Reunions

THEY FLED THE SKIFF AS SOON AS THEY COULD. It landed half inside the Fold and no one wanted to stay near it.  The survivors collected a mile from the Fold. Once enough twigs and branches, they started a fire. Milo, to their surprise, didn't even bother to run. He instead trailed after Jesper happily. It seemed he'd imprinted or something.

Serafima thought this meant she was safe to work thought the metal process of her sister suddenly appearing. Sometimes things seemed too convent. Even though she knew she'd have to say something, but she could just see it going wrong. It didn't make sense. It was her life goal to find Nonna since she'd fled the Little Palace, yet as soon as it happened she couldn't bring herself to even approach her. Maybe it was a sign that Nonna didn't remember her.

Then Minke decided to delay the enviable by ambushing her on her way to the camp.

"How did you do that?" Minke asked.

"Do what?" Serafima asked.

Minke nodded back towards the skiff. It sat exactly the same as it was when they left it. A damaged mess, one of it's masts slashed in half, but not particularly special. Not anything that made Minke's comment make sense.

"What is your point, Minke?" Serafima insisted.

"What is my point?" Minke waved toward the skiff. "You cut the mast in half! That's amazing, I didn't even know you could do that."

Oh. That. Minke was making a big deal out of nothing. People were always shocked by it, but water could do some damage when concentrated with enough pressure. Hit anything his excitement was embarrassing. Or maybe she just wasn't use to being praised for her grisha abilities, or praised at all for anything.

"Oh, come on," Minke scoffed. "You have this amazing gift, I don't know why you keep trying to hide that."

"And I don't know why you keep nagging me about it," Serafima hissed.

Minke threw his hands up and stormed off. Serafima didn't know why he was the exasperated one. He wasn't the one who was getting lectured about how to use his abilities. After all, she didn't go around telling him how to pick pocket someone, or the like. What did he know? Self-important asshole.

"Serafima?"

Serafima nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to find Nonna had found herself right behind her. Saints, when had Nonna gotten so good at sneaking? It wasn't like her...at least the version of her Serafima remembered. But the version Serafima remembered would have never joined in a plot to murder a man, so it seemed Nonna had changed just as much as Serafima herself had.

"I thought," Nonna took deep breath. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Neither did I..." Serafima admitted. 

Nonna took it as a sign. She barreled into Serafima, wrapping her in a tearful hug. Serafima returned it tentatively. Something broke. Serafima knew she should have been just as emotional. The anger and resentment left, but instead of being replaced with joy, it just left an empty chasm. A gaping hole left in her chest.

Still, Serafima forced a smile when Nonna pulled away. It made her face ache.

"I missed you so much," Nonna wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. "I wish I left with you."

"And I'm glad you didn't. At least you where safe," Serafima admitted. "Ketterdam would have killed you."

"Maybe," Nonna gave a watery smile. She glanced over Serafima's shoulder. "But it seemed to fine by you."

Serafima turned. The crows had integrated their new companions in perfectly. Already Minke was fawning over Zoya, who accepted the attention with ease, while Inej and Alina huddled together by the fire. Sveta sat with them, arms wrapped around Inej's. Serafima wasn't surprised. Inej seemed like the sort to be good with kids. Mal hovered between everyone, as if he was trying to befriend everyone at once. Only Kaz sat off on his own, but that was typical for him.

"They're rather nice for kidnappers and criminals," Nonna said. "Once they're not pointing guns at you."

"Oh, don't let them fool you. Kaz is called Dirtyhands for a reason," Serafima said. Then she paused, and added, "Minke looks scarier than he is, though. Same with Inej. And Jesper's a pest, but he's our pest."

"So...I'm right and they're completely harmless?"

"Only if we friends."

"Good thing we are," Nonna said.

Then Nonna smirked at her. Serafima scoffed and shoved Nonna's shoulder. What a sly little shit. Assuming they were friends. Clearly befriending a Saint had gone to her head. Serafima was impressed, but made a note to never let her around the Barrel's gangs for her own safety.

They joined the group just as they started on their separate ways.

"So...will you still be trying to kidnap me?" Alina asked reluctantly.

"'Course not," Jesper said.

"Have you found religion, too?" Kaz asked.

"No, it's just...Inej said we couldn't, and we'd quite like to stay on her good side," Minke said. In a mock whisper he added, "Likely to stab you, that one is."

"Oh, shut up," Inej slapped his arm.

"See, look at that! She's already slapping people," Jesper cried. "And besides, it's bad form to kidnap someone after they saved your life, isn't it."

A fair point. Besides, it seemed like fate preferred Alina free for the moment. Serafima didn't want to end up volcra food like the last person who tried to hold her hostage.

