Noble Hope| General Kirigan

𝟘𝟚𝟚

{Chapter twenty-two}

ADALINE WOKE TO A SPLITTING HEADACHE AND DARKNESS THAT SHE COULDN'T SEE THROUGH DUE TO HER VISION BLURRING. It took her a moment to recall what happened.

Alina drugged me.

She fucking drugged me. 

Adaline went to sit up, the only result being her hitting her head on something solid, sending another shockwave of ache through her already throbbing head. A voice from the other side of her scolded her quietly.

"Addy, knock it off. I'm trying to get us out of here." Alina's voice cut through the silence along with a bright light that illuminated both of their faces. Alina laid on the opposite side of Adaline, near her feet. She held a pair of scissors in her hands, about the shove them against something.

"Alina, what the fuck." Adaline groaned, rubbing her temple with the hand that wasn't pressed underneath her. "What did you do? Where are we?"

"It's amazing what some of Baghra's herbs can do. And we're locked in a trunk I'm trying to get us out of, so shut up and let me focus," muttered Alina before she lined up the scissors to the backside of a heat-treated lock and shoved the spears into it harshly, allowing the lock to pop off.

Slowly, Alina pushed off the lid of the trunk, and peeked over the edge, freezing when she saw a man with a gun strapped to his waist.

To Jesper, this seemed normal. A girl was scared, there was a man with a gun, etcetera, etcetera. What he didn't expect, (and found quite funny, actually,) was for Adaline Starkov to suddenly shoot up, her hair a mess and eyes squinted from the unexpected light.

Her mind still spun from whatever herb Alina had given her, and she felt quite lightheaded which didn't help the headache, though she followed her sister and stepped cautiously out of the trunk and onto solid ground. She tried her best to seem confident in how she stood, but that was difficult with the world running in circles.

There stood a girl about two inches shorter than Adaline dressed in blue, with a long braid and light brown skin, with at least four knives strapped to the front of her outfit. Next to her was the man with the gun, who had his dark-complexioned hand placed tightly against it. He tipped his top hat. "We don't want any trouble."

Alina took a firm hold of Adaline's wrist. "Neither do we, so we'll just be on our way," she said with her hands held out, ignoring the pounding of her chest and beginning to step towards her right.

Adaline internally groaned when the man on the right dressed in black snapped his cane up, blocking the younger girl from moving away. His hair was slicked back and at the top of his cane rested a silver crow's head. Her sister always had underestimated people. 

"Clearly, you want out of East Ravka." the brown-skinned boy with the hat said. "But we can help you."

The three of them, (save for Kaz, who didn't show it,) were clearly worried for Adaline, who looked to the girl pleadingly. The Shadow Summoner's forehead was beaded in sweat and her normally tanner skin was tainted a ghostly pale. The girl with the knives nodded solemnly.

Adaline was furious with Alina. All she wanted as of this moment was Aleksander.

"We have a secure route through the Fold." the man with the gun continued.