00||THE PAST SHOULD STAY WHERE IT IS

ᵂᵉᵈᵈˡᵉ, ᴺᵒᵛʸⁱ ᶻᵉᵐ: ᵀʷᵒ ʷᵉᵉᵏˢ
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵃˡˡ ᵒᶠ ᴺᵒᵛᵒᵏʳⁱᵇⁱʳˢᵏ

Waves cobbled against the hull of the ship as they passed over the True Sea, the three of them bustling around on the deck. It wasn't the biggest boat there was in the harbor but it was an inconspicuous one, where people wouldn't keep an eye on. It was one of the few boats that asked the trio no questions as they got their ferry tickets and boarded. It was enough for the crew, the three of them and maybe two or three other people on it, as long as everybody did their job for however long the passage would take.

The people on board thought they were a weird, mysterious lot. The boy that pointed at the water, finding and catching any fish as if it was as easy as breathing. The weakly looking girl that had a scarf tightly wrapped around her neck, one she never took off, who woke up all too often from a nightmare before the boy comforted her. Then there was the stranger who could navigate with the stars as if she knew them like the back of her hand. Her hair seemed darker than the night itself, her eyes looking as if they were a starless sky. Those were the only notable feature she had, for a half-veil covered the rest of her face. Parts of scars softly tangled their way up from underneath and the crew knew not to mess with her. She was a survivor and they didn't know what she did to stay alive.

Anya stood at the bow of the ship, peering at the horizon as land came into view. She felt the desperate call of not using her powers in a while, even if it hasn't been that long, the wasting sickness slowly starting its tortuous journey. Mal's muttering fell on deaf ears as a sense of calm washed over the raven-haired, soaking in the warmth of the sun with closed eyes, listening to the sound of the waves, feeling the flame burn inside her. Somehow, this was enough to keep the sickness at bay. At least for now. She realized that this was probably the most peaceful moment she had in a long time.

Suddenly, Alina gasped, staggering awake. "What's wrong?" The tracker asked, a tinge of worry in his tone. "Was it another dream?" The Oryalen woman wondered as she furrowed her brow. The young Starkov woman swallowed, dread pooling in her eyes as she nodded. "The fold..." she whispered. "It was expanding and-" her chest rose rapidly as she breathed in and out, panic written across her face. "He was there." The young grisha woman shook her head at her words. "Don't worry. He's dead." She replied as she clenched her jaw. She wanted to believe her own words but something inside her, this gut feeling, these reoccurring dreams she had herself, tried to convince her the opposite was true.

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The air around her felt as cold as ice, prickling at her skin. There was no current of air she felt, only a sense of weightlessness. When the inferni opened her obsidian eyes, she saw a pair of as stark and white as the Fjerdan permafrost staring back at her in the void-like darkness. Soon, it felt like a heavy weight pressed down on her chest, the feeling of breath escaping her lungs dawning upon her. It wasn't air that she found herself in, it was the sea. The scar that ran down her leg started to throb violently in pain, the creature seemingly rearing in the dark. Anya's last breaths escaped from her lips as she wanted to scream, the creature opening its giant maw, revealing several rows of gleaming and sharp teeth before it swallowed her whole and she plummeted through darkness once more.

When she opened her eyes, her feet had seemingly found solid ground again. It looked as if the night had swallowed the sun whole, horrible screeches and screams radiating through the air. "No, please." her voice pleaded before fading away. Somehow her mind had taken her back to that day. The day of her battle against Kirigan inside the fold. She watched from afar as the Sun Summoner's dome of light carried her and their friends away, walls of fire and shadow scathing past one another. "Why won't you let me go?" She whispered once more. "You're dead." She could hear the sands shifting behind her, the battle on the skiff slowing down so much as if it came to a halt before a voice spoke softly behind her. "Because if I let you go, I'll be alone too." The raven-haired went to turn around, to look at the voice, to look at him, only to shoot up bathing in her own sweat.

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It was one of the first dreams she had and they had started a few days ago, after the fall of Novokribirsk. Dread pooled at the bottom of her stomach. 'Did I fail?' She thought to herself before she closed her eyes shut, trying to shake the feeling before turning back to the bow. Peace never lasted long, this she knew all too well.

