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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟕
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐑

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Inessa walked between Mal and Jens with Alina right in front of them as they made their way through the tunnel. Nikolai led them with the twins right behind him and Grevyen close by. The water was up to her upper thigh, making it slightly difficult for her to take her steps. But the Heartrender pushed through it. She did her best to drown out the heartbeats of those surrounding her and tried to locate the one belonging to the Sea Whip. To her dismay, she couldn't pick up anything. So instead Inessa stuck close to her allies and prepared for the creature to strike.

What felt like an eternity of walking through the water passed when she heard a distant splash. Nikolai instantly raised his hand in the air, making everyone stop in their tracks. Silence soon fell upon them as they listened for the Sea Whip, only to be greeted by another distant splash.

"That could be it," the Tidemaker muttered under his breath while keeping his eyes glued to the water.

"Grevyen, tell me," Nikolai said after looking over at the man standing beside him, "anything in the water?"

The man didn't hesitate to sheath his pistol before taking a step forward. He waved his hands around in the air then placed his fingertips on the water's surface. Ripples instantly appeared, spanning out as far as the eye could see. It wasn't long before Grevyen broke the silence surrounding them. "There are holes in the cave floor. So be careful where you step. Otherwise no."

"No, you can't tell, or no, there's nothing in there?" Mal questioned while tightening his grip around the musket in his hands.

Tolya glanced back at the group behind him. "Whichever makes you feel more comfortable."

"Neither option makes me very comfortable," Inessa mumbled before letting out a long sigh.

"Comfort's overrated," Tamar commented as they continued to make their way through the cave.

They didn't make it very far when a sharp thrilling cut through the air. That was all it took for everyone to prepare themselves for a fight. The group couldn't help but look around at each other as they listened to the creature's low gurgling. Inessa steadied her breath as she focused on the world around her. Just like before, she did her best to ignore her allies' heartbeats. But unlike before, the Heartrender picked up on one that wasn't human. However, she located it too late. The Sea Whip dropped down from one of the caves above them and grabbed a man from Nikolai's crew. Not even a second after that passed when she lost its heartbeat.

"Drop the nets! Aim to kill!" Nikolai shouted while keeping his eyes glued to the last place they saw the Sea Whip.

"No! Don't!" Alina shouted, not bothering to hide the panic in her voice.

"I couldn't see it," Grevyen told his allies.

"It's toying with us," the Lantsov boy declared as his eyes continued to search their surroundings, "conserve your ammo or we'll be dry by the time we need it."

Not even a second after he finished speaking passed when another member of his crew was dragged under the water. Despite the fear flowing through her veins, Inessa closed her eyes and focused back on locating the Sea Whip. The human heartbeats seemed to fade away before she located the creature. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she opened her eyes and looked above them. Inessa's blood instantly ran cold when she found the Sea Whip staring straight back at her.

That continued until the creature charged at her. Lucky for her, Mal saw it coming and quickly pushed Inessa out of the way. They fell into the water right as the Sea Whip disappeared under the surface. The tracker and the Heartrender soon got to their feet and prepared themselves for the creature's return.

"It sounds like it's everywhere," Nikolai muttered under his breath after hearing another growl coming from the tunnels.

Inessa didn't even try to find the Sea Whip's heartbeat again. It seemed to come naturally to her. Her eyes landed on a spot in the water where she knew the creature was. However, before she had a chance to tell her allies, the Sea Whip resurfaced and charged at the Oretsev boy. Inessa's instincts took over before she could even think. The world seemed to slow down as she jumped in front of Mal, placing herself between him and the creature.

"Inessa!" the Lantsov boy shouted, fear very evident in his voice after watching his cousin's actions.

But to everyone's surprise, the Sea Whip froze right in front of the Heartrender. It continued to snarl and growl in Inessa's face, but it didn't move an inch closer. Her hands were held out in front of her with her fingers bent and shaking. Tolya and Tamar were the first to realize what was happening, followed by everyone else surrounding them. Inessa had somehow used her abilities to take control of the Sea Whip, keeping it from attacking her and Mal. But it was taking a massive toll on the Heartrender. Sweat and tears rolled down her cheeks as she focused all her energy on the creature in front of her. Everyone could see that she wasn't going to be able to hold onto the Sea Whip for much longer.

The exhaustion in Inessa's eyes was all it took for Alina to jump into action. She held her hands together to summon enough power before aiming it at the Sea Whip. A stream of light soared through the air and hit the creature between the eyes. A loud roar shook the cave before the Sea Whip fell into the water. Everyone stared at the unmoving creature as it floated on the surface, unable to believe that Alina had taken it down.

Inessa's eyes stayed glued to Sea Whip as her breathing slowed. The adrenaline soon faded from her veins, causing her limbs to grow heavy. The next thing anyone knew, the Heartrender collapsed into the tracker's arms. The last thing Inessa saw was Mal's concerned gaze before the world fell into darkness.

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Inessa didn't know how much time had passed before she finally came back around. But she did know that she was lying in the same room where she had reunited with Nikolai. A long sigh passed over her lips as she slowly sat up, only to freeze when she found Mal staring back at her. The two of them kept their eyes locked for what felt like an eternity, neither of them knowing what to say. That was until everything came flooding back to Inessa.

