»CHAPTER SIX
❛ Kill or be killed ❜
( episode six, season one )

      𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚
drive and Estelle's eyelids had gotten heavier and heavier until she finally fell asleep. It felt like a couple of minutes before the sun's rays tickled the tip of her nose in the early morning hours.

Estelle slowly frowned as she slowly took her head off Inej's shoulder. The young woman rubbed her eyes before she looked straight ahead, they could already see the city that was supposed to be their next destination.

From the outside it looked as if the whole city was still asleep, or at least still in their houses. 

But as the four finally reached the city Estelel realized that she was wrong, many people were outside, on the streets chatting and laughing with each other.

The group of four made their way into a small ally, before they climbed off of the carriage and walked towards the back.

There was a very big blue wooden box which was locked, Estelle stood next to Inej as the four eyed the box patiently.

The young black haired woman crossed her arms over her chest as she tapped her food onto the ground.

She let her gaze wander around the little ally but suddenly her attention was drawn to the lock on the box that slowly began to glow.

Estelle's eyebrows furrowed as she watched how the lock fell onto the floor and stopped right infront of her foot.

The top of box slowly opened and revealed the black haired Alina Starkov, who had a surprised look on her face as she spotted the four.

The woman stopped as her gaze fell onto Jesper's gun. She gave them a sceptucal look, but after a moment she contiued to open the box fully. 

The Shu slowly stept out of it and held her hands into the air.

"We don't want any trouble", Jesper spoke up first as he held his left hand into the air.

"Neither do I, so I'll just be on my way", Alina answered him in agreement before she wanted to leave.

But Kaz quickly blocked her way with his cane making her look at him. "Clearly, you want out of East Ravka. But we can help you", Jesper told her as Alina's gaze fell onto Inej, who nodded her head at her smiling assuring.

"We have a secure route through the Fold", Jesper went on but the woman shook her head at him, "I prefer to travel alone."

"Don't be rash. You stuck with us, everybody gets what they want", Jesper tried to convince her which made Estelle roll with her eyes. She wouldn't go with them either if she were Alina.

"I'm not being anyone's captive ever again. So step aside and let me pass."

Kaz, who eyed her blankly spoke up for the first time, "I'm afraid we can't let that happen."

Jesper quickly tried to grab his gun but Alina immediately moved her hands and created a light that blinded the group.

The two men started grunting as Estelle rubbed her eyes. But when she could finally see again Alina was already gone.

"Oh no", she sighed annoyed as she looked over to the others who looked at the empty street as well.

"Split up and find her!", Kaz told them angry as he quickly limped towards the market. Estelle quickly followed after him and started to speak with some of the people that sold their food there.

She had asked many of them and at last decided to try and ask a elder looking woman, who sold fruits to the people, "Um— excuse me, did you saw a young black haired woman. Grey duster, around my height, she's a Shu."

But the old woman just shook her head and continued to hand her fruits to the people. Estelle sighed before she continued her way through the market.

An hour passed by and they still hadn't found her, Estelle was sure that Alina was already gone, so she made her way over to the little club that was at the edge of the market.

Infront of the door she met Inej, who had been by the stables the last couple of minutes, looking for the Summoner. "Didn't found her either huh?"

Estelle shook her head at her, "Nop." The tattooed woman opened the door for her friend before she followed her inside. The two immediately spotted Kaz, who sat by an empty table starring off into the distance.

They slowly sat down as Inej began to speak up, "No missing horses at the table, so—"

"So?", their boss asked as he looked at the table. There was a short silence before Estelle spoke up, "What?"

Kaz looked annoyed at Inej, "You're going to tell me how the target got away?" Inej sighed quietly before she answered him, "I let her go."

Kaz had a dark look on his face, "You were hired to do a job."

"Yes, the job was to pick up a fake for an easy million Kruge. We found a living Saint who can summon the sun."

Kaz immediatley pulled out a kruge as he stared at the Suli annoyed, "A good magician is a good con artist. The trick—", he grabbed the kruge with his other hand. He streched out both of his hands afterwards and the kruge was gone. "—is to make it look real."

Estelle shook her head at him chuckling, "That's different, Kaz. You saw her summon with your own eyes."

But Kaz didn't wanted to accept it, he placed his hands back on his cane as he leaned back. "The best illusions are the most convincing. That's the game."

"You can hide behind your cynicism, but I believe she is the real thing", Inej told him convinced as she leaned on the table.

Kaz scoffed at the Suli, "I don't see you falling on your knees to worship every Heartrender or Squaller we meet."

Inej furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance, "This is different. Her power is a miracle. I won't betrayal my faith."

"Pious as that may be, we cannot work effectively as a crew if you're making decisions based on religious zeal", Kaz spatted at her.

Estelle's eyebrows immediately shot up as she glared at him, "Is that a threat to return her to Heleen? Because you know I'm out of she's out."

Kaz who now looked at Estelle leaned forward, "Either we get the target or Heleen gets the Crow Club and Pekka gets whatever's left."

Estelle furrowed her eyebrows at him in surprise, "Wait— why would Heleen get the Crow Club?"

Kaz gaze fell onto the table as he remained silent, he pressed his lips to a thin line before he quickly stood up.

"Kaz! What did you do!?", Estelle shouted after him but he didn't turned around as he walked away from them towards the bar.

The black haired woman looked at Inej, who had a worried look on her face.

She leaned back into her chair starring of into the distance as she thought about the fact that Kaz had probably offered Heleen the Crow Club in exchange for her and Inej.

