Shadows can heal too

The Fold

"Well well well, looks like the black general is going to save the day" Mal noticed.

"Is he here, General Kirigan?" Alina asked

"Yep, that grand carriage means that he's going to grace us with his presence while doing nothing" remarked Bianca loudly. The soldiers who heard her snickered

"THE SKIFF LAUNCHES IN 20 MINUTES. FIRST ARMY MEMBERS WHO WILL BE ATTENDING, PACK YOUR GEER AND GET IN POSITION" Bianca announced, which made everyone go silent. Even grisha didn't dare to speak a word, and the soldiers did as they were told.

Bianca was sure that the black general heard her, and she smirked to herself. She hated the general with all her heart. Though he put his own people first, the man underestimated her for her Fjerdan looks and her being an otkazat'sya.

"How can you switch this quickly?" Mal exclaimed

"It's a part of my job," Bianca casually replied, "this is our cue to leave, come on"

"General" the lieutenant called. "We have a problem"

"Get to the skiff, I'll board soon" Bianca directed, before following the lieutenant to the tent.

"Yes lieutenant"

"The records of the borders of west Ravka were stricken by lightning last night, we'll have to send the whole cartography unit"

"Which is why I sent them, I expected something like this to happen"

The Lieutenant nodded and saluted. Bianca nodded at his gesture in acknowledgement and left the tent, heading to the skiff.

She was situated beside one of the grisha, keeping her eyes on Alina and Mal, full of concern. She can feel the heartbeats of everyone, fast and tottering. Her shadows were in deep grimace, she could feel it.

'Whoever made the fold has no feelings. You want to clash my appearance that bad?'

'A heretic created it. What did you expect?'

'Ready to play with dead meat?' Bianca grinned maliciously

'Yes please and thank you' they both replied

"Here's how it goes," An inferni instructed. "It gets dark but we like it dark, that keeps us from drawing attention. That's how we travel, the only light we use is the blue one at the mast. It's weak but safe"

"You're an inferni right? Why are you here if we're supposed to keep things dark?" asked a cartographer. Bianca just facepalmed

"For when the dark comes to keep you" the inferni replied darkly

"Ready for launch!" called a sergeant. "General, at your signal"

"In we go" declared Bianca as the squallers were pushing the skiff forward.

The fold was a dark place, unlike her shadows, it did not feel like home whatsoever. She didn't need to call on her powers to hear the heartbeats of nearby volcra, she could already hear their growling. The volcra were getting closer and closer to the skiff. Luckily, nobody saw Bianca positioning her hands together, just like a grisha, ready to strike, well nobody except for a squaller who kept eyeing her.

'I hate it here'

'I'm sleepy'

'Can they shut the fuck up? I hate it when i have to listen to fucking screechy drums all the time'

More volcra neared the skiff, almost all of the crew had their guns at point, and all grisha were positioned to strike. Bianca noticed that the light made by the fabrikators died down. She noticed the tension building up among grisha when she heard their hearts beat faster than a drum. Her hands were still in position, volcra heartbeats were drawing closer and closer.

A soldier then grabbed the lantern and lit it up, Bianca's eyes widened.

"Blow it down! What are you doing?!" hissed Bianca

A volcra crept up behind the soldier and attacked him with its claws. The lantern dropped and created a fire in the middle of the skiff.

"Shit"

"See you six feet under trumpets"

"I'm sorry my mental health is closed today"

More volcra approached the skiff, one of them carried away a squaller, and another clawed a cartographer. More volcra started to grab soldiers, grisha or first army. Guns started to shoot, Bianca drained the oxygen from the volcras lungs until it died. Most of the people ended up injured or grabbed by volcra.

"Come at me!" yelled the same inferni, calling upon her fire. "Come at me you coward!"

"Dumbass" Bianca muttered, before calling on her shadows to stop the fire she made, which didn't stop the volcra from grabbing the inferni

'B they know, I can sense it'

'About fucking time'

'I'd assume they're blind if they don't'

She saw a volcra coming in Alina and Mal's direction and decayed its' cells until the volcra froze in the air and dropped into ashes. To Bianca's unfortunate luck, a squaller tapped her shoulder.

"Otkazat'sya huh, General Taylor?" the squaller whispered

"Not a word" threatened Bianca

"ALEXI NO" Bianca heard Alina yell. Bianca scanned the skiff looking for Alina and Mal. Before Bianca comprehended what was happening, a volcra grabbed Mal.

"MAL... BIANCA" yelled Alina in horror

Bianca rushed to the soldiers' position and positioned her hands like any other grisha. Bianca could sense their horror, and the grisha's disbelief. She wouldn't risk performing the cut while Mal was near, so she ought to draw instant death on the volcra.

Bianca didn't focus on Mal stabbing the volcra, nor Alina shooting it with a gun. She focused on the volcra's heartbeat and decaying cells mercilessly. The volcra screeched, and dropped dead on the grounds of the fold. Mal then dropped on the floor.

"MAL" she and Alina cried.

Alina rushed to Mal while Bianca was trying to keep him alive. She heard them mutter incomprehensive words, and also heard the volcra that was trying to grab Alina.

Bianca sighed, and drew the fastest death she ever drew in her life on the volcra. The moment the volcra turned to ashes, a bright light outshined the fold.