✨ Half my soul ✨ Kaz✖️OC.

The ice does not forgive

NINE BELLS AND HALF CHIME

Nina dared one more glance over her shoulder. Aeolian's smart, deadly. She can take care of herself. Besides, there was nothing Nina could do now, not without giving herself away and ruining everything.

The glass bridge rose before Nina in a gleaming arc. Again she had the unpleasant understanding that this place must have been built by Fabrikator craft in some distant past. Fjerdans claimed the construction of the Ice Court was the work of a god or of Sënj Egmond, one of the Saints they claimed had Fjerdan blood. But in Ravka, people had begun to rethink the miracles of the Saints. Had they been true miracles or simply the work of talented Grisha? Was this bridge a gift from Djel? An ancient product of slave labour? Or had the Ice Court been built in a time before Grisha had come to be viewed as monsters by the Fjerdans?

The Elderclock began to chime ten bells. As she headed for a swooping white stone staircase, she caught sight of Kaz and Matthias. They'd made it. And they were in drüskelle uniforms. Nina suppressed a shiver, seeing Matthias in those colours, she let her eyes meet his briefly. Still, seeing Kaz beside him gave her some comfort.

Kaz eyes were searching for her. Even in the most crowded room, he'd always search for Aeolian, that's what Nina knew.

She slipped quickly down the stairs and into the crowd, moving steadily towards a group of soldiers. There was a portly man with a constellation of medals on his chest. He had to be a general.

As a soldier separated from the group, she took a step backwards. He slammed into her. She gave a sharp cry, spilling her champagne. Instantly, several strong arms reached out to brace her fall.

"You clod," said the general. "You nearly knocked her from her feet."

The soldier's cheeks were red. "Apologies, miss."

"Ahlgren, fetch her a fresh glass of champagne." The soldier bowed and hurried off. "Are you quite all right?" the general asked in excellent Kerch.

"He just startled me," Nina said, leaning on the general's arm.

"You look pale. Some rest in one of the upper rooms will help." He said.

Saints, he doesn't waste any time, does he? Before Nina could insist that she was perfectly well, a warm voice said, "Really, General Eklund, the best way to garner a woman's goodwill is not to tell her she looks sickly."

The general seemed to snap to attention. "So true, so true," he laughed nervously.

Nina turned. No, she thought. It can't be. He drowned. But if Jarl Brum was dead, he made a very lively corpse.

➖➖➖➖➖

TEN BELLS AND HALF CHIME

Jesper's clothes were covered in tiny slivers and shavings of steel. He was soaked with sweat, his arms ached, and he felt like he had a terrible hangover. For nearly a half hour, he had been focusing on a single link in the chain that ran from the left end of the winch into one of the slots in the stone wall, using his power to weaken the metal.

When the three-quarters chime rang, Jesper's panic took over.

"Let's just raise the gate," he said with a frustrated growl. "We sound Black Protocol, and then shoot at the winch until it gives up."