"You're quite valuable, you know?" Kaz said. Like he could do anything about it.

Alina stepped forwards. She passed an ornate necklace to Kaz. He took it from her hand, careful to only touch the metal.

"I saw this on a portrait of one of the queens in the Little Palace," Kaz said.

"It's not a gift," Alina interrupted. "It's to keep quiet about who I am. Where I go from here."

That Kaz Brekker could respect. He pocketed the necklace and shook her hand. The deal was set. From this day on, they'd never met the sun summoner in their life. Alina threw her kefta into the flames, and with that, it was like she'd never existed at all. She fiend towards the Fold, staring into the darkness.

"I know that look," Mal went to stand next to her, "You're staring down your new bully."

"We're worse off than we were before, Mal. Kirgian turned on his own people — " Alina started.

"Okay," Mal interrupted. Alina took a deep breath. "You're not ready yet."

"Neither where they..."

"That's not your fault," Mal said.

"Who do you think the world will blame?"

"We'll come back. I promise. You will tear it down. Just not today."

"I coming with you," Nonna announced, pushing herself to her feet.

"Wait —" Serafima protested.

"No," Nonna turned to face her. "I missed you, I do, and I want nothing more to stay, but Ravka needs me. There are grisha left in the Little Palace, still waiting for that Fold to come down. They need me."

Serafima looked away. She knew Nonna was right. She knew they would never have the relationship they once did, that some cuts went too deep, but it still hurt the same. All this for nothing. Going home with only some shiny hunk of jewelry to show for it.

Zoya took the silence as a chance to make her exit. She stood and made for the Fold. Instinctively Nonna put out an arm to stop her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nonna said. "It isn't safe."

"To Novokirbrisk. I had family in that city. I need to know how much of it is lost," Zoya insisted.

"It's dangerous to go looking for the dead," Kaz said. They turned to face him, surprised by the sudden compassion. "What you see may haunt you for the rest of your days."

"Not going will haunt me more," Zoya replied. Still, she turned back to Alina for a moment. "You can't stay in Ravka. The Apparat will try to keep is power. Blame this on all of us. The people will turn on Grisha again. You need to find new allies."

Alina pulled the girl into a hug. Zoya stood, stunned, until Alina released her.

"Then we'll come back. Reclaim our country," Alina said.

"I still don't like you..." Zoya said. "But I'm grateful for you. So remember this, Saints become martyrs before they get to be heroes. So...stay alive."

"They'll have to get through me first," Mal said.

"You need more than bullets and bravado to survive the people hunting you now," Zoya warned.

"I was sort of hoping that was what she was for," Mal admitted, motioning towards Nonna.

With that, Zoya started down the hill. Sveta pressed against Nonna's side.

"Am I coming with you?" Sveta said. For once it seemed like a question instead of a command.

"Do you have other places to be?" Nonna asked.

Sveta shook her head and buried her face in Nonna's coat. Serafima raised an eyebrow. Such a strange little girl. One moment willing to tear the most powerful man in the country to shred, the next clinging to Nonna like a lost child. Sometimes it was easy to forget how young she was. Others it was so painfully clear Serafima wanted cry.

Whatever she was, Sveta seemed like a good child. A smart one. She might beat this world yet.

"It's a two-day walk to Os Kervo from here, given our condition," Kaz said.

"Two days as the crow walks," Jesper said with a scoff.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Minke waved his hand dismissively. "If you're lucky, I'll carry you."

"If you're unlucky, I might take you up on the offer," Jesper threatened.

"We can smuggle ourselves onto a ship to Ketterdam from there," Kaz explained.

Their plans made and their fire put out. The heist was over. They were back where they had started, and somehow that wasn't so bad. They just needed a way to fight off the many angry people waiting for them.

☼ ☼ ☼

THEY BOARDED A SHIP TO NOVYI ZEM. Ghosts, they called them. Survivors. At the moment Nonna quite felt like both. Rumor said that they had all died in the Fold. All that remained was a ghost skiff, filled with the bodies of diplomats the Darkling had slaughtered in his mad quest for revenge.

Sveta was silent. She stared out into the horizon. Nonna wondered if she knew, somehow, that they were going to her home. Where she would have been called zowa — blessed. One of the few places where grisha could expect even a sliver or respect, as many considered them gifted and to be honored. There where, of course, those who took that to mean they should be bleed for healing purposes, but they tended to stick to the Wandering Iles.

Not that it mattered how grisha were treated. The four that had boarded the boat where as far from grisha as you could get. A simple couple, traveling with their friend and her daughter, trying to flee the looming threat of the Fold. Just like so many.

But they wouldn't be gone forever. The grisha in Ravkan still suffered, the Fold still stood. One day they would return. One day the world would change.