Grisha

RIDING WITH THE GENERAL WASN'T THE HONOR PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS. They road hard, barely resting for the nights. Kirigan kept track of Alina, but it almost seemed like Nonna wasn't there. Alina, however, stuck to her side. No matter how hard he tried, Alina continued to be unnerved by his presence. Nonna didn't blame her. He had cut someone in half as they stood over here. Besides, people were always afraid of Grisha powers. Unnatural. And if they were unnatural, the shadow summoner was doubly so.

Nonna was relieved to finally arrive in Os Alta. Even more so when they were safely behind the Little Palace's walls. Whatever Alina said about it, the Little Palace was still a safe haven and those walls proved it.

They were greeted by guards at each door. Guards they were supposed to keep enemies out and, secretly, Grisha in, yet weren't enough to keep back the little girl that wiggled through their arms. Nonna grinned. Sveta. She opened her arms just in time as Sveta leaped into them, wrapping her arms tightly around Nonna's neck. She then pulled away and squinted at Alina over Nonna's shoulder.

"Who're you?" Sveta narrowed her eyes accusingly.

"Sveta, this is Alina. She's a new Grisha," Nonna explained. Alina gave a small wave, while the General loomed over them, his expression unreadable.

"Are you a healer?" Sveta asked.

"She," Kirigan interrupted, "Is the sun summoner."

It was a phrase that should have been awe inspiring. Make them fall to Alina's feet and worship the ground she walked on. But, staring at Alina's split lip and ratty hair, she looked far from the legendary saint she was meant to be. Sveta tilted her head his way and that, studying Alina.

"Nuh-uh," Sveta finally decided.

"Excuse me?" Alina bristled instantly.

"You aren't even glowing!" Sveta pouted. Nonna thought it was a ridiculous complaint, but Alina relaxed. She thought it had something with her being Shu, Nonna realized. "And you don't look even a little sunny."

"Well, you don't look like a big, scary heartrender," Nonna said, pinching Sveta's nose. The girl scrunched up her face and stuck out her tongue.

"I'm big and scary!"

Kirigan steered Alina way as soon as it looked like attention wasn't on them. Nonna shook her head and led Sveta back into the Little Palace. There was still a faint disappointment. It was likely to be the last time she saw Alina, aside from across the room at dinner. The Grisha orders tended to to stick to themselves in the Little Palace, and they wouldn't be sending their precious sun summoner out into fields any time soon.

"Shouldn't you be in a lesson?" Nonna prompted when Sveta lagged behind to continue watching Alina. Sveta wrinkled her nose. "Sveta, you aren't too good for your lessons."

Besides, it always got her in trouble with the teachers. Still, Sveta only shrugged, too Nonna's disappointment. She, Juliya and Ebbe tried to keep an eye on her, but that was the thing about Sveta. One of Ravka's many war orphans, Sveta had a orphan's tendency to slip through the cracks — even in the Little Palace.

"Juliya said I could watch her tailoring," Sveta defended.

Huh. There were exactly two tailors in the Little Palace, Genya Safin and Juliya Maksimov. Genya had arrived as a child already mastering her craft, and was promptly snatched up as the Queen's personal servant, making her hard to use for Grisha work. Which was why Juliya was promptly shoved under Genya's nose and ordered to learn how to tailor.

If Juliya was tailoring someone, it meant the Little Palace's spies were plotting, and something dangerous at that. Something that needed them to be unrecognizable, because that was definitely Juliya's thing. She might not make you as attractive as Genya might get you — in fact, she could easily make you worse — but you'd end up different.

"Did she tell you what's she's working on?" Nonna asked.

"No," Sveta lamented.

Nonna didn't except anything else. Her work meant Juliya couldn't go around telling people what she was doing. Sveta skipped at Nonna's side as she walked through the palace. Nonna laughed. It was good to be home.

☼ ☼ ☼

WALKING THROUGH THE BARREL TOOK TALENT. Keep your head up. Shoulders back. Don't look unaware, but don't try to hide yourself, either. Both made you look like a target. Ignore the children running up to warn you of thieves (as if Serafima didn't know about thieves) and slap their friends grubby hands away when they tried to replace your wallet with a slip of wood.

Of course, none of this mattered when you walked with Kaz Brekker.

They arrived at the small apartment the Conductor called home and office. It was as rickety as the rest of the Barrel. Serafima had scouted out the building many times, and she still wondered why he hung around in such a rotten place. The money he pulled from refugees, he could be as rich as a merchant. Yet here he was. A cover, Serafima bet, though he could have gotten a better one, given how many spots advertises as hiding spots for the rich and targeted.

