AN ADVANTAGE OF being Grisha was that she could control the pace of this ship. Every morning the wind was slow, barely pushing the ship in its required direction, but every night the waves were a blessing, pushing the Ferolind faster toward their destination.

Svetlana was spending more time with Inej and Nina, the girls growing on her rather quickly, and since they were going to be working together for the next three weeks, she figured that was a bonus. Of the boys, only Wylan had made a true impact on her. She saw him as a little duckling, barely able to hoist himself up on his feet, but he had potential. It was Jesper who she saw a reflection of herself in, a younger Svetlana.

He was giddy and active, always moving and never still. She wondered just how fast his brain ought to be working for him to feel the need to be constantly on the move.

She'd spot him on one end of the ship, then she'd blink he'd appear on the other.

Svetlana was below deck with Nina, working together to help Inej get dressed as she was finally cleared by Levlik to be good as new and returned to the mission at hand. Svetlana thanked him, and he was off after sending a brief glance to Nina.

After helping her put on some clothes while Nina continued to fight with her rubber shoes, Jesper appeared at the door. He cried out Inej's name like a prayer and cheered for her near-death experience. 

"Now you have a mighty bullet scar, how about that?" he said, grinning charmingly.

Svetlana and Nina met each other's gaze, then simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Don't just stand there," Nina growled, "Help me get these things on her feet."

"If you would just let me—"

"No!" both girls shouted at the same time, and Inej cowered into herself. "Fine. Saints."

"Do not overwork yourself. Do not bend. 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. I don't want to see Levlik stitch you back together again."

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

"Oh, I didn't put them anywhere. It was Karina."

Svetlana sent a glare to Nina, then met Inej's glare with a smile. "I'll give them to you before we land."

"And how close to land are we?"

"A few days."

Inej sighed and then reached out to hold both of the girls' hands. "Thank you both, and Levlik, for keeping me in this world when fate seemed determined to drag me to the next. I owe you both a life debt."

Svetlana dramatically widened her eyes, "Oh please, I'm so done with debts."

"Inej, I think we've both had enough of debts," Nina added.

"This one I'm glad to bear."

"Okay, okay. When we're back in Ketterdam, take me out for waffles."

Svetlana turned to her with a grin, "Oh I know the best breakfast shop in all of Ketterdam and their waffles are to die for. It's in Little Ravka, I'll be sure to take you there sometime."

Nina grinned excitedly, "That sounds amazing, my mouth is watering. I miss waffles."

"Can I join?" Jesper asked from the door, and both Svetlana and Nina turned to him, "No."

"Now come help get her standing."

"I can stand on my own," Inej grumbled as she slid off the table and Jesper came to stand beside her, holding out an arm.

"Humour us."

Slowly, Svetlana and Nina watched as Inej and Jesper climbed up the stairs and towards the upper deck, they followed behind.

"You know, I think Levlik did a pretty good job at keeping her alive and moving. She can walk on her own now."

Nina shrugged, "Just to be safe, and so Jesper can have something to do instead of running around aimlessly like a headless chicken."

Svetlana snorted.

          TO HER SURPRISE, Svetlana wasn't all that worried about the Ice Court heist. She felt confident enough (if not in her crew then in herself) that if things were to go wrong, she can help get them out of there. By force if she had to.

She didn't care what that would reveal to the group, she didn't care how it would impact her blossoming relationship with them, as long as it meant that these people she came into the Ice Court with got out safely.

She was in her room, the sketches of the prison sector scattered across her bed as she thought thoroughly of the bits of the plan Kaz had shared. She tried to see how she could alter it to find Natalia within the prison sector because she was just another Grisha, she should be able to find her there.

Svetlana scattered for all the routes, all the exits, all the cells as she thought her plan through. She wouldn't have to step away from Kaz's plans, she'd just have to search for Natalia as she searched for Bo Yul-Bayur. She can kill two birds with one stone.

