Raven Girl

Chapter 32

In the shadow of the Hexagon, Nadine sorted through her supplies. She donned her black scale armour and long black boots, pulling on her fingerless gloves, too. She wrapped her raven coat tightly around her and strapped the ancient green sword to her back. She already had her belt of knives, and ran a hand along the many hilts. It felt comforting.

Elias strode around the corner of rock she'd changed behind, wrapped in the clothes she'd seen him wearing when they'd first met.

"You look colourful."

He sketched a bow. "And you look... like a raven girl. Like a nightling."

"I think Ares is the real nightling here."

"Are you going to use his shadow power?"

"Of course."

Gylfi had donned a coat they'd never seen before: dusky blue, lined with bronze buttons. It was a coat fit for a pirate captain. "Sven bought this for me when I landed my apprenticeship," he said, his face tight and pale. "I'm getting him back, no matter the cost."

Nadine felt like they had all reverted back to how they had been at the beginning of their journey, but they were wearing their clothes proudly. It would be a slap to the face of their governments, that they could look so different but work so well together. Regina, to everyone's surprise, was still wearing her threadbare travelling layers.

She shrugged at their expressions. "I'm not the girl I was when you met me in the Palace. And why should I wear something beautiful? It would get ruined anyway."

Elias grinned. "I've waited a long time to hear you say that."

"Yeah, after weeks of watching you trail your finery in the mud while riding," Nadine said.

"Admit it, you were all just jealous," Regina said.

"No, I wanted to throw up whenever I saw your expensive outfits."

"I'll give you one as a gift when we get back to Arkanovsk, Nadine."

Nadine felt her smile drop. "Will we ever be allowed to set foot back in the city? I doubt it. Not after this."

Regina blinked. "Oh. I... I don't know."

"Either way, I think I'd cause too much trouble if I went back to Gavriil." Nadine blinked hard, staring at her boots. Every fibre of her being ached for him – to see him again, to check if he was getting better.

Gylfi was fidgeting. "I'm ready. Are we going to start?"

"You know, whatever happens today, this isn't going to be easy." Anxiety threatened to swallow her up.

Elias met her eyes, then Gylfi's, then Regina's. He looked fierce. "Nothing worth fighting for is easy. If it was, you wouldn't have to fight for it."

They knew where to go. Elias had already scouted the location of the site: a small rocky valley just over the mountain. Nadine led the way to Ares, and they clambered onto his back. She flew them up to the mountain ridge but stopped before flying over the other side, and this was where Gylfi dismounted.

"We'll be watching you, and we'll intervene if something goes wrong," Nadine assured him.

He just nodded. "Make sure you get Svetlana over here." They had been setting a trail for her – letting Ares scorch the ground in places, flying in full view... She would be on their heels.

Gylfi began to trek down the other side of the mountain, heading for the clearing where a cluster of tents had been erected. There was blue for Ravenna, green for Jötunheim and gold for Easfall. Nadine whispered, "Fly," to Ares, and he took off again. They kept well away from the tents, knowing they'd be spotted and attacked, but circled the valley from above.