Two weeks had passed before the boat arrived at the harbor of Weddle, people seemingly flooding it with how many of them there were. Refugees from Novokribirsk had fled to Kerch, had fled to Novyi Zem. Even here, her past seemed to haunt the Oryalen woman in the form of their solemn faces. "We need new names." she whispered to the couple almost silently. The Keramzin man fumbled in his pocket before taking out all of their papers, handing it to them as they walked to the registration office in the crowd of people. "Good thing Kaz faked some documents for us then." The Keramzin woman commented with a slight grin, eyeing her friend who only rolled her eyes.

The corporal wrapped an arm around Alina, smiling down at her as he gave her a kiss on her head. "It'll be fine." He whispered. "Now do we know the plan?" The young grisha woman whispered with a stern gaze, folding her arms over her chest as she looked at her friends. The Keramzin woman looked at her with determination before she spoke. "I need a second amplifier so we can tear down the fold." The inferni nodded at her words as she continued. "We search the libraries for books, for maps, anything that might lead us to the sea whip." The Oretsev man's eyes darted around to see if anyone was listening in them. "I'll check the docks, talk to the fisher men."

A voice resonated through the hall as they stepped inside. "FIRST LINE IS FOR RETURNING NOVYI ZEM CITIZENS. SECOND IS FOR INTERNATIONALS. AND THIRD IS FOR RAVKAN REFUGEES." The man shouted loudly. Alina's head whipped around, eyeing the stream of refugees with concern, their faces void and in shock. "What?" Mal whispered, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I have to ask." She simply stated, determination written across her face. Anya nodded because she understood this could answer a possible life time of questions.

Her friend swallowed nervously before heading over, starting a conversation with a woman. Her face was seemingly covered in soot, her eyes dull and in shock, as if she had seen horrors no one could imagine. It only took a minute before the young Starkov woman returned, her chest rising rapidly, tears brimming her eyes. "What's wrong?" The raven-haired asked worriedly. "The dreams..." she uttered. "...they're real. The fold, it's-" she looked like she could sob before the tracker shook her shoulder to get her out of the daze. "It's growing."

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ᴷᵉᵗᵗᵉʳᵈᵃᵐ, ᴷᵉʳᶜʰ: ᵀʷᵒ ᵈᵃʸˢ
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵃˡˡ ᵒᶠ ᴺᵒᵛᵒᵏʳⁱᵇⁱʳˢᵏ

When the ship finally docked after two tense days at sea, the Fifth Harbor's Sea seemed to glow in the moon light of the dark. Kaz's mind was running in hundreds of circles, going over thousands of plans on how to deal with Dreesen and the uncompleted job, all the while Jesper was jabbering his ears off. "Oh I can't wait to get back to the crow club and get a good drink after the past few weeks." He commented rubbing a hand over his face. "No drink." The young barrel boss retorted quickly, his cane tapping viciously on the cobble stone ground as he increased his pace, desperately wanting to get home and rest his leg.

"Okay some pleasure then." The Zemeni man muttered, referring to a gamble of sorts, before quickly dismissing the idea as his friends shot him a sharp look. It only took a few twists and turns in the streets for them to almost reach the crow club. "I am looking forward to some rest." Inej sighed before the three of them halted in their steps, their eyes falling upon the new, bright green sign that hung in front of the crow club. Or rather what used to be the crow club.

"The Kaelish Prince?" The wraith read out loud, clenching her jaw. "What the hell is this?" The sharpshooter lamented. Dirtyhands' heart beat rapidly in his chest, the water rising quickly at his feet. A shiver crawled down his spine as he swallowed, keeping up his walls and composure as he felt something crumble inside of him. 'Look where your foolishness has led you.' The voice in his head whispered. 'Yet another thing Pekka Rollins has taken from you. Yet another thing that you couldn't protect, that you couldn't save.'

