Through my stunned haze I heard someone shout my name, I only realised as they got closer that it was Alina, and that she had never really left.

"Alina," I heard Oretsev try, "Their coming."

She seemed torn between protecting the Grisha, and leaving me.

Again.

"Would you just go?" I tried, hoping she could scence my need for her to protect this place, "You're their general, you've sworn to protect them so just go."

"I'm not leaving you-"

"You had no problem doing it the first time," I didn't mean for it to come out as it did, but if it got the message across...

She stood up a bit straighter, "That's not fair."

"Lecture me on it later, now go!!'

She took a step to leave then another back, "Just-"

"I'm not fighting for you," I interrupted her, my words coming out a bit harsher than intended, "I'm not fighting for you, and I'm not fighting for him. I'm fighting for myself, so don't carry around dead weight, just go."

She hesitated for a moment but not before Oretsev grabbed her arm and started running towards the little palace with her, he looked back briefly before descending the hill but I was already gone, the shadows masking my leave.

In the distance I heard the clatter or gates, unhinged by a blast of Squaller wind, but I was headed back to camp, back to my friend.

With most the occupants taking part in the fighting the camp was as good as deserted, minus three guards who were hauling an uncooperative Luka out of the cells.

I waited for the right moment, and then saw it and struck.

A small whistle caught their attention, looking up and seeing nothing I quickly knocked them unconscious from behind, they weren't bad people, just led a stray, they didn't deserve to die.

Luka went pale as the guards around him dropped.

I let myself become visible again, "Hey," I greeted.

He laughed, dropping to the ground in relief, "Ever care to share a plan?" He joked.

I rolled my eyes at him, here he was joking when the place he had grown up in, his home, was currently being used as a battle ground for the two strongest Grisha to ever live.

He helped me search the guards for the keys to his irons but, unsurprisingly enough, they didn't have them.

He groaned, "I mean, I could just run like this. No offence I don't trust you to be able to melt these off without burning my hands in the process."

I laughed taking a pin out of my hair, "Come here you idiot."

Not long and after some fiddling later his irons fell to the ground with a light thunk.

"Do I want to know how you happen to have this particular skill?" Luka asked.

I grinned, "Just call me Kaz bloody Breaker."

"Who?"

"Some upcoming thief from Ketterdam, read about him when I was snooping through some of my fathers foreign reports."

As we ran out of the camp I tossed Luka a scrap piece of flint I had found, "Just incase," I told him, "Things are pretty wild out there."

We snuck back onto the grounds, the sounds of battle surrounding us, but that wasn't why we were there. Invisible, I led Luka to where I knew an escape would be, but first to make sure that Privateer stuck to his promise.

"Rena, what are you doing," Luka asked warily as we approached Baghra's hut.

I let the invisibility drop as we approached, and looked back at him, "It's fine, I promise, just come on, I'm not leaving you out here."

We made our way down the path and as we approached the door I saw it was cracked open, the sound of argument wafting out.

Signaling Luka to be ready I opened the door.

"I'll die here boy, so stop bothering me."

"And that's a lovely thought but I seem to have the slight problem of a promise and I do hate to break a promise," a voice summarised, "Not great for one's ego," Nikolai, there was no question about it.

"Miss.Rena?" A small voice squeaked.

The other two heads in the room, Baghra and Nikolai, snapped over to me, "Hey Misha buddy, long time no see eh?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

Crouching down to his level I met his eyes, "Well, I've just got the best of news for you, thats what!" I ignored Baghra's scoff by the fire, "Have you ever heard stories of pirates Misha?"

He nodded, "They have swords, and parrots and big ships."

I gave him a little smile, "Yeah, that's right, they do. And what if I told you that one of those super cool ships were waiting for you and Babushka down by the lake right now."

I saw Luka's eyebrows shoot up and Nikolai tilt his head to the side at my words. Misha widened his eyes, but for different reasons, "Really?" He exclaimed.

"Really," I smiled, "You see that boy there, that's my friend, Luka, we'll help you get there alright? You and Baghra."

He looked a bit sad as he said, "Baghra doesn't want to leave."

I stood up, "I'm sure we can find a solution, can't we Babushka."

"I'll leave if its to protect that boy from your foolishness and for you to stop calling me that," she grunted.

I grinned, "Deal."

We stuck to the cover of the trees as we progressed towards where the Kingfisher sat, moored in the lake.

"Anything to tell me?" Luka inquired as we helped Misha up onto the boat.

Baghra beat me to the response, hitting him in the shin with her cane, "Nothing you need to know boy, get on the boat."

I stuck my tongue out at him, "See ya loser."

Another hit, this time to my shin, "You too."

"What?!" I exclaimed, "But I have to stay, I have to-"

"To what?" She interrupted, "Make matters worse? Those two are in a world of their own right now, there's nothing you can do. So, get, on, the boat. Now."