Rule of Saints {The Red Ribbon Sequel}

PROLOGUE: Scattered to the Winds

~ Y/N POV ~

"Do you know where you're going?"

Jes doesn't turn back to me as he heads off of the ship and onto the solid ground of Novyi-Zem. "Nope. But I have a pocketful of cash and the knowledge that if I keep walking straight, eventually I'll arrive somewhere."

I step off of the ship and run to catch up to his long strides. "You have a pocketful of kruge, Jes. What are you going to do with foreign money once we get to Cofton?"

"I'll find a way to exchange it with someone. We aren't strangers here, remember? We are visiting, because we have already been here before. We are both Zemini to the core," he says, even though we get strange looks by people passing by.

Sure, we are Zemini looking and can speak the language well. But one of us is dressed like he fell in a lake made of rainbows and I am wearing a blue summer kefta. We do not blend well in the crowds of people wearing thin fabrics of neutral colors, trying to stay as cool as possible in the blistering summer sun. We are strangers here.

I ignore the sweat beading on my brow. "I haven't been here in almost nine years. And I don't remember you making any visits while we were all in Ketterdam. Let's ask someone for directions before we end up lost."

Jes finally stops walking. "If you insist. Though, I do admit, I have great navigation skills."

"You once got lost in the Exchange. Directionally challenged is more like it," I say, searching the harbor for someone who looks trustworthy.

"What can I say, there were lots of people there."

"It is a straight line!" I say with a laugh, then grab Jesper's hand and bring him towards a tall woman with beautiful dark skin.

I ask her for directions to get to Cofton, and she gives me a general route. I thank her for the information, and her stare lingers on my kefta as I steer Jes towards our path.

As we walk, we receive lots of lingering stares of people glancing at our outfits. A part of me gets nervous that somehow, a kherguud soldier from the Shu is gonna emerge and take us away. In Ravka, I've been trained by Commander Nazyalensky to be vigilant at all times, and to always be cautious.

I lean in towards Jes. "Novyi-Zem is Grisha friendly, right?"

"Usually. What has got you on your toes? Whenever you were in Ketterdam, you were a risk-taker."

That is true. But back then, I did not have to worry about anyone's survival but mine. That city didn't care about us Crows. It has been almost two years since we staged the auction. I've been living at the Little Palace and I have a purpose: protect Ravka and its people. And even if I'm visiting Novyi-Zem with a dear friend, my mind is hyper-aware of what could happen at any time.

"Once you are under the impression of Zoya's cold stare, you wouldn't take any risks either," I mutter under my breathe.

Jes tips his hat to a passerby. "Maybe they are entranced by my smoking hot looks."

"Let's not say things we don't mean," I reply sarcastically, but I feel uneasy.

These people are looking at me with question in their eyes. They want an answer. But I do not know what for.