09||NOT MY HOMELAND

It was a cold morning as Anya balanced herself inside the carriage, each of them dressing themselves in something a little warmer one by one, shucking her kefta over her shoulders. Her hand turned the doorknob before she jumped out, boots hitting the ground. "So, where are we now?" Jesper looked around him as he answered. "Ryevost." The night before, the sharpshooter had explained to the crows that, much to everyone's surprise, Alina had conveniently crawled into the trunk of their carriage and that she'd probably try to get out at the first stop in the morning. He was not wrong.

The quartet wheeled around, Kaz gripping his cane, the Zemeni man whisking his coat back a little to show of his revolvers while Inej and the raven-haired stood next to them with their arms crossed. A little voice whispered in her head as she stood there. 'Let her go.' The Oryalen woman knew it was the right thing to do, despite what she agreed on with the crows when she first arrived at Ketterdam. She realized she would have to betray them, a knot forming in her stomach as she knew all too well herself how much it hurt when someone betrayed her trust. The only thing she could hope for right now is forgiveness.

The young grisha woman could imagine the Starkov woman's hurt expression when she crawled out the trunk and saw her so she promised her one thing. She would not let them take her. The lock of the box started to glow, the wood around it sizzling at the heat. With a dull thud, the lock was punched out of its container, the point of a pair of siccors peaking through. With a creak, the trunk opened, a confused sun summoner crawling out as she looked at the four people blocking her way. Her eyes widened as they landed on the inferni, not believing that she was here.

"Look we know a way across the fold. You can come with us." the sharpshooter started. "I think I'd rather find a way on my own." Alina almost bit, moving around before the young barrel boss' cane hit the side of the carriage, blocking her way. "I'm afraid we can't let that happen." The Keramzin woman's eyes narrowed at his words. "Let me pass." she repeated. When the Fahey man and dirtyhands looked at each other, the wraith and Anya shared a look. 'Cover your eyes.' In a split second, the raven-haired and the dagger expert put their arms over their eyes, Jesper and the bastard of the barrel cruppling to the ground with a groan as the light blinded them.

With her hands still raised, Alina turned to Inej, her hands raised to show her no harm, her eyes kind. As she turned to the Oryalen woman, her face seemed to soften slightly, but not enough to show that she had let her guard down. "Go." She said to the young Starkov woman, who smiled. Her arms wrapped themselves around the young grisha woman in a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered before she ran of, darting in between the streets of Ryevost. Kaz and the Zemeni man stirred from their dazed state as they stood upright, the previous leaning on his cane. As soon as the young barrel boss' eyes landed on the unharmed wraith and inferni, his icy eyes narrowed in discontent as his lips twisted. But he spoke no words to them that moment, sending the sharpshooter out to look for the target they had let go. His silence spoke volumes, so much that it was deafening.

An hour had gone by and dusk was quickly falling, stars in the sky replacing the rays of the sun. The Ghafa woman had found a nondescript tavern where three of them sat down while the Fahey man tinkered away at a bomb trap in the stolen carriage. "So?" Dirtyhands finally spoke, his gloved hands tightening over the crows head in his cane as he clenched his jaw. "So what?" Anya replied, folding her arms as she leaned back in her chair, staring at him intently. "Are you two going to tell me how the target got away?" He asked, his tone demanding as he looked back up, his eyes boring into the raven-haired. The dagger expert and her locked eyes before she spoke. "We let her go."

The bastard of the barrel's nose flared, closing his eyes for a second before he regarded the two of them sternly. "The two of you were hired to do a job." He almost snapped. "Yes, pick up a fake for an easy million kruge. We found a living saint who can summon the sun." Inej protested, her hands gesticulating as she looked at her boss in disbelief. "A good magician is a good con artist. The trick is to make it look real." Kaz replied coldly, a coin flickering between his fingers before they disappeared. "Kaz..." the Oryalen woman started as she breathed in deeply. "You know my opinion is between the two of you but...Inej is right. Alina isn't a fake. I saw it with my own two eyes." She replied, taking a sip from her drink. "You saw it yourself." The wraith added. "The best illusions are the most convincing." The young barrel boss denied as he leaned back in his chair, not even looking at them.

