ASRA LOOKED UP. There was a spot in the sky, unaffected by the wind, too big to be a bird, the wrong shape for an aircraft. A person, she realised. Grisha, Squaller. But they couldn't fly, not like that. Parem. They're on parem. She drew her pistol, though knew it could do nothing. It was more a comfort than anything.
The Squaller turned in the air. The wind lifted, chilled. Ice rained down and sliced at Asra's face. She ducked low, face turned to the floor, feeling the shards slam into her back. Beside her, another slab of earth shot up, forcing them closer, making an easier target.
"I need a distraction!" Jesper yelled.
There was a soft plink from somewhere nearby.
"Get down!" Wylan yelled. Asra threw her hands over her head and made herself smaller.
Somewhere above, something exploded.
Asra risked a look skyward and saw the floating Squaller plumet through the air. The space before where they'd just been was alight with a small explosion. The Grisha righted themself, but not before Jesper had fired.
The Squaller fell. The earth came flying up. Jesper aimed between the slabs just as another came up beneath his feet. Jesper fell, but Asra had seen the Grisha boy he was aiming for. He was stood in a distant treeline, too far to make out the colour of his kefta or if he even wore one. It didn't matter. He must've been a Fabrikator, and Asra always aimed for the head.
But she'd barely seen him when she fired. Instead of his skull, the bullet hit the Fabrikator's raised hand. He cried out, holding the injured hand to his chest. The other fist shot higher and Asra was sent tumbling by the rising earth beneath her feet.
She lifted her face from the snow just in time to see Kaz launch Inej over the nearest slab. The Wraith flew over gracefully and dissappeared from view. The world went still.
"Trust the Wraith." Jesper said.
Asra spat the snow from her mouth. She pushed herself to her feet with the others and shook her head clear.
"Wylan," Jesper said. "Get us out of here."
Wylan nodded and pulled a lump from his pack. He set it carefully against the nearest slab of rock. "Everybody down." He said.
They all crouched low to the floor and far from the putty-looking lump. Wylan slapped the thing and dove away, straight into Jesper and Matthias. Everyone covered their ears and Asra squeezed her eyes shut.
Nothing happened.
"Are you kidding me?" Jesper said, then the slab exploded.
Wylan laughed a soft disbelieving laugh, covered in dust and swaying on his feet. Nina laughed too.
"Try to look like you knew it would work."
They filed awkwardly out of their makeshift cage. Kaz guestured to Jesper.
"Perimeter. Let's make sure there aren't any more surprises." The two set off in opposite directions.
The rest of them headed over to Inej and the body of the boy. He was alive, bleeding from his hand and the knifewound in his chest, body shaking, eyes glassy. No kefta, instead he wore basic olive drab. His dark hair was plastured to his face with sweat. He was sickly. Asra knew the look well. It made her stomach churn slightly and her throat ache for a drink.
Nina knelt beside the boy and he grasped her hand. "I need a little more." He mumbled. "Just a little more."
"Nestor?" Nina gasped. "Nestor it's me, Nina."
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Drowning (Kaz Brekker)
FanfictionThey were twisted and broken. They were haunted and hollow. And they were bloody, oh so bloody. But maybe, just maybe, they could drown in that blood together. Dreams, however pitiful, were always sweet. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _...
