As Vladim moved to turn the locks, I heard Genya whisper. "You definitely owe me a kiss after all this, Don't think I won't hold you to it."
I laughed lightly. "We'll see."
"There is no seeing, you will, if I have to be the one to do it then so be...
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GUNFIRE SHATTERED THE AIR AROUND US, and Mal knocked Alina and me from our feet. I landed with my face in the mulch of the forest floor and felt his body shielding ours.
"Stay down!" he yelled.
I twisted my head to the side and saw the Grisha forming a ring around us. Harshaw was on the ground, but Stigg had his flint in his hand, and flames shot through the air. Tamar and Tolya had charged into the fray. Zoya, Nadia, and Adrik had their hands up, and leaves lifted in gusts from the forest floor, but it was hard to tell friends from foe in the tangle of armed men.
There was a sudden thump beside the three of us as someone swung down from the treetops.
"What are you three doing barefoot and half-naked in the mud?" asked a familiar voice. "Looking for truffles, I hope?"
Nikolai slashed through the bonds on our wrists and yanked me to my feet. "Next time I'll try getting captured. Just to keep things interesting."
He tossed Mal a rifle. "Shall we?"
"I can't tell who's who!" I protested.
"We're the side that's hopelessly outnumbered."
Unfortunately, I didn't think he was kidding. As the ranks shifted and I got my wits about me, it was easier to distinguish Nikolai's men by their pale blue armbands. They'd cut a swath through Luchenko's militia, but even without their leader, the enemy was rallying.
I heard a shot. Nikolai's men moved forward, driving the Grisha ahead of them. We were being herded.
"What's happening?" Alina asked.
"This is the part where we run," Nikolai said pleasantly, but I could see the strain on his dirt-smudged face.
We took off through the trees, trying to keep pace as Nikolai darted through the woods. I couldn't tell where we were headed. Towards the creek? The road? I'd lost all sense of direction.
I looked behind me, counting the others, making sure we were together. The Squallers were summoning in tandem, knocking threes into the militia's path. Stigg trailed them, sending up spurts of flame. David had somehow managed to retrieve his pack and staggered its bulk.
"Leave it!" I yelled, but if he heard, he ignored me.
Tolya had Harshaw thrown over his shoulder, and the weight of the big Inferni was slowing his stride. A soldier was gaining on him, saber drawn. Tamar vaulted onto a fallen trunk, took aim with her pistol, and fired. A second later, the militiaman clutched his chest and crumpled mid-stride. Oncat darted past the body, fast on Tolya's heels.
