his flower queen (nikolai lantsov)

Angels Like Her

They climbed higher. The air grew frigid as they drifted into the thick cloud cover that hid the steepest peaks. When they emerged above it, Kaida released an awed gasp. Here, the mountaintops tall enough to pierce the clouds seemed to float like islands in a white sea. The tallest looked like it was clutched by huge fingers of frost, and as they arced around it, Kaida thought she saw shapes in the ice. A narrow stone staircase zigzagged up the cliff face. What lunatic would make that climb? And for what possible purpose? 

They rounded the mountain, drawing closer and closer to the rock. Kaida's pinky tightened around Nikolai's panicking that they were going to crash. Instead, they rolled hard to the right. Suddenly, they were between two frozen walls. The Pelican swerved and they entered an echoing stone hangar. 

Nikolai really had been busy. Kaida observed her surroundings in complete admiration, her mouth slightly opened, forming a tiny smile. He glanced at her and a lopsided grin crept on him. 

There were three other crafts docked in the hangar: a second cargo barge like the Pelican, the sleek Kingfisher, and a similar vessel that bore the name Bittern.

Like the Kingfisher, the Bittern had double hulls, though they were flatter and wider at the base, and equipped with what looked like sled runners. 

Nikolai's crew threw lines over the Pelican's rail, and workers ran forward to catch them, stretching them taut and tying them to steel hooks secured in the hangar's walls and floor. They touched down with a thud and a deafening screech as hull scraped against stone. 

As soon as they came to a halt, Tolya and Tamar leapt from the railings, already calling out greetings to crewmen and workers they recognised from their time aboard the Volkvolny. The rest of them waited for the gangway to be lowered, then shuffled off the barge. 

The moment Nikolai unwrapped his pinky around hers, she felt cold. All her warmth vanished along with him, leaving her in the miserable chills. She yearned for him to come back and wrap his pinky around hers again, for him to hug her until their bodies were incapable of doing so anymore. But there was no way that was going to happen. 

They followed behind Mal and Alina. 

"Impressive," Mal said. 

Alina shook her head in wonder. "How does he do it?" 

"Want to know my secret?" Nikolai asked, the two of them jumped. He leaned in, looked from left to right, and whispered loudly that even Kaida could hear, "I have a lot of money." 

Kaida rolled her eyes. With how he was acting, it seemed like he was really going to let them in on a little secret. 

"No, really," he protested. "A lot of money." 

Nikolai gave orders to the waiting dockworkers for repairs and then led the ragged, wide-eyed group to a doorway in the rock. 

"Everybody in," he said. Confused, they crowded into the little rectangular room. The walls looked like they were made of iron. Nikolai pulled a gate closed across the entry. 

"You're on my foot," Zoya complained grumpily, but they were all wedge in so tightly it was hard to tell who she was angry at. Thankfully, Kaida knew it wasn't her because she was near Nikolai, Alina and Mal. 

"What is this?" Alina asked. 

Nikolai dropped a lever, and they let loose a collective scream as the room shot upward, taking Kaida's stomach with it. 

They jolted to a halt. Her gut slammed back down to her shoes, and the gate slid open. Nikolai stepped out, doubled over with laughter. "I never tire of that." 

They piled out of the box as fast as they could - all except for David, who lingered to fiddle with the lever mechanism. 

"Careful there," Nikolai called. "The trip down is bumpier than the trip up." 

Genya took David's arm and yanked him clear. 

"Saints," Alina swore. "I forgot how often I want to stab you." 

"So I haven't lost my touch." He glanced at Genya and said quietly, "What happened to that girl?" 

"Long story," Alina hedged. "Please tell me there are stairs. I'd rather set up permanent house here than ever get back in that thing." 

"Of course there are stairs, but they're less entertaining. And once you've dragged yourself up and down four flights of them enough, you'll find you're far more open-minded." 

Kaida scanned the hangar they just entered. If the other one had been impressive, then this was simply miraculous. 

It was the biggest room she'd ever been in - twice, maybe three times as wide and as tall as the domed hall in the Little Palace. It wasn't even a room. They were standing at the top of a hollowed-out mountain. 

There were enormous bronze columns cast in the shapes of people and creatures. They towered above them, bracketing huge panels of glass that looked out on the ocean of cloud below. The glass was so clear that it gave the space an eerie sense of openness, as if a wind might blow through and send Kaida tumbling into the nothingness beyond. 

"Deep breaths," Nikolai said. "It can be overwhelming at first." 

The room was teeming with people. Some bunched in groups where drafting tables and bits of machinery had been set up. Others were marking crates of supplies in a kind of makeshift warehouse. Another area had been set aside for training; soldiers sparred with dulled swords while others summoned squaller winds or cast inferni flame. Through the glass, there were terraces protruding in four directions, giant spikes like compass points - hard not to compare it to the damp, cloistered caverns of the White Cathedral. Everything here was bursting with life and hope. It all bore Nikolai's stamp. 

As they made their way through, Tamar walked beside her.

"I'm sorry, Kaida." She apologised. 

Kaida looked at her bewildered. Why was she sorry? What was she sorry for? 

"When you were talking on the Pelican, I could see the hurt and suffering you've gone through," Tamar continued, "I don't expect you to tell me everything all at once. But I do hope that you know that I'm here to listen to any of it and help you find peace with it at any time. Whether you need a good cry or scream, I'll be beside you every second of the way."

"So you don't think I'm like a cheat grisha?" Kaida asked, hopefully. 

Tamar laughed, "No, I don't think you're a cheat grisha. Where'd you get that idea? A grisha is a grisha, you can't cheat to be one." 

Kaida grinned, relieved that Tamar accepted her and her past. Out of everybody's opinion, Tamar's mattered the most, except for maybe a certain prince, but other than him, she cared about what Tamar thought of her the most. Her world felt a bit brighter and lighter. Though she didn't notice it, each step she took had a slight bounce to it. 

author's note: 
Sorry for writing another author's note. I don't know why I'm suddenly really tired because I haven't done anything today, but I'm thinking of taking a nap soon, so here's a short chapter that doesn't add much. I wanted to post one today though to keep the story moving and stay in my schedule of one story a day since I want to finish this book before school starts.
Thanks for reading!