The sharp sound of a whistle pulled the three from their daze, at least 4 stadswatch officers cornering them with their guns tight in their hands. "Hands in the air!" One of them ordered. "We've been looking for you." He sneered, leering at them in disgust at he said their names. "Kaz Brekker. Jesper Fahey. Inej Ghafa." The bastard of the barrel raised an eyebrow in question as he looked at them before he spoke. "Whatever you think we have done, we haven't." The Fahey man nodded at his friend's words while the Ghafa woman eyed the men suspiciously. "You are under arrest for the murder of Ravkan citizen Alexei Steppanov." Another officer started. "Take Brekker's cane, Fahey's guns and the wraith's kn- OI!" He halted in his words as he looked at where the dagger expert stood mere seconds ago. "Yeah, she does that." Jesper grinned.

The head officer sighed in annoyance, before pulling out his handcuffs, latching them onto their wrists as the four of them marched the two crows to the carriage. "No matter. Two out of three. We'll get your wraith soon either way." Kaz felt the bile rise in the back of his throat as him and the Zemeni were shoved into the back, forced to sit between many other criminals the officers had amassed this evening. "We're not even back for five minutes and we're already arrested. Framed for the murder of that cartographer of all things!" The sharpshooter complained. "If Anya was here, she'd melt our cuffs off in seconds." He remarked with a grin.

A feeling of sickness churned in the young barrel boss' stomach as the bumpy ride jostled the people together, his gloved and bound hands making contact with the cold, sweaty skin of the men next to him that sent him back to that night on the Reaper's bardge. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to focus his mind, trying to think of anything else but what he was feeling as the memory of bloated bodies arose in his head. A sun rise, the rush of pulling off a complicated job, literally anything. Dirtyhands found himself thinking of the warmth of a campfire, of how it's glow reflected on Anya's sleeping face when it was late and he couldn't sleep.

Sweat gleaned on his forehead as his hand touched the cold skin of someone next to him once more, unease creeping up his neck, his entire body, as the carriage jostled around, all his effort to calm down now gone. Bile almost made it past his teeth as he leaned forward, almost keeling over onto his knees. "Kaz?" The Fahey man's voice asked in worry before he started banging in the wall. "HEY! We need some help!" He shouted as he kept banging despite the protest of the officers. Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a stop, the doors to the back opening with a swing before two officers dragged Jesper and the bastard of the barrel out.

"Someone's paid good money to have a talk with you." One of them commented with disdain as they led the two inside a building, eventually pushing them inside a parlor before tying them to a chair. The set of doors on the other side swung open, a familiar wrangled face with curling moustache walking in with a troop of his men walking behind. "Criminals." He spat in way similar as when they met. "Dreesen." Kaz replied sternly, his look almost venomous. "I give you an advance on my one million kruge for a job. And you come back...empty handed?" The merchant started, his thumb sliding over a ring as he spoke. "The deal was that you'd bring me Alina Starkov in exchange for the full amount, so I'll ask again. Where is my sun summoner?" He hissed, standing closer to the young barrel boss then he would've liked, a slight stench of cigars filling his nose.

"We don't have her." He said, clenching his jaw, his eyes shooting daggers at them man. "That I can see Mister Brekker. Now you can get me my summoner or I can make your life living hell in prison." He started with a smug grin. "Or perhaps I should find that Ravkan friend of yours. With the veil? Maybe she knows where Miss Starkov is. Maybe I should pay her a visit. Would you like that?" He added, wringing his hands together. "If you can survive her that is." Dirtyhands replied calmly, his tone vaguely threatening.

The bastard of the barrel's eyes scanned the room, Dreesen's men looking more like thugs. All but one at least, as a gleaming emerald caught his eye. The bodyguard wore a long black coat, no doubt of good quality. His nose was crooked, his hair colored like copper, but the way he behaved was as if he was listening in a bit too intently. "You can drop the act Dreesen. We know you're not the one in charge. He is." Kaz commented sharply, eyeing the man suspiciously as he stepped forward with a sharp grin. "Alright, alright, thank you Dreesen. I'll take it from here." He said, clapping the merchant on his shoulder as he looked at him in confusion. "That was me politely telling you to fuck off." The mysterious man added, almost snapping before Dreesen nodded, exiting the room with everyone else.