"Hide behind your cynicism all you want but I believe she's the real thing." The Ghafa woman chastised as she rolled her eyes and folded her arms. The young grisha woman pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing that it would turn into a fight, knowing that they could use anything but that in the moment. "I don't see any of you falling to your knees for every squaller or heartrender we meet." Dirtyhands seemed to bristle subtly, his eyes hardening like the cold walls of the ice court, seething beneath his skin. 'Saints, it's like sitting between two hissing cats.' The inferni thought to herself, annoyance bubbling over in a way that it would not surprise her if she ended up stabbing the table to get some silence.

"Kaz-" she started, trying to come in between the two before the dagger expert interrupted her. "This. Is. Different. Her power is a miracle! And she isn't the only living saint you saw that day, as much as you don't want to admit it." The bastard of the barrel leaned forward menacingly, his eyes narrowing at his friend. "Pious as that may be, we cannot work effectively as a crew if you're making decisions based on religious zeal!" He hissed. 'Well shit.' For a split second, Inej looked taken aback by his words, offense written across her face before it switched to anger. "Is that a threat to return me to Heleen?" She bit at him. "Either we get the target or Heleen gets the crow club and Pekka gets whatever is left." Kaz breathed, nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply in frustration. Anya furrowed her brow, suspicion crawling up her spine. "Kaz what the hell are you talking about?" He looked away, not daring to look her or any of the two in the eye before he stood up and walked away.

"I won't betray my faith." The wraith muttered, leaning back. "I know." The raven-haired replied with a deep sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. There was a somewhat peaceful silence that the Ghafa woman decided to break when she spoke. "You said that your belief is between mine and Kaz's. Why?" The Oryalen woman tossed her head back, obsidian eyes staring at the ceiling as she looked up with a slight frown. "I don't know. I feel like part of me, the child in me, still wants to believe in all those things." The young grisha woman smiled softly as she spoke, her eyes closed as if she was trying to recite some deep memory. "Amazing people with power beyond limits, capable of doing great things. But then I realized that sometimes history spins its own twist onto stories." She turned her head, looking at the dagger expert, her eyes turned cold and hard. "So who knows what's true and what's false? It used to bring me hope, thinking that they would help me, that they would come for me in my time of need, but they didn't..."

Inej quirked an eyebrow at her words. "Why is having hope such a bad thing?" The inferni chuckled darkly before she took a deep breath, the look in her eyes steeling ahead. "The promise of hope, even just the glimmer of it, can be so cruel when it twists you, leaves you with nothing, leaves you for dead. Hope kills." Her voice wavered ever so slightly, the pain and heartache that gripped her anguished soul palpable for the wraith. "Let it go. Once you let go of the shackles hope has on your heart, only then will you truly be free." The Ghafa woman looked worriedly at her friend, who had fought and fought and had lost everything and everyone along the way. "You believe the saints have forsaken you but they haven't. They are with us in the most subtle of ways. Bringing us the people we need in our lives exactly when they mean to." Her hand squeezed Anya's with a smile on her face, who's lips corner turned up a little in turn, and she hoped that she felt the support she was channeling towards her.

"I admire your persistence." The raven-haired laughed, sitting back upright to sip from her drink. "I try." The dagger expert commented with a sly smirk as she sipped from her own. "Inej?" The Oryalen woman's voice asked carefully. "Yeah?" She replied, her gaze fixed on her friend once more. "You don't think I am one of them, do you? Of the saints?" The young grisha woman hesitated, as if she was afraid to ask. Inej looked down at her cup, sloshing what was left around, weighing her words carefully. "And what if I do? Would that be such a bad thing?" She finally inquired, looking the inferni dead sure in the eye. "I don't-" she took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I don't know if I'm being honest."

______________*~【☀️】~*_____________

A few minutes trickled by as the the young barrel boss returning, after having cooled down, and Jesper from setting up the bomb. "Alarm trigger is set. Horses are ready and I've stashed our gear." He said. Dirtyhands pulled a watch out of his pocket, a golden chain latched onto it that kept it attached to him, the casing slightly scuffed off, the dials dutifully ticking as they spun over a small planetary constellation. "Fancy." The inferni teased, earning a quirked eyebrow from the bastard of the barrel. "If we don't move soon, if we aren't careful, the general will be on top of us." He finally said, swishing the picket watch back into his coat. "Can't waist any more time looking for the girl."

