INEFFABLE | kaz brekker

chapter seventeen

Elham emerged on the other side to complete darkness, the volcra screeching all around her. She turned back to check on Alina, who she had seen standing with a look of determination, only to be met with a wall of darkness. She couldn't see to the other side. She bit her lip, deciding on whether or not she should go back and help, when a gust of air and sound of a wing fluttering flew right over her head.

She screamed, ducking and rolling, barely missing being grabbed by a volcra. She wasn't entirely lucky, however, because a talon had caught her in the small of her back, slicing from the left side to the right.

Elham tried to suck in a breath, unable to make a sound, though her mouth was open enough to eventually let out a scream of agony. She scrambled to reach around to her back, quickly drawing her sword just in time for another volcra to come swooping down. She sat up, propelling herself to land on one knee, before driving her sword straight through the volcra's shoulder in retaliation.

It screeched in pain, trying to fly away, and she took it as her chance, swiftly pulling her sword out, before running it clean through to the base of it's skull. It twitched, before falling back onto the deck, unmoving. Elham pulled her sword back, giving it a shake, the blood splattering onto the deck.

She reached her hand back to feel her wound, before holding her hand in front of her face to be met with blood on her finger tips. She muttered to herself. "Shit."

She didn't have much time to focus on the dull sting of her lower back, because the familiar dread spread across her chest when she looked up to see Jesper on one side of the deck, scrambling to reload his gun, and Kaz and Inej on the other side of the deck, with only a final blade and a cane as defense. Two volcra were perched atop the mast, peering down at the Crows.

The first swooped down, aiming for Jesper, who had yet to cock his gun. Elham sucked in a breath, hoping he would notice and dodge it, but he hadn't even looked up yet.

"Jesper!"

He looked up, his eyes widening. He seemed frozen on the spot, barely even having enough time to step out of the way. The volcra kept coming. Elham tossed the hilt of her sword up into her palm, before sending her sword through air like a javelin, lodging itself into the volcra's chest. It, too, screeched and fell to the deck.

Jesper gave her a nod of thanks, and she nodded back, stepping up to grab her sword. Suddenly, the other volcra on the mast screeched out into the air, and Elham's blood ran cold. She had no weapon, she was nowhere near where her sword and the volcra had landed, and Kaz and Inej were right in the volcra's path.

Breaking out into a sprint towards them, she called out.

"Kaz! Inej! Duck!"

Kaz turned to her, eyes widening. He and Inej dove for the deck as Elham let two sources of flames pool in her palms, aiming for the volcra swooping down. She raised her hands, zeroing in on the volcra, before letting the flame burst from her hands, sending one ball of fire after the other towards the volcra.

The volcra went up in flames.

It let out a screech, one piercing to Elham's ears, and she let the flames falter, moving to cover her ears. The volcra flew aimlessly, trying to put itself out, heading right for Elham.

Jesper called out to her. "Elham, move!"

She dove to the side, grimacing as her wound scraped against the deck. Jesper unchambered a round, hitting the volcra dead in the center of its skull. It landed on the deck, dead. He pulled Elham's sword from the dead volcra beside him, walking over to her, offering a hand. She took it, mumbling a thanks as he hoisted her up, handing her back her sword.