"Who are you?" The young barrel boss demanded with sharp eyes as the man looked down at them from where he stood. "The name is Sturmhond." The copper haired simply replied as he crossed his arms, his muddy green eyes regarding the two. "Wait I heard of you!" The Zemeni man started, the excitement palpable in his tone. "You're like this very wealthy pirate, yeah?" An annoyed look crossed the man's face, Dirtyhands taking a slight enjoyment in it. "Privateer, actually." The sharpshooter leaned forward, a curious look gleaning in his eyes. "Is it true that you have a flying ship?" He asked, peaking Sturmhond's attention. "No." He simply stated, the other man visibly deflating in disappointment. "I have several." He added, a wide, face-splitting grin revealing his shining of teeth. 'Wealthy is an understatement.' The bastard of the barrel thought to himself.

"Why were you looking for the sun summoner? And why hire us?" He demanded. The privateer arched an eyebrow, a curious smile gracing his face. "Straight to business are we? Very well then. While you're at it, you might as well stop pretending you haven't taken those handcuffs off already." He snorted as Kaz's chains dropped less than a second later, the Fahey man looking at him in confusion. "If we had the time I'd ask you how you did that but alas, we do not. As for your question, everybody's looking for her high and low because of the big price on her head." The copper haired started, turning around to reveal a wanted poster or two with Alina standing next to the Darkling.

The young barrel boss waited patiently as he listened to Sturmhond chatter on and on, hoping to the saints that it would end soon. "They say that miss Starkov and the Darkling worked together to weaponize the fold. Some say that the Koroleva Drakon worked with them to burn the docks. Others say she worked against them." The man continued before Jesper interrupted him quickly, without thinking. "Anya and Alina would n-" But his words were quickly halted as he received a swift kick to the shins from Dirtyhands. "On first name basis already?" The privateer noted with an amused tone, a grin on his face like a Cheshire cat.

"I think he already knew that Jesper." The bastard of the barrel bit, almost snapping at his friend. "Very keen eye Mister Brekker." The privateer noted as he crossed his arms, a more serious look falling across his face, his tone slightly threatening as he spoke. "Now tell me, as the people who were the last to see them alive, where are my saints?"

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ᵂᵉᵈᵈˡᵉ, ᴺᵒᵛʸⁱ ᶻᵉᵐ: ᵀʷᵒ ʷᵉᵉᵏˢ
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵃˡˡ ᵒᶠ ᴺᵒᵛᵒᵏʳⁱᵇⁱʳˢᵏ

The young grisha woman's booths scuffed the hardwood floor as she walked inside the room, soft blue graced it's walls, a bed pushed to side with a desk next to it. A large window stetched to the foot of the bed, a windowsill looking cozy in a nook of the room. It wasn't the biggest, nor was it the fanciest but for Anya it was more than enough. One of the last few half moons from the chain she wore during the winter fete had paid for it, a golden pin paying for the other grisha woman and the Keramzin man's room. She sat down on her bed with a huff, lying on her back with her eyes closed as she felt herself sink into the mattress. Light shone through the window and as the raven-haired opened her obsidian eyes, the rays skimmed between her fingers, still and unmoving. A soft knock resonated through the room before she hopped of the bed, opening the door to find the corporal and sun summoner standing there.

"Room looks great." Her friend said with a slight smile as the two of them walked inside, closing the door. "Guys we need to remember that just because Novyi Zem citizens are a bit more tolerant of grisha, doesn't mean that we are safe." The young grisha woman commented. "Borders never stopped drüskelle. Or Shu scientists." She added softly, clenching her jaw just a smidge. "I know, I know. I'll do my best." The girl replied with a nod. "What about the wasting sickness?" The Oretsev man asked worriedly. In truth, the inferni could already feel it settling into her bones. Her cheeks were more hollow than usual, her skin less vibrant than it was before. The Keramzin woman was starting to show it too, dark and heavy circles forming underneath her eyes. "We'll survive. Use it only when necessary." She answered before she took a deep breath.

