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Half way through the journey back onto town, Shan sat leant against the back of the carriage with her head against Inej's shoulder, unable to keep her eyes open for more than a minute as exhaustion tethered her down.
Her visions were plagued with Volcra and the screams of innocents. The rattle of chains and a blinding light squandered by darkness. Then, as she began to stir awake, the rolling and crashing of waves against the side of a ship.
All of it left her shivering and clutching her shawl around her as she fought to stay awake. The slither of blood streaking through her hair and down the side of her head didn't help with anything, sticking strands to her temple as it dried.
At some point as Jesper began to grate on everyone's nerves being secretive and smug and the early sun began to rise in the horizon, Shan forced herself to sit up and snap out of her fatigue.
"Jesper," she yawned into the back of her hand. "Why is the sun summoner locked inside the trunk in the back?"
That opened a whole can of worms that forced the boy to finally explain.
And they all began to realise why he was so smug and giddy.
All except Shan, who's heart had sunk as she realised they were closer to the resolution of their job than they had ever been, and it troubled her.
Inej was equally astonished but remained just as quiet.
When they climbed down, pulled around the back of a stone wall outside the edge of town, they all convened at the back of the carriage where the locked trunk was.
"This isn't a good idea." Shan murmured to them, waiting for something to happen.
"Tell me that again when we're rolling in kruge." Jesper quipped back.
She felt eyes on her and met kaz's gaze to her left. She didn't say anything and was forced to look away when a glowing light caught their attention.
All three of them backed up a step as the metal lock began burning bright before breaking apart. The lid opened and Alina got down quickly, landing on her feet right in front of them with a wary gaze.
"We don't want any trouble," Jesper said, hand subtly resting on the guns at his hip.
Alina put her hands up slowly. "Neither do I, so I'll just be on my way..."
She went to leave but Kaz shot his cane out to block her path. She froze. He gave her a daring looking, subtly shaking his head.
Alina's eyes darted between them all, landing lastly on Shan who seemed more ruffled than the night before. The words whispered between them lingered in the air for a tense second.
Jesper continued to bargain. "Clearly you want out of East Ravka. But we can help you. We have a secure way through the Fold."