Serafima froze outside his room. She held an arm out to stop Kaz. Someone was scrabbling around in the apartment. The Conductor, maybe. Or someone else. Faint voices. Two of them. Crying. She opened the door.

Just in time to see Inej hunched over a man, knife in hand.

"Don't!" Kaz ordered.

A blade flew. It Serafima turned as it wedged itself in the wall, inches from Kaz's head. Inej's eyes widened. The man raised his head as much as he could with Inej pinning his chest.

"Serafima Ostrovsky! Yes, I remember you!" The man — the Conductor — sobbed. Serafima stepped away from him. "Please, please tell her —"

"He's our way to Alina Starkov," Kaz interrupted.

"Him?" Inej hissed, pressing a fresh blade to his throat.

"Heleen knew it," Kaz said. It was a guess, but it was an easy one. The woman was still mad at Kaz for stealing her girl. What better way to hurt them both? Ruin Kaz's chance, break Inej's most sacred rule, and put the two against each other in the process. "She was using you to sabotage our mission."

"She and I made a deal," Inej insisted.

"What deal?" Serafima spoke up. She yanked Inej's blade free from the wall and studied it. Which Saint was this one? "Your freedom for his life? I'll bet she said he's some slaver, too. You're too smart to believe her otherwise."

Inej looked away. So, she was right.

"She lied. The Conductor brings refugees across the Fold, including Grisha from the Little Palace," Serafima approached the two. She stared down at the man, still sniveling. "Greedy, selfish bastard, but as far from a slaver as you'll get in these parts."

"It isn't worth more than what we get with him alive," Kaz added, mind always on money.

Inej turned to him, hurt written in her expression. "You choose him over my freedom?"

"You assume it's one or the other."

Serafima raised an eyebrow. What did Kaz have planned? Heleen wasn't the sort to just let Inej go. It would cost a lot. Money they didn't have. Yet. Still, Inej relented, only slashing his collar. Kaz slowly approached the man.

"Conductor. I have a job for you. Get us to the Little Place."

☼ ☼ ☼

JULIYA FINISHED HER WORK BEFORE LUNCH THE NEXT DAY. A blessing. With Nonna being gone so long, Sveta had practically glued herself to her side. At least Juliya could drag the girl along to her lessons, instead of trying to shoo her away from the more advanced training she was still to young to be a part of. She was under foot so often Nonna was tempted to send her down to Ebbe and the fabrikators. If only Sveta didn't have her own work to do and she wasn't likely to ruin their rather important work as well.

Lunch was a relief. While practicing healing added to a Grisha's strength, making them feel rejuvenated and powerful, they also had physical training. Which was fundamentally the opposite. Why did healers even need to fight? Nonna wasn't going to war!

It was easy to find Ebbe Skjeggestad in a crowd. He was Hedjut, meaning he lacked almost all of the typical Fjerdan traits — blonde, tall, pale, and grouchy — but he was still Fjerdan and he was still avoided as such. You just found the spot people avoided like it someone had died. Ebbe didn't seemed to notice. Always good to have the space, after all, less people bumping into him.

Still, despite this, Nonna tapped his shoulder as she approached. "It's Nonna. Have you see Juliya and Sveta yet?"

"No, unfortunately I've yet to see them," Ebbe gave a long sign, and Nonna realized her mistake. Right. Maybe asking the blind man if he'd seen someone was a little inconsiderate. "They stopped by. They headed to the table."

"You get lost?" Nonna prompted.

"No. Just wanted to wait on you."

It was then that Nonna spotted a familiar face. Alina. She looked a lot better than she had just the day before. Dirt and sweat cleaned off, knots brushed out, cuts and bruises smoothed over by a tailor (Genya, Nonna assumed.) Alina almost looked like a person, instead of a overly harassed animal that had just been dragged through the mud.

Instantly, Nonna hooked an arm under Ebbe's and dragged him towards Alina. He yelped.

"Alina! Alina, this is Ebbe," Nonna motioned between Alina and Ebbe. The girl blinked, turning quickly from where she was looking — at a crowd of people staring at her. Genya stood next to her. Nonna felt a pang of sympathy for both of them, both rejected for their own reason based in the Little Palace's prejudice. "Ebbe, well, you can't see her, but this is Alina Starkov."

