Fire and Shadows (DarklingxOC) (Shadowandbone fanfic)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After hours of driving, in which I read a book I had brought with me and Aleksander wrote some strategie I think, we finally arrived. Aleksander left the carriage first and kept the door open for me, like a real gentleman.

Ivan and Zoya were already off their horses and looking at the carriage a couple of meters away.

"And?" Aleksander asks, coming to stand next to them. On of the men who came with us, walks over to the stolen carriage, which is parked next to a small bar.

"The wagon matches the one that was reported stolen from the palace." Ivan reports.

"They may have continued on horseback, faster, harder to track." Zoya says.

I squint my eyes to better see the stolen carriage and the man. He opens the door, which makes the carriage explode.

Filching, I get closer to Aleksander. People start screaming and running around. I bury my face in his chest and he places an arm around my waist.

"If you want to wait in the carriage, that's fine." He whispers in my ear.

Amazed at how his voice still has an affect on me, I shake my head.

"No, it's fine. I want to help." I explain, lifting my face. He nods, before starting to think of a plan. He takes my hand and starts walking towards the entrance of the bar.

When we arrive there, three people come out at once, seemingly calm.

Two men, one all dressed in black and one with a blue top hat and matching coat, and one Suli woman with a lot of knives.

Ivan follows the man in blue, Zoya the Suli woman and Aleksander and I the man in black.

"Why aren't we following him directly?" I ask, while Aleksander leads me into a side street. We both wait in the shadows. As Aleksander had predicted, the man came walking into the street. And that's when I noticed he had a cane.

Aleksander gives me a quick sign telling me to stay in the shadows, before walking over to the man.

"I know you have the Sun Summoner." Aleksander stats, calmly. "And now you're going to tell me where you stashed her."

He took a step forward and the man took one backwards.

"We don't have her." He says, still walking backwards. "She fled on her own."

Aleksander stops walking. Why? I don't know. We already know she left on her own. Maybe he's acting?

"Where is she? I won't ask you again." Aleksander says, brushing of the man's last comment.

"I don't know." The man says, clearly on his guard.

I want to go help Aleksander, but he clearly asked me to stay put. So I decide to just stay hidden until it gets out of hand.

"She's probably half way by Novyi Zem by now." He ads. Th street slowly start filling with shadows. I shuffle closer to where to the men are, so I don't get swallowed by it.

"You should have stayed in Ketterdam, Mr. Brekker." Aleksander sneers, while walking closer to Mr. Brekker.

I'm doing my best to stay hidden, while also not getting turned into a Volcra by his shadows.

Aleksander summons the cut and right as he throws it, Mr. Brekker disappears in a ball of light and smoke.

Aleksander shields his eyes of the bright light, before turning to me. He walks over to me and places his hands on my arms, checking for injuries.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine, but you almost swallowed me with you shadows."

"Sorry." He says, with an apologetic smile.

"We should go and find the others. And don't worry about Mr. Brekker. We'll find Alina eventually." I reassure him, before giving him a quick kiss and walking back to our carriage.

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When we arrive at the area where our carriage was, we only see Ivan and Zoya, but no carriage.

"They stole..." Ivan starts.

"I know." Aleksander interrupts him, letting go of my hand. "It was the thieves..."

"I'll find a horse and I can catch up to them." Ivan proposes.

"She's not with them." I explain. "She's on her own."

"And our priority now is to locate her as quickly as possible." Aleksander explains.

The four of us stand around, trying to find a way to locate her.

Think, Anya, think.

I suddenly gasp. I've got it.

"What?" Aleksander asks, turning to me.

"Genya gave Alina a ring." I start explaining. "Made of pure iridium. So, when we get one mile from her, I can direct us."

A smirk slowly grows on his face.

"Well done. Proving again the many uses of a Durast."

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"Yeah, she was Shu." A merchant explains to Aleksander and I, while Zoya and Ivan wait a couple of meter behind us. The merchant looked at me weirdly in the beginning, now he's just ignoring me. "Pulled a trick with phosphorus or something, blinded my mate."

"Any idea where she went?" Aleksander asks.

"Neighbors said they saw her flee north, into the woods." He tells us. Aleksander looks at me, before turning around and staring to leave.

"She's a spy, yeah?" He states, making us stop in our tracks.

"What makes you say that?" I ask. He finally turns to me, disgust and surprise evident on his face.

"First Army came through here, too, earlier. Looking for her."

"Who... exactly?" Aleksander asks.

"Some tracker. A corporal." He explains.

"No ordinary tracker. No ordinary girl." Aleksander comments.

"Orphans of Keramzin." I starts, looping my arm with Aleksander's. "Reunited. How adorable."

He smirks down at me, before turning to leave.

A/N: Anya is becoming a baddie!! Hope you enjoyed