» CHAPTER EIGHT
❛ No mourners, no funerals ❜
( episode eight, season one )

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗟𝗘𝗗
loudly through the white sails of the ship and when the bright lightnings flashed through the dark sky, Estelle could make out many different shipwrecks in the distance. Which made the already dark landscape look even more creepy than it already was.

There was a complete silence on the Skiff, no body moved and nobody dared to even whisper something until General Kirigan suddeny spoke up. "Can you feel them?"

The male Heartrender who stood right behind him looked around as he held his hands up, "No heartbeats yet, sir."

Estelle and Inej exchange a look before Jesper quickly moved past them and opened the gutter that was in the ground.

The other three immediately followed after him, climbing down the wooden ladder.

Estelle was the last one to climb down and as she just closed the gutter above her she could hear the horrible growling of the Volcra, which made her quickly climb down the ladder.

The three made her way further into the inside of the skiff and made themselves comfortable as they could listen to the growls of the Volcra.

Jesper started to prepare his gun while he let out a grunt, "This is a bad idea!"

"I think it's rather practical", Kaz answered him immediately, Jesper scoffed at him, "What? Why?"

Kaz looked up to the celling, "I don't see how we step of this boat without you pulling those guns." Jesper chuckled as Kaz contiued, "So, cleaning them is a good idea."

"I don't mean this", he held up his gun before he pointed to the celling, "I mean this."

All their heads snapped up as they heard another growl, but this time it was a lot louder.

"We're in the worst place I'm the world, on a ship full of people who want us dead, surrounded by monsters who want us in their gullets! — I shoud have brought Milo!"

Inej furrowed her eyebrows at him, "Who's Milo?" Jesper gave her an annoyed look, "The goat!"

Estelle chuckled at their exchange but Kaz just ignored them, "How many bullets do you have?"

The growling contiued as Jesper let his gun twirl in his hand, "Not enough."

Estelle listened to the thunders rummbling as she placed her knives into her small pockets. But after a while there was the loud rumbling again, which made them all stop what they were doing.

"So? What's our play?", Jesper asked  as he held both of his guns' up. "We wait."

"For what?"

"For whatever the general has planned", Kaz replied to him as he sighed. Jesper narrowed his eyes slightly at the man infront of him, "You figured him out?"

Kaz looked at the ground as he leaned onto his cane, "Not quite. — consider the scenario. The Sun Summoner fled from his Palace, now she's tied to the deck. We're sailing for a city where another general hired Arken to kill her. And I saw his face as he boarded. I know that look. He's a man consumed with vengeanc."

"See it enough in the mirror, do you?", Jesper joked making Kaz look at him seriously.

Estelle twirled one of her knives between her fingers elegantly as she raised one of her dark eyebrows, "So? What kind of revenge is he planning, exactly?"

"We know it requires the Sun Summoner, which makes her valuable to us. She's the one keeping everyone safe in here. If we have control of her, then we call the shots. We need to threaten her life."

Estelle stopped twirling her knife as she and two other voices exclaimed loudly, "What?!" Estelle's head snapped towards the other two and then she saw Inej who pointed a gun to some strangers back.

Jesper immediately drew his gun and asked, "Who is this?" Nobody said something, so he raised an eyebrow at the man, "Who are you?"

"A stowaway. Why pick this of all skiffs?", Inej questioned him as she pressed the gun closer to his back.

"To kill the general and save Alina", the man answered her as he still held his hands into the air.

"I'll ask again. Who are you?"

After a short moment the man finally answered them, "Mal Oretsev."

The three made their way towards him and Inej, "You know Alina?"

"I do."

Kaz eyed him, "Who's in control of her?"

"The general I'm going to kill", he simply answered him in a low voice.

"Inej, give him his gun", Kaz instructed the woman who hesitanted, "Why?"

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

Jesper placed his gun back into his holster as Inej handed Mal his gun which he carefully took from her hand, nodding at Kaz.

