𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗 — the sun summoner

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 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐎𝐅 cautious crows and their on-call Heartrender trailed their way down to the basement. Dreesen had been quick to lead them, huffing and puffing as he went; clearly he was still very unhappy with both Kaz — for throwing his own words back at him — and Aleksa — for almost prying the Heartrender from his palm.

 Though there was a distinct twinkle in those dull eyes of his; he knew he had a crew that was very much expendable to send on their merry little way to bring back his prize; and if they didn't? He was certain there was nobody around to miss them.

 The basement was a stark contrast to the grandeur of the home Dreesen lounged within. Droplets of water clambered from the walls, pooling on the slate ground in murky puddles. There were clumps of moss spreading over the dull brick walls like a group of rummaging canal rats.

 But in the very centre of the tasteless room was a person sitting upon a chair. Their wrists and ankles were bound, and from the small sliver of skin that Aleksa could see, the binding was far too tight and was beginning to eat away at the skin.

 Their clothes were slick with dirt, grime and sweat. The baggy button-up that covered their top half had once been white, yet now it was a mixture of yellow and brown. Aleksa's eyes travelled up the body until they reached the neck.

There was an old, woven sack carelessly tossed on the person's head, tightened around the neck by limp and fraying strings.

 Dreesen stood behind them, hands on his hips as he waited a second longer for the Heartrender to finally appear by Aleksa's side, then, when the group were huddled together, his fat fingers plucked the sack from the boy's head.

 He was young, there was no doubt about that, and he couldn't have been any older than Aleksa. His eyes appeared sunken and the stain of purple and black beneath them didn't help. There were premature lines on his forehead that were swiftly obscured by his dirtied, blond curls that stuck to his sweat-slicked forehead.

 There was blood marring his skin, a trail from his eye that crawled down towards his quivering lips; the boy was petrified as he stared at each of them with unseeing eyes. He didn't utter a word.

 "Who's this?" Asked Kaz, fingers curling around the crows head of his cane.

 Dreesen smiled, his oily cheeks lifting higher as he turned his back on the group and the boy shaking in his binds. The merchant retreated towards a table, his hands leisurely pouring amber liquid into a crystal glass. He sipped, "So you don't know everything after all." He stalked towards the boy once more, a heavy hand clamping in his shoulder, "This... is Alexei Stepanov. Two weeks ago, young Alexei here crossed through the Fold on foot. Alone."

 Alexa's brows curled as she scanned the boy; he was nothing special at all. He wore the dull green of the first army but didn't look as though he could carry even the smallest of guns. Crossing the Fold was an almost impossible feat; so many had died or turned back... None had ever tried to walk the Fold on their own two feet... or at least, none had lived to tell the tale.

 Alexa's side lurched again, a faint twitch that crawled over her skin and she had to force her fingers to remain by her side. How on earth had that boy managed to break through the wall of shadows that her ancestor had created?

 She could hear the intake of breath from Inej, and could easily picture the bewilderment on Jesper's face. The Heartrender behind her shifted, her breathing falling deeper, heavier. Kaz remained stoic, hardly reacting as he stared the young boy down and dissected him piece by piece.

 "How?" Breathed Inej.

 "They're keeping it quiet, but allegedly he was one of a few witnesses to..." Dreesen swallowed the rest of his whiskey in single, reverberating gulp, "An event."

 That prompted Kaz to finally break his stare on the shivering boy, those bitter eyes snapped to Dreesen, ignoring the boy in the chair who finally uttered his first words since their arrival.

 "Water..." The poor boy croaked. His voice shattered like glass and his eyes blinked owlishly.

 Inej was the one to spur into action. She hastily weaved through the group of crows and Heartrender until her silent steps carried her to the table Dreesen had stocked with glass bottles and crystal cups. She filled one of the glasses, eyes holding Dreesens all the while, almost prompting him to object. He didn't, and the moment the glass was sloshing with cool water, the Wraith approached the boy and dropped to her knees.

 He looked at her the way Aleksa imagined Inej would drool at the invisible Sun Summoner. He gulped and gasped as he swallowed the water and relished in its relief. 

 Aleksa watched a moment longer before she too turned her head from the scene. Dreesen had been as vague as he possibly could have been from the very moment Aleksa had weaselled through the stone-cold gates of his home. He evaded questions, and now he was dragging everything out.

 She wanted, needed, to know how such a meek little boy could have possibly clambered through the shadows. She was a Shadow Summoner; the darkness obeyed her and curled around her fingers like obedient snakes, yet even she couldn't pass through the wall of darkness without Volcra trying to pick her off.

