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Matthias opened his eyes slowly. The light was dim in the one room cabin he was laying low in. He had found it abandoned and claimed it as his. Despite the gloom, Matthias’s sharp eyes picked out the now familiar objects around the room. The door with its many locks (even Kaz would have struggled with them), the small wooden table with its rickety chairs, the fireplace in the corner with the fire smoldering in the grate, and a small wooden cradle. At its base, a large white wolf with a scar across its face lay curled, relaxed for the moment but ready to defend in a heartbeat.
He had sensed something following him all through his trek along the Ravka-Fjerda border. It was cautious at first, always staying out of sight. At first Matthias had been unsure of what was following him but one morning he had woken up to pawprints. He had smiled then, truly smiled because he knew that he was home. It had taken days for Trassel to trust him again, but he and the white wolf were bonded and nothing in the world save death could pull them apart for good.
Next to him, Nina shifted, snuggling closer against his chest. He burrowed his nose into her soft hair, breathing in the scent of her. When he had woken up 24 hours after the events at the auction, tucked away in a small cabin on the ship of refugees, Nina had been curled next to him, exhausted and broken-hearted, he had run his hand through her hair and she had woken with a start and a scream. She had looked at him with those shattered green eyes filled with confusion and fear. She checked his pulse frantically, most likely believing that he was still dead and that she had finally lost her mind. Finding that he had a pulse she just stared.
The night before the auction Nina had woken up with a cry, her hands clutching her stomach. At first Matthias thought she might throw up all of the waffles she had eaten but she just sat there. Then she looked at him, and her eyes were filled with wonder and he had understood. Joy and terror flooded through him. After a while, she had fallen back asleep but Matthias had been restless. He knew that Nina would not leave Keterdam willingly but he knew that they had to leave. Carefully he rose and slipped off of the couch and padded out of the room to find Kaz. He had told the Demjin everything and begged for help. To his credit, Kaz managed to keep most of the shock off of his features, but Matthias knew that he had not seen this coming. Despite his best efforts, Kaz still had a heart and the two boys devised a plan. Nina had not said a word in the entire time that Matthias had been talking nor did she speak for several minutes after. “Nina-” he bagan. Nina hit him. Hard. Then, she burst into tears.
A cry dragged him out of the past and back into the present. Trassel perked up his ears. Against his chest, Nina mumbled something about it being his turn and gave him a light shove. Chuckling, Matthias slipped out of bed and made his way over to the crib. Humming a Fjerdan lullaby, he reached down and picked up his son.
One day, they would go back to Ketterdam. One day, the rest of the crows would learn the truth. But not yet. The baby looked at him with big green eyes. “Good Morning, Jordie”