𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 — into the darkness

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 𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 swiftly and Aleksa felt as though she'd had little time to breathe or even process the fact that they'd soon be stuck on a skiff filled with Grisha that had been ordered to find and kill them... as well as Aleksander himself. She still had yet to tell her Crows of what she had planned; neither knew that she had finally steeled her resolve and had decided that it was finally time for brother and sister to meet again.

 Kaz would have likely asked Jesper to bind her with rope and hold a gun to her head throughout the journey, and she had no doubt that Jesper would happily oblige. She could only imagine what Inej would think... though, the difference was that whilst Inej would have been terrified and would try to talk her out of it, the Wraith had a brother of her own and knew how much it stung to be apart. Granted, Inej's brother likely wasn't a Shadow Summoner with a harsh temper and plans that weren't likely to be good.

 Her hands hadn't stopped shaking and Aleksa had taken to tucking them in her pockets as she trailed behind her Crows, watching as they slowly trudged past cobble and dirt to reach the encampment. She watched their silly hats bob atop their heads. A sliver of Inej's silky black hair peeked through, Jesper sauntered forwards as though he was simply walking to the sweet shop, and Kaz looked just as he always did.

 Cas had joined her, his talons lightly tucked into her shoulder as one of his beaks nibbled away at the brim of her own stupid hat. She was draped in Kaz's coat with the collar pulled up to obscure as much of her face as possible; it had been Kaz that had grasped them and set them into place. Her hat was tilted, casting a shadow over her wonderful features and her hair had been stuffed into her hat with great difficulty.

 Cas, ever the odd little thing that he was, cawed lightly into her ear. The animal had always been in tune with her, able to recognise unease especially well. He ruffled his feathers and tucked his left head into her cheek, causing her to let a small and soft laugh tumble from torn-up lips.

 Kaz was the one to look over his shoulder at the sound. Aleksa had half expected him to glower at the bird, but he merely blinked and slowed his steps until just Inej and Jesper trailed in front of them, animatedly chatting as they went.

 Her own steps fastened, catching up to the Bastard.

 "Do you have to take the bird with you?" Kaz frowned, eyes darting to the bird who promptly opened his eyes and made him want to recoil. Perhaps, had it only possessed one head and didn't have the insatiable desire to cling to him and tear apart his furniture, he might have liked the thing.

 "We could leave you behind, Cas could take your place," Aleksa bumped her cheek into the bird, "Look, he even has your taste in fashion."

 Cas's feathers gleamed like oil beneath the sunlight, and Kaz almost spared a glance down at his ensemble. Whilst Jesper had donned an entirely new outfit and inej had grumbled as she slipped into a coat at least two sizes too large for her, he remained in the outfit he'd arrived in. The most colour one could spot would have been the light gold detailing on his waistcoat, but even that was covered by his billowing coat.

 "You're hilarious," Kaz stated, his tone unwavering.

 "Thank you for finally noticing."

 He hummed and the sound echoed at the very back of his throat as he looked her over once more, dutifully ignoring the bird that somehow sought both his, and Aleksa's attention at once.

 He had noticed her silence, it was almost deafening. He had seen her shaking hands before she had concealed them in the pockets of the coat she'd nabbed from him.

 "We'll get to Ketterdam." He said.

 She knew wanted to agree, but would they? Would all of them? The chances of approaching Aleksander and getting away after were slim to none. He'd either get his Heartrenders to slow her pulse until she toppled to the ground, or he'd haul her back to the palace himself.

 Kaz had said it with conviction, that determined spark in his eye that would always appear before a heist; but how could he possibly determine the outcome if he didn't have all the information?

 Aleksa said nothing, and it only made Kaz narrow his eyes.

 "You're planning something." Kaz pushed, "You said I have a," He tested the words in his mouth with the utmost disgust, "Scheming face but you have your tells too. Don't do anything stupid."

 "I'm not stupid, Kaz."

 There it was again, the use of his name in favour of her infuriating pet name.

 "No, you're not. So don't start being an idiot now —" he was going to continue with a small lecture, perhaps a short declaration of how he needed his Crows, all of them, but she most of all. It died on his tongue like a leaf in the snow.

 They remained in a bout of silence only broken by the dull thud of his cane, the light chatter from Jesper and Inej and the small chirps from Cas.

 The Military camp was positively bustling.

 There had been whispers from those ready to travel on the skiff of the Sun Summoner; people praised her name, though there were others who doubted her abilities. Such people worried their lips with their teeth or scoffed at the mention of her name.

 Aleksa couldn't have cared less about what they thought of Alina Starkov; all that mattered was that she was a girl with a gift, and that gift was needed. She was neither Saint nor a myth; just a girl. She could call the night with her fingertips, just as Aleksa and Aleksander could call the darkness. She was their opposite and the whispers said she was there to tear down the Fold.