 An Event. That was all Dreesen had offered. It made her insides twist; what kind of event could have drawn the clambering Volcra away from their prey long enough for this miserable boy to squirm free? "By event, you mean... what exactly?"

 Dreesen looked at her, he didn't speak for a moment, merely watched as she held his gaze. She was a small thing, all wide eyes, flushed cheeks and fluttering lashes; yet there was no doubt in his mind that she was just as slippery, if not more so than the criminals she stood with, "I know an expedition was swarmed by volcra." Aleksa's skin crawled, "Should have been a total loss but something happened. Some device detonated."

 The Shadow Summoner scowled. Neither weapon nor device could possibly keep the Volcra at bay.

 "Whatever it was, it obliterated the Volcra, lit up the dark like a forest fire."

 "Well it certainly wasn't a forest fire, nobody would have lived," Aleksa muttered, ignoring the look Kaz sent her way. It was one that conveyed but two words 'shut up', though he should have known by now that such words were no longer prominently featured within her extended vocabulary, "Fire is a catalyst on those skiffs; they use blue fire to keep the Volcra away, I hardly believe they could produce such an amount."

 Dreesen hummed, his fingers curling the ragged edges of his moustache, "No... I doubt they could. It was an invention none had seen before." Then he approached the boy quivering beneath the binds on his wrists. He shook like a leaf in the breeze, "He knows. But he doesn't seem to be able to articulate his account of events. Some form of traumatic lapse."

 It seemed as though Inej hadn't been listening to a word that was being uttered as she dutifully helped the boy drink. One hand held his chin, keeping him steady as she poured water past his cracked lips.

 Aleksa folded her arms as she dared a look at the silent Heartrender who had shuffled closer. They were shoulder to shoulder, "That's why you need a Heartrender."

 "Precisely."

 Aleksa cocked her head to the side, almost lazily lolling it upon her shoulder as Kaz glanced at her. They needed no words, just the tiniest of nods before Aleksa laid a warm hand on their Heartrenders forearm, "Go on then, sweetheart. Work your magic."

 The Heartrender obliged, small and cautious steps carried her closer. She risked a glance back, only to be met by Kaz's stone-cold stare and Aleksa's wide-eyed curiosity. She swallowed and carried on.

 Aleksa never moved her sights from them. She watched intently as their Heartrender kneeled down, her dress bunching into a rumpled bundle at her knees. She studied as the Heartrender lifted a hand, apple-red nails grazing over the boy's face.

 She watched the Heratrender work, worming her way into the boy's trust whilst reaching forth with something hidden; listening to the pounding of his heart and the gush of his blood.

 The softened skin of her rose-scented hands trailed over the boy's wrist, feeling the way his pulse skipped a beat, then she reached with her hidden ability.

 Aleksa could spy the telltale signs of a Heartrender at work; the boy's eyelids fluttered shut for a moment, and a long and content breath slipped from his lips. His shoulders sagged as the Heartrender gazed up at him, her voice lowering to a coo meant for a child, "Now you can just speak, and I will just listen."

 Alexei gulped, his head bobbing, "All right."

 "Tell me what happened in the Fold."

 It seemed as though the boy was entirely unaware of the others in the room; his broken gaze lingered like a leach upon the Heartrender. He watched her eyelashes caress the skin of her cheekbones, the blond curls piled atop her head bobbed lightly as she spoke.

 Aleksa found herself leaning forwards when the dirt-ridden boy finally parted his lips, "You won't believe me..." he whispered, "It was a Sun Summoner."

 Like a stack of dominos — or a stack of untidy cards Jesper had been tasked to align — reactions fell from every corner of the room, loud, silent, impressed and reluctant to believe.

 Jesper choked on the wine he'd swiped from Dreesen's crystal table when the man wasn't looking and almost sent the glass tumbling to the ground. He caught it at the last moment as he harshly swallowed and gasped for air.

 The resounding smack of Inej's hands flying to her mouth sounded out. Aleksa knew that a new bubble of bright hope was swelling within the Suli girls heart and though she herself didn't believe in the miracles of saints, she could at least feel happiness for Inej.

 The merchant positively beamed, his hands placed on hips as he chuckled to himself. He was obviously very proud of the boy he had managed to pluck from thin air.

 Kaz remained silent, though with a quick glance to the side, Aleksa could see no change in his face. No twitch of his lips, no furrow of his brows. Then he narrowed his eyes. It could have been in contemplation, or contempt, Aleksa couldn't quite decipher.

