𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄; A.M / N.L [𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃]

𝟎𝟐: 𝐈 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

* * * * 

"What else is new?"

"Hm?" Elena said, distracted. 

"What else is new?" Mal repeated.

Alina sighed. He was right, obviously. The girls had never slept very well. But insomnia had been even worse over the past couple of days. Saints only knew they had plenty of reasons to avoid going into the Shadow Fold. 

Elena glanced at Mal. There had been a time when Alina could have told him anything. But she confided in her sister about a year prior that things were different now whether she likes it or not. 

"I just...have this feeling. I don't know."

"Oh, stop worrying so much," Mal said huffing. Then he looked at the sisters with a glint in his eye. "Maybe they'll put Mikhael on the skiff. Then the volcra will take one good look at that big belly of his and ignore the rest of us."

Elena and Alina shared a bemused look.  

"I was kidding. No one's going to eat Mikhael," Mal reassured as if they were actually worried that Mikhael was going to get eaten by a pack of hungry volcra. 

"I know," Alina said, staring down at her boots. "You're hilarious."

"Alina, come on. We'll be fine."

"You can't know that." She said. 

"Look at me." She willed herself to raise her eyes to his. Elena took a deep breath and looked off into the crowd of travelers. She was used to Mal and Alina's lone moments in which she had no choice but to third wheel.  

 Mal continued. "I know you're scared. It's natural. But we're going to do this, and we're going to be fine. Okay?" He smiled, and Alina's heart gave a very loud involuntary thud in her chest. 

She rubbed her thumb over the scar on the palm of her right hand and took a shaky breath. "Okay," she said with a huff, and actually felt herself smiling back. Elena smiled to herself and grazed her finger across a similar twin scar on her hand. 

"My lady's spirits have been restored!" Mal shouted with glee. "The sun can once more shine across the valleys!"

"Oh, will you shut up?" Alina said trying to fight a smile. 

Elena was dazed with her eyes glazing over thinking about times in Keramzin when suddenly she was grabbed harshly by Mal and lifted off of her feet. 

A clatter of hooves and shouts rang in the air. Mal yanked her to the side of the road just as a huge black coach shoved past, scattering people in front of it as they ran to avoid the pounding hooves of four black horses. 

The Darkling. There was no other explanation for the midnight ebony-colored coach. 

Another coach, this one colored red, rumbled past them at a more steady pace.