Jesper was late. Again. Inej had the jurda, Kaz had the goat, Nastya was attempting to ignore the Fold, and Arken was merrily leading the way towards the terrible darkness. The grey and lifeless sand crunched under her boots, the lantern swinging in her hand as she walked behind Kaz, Inej following behind.
"We're almost there." Arken's annoying tone cut across the silence.
"Where the hell is Jesper?" voiced a very annoyed Kaz.
"Just a little further." came Arken's reply, and Nastya fought the urge to hit him aside the head with the lantern.
The sign loomed out of the darkness, a harsh warning of caution that Nastya held up the lantern to illuminate.
"Landmines." read Inej, brow furrowing. The goat bleated in her arms.
"We'll wait. Follow the path that you carve." commanded Kaz, and Arken nodded.
"That sign, that was my idea to keep people away. Can't be too careful. We're fine. Come." he said, too cheerily. Nastya scoffed and gave Inej the lantern.
Placing her hand on the harsh sand, she closed her eyes and focused. Close by, the warning sign. In the sand, the harsh grouping of metal and paper and gunpowder. A short distance into the hellish darkness lay the tracks of a train. She stood up, taking a handful of sand with her and placing it in her pocket. She blinked, then nodded.
"Cter dvakratnyy mudaksh,*" she mumbled in Ravkan, and the three Crows followed after her, carefully eyeing her footsteps.
"It's one thing hearing about it, but this is..." Inej broke the silence after that, staring up at the darkness before them.
"Nothing compared to what lies within," said Arken.
The goat bleated again, and thunder rumbled from inside the Fold. Even though she was right outside it, it almost felt like she was back inside that cold nothingness of the Fold. It was the squeaking of wheels and the hum of metal that were able to snap her out of the memories, the train behind her grounding her, the lockpicks and cane beside her giving her a grim determination.
'It's just another job.' she thought. 'It's just another damn job.'
"There. So, goat, jurda... Thank you. Now we're just waiting on..."
The familiar voice yelling in the distance paired with the sound of an angry group of men told Nastya exactly why Jesper was late. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
"Wait for me!" shrieked Jesper, narrowly missing bullets from the angry mob chasing him.
"They can't see the train."
"What do you want me to do about that, Conductor?" she spat. Arken flinched.
"Jesper, get here now!" yelled Kaz.
"Leave the lantern!" said Inej, hurriedly snuffing the flame. Nastya twitched her hand, the lantern now thrown into the darkness with little more than a thought.
"Landmines!" yelped Jesper, dodging the sign. "Oh, wait for me!"
More gunshots. She was gonna need more than one bottle of kvas after this whole damn ordeal.
"Don't you go without me! Wait!"
"Come on!" groaned Kaz, Jesper finally reaching them.
"Go on, after him!"
"Please tell me you have 20 pounds of alabaster coal." pleaded Arken, and Jesper winced.
"Slight snag in the plan. Turns out that the kid who was helping me buy the coal didn't exactly know how to, uh, buy coal."
YOU ARE READING
foundations of decay; k. brekker
Fanfiction"and as the swarm it calls we lay in the foundations," it's not the money that brings nastya rastputina on the job that entails certain death, that's for sure. ...ok, it also might be the money. "yes it comforts me much more- to lay in the fou...
