Shadows and The Sea - The Darkling

Carriage rides & Drüskelle

Percy's POV

Alina and I were being escorted to where the black carriage sat and a Heartrender was standing guard. Alina looked frightened and I was just tired. Dam my ribs hurt. I cannot wait to eat ambrosia.

"You heard me. Let's go, get in," he said to us sternly and nodded his head inside the carriage.

The oprichniki nudged us forward but Alina was more than resistant. "No. There's been a mistake. I need to find Mal," she said with no fault in her tone.

The already stern Heartrender's face became even more hard, "The general does not make mistakes. His orders were to get you both to the Little Palace immediately. Now get in the coach."

Alina retorted quickly, "Everyone makes mistakes. Look at us. Do we look important to you?"

I couldn't help but scoff, "Geez thanks Alina." She paid me no mind. She could tell by my posture that I was still in pain so any Persassy comment that came out was not backed by any true meaning.

"You look like trouble. Which is nearly the same. Move," he started to approach Alina with the intent of forcing her into the carriage. I didn't want her to get manhandled so I placed myself between the two.

"Wait," I implored. "Malyen Ortesev. He's in the medic tent. We need to speak to him. We're going to speak to him," I said while keeping eye contact with the man in red.

Alina and I took all of two steps before he blocked our way.

"Listen to me. Every spy in the area will soon hear what you did and our enemies will come for you. Our only chance is to get you to Os Alta, behind palace walls, before you get killed. Come on," he said lowly to Alina and tugged her arm to the carriage. The two other oprichniki lead me behind them.

The three of us got into the black carriage and the oprichniki signaled the driver to start. As we went through the camp, we passed the medic tent. Alina spotted Mal from the window and started to bang on the glass.

"Mal! No, stop. I didn't know! Mal!" Alina cried in the carriage, looking behind us. I could hear Mal shouting Alina's name back but I knew he wasn't going to catch up to us. When we got to the Little Palace, I would let Alina use a drachma to IM Mal to ease her nerves. But I'm not going to say anything about it in mixed company.

Alina slumped into her seat when she lost sight of him and shuffled herself into the corner of the seat. I slumped as well but not in defeat like her but rather in slight relief of being off my feet.

There was another man in red besides the one who refused to let us see Mal. He seems nicer than the asshole.

He nudged the stoic man and nodded towards us. The man just gave us a bored expression but conceded, "This is Fedyor."

The other Heartrender, Fedyor, gave us a small, nice smile, "Pleasure to meet you."

I smiled back softly but Alina just looked down to fiddle with the Healer's kefta they gave her to wear. I received no such gift because she was deemed more important than me. Not that it bugs me much. I'd rather her have the protection.

"They call this a kefta. It's bulletproof. The uniform of the Second Army," he kindly informed Alina. She paid no mind to his kindness and traced her scar.

"What about the First Army? Back in Kribirsk. A thousand soldiers marching with us. Isn't that safer than this?" she asked.

A scoff left my lips and the heads of the two Grisha snapped to me, "Slower, not safer Alina. That would create a bigger target and anyone wishing harm upon you would realize something was up if they saw the whole First Army moving," I told my shaken friend.