But the five didn't had much time to discuss anything because suddenly they could hear loud screaming and crying.

Estelle sighed as she looked to the ground, all this suffering, it wasn't right. "What now?", Jesper asked Kaz as he eyed Estelle who still looked at the ground.

"We wait."

"Kaz, you can hear him slaughtering a city!", Estelle spoke up angryly as she took a step forward. His head snapped towards her, "So you understand the scale of his power, then? Good."

The two held eye contact for a second, both silent as they stared at one another.

"The bold move is to strike now", Mal spoke up as he approached the two making Kaz look at him. "And the smart one is to get clear of the dammed Fold first."

The two men looked at each other before Mal nodded and turned around, walking away from the group. "I never said I was smart."

Estelle immediately got out of her coat and grabbed a kife from one of  her many pockets.

"Can you believe him?"

"Yes. And I'm going with him", Estelle said as she looked at the two before she quickly spun around and made her way back to the wooden ladder.

"Wait, I'm coming with you", Inej shouted after her which made the black haired woman stop in her trail.

As Inej finally reached her the two woman climbed up the ladder and immediately made their way to the other end of the ship, where two Grisha's were positioned.

Inej was the one who attacked them first, she grabbed the man and pressed her knife to his throat as she looked at the female dark haired Squaller. "Get us out of here. Now!"

But the male Heartrender suddenly grabbed her arm and spun it around, he then grabbed her by the throat and pressed Inej to the ground, making the woman groan and gasp for air. "Do you think I need special power to end your life, Wraith?"

"I surely don't", Estella spoke up from above him as she punched the Grisha into the face. The man grunted in pain before he stood up, Estella didn't wasted time and grabbed her knife.

She swung it at him but he grabbed her right arm and pressed his left arm to her throat while he pushed her hardly against the wooden railing.

Estelle let out a grunt as she tried to swing at him again but he fixed her arm and placed his other hand against her head as he tried to press the woman over the railing.

Estelle quickly grabbed onto his arm and rammed her body against his, which lossened his grip on her. That gave her the chance to free herself, she quickly grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away from her.

That was when Inej joined in again, she swung one of her saints at the man but he blocked her attack making the woman punched him as Estelle swung her knife at him as well. But the Heartrender quickly grabbed her by the arm before he threw her against the next wall.

The black haired woman let out a groan as she slided down to the ground, rubbing the back of her head.

For a moment she could hear fighting noises but then it was suddey silent, she opened her eyes and saw how the man moved his hands. Inej eyes widened and she slowly leaned forward looking at Estelle in fear.

The tattooed woman quickly jumped onto her feet and threw a knife into his back which made the man scream as he stood up and tried to rip the knife out of his back.

But as he turned around Estelle threw another knife into his chest which made him grunt as he fell over the railing.

The black haired girl exhaled deeply as she sunk back into the ground looking at Inej. The two exchanged a look as Zoya spoke up again, "Help me stop him!"

The woman turned around and summoned the wind that made the hole ship move again.

Estelle and Inej turned around as they could hear a couple of loud gunshots.

Inej grabbed one of her knives and kissed it before she quickly threw it past the white seals directly into Kirigan's heart.

"Nice throw", Estelle muttered to her impressed as she gave her friend a look, but as they looked back at the General their eyes widened.

The man grunted a few times but then his veins turned black and he grabbed the knife before he pulled it out of his chest looking at them. "It will take more than this!"

He threw the knife to the ground as he moved his hands and suddey the bright dome that had surrounded the hole ship vanished making the darkness surround them.

"You stay in the dark", the General exclaimed at them as Estella could hear the Volcra growling.

The woman breathed heavily as she stood next to Inej looking at the dark sky, her hands on her knives.

For a moment, everything was silent but then a volcra flew by and pushed the female Grisha down from her position making her collide hardly with the floor right next to Estelle.