 If that were the case, if Aleksander stepped forwards with Alina by his side, arms poised to tear the Fold down after years of having a scar on their world; Aleksa would happily join them. She would do the very thing she had never wanted to do again and reach out her fingertips to caress the wall of shadows.

 "Consider yourself lucky," the guard behind the checkpoint stated, "You're travelling with the Black General and the Sun Summoner, which means you are to witness the destruction of the Fold."

 The desk was littered with papers and passes. Ink stained the man's fingers from stamping documents the moment the sun had glowed across the horizon. Aleksa considered him, he wasn't much to look at, but perhaps her standards were high.

 Their documents were ready and waiting, all pinched between their fingers and ready to be handed over. Aleksa knew that Kaz's penmanship was a honed skill he'd crafted over time, and he'd taken care to edit their documents to seem as real as they needed. But things could go wrong, and in Aleksa's mind, a little charm couldn't hurt.

 Jesper was first, his royal blue coat looked magnificent tossed over his plaid suit; his skin positively shined beneath the beating sun, yet the guard didn't seem as taken with him... for when Jesper slid his documents over with a wink and stated, "I know, I look amazing for my age."

 The guard only rose a brow as he skimmed the documents once more, "I thought you looked older."

 Aleksa had outright chuckled as she planted a hand on Jespers back and pushed him forwards, handing her own slip of paper over. Jesper scowled without malice as he watched her bat those long, black lashes, her hand pressed to her heart, "I hope you don't say the same thing about me."

 The fluttering lashes and honeyed tone were enough for the guard to sit straighter and smooth out the wrinkles of his jacket, "Of course not." He grinned. He had a missing tooth, "Come to see the Sun Summoner?"

 "Of course," Aleksa gushed, her voice unnaturally high as she leaned on the desk, "Will you be coming along?"

 Kaz refrained from scoffing, the guard looked far too pleased with himself.

 "'Fraid not," The guard said as he tossed the slip of paper to the side.

 "Hm." Aleksa forced a frown on her face, "Perhaps we'll run into you on our next visit?"

 She didn't give the guard time to speak up as she joined Jesper's side, nudging the gangly boy as he sniggered at her. Her words, however, had clearly done the trick as the guard hadn't paid a sliver of attention to her papers, and he simply skimmed over both Inej's as well as Kaz's.

 Kaz had a sneer on his face when he'd passed over his papers and it had only come to his attention then, when he had to school it, that he was frowning far more than usual. His lips tended to sit in a straight and stoic line; keeping all emotion concealed and at bay.

 His eyes flickered to Aleksa who walked between himself and Jesper. It always happened when she turned her charm on and used it to her advantage. He'd never speak up and tell her to quit it, for in most cases it benefited them... Even still, he hated that swarm in his gullet that erupted.

 Aleksa halted in her steps, her heart seizing as though a cold hand had torn through her chest and grasped it tight. Just ahead of them was Aleksander, Alina by his side. Her brother looked as he always did; he was draped in black, his kefta embroidered with shadows as dark as his eyes.

 He looked intimidating, his frame tall as he kept his head held high.

 Alina looked like the very Saint people like to pretend she was; the dull and ratty coat they'd last seen her sporting was far gone, and now she modelled a luxurious golden gown with black embroidery. Her hair had been wrangled to sit at the back of her skull in an intricate knot, decorated with a golden ornament that glinted in the sunlight; she didn't look happy.

 "What is it?" Jesper muttered from beside her.

 Aleksa shook her head, curled her arm through Jespers and tugged him along to walk in line with the others.

 Alina looked just as she had when they last encountered her; her lips were downturned, her brows furrowed with a small line settled between them, and there was no missing the tightening of her jaw when Aleksander had whispered something to her. If she was setting off to spare the world of the Fold after so many years of being divided, she'd have been happy, elated. Neither of those words were fit to describe the girl.

 Maybe it was hope, or perhaps foolishness that had made Aleksa hold onto whatever shred of kindness she believed her brother to have. The flash of a smile he'd offer her. The warmth of his hand when he'd cupped her chubby cheeks back when he'd found her in the orphanage. Maybe she was making excuses for being the same little girl he'd picked up; the one desperate for a family to love her, for anybody to love her.

 It all came crashing down in a sudden icy wave as she continued to walk arm-in-arm with Jesper, well aware of the look Kaz had thrown her way. He knew something was off with her, maybe he was entirely in tune with her own thoughts; thoughts that pertained to Aleksander. He wasn't who she had thought he was.

