CHAPTER THIRTY

Breathe

Estelle dropped to the ground, covering her head with her bound hands. Bodies fell all around her as gunfire came in a rapid patter, ringing out in the silence. Grisha and oprichniki slumped down to avoid getting shot.

Someone shouted, "Return fire!" Shots from the skiff rang out, but they didn't appear to hit any targets. Some of the Darkling's nichevo'ya beat their wings and hovered in the air, searching for their quarry. Inferni struck flints, shooting fire down into the sand below. Fire was shot back, their Inferni still cloaked from sight.

Then there was silence. On the deck, wounded people moaned. The General aboard shouted orders, walking back and forth with a shotgun in his hands. The Darkling pointed to a Heartrender and shouted his own orders, unharmed. His nichevo'ya did their job well.

A wave of sand was sent up onto the skiff. The Squallers scrambled to respond quickly. They sent sand around, but it appeared that they didn't find its intended mark.

Silence again. Everyone was on edge. The oprichniki were white-faced, jumping at every real or imaginary sound. "Maleni," they whispered. Ghosts.

Estelle's breathing was shallow, afraid that if it was too loud, their guns would be trained on her instead.

Then one of them yelled, "Get down!"

Everyone on the deck dove towards the ground and the air exploded with gunfire. Two other glass skiffs plowed into view. Only two. The others must not have made it. The skiffs ignited with the violet flame of the lumiya when they came into contact with the light.

"Did you think I would come to meet you unprepared, Alina?" the Darkling called over the chaos. "Did you think I would not sacrifice an entire fleet of skiffs to this cause?"

The appearance of the skiffs turned the tide of the fight. Screams tore through the air as gunfire was exchanged. Estelle noticed a red stain in the sand. Someone had been shot.

A voice cried out right near Estelle and she jumped from where she had been crouching on the ground. No one was there. But someone had been, or the noise was merely her imagination.

A figure flickered in and out of sight a few paces away. Estelle thought she recognized Tolya, but he was gone too soon. People climbed down the railing, bloodthirsty nichevo'ya joining in the fight.

Another scream. A nichevo'ya had its claws clamped around Tamar's back, digging in. Estelle pulled against her bonds chaining her to the ground, wishing to help. She couldn't just stand there and watch.

A figure dove down from the sky in front of Estelle. It took a moment before she realized what it was—or rather, who. Nikolai, wings spread and fangs bared.

He grabbed the nichevo'ya who had Tamar, forcing it to release her. It writhed, trying to attack him back, but Nikolai flew upward, the nichevo'ya in his talons. He threw the shadow monster into the darkness beyond. Shrieks called out in the shadows—volcra. The nichevo'ya disappeared.

Nikolai swooped back down and barrelled into another of the Darkling's nichevo'ya. Estelle let out a small chuckle. She could only imagine his own laugh.

He caught sight of her. For a brief moment, she thought she could see his hazel, mischievous eyes again through those dark pits that had taken over. Then, as soon as it was there, it was gone.

Tamar slid next to Estelle, turning her attention away. She took out one of her axes. "Stay still."

She lined her axe up with Estelle's bonds, then swung. Nothing. She tried again. Then one more time. On the third time, she broke through the metal. Tamar then went to work on the other side. Once free, Estelle gave Tamar a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Estelle glanced around. Alina was gone. Hopefully she'd gotten away. The Darkling roared in anger from the side of the skiff. Estelle saw her chance.

Slowly, she stood up, gathering starlight. She spun her arm out in a wide arc, the Cut forming. Estelle sent the Cut flying towards him.

At the last minute, when it seemed like it would finally end this, the Darkling's nichevo'ya swarmed around him, protecting him. The Cut decimated a few of the shadow soldiers, but there were still many left.

The Darkling looked up at her, partly in shock. His eyes darted to her free hands and Tamar's axe, the culprit of her freedom.

"You are a stubborn girl," he growled.

"And as much as you'd like to believe it, you are no god," Estelle replied.

Realization struck in his eyes and Estelle could see his resolve tightening. "Kill them," he whispered to his monsters, turning his back on Estelle and Tamar.

The nichevo'ya straightened with the order. Tamar went into a battle stance, reaching to find her other axe. Estelle sent another of the Cut towards them, but they merely dodged it and kept coming towards them.

"Go find Alina," Estelle told Tamar. "I'll handle these."

"Estelle–"

"Go," she demanded. "Go while they still have a chance. Find the Darkling, make sure he dies."

Tamar looked at Estelle with tears forming in her eyes. "Be careful."

"I'll see you again," promised Estelle. She really should've stopped making promises she couldn't keep.