The woman immediately checked up on her, "Zoya. Zoya!" She shook the Grisha but it was no use, the woman was unconcussioned.

Estelle looked up as she spotted a Volcra flying towards them, "Inej, watch out!"

The Suli ducked right in time to escape the claws of the ugly creature, Estelle quickly got up from where she sat and the two stood back on back looking into the darkness befor they started to spin around, throwing thier knives at everything that moved and shrieked in the dark

On of the things spotted them and quickly flew towards them, Estelle immediately pushed Inej out of the volcras reach and threw the last one of her knives at it, but she missed the damn thing.

It landed infront of her on the wooden railing making the woman gulped as she stummbled back.

She could watch the drool dropping from his big mouth, revealing all it's sharp teeth as it eyed her hungryly.

The woman let her gaze wander around hectically but she found nothing she could defend herself with and as she just wanted to move her hands to creat her fire, Kaz suddenly came to her rescue.

The man came out of nowhere, as he pushed her back and hit his cane into the volcras head making it shriek in pain as he let out a grunt. Estelle was completely at a loss of words, even if she had other things to concentrate on, Kaz Brekker had just touched her. The man who hated any kind of touch had pressed her behind him to safe her life.

The ugly thing shook it's head making the blood float onto the floor before it growled at the two loudly.

Kaz eyes widened and Estelle still searched for something to kill it with but suddenly the bright dome widened again and lit up the hole skiff again, making the Volcra disappear with a loud growl.

Kaz turned towards her as Estelle exhaled looking at him as well, "Thank's for the saving." He nodded at her, "Just getting even for the Little Palace."

Estelle scoffed, "Yeah, sure. Just admit it Brekker, you need me", she replied to him in a jokingly tone as she winked at him.

But their moment was interrupted by the sudden vanishing of the dome aboved their heads. The two looked around as they could heared gunshots and loud groaning.

Inej who had been preoccupied with Zoya, now helped the Grisha up onto her feet.

"I recommend we get going", Kaz told them before they all followed after him down to the others.

"What happened?", Mal asked the group worried as he quickly approached Alina who was unconcussioned and Inej who sat by her side. The Suli quickly made space for him as she answered, "It was Kirigan's Heartrender.

Estelle watched how the young man grabbed Alina's hand and gave it a squeez before he held her in his arms. "Come on, Alina!"

"Alina, come back to me please. Alina? — Please wake up!— Please come back! Please!"

Estelle's attention was drawn away from the heart breaking scene as a couple of Volcra started to circle the skiff, growling loudly.

Alina slowly opened her brown eyes and her gaze fell onto her friend, "Mal?"

The young man started sobbing as he looked down at the young Shu smiling, "I'm here! Don't you dare say, 'Meet me in the meadow!'"

Estelle gasped as she suddenly spotted another Volcra coming right towards them, but Alina just raised her hand and blasted it away with a bright beam of light.

A moment later they finally reached the edge of the Fold and the bright dome disappeared as soon as they arrived outside.

A smile immediately appeared onto Estelle's face as she looked at Jesper, "Oh God, I never thought we would actually survive this a second time."

Jesper nodded nodded his head at her in aggreement as he stared into the distance.

The group didn't wasted time and quickly got off of the skiff, they walked a couple of meters and then started to make a big fire where they could all sit and warm up.

Kaz had went back to get some stuff they had left on the skiff and as he came back, the group finally broke the silence that laid over them.

"I never met a Saint before", Inej told Alina who sat besids her in admiration, "I've never been a Saint befor", the Shu answered her friendly as she smiled at the woman.

"Wherever you are, whatever you need— my hand is your's", Inej said with a smile on her face as well.

"I think I like that hand with a dagger in it", Alina answered her before she looked at Estelle and nodded, "Your's as well."

The tattooed woman gave her a wink and smirked before she went back to starring into the fire.

