𝑺𝒎𝒐𝒌𝒆 | 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒙 𝑶𝑪

Forty

Okay so update, I will be deleting my Sirius Black story and be starting from scratch. Consistent updates will start by about the 6th of June. All of school will be over and I'll be able to put all my energy and focus into this story and the new Sirius Black one. Go check it out once it's up!

Thank you all so much for everything :)))))

Her window had been shot through and a man had used to enter her room.

"Jes!" she heard a woman's voice scold. 

Jolana was awake but tried to move as little as possible, she didn't want to have to fight anyone.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Jolana listened as at least one more person entered her room, if there were more they entered so quietly she didn't hear.

"How on Earth did she sleep through the gunshot?" a male voice said in a curious manner.

"She didn't," a third voice chimed in and then Jolana felt as something hard hit her legs, like a staff or a cane.

Jolana tried to continue to be quiet and not move even when she was hit.

"You can stop pretending, we're not here to hurt you," that same deep third voice said.

Jolana slowly and carefully got up, never turning her back to the intruders.

"Who are-?" she began to ask but then she realized she recognized a few of them.

"Hello Miss Sokolov," Jolana learned that the third deep voice belonged to a disabled boy about her age, she realized his crow-headed cane must've been the one to hit her.

"You- you were a guard weren't you?" she tried to look at him in what little light the moon had to offer, "At the fete?"

"Told you she'd remember," the first to enter spoke up, it was the Zemeni stable boy

"You! As nice as it is to see you with clothes this time, I do not appreciate intruders" 

"Well, we don't need to be appreciated we... need your help," the crippled man said strained.

The smaller girl who stood between the two men looked at the Zemeni man as if to say I heard that right, right?

"What's in it for me?" Jolana asked pointedly

"Direct," the Zemeni boy muttered, the paler boy glared at him, "What? She doesn't even know what we're going to ask,"

"Well considering you broke into my room in the middle of the night, ruining what I assume to be a very expensive window. I assume this is important, and if it's so important that three con-people thought it was necessary to do all that, I wonder how much this task is worth,"

"Do you care about what the task at hand is?"

"Not really, I've been very bored and in desperate need to get away from my room," she said almost like she was bored with this conversation

"You don't seem very scared," the girl chimed in, from Jolana's guess she was Suli

"Well, already died once, if I die again it probably won't be that big a deal," Jolana said nonchalantly

All of their eyes widened, even the one with the cane who tried to control his face.

"You'll be leaving with us and we need to find Alina Starkov,"

"You gonna kill her?"

"No,"

"Maim or otherwise cause bodily harm to her?"

"Not in this plan,"

"Okay then," she shrugged and sat back down on her bed

"That was easy," the Zemeni boy muttered.

"Too easy," the man leaned on his cane a bit more, "What are you not telling us?"

"Well you're not the only ones looking for Alina, and unless you guys have a brilliant plan to find her, it's going to be really difficult,"

"You think we don't know that?"

"No, I'm sure you do but why do you need my help? As far as I can see I'm bringing nothing to the table, so why am I so valuable to you that you went through all this trouble,"

"She'll talk to you," the Zemeni boy said suddenly

"Why wouldn't she talk to you?"

"Everyone's after her, think about how you would feel if she three strangers came up to you,"

"Ok, ten percent," Jolana said as she got a bag out of a closet

"Ten?"

"I want ten percent of whatever money you were going to get," Jolana said turning and flashing a smile

"Ten percent, to just be her friend?" 

"Well, I can do other stuff," a smirk forming on Jolana's lips

"Like what? What would be worth ten percent?" the Zemeni boy questioned.

"I already said the whole coming back from the dead thing just there's also this," Jolana lazily waved her hand from across the room lighting the candle.

"So what, you're an inferni," 

The Suli girl pulled lightly on the Zemeni boy's sleeve and whispered, "No spark,"

"And blue flames," the boy with the cane stated.

"The whole no spark thing was new with the whole death thing, same with the hair,"

"I knew it looked different!" the Zemeni boy exclaimed

Jolana chuckled lightly. "Now that I can see you better I'd like to know your names since you already seem to know mine,"

"Kaz Brekkar," the boy put out a gloved hand for her to shake. Part of her wondered why he wore gloves.

"Inej," the Suli girl offered her a small smile, "You were really friends with a saint,"

"I wouldn't call her a saint, she was just like anyone else...." sensing that that was the wrong answer she amended, "But she was pretty saintly at times," Inej shook her hand

"Jesper Fahey at your service," he turned her hand over and kissed her knuckles, "that is a lovely necklace you're wearing,"

"I know for a fact I am not wearing a necklace so if you try to steal my ring, I will burn you alive," Jolana said with a smile.

Inej snickered slightly but the moment was quickly cut off, "Take only the clothes on your back and whatever can fit in your pockets," Kaz said before turning around, giving Jolana permission to change. Inej and Jesper followed his example. Jolana began changing into some comfortable and durable clothes, pretending that she did not hear the conversation that took place behind her.

"Jesper turn back around," Kaz mumbled

"What she's seen me naked before,"

"I will need to hear that story," Inej said quietly.

Once Jolana was done she said, "Let's go," and the four of them left through the window and Jolana stole her favorite horse.

Let's just say, Jolana could not have imagined this being the path her life took.