𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 ❧ 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

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Inessa was surprised when she wasn't assigned to escort Alina around the Little Palace for the day. She was even more surprised to discover she was spending time alone with the Darkling. For some reason that she couldn't quite understand, the Smirnoff girl felt uneasy about the idea. She couldn't understand why she didn't like the Grisha General alone with the Sun Summoner. But what she did know was that there was nothing she could do about it.

So instead of being with Alina that day, Inessa was left to do an extra training session with Fedyor and Ivan. And they didn't take it easy on her. They were working on her close combat skills, meaning it was her against her against both of them. Lucky for her, they weren't allowed to use their Grisha abilities. The Smirnoff girl was surprised at how well she was doing against them. She'd only been knocked down twice and was able to get back up quickly. That was something that had never happened before. But she didn't let that get to her head as she continued to block their attacks.

"Keep your arms up. You need to keep her upper body protected," Fedyor told her while sending a punch at Inessa's chest, an attack she quickly blocked with her arm.

The Smirnoff girl quickly adjusted her stance before throwing a punch at him. To her dismay, the Kaminsky man easily dodged her attack. Because she was so focused on Fedyor, Inessa failed to notice Ivan approaching her from behind until it was too late. The Bozic man swung his leg through the air, knocking the Smirnoff girl's feet out from under her. That caused her to hard fall onto her back and a groan to escape her. Her eyes soon reopened to find Fedyor and Ivan standing over her. One had a large smirk on his face while the other was staring at her with disappointment in his eyes. Neither expression surprised Inessa in the slightest.

"You need to be aware of your surroundings, Inessa," Fedyor explained while helping the young girl to her feet.

"You don't say," the Smirnoff girl responded without even attempting to hide the annoyance in her voice, "how am I supposed to guard the front of my body and watch my back at the same time?"

"It's not that hard," the Bozic man scoffed, slightly irritated by Inessa's words, "and you better learn fast. Your enemy won't go easy on you like we do."

"First of all, when do either of you ever go easy on me?" the youngest Heartrender questioned, earning nothing but silence from Ivan and Fedyor before she continued speaking, "and secondly, after five years of being locked up and constantly watched, it's pretty clear I'll never be out in the world alone."