She could hear Alina and Inej speaking in the background but it was the voice of Jesper who pulled her out of her daze, "Step one for any good plan, a change of cloths."

He handed Mal a big bag of clothes, "It worked for me." The young tracker nodded at him, "Thank you."

Alina slowly stood up as well, still in pain as she looked at Kaz, "So— will you still be trying to kidnap me?"

"'course not", Jesper answered her which made Kaz gave him a look. "Have you found religion, too?"

"No, it's just—", he sighed, "I'm exhausted. Besides— it'd be bad from to kidnap someone after they saved your life."

"You are quiet valuable, you know?", Kaz asked her in a calm tone which made the Sun Summoner slowly walk towards him. 

She looked at him while she pulled out a beautiful jewelry, "So is this."

Kaz carefully took it from her hands as he eyed the necklace, "I saw it on a portrait of one of the queens in the Little Palace."

"It's not a gift", Alina interrupted him immediately, "It's to keep quiet about who I am. Where I go from here."

Kaz eyed her for a short moment befor he stuffed the necklace into his coat pocket. "The deal is the deal."

He streched out his hand, which was covered with his usually black gloves. Alina took it and then slowly made her way away from them with Mal, to get changed into the other cloths.

As the two returned she immediately threw the beautiful dress into the fire and watched it burn for a moment. "I didn't expect it to burn at all", Mal said as he watched it as well. "But it can be destroyed in the end."

"Just like him", they both looked at the Fold making everyone look at it as well. The Shu approached it while she stared at the dark moving wall, "I know that look. You're staring down your new bully."

Alina shook her head at her old friend, "We're worse off than we were before, Mal. Kirigan turned on his own people—"

"Okay, you're not ready yet", he told her as he garbbed her hand softly. 

"Neither were they."

"That's not your fault."

Alina's gaze fell onto her friend, "Who do you think the world will blame?"

"We'll come back, I promise. You will tear it down. Just not today." Alina nodded at him before Mal made his way back to the others.

Zoya was the next one to stand up, "I have to go." Inej immediately jumped onto her feet, "Wait! You can't go back into the Fold!"

Zoya spun around and looked at the Suli, "To Novokribirsk. I had family in that city. I need to know how much of it is lost."

Kaz slowly stood up as he looked at her, leaning onto his cane, "It's dangerous to go looking for the dead. What you see may haunt you for the rest of your days."

"Not going will haunt me more." She turned towards Alina and approached the woman, "You can't stay in Ravka. The Apparat will try to keep his power. Blame this on all of us. The people will turn on Grisha again. You need to find new allies."

Alina looked at her before she quickly hugged the Grisha. "The I'll come back— and reclaim our country", Alina told her convinced.

"I still don't like you— but I'm greatful for you", Zoya answered her as she gave the summoner a look. "So remember this. Saints become martyrs before they get to be heroes. So— stay alive."

"They'll have to get through me first", Mal spoke up making them look at him. Zoya scoffed, "You need more than bullets and bravado to survive the people hunting you now."

She gave them one last look and nodded before she started her long journey to Novokribirsk.

Estelle watched the back of the woman as she faded into the distance, "It's a two day walk to Os Kervo from here, given our condition."

Jesper and Estelle finally stood up as well as he whispered more to himself than to the others, "Two days as the crow walks."

"We can snuggle ourselves onto a ship to Ketterdam from there", Kaz contiued befor he quickly put out the still bruning fire.

The group took their things and quickly started their journey to the next big city.

Estelle walked next to Kaz in the back as she spoke up, looking at the man, "You berated Inej for letting her go, and now that's what you're doing. —So what's your angle?"

"Keeping my promise to you", he replied as he eyed her for a short moment, "I swore you won't go back to the Menagerie, and one of these gemstones covers it."

Estelle exhaled as she felt relived, a small smile made it's way onto her lips but then her gaze fell onto Alina who walked in front of them.