Being locked in her room meant she could manipulate the waters of the True Sea in their favor to get them closer to Fjerda without anyone noticing. She scanned the plans again while one of her hands controlled the tide and pushed the ship faster.

Thanks to her efforts, they arrived at the northern coast three days early. When she emerged from her chamber at dawn and climbed up to the deck, she found Matthias and Inej gathering the cold weather gear she had put on the ship.

Nina came up behind her with a silver key in hand, Svetlana raised a brow. "What's that for?"

The Heartrender sighed, "Kaz wants me to free Matthias of his shackles and tailor him."

Svetlana chuckled, "Let's see how well that goes, good luck."

"Thanks."

Svetlana worked quickly with Inej and Jesper to pull on the gear, she helped the Zemini boy tighten his clothes around him and then Wylan joined them, he stared at the gear in puzzlement. "How is one supposed to put these on?"

Svetlana shrugged. "Pretend you're dressing a child. Take the smallest size. Leave the other for Kaz."

When Svetlana looked up, she saw a brown-eyed and brown-haired Matthias walk over to them. Silently, she held up the biggest gear and handed them to him. He bowed his head once, then pulled them on. She watched Nina scurry off to put the bag of tailoring times in a bigger bag that Matthias would be carrying before joining them.

Kaz only came up when the sun came out and the sky turned golden from pink. He pulled on the remaining gear before settling into a smaller boat that would get them to the shore.

"See you in Djerholm harbor!" Specht called from above. "No mourners."

"No funerals." Inej, Kaz, Nina, and Wylan replied. Matthias and Svetlana locked eyes from across the boat then just as quickly diverted their eyes away.

Once they arrived at the shore, they began their trek to the Ice Court. Up a cliffside and through thick ice, then they stopped to catch their breath. Svetlana looked back, the Ferolind was still in sight at the horizon.

"Saints," Inej gasped. "We're actually doing this."

"Having second thoughts now, are we Wraith?" Svetlana smirked, rubbing her gloved hands together as she prepared herself for the tiring journey ahead.

"I spent every minute of every miserable day wishing to be off that ship," Jesper grumbled. "So why do I suddenly miss it?"

"Maybe because it already feels like our feet are going to freeze off." Wylam stomped.

Svetlana cast him a glance, "Didn't you wear the sack of socks I left you?"

He looked up at her, confusion was written all over his face, then Jesper cackled and Svetlana rolled her eyes. "How do you say you've been to the Ice Court before, but you don't know how to keep your feet warm? You've got to keep your feet warm to keep walking on ice!"

"When we get out money, you can burn kruge to keep you warm," Kaz said. "Let's go."

"I'm going to pay someone to burn my kruge for me." Jesper grinned.

"Why don't you pay someone to pay someone to burn your kruge for you? That's what the big players do."

Svetlana rolled her eyes at the mindless boy chatter and pushed from between them to walk ahead. She will be forever thankful for all the lessons Sturmhond taught her on that ship. Like how to tell south from north without a compass.

The group followed her blindly, and Jesper kept looking up at her and then back down at his compass. "Hey, Karina!" He called, "Do you have a compass on you?"

"No."

"Then how do you know you're going the right way?"

"Because the rising sun is on my right!" She pointed at the sun still rising from the west. Kaz sent Jesper a look that said, you've been bested, then continued on their hike.

About three hours into their walk, Matthias was walking beside Svetlana. He paused and pointed at the harsh wind coming up ahead. "Oh," Svetlana mumbled, pulling down her goggles.

Matthias turned to the group, "Put your..." he made a gesture for their heads, where the goggles were, then sighed and turned to Svetlana for help. The corners of her lips turned upwards and she turned to them, "Pull down your goggles." She shouted over the loud whirring wind.

"Keep your eyes covered, or you could damage them permanently," Matthias said.

Svetlana turned and continued walking, feeling the heated stare of Nina on her back. She almost slowed down, just to allow the girl to walk next to him, but she knew the two were avoiding each other, so she remained. 

