𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐱

Ⅵ 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒅

BREY RESTED HER HEAD AGAINST THE WALL OF THE TRAIN. She spun the slim silver  rings on her fingers that Jesper had gifted her and her eyes stayed shut as she tried to listen to the sounds outside. The train clanged as it hit a giant piece of metal. The loud abrupt sound made Jesper instinctively reach for his guns. "What was that?" Jesper questioned, his voice breaking slightly.

"I've erected a system of timers along the line," Arken explained in a calm voice. "Bits of metal hung on poles to keep me apprised of our pace."

"How did you know where to put the poles?" Kaz asked, his body facing the fire.

"Physics and engineering account for... most of my success," Arken continued.

"And the rest?" Inej questioned.

"What we might call divine intervention," Arken nodded, his eyes trialing to Brey, who opened her eyes enough to glare at him. "What others might call luck." Arken's eyes moved away from Brey and trailed to Kaz. "And after all, the Fold is thick with volcra, and the tracks are not complete. Coal, please."

"I'm sorry," Jesper snapped softly, his brain catching Arken's quick remark. "Did you say the tracks weren't complete?"

"I said they aren't complete," Arken corrected.

"What?"

"Ah, ah, ah," Arken called, waving his finger as Jesper moved to stand. "No moving." Jesper sat back down and Brey opened her eyes. "We're a tad late. More coal."

"Back to the real issue," Jesper called, his hands gripping his coat collar. "We're on tracks that don't connect to other tracks?"

"There's a gap but-"

"You said you could get us through," Kaz snapped.

"How much of a gap?" Jesper squeaked.

"Leanbh, breathe," Brey encouraged, nodding softly at Jesper.

"I built slats on the car," Arken explained in a calm tone. "They roll into place under the wheels. The turbine generates enough wind to push us all the way to the eastern track. As long as we don't shift our weight. Now, the noise may attract volcra, but it's the only way across." Another metal clang sounded and Arken moved to grip a pole, pulling it back and forth.

The train creaked and scrapped as it dropped to slide along on the floor. Brey jumped slightly, taking a deep breath. "Now, there's a nest nearby. But we'll be fine. If they haven't attacked us in-" Growls ran through the air. Brey and Jesper reached for their guns and they all looked up. "Well, now we've got a problem."

"How do you fight them off?" Kaz shouted.

"I outrun them," Arken spoke, moving to grab a better hold of the pole. "Open the throttle and toss in all the coal, which works when there's 20 pounds of it." Arken turned back and glared at Jesper. A volcra swooped down at the train, but it got too close and speared itself on the train. Blood dripped down from the roof. Arken moved to look through the periscope. "Damn it! The stupid thing impaled itself on a spike."

"We need to get it off. The others will stand on it," Kaz said in a rush.

"More coal!" Arken orderd.

"We're down to fumes!" Kaz shouted, tossing the bag on top of the flames. "We won't make it with this extra weight," Kaz recognized. "Brey, get up there and get it off."

"Yeah, no way. I have to slow the whole fold and I don't know how time works here with all the shadows," Brey called, looking up. "If time works differently, my abilities might not work at all and I become a crispy meal."

"This is how we die?" Jesper whimpered.

"Jesper, grab the goat," Arken ordered, pressing his hands against his temples.

"I'm not throwing out the goat!" Jesper shouted back. Inej pulled out one of her knives holding it between her fingers as she prayed.

"Grab the damn goat! It's not bait. It's for you! I need you to calm down," Arken ordered. Jesper leaned over taking the goat and pressing his face into the fur. "Hug the goat. Shut the hell up." Another metal clang sounded and Arken pulled out his pocket watch. "We should have hit that 20 seconds ago."

"20 seconds is?" Kaz questioned, his back pressed against the metal of the walls.

"My timings are precise to get us outside," Arken explained. "Even 20 seconds behind means the train stops inside the Fold and... that means we die." Arken huffed and looked out a peephole. "There's more coming."

Jesper wrapped his arms further around the goat, mumbling to himself, "So soft." A volcra landed on the roof of the train, its claws trying to burst through the metal.

"If we stopped, you need pause us-"

"I don't know if I can!" Brey yelled at Kaz. "Even if I could, I can only take two of you."

