Mal, Genya and Fedyor had been walking all day through the permafrost until they finally reached the plains of Chernast. The snow had turned into prickly grass, and they were on their way to the town of Ryevost to pick up supplies. They needed food, water, something for shelter and hunting supplies. If they were to obtain the stag. As they travelled through the snowy forest, Mal wondered if he could catch a sense of the stag due to his skills of tracking but he didn't notice anything that spoke to him. Baghra explained to him that when he was close, he would get a feel for it, that he'd know it was there before he even saw it.
"Alright, I think it's over these hills and then we should reach the town" Mal said as he led the others, holding the map tightly between his hands.
"Thank god, I'm starving, do you think they have Turkish delight here" Fedyor said and Genya rolled her eyes.
"I doubt it and we aren't here for sweeties; we need basic supplies to get us through this hunting mission so we can find Alina" she scolded and Fedyor let out a groan of annoyance.
"Would you relax once in a while, were in a completely different world, yes we should be looking for Alina but that doesn't mean we can't have any fun on the way" Fedyor said.
"Our sister is in danger, and you want us to have fun" Genya argued.
"I'm saying we don't always have to be so serious, but obviously that's something you can't achieve" Fedyor said back and Genya rushed forward, shoving him back as hard as she could so he fell back. Fedyor huffed and shoved her the other way which only ended up in the two going for each other, hands slashing to give a blow.
"Guys, stop!" Mal yelled and shoved them apart.
"He started it; he's always doing it on purpose to wind me up" Genya snapped. She was as red as her hair and seething.
"God, you can never take a joke" Fedyor grumbled and Mal held his hands up silencing both. He had just about enough of them.
"Right enough. This is serious guys; Alina could be in real trouble. Fedyor, for once can you please be a bit more sensible and Genya, there's nothing wrong with trying to make this situation better for ourselves, we have to be positive here otherwise we'll never find Alina" he stated, and the two siblings were silent. They glanced to each and then back at Mal, agreeing with everything he was saying.
If things carried on the way they were, they would never get anywhere which meant The Darkling had more of a chance of getting what he wanted. The main thing was they had to find the stag, so that The Darkling couldn't use it to enslave Alina.
"Sorry" they both said at the same time and the tension swam away.
"Good, now let's go, and no behaving like that while we are down there, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves" Mal scolded and led the way down the hills to the small town of Ryevost.
It was busy and loud and bustling with people. The road turned to a stony, muddy gravel and was hardon their aching feet. Horses were trotting by with riders and carriages being pulled along. There were small buildings lined next to each other selling various goods and a few of the buildings looked to be either a tavern or restaurant. It was crazy how different it looked to England and even the clothes the people were wearing. Luckily for the three of them, the big winter cloaks hid their keftas underneath, so they didn't look out of place.
"Let's go here, I think we can get some supplies" Mal pointed to a shop selling fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses. The three of them entered the shop, their boots creaking the floorboards and they looked around the shop, wondering where to start.
"Can I help you" the old man at the till said. He had a scruffy grey beard and wore a hat on top. His eyes were sunken, and he wore brown and grey rags. There was a distinct smell coming from him and Genya who stepped forward held her breath as she stood near him.
"We're just looking for some supplies, we're going camping you see and wanted to get some food for the trip" she said sweetly, and the man gave a crooked smile back, his yellow teeth putting Genya off more.
"Of course, help yourself to whatever and then bring here and I can round it up for you" he said and Genya nodded before scurrying away back to Mal and Fedyor.
"He's weird" she whispered. The shop had crates filled with fruits and vegetables and a display of meats and cheese on a table. There was a shelf in the middle of the shop, holding strange jars of seasonings which none of the group had ever heard or seen before and to Fedyor's delight, boxes of candy.
"Wait, guys, we don't have any money, how are we going to pay for this?" Genya whispered and Mal and Fedyor looked to each other.
"One of you is going to have to distract him" Mal suggested.
"We can't steal" Genya hissed.
"Well, what do you suppose we do, we have no money, and we need this" there was no other option but for the group to steal the supplies. They didn't have time to waste in begging people for money and it's not like they were going to be in Ravka forever.
"Fine, who's going to do it" Genya asked, and the group gave each other eye glances before Mal and Fedyor's landed on Genya. Genya groaned and peeked over the shelf, giving the side eye to the man. She was not looking forward to this. The man was creeping enough as it is and the last thing, she wanted was to be creeped out more.
