The Act of Duplicity [General Kirigan]

epilogue

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    Everything was dark. Nataliya couldn't see her hand in front of her face if she extended it. Her beating heart has never been faster and louder in her ears as she willed her feet to move and take her away from the darkness. But she couldn't escape it. Blinking didn't help no matter how much she wished that the next time she's going to open her eyes, she'll see light, she'll see Ravka and her home. It was always a disappointment to find herself seeing nothing in the Fold. With no sense of direction, she had no idea whether she was running towards Novokribirsk, back to Kribirsk or along the Fold all the way up to the north or south. She ran blindly though her eyes were still open.

    Back at the skiff, she made a stupid mistake at looking away from Zoya. While she was busy screaming after the General who was taken by the Volcra, Zoya regained her composure and sent another gust of wind towards Nataliya knocking her over the railing and down the skiff. Her legs barely survived the fall but she still toppled to the ground and badly hurt her right side.

    Every muscle hurt when she started running. Her head was pounding from the hit she endured on the skiff, her shoulder was in terrible pain because of the Volcra and the kefta she was wearing was getting soaked with her own blood. A chill ran up her spine when she remembered that Volcra are able to smell the blood from miles away. Nataliya was doomed. But she didn't intend to give up. She ran forward with all her might trying to reach the edge of the Fold. Considering they were at the very west when the fight broke out she had a long way to go to reach Ravka again. Strange images started to appear in front of her eyes and that's all that she was able to focus on and that it drove her on to continue running.

    She thought of Genya, her sweet little sister who was waiting back at the military camp in Kribirsk. Their last conversation came back to her. I'll come back to you, I always do. What if Nataliya was lying and she didn't even realise it? No! She can't think that way, she isn't devastated yet. She's also not dead yet so she has to make every particle of her bodywork towards her getting out of this nightmare. A distant memory of Genya's laugh echoed in her mind and she remembered how they used to braid each other hair.

    She remembered how she used to sneak Genya out of the Queen's quarters when they were younger and both already in Os Alta. They were inseparable. They still are. Nataliya was immensely proud of what her sister has become and she couldn't shake the smile off when she saw her in the new red and blue kefta.

    My sister is waiting for me outside. I have to get to her.

    A distant Volcra sound startled Nataliya but she didn't let it stop her, she kept running. Her next thoughts were consumed by Nina Zenik. She hadn't seen the fellow Heartrender in almost a year since Nina decided to go on that mission. These two trained together all the time, they were best friends, the first time Nataliya crossed the Fold was with always confident and brave Nina. Nina was the reason Nataliya didn't die that first time and she owed her ever since. No matter how many times Nina reassured her that she doesn't need to be repaid, Nataliya didn't believe her.