RAYA ▸ SHADOW AND BONE

21 | perfect timing

As the skiff entered the Fold, Raya followed her three friends below deck, Callus' crate tight in her hand. While Inej sharpened her knives and Jesper cleaned out his gun, the three hatched a plan to nab Alina at Novokribirsk. Meanwhile, Raya let Callus out of his crate, happy to let him stretch his legs and eat some food.

"Raya," Kaz bellowed, "you know it's dangerous for him to be out."

The Grisha groaned, pointing out, "It's just for a minute, Kaz. Let him get out of that narrow box for a little while... please?" Kaz grunted unhappily, still nodding his head to agree to Raya's wishes.

Before she could even break out into a grin, the screeching of a volcra echoes around the ship, making her jump in fright. "I'm not so sure I like this idea anymore," she muttered, attention fixed to the exit nearest to them.

"Yeah, I'm with you," Jesper agreed. "I mean... we're in the worst place in the world, on a ship full of people who want us dead, surrounded by monsters who want us in their guts... I should've brought Milo!"

Kaz shook his head, asking Jesper, "How many bullets do you have?"

It was as if the volcra had understood his question because at the same moment, another loud screech sounded through the skies. "Not enough," Jesper mumbled.

The sound was seriously starting to freak Raya out. She hadn't been in the Fold in a long time but even when she crossed the first time, she recalled it vividly. She remembered the sound of the volcras as well as their sheer size and wings, all embedded in her memory for months afterwards.

She recalled Baghra telling her while creating the Fold, Kirigan had also unintentionally created the volcra, out of innocent men, women and children. She wondered if they still had any of their humanity left... if she could manipulate it should the need arise. She prayed to whatever Saint would listen that the need would never arise.

Her attention was stolen by a large burst of light, filling every nook and cranny around the skiff. It even escaped past the holes in the wood of the ship. Raya peeked her head up to the topside of the deck to check it out, sure it was Alina.

Her suspicions were confirmed when her eyes caught sight of Alina's powers at work, creating a tunnel of light for the skiff to pass through the Fold. She hoped Alina's light would be strong enough to keep the volcra away from the tunnel and the ship, seeing as it was bright enough to attract the creatures to them in the first place.

Whatever the General had planned for Alina, it didn't look good.

Raya rushed back down below deck, eyes catching Callus run behind a few barrels and let out a bark.

"Raya," Kaz started.

"On it."

He then stated aloud to the group, "We need to wait. For whatever the General had planned."

"You figured him out?" Jesper asked.

"Not quite."

Raya followed Callus's path behind the barrels, finding a stranger crouched in the hidden position, covering her pup's mouth, so as to stop the barking, with one hand as he held a pistol in the other.

"Let him go," she growled lowly, already forming the mental connection and waiting for the need to use it to arise. The bloke, roughly the same age as her, sat frozen, eyes meeting hers. The dangerous tint in her voice caught the rest of the group's attention.

They all turned to look her way as the stranger stood unmoving. Before she could even open her mouth and force him to let her pup go, Kaz spoke up from behind her.