 As for Aleksa... She wasn't entirely certain what she was supposed to feel. She didn't believe in the Saints, she didn't believe in their so-called miracles, and she certainly didn't believe in children's stories. Aleksa believed in the truth. The fold was very real and needed to be banished. She'd believe in the Sun Summoner when she saw them bleed sunlight from their palms.

 There was a burst of elation however... But it was almost selfish. Aleksander had told Aleksa time and time again that their purpose was to save and reunite Ravka, that they would banish the Fold themselves. The wall of shadows scared her. It was almost silly, really, to be frightened of what was a part of oneself, yet even still the Fold was not a source of delight.

 Mostly, Aleksa did have some form of hope that the Sun Summoner did exist; they could light the fold up and tear it apart without Aleksa having to move a muscle. She could continue to parade around Ketterdam without the future of Ravka, and her brother's hope, resting on her tired shoulders. she could remain free.

 There was, however, a glaring detail to which Aleksa craved the answer: Why now?

 Why, and how, was this Sun Summoner suddenly out in the open and lighting up the Fold? Children didn't serve the second army, at least not ones who hadn't yet been tested and trained... So how did this person, and why did this person keep their talents hidden all this time? They could have fought for the lives that had already been lost...

 It could have all been a lie, a silly story from Alexei to guarantee his freedom... he could have taken the chance and believed the Heartrender would help in his motive... But Aleksa knew how to read people. There were just two people he had met who could easily hide their emotion and render her attempts of deciphering useless; Aleksander, and Kaz.

 Alexie looked broken. He looked tired beyond all doubt, but those glistening eyes of his told the truth. He had truly seen the Sun Summoner... Or at least something or someone akin to the legend.

 Dreesen and his crooked smirk drifted closer until he was close enough to the boy. He crouched, hands clasped together as he whispered in such a manner that made him sound sincere, unharming, "Who was it?"

 "If I tell you... You'll set me free?" Alexei stammered.

 Aleksa blinked. She wanted to sigh or comb her fingers through her hair; a trait she'd picked up. She stayed still, unwilling to give away to the boy in binds exactly what she knew; he wouldn't make it out alive.

 Dreesen was none of what he conveyed to the boy; he was not innocent, clean nor forgiving. He was a merchant, whose only interest was a pocket full of kruge. He was the man willing to pay out for the job, and the crew stupid enough to follow through with the job was behind him. They had threatened to secure their grasp on the job laid out before them. Dreesen wasn't stupid, he could see the hunger in Kaz's gaze whenever the prize was mentioned.

 Alexei would be the odd man out. He was neither the man with the money nor idiot willing to risk his life for stacks of Kruge. He would be a boy with information far too important to let run free. He'd die the moment a name slipped from his lips.

 Dreesen nodded once, "You have my word. I'll set you free." The merchant sold his lies so very easily to the boy in front of him. He smiled, let his shoulders drop and kept his eyes locked with Alexei's, "You're in Ketterdam now, Alexei. You can go anywhere in the world from here. Just imagine."

 The boy glanced to the Heartrender, and to Alexa's mild surprise, the woman helped to weave Dreesens lie together like a ragged scarf. She nodded, wide eyes peering up with him as light danced within them.

 He was a rabbit staring down a trap. Everything he had ever wanted was in front of him, and all he had to do was utter a name...

 "Alina Starkov." he croaked, and then with a strength none of them had seen from him, he sat straighter. His voice was stronger and his eyes hardened, "Her name is Alina Starkov."

 Now he was ensnared.

 "Alina Starkov?" Dreesen repeated, testing the name on his money-hungry tongue. He rose from his crouch and the reassuring smile that had softened the lines etching his face vanished into thin air like it had been nothing but a magic trick.

 He rifled through papers and files that were piled upon a table, his fat fingers trailing over the tea-stained pages until that ugly smile reared its head once again. Aleksa fought the urge to cut it off.

 She didn't spare a look at Kaz, nor Jesper or Inej. Her eyes remained glued to the boy whose life would end in a matter of minutes, seconds. He had unknowingly given his life for their chance to earn stacks of kruge... and whilst Aleksa might have felt sorry for the poor boy; the money they would soon carry after trading the little Sun Summoner would guarantee her a place in Ketterdam for the rest of her life.

 She wouldn't call the solitary room at the Little Palace a home any longer; her cage had been opened and there wasn't a chance she'd stay behind the bars.

 She'd be able to see her brother but also have the opportunity to return to Ketterdam. Though many would turn their noses up at the mere mention of the blood-slick, money laundering streets of the Barrel; Aleksa couldn't bear to be parted.

 But she wasn't selfish enough to keep Alexei's death from her conscience. She would watch as his blood painted the cobblestone beneath their feet, and she'd remember that she could have stepped in and saved his life. Only she didn't.

 Dreesen plucked a particular piece of paper from the stack nestled on his table, a victorious grin on his crusted lips, "Perfect."

 Then Alexie perked up. For the first time, there was a small smile on his lips; he believed the merchant would set him free; he'd given the information and now he could almost smell the fresh air, "You'll set me free now?"

 "Of course."

 The bang of a gun split the air around them.

 Alexei's body slumped as crimson liquid trailed over him. It seeped into the dirtied shirt that clung to the sweat lining his skin. A speck splattered on his neck, and another on their Heartrender. She recoiled, gasping as she went. Her heel became entangled in her dress, her red-painted fingers grasping at the cold cobble that sent chills down her spine.

 Inej stepped back, a harsh swallow causing her throat to tighten as she stared at the dead boy.

 Jesper's hands had landed upon the handles of his prized guns, ready to draw and shoot in an instant. It was muscle memory at this point. But even the boy who thrived in a fight, laughed as bullets whizzed by his skin, even he was at a loss for words. It seemed as though he hadn't quite reached the conclusion that Aleska had.

 Kaz hadn't reacted, his eyes had simply passed the dead boy by and landed upon Aleksa, watching as she stared at the blood trailing down Alexei's neck.

 She soon sighed, a little huff of breath tumbling forth as she moved. The others stared at her, watching as she trailed towards the Heartrender as though Alexei was still alive and breathing.

 She crouched down, fingers finding the hem of the Heartrender's dress as she unhooked the lace that had become entrapped upon the heel of her ruby-red shoes. When she stood, she held out a hand, "Up you get."

 The Heartrenders had been shaking, almost shivering despite the fact that her skin was hot to the touch. Fingers curled around Aleksa's hand, hanging on for dear life as the Shadow Summoner walked backwards, eyes lingering on the dead body.

 The Heartrender only let go when Aleksa finally came to a halt, side by side next to Kaz.

 Dreesen had pocketed his pistol, not an ounce of regret glistening upon his ageing, ugly features. He looked at Alexei once more, before finally turning to the group of criminals, "We are now the only people West side of the Fold with this information. My ship sails for Ravka at dawn. If you can prove that you have a way through the Fold and back, I'll put you on that ship with an advance."

 Aleksa met his eyes as the merchant trailed over the group, then he looked at Kaz and watched hunger swirl in his eyes like milk within coffee, "If not, I'm giving this job to Pekka Rollins."

 Aleksa could have pointed out the tick in his jaw even amidst the darkness. His nostrils flared as he stepped forth, eye to eye with Dreesen. His fingers tightened around his cane, "Give us a day, I'll have a plan."

 In all honesty, Aleksa truly did believe in Kaz's ability to formulate plans for their heists and see them come to fruition; but finding a way through the fold in a day was not something Aleska could wholeheartedly say that Kaz could do. He could sneak and cut and lockpick his way through just about anything... But none of those skills were going to find them a way through the billowing haze of relentless shadows.

 "You have until sunrise, then your ship will have sailed, Mr Brekker," Dreesen said airily, and Aleksa almost deflated like the child's balloon Kaz had once popped in annoyance. Dreesen lifted his head, "The prize is one million Kruge."

 There it was again. The promise of freedom. The promise of adventure. The promise of Kruge. Each of the crows needed that money; debt, indentures, freedom... and just plain hunger.

 Aleksa caught Inej's dark eyes first, then Jespers. One was reluctant, the other surprisingly wary.

 She moved her sights to Kaz. The dull light looming above them cast an ever-dark shadow over his forehead, and below those frighteningly sharp cheekbones of his. But he didn't move a muscle.

 Aleksa liked to think she could understand the infamous Kaz Brekker, at least somewhat. Had he wanted to call the job quits, he'd have muttered a sarcastic 'good luck' and hobbled his way out of the room. The unrelenting stare between himself and Dreesen was confirmation enough.

 They were going to Ravka, and Aleksa knew Kaz Brekker would smack the Volcra away with his own cane if he had to. 

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14-03-2022

i hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

don't forget to let me know what you think; and remember that i now require a particular number of comments and feedback before i consider releasing the next part (this is just to ensure people remain engaged and supportive, as well as allowing me to see what you all enjoyed most!)