Chapter 6: Morena

"And where have you been?" Patroka asked sharply by way of greeting, with her hands on her hips. The tone and look of a person who had once cared way too deeply and tried to deal with it by attempting not to care about anything ever again – and failing miserably.

"Well, you kicked me out, so I had to find somewhere else to sleep." Natalya did not feel like explaining herself to Patroka, especially since she could already feel the cold creeping up from her toes again. Patroka was Akhos' sister, she might misunderstand the situation and things between her and Patroka would get even more complicated than they already were. Natalya did not want Patroka to hate her. Right now, all she wanted was to go back to the steering deck. It had been really warm there. But she said nothing. Instead, she tossed her folded blanket on her bed and left the bedroom, with Patroka not far behind.

She found the dining room currently occupied by both Jin and Malos. Natalya felt a little disappointed to see that Mikhail was nowhere around. Out of all of her new allies, he was the least terrifying. Or rather he was terrifying, but for an entirely different reason that she did not want to think of just now. And then, well, there was Akhos, who definitely wasn't unpleasant, but Natalya was quite sure she did not want to know what he thought of her after last night, so she really did not want to bother him any more than she already had. She took a deep breath. These were her allies, there was no reason to be scared of them, she told herself, while ignoring the part of herself that was screaming at her to turn around and run away.

"Good morning."

Jin and Malos turned their heads to look into her direction, and Natalya felt like she wanted to disappear into a cloud of smoke. But they just nodded in unison by way of greeting. That was probably the best she was going to get, Natalya thought.

"Where's Akhos?", Patroka asked stomping past Natalya as if she wasn't even there.

Jin shrugged. "Still sleeping, probably."

Malos shook his head. "Sleeping? Akhos? I think not. Though it is odd. He doesn't usually miss breakfast."

"Who's missing breakfast?", chirped a voice far too close to her ear.

"Where were you?" Patroka fumed at him.

Akhos smirked. "Oh, my dear Patroka, I never knew you cared, sister!", he said, passing Natalya and sitting down at the table. There was only a slight mockery in his tone, but Natalya thought Patroka must have picked up on it too, because she shot him a glaring look.

"Only because Mikhail woke me up when he was trying to find you, earlier. And for the last time, you and I are not siblings. You are not my brother; you are nothing to me!"

A shadow passed Akhos face, visible for less than the fraction of a second, but Natalya still felt the stab of Patroka's words in her own heart. Akhos, however, caught himself again immediately and just tilted his head and winked at her. "Whatever you say, my dear sister.", he emphasised the last word.

"Natalya,", Jin's cold voice sliced through the air like a rapier through butter, "Are you going to stand there all morning, or are you going to eat something?" Natalya realised that she hadn't moved since she'd entered this room. Hesitantly, she walked towards the table and sat down. The porridge wasn't hot, but strangely enough, just like the dinner the day before, it drove away the cold that had started to creep back in.

"So Natalya,", Malos began, "What weapon do you fight with?"

"Whatever I can get my hands on. I was sold to a band of mercenaries after my village was burnt down, I was a quick study."

Malos shook his head. "That's admirable, but I meant your Blade weapon. I'd be interested in seeing it."

"No."

"What?", his tone was dangerously dark and forewarning, the voice of a man not used to hearing the word 'no'. She had made a terrible mistake, but this was what she had sworn to herself the moment she'd awakened after that dreadful day in Indol. She would not be like them, not even if it killed her.

"I said no. That is out of the question."

"Why?", Malos growled, the kind of growl, after which no one could have faulted her for complying, but Natalya was not afraid enough of him to back down. Her resolution was the only thing she had left, after all, she was not going to give that up as well.

"First of all, it's not my weapon. It belongs to a Blade I've never known. No one gave them any choice or consideration when Indol forced their crystal into my chest. And now, there is no way to ask them. They never handed me their weapon willingly, so if I used it now, I'd be doing exactly what Indol wanted. I'd be no different from them. I may not know their name, but at least I can make sure that they are never used against their will ever again."

There was dead silence at the table, and Natalya received a number of incredulous looks, even Jin's icy composure shifted for a moment to an unreadable expression, and it made her wonder whether she may have gone too far. They might consider her feelings foolish, and Malos seemed was definitely the kind of person it was most unwise to deny, much less out right anger, as she had just now, but Natalya had drawn that line a long time ago, she was not going to waver now. Although her next words were far more quiet and hesitant.

"I want to help, really, I'll do anything to make them pay, anything but that, it doesn't seem fair."

Natalya stared down at her plate, Jin had been right. She was useless to them. Just another useless human. The silence persisted, as Jin and Malos exchanged a long look and Natalya started fidgeting nervously under the table. Then Malos laughed deeply. It wasn't a cruel laugh, it was actually easier described as warm and amused, but coming from Malos, it still sounded more terrifying than anything Natalya had ever heard.

"Well, it seems that bastard Amalthus really does not have a good hand in picking people he turns into Blade-Eaters. Whoever heard of such a damn thing, I can't believe you are bloody serious!"

Natalya almost breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to kill her. But was it really that ridiculous a notion?

"If that is your only problem," Malos continued in a far more serious tone, "then, as luck would have it, I might be able to help, and I am feeling generous today. So what do you say, do you want to talk to her?"

"Her?"

"The Blade, Morena, do you want to talk to her?"

