Dark of the Tide [Shadow and Bones]

Chapter 11

"What a surprise to see you here, Ara." Aleksander said when I stepped out onto his ship, Alina looking back at me with wide eyes as she summoned the light to grow bigger as we went deeper into the Fold.

    "Don't call me that. You've lost all privileges to call me that." I said, pointing a finger at him.

    "You didn't seem to mind it when I called you that all those months ago. You remember those days at the Little Palace?" Aleksander asked, stepping towards me and reaching a hand out to touch me, but a crow-headed cane swung between us.

    Kaz stepped closer to me and looked at Aleksander. "Don't touch her."

    Aleksander chuckled darkly. "Ah, yes. I see I have competition in the matter of Arabella."

    "You lost the chance of ever redeeming yourself in my eyes. At least Kaz has the decency to treat me like a human being rather than something to win over." I snapped at him.

    Aleksander looked at me. "So I see you've traded one killer for another. Honestly, Arabella, I expected better from you."

    "I figured I would put my standards for men low, so I chose you. And Kaz is a total upgrade from you." I replied, making Alina bite her lip and smile in approval.

    He raised an eyebrow. "But did you tell Kaz here about our history? A forbidden love. Irresistible to the both of us. Falling for the enemy."

    Kaz turned his gaze to me, then looked back at Aleksander. "I don't care what she did in her past. What matters is who she is now and what she chooses to do with her life."

    "And evidently that means throwing her lot in with you and your band of thieves." He replied, looking startled when Milo trotted up and head-butted Aleksander. "And a goat."

    "Hey, leave Milo out of this!" Jesper shouted, scooping up his goat and carrying him to the safety of the overhanging ledge.

The general frowned and looked back at Kaz with an evil eye. "You think you stand a chance against me?"

"No. But if you lay a single finger on Arabella, I will hunt you down. Even if I die trying." He replied, "I'll keep her safe. Would you do that?"

Aleksander looked at me, then stepped closer to me, but didn't get far.

Kaz handled his cane like a bat and slammed it into Aleksander's leg, making him tumble to the ground in pain and cradle his broken leg.

"You just signed your death wish, thief." He hissed in pain.

"Then let it be signed." Kaz uttered, looking at me. "Get the others. We're getting out of—!"

"Kaz!" I shouted in horror, catching him as he fell forward against me, a black smoky spike sticking out of his back as dark red blood seeped through his suit.

———

"Kaz, hey hey, look at me. Look at me." I said, looking down at him and pushing his hair from his face.

    He forced a smile, his face pale and sweaty with the amount of blood lost. "So bossy,"

    "Really, Kaz? Now's not the time for cracking jokes." I said with a light smile, glancing around at my brother, Inej, Jesper, Milo and Alina.

"Alina, please tell me you got rid of Aleksander, because if he's alive out there, I'm going to find him and skin him alive." I said with anger rising up in my voice.

Alina nodded. "Where I might have enjoyed watching that show, I took care of him."

"Good." I said, then remembered back to my days at the Little Palace. Reading the book on Tidamakers and Healers who could heal the dying, and even resurrect the dead.