The Seventh Crow

Part 9

The one with Zemenian skin pulls out sheers and points them at me. I lift up my arms in a sign of innocence. The bloody rags falling to the ground. My mind is already racing with ideas on how to take on the three prisoners.

"Don't move!" he demands.

"No one is supposed to be in this area," a boy with ginger hair whispers to him.

"I can see this is a bad time," I say, slowly starting to move backwards but the Zemenian charged forward and grabbed my wrist. 

I twist out of it, knocking him over with the pull of my body weight. The sheers knocking out of his hand. We both stare at them. If he gets to them I'm dead. Same with if the others try it. But if I get to them, I can at least protect myself.

We both move for the sheers at the same time. I'm inches away from the blades when they get picked up by someone else. I freeze. Holding my hands up in surrender.

The Zemenian puts me into a choke hold. I grab onto his arm, trying to pry them off me. He starts to apply pressure before a voice calls out and tells him to stop.

Getting released, I fall to the ground gasping for air. You'd think I'd be used to that by now, but it's not something you get used too.

A hand rests on my shoulder and I stiffen from the touch. Closing my eyes waiting for the next lashing or fists to connect to the parts of my body.

"Nox?" an all too familiar voice calls. A voice I haven't heard in almost two years. A voice of a loved one I thought I have lost.

I reluctantly look up, bracing myself for the ultimate let down of this person. It's not who I'm thinking of.

That person is dead. He died in a shipwreck. I know because the soldiers would taunt me about it.

My eyes meet an unfamiliar color. Heart sinking with disappointment. But there was something familiar about them the longer I looked. My gaze roams around his facial features and hair. Something familiar was there, but the eye and hair color were wrong. It couldn't be.

"Matthias?" my voice still squeaked out. The man nodded his head, but I still didn't believe it. "It can't be you..."

"It's me, Nox," he said.

"But you're dead... they said you died in a shipwreck."

"I didn't die. Someone saved me."

"Are we missing something?" the Zemenian interrupted.

Matthias helped me off the ground. I still couldn't get over the fact that he was standing right in front of me. Very much alive and well. But there is still the fact about his appearance.

"This is Nox," Matthias said turning to the others. "She's my sister."

The other two stare with shock before the Zemenian regains his stoic nature. The other one was still staring.

"The Zemenian is Jesper and the one behind him is Wylan," Matthias whispers to me. I nod in understanding.

"If you don’t mind me asking," Jesper asked. "How are you here?"

My heart sped up. I don't know where Matthias stands on the Grisha issue. Plus, I don't know the other guys well enough to spill all my secrets. But I have to give them something. They could be my way out of this place.

"Long story short," I said. "I'm a prisoner here. Have been for a year and a half."

"You don't look like one," Jesper said looking at my outfit.

I feel Matthias's disappointed gaze lands on me. I keep my focus on Jesper and Wylan. I already know disappointed, I don't need to see it from my own brother.

"What did you do to get locked up?" Matthias asks.

"Not important. Right now I should be alerting the soldiers that people have broken into the Ice Court."

"Nox..."

"Relax, I'm not a snitch. But what are you guys doing here?"

"We are on a job." Jesper and Wylan look over at each other. Bet they are wondering what I'm going to say about it. Honestly if they got this far, I see no problem in them going all the way. Get the job done.

I look at Matthias. It's so strange seeing him. He must've been tailored because I remember him with blond hair and blue eyes, just like mine. We were fairly similar. Except for me being shorter, skinny from all the times I've been forced without food, and the freckles that lined my cheeks.

As I stare at him, I realize just how much I missed him. When I thought he was dead, I blocked out most memories and tried to forget I even had a brother.

Yet, here he is. Alive and breathing. And I'm stuck in a Fjerdan prison with no means of escape.

"Take me with you," I blurted out.

Jesper started laughing but stopped when he saw my expression. I'm not kidding, this place really is the worst. Besides, they are already here and what is one more person?

"Matthias," Jesper said. "Kaz won't like this. She is a witness and could run to the guards and get us killed."

"She wouldn't do that. We are here, why can't we bring her with?"

"Because we have no plan for bringing another."

"We can always make another-"

Matthias never got to finish that sentence before a rope fell down the incinerator shaft. Jesper peeked his head in. I tried to get a better look. There isn't a way up to the roof, so how did a rope get there?