✧ ♥ ✧

It was early morning, and even the birds still slept. Aleksander had wanted to leave unannounced, and Katya didn't mind that at all. The sooner she would be out of this place, the better.

A stylish coach rolled up in front of the Little Palace gate, and Katya recognised their horses tied in leashes behind it.

The coach was black as night, inside and out. Its elegant cushions were covered in onyx velvet, and it had ebony wood trimmings around the windows. Even the wheels were black!

Katya could not hold back a wide smile, and nudged Aleksander. "You really do like that color."

"I do. It goes with everything!" He took her hand and helped her inside, and then sat down beside her.

The coachman shut the door behind them, and soon they were off.

Katya released a long breath. Finally!

There was a black basket on the floor. Once they were out on the main road, Aleksander unpacked it, spreading a bountiful breakfast between them on the seat.

"This is lovely." Katya took an egg and began to peel it. "Like a picnic!"

"Indeed. Tea?"

When they had eaten, Katya leaned her head on Aleksander's shoulder. "So, are we there yet?"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Always so impatient. You're like a little girl, sometimes."

"Compared to your baffling age, I am," she teased. "Anyway, I doubt that a little girl would do this." She pulled his head down so she could kiss him, tongues and all.

"Indeed not. Nor do they have those." He cupped her breasts and started to rub them gently.

Katya's breath hitched. "Do you think the driver would notice if we made love in here?" she asked, a bit hoarsely.

"Not if I pull the curtain." He did so, and then lifted Katya onto his lap, still firmly grasping her breasts.

She leaned back against his chest and bent her head so she could kiss him over her shoulder – a rather awkward angle, but in the tiny couch this was probably the only possible position for what they had in mind.

When the kiss deepened, he began to unbutton her kefta, until he could slide a hand under her shirt. As usual, his fingers against her bare skin sent tingles of his amplifying power through her.

"Make it darker," she murmured against his lips; not because she was afraid of exposure, but because of how his summoning heightened her senses.

Her eyes were closed, but yet she could immediately tell when he began to summon by the way her every nerve suddenly sprang to life.

Still with one hand on her breast, he let his other one slowly travel lower. Gasping, she pressed herself against his skilled fingers.

When he pulled first her pants, and then his own down, she was more than ready.

✧ ♥ ✧

They journeyed the whole day, and late in the evening they were dropped off by the coachman at an inn. Before they left the coach, Katya and Aleksander changed into commoner's clothes to avoid attracting attention. Sadly, Grisha could never travel anywhere inconspicuously.

Pretending to be a married couple, they shared a room for the night, and the next morning they continued on horseback.

Riding was a lot less comfortable than driving, Katya figured, but the road they must take was too narrow and worn for a carriage. At least it was good weather; a lovely autumn day, with crisp air and the fresh smell of wet earth in their nostrils.

They had lunch among the colorful leaves in a clearing, and a quick tumble among them as well, before continuing. In the afternoon they reached a village at the edge of the forest where Aleksander believed the wolf lived.

Outside another inn, much smaller and simpler than the first one, a man was waiting for them. He looked to be around Katya's age, and was dressed in the forest green clothes of a soldier in the King's Army.

"You must be the tracker," said Aleksander.

"Correct. I'm Corporal Oretsev, but everyone calls me Mal."

"Leonid," lied Aleksander, taking his hand and shaking it.

"And I'm Ekaterina, or Katya for short." She figured her name was not important enough to hide.

"You want me to find a wolf for you, I was told," asked the tracker. "Describe it to me, please."

"It's a black she-wolf that has run away from her owner, and become a nuisance for local farmers," said Aleksander. "He named her Laika. That's all I know."

"Has she been gone long?"

"Yes, but I don't know exactly for how long, so don't ask," said Aleksander, smoothly aviding to expose how many centuries it must be.

Mal frowned. "With all due respect, sir, but the forest is huge, and there could be many wolf packs in it. Why didn't you recruit more trackers?"

"I was told you're the best one."

"Well, yes, I am." Mal smiled lopsidedly. "Still, this will take a long time, and the terrain is too difficult for horses."

"Then we leave them here." Aleksander shrugged. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready."

✧ ♥ ✧

Katya very soon concluded that hiking was not her favorite pastime. The forest was wild and dense, with trees growing at strange angles and old logs and fallen branches everywhere, ready to tangle in her feet and trip her.

The men carried the packs, but even without a burden, Katya soon was drenched in sweat and her legs ached. "This is horrible," she complained.

"It will be worth it," said Aleksander soothingly. He looked very different wearing a worn leather coat and a wool scarf, and a few pine needles had caught in his dark hair. Different, but no less handsome.

Mal walked in the front, and every now and then he bent down to examine the ground. He had already found wolf tracks, but again warned them that there were probably many packs in this forest, and they shouldn't get their hopes up yet.

When it became too dark to see anything, the men unpacked two tents and raised them, while Katya started a campfire. She did it when Mal's back was turned, making sure he couldn't see that she used her power to make the fire consume the rather damp firewood.

Aleksander had bought fresh meat in the village before they left, and now they roasted it on a spit. The smell was heavenly, and the taste as well.

During the meal, Aleksander passed around kvas in a hunter's flask, and the strong liquor warmed Katya nicely. Now that she had eaten and rested, she suddenly found camping both quaint and pleasant.

After they had a few swigs of kvas, the atmosphere around the fire became friendly and light-hearted. Mal proved to be an easy companion, with a good sense of humor, and a never-ending supply of amusing anecdotes from his life as a tracker and soldier. Katya countered with tales from her youth, pretending she still was that villager.

"...and then Farmer Popov pushed a barrel over the hatch, locking us in – still thinking we were a plague of mice, you know," she said. "Now, there we were, just the two of us, in a dark and boring place for who knew how long – so, we kind of got busy..." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Imagine the farmer's surprise when he opened the hatch a while later to put the cat down, and discovered us!"

Mal laughed heartily. "Poor bugger. Did he have a heart attack?"

"Almost. But he recovered quickly and chased us out with a pitchfork, still only in our shifts. It was good fun, though!"

Aleksander frowned and took a long pull on the flask.

"You remind me of my best friend," said Mal. "She's not afraid of anything, and will often get in trouble like that. Usually to save my sorry ass." He grinned.

"It's great to have friends." Katya's mirth left her as she recalled how little her friends must have cared, considering how easily they had turned their backs on her when they discovered she was a Grisha.

"Indeed," said Aleksander gloomily. "I'm tired. Coming, dear?"

Mal looked a bit surprised at their sudden change of mood, but nodded. "We better catch some sleep. I suggest we start early tomorrow and make use of the daylight."

The tent was cozy inside, though the bedroll was a bit too hard for Katya's taste. Again she shared with Aleksander, pretending they were husband and wife, but with only thin fabric between their tent and Mal's she didn't suggest they acted on the pretense. Especially since Aleksander seemed to be sulking.

"Are you jealous?" she whispered, hiding her smile.

"Don't be ridiculous. Now hush and sleep." He demonstratively turned his back.

A/N:

Talking of old boyfriends with your present one is never a good idea. ;) But Aleksander's no Saint either, so he probably deserves it, right?

In the next chapter the hunt for the amplifier continues. Stay tuned!