"Alina."

"The target you helped escape."

"Saints, who stepped on your feet and shoved lemon in your mouth?"

The Zemeni almost slid of his chair with a groan before the wraith joined the fray. "I just settled the tab with the last of our coin." She grumbled a little as she sat back down. "So we got nothing to show for our efforts? We're going to leave empty handed?" The sharpshooter complained, earning a sour look from Kaz. 'Sour puss.' Anya thought to herself, careful not to smile at the thought. A shiver ran down her spine, the hairs on her neck standing upright. Something was wrong.

It was only a split second later that an enormous bang resonated from the town square, screams and shouts of fear following closely. Goosebumps shivered over her skin, a pool of dread churning in her stomaxhe as she spoke, hesitantly like a whisper. "He's here." The young barrel boss twisted in his seat, from the window back to the crows. "Split up. It is much easier to take a grisha one on one then a whole squad of them. Rendezvous at the fountain." The four of them nodded, dashing out the tavern, the Fahey man's guns drawn, the Ghafa woman with her fingers inching towards her daggers, the raven-haired's hands itching to summon the flames if necessary and Dirtyhands clutching his battering ram of a cane.

As people streamed out and the group came to a halt outside on the cobblestone road, their breath hitched slightly, standing eye to eye with three grisha. Ivan, Polina and Zoya stood there in front the Oryalen woman, the latter especially having a look of betrayal crossing her eyes once she recognized the young grishawoman behind the half veil. 'See the truth Zoya.' She pleaded, anger twisting inside her. The blonde's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the dagger expert, a deep howl of pain leaving her lips. "MOVE." The bastard of barrel shouted as her fingers flickered, launching a flame at them like a cannonball.

Inej vaulted through an open window in a wall, Jesper turning to run through a laundromat, Kaz making his way through the tavern as Anya walked another path, darting between alleyway before climbing ontop off a roof, hearing the Nazyalensky woman scorn the other inferni for lashing out. Not a second later, she spotted the heartrender going after the Zemeni man, Polina's booth gritting against the ground as she chased the wraith. The dark haired woman of the three ran into a crowd, desperately trying to get through before huffing in annoyance as she summoned an airstream to separate them, clutching the shoulder of a man with a hat, turning him around only to grumble that it wasn't the young barrel boss. It almost made the raven-haired laugh. She couldn't stay here much longer, running away over the rooftops, careful not to slip as she jumped from house to house. And yet, something bugged her. Where was he? Where was Kirigan?

The Oryalen woman had walked over several rooftops after a few minutes before looking down, ducking low as a sliver of black seemed to move in the corner of her eye. If she could hide then so could he. The young barrel boss limped through the cobbled Street below, suddenly freezing in his steps. And that's when the young grisha woman saw him. There, across from her friend, stood the general with a determined look cast in his eyes as he stepped out of the shadows. "Where are they? I know you kidnapped my sun summoner. And I know you have miss Oryalen." He started as he walked forward menacingly. "And now, you're going to tell me where they are and bring them to me." Dirtyhands narrowed his eyes at him as he spoke. "We didn't take them. They both fled on their own."

The shadow summoner halted in his steps, quirking an eyebrow in disbelief before he scoffed. "Now, I know that's a lie. In fact, I even know that the inferni left with you. Now, I won't ask again, so tell me, where. is. she?" He hissed at the other man through his teeth. "I don't know. It was pretty clear that neither of them were interested in being a captive anymore." The bastard of the barrel almost sneered in distaste. "They're probably on a ship off to saints know where." The darkling closed his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment as shadows gathered around him, cloaking him in darkness. Enough was enough. "I'm right here." The inferni's voice finally rang out, standing as tall as she could before dropping down from the roof in front of Kaz.