"Well, yes, but – wait a minute, how do you know who this Blade is?"

Malos shrugged, "You may not believe it, but being the damn Master Blade does have its benefits." The Master Blade. The Aegis. So that was why he seemed so different from all of them, so much more powerful.

"Please.", Natalya said, "I would very much like to meet her."

Malos nodded. "Meet me in the training room in an hour.", he said, before summoning a newspaper out of thin air, unfolding it and beginning to read. Conversation over.

Morena. So that was her name. An hour later, Natalya found herself standing in the training room, fidgeting nervously. What if Morena didn't like her? What would she do then?

"You are shivering again, I see.", Mikhail noticed a bit too casually. He had been kind enough to accompany her to the training room when she had run into him in a corridor after having gotten herself utterly lost. "I wonder what the cause is. You seemed quite alright this morning, so there must be something we can do to stop you from chattering your teeth all the time."

He winked at her and Natalya suddenly decided the floor was the most interesting thing she had seen all morning. She wasn't entirely sure why, but something about the thought of how he had found her this morning, made her unable to look into his eyes. Natalya scolded herself for being ridiculous. After all, nothing had happened between Akhos and her. She had nothing to be embarrassed about in front of any of them, but for some reason, the thought that she fell asleep on Akhos' shoulder made her feel extremely uncomfortable. And then there was the added embarrassment of looking into that familiar face and feeling the need to explain herself, when she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

"Talya, you're here." Malos said, upon entering the room.

A very different kind of shiver ran down Natalya's spine. That name, out of his mouth, it felt so wrong. "Don't call me that.", she couldn't help but hiss. Only Misha had ever called her "Talya". No one else was allowed. It was too painful hearing that name form anyone else.

Next to her Mikhail stiffened.

Malos frowned, but then apparently decided caring was too much of a bother. "Natalya then. Mikhail, I am sure you have somewhere else to be, there is no need to babysit the fledgeling anymore now that I'm here." Fledgeling. an awkward word to use for a person in their 190s, Natalya thought, but she shut up.

"I wasn't babysitting, Malos.", Mikhail said defensively, but he left the room anyway.

Natalya wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable being in a room alone with Malos, but there was really no way to tell, since she was already shivering so much from the cold, it was impossible to tell whether or not the fear contributed.

"Well, then let us begin. Close your eyes and put your hand on your core crystal."

"It isn't mine."

Malos rolled his eyes. "Since it is stuck in your body, and I do not have the bloody time to discuss your damn feelings every fucking time, for the purposes of conversation, will you please start referring to it as yours?! Thank you!"

He sounded angry enough that Natalya did not argue and did as she was told. A second later, a wave of energy hit her face, when it was gone, Natalya carefully blinked. She wasn't on the ship anymore. Instead, she was standing on a snow-covered mountain, a frosty wind blowing in her face, glittering snowflakes drifting about the place.

"Well, hello there, who might you be, child?", a silky voice asked from behind her.

Natalya whirled to see a tall, pale woman with pale hair and eyes the colour of milk, clothed in a long white dress and fur-lined ice blue cloak.

"I'm Natalya. Are you Morena?"

"I am. So you are my human, then. It is nice to finally talk to you."

Morena's eyes stared unseeing into Natalya's general direction.

"I'm sorry." Natalya got out.

"What for?"

"For what happened to you. I'm sorry for eating you."

Morena laughed. Her laughter cut the air like ice, but her smile was genuine and kind.

"Why would you apologise, this was not your fault.", Morena stretched out an icy hand to caress Natalya's cheek. "I know you didn't want me.", she almost sounded sad saying it.

"That's not true. I would have loved to be your friend." Natalya defended.

Morena arched a perfect white-blond eyebrow. "Really? Then why do you keep me locked away? Why did you never even summon my weapons?"

"It felt wrong. You never had a choice. I wasn't going to let them use you any longer."

"Oh, you really are a treasure. You know, if I had to be eaten, I'm glad it was you. Had we met under different circumstances, you would have made a fantastic Driver."

Natalya stared at her feet. "Really? But I'm just some peasant girl from Estham, I wasn't even able to protect my little brother. No Blade should ever have to rely on someone as useless as me. Besides, I'm not even special enough to be a Driver."

"You think the fusion process of my core with your body would have worked if you lacked the aptitude to be a Driver?"

Morena's hand found Natalya's chin and gently forced Natalya's brown eyes to meet her unseeing gaze. Blind eyes looked straight into her soul.

"Listen to me. You cannot change what happened, so there is no point in dwelling on it. My life is tied to yours. So if you care about my life even a little, it is your duty to defend both of us with all that you have and my weapons, my arts, they are part of that. Use them, to defend us and, if you get the chance, to wipe the floor with the monsters who did this."

"I promise."

Morena leaned down to kiss Natalya's forehead.

"I am glad I got to meet you. I am glad I get to stay with you. This conversation has been a gift. Thank the Aegis for me, will you?"

Morena vanished into a snowstorm and Natalya shielded her eyes against the snowflakes. When she opened them again, she was back in the training room. Malos was watching her intently from where he was leaning against the wall. Natalya thought he looked exhausted, but she dared not say it. Instead she looked up to him.

"Thank you,", she said, "from the both of us."

"Don't mention it." He said, his voice unusually rough. "Did you find your answers?"

Natalya nodded.

"Good.", he said and walked out of the room.