#saintprivateer

She had almost reached the end of the street, when a loud shriek broke the silence of the night, making her turn around, a hand on her right gun: the girl was struggling against two persons, a man and a woman, both wearing the typical kefta from two different Grisha orders. The woman was a Squaller, the man a Fabrikator. What’s happening?, Anika thought, catching her gun and aiming at them. Why are they trying to kidnap that girl? She knew she had no chance against two Grisha, but she could count on the element of surprise, since they hadn’t seen her. “Let me go, please!” the girl screamed. “What do you want from me?” The Squaller said something to her companion, in Ravkan, then, she covered the girl’s mouth with a hand, while the Fabrikator used his powers to animate a thick rope, that wrapped her body like the coils of a snake. Anika narrowed her eyes, then, she pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was immediately followed by a male scream: the Fabrikator collapsed to the ground, clenching his left leg, while the Squaller turned her head to their attacker, giving her a killer glance. “Let her go!” Anika ordered, aiming at the woman’s arm and shooting again. Even though he was injured, the Fabrikator moved his hand so quickly she didn’t even notice it. A sudden, piercing pain exploded into Anika’s right shoulder, making her scream and lose the grip on her gun.   The woman knelt to the ground, almost breathless, her left hand clutching the wounded shoulder, where her own bullet, sent back by the man’s magic, had sunk .Her eyes went wet, while she raised her glance to check the situation, and thanks to the male Grisha’s distraction, the girl had been able to free herself from the rope and, led by desperation and survival instinct, she hit the Squaller’s cheekbone with her elbow. With the left hand, Anika grabbed the gun she had let fall and tried to stand up.“Help me!” the girl cried, running towards her. “Please, help me!” The Dregs’ deputy chief trudged ahead, stretching her trembling right arm. The pain was almost unbearable, but she needed her left hand ready to shoot again. “Qu-quicker…” she panted. “T-take my hand…” They almost did it. They went so close that Anika felt the warmth of the girl’s fingertips on hers. Then, the snake-like rope flew towards its young victim, catching her right leg. The flower girl was suddenly thrown up into the air, hanged upside down, screaming and fidgeting, her long, soft hair fell down to her face, like a reddish-brown curtain. “No!” Anika yelled, aiming at the kidnappers again. The Squaller raised her hands and a strong, howling wind travelled along the street, reaching the Dreg lady and hurling her behind, making her crash against the shop window of a furniture store. The glass broke and Anika hit a huge, exposed wardrobe with the injured shoulder. The intense pain almost took her breath away, then, everything went black. She woke up some minutes after, when someone tapped her forehead and cheeks with a wet, cold handkerchief. Pim’s worried face was bending over her. “Anika!” he whispered. “Anika, can you hear me?” The woman moaned, grabbing his wrist with the left hand. She could taste a bloody flavour into her mouth. “Pim…” she murmured, coughing. “Wh-where’s the girl?” Her comrade frowned, making her heart sink. “What girl?”