Her Balance | Nikolai x Reader x Darkling

~ Chapter 7 ~

What's this? An update the day after the previous one?!

Slay.

Let's get into it.

First Person - Y/n

Gunfire shattered the air around us.

"Darling, hands up!" yelled the voice and I put them up.

A shot rang out and the rope bounding my hands split. I sent out waves of shadows knocking out pairs of men at a time.

I twisted my head to the side and saw the Grisha fighting too. Harshaw was on the ground, but Stigg had his flint in hand, and flames shot through the air.

Tamar and Tolya had charged into the fray. Zoya, Nadia, and Adrik had their hands up, and leaves lifted in gusts from the forest floor.

I turned towards Mal untying his hands and throwing him his sword as he charged into the crowd.

I carefully analyzed the crowd and finally was able to find the distinguishing marker of Nikolai's men. They had pale blue armbands.

"Everyone who's on my side," I yelled as loudly as I could, "EYES!"

I saw everyone on my side that was near me cover their eyes while Luchenko's men seemed confused. It was enough for me. I raised my hands and send the brightest, most blinding ray of light I could muster through the entire woods.

If the Darkling was outside somewhere, he probably would've seen it all the way from the palace.

Luchenko's men screamed and I even saw some of them that were closest to me get set on fire from the heat.

"RUN!" Nikolai yelled.

We took off through the trees, trying to keep pace as Nikolai darted through the woods. I was in the back sending rays of light at some of the soldiers chasing us. Mal, Tolya, and Tamar were the only ones behind me.

I didn't know where we were headed. Toward the creek? The road? I'd lost all sense of direction.

I looked ahead of me, counting the others, making sure we were together. The Squallers were summoning in tandem, knocking trees into the militia's path. Stigg trailed them, sending up spurts of flame. David had somehow managed to retrieve his pack and was staggering closer and closer to me as he ran beside Genya.

"Leave it!" I yelled, but if he heard, he ignored me.

Tolya had Harshaw thrown over his shoulder, and the weight of the big Inferni was slowing his stride.

A soldier was gaining on him, saber drawn. Tamar vaulted onto a fallen trunk, took aim with her pistol, and fired.

A second later, the militiaman clutched his chest and crumpled midstride. Oncat darted past the body, fast on Tolya's heels.

"Where's Sergei?" I shouted.

Tamar backtracked, dodging falling trees and fire, and forcibly pulled him along.

I couldn't hear what she was yelling, but I didn't think it was gentle encouragement.

We continued to run until we were pouring into a barley field. Despite the heat of the late afternoon sun, the field was shrouded in mist.

We ran over the soil until Nikolai shouted, "Here!"

Here?

We were in the middle of an empty field with nothing but fog for cover and a throng of militiamen hungry for revenge and fortune on our heels.