Fated To Be

The next morning, after finding out Mal immediately left their tent without even waking her up, she presumes to spend time with Alina before they'll head to the Fold. 

She knows he did it so she could get enough rest, even though he doesn’t outright know of her sleeping problems, he seems to notice it nonetheless.  

But also, which is obvious, to spend some alone time with Alina, she hopes he'll finally have the courage to confess ( or Alina for that matter, but she doubts either will, because they're foolish like that) before they enter the Fold, even though she'll make certain she won't let anything happen to them all, they don't exactly know it, now do they?

Finally arriving at where Mal and Alina are, she slaps Mal on his back to announce her presence.

The boy almost jumps into the air, he did not expect it so suddenly.  

My, my, was he that oblivious to his surroundings while talking to a certain Cartographer? She didn't even try to be sneaky.

"Jumpy are we, bunny? Want a carrot?" She says cheekily,  Mal sends her a suffering look while Alina outright giggles at the spectacle in front of her.

"Who are you calling a bunny, you sneakyfox." Mal retaliates.

Valeria raises an eyebrow at that, while she points to herself in question. 

"Firstly, I didn’t try to be sneaky and secondly, a fox? Really?" Huffing she adds, "I'm more of a wolf, thank you very much."

Mal then grins, "Yeah? Show us your best howl then, Wolfie?"

Alina then guffaws in laughter at both of her silly friends.

We were in the middle of a conversation when we heard the galloping noise of horses and commotion, which drew our attention.

A fancy black carriage made its way through the camp.

"Is it him?" Alina asks.

Mal, who stood further in front of her and I, then replied, while crossing his arms. " General Kirigan ."

When he uttered that man's name, Valeria felt an unexplainable sudden feeling within her. ' That's strange, why do I feel this way…', she then asks herself while frowning. 

While she was lost in her thoughts,  she almost didn't notice nor hear someone joining in  their conversation. Another Cartographer. 

"The leader of the Second Army here to grace us with his presence? He must believe the shiny new skiff will be a success. "

"Or a spectacular failure," Alina's friend from her unit, Alexei, said as the carriage rode out of view.

That was when she felt it.

A sudden pull.

While not outright trying to pull her to its destination,  it felt like a sudden connection.  Albeit a small one, like a sudden recognition. Her magic seemed to recognise the other person, while she did not. She then frowned.

Strange, very strange indeed. 

She decides to leave the thought for another time, now is not the time.

She then heard Alina chastise her friend.

"What?" the boy said, not realising what he said until Alina, tilted her head in Mal and her direction. 

Alexei then looks apologetic towards us, "Sorry, Mal and Valeria."

We both brushed it off before turning back to where the skiff sat.

"Do you think he's coming with us?" Mal then asked.

"If he does then you know what he believes." Alexei said.

The boy is starting to really get on her nerves, and that is something. 

She sometimes wonders how Alina puts up with him.

They then saw Lieutenant Bogdan walk through the camps, with a purpose filled stride.

"Are we children, or are we soldiers?" he asks, and he then adds "Get to your posts and get your gear. Skiff launches in 20." The Lieutenant then turned to face behind him.

"Sergeant, get your crew ready" and then he looks to Valeria's direction while nodding his head to Sergeant Teplov, who came up to Mal and I.

"Accompany him, Sergeant Major." while adding with a raised head. " You know what to do."

At which she gave him a single nod in affirmation. 

"Mal you're with me, son. Chin up." He said while handing  Mal a rifle.

He then nodded his head in greeting to Valeria, who greeted him back. And then he moved his sleeve up, to reveal three horizontal scars on his forearm.

"I've crossed it three times without incident. You'll both get your firsts soon enough." He then smiles towards Valeria, "And with our Dark Knight over here, we'll definitely arrive without a hitch." he says, while finally giving her a wink, and with those pleasant words he finally  walks towards the skiff.

Valeria then turns towards her friends while pointing to the retreating Sergeant with her thumb "Well, that's my cue. See you, Mal, and don't worry, Alina. Everything will be alright." 

She then leaves them so they can say one final goodbye to one another, hopefully they'll confess then. She huffs in her mind, all the while knowing they won't. 

The oblivious fools.

We were settling on the skiff before her  tracker friend wanted to check something with the Sergeant. 

I stayed near the front of the skiff and stared into the Fold.

