My Name Is Adela Kirigan (A Shadow and Bone Season 1 Fanfiction)

Chapter 39: Where To Now?

The group, including Adela and minus Zoya, walked along a path, on the start of their journey to Os Kervo. 

'You berated me for letting her go,' Inej said to Kaz as they kept up the rear of the walking party, 'and now that's what you're doing. So what's your angle?' 

'I'm keeping my promise to you. I swore you won't go back to the Menagerie, and one of these gemstones covers it.' 

'She needs my help more than you,' she said. 

'But we do need you.' The two stopped abruptly. 'I need you.' She gazed into his eyes. He had never bared his soul to Inej, not like that. His soul was like a closely guarded secret, hard to uncover and painful to reveal. 

'I want to see the look on Heleen's face when you clear the books,' she said. 'After that... we'll see.' 

At Os Kervo... 

The ship docked. Nina Zenik slipped out the door to the brig, broken over Matthias' rejection of her. 

'Os Kervo!' the skipper called. 'Docked at Os Kervo! On to Ketterdam next!' Nina Zenik walked past Jesper, Inej, Kaz, and Adela as they all sat on benches facing each other. 

'We set out with a clear mission, a prize of a million kruge. And a new member on our crew. So... what did we learn?' He began to count all the lessons on his fingers. 'People with trains are evil. You can't kidnap a human sunbeam. And maybe, just maybe, greed is a poor motivator. True wealth is the friends you make along the way.' 

'Aww, thank you,' Adela said, holding her hands to her heart. 'I am truly awed by your sweetness, Jesper.'

'I just might be impressed,' Inej remarked. 

'I'm talking about Milo, of course,' he said. Adela lowered her head. 

'Oh. That's sad.' 

'I'm talking about you, too,' Jesper spoke up. 

'Why, thank you.'

'But I won't have my smelly friend when walking into Ketterdam,' Jesper said.

'Where Dreesen is waiting for our return,' Inej spoke. Kaz nodded. 

'And Pekka Rollins.' The distaste in Kaz's voice was still clear. 

'They'll want both our heads once we show up without the Sun Summoner,' Inej said, leaning forward in Kaz's direction.

'Well, I'm sure the boss has a plan,' Jesper said, letting a nervous chuckle slip. 'He wouldn't send us into a death trap.' Abruptly, he stopped laughing and stared at Kaz. 'Tell me you have a plan. I don't care if it's a lie.' He nodded again. 

'I have a plan. And, just how all this started, we're going to need a Heartrender.' Nina, who had been listening nearby, turned her head towards the conversation. 

'Milana?' Jesper asked. 

'No. For this to work, it has to be someone neither of them know. Someone desperate for work, with loyalties only to us.' Just then two sailors walked by, speaking to each other. 

'It'll be a long passage without that wine shipment,' one of the sailors said. 

'Have a heart,' another snapped. 'Novokribirsk is in ruins. Their Sun Saint is dead.' 

'Excuse me,' Nina called out to the Crows. 'Is what that man said true?' 

'I don't know if she's dead,' Kaz said. 'But she is a Saint.' Nina turned away, and Inej looked at Kaz, the latter offering Inej a smirk in return. 

Above them, Mal and Alina boarded the same ship. A sailor passed by them, saying something in Kerch. 

'Did he call us ghosts?' she asked Mal. 

'It also means survivors.' They came to the front of the ship, looking out at the True Sea. 'But ghosts are what we'll need to be for a while. Zoya's right. The whole world will be after you.' Alina looked back at where the Crows, including Adela, were sitting. 

'I know some people in this world who'd like those odds,' she said, a small smile coming over her face. He wrapped an arm around her as they gazed at the sunset. 'It's you and me now, like old times.'

'I like those odds, too,' Mal replied. 

'And when I'm strong enough, we'll come back. Together. And tear it down... now that the Darkling is dead.'