Kaz Brekker X Reader - The Bastard and the Blood Princess

Chapter 5

The journey had gone in complete silence for some moments, you sitting across from Arken and inspecting him as he looked at his pocket watch, while telling you to load more coal every once in a while. You saw shadows going over the train a few times, indicating something moving over. Maybe they were trees, maybe they were ruins of old buildings - but you were pretty sure they were Volcra.

A clank echoed through the train, making you flinch and everyone but Arken looked up.

"What was that?" Jesper asked, moving his hands to his revolvers.

Arken gestured up. "I've erected a system of timers along the line. Bits of metal hung on poles to keep me apprised of our pace."

Kaz looked at the fireplace, glancing at Arken. "How did you know where to put the poles?"

Arken smiled a little. "Physics and engineering account for... most of my success."

"And the rest?" Inej asked as she turned to look at Arken.

"What we might call divine intervention. Others may call it luck. After all, the Fold is thick with Volcra, and the tracks are not complete." He turned to you. "Coal, please."

"I'm sorry," Jesper said, his confusion shining through, "did you just say the tracks weren't complete?"

"I said they aren't complete."

"What–"

Jesper almost lunged forward, but Arken stopped him by raising his hand up. “Ah, ah, ah, no moving. You must never shift your weight. There are wheels under the train, that will help us through the gap and catch the tracks again once we reach them.”

"How much longer will this take?" you asked, your eyes still glued on the crack on the roof. You had a terrible feeling, and every sense in your body told you to run.

"Patience," Arken said, and another clank echoed through the train. "The noise might attract the Volcra, but it's the only way through," he continued, leaning forward and pulling a lever, and in a few seconds, you felt how the train jumped off tracks. The train shook and jumped and Arken shouted over the noise, "there's a nest nearby, but usually I get past them unnoticed. It won't be a problem and we'll be fine, it's unlikely that–"

A shriek. Another. Third, flapping of wings, getting closer.

Arken's eyes widened and he immediately looked up. "Well, now we've got a problem!"

Everyone started shouting, and your breathing quickened as you saw dents forming all over the train. Jesper hugged the goat, Inej prayed and Kaz and you turned your heads as new dents formed around you. Arken ordered you to throw the rest of the coal into the fireplace, but soon, he turned grim. "We're twenty seconds late."

"What does that mean?" Kaz shouted over the noise, and Arken's shoulders slumped.

"It means the train will stop inside the Fold and... we'll die."

You scoffed, leaning back and crossed your arms. "Should have guessed I can't trust a strange guy with way too much confidence. I should have known that trusting him would get me killed!"

Arken glared at you, but didn't say anything.

But then, Jesper suddenly stood up, holding the goat. He walked to the middle of the train, his eyes closed, as if all his fear had melted away and something that was not him had taken over. You almost believed Inej's praying summoned something to take over Jesper, because that's how calm he looked when compared to just moments earlier.

Then, he started shooting, and the train started picking up speed again when the weight of Volcras were taken off it. One of the Volcras managed to break through the roof, and Arken screamed. But Jesper, still so unbelievably calm, pointed at it with his gun, and with his eyes closed, he shot the Volcra into the head and it flew off the train.