Mal wrapped an arm around Alina, resting his head in her as she leaned into him as much as she could, the stag collar hidden underneath her thick shawl. The inferni wondered what that was like. What it would feel like when someone loved her so dearly that they wouldn't care about what she was or what she could do. Would they love her despite her mistakes, without her faults? Would her head dizzy at the mere touch of theirs lips? Anya shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about romance, not with their lives and the future of both her people on the line.

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ᴷᵉᵗᵗᵉʳᵈᵃᵐ, ᴷᵉʳᶜʰ: ᵀʷᵒ ᵈᵃʸˢ
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵃˡˡ ᵒᶠ ᴺᵒᵛᵒᵏʳⁱᵇⁱʳˢᵏ

Jesper rolled his eyes once more in his seat. "I told you, we don't know where they are!" Sturmhond chuckled at his words, his ginger hair falling in front of his face. "See I wish I could believe you but I don't." He added, narrowing his eyes at Dirtyhands. "And Mister Brekker, if we had the time I'd ask you how you did it but we don't so you can stop pretending that they're still on." Kaz eyed him warily before he twisted his wrists, the cuffs thudding to the floor. The copper haired moved towards a table, his hand delving into a bag before pulling out a set of jewels.

"Now, my sources told me that the sun summoner was wearing this, the fabled garnets of Ivets, when she entered the fold. But somehow it ends up here, in Ketterdam, with you two. Which gives us two options." He spoke, almost amused as the stones glittered in the dim lighting. "Either she gave this to you to keep quite about where she was going or you stole it off her bloody neck like vultures." He added, a small and sly grin on his face but a dark look in his eyes. The Zemeni man gasped in protest. "How dare you! We are crows!" He stated as he clenched his jaw, the young barrel boss fighting the urge to kick his shins yet again.

"Listen." The privateer started. "It was clear this was a pay off. If you tell me where they are, I'll let you keep it." The sharpshooter shot Dirtyhands a pleading look, that he not betray their friend. Which is why the latter turned to look at Sturmhond in front of him. "Novyi Zem. The boat said Eames Harbor but I think they're going to stop in a city closer to Ravka." He started, taking a breath as he felt his friend's offended gaze. "My guess is Weddle." The copperhaired narrowed his eyes, the corners of his lips arching upwards ever so slightly. "Saints, the bribe she gave you for not sharing their next steps, in exchange for their next steps." Sturmhond tossed the set of jewels back in the bag, looking over his shoulder once more as he spoke. "Now, you have approximately 30 seconds after I leave before the stadswatch comes in so I suggest you make it worth it." With a last glance, that resembled a curious fox, he closed the doors behind him.

"I can't believe you!" The sharpshooter immediately reprimanded. "Ratting out our friends like that?" He snapped, earning a judging look from his boss as he walked towards the table, tossing his friend the key. "Well you better believe it. I had to get us out somehow didn't I? Now block the doors so we can escape through the window." He remarked, pocketing the necklace before wedging a chair underneath the door handle as the Fahey man did the same on the other side of the room. A pounding quickly resonated behind the doors, shouting to let them in. "Let's go!" Dirtyhands shouted at the other crow as he vaulted through a window and landed on a lower roof, winching slightly at the pain in his leg, before Jesper appeared next to him. "We should warn them." He remarked as the duo started running back to Black Veil in the shadows. "They're only two days ahead!" The bastard of the barrel looked in front of him, something twisting in his stomach. "That's impossible. We need to get clear of these damned murder charges first." The Zemeni man looked at his friend with a mix of confusion and suspicion. "How?" Kaz only grinned slightly as they rounded a corner, a glint in his eyes. "Don't worry. I have a plan."

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ᵂᵉᵈᵈˡᵉ, ᴺᵒᵛʸⁱ ᶻᵉᵐ: ᴼⁿᵉ ᵐᵒⁿᵗʰ
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵃˡˡ ᵒᶠ ᴺᵒᵛᵒᵏʳⁱᵇⁱʳˢᵏ

Hammer met the simmering iron again and again, sparks flying as the smith took a deep breath before trusting the blade into ice cold water. Taking off her helmet, the Oryalen woman wipped her sweaty brow, turning the short sword over in her hands. "Not bad Eliza!" A burly woman behind her complimented. "Thanks Vati. But I'm just doing my work." The raven-haired replied with a slight smile. Parvati slapped her on the back, probably meant as a pat of encouragement.

