That Summer In The Country

Fifty-six:

Fifty-six:

Genya wasn't sure how long she had been gone. She knew she was some place dark, and that her head was pounding, and that there was something sticky coming down her face. "Genya," she heard someone calling her name, "Genya, wake up." There was a figure looming above her, and as her vision came into view, she saw that it was Mal.

"Mal," she whispered.

There was something different about him. He had a slight glow.

"Come on," said Mal, "you've got to get up. You've got to get out. You've got to live."

"Mal, I've got to tell you---"

"Genya, it's not important. What is important is getting you out of here before Petyr's men come back for you. They left you in this hole, and they want you to die. You can't die. You've got to survive, for Mika."

"Mal, I've got to tell you, Mika's not Petyrs. I had a DNA test done. Mika's yours."

Mal smiled at her. "I know, Gen. I've known since I saw him. Why do you think I went after Petyr?"

"What are you talking about Mal?"

He smiled at her, and then there was red coming through his white shirt that he was wearing. There was a loud bang. Mal's eyes dimmed, and then he was gone.

"Will you shut up?" someone snarled at Genya. "Mal Oretsev is dead. Pekka Rollins shot him. He's never coming back, bitch."

"Now, that's no way to talk to a lady," she heard someone say. They moved like a spider, quickly, and through the darkness. Genya saw the glint of a knife and then she heard the sound of one of her guards crying out as they doubled over and died. Genya watched, tied up, and groggy, unable to move as the spider moved through the darkness quickly and swiftly.

One by one, the guards that were watching her tumbled down before her as they were all killed. She heard their screams, and the smell of blood filled her nostrils. Through the shadows, Genya saw a small flame flickering from a cigarette lighter. There was a girl there, with brown skin, dark black hair, and dark brown eyes. She was tiny, but she moved quickly.

"Are you Genya Safin?" the girl asked.

Genya nodded. She squinted at the girl, but she thought that she looked vaguely familiar. "Are you.... are you The Wraith?" she said. "The girl that used to climb The Fold on youtube?"

Inej blushed. "I haven't done that for a very long time. I work for Kaz Brekker, and he was hired by Aleksander Morozova to have me come and find you. Mal Oretsev was trying to find information to bring Petyr Lantsov down, and they found information connecting him to all of his illegal businesses, including the funding he does for a place called The Menagerie. But they won't release it until they know that you're alive, and that you consent to it. Lantsov had Mal killed because he stole the information from him."

"Mal," she whispered, her voice coming out raspy, and rough, because she was dehydrated and could not remember the last time that she had water. Inej's face fell when she heard Genya say Mal's name.

"Mal's dead," Inej said, "Genya, Mal isn't coming back."

That was the last thing that she remembered before she passed out where Inej was the glint of Inej's knife in her hand.