The Sunwalker- Heirs of the Night

9

Nadja intentionally let Alisa get ahead of her and climbed up on the roof in a nearby alleyway, from which she could jump from rooftop to rooftop without being seen. Up here, Nadja felt safe. She could watch without being watched, something she much appreciated. When observing others so closely, one was being made vulnerable, especially from behind. Thus, the fewer who knew of your position, the better. And if anyone were to find you without being able to get to you, Nadja considered that a job well done. She kept a close eye  on the Redmasks as she followed Alisa back tot he Elisabetha. Luckily, it seemed that nobody was following Alisa except for herself, and the Redmasks were taken into custody without further ado. They put the city behind them, Nadja still trailing behind Alisa.

"You.. counting."

Nadja tried to concentrate on what the voice what saying, but there was only silence now. She looked closely at the trees around where Alisa stood, and saw Lars fall down beside her a moment later. Nadja kept looking around, in case there were more in them in the trees. Alisa ran off and Nadja approached Lars. She now saw that the deck of the Elisabetha were full of people. How were they going to get back unnoticed?

"Lars, what are you doing out here?"

"Go, now."

"What? Why, Lars-"

"Nadja, go!"

But she didn't go, she stayed. Then, Nadja heard the voice inside her mind again. It sounded oddly familiar to her, even though she had heard it multiples times before without recognising it, it somehow felt different this time.

"Ivy, now!"

Suddenly, Nadja recognised it. She knew where she had heard the voice before, she knew why it sounded familiar to her. Because it was Lars' voice. Confused, Nadja followed him, trying to wrap her head around this new piece of information.

"Hey, what's Lars doing off the ship? Hey everybody, look!"

Everybody turned towards Lars and Nadja, who still followed close behind him, and the Dracas shadow came rushing forwards.

"Hey guys, nice night for a walk."

"Lars, what are you doing?" Nadja asked him.

"Trying to get you and Alisa back unnoticed. Or well, just Alisa now."

"Take them!" Conte Claudio shouted. He sounded angry. "Nadja ot Belov and Lars av Dracas, get on deck now!"

"Hey, whoa, relax."

Lars and Nadja were immediately taken by shadows as they landed on deck. Though she could have, Nadja saw little reason to resist as the shadows took them down below deck. Once it became apparent that they were leading them towards the dungeon however, Nadja changed her mind.

"The dungeons? We're Heirs, you can't do that!"

It seemed like they could, for a minute later Lars and Nadja sat alone in the dungeon. Or well, almost alone. The Lycana wolf was in the cell next to theirs, but they promptly ignored it.

"Hey, Lars-"

"Speak with your mind, they might be waiting outside the door."

"Smart thinking. I just wanted to say thank you for the sacrifice, and sorry for not letting you help me."

He smiled.

"I got Alisa though, so it wasn't a total waste."

"You and Ivy planned this, right?"

He nodded.

"Didn't expect them to offer such a warm welcome, though."

"Hey, Lars? Could you keep a secret for me?"