"Learn how to take a compliment! You haven't been here for too long and you're already further ahead then I was when I just started out!" Her face turned solemn as she clenched her jaw. "I am sure your parents would be proud." The Oryalen woman nodded at her words, grabbing a drink. Her so called parents from Kerch that had moved to Novokribirsk for work and died there when Kirigan launched his attack with the fold. It was just detailed enough to be believable.

"I don't know. I'd like to think that they would." The young grisha woman commented. Parvati stood up, going deeper into the back of the shop. "I think you're good for the day! It's a bit slow today so I can handle forge on my own!" She yelled before disappearing around the corner. "You can go to the front." The inferni shrugged before depositing the helmet on a hook and putting away the tools, dusting the leather apron and her hands off before walking through a curtain to the front. It was a hot day, the sun bearing down on the people below. Anya pulled down her sleeves, the breezy white fabric billowing in the soft wind that blew through the streets and into the open front of the store.

A soft bell chimed through the air as if someone had ticked it to let her know they were there, half obscured by the many tables and shelves that displayed their wares, from guns to swords to daggers. The raven-haired could feel her obsidian blade burn a hole in the hidden pocket of her jacket. "Hello?" A female voice yelled out before she turned around a corner, finally in sight. "How can I help you?" She simply stated. The woman was taller than her by quite a lot, Shu features gracing her face and her arms thicker from the muscles. A small scar clipped over her eyebrow and a sharks tooth was embedded behind her ear. 'A fighter. A Grisha.' The Oryalen woman thought to herself, narrowing her eyes.

Her eyes wandered down to the axes that hung on her hips, a gun strapped in a holster to her chest. "Those need sharpening?" The young grisha woman questioned, pointing at the axes. "Good eye love." The woman replied with a grin, tossing them on the counter before the inferni them and turned around towards the machine. Sitting down with a huff, her foot pushed down on the peddle that started the mechanism, the wheel spinning loudly against the metal. Anya could feel the fighter's eyes burning into her, suspicion crawling up the back of her neck. She wanted something.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing here?" The dark haired woman asked as she leaned against the counter with a smile. "Trying to earn a living." The raven-haired simply replied as she moved on to the second axe. "That living any good?" The other grisha questioned yet again. "Liveable." She simply answered, wiping of the blades of the axes with a finish before standing up. "It seems you're not a woman of many words." The fighter commented with an arched eyebrow. "And it seems you are one who asks too many questions. That'll be a hundred." The Oryalen woman commented with a tight lipped smile, her eyes narrowed as she handed her axes back and the woman slapping the money on the counter before walking away.

The young grisha woman worked for a few more hours before her boss dismissed her and the twilight evening started to creep in. People bustled from left to right, several stalls open and spread throughout the street, merchants yelling on the top of their lungs about their wares. Some even went as far as to spout nonsense, saying that they had the young Starkov woman's bones or her bones even. It was not the first time she had heard people say this, bribing others out of their money for something that was too good to be true. The saint of the forsaken, they called her. She knew she certainly felt like it now. Turning away from the small crowd the merchant attracted, the inferni rolled her eyes once more before her shoulder knocked against someone else's arm, softly pushing her back.

She turned around, a smaller, older woman standing in front of her. "I'm sorry ma'am." Anya uttered quickly. The older woman, a Suli woman, only smiled kindly at her. "Could you help me sit down somewhere?" The old woman croaked, gesturing at her knees. "They aren't what they used to be." The raven-haired offered her an arm leading her to a wall low enough to sit on. "Are you alright? Do I need to get someone for you?" She implored the woman. She chuckled, a grey hair falling in front of her face as she patted her hand, taking it into her own. "I will be fine." She said, the Oryalen woman's eyes drifting towards a pin of a jackal on her soft orange coat.

