Time passes agonizingly slow when waiting for revenge to become a reality. Tucked on a ledge beneath the pier, I sat for hours, letting one leg swing idly over the surf. The sweltering midday heat lessened as the sun dipped in the horizon. Already, a chilling sea breeze had begun to tempt those seeking shelter from the scalding weather to come out of their houses, mill about in the streets, relax on their balconies. The night life here was peaceful compared to that in Ravka; with cheerful laughter and the merry clink of bottles complementing the gentle lap of waves. Cool mist curling off the waves washed over me, raising goose bumps all down my arms. Thank the Saints I had changed my soaked clothes with some laundry hanging out near the fountain. I did not particularly feel guilty for stealing them; I considered it compensation for my lost wallet. Among the bounty, I had found a new scarf to hide my amplifier, after I had impulsively cast the other aside. This one was blue, with tiny white doves scattered across the fabric. At first glance, the only thing remarkable about it was the pretty cobalt hue. Not something I would usually pick out, but it looked expensive and I was in a spiteful mood anyway. The more I stared, the more enchanted I was by the piece. I marveled the subtle detail put into ever bird; no two looked alike. They all had unique poses, from the graceful twist of their necks to the proud sweep of their wings. These were the thoughts that captivated my attention for the painful hours of waiting. Trivial contemplations were the only thing between me and a break down. So I reflected on whether the doves were part of the same flock, if they were migrating somewhere together. Did doves even migrate? Mal would have known, I wondered if he ever had hunted doves. I mentally recoiled; there it was again. No matter what I was thinking, all thoughts led back to Mal. I promised that I would not mourn over him until after I had justly avenged his death. No more sniveling, time to be a big girl. If that meant not thinking about him to keep my sanity in check, then I would do it. For his sake.
At last, the giant orange sun melted into the ocean leaving a golden reflection in the wake. Shaking out my legs, I crossed the boardwalk. Earlier, I had asked for directions to the tavern. Within four minutes, I reached the same destination shown to me by the Darkling. Oddly enough, I was not nervous as I neared the entrance. Instead, hungry eagerness bubbled up inside me. My pulse throbbed zealously; I hardly dared to consider what my heart wished for. I pushed the door open, taken aback by the harsh scent of pipe smoke with the underlying stench of stale fish. Refusing to gag, I made my way to the bar. Heads turned; obviously women were not the primary customers in this tavern. Seated on a stool in the corner was Ivan. I couldn't say I was delighted to see him again, but seeing Ivan meant the Darkling was close by. I approached him when I noticed he was conversing with a young woman, both had their backs to me. I cringed at the thought of him trying to pick up some barista, or any kind of girl for that matter. Frankly, I had never taking a liking to the brute; and being the Darkling's favored Corporalnik did not exactly help his case. As I came closer, Ivan turned to greet me,
"He is waiting for you," With no further pretense. "What, no heartfelt reunion?" I thought sarcastically. As he stood, I took a closer look at his companion. Slightly frizzled, yet beautiful tresses of golden hair fell across her face as she shied away from my gaze. My eyes stopped on the sloppily placed bandage on her arm. The spy. Before I could make a move, Ivan placed a bronzed hand on my shoulder, nearly cutting off arm circulation. In low tones, he said,
"Unless you want to be thrown out, I would recommend not making a scene." Biting my tongue, I nodded,
"Take me to the Darkling."
Ivan strode around the bar and led us down a dimly lit hallway. Much to my dismay, the smell did not improve. Instead it became more pungent, to the point where I could taste the smoke and fish guts on my tongue. Disgusted, I blindly followed Ivan while acutely aware of the girl trailing behind me. Her steps were slower, dragging almost. I scoffed. Not excited to see her hero? Pathetic. We came to a dead-end, and for a moment I panicked. What if this was a trap, the Darkling decided I was too much of a hassle to be kept alive and wanted Ivan to cut me down. No, I would not end here. I tensed, but to my relief, Ivan pushed a rug aside revealing a trap door. Picking a lantern off the wall, he said,
"Ladies first." Grudgingly, I climbed down the latter. To my surprise, the air was cool and damp. With the light of our lantern, I could see crates and bottles lined up on the wall like a normal cellar, but the room stretched out until I could barely make out the curve of the wall. A tunnel? Ivan and the spy headed toward the tunnel. The only audible sound was the crunch of earth beneath our feet and eerie creak of the lantern swinging back and forth. I tried to follow the light, but it was hard to see with the spy bumbling in front of me. She sounded breathless, and every so often the lantern light would betray the sweat beading her forehead. I sneered at her through the gloom, what a weakling. I opened my palms and called for light. The familiar sensation of power rising up inside sent a jolt through my nerves. It was like stretching a limb that had fallen asleep. As the light poured off my fingertips, I felt stronger than I had in weeks. The spy whipped around in shock, but Ivan shook his head. Fingering his bear claw amplifier he tightened his fist. Without laying a finger on me, my throat constricted by the grip of an invisible hand. In panic, I flushed out more light, this time sizzling with heat.
"Turn off the lights." He said calmly. Choking, I forced down my power, absorbing the surrounding light back into my palms. He unclenched his hand, and I gulped down two breaths at a time. "Damn that Heartrender." I seethed.
"Why can't I light the way? We'll get there faster!" I snapped. Ivan smirked.
"Because we're already here." We had come to a stop in front of a metal door. Ivan knocked twice. "Excuse us, moi Soverennyi." The unmistakable sound of the door clicking unlocked echoed on the other side. I took a moment. If I walked through that door, it was likely I would not be coming back out. At least not alive. I suppose I had known this all along. Was this revenge or simply suicide? But I had to see him one last time. Mal's killer. I had to hear him admit his sins to me. This burning hatred I held, begging to be released. I wanted to drag him straight to hell. What with all the suffering I had caused others in my life, I'm sure I would go with him, straight to the devil himself. The door opened. I made a final prayer to any Saints willing to listen. "Please, Let us burn together."