Blood and Water - The Darkling

Chapter 5: Not Alone

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𝕴 lost track of time. Night and day passed through the windows of the coach. I spent most of my time staring out at the landscape, searching for landmarks to give me some sense of the familiar. I'd expected that we would take side roads, but instead, we stuck to the Vy, and Fedyor explained that the Darkling had opted for speed over stealth. He was hoping to get us safe behind Os Alta's double walls before rumors of our powers spread to the enemy spies and assassins who operated within Ravka's borders.

We kept a brutal pace. Occasionally, we stopped to change horses and we were allowed to stretch our legs. Alina barely talked to me, I could tell her nightmares were affecting her. I spent most of my time getting to know Fedyor and Ivan. The former's kind personality was easy to enjoy and, surprisingly, even his stoic other half was growing on me.

One day, the coach abruptly halts and the soldiers outside yell, "The road is blocked! Beware!"

Ivan turns to us and roughly orders us to stay inside the coach.

"He means well," Fedyor tells us before following Ivan out.

My heart pounds in my chest. Something is wrong. I quickly feel for the hidden daggers within my clothes, counting only six. Pulling one from my right boot, I hand it to Alina.

"I think this is a trap, stay close," I say before pulling another blade from my left shoe.

That's when the shots begin. All I hear are screams and the sounds of fighting. When arrows and bullets begin to hit the carriage, I pull Alina down to find cover.

"Stay close to the floor and stay quiet," I whisper.

A part of me wants to go out and help but my main priority is my twin. Besides they're Grisha, do they really need me anyways?

The coach shakes as a body slams against the glass of the window. To my horror, I see that it's one of our guards. His body leaves a red smear against the glass as he slides from view.

Suddenly, the door flies open and a man with a wild, yellow-bearded face appears. Alina scrambles to the other side of the coach, the knife I lent her held out before her. He barks something to his compatriots in his strange Fjerdan tongue and reaches for me. I let out a calm breath and make my move.

Using the seat of the coach as a stepping point, I swiftly move to the side and swipe my blade towards his eye. The sickening feeling of it piercing through into his skull is one that I will never be able to forget.

With practiced speed and agility, I kick his body backward and pull the dagger out. Pushing down the guilt that I feel, I spin to find the other door open and my sister nowhere to be seen. I leap out of the carriage and quickly look around. Needing a better vantage point, I waste no time and scale onto the top of the coach. It's pure chaos. I notice a man aiming his rifle towards Ivan. With all the force I can muster, I throw my dagger. It lands true.

A scream pierces through the noise. Alina. I throw myself to the ground, rolling to lessen the impact. Before I've even fully adjusted, I sprint towards the sound of my sister struggling for her life. Once I see the Fjerdan with a blade above her, I run even faster. I pull the dagger keeping my hair up and let it fly, praying to the Saints that I reacted in time.

In slow motion, I see him plunge his knife down in a shining arc, my own blade still moving towards him. Then I hear a crack like thunder and watch as a sliver of pure darkness slashes through the assassin seconds before my dagger strikes him in the chest.

Finally, I make it to Alina's side. She's crawling away from the mutilated body, unable to take her eyes off of it.

"Hey, look at me, Lina. I'm here," I coo as I crouch down beside her.