"The Sea Whip. Alina took down the Sea Whip," were the first words that escaped Inessa, earning a small nod from the tracker.

"She did. Right after you saved my life," Mal responded without taking his eyes off the Heartrender.

It didn't surprise him when Inessa tensed, but he wasn't expecting her to look away from him. She was staring at her hands in a way that made it seem like she was unsettled by what she had done. Mal sat in silence as he watched the Smirnoff girl clench her hands into fists. Sadness soon appeared in her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek. The tracker was completely shocked by her reactions, unsure of what to make of it. He thought it was just the aftermath of what had happened with the Sea Whip, but those thoughts were quickly proven wrong when Inessa began speaking.

"I was still connected to the Sea Whip when it met its end. I felt its life leave its body. It was the same as M...the same as Ivan," Inessa muttered under her breath. She couldn't help but reach up to touch her sleeve that covered the single tally mark on her arm. No one had yet to discover the small tattoo, but Mal didn't fail to notice her actions. "I never wanted this. I never wanted to hurt anything or anyone. I just wanted to be a Healer."

"Inessa, look at me," Mal said, drawing the Heartrender's attention toward him, "you shouldn't be ashamed of what you did. You healed me after the Darkling's attack. You saved Alina on the skiff. And honestly, I don't think anyone in that cave would be alive without you. This isn't a curse. It's a gift. You just need to start seeing it that way."

Both of them were surprised when a small smile appeared on Inessa's lips. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"We may not have known each other for long, but I'm here for you whenever you need me," the Oretsev boy told her before he remembered how the privateer had been acting since they left the cave, "Sturmhond's really worried about you. Are you sure you haven't met before?"

The Heartrender couldn't help but tense at Mal's words before quickly shaking her feelings away. However, he was able to pick up on her emotions, and he knew there was something she was keeping from him. "He probably thinks if he loses one of us, then he loses his payment."

"Right," the tracker responded in an unconvinced tone, something that didn't go unnoticed by Inessa. But before Inessa had a chance to question him, Mal continued speaking. "We should go find the others. They're doing a ceremony to honor those we lost to the Sea Whip."

The Smirnoff girl simply nodded before slowly getting to her feet. Neither of them said a word as they climbed the steps that would take them to the top deck. Everyone was already gathered around a small barrel located in the middle of the deck. Inessa forced herself to ignore Nikolai's eyes on her as she walked over to stand beside Alina with Mal on her other side. Once everyone was settled, the Lantsov boy began speaking.

"We hold ourselves bound to this mission. To ensure that our fallen crew did not die in vain. And we honor the ultimate sacrifice that they made in our quest to find the Sea Whip. Let us bow our heads for the crew lost today," the privateer said to those surrounding him, causing everyone to copy his actions and look to the floorboards, "let the sea carry them to a safe harbor, and may the Saints receive them on a brighter shore."

Not even a second after that passed when Tolya and Tamar stepped forward and placed two scales from the Sea Whip on the barrel. Silence remained in the air until Nikolai spoke once again. "Alina, we're ready."

The Starkov girl only hesitated for a moment before walking toward the barrel. As she did that, Nikolai walked across the deck to take Alina's spot beside Inessa. The Heartrender desperately wished she could reach out to and seek comfort from her cousin. She needed him after everything that happened with the Sea Whip. But just like every other second they spent on the boat, they remained at a distance. For now, Inessa would just need to be happy with his presence by her side.

No one said a word as they stared at Alina, who was now standing in front of the barrel. It wasn't long before the Durast they had met earlier that day approached the Sun Summoner. The latter let out a shaky breath before holding her arm out toward the raven-haired woman. The Durast didn't hesitate to place one of the Sea Whip's scales on Alina's forearm. She then waved her hand over the scale, causing it to sink beneath the Starkov girl's skin. A trail of light instantly ran up Alina's arm until it reached her heart. A shocked look soon appeared on her face as she looked over at her friends, who were staring back at her with worry in their eyes.

"Are you alright?" the Durast asked, drawing Alina's attention away from Inessa and Mal and back to her.

"I'm fine," the Sun Summoner responded without an ounce of hesitation, "second scale, please."

The raven-haired woman nodded before placing the second scale in the exact same spot as the first. Everyone watched as it sank into her arm just like the previous one did. Only this time, the light that emitted from it was much brighter. The trail traveled from one hand to the other. Alina watched it move with a stoic look on her face. It wasn't long before a large grin appeared on her lips as the light continued to emit from her body. The Sun Summoner created more and more light, seeming more in control of her powers than ever before. That was until it began pulsing uncontrollably from her body.

Nikolai didn't hesitate to place himself between Inessa and Alina, blocking her from most of Alina's light. While the rest of the crew shielded their eyes, Mal slowly approached his childhood friend. As soon as he was close enough to the Sun Summoner, he took her hands into his. That was all it took for the Starkov girl's light to disappear, leaving them in darkness once again.

A large smile soon appeared on the Lantsov boy's face as he approached Alina and Mal, drawing their attention toward him. "Well then, where to now, Summoner?"

A matching smile instantly appeared on the Sun Summoner's face. "East Ravka, then the Fold."

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