Six of Crows: Cloaked in Shadow

Chapter 24 - Raven

She couldn't help but close her eyes at the crunch.

Crouching on a roof and hidden by the fog, Raven waited as the Mask walked away. A minute passed, then two. The only sound was Brekker's ragged breathing. She could see him faintly through the mist, a broken boy hunched over on the cobbles, shaking with pain and shock. Guilt made bile come to her mouth, sweetly acrid. There was nothing you could have done, she told herself, not quite believing it. Not when he had a Heartrender.

She dropped down onto the street, hissing as she landed on the leg Ghafa had injured, and crouched next to him. "Brekker," she said, keeping her voice low.

He looked up. There were lines in his face that she hadn't seen before, lines carved by pain and fear. He'd never looked so ancient, or so helpless and young. "Don't," he said. "Don't tell me it'll be alright."

"I'm sorry," she said helplessly. "I know it does not alter what happened, but I am sorry."

He was shivering. His eyes were glazed, his arms slack. Shock, she knew. She'd seen it before. When an acrobat fell from their trapeze in a glittering flurry of limbs or a beast-trainer crawled from the lion's cage with a gaping red tear in his side. Usually it meant there was nothing that could be done. Not this time, she promised herself. No more deaths.

"We must find you a Healer. Do you know of any?"

Brekker blinked hard, as if to ward off the fog creeping over his gaze. "At the. The mansion."

"Is there a Healer there?"

"Two," he said, then closed his eyes. She shook him.

"Don't you dare. You must stay awake, Brekker, do you hear me?" He managed a nod. "Do you think you will be able to walk?" He swallowed, blinked again, made an odd spasm that looked like a nod and then finally shook his head.

Raven sighed. "Here, I will help you. Place your arm around my shoulders." She tried to lift him up, and he gave a choked off gasp as his hands were jostled. "Sorry, sorry."

Eventually she managed to pull him into a standing position. Despite his injuries, he was trying to keep her as far away from him as possible. "You are hurt, Brekker. It would be to both of our advantages if you let go of your pride and leant on me."

"Can't," he said through gritted teeth as they stumbled down the street together. "Don't ask."

Raven didn't know Ketterdam well, but she was fairly sure that they were close to the Van Eck mansion. Brekker must have been on his way back when the Mask had ambushed him. They staggered drunkenly on for what seemed like hours, the fog painting the city in an eerie monochrome wash. Wet and stifling, it coiled round them like some writhing sea serpent.

Brekker's breathing was wrong. It came in faint flutters, like the wings of a dying bird. She looked over at him, worried. His eyes were barely open, his lips parted. She picked up her pace.

Ahead of them, the street opened up into a wide road, lined on both sides with houses. The Geldstraat. A few drunk merchers weaved unsteadily away from them, their loud laughter muffled by the mist, and the flickering of the gaslamps studding the pavement sent strange shadows scuttling across the cobbles. "Brekker," she said, nudging him. He made no reply. "Kaz."

Brekker made a muttered noise that could either have been what or go away. "Which one is it?" she said, gesturing to the rows of near-identical houses.

"Fourth one, left side," he said, words slurred. They walked to it – or, at least, Raven did, dragging Brekker with her. Her arms ached from holding him up. Her injured leg screamed bloody murder with each new step she took, and she wondered how Brekker lived with his own constant pain. She propped him up on the railing bordering the porch and limped to the door, banging the doorknocker with all the strength she had left. The sound rang out down the street.

Voices, footsteps from inside. She let herself sag against the wall. Saints, she was tired. The door opened. Yellow light spilled onto the steps. A girl stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the gold of the hallway like some tiny icon in the stained glass of a church. Raven didn't know whether she should thank the Saints or curse them.

"Ghafa," she said, and smiled.

A/N

ARGHHHHHHH IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I UPDATED THIS

and sorry for the short chapter, more's on its way.

summer's here and I've got a hell of a lot more time on my hands, so hopefully (yes, I know, I've said this a thousand times) this'll be done by September.

ALSO: NEW BOOK!

I've just published A Tangle of Thieves (or, at least, the intro) and the first 5 chapters are going to be out by August 10th. It's an urban fantasy heist with a bunch of outcast Seelie and a few ragtag humans, all with a healthy dose of Serious Flaws and romance (hetero and LGBT). Think Carry On meets Ocean's Eleven. I'm really excited for this one because it's just so fun to write.

Do check it out on my profile and leave a vote if you're interested ;)

Love you all :)