"You're a fortune teller, aren't you?" She wondered. Her mind churned, trying to think of the last time she had seen a true seer. They were considered sacred, holy even. It had been a long time, too long even since she was last in contact with that part of her. Or any Suli tradition for that matter. Something inside her twisted, like a part of her that reached out into the dark. "I was my child." The old woman replied, patting next to her as a sign for her to sit down. The woman regarded her, her dark and almost black eyes scanning over her face. She took the young grisha woman's hand into her own, turning over the palm in her hand. The look on her face turned, the kindness slinking away as concern took its place.

The older woman's eyes glazed over as she spoke, her voice seemingly not her own."You have suffered my child. But I am afraid you will suffer a great deal more. Shadow and darkness, it follows you. The darkest hour is coming. But light will come to meet it." Her face turned towards her, eyes filled with grief. The inferni's obsidian eyes widened as she took a shaking breath and she stood up, thanking the woman before walking away, almost sprinting. It couldn't be. He couldn't be here. 'He's supposed to be dead.' Anya told herself. 'But then again, people thought you were too.' A voice seemed to whisper in her head. Dread pooled in the raven-haired's stomach, clawing at her spine as her breath came out uneven. The sun summoner's dreams were the truth. Would hers be as well? His voice whispered through her head, taking her back to that moment on the skiff. 'As long as I am still alive, you will never know peace.' She didn't understand it back then but she did now. He was her beginning. And she would be his end.

Her feet carried her away, towards the town square, where a giant fountain sparkled in the sun. Many people stood around it, tossing a coin or washing the jurda off their hands. Some even decided to wash some of their clothes in it. On the other side, the Oryalen woman spotted a girl with dark hair, cheeks softly caving in, blowing the hair out of her face with an annoyed frown. A relieved sigh escaped her lips as she saw the Keramzin woman standing there, her shift at the plantation seemingly done. The young grisha woman's eyes scanned the crowd, turning left and right, anxiously looking at their faces, at their clothes, so see if she'd recognize any of them. Her heart rattled against her ribs, her breath quickening.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, in one of the side paths, red and black darted out. The inferni could almost feel her heart stop inside her chest. They were here. Anya swallowed, steeling her gaze on Alina as she nicked a coat from one of the stalls. Quickly making her way through the crowd, her hand landed on her arm, making her friend turn before she smiled slightly. "Eliza-" she started, using her fake name before she saw the distress on her face. "What's wrong?" the other grisha woman asked, panic rising in her voice. "We don't have time. We need to go, now." the raven-haired almost snapped, thrusting the coat into her arms before the two turned around, trying to push through the crowd without too much attention.

"What's wrong?" The young Starkov woman demanded, a scared look in her eyes. "Second army grisha. They're here." The Oryalen woman didn't know if they were simply second army grisha looking for them or grisha that were still loyal to the darkling, but she wasn't willing to take that risk. "Gather what you have. We need to find Mal and go." The sub summoner twisted around in the grip her friend had on her shoulders as she pushed her forward. "But the map to the sea whip! Without it..." she started, her eyes wide with concern. "...without the map we won't be able to find it." The young grisha woman finished, sighing as she shut her eyes tightly.

She looked her friend in the eye with determination before she spoke. "You and Mal go find a ship in the harbor. I'll get the map." The Keramzin woman's face twisted in angered disbelief at her friend's words. "I can't let you do that alone!" she almost yelled. The inferni almost smiled at her friend's words. "I'm afraid you're going to. I am faster so we'll get it done quicker." she stated simply, turning to go. She couldn't allow her mind to race, not now that Alina and the tracker needed her most. And yet, her thoughts wandered, asking herself if perhaps they could run to Kerch. To Ketterdam. That maybe, just maybe, her friends were there waiting for her.

Her feet fell against the pavement in a fast pace as she nimbly weaved through the crowd, almost running at this point. Ducking and dodging between people and carts, making sure her movements weren't too noticeable, Anya finally arrived at the inn. Her eyes scanned the people around her once more, a breath  stuck in her throat in anticipation. She rounded the corner of the building, opting that maybe going through the kitchen entrance might be better.

