Taya Saadovska spent all her life in the palace. Daughter to one of the most influential families at court, she lived pretty much like a princess. Suddenly however she is pulled into an unforeseen adventure alongside her childhood friend Nikolai. It...
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When they had started their flight, Nikolai couldn't wait to arrive back at the palace, hoping to still aid in battle and help more people escape. But when the buildings of the capital came into view, dread settled over him. They had been gone for many hours. What if all they found was destruction and decay?
Taya seemed to feel the same, as her expression darkened and, despite her fatigue, she summoned even more wind to cover the last bit of distance even quicker. The landing went smoother than the first, with the Kingfisher landing next to the lake close to the little palace.
It was eerily quiet with only the cracking of some little fires and falling remnants of damaged parts of the buildings filling the early morning air. There were a few dead bodies scattered around the battlefield, but it didn't appear as if the fight had raged for that long. Nikolai had seen war zones and knew what they should look like after several hours. This appeared too good to be true.
Taya on the other hand looked visibly shaken, as she inspected the chaos all around them. She checked the bodies closest to them as if constantly hoping for a sign of life to appear. "What happened here?", she asked, as the two of them stood in front of the little palace.
"I don't know... but whatever Alina did, I think it stopped the worst." Neither of them doubted that Alina had played a big part. But where was she? Or the remaining allies they had? Even though it was cold and they were both tired, Nikolai and Taya started a search. With the remaining strength she had, his childhood friend helped him move rubble with her abilities, as they started with the destroyed part of the little palace. What they found were more bodies, though none of them belonging to Alina, Mal, Zoya or anyone else they knew closely. Still, Taya could not help the tears that were running down her cheeks with every new casualty they found.
"You should take a break.", Nikolai said, placing a dirty hand on her shoulder, looking concerned. She was pushing herself beyond anything he could ask of her and he didn't want her to suffer.
"No, we still have a lot of ground to cover.", she argued, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears. But while the wetness was gone, she had left a smear of dirt on her cheeks. Her hair was also disheveled from their escape, her brown locks falling in a mess down past her shoulder blades and her dress had become unusable for any social event. But it all hardly mattered in a situation like this.
Before he could ask her whether she was sure or force her to sit down, Taya moved on to continue the search. If she sat down now, she would have to truly take in the reality all around her and that was far more painful. Staying active meant a welcome distraction. They searched for a good hour before moving onto the part of the little palace that had remained intact. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallways and the first rays of morning left the place with an eerie atmosphere. Would the ghosts of the fallen stay in this place, Taya couldn't help but wonder.
Suddenly they both stopped, as a strange sound mingled with their steps. It sounded like a little cry coming from close by. They remained silent, listening until they heard it again. "This way.", Taya said and together they followed the strange noise until they reached a random room around the corner.