'Time to surprise the shadow cats with my blessed presence, I hope they'll behave when they see that I'm with the others.' 

While she knows of what they're doing in the Fold, especially when they notice their sudden guests , she doesn’t judge. It's in their nature, but that doesn't mean she'll stand for those under her protection to get eaten, no. 

She trained them before, to follow her commands. Which they already did before, but for certainty sake.

'They better not act mischievous.' She squints at the Fold.

Almost in answer,  she feels the sudden buzz from within the Fold from her cats in question. 

Yes, they better. Or else I'll give them a stern talking to.

I was then pulled out of my thoughts when the Sergeant called for the gate of the skiff to be raised.

Turning my head to face him,  I suddenly spotted a familiar dark haired girl next to Mal.

Valeria then strode over to where the pair were standing.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" I calmly asked the girl, but in reality,  I was furious with Alina.

"I'm with you guys." She said, full with determination. "The gate is already raised, so there's not much you can do now."

"Blimey, Alina." Valeria sighed out, while leaning her head back in exasperation, before looking straight at the girl.

"If something happens, I want you to stay down and stand by Mal or me, alright?" I said in a stern tone, the girl then nodded.

"I'll make it, I promise." She said while looking at the both of us.

Mal then sighed before walking towards the front of the skiff.

I then pulled Alina with me towards his direction.

Mal then asked the Sergeant what'll happen now.

"The Grisha will tell us,"  he replied.

Mal then turned over his shoulder to the Squaller behind him, which I almost chuckled at, when the Sergeant then corrected him.

"Not her, the Inferni."

Mal then turned around, a dark woman in a blue and red kefta made her way to the middle of the skiff.

She clapped her hands to gain everyone's attention, before starting instructions.

"Here's how it goes, we go into the Fold, it gets dark, but we like it dark. That keeps us from drawing attention, that's how we travel. The only light we use, is the blue one at the mast. It's weak but safe." She informed them.

She was about to continue when Raisa, another member of Alina's unit interrupted her.

"But, you're an Inferni, right? Why are you here if we're supposed to keep things dark?" The girl questioned. 

Merlin, Alina, why are there so many irksome people in your unit?

The Inferni in charge then turned towards the girl, who interupted her in the middle of her speech. 

"For when the dark comes to keep you."

'Well that was certainly personal, wasn't it? ' Valeria almost cackles in amusement, when the Cartographer then walked off.

Mal then took her place in questioning the Inferni.

"Where's your General, Kirigan?"

As he asked this, the soldiers on the second level of the skiff then let the sail drop and they then began to fill.

The leader of the Inferni, then looked at Mal with a stony expression on her face. "That's our que," was all that she said, before finally walking off.

She then signaled to the Squaller stationed behind the sail, and the skiff started in the direction of the Fold.

Well then, here we go.

"Alright, listen to me, Cartographers. Until we reach the Western dry docks, you are to remain at your station. Do not, I repeat, do not leave the skiff during the crossing." Sergeant Teplov shouted over the wind of the Fold.

I stood next to Alina, and we both looked at the enormous shadow storm we were about to be plunged into.

Which again, I certainly didn't mind. Those beasties better behave.

As the wind grew stronger, Alina's scarf that was around her neck was then blown away. Even I with my seeker reflexes couldn't catch it in time. The girl turned in shock and yelped as her scarf then floated in the wind.

We both then caught sight of a dark figure standing at the  very edge of  a hill, near the dry docks.

Well, General Kirigan, you do have a flair for the dramatic, don't you?

Alina then turned back to the Fold, but I kept my eyes on figure in black before me, until I then felt the tendrils of darkness wrap around me.

We're in the Fold.

As darkness surrounded the skiff and limited  the crew's vision, it was earily silent with sporadic thunder claps here and there. Growls echoed through the darkness that set everyone,  but one, one edge.

"Marker one." The Inferni in charge stated.

"How many more are there?" Asked Alina quietly. 

"37." The woman answered, before walking away.

In less than a minute the shrieks of the Volcra then became louder and swooping shadows came lower, towards the skiff.

Marker 2 had made itself present, when a Volcra got too close for comfort. 

The whole crew then prepared for an attack. And Valeria only rolled her eyes in exasperation. 

The blue light that was dimly shining, flickered out and the Inferni tapped against the side of it desperately. 

