The Phoenix and the Crow

Hostility

a/n: someone had asked me if nina went to visit matthias towards the end of season two as she did in the show.. and for the sake of the plot line here, she did not :)

"Nina." Matthias gritted out. The girls pinned to the floor clawed at his hands as they grasped her throat tighter. "Witch," he hissed, leaning over her. "Be me for your life."

Y/N turned to Kaz, her eyes wide in desperation for him to do something, but as the seconds ticked on he stood there unmoving. The inferni rubbed two fingers together and created a burning flame on her index finger. She slid forward, falling to her knees beside the Fjerdan and held her flame to his neck, close enough for him to feel the heat. "Hands off her." Matthias slowly released Nina and sat up. Y/N reached a hand out to the girl at her elbow and brought her to stand behind her. Both grisha women moved to stand, while the one in front muffled her flame.

The Hellgate prisoner watched the inferni with a flame of his own in his eyes. His glare burned into her. How dare she refuse his chance at revenge. Without a second thought, he rose to his feet and lunged at her. He heard a metallic click, and once again someone stood in his way. "Stay down, Helvar." Kaz had moved to stand in between the inferni and Fjerdan with a gun held in his hand. The Bastard had been subtle when he moved his other arm to gently push Y/N further behind him.

"Go ahead and shoot me."

Y/N could feel Kaz rolling his eyes as he spoke. "If you've actually lost your mind, this is going to be a lot tougher than I thought."

Within seconds, Kaz had swung the grip of his gun into Matthias' shoulder. He grunted as he fell forward, his left arm had gone entirely numb.

"Get hold of yourself, Helvar. We're here to break you out. I can do to your leg what I did to your arm, and we can drag you out of here, or you can leave like a man, on two feet."

"No one gets out of Hellgate," Matthias said.

"Tonight they do."

Matthias sat forward, trying to get his bearings, clutching his dead arm. "You can't just walk me out of here. The guards will recognize me," he snarled. "I'm not losing fighting privileges to be carted off, Djel knows where with you."

"You'll be masked."

"If the guards check-"

"They're going to be too busy to check," Kaz said. And then the screaming started.

A gasp escaped Nina, "You opened the cages." Her voice was shaky with disbelief. Y/N noticed Matthias eye the heartrender as if puzzling out in his head if it was all an act.

"Jesper was supposed to wait until three bells." Kaz muttered.

"It is three bells, Kaz." Y/N muttered back.

"Since when is Jesper punctual?" the man complained with a glance at his watch. "On your feet, Helvar."

~

The rush of waves was finally heard over all the chaos from inside the prison. In the distance, a guard could be seen sitting on a stray boat swaying with the tide. The guard stood up and waved them over, the group followed and walked to the boat.

"You were early, Jesper," Kaz said as he nudged Matthias into the rocking boat.

"I was on time."

"For you, that's early. Next time you plan on impressing me, give me some warning."

"The animals are out, and I found you a boat. This is when a thank you would be in order."

"Thank you, Jesper." Y/N smiled at the zemmini while she took Kaz's hand and allowed him to help her in.