Not About Angels || Jesper Fahey

Chapter Three: Gossip

The group was led into a basement where a man was tied to a chair. Milana whimpered, leaning against Alessia's side, afraid of the situation she had gotten herself into.

"You'll be okay," she assured her silently, "You can do this."

Alessia herself was confused to see this man all tied up, but she had seen men and women be tortured before and it didn't come as much of a shock to her to see all of this in Ketterdam.

"Who's this?" Kaz asked confused, leaning against his cane for support. Alessia had never heard of how he had hurt his leg, but she never wished to ask something like that, as she did not want anyone to ask her about her past.

"So you don't know everything after all." Dreesen sneered.

Dreesen walked over and pulled the sack off of the man's head. "This is Alexei Stepanov. Two weeks ago, young Alexei crossed through the Fold on foot. Alone." Alessia stared at him in shock, wondering how someone would be able to do that other than her and the Black Heretic.

"How?" Inej asked.

"They're keeping it quiet, but alleged he was one of a few witnesses to an event."

"What kind of event?" Kaz asked, curiously.

"I know an expedition was swarmed by volcra. Should've been a total loss, but something happened." Dreesen took a sip of his wine, getting ready to tell the story to the group. "Some device detonated. Obliterated the volcra, lit up the dark like a forest fire. I know it wasn't a fire, or no one else would have survived. This was some invention no one had ever seen before. He knows but he doesn't seem to articulate his account of events. Some form of traumatic relapse... so..."

"Kaz," Alessia started as soon as she told Milana it was okay to help soothe the man. Kaz turned to look at her, acknowledging her presence. "An invention wouldn't have been able to scare off volcras... Even if there was an invention, it would've killed everyone else there."

Kaz nodded, glancing back over to Milana and Alexei.

"Tell me what happened in the Fold. Who saved you?" Milana asked, her voice soothing to the man who was bound against the chair.

"You won't believe me but..." Alexei paused, thinking about everything he was about to say, how it could change the world. "It was a Sun Summoner." Alessia froze in place, it wasn't her, she knew that much. But there was another one like her? And Aleksander could get to whoever it was and she wouldn't have enough time to stop it.

Inej gasped, having heard stories about Sun Summoners and she was surprised that they were real.

"Who was it?" Dreesen asked.

"If I tell you, you'll set me free?" Alexei gasped for breath.

"You have my word. I'll set you free." Dreesen promised, but his word wasn't enough. "You're in Ketterdam now, Alexei, you can go anywhere in the world from here."

Alexei looked over at Milana who was trying her best to soothe him to give him the answers they desired.

"Just imagine. Come on." Dreesen insisted.

"Her name is... Alina Starkov."

Alessia turned pale, stepping back in shock. Jesper tilted his head, looking at her concerned, wondering what was wrong with her.

She had thought her sister was all right, but in fact, she had joined the army just like she told her not to.

"Alina Starkov?" Dreesen repeated.

Alexei nodded and Dreesen smiled, patting Alexei's knee as if he was an animal.

"Show me the manifest." Dreesen walked over to the manifest, looking through it before he saw Alina Starkov's name and he received what he wanted. "Perfect." He grinned, handing it back to one of the people who worked for him.