"And what is it that you hope to achieve of this futile attempt of rebellion?" The black general questioned as he inclined his head, his attention now fixed on her. Anya scoffed at him. "Futile isn't the word I'd use." He almost laughed at her words, seemingly enjoying this. "No? Then exactly what word would you have me use?" Kirigan retored quickly. "How about deserter or traitor?" He suggested. "Or perhaps a more suitable word like heretic?" He taunted, taking a step, taking two steps towards her, his dark eyes looking into hers. "If you continue down this path, I will brand you as one. You will be persecuted across the country, the world maybe even." The raven-haired's brow furrowed. "But?" She asked, sensing that there was one before he had even finished. "Clever girl." The general commented condescendingly.

"You could come back. I will take you back in, give you back your position in the army. I might even forgive you without punishment. All as long as you come back with me, back to little palace. Back home where you belong." He finished, extending a hand. The Oryalen felt her head spin as she looked at his inviting hand. She could take it, go back to him but then everything, all those people, all her friends, their sacrifices would have been for nothing if she'd let him win. "And be your pawn again? No." She spat a him. "You believe this is a game, and you may be right. But if you think you can play it better than me, think again." Her eyes narrowed, sensing the young barrel boss' need, his call, to get out of here and run, swearing she could've seen a sliver of regret in the shadow summoner's dark eyes. "What happened to us?" He asked, his voice wavering as if it would almost break. "Time did." The young grisha woman simply answered.

His eyes darkened as she backed away, slowly ushering dirtyhands behind her. "If you do this...' he started, his voice threatening as if it dripped in venom '...you will not know peace." The inferni swallowed visibly, the muscles in her limbs screaming for her to go. "I will run away." She retorted. "And I will chase you." It was as if he no longer was the man she knew. Or perhaps she never really knew him at all. The darkling's fingers itched, the shadows around him gathering, billowing like whisps in the wind, before he spoke, his voice ancient and terrifying. "If you're determined to think me a monster, then fine. I'll play your monster." Shadows gathered in front of him, a large blade only growing as it seemed to pull the darkness it. She froze. "Anya..." the bastard of the barrel whispered with a warning, pulling something out of his pocket. Before she even realized, Anya felt a hand latch around her wrist, pulling her away into an alley as a loud smoke bomb hid their escape.

Kaz had pulled the raven-haired out of the way, water churning violently at his feet as it rose before he let go, running and running, ignoring the pain in his leg, forging ahead as he listened around him, hearing her footsteps right behind him. 'She wouldn't even have been in that situation if it wasn't for you.' The voice in his head laughed, mocking him. He took a deep breath once they were far enough, hiding inside the alcove of a house, sitting down as he rubbed his leg slightly. "I-" The Oryalen woman started before the young barrel boss raised his hand, silencing her in a split second before she shot him a look with a raised eyebrow. "The sun will be coming up soon. We need to get to the fountain as fast as we can. With any luck, Jesper will have the horses ready and we can get away quickly."

Dirtyhands clenched his jaw as the young grisha woman looked down at him, leaning against a pillar, avoiding her gaze. She could've sworn she saw a vein twitch on the side of his head. "Kaz-" Once more he cut her off as he stood up, moving past her to continue walking. "Let's get going." The bastard of the barrel stated briskly, the inferni letting out a deep and annoyed sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose before following him. It didn't take long before the duo had reached the fountain, none of the others present. 'Well that doesn't make it any more awkward or anything.' Anya thought as she crossed her arms, Kaz's cane tapping the stone ground impatiently as he paced around. "I'm sure they'll be fine." The raven-haired assured, earning a withering glare from the young barrel boss for even suggesting that he was worried.

It was a few minutes later that the sharpshooter turned up, slightly out of breath. "Heartrender is unconscious." He said as his breath calmed down. "Inej?" The Oryalen woman asked only for the man to shake his head. "That inferni went after her, and she was really angry. Wouldn't want to cross her. Tell me are all inferni's like that?" The Fahey man joked. "No Jesper we are not, Polina is just a pompous bitch." Without missing a heartbeat, the Ghafa woman's form dropped down in front of them. She peaned heavily against the wall as she clutched her side, her hand coming away red with blood. "Inej." Dirtyhands uttered almost concerned as Jesper and the young grisha woman supported her weight.

