Rule of Saints {The Red Ribbon Sequel}

Waiting on a Miracle

~ Y/N pov ~

Inej got up early in the morning, taking control of our Kerch cruiser, leading us out into the open sea. I am thankful for her persistence, her faith, and her reliability. She kept true to her word, and didn't tell the others about my expedition to rescue Kaz last night.

"How is the ship doing on supplies, Captain?" I ask, watching her turn the big wooden steering wheel slightly to the right. Kaz's plan to stock up at the Exchange failed miserably yesterday, as we all know.

"We are already dwindling. With the food stores that we have, I can get us to the Shu border, as close to Ravka as possible," she replies calmly, though the crease of her brow shows otherwise.

"How far are we from Ketterdam?"

"Too far to turn back."

I nod slowly. "Shu Han it is. It'll just be a quick stop."

"You got it," Inej says, turning the wheel more sharply to the right, getting us on track to Ravka's Southern neighbor.

Jesper suddenly comes barreling up the stairs, out of breath from an excess of adrenaline. "HOW LONG WAS I OUT!?"

"What?" I ask, rushing over to our sharpshooter, who looks as if he just saw the Darkling in the flesh.

He looks around panicked, and Wylan comes running, grabbing his hand. "Jes, what is it?"

"Am I dosed again? With parem? Saints, I think I'm seeing things again, Wy. I saw him," Jes explains in a slurred rush.

"The Darkling is here!?" Wylan asks, looking like he is about to piss his pants. Even Inej leaves the steering wheel to join the frenzy.

"No, no! Kaz, I saw Kaz in the lower decks. It must be a ghost, how long was I sleeping? The Darkling took him right?"

Wylan clutches Jes' hand for dear life as Inej and I release a long breath. Inej really took to her word; she didn't tell anyone about my rescue mission for Kaz, even after we got back. Maybe not the smartest move, but hey, she doesn't break promises.

I stifle a laugh. "Jes, Kaz is not dead. He is actually here on the ship. And he is probably very confused as to why you sprinted away upon seeing him. You aren't dosed again, you slept a normal amount of hours, you aren't on parem anymore."

"How did he get here? When did we start moving?" Wylan asks, realizing that the Ketterdam skyline is nowhere in sight.

Inej gives me a look that says I'll let you handle this one, and heads back to her post. I look at the Faheys straight in the eye. "I went out last night and I talked with the Darkling. Kaz is back. Inej started sailing early this morning. We are headed for Shu Han. Any more questions?"

"Yea, I've got one," Kaz says, emerging from belowdecks. "Why did Nina just call me a 'little roach that always finds a way out of the Darkling's grasp'?"

"I may have deliberately forgotten to tell our fellow crewmates about my plan to get you last night," I say with a guilty grin.

"That makes more sense. Though, I'm flattered that Nina thinks I could escape the Darkling myself with only a few scratches to show for it," Kaz replies.

Jesper steps forward dramatically and touches Kaz's arm, giving it a little squeeze to ensure that Kaz is actually there. He abruptly shakes Jes off with a shudder. "I'm not dead, you podge. If I were, you wouldn't be alive either."

Jesper realizes the truth behind that statement and nods, slowly coming back to himself. He looks at me, wearing Kaz's coat, and Kaz, standing next to me. "So are you two besties again?"