A funeral march for the passing of gods - Shadow And Bone- Nikolai Lantsov/OC

Ruin and Rising

***You are gonna be so depressed after reading this one, just so you know ;)***

" Ivan!" Their plan was going sideways. Alina might have been doing her duty distracting the darkling, but the nichevo'ya were still a heavy obstacle in their way, guarding the skiff full of children. Volcras were dropping left and right, Athena's movement being rushed, focused in all direction all at once: making a shield against the winged demons, protecting the skiff, making a tunnel for the other Grishas to cross. Her bones were sizzing from the Merzost surrounding them, from her own summoning. " Go!"

She wished she could have kept him beside her, could have hidden him from view, from the hatred of the world. But she was too aware he was required to go. They did not have corporalkis to spare, much as they did not have any soldiers to spare.

Let's recap. A group of soldiers hidden through the means of complicated science and even more complicated motives. A sun summoner and a living amplifier discussing the weights of the world with an immortal man, a merciless man. Darkness swimming around them, hiding them from view, cloaking them from each other. A skiff full of children, tiny and afraid, trying to mask fright with bravery and pretense. Or, at least, that's what Athena was making of their plan, unaware of the truth that was unfolding only a few meters away.

" How long can you hold it?" Zoya would say glancing at the quickly melting ice, at the tick drops of sweat coming down Athena's forehead.

" Until they come out." Athena was a general sitting out a battle this time. She was putting forth protections so her comrades stood a chance of returning victorious. Despite her hatred for such situations, she was a strategist, she knew what risks to take and what risks to put on others. This, like each and every decision that got them here, was a calculated risk.

She was wielding Volcras's blood, feeble reserves of water each of them brought for her to summon. The fold was a wasteland, with even the air being dry, scratching your throat with each inhale. Their shield against the demons of Merzost was thin, built out of what little material she had at her disposal. It was full of gore, mingling dirt, plasma, waste water, whatever form of water they had. Meanwhile, the squallers would take turn conditioning the air, silencing their talking and movements, trying to reach for the talking between their enemy and their savior.

" Return fire!" An unrecognizable voice had screamed, and Athena knew they had not anticipated the Darkling to have many other reinforcements other than his monsters. It seemed, she would be terribly mistaken.

" Let's go." Athena would order Adrik and Zoya, the only people that remained with her instead of climbing the skiff. Mal, waiting beside them would dare her to stop him, provoking her with his eyes to keep him in the dark. "Oretsev, we're not having a funeral for your sake today."

"I am coming even without your help"

"Take this, and keep to the back. Stay alive." She handed him her pistol, her knife, the only weapons she could offer him and gestured them all to follow. They glanced at her, at the change of plan, unsure. But they followed her, into the deadly unknown, into the fight of their life. They approached the skiff silently still covered only by the ice. Athena would search for heartbeat and create ladders out of Volcra's blood. Not the most appealing decision, but the most practical. They would slowly, terribly slowly climb the side of the skiff, hearing the muffled voices of the Darkling, of their little sun summoner.

" Did you really think I would endanger Grisha children when we have lost so many?" His voice would sound, sarcastic and ruthful, and everything in Athena would want to scream, would want to tear him apart and point to every second of her childhood, to every danger she was put into for the sake of "learning" and "practice". Were those kids to oppose him, to stand against his views, would they still be at Keremzin? Athena felt bitterness lying in her heart, trying to reach for his heart and break it with a twist of her hand. Useless. He was still protected by the merzost, still mocking her for trying. The joke was on him, her ice could suffice. Her ice could pierce his heart just as mighty as her powers could.