𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 | 𝐒𝐨𝐂

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐖

" He does look quite fabulous, "

- K.Y.B

THE GROUND BENEATH THEM SHOOK, a speck of green darting forward in the distance. Nina and Matthias shoved past Kuwei, standing protectively in front of the Shu boy. The rain danced down in a gentle patter, beading like diamonds against their skin.

"Are we going to die?" Kuwei asked airily. He inspected a small scab on the curve of his palm, picking at the eschar until it drooled out blood.

"No one is going to die," Matthias disapproved, turning back to the boy. He pushed ahead of Nina, keeping a hand hovering over her chest. "I promise on, Djel,"

Kaz rolled his eyes, proposing unhelpfully. "He means we are going to die," His Shu was botched work, resetting between tenses and wrong pronouns. Kaz crossed his arms over his chest, indolently leaning against the rock.

He looked between himself and Natasha, who was relaxing cross-legged at the foot of the rock. "Are either of you going to help?" Nina cried out, exasperated. "What do we do, Natasha?"

The Zemeni shrugged, picking at the dried blood settled around her nails. "Wait,"

"How about: take cover?" Nina urged, bobbing restlessly from foot to foot. "Have a heart? I stashed twenty rifles in this convenient shrubbery? Give us something."

"Was the kruge not enough?" Kaz answered mockingly.

A tank rumbled in from over the hill, tumbling rock and dirt clearing a grand carpet up to their rock. Alessia and Inej were grouped behind a dome, waving wildly from the top of the tank. Nina cheered as Matthias staggered in disbelief.

Natasha looked over at Kaz, nudging his elbows with the end of a twig. "Saints," Natasha smirked, spinning the slender frame of wood between her fingertips. "If I hadn't just drowned I'd say you look pleased, Rietveld,"

Kaz scoffed, brushing over his lips with the back of his gloved hand. "Don't be ridiculous, Darkling," But there was no mistaking it. Kaz Brekker was grinning like an idiot.

"Are they here to kill us?" Kuwei asked, tugging on Natasha's sleeve. She pointed up towards Jesper, who was caressing a gun on the right side of his chest, Wylen Van Eck's cheek pressed against the left.

"Does that adorable face look like the face of a murderer?" Kuwei looked up thoughtfully, the bitter grimace on his lips bleeding into one of admiration.

"He does look quite fabulous," Kuwei smiled. "What is his name?"

Natasha and Kaz shared a troubled glance. "Perhaps you should ask him yourself," Natasha said hastily.

They pushed each other out the way as their tank came roaring down the hill. Matthias placed a hand against the cool metal, marvelling at the machinery. "Kaz Brekker, you freaky little genius, you got us a tank," Nina cried out.

"They got us a tank," He sniffed. Kaz looked over to Natasha, who was observing the horizon with faint concern. "Besides, it wasn't even my idea, but I'm happy to take the credit," Nina rolled her eyes, looking ready to kiss him all over.

"We've only got one tank," Natasha spoke calmly. She pointed up towards the skyline, more so the row of tanks Nina had disregarded in the heat of the moment. "The Frejdans have at least six, and that's not all," Natasha's face paled. "The Ravkans are coming,"

"You know what we have, and they don't," The tank rounded, the first gun pointing towards the ice court. "A bridge,"

An exploding bang shattered through the air, swinging in an elegant arc into the heart of the bridge. "Well," Natasha said, clearing her throat. "That's been taken care of,"

Jesper grinned from behind the plexiglass of the tank, offering them all a bow. "We've got a tank, and a moat," Nina applauded, throwing her arms into the air.

"Climb aboard," Wylen crew. Natasha assisted Nina and Kuwei in safely grasping the railing. Before walking around to stand on the other side with Kaz. He didn't look over, as she clung onto the side of the dome, limbs sprawled at an unpleasant angle.

"The sea," A weak voice called from the opposite end. "I can smell the sea," Natasha sniffed, salt spray overwhelming her senses.

She felt at home, safe, her pockets already feeling heavy with the weight of her kruge. Natasha wanted to laugh at her imagination. All that time with Kaz had begun rubbing off.

There was no future except now. The life thrummed with each beat of her heart - each breath from her lungs. The crows were alive, they were free, and they were going to be fucking rich.

"No," Natasha yelled out. The tank lurched to a halt, and nausea struck them all in the stomach like an iron fist. The quay was in front of them, their future - the Ferolind - bobbing happily on the water to greet its crew.

It should have been empty. Instead, four hundred soldiers, dressed in grey and red, grouped around their tank - several rifles targeted for them each, an extra three around Natasha Van Doren.

Natasha looked despairingly towards Kaz, who had his forehead pressed against the side of the tank. His hands quivered, fingers clawing against the side in wrath or purchase.

The bells of the elderclock pealed gleefully in front of them, loud-mouthed and trumpeting like a call to death. Alessia and Inej were sat with their arms around each other, sharing looks that promised that if they died - it would be together.

"What is this," Wylen moaned, turning towards Matthias, who was just as pale as everyone else. "You never said they would be waiting for us at the quay," For a dreadful moment, Natasha thought that this had been Helvar's plan all along.

"I didn't know, Van Eck," Matthias snarled. He shook the hair from in front of his eyes, studying the unpleasant landscape in front of them. "They must have changed the procedure,"

"Shut up," Alessia spat from the top of the tank. She kept her palm on top of Inej's, leaning over with her belly pressed against the metal. "Just stop talking, the both of you,"

Immediately, the two boys fell silent. 

A/N 

-  I just wanted to say thank you so much for everyone who has been reading from the beginning. If you enjoyed please vote and comment! 

- rosa <3