I was running as fast as I possibly could, trying to escape the grasp of my father's army. I could only hope the others were evading them as efficiently as I was. I turned a corner and crashed harshly into a body. I took a step back, raised my arms, and looked at his face. Luckily, it was only Kaz.

"What are you doing? I could have killed you!" I said in an angry whisper.

"If I remember correctly, you ran into me." I huffed, annoyed that he was right.

"Come on, Vik. We might as well stay together now." We then began to walk together, with Kaz ahead of me. He stopped abruptly, and shoved me into the alleyway we stopped at.

"Don't move," He told me. His tone was sharp and quiet and indicated that I was not to argue with him. He turned to face the other side of his street, and his posture stiffened. He gulped, and I tried to listen for any other heartbeats. I was met with two but one of them was the sound I dreaded most.

"I know you kidnapped my sun summoner and took my daughter. And now, you're going to tell me where you stashed them," Dad said, his voice demanding compliance. I stayed where I was, waiting for the perfect opportunity to announce my presence.

"We didn't take them," Kaz said, taking a small step backwards. "Alina fled on her own, and Vik is a member of our crew." Nothing was said for a long moment, and I could hear the other heartbeat getting increasingly more agitated.

"She's here, moi soverenyi," I heard a voice say. Ah, so Ivan was the other heartbeat.

"Viktoriya, come out, please. Stop hiding like a child." My father's voice commanded. I ignored it, knowing I would probably regret not doing what he asked. I began to feel a searing pain coming from my head and was unable to hold in my scream.

"Damn you, Ivan!" I shouted, trying to get him to stop. I saw Kaz's figure rushing in my direction, but stopped him with a slight shake of my head. A few agonizing seconds later, the pain stopped. I took a sigh of relief but felt something warm trickling steadily down my face from my eyes, nose, and ears. Blood.

I was in a slight state of panic now, I knew my father had no qualms about hurting me to get what he wants, and Ivan was at his disposal.

"Viktoriya, please come out." I could hear he was getting impatient. I complied, only because I knew he would tell Ivan to hurt Kaz next. I walked out from my hiding spot only looking at my fathers face. I moved in front of Kaz, willing to do anything to protect him from my father. When Kaz saw my face, he took a sharp breath, no doubt startled by the blood.

"Now that we've established your location, where is Alina? I won't ask you again." Dad asked Kaz once more.

"I don't know. It was pretty clear she wasn't interested in being a captive anymore. She's probably halfway to Novyi Zem by now." I lightly rapped Kaz's leg with my foot, the gesture telling him to stop infuriating my father.

"Dad, we didn't take her. She got in the back of our carriage." I told him, trying to keep his rage in check. Dad looked at the ground, and I put an arm in front of Kaz, knowing what was coming next.

"Ivan," My dad's voice called out. I was falling to the ground, my vision fading. The last thing I saw was Kaz's concerned face.

I watched Vik fall to the ground and became increasingly more anxious. The blood is still oozing out of her, which makes my worry increase tenfold. The probability of us both making it out of this alive were slim when both of us were conscious, but almost non-existent now. I reached into a bag behind me and pulled out a small smoke bomb I had for emergencies. I didn't have time to come up with a decent plan, but I knew how to escape.

The shadows summoned by General Kirigan didn't have the same sense of familiarity Vik's did, they had the same cold feeling the fold and volcra did. I took another few steps backwards, my eyes firmly resting on Vik's vulnerable form. I couldn't leave her in the hands of her father after I saw what he did in the presence of a stranger. He would give her a slow, painful death, and I can't let that happen.

"You should have stayed in Ketterdam, Mr. Brekker." As the darkling and his shadows came closer to me, I threw my cane higher in my hand and released the smoke bomb, giving me a few seconds of insurance as I grabbed Vik and vanished.

After running as fast as I could while carrying Vik, my leg had begun to throb uncontrollably. I knew I couldn't keep up the pace and carry Vik, which left me with only one option. I had to put her somewhere safe, and find Jesper to carry her. I am unbelievably ashamed I can't even carry the one person I care about more than myself to safety. I wander into an alley and place her body behind a barrel, as it is the safest place I could find on short notice. I lean down, and give Vik a kiss on the forehead.

"Please still be alive when Jesper gets here Vik," I say with a loving tone, and tear my eyes away from her fragile frame. I walk as fast as I can to the rendezvous point and let out a massive sigh of relief as I see that Jesper is already standing there.

I walk up behind him, and he turns to face me. I'm sure he has already noticed the blood on my clothes, but he does not mention it. He does mention the missing presence of his best friend.

"Where's Vik?" He asks me, his hands unconsciously moving to rest on his guns.

"Unconscious behind a barrel 7 alleys that way. I couldn't carry her." I say, pointing, and I know he noticed the crack in my voice as I confess. He didn't wait a moment longer and ran off to retrieve Vik. Inej arrives before Jesper does, but she is injured. I walk over to her, trying to help support some of her weight. Unlike Vik, she is still conscious, which makes my life exponentially easier.

"The Inferni, she's dead." I nod in response, realizing neither of the girls could manage a horse. I look around and see the black generals carriage in the distance. I smirk, realizing this could be a small act of revenge against Vik's father. I help Inej walk to the carriage, open the door, and am met with a fabrikator who throws a book at my face. I recover quickly and whack the side of his head with my cane.

I let out a small chuckle of disbelief, saying quietly, "He threw a book at me."

As I help Inej inside, I see Jesper walking towards us carrying Vik's body. She is still unconscious, but I am greatly relieved to see that she has not had any more injuries.

"Jesper put her in here," I call out to him.

"What the fuck happened to her face, Kaz?" Jesper asks, making no effort to conceal his worry.

"It's a long story, come on, we need to go." And with that, we were off to travel back to Ketterdam.

I really don't know how to write the inner-workings of Kaz's brain. Thank you for all your comments!! They really make my day (especially when they make me laugh) :)