The rest of the walk was mostly silent. She could hear Jesper and Wylan talking, but the wind was too strong to catch what they were saying. Inej, Nina, and Kaz were silent the whole way. Svetlana brought up the occasional questions about the way Fjerdans lived in the cold to Matthias, and he seemed happy to answer. Talking about how he lived here when he was younger, all the ways the snow, ice, and cold wind made him feel brought a sense of comfort to his troubled mind. He was grateful for the distraction.

By nightfall, they camped in tents and ate their first round of rations before exhaustion climbed their backs and pulled them into a deep sleep. They were awoken by dawn thanks to Kaz who pulled them all out into the shy sun to gather their things and continue their walk.

"If we get this right, we're going to be in and out of the Ice Court before the Fjerdans ever know their prize scientist is gone," Kaz said.

"I doubt it," Svetlana mumbled, but her voice went unheard.

"When we enter the prison, we'll be taken to the holding area beneath the men's and women's cellblock to await charges. If Matthias is right and the procedures are still the same, the patrols only pass through the holding cells three times a day for head counts. Once we're out of the cells, we should have at least six hours to cross to the embassy, locate Yul-Bayur on the White Island, and get him down to the harbor before  they realize anyone is missing."

"What about the other prisoners in the holding cells?" Matthias asked.

"We have that covered." Svetlana nodded, she remembered that part of the plan.

"Once we're out of the cells, Matthias and Jesper will secure rope from the stables while Wylan and I get Nina, Inej, and Karina out of the women's holding area. The basement is our meet. That's where the incinerator is, and one should be in the laundry after the prison shuts down for the night. While Inej makes the climb, Wylan and I scour the laundry for anything he can use for demo. And just in case the Fjerdans decided to stash Bo Yul-Bayur in the prison and make life easy on us, Karina and Matthias will search the top level cells."

"Karina and Matthias?" Nina wondered, her eyes traveling to the girl in question as she had her eyes trained on Kaz. Not daring to glance at Matthias.

"Matthias knows the prison procedure, and I'd prefer Karina to Nina to save the trouble of being noisy. Nina will be by Inej's side at all times."

Nina grumbled, but otherwise kept quiet. Inej laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and sent her a warm smile that Nina returned.

"The rest of the prison isn't like the holding area. Patrols in the cellblock rotate every two hours, and we don't want to risk anyone sounding the alarm, so be smart. We coordinate everything to the chiming of the Elderclock. We're out of the cells right after six bells, we're up the incinerator and on the roof by eight bells. No exceptions."

No exceptions. That's comforting.

"And then what?" Wylan asked.

"We cross to the embassy sector roof and get access to the glass bridge through there."

"We'll be on the other side of the checkpoints," Matthias said, almost in admiration. "The guards on the bridge will assume we passed through the embassy gate and had our papers scrutinized there."

"Then comes phase two of the plan," Svetlana said. "Inej, Nina, me, Matthias, and Kaz will get a change of clothes from one of the delegations and find something for Yul-Bayur when we get him then cross the glass bridge. We locate Yul-Bayur and get him back to the embassy. Nina, if there's time, you'll tailor him, but as long as we don't trigger any alarms, no one is going to notice one more Shu among the guests."

Jesper stared back and forth between Kaz and Svetlana, then frowned. "So what I'm getting from this is that I'm stuck with Wylan."

"Cheer up, Jes, you like spending time with Wylan," Svetlana said. "Besides, if something was to go wrong, Wylan would use his physicist and chemist brain to get us out of it and you're job is to keep him alive."

"And I want two sets of hands making bombs," Kaz added.

Nina crossed her arms, "Let's say this all works. How do we get out?"

Svetlana sent a smile to Kaz who met her eyes with a quirk on the edge of his lips. "We walk," he said. "That's the beauty of this plan. Remember what I said about guiding the mark's attention? At the embassy gate, all eyes will be focused on guests coming into the Ice Court. People leaving aren't a security risk."

"Then why the bombs?" asked Wylan.