She felt guilty that he had done such a thing for her, he could loose anything.

In the evening Inej and Estelle had just paid their tab with the last coin that was in their pockets before they returned to the table where Jesper and Kaz were seated.

Inej sat down next to Jesper as she spoke up, "We just settled our tab with the last of our coin."

Jesper and her exchanged a look before the young man spoke up, "We really gonna leave empty-handed, then?"

Estelle wanted to say something but as she opened her mouth there was a loud explosion outside of the club. The four immediately looked at each other, "Our alarm."

"Split up, much easier to take a Grisha one-on-one than a hole squad of them. Rendezvous at the fountain", Kaz quickly told them before he stood up from his chair, as did the others.

They quickly left the club and followed the many people out onto the street. But as they wanted to walk down the Grisha's just came towards them.

Estelle's eyes widened as she looked at the group, it was General Kirigan and some of his army Grisha's. Her eyes stopped by a brunette woman that eyed Estelle closely before her eyes suddenly widened.

Estelel was confused as the brunette let out a loud battel cry and started running towards her.

"Go!", she could hear Kaz shout in the distance and that was a she needed to hear. The black haired woman immediatley spun around and followed after Inej.

But that wasn't as easy as she thought because the Inferni started to throw several fireballs at her. Estelle quickly rounded the corner as she clapped out the fire that was on her roap.

The two quickly made their way into a abandoned coal-fired power station,  they dashed through the small hall and hide behind a a pillar as the Grisha entered the building.

The two woman quickly rounded the pillar and Inej immediately tried to attack the Inferni.

She swung her knife at her, but the woman blocked her attack before the two continued to fight each other.

She kicked Inej against a pillar while Estelle approached her and tried to stab the Inferni into her throat but the woman grabbed her arm, "You robbed me of my brother, now I robb you of your life."

Estelle eyed the woman for a short moment, but then she turned around and kicked her hardly into her stomach, which made the brunette stummble backwards.

Meanwhile Inej was back on her feet and now threw her knife at the Grisha, but she only blocked the attack and threw her fire at the pipe that was right next to Inej.

It exploded and threw the Suli against another pipe before she collided with the floor.

Estelle quickly vanished into the fog that spread through the room, before she helped Inej onto her feet.

The Inferni followed after them but Estelle quickly moved her hands and shot a beam of bright fire at her.

The woman stummbled back, to avoid the attack which gave the two friends the opportunity to escape.

They quickly made their way through the hall as Inej looked at her, "You're an Inferni? Why did you never—", but Estelle laid a finger over her mouth and pointed to her ear.

Inej immediately stopped talking and pressed her hand onto her wound as she grunted in pain.

They now stood behind a big stone pillar as Estelle eyed her and asked, "Your okay?"

Inej breathed shakingly and nodded quietly, "Okay we're going to surprise her. I distract her and you finish it."

The two tiptoed towards the woman and as soon as they were close enough Estelle immediately attacked her.

The two fought for a moment but then Inej joined in, surprised the Inferni and stabbed the woman right below her chest.

The Inferni grunted as Estelle looked at her breathing heavily.  "I'd wait until a Healer is close by before you pull this out. Otherwise you bleed out in thirty seconds", Inej explained to her calmly as she deeply breathedout.

"Suli trash", the woman spatted at her with a hateful glare before she looked at Estelle, "I will track you down, and kill everyone that you love, and then—you."

Estelle's eyelids flicked as she looked at the woman and swallowed, "In that case— I take her knife back."

She quickly grabbed Inej's knife and yanked it out of the woman's upper body without hesitation. The brunette Grisha grunted in pain before she fell to the ground with a thud.

Inej breathed heavily as she held her hand to her wound, which was still bleeding. Estelle immediately handed the Suli her knife back and grabbed one of her arms, supporting her while they walked back to the carriage.

After a while, it was already day outside the two finally reached Kaz and Jesper, who had their backs turned towards them.

Inej made another step which made the woman grunt in pain one more time. The two young men quickly spun around and their eyes immediately widened as they spotted the two.

"Hey", Jesper approached them and helped Estelle with Inej as Kaz watched them from afar with a worried look on his face.

"The Inferni, she's dead", Estelle infromed them as she looked at Kaz, who slightly nodded at her.

"Well, you can't manage a horse, not even riding double", Jesper told her as he eyed Inej. "We'll have to come up with another plan."

Kaz immediatley started to look around as Inej quietly whispered to herself, "Saints."

"That's a pretty nice ride", Kaz spoke up as he looked at the Carriage from the Grisha's. Jesper and Estelle started smirking, "Yes. Indeed it is."

Jesper and Estelle helped Inej to the fontaine before they joined Kaz by the Carriage.

Kaz turned his head towards Estelle as he had a serious look on his face, "You're okay?". Estelle nodded at him silently before the two looked back ahead.

Jesper nodded at the two and quickly walked around the carriage to opened the doors. Estelle eavesdroped as she heard Jesper voice from the other side, "Oh, hello."

There was a rummble and then the door quickly opend as a Grisha jumped out of it. He hectically looked around and as he turned to Kaz and Estelle, Kaz hit him hardly into the face with his cane, knocking him out.

Estelle corssed her arms over her chest as she raised her eyebrows in respect, "That was pretty cool."

Kaz gave her a side look before his gaze fell on Jesper, who now jumped out of the carriage. He lifted a book into the air as he scoffed, "He threw a book at me."

Estelle chuckled to herself as she quickly spun around and made her way towards Inej, who still sat by the fountain, helping her into the big, fancy carriage.