It was tempting to add the sun summoner, but Nonna remembered how uncomfortable Alina had been with Grisha and being called that. Nonna understood. She felt the same when she first arrive in the Little Place. Alina deserved what little anonymity she could get. Instead, Nonna waited for Alina to introduce herself.

"Nice to meet you," Alina's words came out more as a question.

"And you," Ebbe replied.

"You're Fjerdan?" Alina blurted out. At once she realized her mistake and quickly continued, "I mean — I just — I thought they didn't have Grisha in Fjerda."

"They don't. I'm actually a spy," Ebbe said.

Alina's eyes widened. It was then Nonna realized, with Ebbe's dry tone, she'd assumed she had hurt his feelings.

"Ebbe's teasing you," Nonna explained quickly. She elbowed his side. "Don't be rude, she's new here."

Nonna meant to say more, but Alina was quickly collected by roaming etherealki and hurried over to their table. It was one of the many things set up to separate the different Grisha. From their ranks to their different classes to even different tables. All centered around the general's empty seat in the center, which they never seen occupied. Nonna tried not to be disappointed, though it was even harder when Genya scurried off, back out of the dining hall entirely.

That was just how it was, Nonna supposed.

☼ ☼ ☼

THEY TOOK A BOAT TO WEST RAVKA EARLY IN THE MORNING. First boat leaving. The sun had yet to rise, easier to avoid the watching eyes of the Counsel of Tides.

Once they arrived, they were following the Conductor's — Arken Visser, as he enthusiastically told them as soon as money was offer — lead. Serafima bristled. The docks were as crowded as she remembered. Everyone spoke Ravkan, an almost foreign sound these days. People in Ketterdam spoke Ravkan — just like some spoke Shu and Kaelish and Fjerdan and anything else. Most learned Kerch.

For once, Serafima kept her head down. Grisha weren't stealthy, with their bright keftas, and Serafima probably didn't look the same as she did when she'd left, but she wasn't taking any chances. They didn't need Grisha trailing them.

Arken — bless his desperate heart — paid for a carriage. The six of them piled in shoulder to shoulder. Instantly, Serafima realized the problem. If Minke didn't keep his over sided elbows to himself, they were going to have issues. Could be worse, she supposed. Kaz looked like he was trying to swallow sand. 

"I didn't hire you simply to get us across the Fold. You're with us because you smuggle a Girsha out of the Little Palace, and that's the location of our target," Kaz explained.

"Sun Summoner," Inej interrupted.

"Alleged."

"I hope she's real," Minke said around his book. In the small space, he had to hold it inches from his face. Inej seemed to perk up, before deflating when he continued, "Won't get paid for a fraud, will we?"

"They wouldn't keep a fraud in the most secure location in all of Ravka," Inej insisted.

"They would if it was their fraud," Serafima pointed out.

"Would be a good way to straighten out the West. We've got a sun summoner! The Fold will come down any second!" Minke flipped a page, once again elbowing Serafima in the process. She swore he was doing it on purpose. Pest.

Exasperated, Kaz turned back to Arken. "Serafima said you have contacts who can get us inside. You mentioned a heartrender."

Arken nodded.

"How do I know we can trust her?" Kaz asked.

"Nina grew up there," Arken replied.

"Most Grisha grew up in the Little Palace. Very few would betray their general, and fewer still would help foreigners kidnap their most prized possession," Kaz said. Almost absentmindedly, he added, "And still, we have Serafima for that."

Serafima disliked being know as the traitor, but Kaz's words were true. She held no love for the Little Palace or their Black General. A glorified cage full of broken child soldiers and soulless witches. Besides, she had her own business in the Little Palace. Nonna. Yes, she'd steal their sun summoner, she couldn't care less about Alina Starkov.

"Nina's a radical. Thinks Grisha should get to choose if they serve the Crown. She despises involuntary service more than she does Fjerdans," Arken explained. It didn't take much to assume that meant a lot.

"Then there's a tailor, on the other side of the Fold," Serafima spoke up. She was the one she remembered from her own flight from the Little Palace. Nina, it seemed, was a new one. "Jip Marquering. If they still work with you?" Arken nodded. "No connection to the Little Palace that I know of, but they're in Os Alta and they can make you look like anyone. And trust me, you won't want to be looking like yourself. The Little Palace will hunt the sun summoner's thieves to the end of the Earth."

Assuming she was real, of course. Maybe even if she wasn't, if only to keep up appearances. Either way, Serafima refused to test it.

