Natasha Van Doren is a shadow summoner. She bides her time and resides in darkness, feared and esteemed by Ketterdam's civilians, a ghost . She cons Kaz Brekker into joining a heist he can't refuse and with thirty million kruge on the line, the crow...
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"PLEASE,"
Natasha groaned. The sleeve of her tunic fell loose of her shoulder, the frosted air caressing her skin. Loose strands of her hair framed her sharp cheeks. Tears huddled in the hollow curve. She breathed a gasp, curling cold hands around steel bars.
She could still see Kaz's face as he turned away. The way she pleaded and how he had just - turned away.
Did he not care for her?
Did Kaz want rid of Natasha?
Was this his plan all along?
Natasha yelled a cry of fury, slamming the heels of her palm into the bars. Her skin stung painfully, blood down her arms. The walls were white and pearly, a small marble basin in the corner. The cell was delicate and beautifully carved. The walls painted with rose quartz. The bars sprayed cream.
It only frustrated her more. Natasha screamed again. Her cell was isolated from the others, not even a square window on the door. The room glistened with artificial light, a bulb swinging over the top of Natasha's head. A desk was screwed into the floor, its chair folded against the wall.
Natasha kicked it onto the floor in a blitz of fury. The wood splintered, digging into the curve of her foot. She cried out in pain and misery. The room was circling, blurring her vision. She couldn't remember if they had slipped something into her mind. Whatever it was, she kneeled against the wall to catch her vision.
"You're fine," - Natasha grumbled. She thumbed her temple, leaning her head back against the cold quartz. Kaz will find you.Natasha paced the length of the circular room, not daring to use her magic. She was tempted to cut through the bars and make a run.
Only then, the elder-clock would chime black, and she'd ruin everything. Natasha stayed put, cursing every object she could think of. She could still feel those men's hand on her skin, tracing her collarbone and dangerously down the waistband of her trousers.
Natasha had only been able to squint back tears, keeping herself rigid. You're fine, Kaz will save you - she repeated.
But where was he?
He'll come for me - Natasha argued with her mind fiercely, contemplating whether she had gone insane. "If he couldn't walk, he'd crawl. He promised," A nasty voice in her mind snickered, she slumped back against the wall.
Metal picks forced her jaw heavy, sitting uncomfortably near her tonsils. A wad of baleen hid behind her teeth, carefully nudged into place to remain hidden. No one had inspected her, so much as a demand a paper.
They led her through like an enslaved princess - only to be met with death. She was going to die surrounded by disgusting Druskelle. Natasha shivered, fixing the sloppy buttons of her tunic. I'm not going to die. He will come for you.