Svetlana shrugged, "Safety precaution. Like the fake Ferolind."

Kaz nodded. "There are seven miles of road between the Ice Court and the harbor. If someone notices Bo Yul-Bayur missing, we're going to have to cover that territory fast." Kaz drew a line in the snow, "The main road crosses a gorge."

"We might have to blow up the bridge so that no one will follow." Svetlana continued with her lips pressed together.

Matthias put his head in his hands, eyes wide as he stared at the single line in the snow then back up to the girl that was questioning him about the way of their lives just yesterday, then back down at the line.

Svetlana felt horrible for him, circumstances weren't kind to him or Nina, and she hated that it had to get to this extent. But their lives were going to be on the line, and she will not allow for them to be taken by the Fjerdans.

"It's just one prisoner, Helvar," Kaz said. Two actually, Svetlana thought but didn't say.

"And a bridge." Wylan put in.

"And anything we have to blow up in between." Jesper shrugged.

"Everyone shut up," Matthias growled.

Svetlana's hand twitched, almost wanting to reach up and rest a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him, then thought against it and turned away from the group. Walking towards their destination.

Matthias glanced back, staring at her retreating figure with conflicted eyes, then turned back to the group and met Nina's.

"I don't like any of this." She said, her eyes still fixated on Matthias.

Kaz turned and followed after Svetlana, "Well, at least you and Helvar found something to agree on."

As they continued their trek, Svetlana kept quiet as the rest of the crew asked the important questions. Ranging from 'How many guards are at this tower' to 'What does each protocol mean' and 'What does the alarm for each protocol sound like'. She only looked back to check on Matthias and every time he'd meet her eyes.

She knew what it meant to betray your country. Your home, your people, your family. She knew what he was going through, what he was thinking of, and she decided not to bombard him with questions of her own until they were within the Ice Court.

When nightfall came on their third day on land, after a long day of walking on land littered with forest trees and animal tracks, proof of life, everyone was drained. After eating their rationed food, they lay to rest in their tents.

Svetlana turned and shifted within her sleeping bag, uncomfortable and unable to rest. With an irritated sigh, she sat up and pushed herself to her feet. Silently walking out of the tent she shared with Nina and Inej.

The fire Matthias had started before they buried themselves in their tents was still crackling, small flames climbing up to the night sky littered with bright stars. The wood burned into coal, hot and unforgiving. Svetlana took her place beside the fire like she was earlier, her knees pressed up to her chest, her eyes glazing the sky, her silky brown curls falling in a neat order down her back.

It was strange, to look up and see actual stars staring right back at her. She was never able to see the stars in Os Alta or Ketterdam. She supposed the lights coming from the buildings and shops all throughout the cities covered the faint glow of the sky's many eyes. 

But out here in the wild, she simply cranked her neck heavenward and she was able to tell each start from the other. She remembers when she was younger, in the orphanage with her brother, she would sneak out of her bed past their assigned curfew and she would teach him the different sky knowledge she managed to gather from the old library and the restricted books within it.

A ruffle from the boys' tent caused her to jerk her head towards it, and she watched tentatively as Matthias made his way through the curtain door. He looked up, then blinked in surprise to see her. She only smiled in return.

"Can't sleep?"

Matthias raised his brows, his head tilted and carrying an expression that said 'You wouldn't know'. She nodded back, "I know the feeling."

He slumped in his spot in front of the fire, sitting across from her. Through the heat, his tailored brown eyes trained on her, rough and calloused around the edges but soft and pure as the snow around them.

Their eyes remained on one another, unmoving and unwavering. Until Svetlana grinned and looked upwards again. He followed her line of sight and the breath was almost knocked out of his chest.

The sky above, not entirely onyx black, had carried strips of color across it. A shade of green so rich, it reflected back in their eyes. It danced beautifully with the wind, the stars littered above glinting and winking at the pair witnessing the event.