The growls then became more frequent, and then Valeria heard the most stupidest noise anyone could have ever made on the damned skiff.

A bloody lighter.

It seems a Cartographer had stuck his little lighter  on board, and decided to lit an oil lamp, while they were told before not to do so. The buffoon.  

He shakily held it up and everyone on the skiff turned to the light source in horror, while Valeria prepared herself for what's to come next.

"Blow it out, what are you doing?!" An Inferni whispered to the shaken man frantically, but it was too late.

A dark figure landed behind him, and as he turned around to face the creature,  before it could snatch the man in their claws a sudden sivery-white light from behind jumped at the creature in a second.

Observing the strange light, they notice the two forms it took.

A magestic stag and a growling wolf.

While this already should've been the strangest thing that happened just now,  it wasn't. 

What was, was the sudden reprimand the creature got from one of their crew.

"No. Don't even think of it."

When the Volcra heard the voice of the person, the Sergeant Major, Valeria Cherniak , 'The Black Knight', it seemed sullen somehow…Like a petulant child that is being reprimanded by its mother.

'Gods what is happening…' The crew ask themselves in disbelief at the sight before them.

And then more Volcra swarmed to the skiff, the First Army soldiers were then shooting into the shadows, hoping to hit them.

And then all hell broke loose.

Just as she was dealing with one of her Shadow Cats, she then heard the yelling of the Inferni.

Merlin, things can't just go my way once, can it? Valeria huffs before turning towards the Inferni that was dealing with one of them.

" Come at me! Come at me you coward!" she cried out with her hands that are glowing orange.

The Volcra answered her screams and just as it was about to sink its  claws into her, a silvery Stag headbutted it away with its antlers.

It then led it away to the rest of the Volcra that suddenly stayed put with one another…almost like a herd of sheep, and the silvery-white creatures their shepherd 'dogs', the Inferni observes in disbelief. 

They're just standing there, while staring at the Silvery Stag and Wolf, or…at the person behind her.

Turning her back to the shadowy creatures, trusting that the lightfilled ones will take care of it, the Inferni makes eye-contact with the vibrant green eyes of the famed Black Knight, that even they have been hearing of in their circles.

'What is she?'

But before any words could have been said, another scream reached their ears. 

A scream the girl in front of the Inferni seemed to recognise. 

She then disappeared in front of the Inferni with a sudden cracking sound.

Before she could utter a word to the Inferni she just saved in front of her, her head swerved to the directiom of the sudden scream that reached her ears.

Mal.

Seeing one of her friends being lifted into the air by one of her shadowy, undisciplined  cats, and hearing his  grunts and yells of pain made time slow.

Both Valeria and Alina watched from separate sides of the skiff, what was happening to their friend.

But then one disappeared from her spot, only to reappear next to the both of them in a second.

As Mal began to stab at the Volcra's leg with a large dagger, Alina's face contorted in determination and anger as she reached for the rifle on the ground. She took aim and began to shoot at the thing that threatened the life of the man she, unwittingly,  loved.

While Valeria on the other hand, was going to push the Volcra off with her power.

But before she could do that, Alina landed a shot on the Volcra, and it  then hissed and dropped Mal.

Valeria then immediately stopped him from falling with her magic and raised her other hand to push the Volcra with the other Volcra.

As she was looking around her for the remaining Volcra on the skiff, who she then pushed towards their other siblings where her patronoses, yes plural, are guarding them. 

While she is shocked about it,  she'll think about it another time.

A sudden gasp then drew her attention elsewhere. Turning towards the sound, she was met the sight of her friend in the Volcra's claws.

"Alina!" as she readied herself to free her friend from its clutches, but she was interupted by a bright white light that lit the Fold up, and it's beams of light then blasted the Volcra away.

Valeria looked shocked at the sight, but she was also worried for her Shadowy cats, so before it could reach the others, she sent them further away in the shadows for their protection. Which took a bit of energy out of her.

But then, one of the bright lights also reached her, and she was thrown away by the force of it to the deck of the skiff near Mal. 

She watched from a laying position as her friend glowed like a star.

'Bloody hell.' was the last thing she thought, before she then saw Alina falling down, and with the last bit of energy she could bring out of herself, she  gently layed  the unconscious girl  down next to Mal, and then darkness engulfed her vision and she knew no more.