 There was a blur smeared over her memories of him, one that made his anger seem like love, one that made his harsh strikes seem like a simple means of discipline. It made him seem good, but he wasn't. She wanted to scream as she watched Aleksander grow closer to the skiff with Alina in tow.

 She had been blinded by her thirst for love. Aleksa, from the moment she had been born, had only ever wanted somebody to care about her and she knew now that Aleksander must have taken advantage of that.

 Her own brother.

 Still, she believed deep down that he cared for her, and that small sliver of misplaced hope was enough for her lips to clamp shut and for her to tread on, closer to the skiff.

 The Crows had found their place on the skiff; they had tucked themselves away towards the back with their eyes glued to the very front where it seemed as though a spotlight shined on the Sun Summoner and the General by her side.

 There was an assortment of passengers joining them for the light show that had been promised; for the freedom that had been promised; from a smattering of Kerch and Ravkan merchants to a handful of Fjerdan diplomates.

 The crowd concealed them and they would soon blend in with the Fold; Aleksa could hear them all muttering, joyous words of praise for the Sun Summoner that would finally rid the world of its ugly scar, to a few grumbles at the lack of seating.

 Aleksa, however, couldn't quell the tremor that wracked her hands. She had curled her fingers into her palm, crescents being carved into her own flesh, and she was sure that if she applied even the slightest bit of pressure... she'd soon have blood coating her fingertips.

 She could see him, Aleksander, so close and yet he felt further than ever as he kept his lips straight in a carefully crafted line; he gave nothing away even as he leaned closer to Alina and whispered something unknown into her ear.

 The Sun Summoner had recoiled, but neither the Crows nor the other passengers could see her face as she kept her eyes concentrated on the Fold. The wall of darkness seemed to thrive at the prospect of prey for its monsters. The shadows churned and shuddered, it seemed to growl like a ravenous beast.

 Aleksa felt a hand curl around her wrist, tugging it free from her pocket; Inej.

 Inej Ghafa slipped her fingers through Aleksas without a word. She ignored the shaking that rattled against her, the sweat that clung to Aleksa's flesh, even the light splotch of blood all in favour of offering some comfort.

 Kaz watched them, his own fingers curling around his cane as he bit his tongue.

 "Good news?" Jesper spoke into the unsettling silence that had cascaded around the Crows, "It's just as terrifying as I remember."

 Aleksa's brows curled together, "How is that good news?"

 "I dunno. Thought it'd try and break the tension."

 Inej rolled her eyes and planted her temple upon Aleksa's shoulder, ignoring the chirp from Cas who had planted himself on the Shadow Summoner's other shoulder, "Except this time we are going in completely exposed."

 It really was a terrible plan, and even Kaz knew it — though he could have done without Inej's jabs and jibes, — but there was nothing else to be done. No other way to cross the Fold. It was a chance they had to take, they could only hope that the Sun Summoner would be enough to get them through unscathed.

 Aleksa's fingers tightened around Inej's as a loud clap of thunder reverberated throughout the Fold; it was a warning bell, and more unfortunately, a dinner bell. The shadows curled and twisted like unruly vines, like snakes suffocating their prey.

 The Grisha spared a glance at the other passengers, all of them — or most of them — were otkazat'sya, and yet even without the power of a Grisha or the training of an assassin or sharpshooter, they were all far less jittery than she.

 Jesper, ever the delightful boy who could be counted on to fill any expanse of silence with his happy-go-lucky attitude, flung his arm around Aleksa's shoulder. He ignored Inej's huff as his hand bumped her hat, and brushed off the light squawk from Cas as the bird hopped from his place, easily landing upon Kaz's shoulder, "If I'm meant to die today and either of you survive, make sure I have an open casket."

 "No one's dying today," Kaz said with finality, surprising his crows and even himself. He rolled his shoulder, feeling the bird's talons pinching through his coat.

 Aleksa didn't know if she thought Kaz was wrong or right; there was no way to truly tell. One of them could very well die before the skiff arrived at its destination. Everything or nothing could go wrong.

 Her side ached again.

 The Shadow Summoner relished in the warmth from Jesper and Inej, and with conviction, she swallowed the lump in her throat and met Kaz's piercing stare, "No mourners."

 "No funerals."

 They said nothing more to one another as they felt the skiff shift. A Squallor moved her hands and the sails erupted, sending them towards the mass of darkness that would either swallow them whole or spit them out the other side.

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DATE: 02-01-2022

:･ﾟ★so the skiff scene is further on than i thought el-oh-el. SORRY <3

as recompense, the next chapter brings mal to the crows and certain revelations about 'aleksander' to light, and then... the chapter after? THEN the confrontation happens ;)

just FIVE chapters left for this act!

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