She sent an arc of light to the coming nichevo'ya as Tamar jumped off the other side of the skiff. Two of them were hit, disintegrating as soon as they came into contact with the light, too slow to dodge it. Estelle nearly celebrated until she realized she was surrounded.

Two pounced at the same time, one from in front and the other from behind. The one behind her sunk its claws into her shoulder and the other scratched at her face. Estelle cried out in pain, searing hot stinging making her thoughts fall away. She lost her footing and fell to the ground.

One of them grabbed her by the foot and beat its wings, beginning to fly. Estelle flailed in mid-air as the others kept up with her, trying to hurt her as much as possible while she was flown up higher and higher.

They got so high that she couldn't even see the skiffs far below anymore. Estelle screamed, her attempts at being heard lost in the wind.

So many things happened that it took a while after for Estelle to remember it all. It was possible that one thing happened before another, or one didn't happen at all.

The nichevo'ya threw her around like a rag doll. Their claws were sharp, digging into every bit of skin they could get their hands on. There was nothing she could do to stop them. She was powerless, high up in the air, with no one to catch her if she fell.

Then a figure shot up in between them. Some of the monsters flew back, startled. The one holding Estelle dug in tighter, as if afraid she'd be taken from it.

The figure blurred past again, this time grabbing onto one of the nichevo'ya. They got lost into the darkness of the Fold. Then, a second time, another nichevo'ya disappeared in a flash.

Estelle's heart raced. What was it? A volcra, taking them out one by one? Or...

The third went down, leaving only the one who had Estelle in its talons. She cried out as it gripped her tighter.

Then something barrelled into them. That something grabbed Estelle's bicep, pulling her away. The nichevo'ya, however, was determined. It held on, snarling.

Estelle got a good look at the creature from the dark. In fact, it wasn't a creature. It was Nikolai. His dark eyes were turned away from her, instead glaring daggers at the nichevo'ya. His wings beat furiously.

Trying to help, Estelle held out her hands and shone a sliver of light at the shadow soldier behind her. It screeched, but only loosened its grip, not giving it up. She tried again, twisting in its painful grasp to shine starlight in its grotesque face.

In return, it reached out and grabbed at her face, leaving searing pain behind. A liquid ran down Estelle's face, coming from long wounds it left behind, sure to leave more than just a mark. She sent out the Cut, instantly vaporizing the shadow soldier.

Estelle never got a good look at Nikolai. Blood poured over her eyes, running down her face. She couldn't see. But it wasn't because of the blood. She couldn't see.

Without a warning, Nikolai cried out, and they both fell. Estelle screamed, she could feel herself nearing the ground, but she couldn't do anything to soften or even stop the blow. Again, she was powerless.

Powerless.

A draft of wind shot through the air, slowing her fall. She was put gently on the ground, on sand. The sands of the Fold.

But it felt different. Not exactly...darkness, anymore. It felt like normal sand at the beach.

Estelle clawed at her face, trying to clear the blood away. Her head was spinning from the loss of blood and the pain. Her heart pounded.

She couldn't see.

"Nikolai!" she cried, a desperate attempt to find comfort in the darkness. There was nothing to see, only infinite nothing.

"Nikolai!" Estelle shouted again, trying to stand. She fell, unsteady on her feet. She believed there would be no one to catch her when she fell this time. Again.

Until arms wrapped around her, soft and calloused at the same time. Estelle's heart stopped momentarily, relieved. "Nikolai?"

"I'm here." His voice was rough, like he'd just swallowed a handful of rocks. It also sounded like he might have been crying. "I'm here, Estelle. We're fine. We're okay. It's over," he whispered, pulling her closer into a bone-crushing hug.

She began to cry, too. He was back. He was okay. They were okay. "Is he gone?" she asked cautiously.

"He's gone, Estelle," assured Nikolai. "It's over. It's all over."

Estelle shook her head, pulling away. "It's not. I can't see. I can't see you." Tears ran freely, mixed with her blood, down her face. She was sure she was a sight for sore eyes.

"It is," Nikolai said, determined. He held her face in his hands, wiping away her tears. "You don't need to see me. I'm right here." He took her hands and pulled them up to rest on his cheeks. "Feel me, I'm not going anywhere. It's over, Estelle."

She then cried tears of joy, her hands feeling his face, his arms, making sure he was real, that this wasn't a trick.

It was over. She could go home. She could see her parents again, her family. Ana.

She'd lost people, though. Lost things. There almost seemed like there was nothing she could do to forget that.

But, for the moment, she was satisfied with just being with Nikolai, staying there with him as long as she could. She could breathe again. She could live again.