Estelle pressed her lips to a thin line, the young summoner didn't even knew what was about to come, she couldn't do it without help.

Estelle's gaze fell back on Kaz as she speeded up her steps, "She needs me more than you."

Kaz streched out his arm and softly grabbed her's as she slowly turned towards him. His blue eyes stared into her brown one's, "But we do need you. —I need you."

The smile made it's way back onto Estelle's face, "See, I knew you liked me."

Kaz scoffed, a small smirk apprearing on his face as he eyed her closely. The black haired girl took a step forward, "I want to see the look on Heleen's face when you clear the books. — After that, we'll see."

She gave him one more smile before she continue to follow after the others.

She could listened to the heavily breathing of the others as they made their way over the field but after a short moment the woman glanced over her shoulder and saw Kaz, still standing where they had just talked starring at the place we're she had just stood. "You're coming?", She shouted as she stoped walking.

Kaz lifted his head up and looked at her before he quickly caught up to the woman and the others.

After two days the group had finally reached Os Kervo. And as Estelle let her gaze wander over the many people that where on their way to the ship she could practically feel the pain and the grief.

Many people had lost someone who they had loved and Estelle felt sorry for them, because she knew how that felt like. She would give everything to see her parents and her brother one more time, she didn't knew if they were still alive but she hoped that one day their paths would corss again.

"Os Kervo! Docked at Os Kervo! On to Ketterdam next!", a loud voice shouted over the big ship as Inej, Estelle, Jesper and Kaz made their way towards it.

"We set out with a clear mission, a prize of a million kruge. And a new member on our crew. So— what du we learn?", he sat down on Inej's opposite.

"People with trains are evil. You can't kidnap a human sunbeam. And maybe, just maybe, greed is a poor motivator." He narrowed his eyes as he stared into the distance before his head snapped towards the others while he smiled, "True wealth is the friends you make along the way."

"I just might be impressed", Estelle told him with a smirk. "I'm talking of Milo, of course", Jesper replied to her as he winked at her. "But I won't have my smelly friend when walking into Ketterdam."

"Where Dreesen is waiting for our return", Inej spoke up for the first time a rather worried look on her face.

"And Pekka Rollins."

Estelle leaned forward, "They will both want our heads if we show up without the Sun Summoner."

"Well, I'm sure the boss has a plan. He wouldn't send us into a death trap", Jesper laughed at the woman ahi gave him a serious look. The smile disappeared from his face as his gaze fell onto Kaz, "Tell me you have a plan! I don't care if it's a lie."

Kaz nodded his head at him, "I have a plan. —And just how this all started we're going to need a Heartrender."

"Milana?"

Kaz shook his head, "No, for this work it has to be someone neither of them know. Someone desperate for work, with loyalties only to us."

They conversion was interrupted by two men who walked by talking to each other, "Have a heart, Novokribirsk is in ruins."

"Their Sun Summoner is dead."

As they were gone a female voice spoke up from behind them, "Excuse me, is what he said true?"

Estelle eyed the woman interested as Kaz answered her, "I don't know if she's dead. But she is a Saint."

Inej smiled at him as Estelle's gaze fell onto Alina and Mal who walked over to the other side of the ship.

This had sure been an adventure and even if they didn't finished their mission for Dreesen, Estelle couldn't wait to finally be freed of Heleen.

She couldn't wait to do what she wanted to do, to go wherever she wanted to go. She would be truly free. 

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 !
𝗁𝖾𝗒, 𝗀𝗎𝗒𝗌! 𝗂 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 
𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾
𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗏𝗈𝗍𝖾𝗌
𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄, 𝗂 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒
𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗂𝗍! 𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄
𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝗈
𝖿𝗈𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾 :) 𝗂 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽
𝗍𝗈 𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂 𝖺𝗆
𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗇 𝖺
𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗄𝗌𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗈𝗓𝗈𝗏𝖺
𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗒𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗌𝖾𝗏
𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖺 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾
𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗆.