𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 — the liar, the fool

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 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐒 had clambered beneath the deck, settling into the darkness that would hopefully keep them safe from both the Darkling and the Volcra. There was only the tiniest sliver of dull light spewing from an old oil lamp above their heads; it washed them all in a horrible yellow glow.

 They could still hear the chattering of those above, the light footsteps that would cause the wood over their heads to creak and groan beneath the weight; they could only hope that it was stronger than it sounded.

 Aleksa perched upon an old crate that lingered directly beneath the lamplight. She surveyed her hands, scowling at the atrocious shade of yellow that tainted her skin — it looked as though she held lit cigars for a living with fingers like those. Cas was perched on her shoulder, head stuffed away in the hair she'd pulled free. He'd almost slipped off once or twice.

 She moved onto watching Inej scrape one knife against another, doing whatever she could to ensure each blade could cut a person with a mere look. Jesper had been told to pry his pistols apart by Kaz.

 But there she sat doing nothing. Nothing she focused on could quell the hammering of her heart, nothing could lessen the anxious rope that weaved around her neck each time she thought of finally stepping closer to her brother; peering into those impossibly dark eyes after so long.

 She was scared, and she hated it.

 The feeling of sweat beading on her forehead, her yellow-washed fingers trembling; it was all too much. But it was something that needed to be done.

 She watched her crows; the divot between Inej's black brows as she concentrated on cleaning the hilt of a dagger. Jesper's tongue peeked from his lips as he focused on rubbing every inch of dust from his beloved pistols. Kaz remained still; his hands were in place around the head of his cane, and his lips were set in a thin line. He seemed to be his normal, stoic self.

 It should have been a comfort to Aleksa, but she knew him better. There was a slight tick in his jaw. His fingers twitched every now and then, light glinting from his leather glove; she should have expected it, for whilst they relied on Kaz to think of solutions and ways to escape danger... This was something even he couldn't secure.

 "This is a bad idea," Jesper said as he pouted his lips and blew a waft of air at his pistol, watching with narrowed eyes as a small ball of dust flitted through the air.

 Jesper could scarcely keep his feet still, but knowing danger lurked just around the corner, he was practically dancing along the wooden boards. Aleksa wanted to smile as their eyes met, yet she merely looked at his guns; the gleaming pistols might have saved them last time, but this time Jesper didn't have the luxury of a seemingly endless supply of bullets.

 Kaz sniffed, close to batting the cluster of dust away, "I think it's quite practical."

 "What? Why?"

 Kas turned towards the sharpshooter, "I don't see how we step off this boat without you pulling those guns. Cleaning them is a good idea."

 Jesper chuckled, yet it wasn't his usual bout of laughter that could soothe one's worries. It had been bleak, devoid of hope as he motioned above himself with a gun. He cringed when the growl of a Volcra tore through their ears, "I mean this. We are in the worst place in the world, with a ship full of people that want us dead, surrounded by monsters that want us in their gullets —" He slumped backwards, "Oh, I should have brought Milo."

 Inej looked up from her knives, furrow still evident between her brows, "Who's Milo?"

 "The goat." Jesper snapped, looking to their radiant Grisha for backup. He received nothing in return.

 Aleksa's eyes were blank, staring at the far wall with an unseeing gaze.

 Kaz had noticed it far earlier than Jesper; it had begun back on their walk towards the military camp. Her shining cerulean eyes that resembled the waves of the true sea would glaze over as though a sheen of frost clasped the waves still. She was hiding something, that much was obvious. He despised it.

 The Shadow Summoner might have kept information from him, but it had never made his stomach churn in the way it did now. He knew she was planning something; something that she couldn't risk the Crows knowing. He had a sneaking suspicion that the girl who twisted the shadows wanted to reunite with her brother.

 He'd try to stop her, latch his cane around her wrist and pull her back; but in reality, neither he nor Jesper, not even Inej would be enough to stop her. She was as stubborn as a mule, and she was powerful.

 It was easy to forget that, for Aleksa had a way of getting people to underestimate her. She could twirl a knife, strike her fists, but it was easy to forget that the shadows followed her every word and whim.

 Kaz rolled his eyes at the sharpshooter, "How many bullets do you have?"

 "Not enough."

 They couldn't linger on the wave of uneasiness that washed over them at Jesper's words. A searing light burst above them as though the sun itself had fallen from the sky and lingered only inches from their heads, ready to burn them all to ashes.

 Aleksa's hands came to shield her face; if she were anywhere else, the shadows would have wriggled across the ground and kept the light at bay; if she were to call on them now she had no doubt that a swarm of famished Volcra would surge like ravenous beasts.

 The darkness around her seemed to shriek at the light, begging her to supply the dark with her own power. It called to her like a child to its mother, seeking solace and protection. She couldn't offer either.

 The Shadow Summoner blinked away the splotches of light that remained before her; from where they stood, even below deck, it was easy enough to see a rippling dome of light surrounding the skiff. The Sun Summoner was shielding them all.

 It was as though nothing could bring comfort to the Grisha-turned-Crow. The sight of shimmering light that was sure to keep the monsters at bay wasn't enough for Aleksa to relax.

 Jesper blinked, his eyes foggy as he looked to their leader, "So, what's our plan?"

 "We wait."

 "For what?"

 Aleksa moved her eyes then, and they landed upon Kaz Brekker. He stood tall, only a hair shorter than Jesper. The light cascading from above made his features sharper, the shadows beneath his cheek bones were ever-darker and his skin appeared paler. He would have looked gaunt, sickly, if he didn't have those handsome features of his.

 His eyes were almost hidden away, secured in the shadow cast by his silly hat. Aleksa still felt them as they landed on her, moving from her twitching hands that were littered with pearly scars, to the collar popped at the base of her neck, to her eyes that seemingly glowed with the light.

 He didn't have a plan.

 He had boarded the skiff without any idea as to how they'd make it through a fight if one arose. He hadn't a clue how they'd begin to leave the skiff if they actually docked on the other side of the Fold. He felt like a child; the one with dazzled eyes that looked at magicians with wonder. The boy who had to hold his brother's hand as they perused Ketterdam. The boy that died on the barge all those years ago.

 His brother hadn't had a single clue as to what he'd gotten them into, and now Kaz was in Jordie's boots; his greed and thirst for Kruge had landed them in an impossible situation; his brother hadn't escaped, so why would he?

 He cleared his throat and each of his Crows looked at him, ready and waiting for orders. Like soldiers. "We wait for whatever the..." He paused as Aleksa blew out a breath, lips trying their hardest not to tremble, "Whatever the General has planned."

 Jesper spared the Summoner a small look as he hugged a pistol close to his heart as Inej would with the scrap of material her mother had sewn, "You figured him out?"

 "Not quite." Kaz bit his tongue, the pain stealing his words as he took a step in Aleksa's direction. If anybody could point him in the right direction, offer words on the General and his plans, it would be her, "Aleksa, you remember the General Arken spoke with?"

 She swallowed her fear, "I do."

 "The Sun Summoner fled from the palace, now she's tied to the deck. We're sailing for the city in which Arken conspired with that very General." A dark look passed his features, "I saw his face as he boarded. I know that look. He's a man consumed with vengeance."

 Jesper had a witty retort on his tongue, a sly joke that he would have made at Kaz's expense if not for the battle that was as plain as day on Aleksa's face. They could all see that she wanted to retort, and any other time she would have. Now it seemed like she'd made her peace. She knew Kaz was right.

 "That was the look he'd give me when I couldn't get something right," Aleksa whispered, and the darkness almost consumed her words whole. "You're right. He's angry, he wants revenge... He wants more power."

 She didn't squeeze Inej's hand when the Wraith's fingers curled around her own, "He always wanted more, and I just thought it was so he could tear down the Fold. That's what he always promised me — we'd do it together. But with Alina running from him, sailing to the city that conspired against him... Aleksanders going to put on a show, and I'm certain it won't be the destruction of the Fold."

 "Delightful," Jesper muttered beneath his breath, hardly paying attention as Inej slipped from Aleksa's side and delved into the shadows. "So, what kind of vengeance do you think he's planning, exactly?"

 "We know it requires the Sun Summoner which makes her valuable to us. She's the one keeping everyone safe here. If we have control over her, then we call the shots," Kaz began rattling his ideas off as fast as they came to him. Aleksa and Jesper were certain they could hear the whirring and clanging of gears rattling in his skull. Then, of course, Kaz spoke again, "We need to threaten her life —"

 "What?" Two voices shrieked in sync.

 It was easy enough for Aleksa to recognise Inej's even before she stepped out of the guise of darkness. Aleksa shot to her feet at the sight of Inej standing before them, pistol in hand as she aimed the barrel at the back of a boy's head; he was draped in a First Army uniform, and there were smudges of dirt covering both fabrics and his sweat-slicked skin.

 "Who are you?" Aleksa chimed, her eyes scanning over his face. She'd have certainly remembered him had they met before; he'd have been quite dashing had he washed the dirt from his cheek and chin, or the blood from his nail beds.

 The boy didn't answer, so Inej spoke up as she readjusted her grip on the pistol, shoving the cold metal closer to the stranger's skin, "A stowaway."

 He didn't look like a stowaway who merely wished to cross the Fold. His hands were raised high, palms facing Aleksa. His eyes were hard, not the cruel and bitter glint of Kaz's, but the determination that often sparked within Inej's. He was there with a purpose.

 Kaz had clearly reached the same conclusion as Aleksa, "Why pick this of all skiffs?"

 "To kill the General, and save Alina."

 The boy might have had his arms raised in surrender, but Aleksa felt as though he's rounded on her and slammed a fist into her gut.

 To kill the General.

 Those words had knocked the wind out of her. She knew that something had to be done to stop Aleksander from doing whatever foolish task he was about to carry out. But killing him had never once occurred to her. She realised how childish she really was; she was still holding out hope that her brother would abandon revenge all because she would ask him to.

 She was just the same as the little girl General Kirigan had sought out and pulled into his arms. Even Ketterdam hadn't beaten it out of her.

 She was well aware of the lingering stares from the Crows. She ignored them and turned to Mal, "What's your name?"

 He eyed her for a moment, before his own pistol was lightly shoved into his head once more, "Mal Oretsev."

 "You know Alina?" Kaz asked.

 "I do."

 "Who's in control of her?"

 "The General I'm going to kill." He sounded so sure, so certain, as though he'd die trying.

 Kaz seemed satisfied with his answer, and though his stomach begged for him to toss a look over his shoulder, to check on Aleksa, his bitter gaze remained on the newcomer, "Inej, give him his gun."

 Inej hesitated, "Why?"

 "Because if he isn't with Kirigans crew, he's with ours."

 Jesper needed no further explanation to lower his own gun, fastening them back to his waistband, though his hands did linger. Inej backed away, her hand outstretched as she handed Mal his weapon back and the boy took it graciously, offering Kaz a single nod out of thanks.

 "Mal Oretsev." Aleksa tested the name on her tongue; the name of the boy that had so easily stated he'd kill one of the most powerful Grisha of all time. Completely unaware of her connection to said Grisha.

 It was in times like these that the Crows were truly reminded of Aleksa's blood ties with the General; how she could so swiftly switch from the young woman with charm pouring out of her mouth to the Grisha with an ancient bloodline, the Shadow Summoner.

 Her eyes had darkened, as though the shadows had curled within them; she made Mal shift on his feet with wariness.

 "Why did she run?" Aleksa asked him, her fingers knotting together before her. She tried her hardest to appear nonchalant in front of their new crew member, so as to not give away anything, "Why exactly did Alina run from Aleksander?"

 "You know his name too?"

 "Answer my question, sweetheart. I'm not known for being patient."

 Jesper wanted to chortle at the understatement.

 Mal waited and an uneasy beat passed them by. He swallowed, the lump in his throat bobbing as he pried his lips open, "General Kirigan is..." The boy paused as though testing the words. He eyed the small crew in front of him, scrutinising them.

 He had originally thought that the shortest young woman draped in a long black coat with mousy hair tumbling down her back in billowing waves seemed out of place. The other girl was a spider, she had snuck through the darkness without a word and he hadn't seen her coming. The tall boy with dark skin and lanky limbs had drawn on him without hesitation... And their obvious leader looked as though he would rather happily slam that ugly, golden crow head into his temple.

 But the smallest of them had been tucked away upon a crate as she assessed her shaking hands. She looked like a cowering child... All up until he had mentioned killing the General. Her eyes had blown wide, she'd snapped her gaze to his own. Now she stalked towards him like a hunter approaching their prey; he was unfamiliar with the sensation, so used to being the hunter rather than the hunted.

 Unbeknownst to Mal, the girl before him had already reached out for her weapon, uncaring of the beacon she would light for the prowling beasts above them, "General Kirigan is the Black Heretic."

 Her hold on the shadows slipped.

 "What?" She could only whisper. Kaz, Jesper and Inej's eyes on her felt like fires burning through her closes and singing her skin.

 Mal couldn't understand the reaction he'd prompted from her. She wasn't angry like others would be, like he was. She wasn't afraid. She looked... wounded; as though in that split second she had become the prey seized with an arrow or bullet.

 "You knew his name," Mal said. According to Alina, the Darkling didn't just hand out his name to everybody he came by, "How do you know his name?"

 "He's my —" But she couldn't finish her sentence. It would have been a lie. The Black Heretic had created chaos centuries ago, and Aleksa was only a teenager, a girl of eighteen on the cusp of nineteen. "I thought he was my brother."

 Her lip wobbled, eyes filling steadily with tears. She had never been like this in front of her Crows; she had never sobbed and wept like a wounded child. That was how she felt. Like a child.

 Mal stared at her as though she'd sprouted two heads like the very bird that sat atop her left shoulder, "Your brother?"

 Aleksa recoiled, her hand clutching at her heart. Her face crumbed and her throat tightened, refusing her fresh air. Inej was by her side in an instant, way past caring about their new crew member as she slipped her bronze fingers through Aleksa's.

 Jesper joined them, his lanky arm slung over the pair of them.

 Kaz remained where he was. Even despite the magnetic pull that threatened to bring him closer to the three of them, closer to Aleksa. Again, he thought about it. he thought about reaching out, replacing Inej and Jesper as his own fingers knotted with Aleksa's, as their skin — he almost lurched.

 He couldn't do it. He doubted that he'd ever be able to.

 Aleksa felt as though a Tidemaker had doused her in the icy waters of Fjerda; from the moment she'd met Aleksander she had believed they were siblings that had been torn from one another. She had believed that he'd never stopped searching for her... he'd never stopped loving her.

 She had believed those tears within his quartz eyes when he'd embraced her back at the orphanage. What an idiot she was.

 He was the Black Heretic. The very man who had scarred Ravka with the Fold, the monster who created the Volcra.

 He was a liar, and she was a fool.

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DATE 09-01-2023

:･ﾟ★ SHE KNOWS. SHE KNOWS. SHE KNOWS.

updates for the rest of act one will be every monday (unless there is more interaction, then i'll update sooner)

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