They carriage pulled to a stop, and none to soon. They poured forth to instant relief. Serafima studied their destination. A shabby little inn. They passed in with little issue, only the innkeeper watching them.

"Krydda," Minke whispered as they headed up to Nina's room. Serafima turned in time to see the money in the innkeeper's hands. "How many people pay with krydda in Ravka? And how many inns accept it?"

"None," Serafima answered, and it was true. At least this far from the border, in towns that stayed Ravkan territory.

"I think you and Jesper should wait outside."

"I think you should shut up."

They arrived to an empty room. For all intents and purposes, it looked like the owner was out for the day. Except it was night, and a chair was askew, and glass glittered in the carpet. Something was wrong. Serafima suppressed the sudden fear that Minke had been right, unsure which was worse — the Drüskelle or being wrong.

"She knew to expect us," Arken said.

"She isn't late. She's gone," Kaz said.

"Yes, but her things are all..." Arken's voice trailed off as Kaz flipped a case's lid closed. Under it was a pin — silver, in the shape of a snarling wolf head.

"What is it?" Jesper asked, looking up from the perfume he was sniffing.

"Drüskelle," Arken said. He picked up the pin, which Minke quickly snatched from his hand. "They are ruthless Grisha hunters."

"Explains the Fjerdan krydda the inn keeper was counting when we arrived. It's likely he ratted her out," Kaz realized.

"Then what? The neighbor sat and watched as a woman was hauled out?" Minke protested.

"She wasn't a woman, Rademaker. She was Grisha," Serafima corrected. The word burnt her tongue. Minke started to protest, but she cut him off. "It doesn't matter. Whatever happened, she's probably on her way to the Ice Court by now. She's beyond saving."

"Still—" Minke started.

Likely on some rant about how they should try to find her anyways, because that was what allies did. Thankfully, Inej interrupted him. Serafima preferred if he didn't go get himself gloriously and honorably shot in the face.

"They had a clear line of attack." Inej stood by the window sill, which had its doors ajar.

"Take a look," Kaz instructed. "Make sure there aren't any more surprises."

Inej pulled on her hood and fled from the window. Arken slumped onto the bed.

"Well, that's that," Arken lamented. "We've lost our way into the Little Palace."

Serafima felt all eyes fall on her. Not quite. There was still, well, her. A Grisha runaway. It would just take a good deal of improvising and discomfort.

Inej returned as they left the building, dropping out of no where. No one responded, use to the Wraith appearing and disappearing as she wished.

"This seems like a reasonable juncture to abandon this whole Sun Summoner plan," Arken suggested.

"Abandon?" Kaz stared at the man like he'd just suggest jumping off a cliff. "We're in this now. And I know what a million kruge means to me. What does it mean to you?"

"Freedom," Inej answered.

"Fun," Jesper said, typical. "Like, at least a few months."

"New waist coat. Spiffy hat," Minke said, tugging on his vest. "Maybe one of those fancy little statues merchants buy for no response."

My sister, Serafima thought. "Knowing I screwed the Little Palace out of a sun summoner."

"Revenge? Well, aren't you charming?" Minke scoffed.

"More charming than your spiffy hat."

"Retirement," Arken offered, cutting ant argument short.

"Right, so we press on," Kaz decided. "You get us across the Fold and I'll figure out the rest on the other side."

"Fine," Arken pulled a wallet from the folds of his coat. "To cross, I'll need 20 pounds of alabaster coal. A peck of Majaloun jurda. Uh, not the kind for Kerch. It's too weak. And, uh...a goat."

A distraction, Serafima supposed. If they get attacked, they could always kick the thing out and send it bleating and running into the fold. She wasn't sure. They never had to use their goat.

"Now, we meet in the dead of night. There's a wreckage of a skiff northeast, on the edge of town," Arken answered. "So, who gets what?"

"Inej, jurda. I'll get the goat. The others will split the coal," Kaz said. He slowly approached Jesper, glaring into his eyes. "And Jesper...just the coal, no detours."

Jesper scoffed and grabbed the note. Serafima raised an eyebrow as he left. She managed to hold her tongue until he was out of hearing range.

"You really think he'll get just the coal?" Serafima asked. If Kaz really believed that, then he'd clearly lost it.

"I did tell you three to split the coal, didn't I?" Kaz replied.

Of course. Typical Kaz.

Important note: I know Jip is only just mentioned, but I wanted to mention they use they/them pronouns as soon as possible. :) You could probably guess from the fact Serafima only calls them, well, them, but some people wouldn't notice and I didn't want to be correcting people.