Alina stood in a field, houses dotted all around, the citizens of the small town doing their daily work. Suddenly, people began to shout and run in a panic. Looking ahead of her, Alina saw the Shadow Fold barrelling towards them. She put her hands up as the Shadow Fold engulfed her. When she opened her eyes, she saw a dark figure just starting to get up from the ground.
'Alina,' the voice said in a familiar rasp. Aleksander Kirigan rose from the ground, staring at her. 'Alina,' he repeated. She tried to awaken the light in her hands, but it was no use. Seconds later, almost as if by magic, he moved right in front of her face, staring at her with a look that could only be described as pure evil.
She bolted awake, squinting immediately at the light hitting her eyes. She met Mal's eyes as he sat next to her.
'It's all right. It's all right. It's okay,' he reassured her with a gentle touch of his hand on her back. 'More bad dreams?' She nodded, running a hand over her face in exhaustion. He opened a book with a drawing of hers in it and showed it to her. 'Same as what you showed me before?'
'Worse,' she replied. 'Tell me again.'
'Kirigan is dead. I saw the volcra take him. No one survived.' She lowered her voice and leaned over to him.
'I keep seeing the Fold growing. Sometimes a little, sometimes in a surge. I don't know what it means.' He smiled softly and grabbed her hand.
'Let's think about what's next.'
'Approaching Weddle Harbour!' one of the men on the boat called out. Mal stood up and walked to the front of the ship.
'This is the first time we've ever left Ravka,' he spoke. 'You haven't had a good meal or good sleep in about two weeks, and we're going to change that soon.' He turned to her, still smiling. She gave a smile in return, then came to stand with him at the front of the ship, overlooking the modest harbour nearby. 'They have hot stones to keep your bed warm here,' Mal said.
'Well, that's if they let us into the country first,' she replied pensively.
'We just keep our cool, and once we get past the checkpoint, we'll be free. There's so much to do.' Her smile fell and she turned away from him.
'Yeah. There is.'
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The Shadow Crow (A Shadow and Bone: Season 2 Fanfiction)
FanfictionA few days after Alina and I escaped the clutches of my brother, the former Ravkan general of the Second Army, Aleksander Kirigan, we parted ways. I went with Kaz Brekker and his gang of thieves, affectionately nicknamed the Crows, back to Ketterdam...