So as Genya talked to the man at the front, asking a question about a seasoning she took off the shelf, Mal and Fedyor snuck food into their bags. They snagged cheese and meat from the table and shoved the fruit and vegetables on the top. Fedyor had even snuck a box of candy in for himself when Mal's back was turned to him and listened out for Genya. They needed to sneak out without the man seeing them and make a quick getaway. Genya glanced over and received the signal that they were done.
"Actually, I was wondering can you show me what your best spice is here" Genya asked with a smile at the man.
"Absolutely, follow me" the man led her round to the shelf and while doing so, Mal and Fedyor moved along out of sight, nearing the door. Genya pretended to be thoroughly interested in what the man was saying, nodding along and keeping him engrossed in the conversation so he didn't look up and see Mal and Fedyor had left.
"Okay, well thank you for showing me that" Genya cut him off before he could ramble on any more about the spices. She didn't have a care for them at all and if she stayed any longer, she'd never be able to escape.
"Would you like to buy" the man offered and Genya shook her head, inching back slowly to make her escape.
"No thank you, I think I'm good, perhaps next time" she smiled and turned to jog out the shop.
"I hope to see you back here" the man said and Genya cringed before running out the shop. Mal and Fedyor were deep in one of the alley's, talking amongst themselves when a fuming Genya came around.
"That's the last time I do anything for you two, god he was creepy" she shuddered.
"Thanks, Genya, but we got the supplies and look what I snagged" Fedyor held the box of candy up waving it back and forth with a grin.
"Ha ha, very funny, next time it will be you" she glared.
The group made their way out of the alley and back down the road. They were now in need of supplies for their capture of the stag. Genya suggested some rope would be good and maybe even a net if they were selling one. As before, one of them distracted the salesman as the others sneaked in the goods in their bags. It was so easy and with Fedyor distracting the man with his many jokes, he didn't even see them leave as he was laughing so hard.
"Wow, this is so easy, we should do this all the time" Fedyor said as they walked back down the road.
"What become thieves and give ourselves a name, the three of us" Mal laughed and Fedyor nodded.
"Exactly, we could get so much stuff doing this, just think about all the candy we would have, and then we can move on to bigger and better things… like gold".
"Yeah, because the people around here are just carrying gold in their pockets" Genya actually laughed which surprised Mal and Fedyor. As they walked down the road, Fedyor whipped his cloak around his shoulders, waving his hand in front of him to fan himself.
"God, I'm roasting, I thought it was cold down here" he said. He was sweating profusely from the excitement of stealing under people's noses. It was freezing and the cold air froze their cheeks, but Fedyor had been bouncing up and down, bringing the heat to himself.
"It is, you're just hyper" Mal said.
The group started to make their way out of the town. They had gained their supplies and were ready for their mission of hunting the stag. The town was still busy, and they brushed past people, nearly reaching the end of the town that lead to the road and forest. They weren't sure exactly where to start looking but Mal was hoping his tracking skills would come to fruition and he'd know where to head. However, as they walked along, a man ahead of them shouted towards them, stopping the three of them in their tracks.
"Corporalki, let's go" the three looked in confusion at each other and the shouting man. He was dressed in a red kefta just like Fedyor's with the black stitching. He wore a red cloak around his body with black fur on the neck and a grey hat on top. He was tall and had thick leather boots on.
Mal squinted as he took a closer look, realising that he was dressed the same as them and then it hit him. He was Grisha. One of The Darkling's soldiers.
"Fedyor, YOUR CLOAK" he hissed sharply, keeping his voice low so the Grisha didn't hear. Fedyor looked down at himself and realised his kefta was on show, having his cloak thrown over his shoulders and said something under his breath, his eyes widening. The grisha obviously thought Fedyor was one of them and judging by what he said, they were waiting for him to follow.
"Oh um…" Fedyor was stuck for words and then suddenly, the Grisha marched forward. Genya and Mal looked at each other with worry and panic. They couldn't let themselves be found now.
"What's taking so long" the man said gruffly as he stared at Fedyor and then he glanced at Genya and Mal.
"Who are these two?" he said curiously and stepped forward to inspect. Their keftas were hidden by their cloaks but fear bubbled inside them as he could as ask to see underneath them, thus giving away their cover. Mal was the only one not dressed in a kefta of the orders and so it would give away that he wasn't Grisha. Genya would be safer but still, they needed to find the stag and they had no idea where this Grisha was going.
