Dark of the Tide [Shadow and Bones]

Chapter 28

A special thank you to Hufflepotter_02 and Sky_RavenclawQueen , and many others who have stuck through with this story and leave comments!

"Remind me why we are going across the Fold again?" I asked as I trudged along the muddy path with Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and Milo.

    "Because we need something in East Ravka that we cannot acquire here." Kaz replied, turning back to me and holding my arm. "If you don't want to go, I understand. I know that the Darkling haunts you when you close your eyes."

    I nodded, looking past him to the shadowy blackness. "I'm afraid of the Darkling, yes. But I'm not going to leave my husband to face the Fold alone. I'm more afraid of losing you than I am myself."

    He nodded and we continued on the grassy trail until Acker AKA: The Conductor came into view, sitting on the steps of the metal death-trap.

    "I assume you have 20 pounds of Alabaster Coal this time, and you didn't have to steal it." Acker said to Jesper.

    "Arabella supervised me. We got the stuff." Jesper gestured to me.

    Acker looked at me. "Ah, hello again, Miss Arabella."

    "Hello again, Acker. It's been a while." I said.

    "That, is has, Miss Oretsev."

    "Actually, Acker, it's Brekker now." Kaz said with a smile at me.

    "Oh, how lovely. I would have come to the wedding, but I was a bit preoccupied with other things." He replied.

"It's quite alright, Acker." I said.

Acker looked at all of us and got up. "Come on. Best not waste any time. I imagine the Fold is not the best place for any of you to be in at this moment."

"It never is." I muttered under my breath and stepped onto the metal death-trap, getting into the small compartment as the others piled in.

Acker shut the door and set the bad of coal down next to the furnace. "What are you lot looking for across the Fold?"

"An ancient book made by the Saints and past Grisha before me. And some medicine." I replied.

"Very well. I won't press. We ready to enter?"

"As we will ever be." Inej replied, fiddling with the hand-stitched pendent around her neck.

"Okay. Don't shift your weight." He said, pressing a lever and having us roll into the Fold, putting coal in to make the fuel last longer as we rode along.

"You okay?" Kaz whispered to me, placing a hand on my knee.

"Trying not to freak out, honestly." I whispered back, putting my hand over his and lacing our fingers together.

    Milo looked at me with his brown goat eyes in silence, as if judging me.

    "Jes, Milo is giving me the stink eye." I said to the sharpshooter.

    "Huh. Now I wonder where he learned that from." Jesper replied, looking at me with a slight smile.

    "Shut up, Jesper." I said.

    The metal contraption rattled and Volcra screeched outside, making us all go silent and panic on the inside.

    "Bella, we're going to be okay." Kaz said, squeezing my hand.