"Shoot them then!" Kaz yelled back.

"I'm not a good shot. If they're not close, I'll miss," Brey called, falling into her seat.

"You may want to make your peace," Arken suggested, failing against the wall.

Jesper took a deep breath and stood up, the goat still under his arm. Jesper stood in the middle of the train, his eyes closed as he took deep breaths. His eyes snapped open and he pulled his left gun out, flipping it in his fingers before firing upwards. Then to the left twice and then to the far right, each shot hitting a volcra. Jesper slotted the gun away and reached for his other one, firing through the peephole four times, hitting another three volcra.

Jesper put his gun away and set the goat on the floor. "Are they all dead?" Inej asked after a moment of silence.

"Brey, check. If they're dead, you won't be," Kaz ordered, but the lighter look in his eyes contradicted his harsh tone.

Jesper sat back down and Brey pulled her hands together. Just as Brey cast her clock, a volcra pulled its way through the roof and Brey instinctively threw her arm out. The regular green orb rippled to encase the monster, as well as leaving three green rings encircling her forearm and hand with runes in the rings. The volcra came to a near stop and the only thing that confirmed that it wasn't frozen was the drool dripping from its teeth.

Brey didn't stop to think and she pulled out her gun, lining up at its skull and pulled the trigger. The bullet went through its head, its skull exploding. Brey dropped her hand and the volcra got sucked into its previous momentum and flung from the train. Brey fell back against her seat, looking up at the others but she simply shook her head.

Sun broke through the holes and broken parts in the train, showing they made it to the other side. "A saint," Arken mumbled, looking at Bey.

𓅨

THE GROUP WALKED UNTIL THEY REACHED A TAVERN. Brey rushed to the bar, still groaning at the look Arken sent her. "Bottle of scotch, Kaelish stuff, I'll pay for the whole bottle," Brey demanded, covering her accent again. The man nodded and pulled a scotch bottle off the shelf, sliding it to Brey. "And uh, a beer, a glass and that tray of pastries." A woman slid the pastries to Brey as the man got the beer and glass. Brey tossed money on the counter and grabbed the bottle and glass in one hand, her other hand holding the pastries and beer. Brey turned to the table the others sat at, Kaz already gone off to find a lead. Inej had tossed her coat to the side, as did Jesper along with his hat and Milo rested in his lap, and Arken read over a small pamphlet.

Brey slid the pastries to Inej and set the beer in front of Arken. Brey tossed her coat next to Jesper's before taking a seat beside him. She handed him the glass, quickly pouring him a drink before taking a swig from the bottle. Jesper pursed his lips before turning his head to Brey, "Did we wanna talk about-?"

"No," Brey whispered, waving Jesper down.

"You've never done that before?" Arken questioned, taking the beer.

"No," Brey repeated.

"They're were rings," Inej recalled. "I've never seen the rings."

"What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' did you miss?" Brey mumbled, taking another sip from the bottle.

"One more question-"

"No!" Brey snapped at Arken. Brey let her head fall against the table and Jesper gently ran his hand down her back. "Sorry," Brey mumbled, her voice slightly muffled.

"Did you want to hold Milo?" Jesper questioned and Brey nodded softly. Brey sat up and took Milo off of Jesper's lap.

"Saints, he is soft," Brey mumbled, running her hand down his back, the other gently holding him in place.

"The Little Palace winter fete," Arken said suddenly, tossing the paper on the table. "There's just no way he can find a way to the Sun Summoner without Nina. Especially during this ridiculous party. The place will be crawling with Second Army."

"We're in luck," Kaz called, announcing his presence and immediately disregarding Arken's words. "There's a good chance we can crack on. Now that we're three days' travel from the capital, the next play is finding a way inside the Little Palace. It turns out the Kribirsk archives house the Little Palace blueprints. But... they're kept under lock and key. Far from the prying eyes of the masses."

Jesper tapped his fingers against the table, smiling in delight. "Yes," He called.

"What does that mean?" Arken questioned watching Jesper's excited face as Inej and Brey smiled softly as well.

"Time for a heist," Jesper exclaimed in excitement.

𓅨

❝ 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 is a funny thing ❞