my brother was there and then... I looked down at my wrist and I saw the scar." The Wraith raised her wrist, the sunlight highlighting her scar from the tattoo of the Menagerie. "That's how I knew it wasn't real."

Kira bit the inside of her cheek as she heard the waver in Inej's voice, the way it trembled as she spoke, the way she blinked faster than she usually did to prevent the tears from falling.

Kira realized that for her Wraith she couldn't be selfish. That she had used their friendship to get Inej to come with them, and that it wasn't really her choice to choose what Inej did with her freedom. No matter how much Kira wanted Inej to stay with her, she had to let her go; when all this ended Inej should go and enjoy her freedom because not everyone liked the way Ketterdam burned.

"You should try and find them," Kira said after a few moments of silence. "I could ask Nikolai to arrange something, get you on the right path. Perhaps he's able to reach someone that knows something. I..." Kira took a deep breath before reaching for a paper in her pocket and handing it to Inej. "Eira got this lead while we were worried about Pekka. He wanted to help and... It's a lead on the slavers that may be responsible for—"

Kira gasped as Inej threw herself at her, wrapping her arms around her neck in a tight hug. Kira hugged her back with a low chuckle. "Thank you, Kira."

"You deserve it."

Inej smiled as she pulled away from the hug, and hesitated, her smile faltering, before saying, "You were speaking... In your dream. Screaming."

"Let me guess, that's how Wylan noticed?" Kira asked with a grimace, trying to ignore the way Inej was looking at her with sympathy in her eyes.

"You deserve the world, Kira," Inej told her softly, "please remember that."

Kira didn't answer, a mere smile was all she could muster as she nodded. Her heart clenched in her chest at Inej's words. The Wraith looked over her shoulder and smiled at Kira before walking up past Jesper and Wylan who were deep in a kiss and joining Nina and Zoya.

And then Kaz was walking with her. They passed the kissing pair and he shook his head, "Everyone's lost their mind."

"Yourself included?" asked Kira as she looked up at him.

"Perhaps."

"Do you plan on getting it back anytime soon?" Kira asked quietly as they stopped in their step and Kaz looked down at her.

He looked a lot like he did in her dream. Only this time he wasn't cold, his eyes were burning with something Kira was afraid to name. They were still home, inviting and devilish, but this time they were alive too.

Instead of answering, he said, "I saw something, through the haze of the poison." He paused as if searching for the right words then added, "There are those who drown us, and those who pull us out."

Kira wasn't sure what he meant by that, but the way he'd said those words made her smile softly, genuinely, because Kaz Brekker sounded vulnerable, sincere. So, she returned the gesture. "I saw something too."

"What did your toxin trip reveal to you?"

"Death is my acquaintance," she said, her words as personal to her as his words were to him, "I hope life can be my friend."

"Hope is dangerous," replied Kaz.

"Good thing I love danger," Kira said with a small smile. "And... You know, Ohval gave me a rather creative idea if any future universes of mine ruin my life."

Kaz rose an eyebrow at her. Kira narrowed her eyes as she analyzed him from head to toe and when her eyes met his again she grinned.

"You'd give a lovely table, Kaz."

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author's note:

i feel like this chapter is average
at best, but honestly i'm not
particularly good at writing
fight scenes. but now that
it's done, the next chapters
are the last few ones for saints.

but! i have news:
i'm planning on writing a nikolai story,
in the same universe as this one,
which is going to change some parts
of the final chapters.
so be on the lookout for that one!