"She can't manage a horse. Even double isn't going to work." The other man explained, concern laced in his voice. "And we can't walk either. Not unless you guys want to risk getting caught by the general." The inferni added. "I got you guys into this mess with him, I will get you out." She said looking at the other crows. "And after?" The Zemeni man wondered, his brow furrowing. "I- we part ways I suppose." Anya answered softly, hesitantly. The bastard of the barrel looked around frantically, before his eyes landed on an obsidian carriage, the decorative edges on the door and top made of shining silver. "That's a nice ride." He said with a smirk, his friend agreeing with him. The raven-haired looked up, eyeing the carriage as her eyes went wide, locking eyes with the sharpshooter before locking eyes with Kaz. "No! Are you two mad?!" She hissed at him.

"Yes."

"Do you have a better idea then?"

The Oryalen sighed at the young barrel boss' words as she looked at her hurt friend. "No. I don't." She gently sat the dagger expert down on the edge of the fountain as the two others stood aside alittle. "Keep pressing on that. Are you okay?" The young grisha woman asked her. "I'll be fine if I get to stitch this soon." Inej said with a grunt as she smiled. "So what's the plan exactly?" she asked. "Steal the darkling's carriage and get the fuck out of here? Kaz isn't much one for telling his full plan or back-ups I pressume." The inferni joked, looking at him over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow as a smirk played her lips. "We've got to get moving." He retorted, turning around as he walked towards the carriage with her and Jesper in tow after the wraith assured them that she'd be fine on her own for a few seconds. "Besides, someone needs to be look-out." She reasoned.

"Knowing Kirigan, there has got to be an Oprichnik near the carriage. They'll need to be taken out." Anya noted, eyes darting around until she spotted the familiar onyx fur hat with red and black cape further ahead. "We'll handle the carriage. It moves slightly from time to time, so someone is inside." Dirtyhands started. "Jesper, you flush them out on the side of the town square. When they get out on the other side, I'll knock them out." The Zemeni man nodded at their words with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Smart." The raven-haired pulled the hood that was tucked under her kefta over her head, keeping low as she approached the Oprichnik in utter silence, hiding in the shadows the houses casted. In a blink, her hand snaked around his head, her hand pressed over his mouth as she pinched his nose closed, locking her arms tightly over his. In a panic, he slammed his back against the wall, the Oryalen woman letting out a groan as she was caught in between but hanging onto him as his grip slackened and he started to slump down, eventually landing with his face in the dirt. "Thank the saints." She groaned.

She rounded the corner, just in time to see the bastard of the barrel's cane arch down as he wacked his victim unconscious. "He threw a book at me!" The sharpshooter complained as she walked over, seeing David's unconscious nobody slumped on the floor. "Oh. It's David. I liked him, he helped me with these." The young grisha woman said, holding up an uncovered wrist to show her scales before dragging the durast and propping him against a wall. She groaned as she stretched out, letting out an inhumane sound. "What's up with you?" The Ghafa woman wondered as she hobbled over. "Oprichnik is unconscious but not before slamming me against a stone wall a few times. Nothing I won't survive." The inferni laughed as she flashed a smile, helping her friend inside.

"So?" Kaz's voice asked as he suddenly stood beside her, making her jump slightly. "So what?" Anya replied simply, leaning against the carriage with the other two inside. "Is this where we part ways?" The young barrel boss inquired, his icy eyes locking with her obsidian ones. She looked up at him from where she stood before giving him a small smile. "You're not getting rid of me just yet." She replied. "Kirigan loves his carriages so who knows. Maybe he'll send someone after us. Maybe not." She shrugged her shoulders as she moved around him, hoisting herself up on the carriage driver's seat. "Best to be careful. Now get in. I'll drive first." The raven-haired said, motioning for him to get in. With one last look, he nodded, stepping inside the carriage before they rode off, the rays of the risen sun cloaking them in light.

°°°°°°°°°°°°
Absolutely no beta,
we die like grisha.

ANWAY😃

Only two more chapters
and an epilogue (will post 11
and the epilogue itself
together) to go and this
story will come to an end.
Are you guys ready for it?
I know I'm not haha.

We have also officially
surpassed the 50k minimum
for the wattys, so here's
to 53 460 words!

The little authors note
for this chapter is short
so I declare, enjoy the memes
that this chapter brings.