Matthias pulled his eyes away to sneak a glance at the girl with golden brown skin and slight curls across from him, only to find her with her mouth agape and her hand on her heart and her eyes fixated on the view above.

She felt his eyes on her, and once she was sure she had savored the moment, she allowed her eyes to travel down to meet his. He was smiling gently at her, almost like seeing a child from his village wonder at the miracles of the north.

"They're called Northern Lights. They have a rare appearance, but they're usually much more vivid up the mountains in the north." He informed her, his arms leaning on his knees. His eyes never moved away from her.

Svetlana matched his smile, "They're beautiful."

He nodded, "It's believed they are sent to us by Djel, as a reminder to count our blessings."

She tilted her head, "And what are your blessings, Matthias Helvar?"

Matthias' eyes traveled down, to the scorching fire. He blinked. "I am in my homeland, surrounded by ice, snow, and water. I am going to the Ice Court, which used to be my home. I have warm clothes and food to keep me alive. I-" He paused, thick brown brows furrowed. Then, he looked up at her. "I am with friends."

She smiled and nodded, her eyes going back to the sky, watching as the remaining northern lights disappear like they were never there. She released a sigh and pointed to the brightest star in the sky behind her, "Do you see that star?"

Matthias nodded, eyes squinting as he followed her finger. "It's called the North Star. It's how people know which way to go when the sun is gone."

"Like what you did when we came down the Ferolind."

She nodded, "Exactly," and then she pointed to the few stars around it. "These stars around it help it form a shape, it's called the Little Dipper."

Then her finger traveled to another cluster of stars and she followed them to make another shape, "That one is called the Big Dipper."

And Matthias sat across from her and listened as she listed each cancellation she knew and what they meant and how they came of importance. His eyes gleamed them more she spoke, and when she was done she was red in the face with a sheepish grin across her lips.

She tended to talk too much sometimes.

Matthias only smiled at her, "You know so much about stars."

She shrugged, "I spent most of my childhood looking out windows of places I felt trapped in wishing I was a star." It felt strange to say that out loud. Admitting to something so sacred like it was nothing. But she supposed saying it like it was nothing meant Matthias taking it as if it was nothing to her too. She hoped he would.

A cold breeze brushed through their small camp, and Svetlana suddenly realized she only took off the first two layers when she tried to go to sleep. The cold seeped through the fabric and into her bones. She shivered, her fingers trembling as she tried to curl into herself. Matthias took notice and stood from his place, only to sit beside her.

The massive jacket adoring his body was tugged off, and he wrapped it around her in an attempt to keep her warm. She released a breath, her exhale coming out in a form of a puff of air that was visible for both of them to see.

She stared at him, "Aren't you cold?" Matthias only shook his head, "I'm used to the cold. You're not."

She felt him wrap his arm around her shoulder, pressing the fabric of his jacket tighter around her, and she sighed at the warmth around her.

She suddenly felt guilty. Why was she warming up to Matthias? A Fjerdan and druskelle and most of all Nina's lover? Svetlana's lips curled downward and she shut her eyes tightly.

The idea of someone listening to her and paying attention to her and caring for her enough to make sure she was warm when the weather was cold made her forget about everything else. She forgot that he was the mortal enemy here, that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her if he found out she was Grisha, that he would hate her simply for living, without knowing the actions she had to take to do that.

Promptly, his arm around her was too heavy, his smile towards her felt poisonous, and his calloused and pure eyes were calculating a way to bring her to her knees. She cleared her throat and met his eyes, his still soft and unaware, but hers harsh and cold all of a sudden. 

"I'm going to try to get some rest," She said, shrugging off his jacket and handing it back to him. The brush of his finger against her own almost made her retch. "You should too." Faking concern was the most ideal way to get out of a situation like this.

He didn't question her, but he did wonder what had made her grow frigid in his arm. His eyes followed after her until she disappeared behind her tent's curtains.

Matthias sat by the fire, alone and confused, but warm and content as he looked up to the sky, recalling everything the part-Suli girl had told him.