"They are…" Fedyor swallowed the hard lump that had developed in the back of his throat, and he glanced to Mal and Genya.
"RUN!" he shouted and quickly, he threw his hands up, holding his fingers against each other. His heart rendering skills came to the surface, and he gripped the Grisha' heart tightly in his hands. The grisha groaned, clutching his chest and fell to the floor, desperately gasping for air and writhing on the floor. Fedyor held his hands tightly, inching back as he kept the Grisha in place as Mal and Genya made a run for it. The Grisha's face turned blue, his eyes bulging, his body slowly stopping his writhing as his life was leaving his body. Fedyor's hands shook, and he could no longer hold the grip. He ran quickly and when he was further away, the grip on the Grisha vanished and he panted for breath, lying there in the mud as the three ran off.
They dashed into the woods, falling down the hill and into the leaves and quickly made a run for it, diving deeper into the leaves and trees, taking cover when they thought they were safe. They hid in a nearby cave, slumping down on the damp leaves and caught their breaths, panting hard and gasping.
"That was close" Genya breathed.
"Did you… did you kill him?" Mal asked and Fedyor shook his head.
"No… I couldn't. I can't believe I did that, I actually nearly killed someone by holding their heart" he was both amazed and in disbelief. Everything Baghra had taught him came to the surface. It was the only thing he could think of to get them out of the situation and if he had held on for longer, the man would have died there and then. perhaps it was best Fedyor didn't kill him to not attract attention to themselves.
"Me neither… but it was the only way to get out of there" Mal had finally caught his breath.
"He works for The Darkling doesn't he, he's going to know we are here now" Genya said, a look of worry on her face still.
"We'll have to get moving, come on, we should have enough time to get as further away as possible" Mal said and helped Fedyor and Genya up. They brushed the leaves of them and started on their way, crunching through the forest.
…
"Moi Tsar" the Heartrender gave a short bow as he walked into Aleksander's office. Aleksander was sat behind his desk, a document in hand but his eyes had averted to the Heartrender standing in front of him. Ivan was stood beside the desk with Aleksander, arms clasps behind his back and he raised a brow at the other Heartrender standing in front.
"I was in Ryevost earlier and caught sight of some traitors" he said, and Aleksander furrowed his brows.
"Who?" he demanded. Most of the Grisha were loyal to him and lived at the little palace, under his command. They too believed in the suffering of others as their people had been killed by the other nations, tortured, experimented on, sold as slaves. They were fighting with The Darkling. Aleksander had offered them the little palace. A safe place for them to thrive and develop and live without fear and soon, when he had control of the shadow fold, they would no longer have to live in hiding. They would be free to roam their land without fear of being murdered for simply being. But like David, some Grisha had gone rogue and abandoned The Darkling and his army. Amongst other things, Aleksander was tracking any traitors to his country and his leadership and had them imprisoned for treason. His Grisha were on the lookout for anyone going against him and would capture them, bringing them to the little palace for imprisonment.
"There were three of them, one was a Heartrender, but I've never seen him before. They looked… out of town to me. I thought they were with our team but when I approached them, he attacked me and the other's ran off" he said and Aleksander dropped his document, the paper flying in the air onto the desk. He was shocked by the news, and he stared at the Heartrender, his mouth slightly open.
"How many did you say?" he asked softly.
"Three, two boys and a girl, the others I didn't see who they were, but he was defiantly a Heartrender" the Grisha said, and Aleksander leaned back into his chair, staring into space, his lips turning into a smirk.
"Interesting" he mumbled to himself.
"And how old?" he asked.
"Around seventeen I would say" the Heartrender shrugged.
"Thank you, you can leave" Aleksander dismissed the Heartrender who gave a short bow and left, shutting the doors to the office.
"Her brothers and sister?" Ivan said and Aleksander nodded.
"Yes, and it seems they too are Grisha. They must be searching for her" Aleksander grumbled and his smirked turned to a grime line.
"Assemble a team to look for two boys and a girl, one being a Heartrender. I want them arrested but not harmed" Aleksander ordered, and Ivan nodded.
"Yes, Moi Tsar" he said, leaving Aleksander to himself.
Hey, sorry about the late update, I hope you like it, what do you think will happen next, let me know in the reviews.