Silently, the raven-haired snuck through the staff quarter, slinking into the nooks and crannies of the building whenever someone passed. Her arms reached up to a pole that stretched the length of the ceiling and hung over her head, pulling herself up as her legs vaulted upwards, curling around the banister of the stairs that lead to the first floor which only had one room. With an almost soundless thud, the Oryalen woman set foot on the floor, jumping from it to banister of the second floor landing, not much higher, to avoid the creaking sounds the steps made. The hallway was eerily silent as she looked around, the hairs in her neck standing upwards.

She moved carefully towards the door of the Keramzin man and the Starkov woman's room, softly prying it open. The room was empty and she let out a deep breath, still on her guard, before she walked over  to the desk. Pulling out a few drawers, the young grisha woman finally found the map her friend had stolen from the library, tucking it into her pocket. A sickening feeling came over her as she heard a soft creak coming from the bathroom, a chill running down her spine. In a split second, two grisha in keftas burst in from the bathroom and three more coming from the hallway as others stood behind them. A squaller blew her against the wall,  her back coliding with it before she launched herself back up. Pulling out her dagger, the inferni sliced the woman's throat in the blink of an eye as she dodged a fire ball another inferni threw at her. A tidemaker rooted one of her feet to the floor with ice, coming close to finish the job before she swung her other leg, kicking him in the jaw as he fell to the floor.

Wringing herself free, fire bloomed to life in Anya's palms with the flick of her fingers, going head to head with the other inferni. He had sent flame after flame at her, some managing to sear her coat, before she used his momentum against him, firing the blames back at his feet as he howled in pain. Suddenly, a tug pulled the raven-haired back, pain burning in her side as she felt blood sticking to her hand. She knocked her head back, breaking the nose of another tidemaker before her breath hitched in her throat. That same feeling she had felt on the skiff, that same feeling she had experienced many times before, the feeling of a heartrender slowly crushing the Oryalen woman from the inside. Blood started to stain her teeth as she swung her dagger at him with great effort, a second one coming in from the hallway to force her down.

Her knees buckled beneath her as she let out a groan, hatred burning in her eyes, her breathing erratic like that of a trapped, wild animal. The young grisha did what felt right, gathered the blood in her mouth as she fought against the pain, and split it at their feet. "Foul traitors!" she yelled at them, her voice hoarse. "No." a voice rang out through the air. Slowly, the room started to darken, blocking out the sun little by little before they gathered themselves, tall and thin shapes forming within them like something that was anything but human. The ominous thud of his shoes echoed through the room as he walked inside, a ripple of scars of his own on his face. A man the inferni knew too well, a man she had hoped would stay dead, stood before her. "I think that would be you."

°°°°°°°°°°°
Aaaaah here we are.
Isn't it great to be
back here again?

It's been a whole
long while it seems.
AWS ended in August
2022. I posted the
extended summary
at the first sight of a
trailer even though it
was very very tiny.

But nevertheless it is
great to be back and
talk with all of my
readers again. (Or not
if you are more the
silent reader type.)

Life's been okay.
Nothing special besides
exam prep and studying
rn cause they start
next week. Anyway.

I know this is a bit
of a long 'prologue'
but I couldn't find a
moment where I could
split it in two without
the timing being a bit off.
So yeah enjoy this 6.5k
of my word vomit, this
little authors note excluded.

As you guys probably noticed
I steered away from the
solely show based idea.
Frankly, in s1/AWS  I
had already adjust a
few things to be more
book accurate whilst also
following the show.

And while I liked s2, it
made it impossible for me
to implement certain scenes
I had already written or
ideas that I had. So for this
book, I will be mixing
more of the book canon
into the story, as to
balance things out more.
This means excluding
some things from
Ruin & Rising and keeping
them for later.

Which
means that if it gets
renewed for s3, book 3
will be very hard to plan
out and eventually decide
on seeing as the ending are
both very different. But
I won't bore you or spoil
to much. We'll see
what happens when the
time has come.

Meanwhile I made
a little something.
I made another character
video for Anya that goes
from seaso/book 1 to
season/book 2 and let
me tell you, I have been
working on this for ages.
As soon as we got that
teensy time teaser basically.
After that it was just
waiting for s2 to release.

But without further ado,
here it is!

It is past midnight as
I post this so I will respond
to any possible comments
later tomorrow.
Also my last class of
this academic year.
And as always,
memes!