His face was covered in dirt and dust, as if he'd been face planted into an ashy fire pit. His cheeks were sullen and saggy, a fresh bruise forming on the right side just above his cheek bone. His brown eyes were hooded and bloodshot as if he was on some high drug. His once shaved head had now grown and his fine brown hair was sprouting out. Dressed in a loose dirty shirt that drowned him and a pair of slacks that had several rips in them, his body was huddled in the corner, his head resting against the wall, staring into nothing.

Mal

Even know his appearance was shockingly different, Alina knew straight away it was him. She could recognise him from a mile away, even if he looked like this… like a prisoner. She stared hard at Mal, her lip quivering open in shock and as she stayed silent behind Kirigan, she prayed that Mal would look up and notice her. She didn't dare speak a word, not without his permission.

What has he done to you?

Kirigan never spoke about the tracker to Alina. He never liked him from the start. When he had demanded to see Alina in his war room, Kirigan knew he'd be a problem. He did everything he could to stop them from thinking about each other, intercepting his letters before they could reach Alina. He wanted no distractions.

It was clear that Kirigan had hurt Mal. Maybe not himself but one of his Grisha… Ivan most probably had caused his pain and suffering. Oh how Alina wanted to run to the cell, run to Mal and take him in her arms, let him know she was here and that everything would be alright. Alina wondered if Kirigan had deliberately brought her down here because Mal was here or was it just a coincidence.

Alina stayed silent, her hands scratching each other as she held back the urge to run to the cell door. She hoped that maybe he would hear her fidgeting and look up, their eyes would meet and they could talk to each other by just looking. But hope was starting to fade as Mal continued to just stare at the floor.

Please… just look up

Alina shuffled on her feet, the sound of her boots scraping across the hard floor in hopes it would grab Mal's attention but there was no prevail. Her eyes glanced up to the back of Kirigan's head, a slight fear he would catch wind of her plan. Maybe that was the idea… get Kirigan to focus on Alina and make Mal aware of her presence.

But the consequence outweighed the benefit and Alina decided it was best not. She was sure Mal would look up… he had to.

"So, this is the Fjerden scum who snuck into my country and attacked my Grisha" Kirigan's voice was clear and vocal, his head held high and chin pointed slightly in the direction of the tied up Fjerden.

The new captive mumbled something in Fjerda and tugged at his binds on the chair. Ivan stood behind the Fjerden, hands clasped together in front of him.

"Tell me, why did you enter my country?" Kirigan demanded cooly, his gaze on the Fjerden.

"Your Grisha scum, you think you can rule us with your Fold" he spat, his lips curled and eyes narrowed.

Kirigan said nothing as he stared at the Fjerden.

"We came to destroy your witches, shed blood and sweat, we are not afraid of you".

Kirigan let out a breath, his hands tightening in fists but then relaxing as he stepped forward to the prisoner. The Fjerden tugged at his binds, his eyes glaring up at Kirigan and Alina could have sworn she saw a hint of fear on his face, a look of horror as The Darkling advanced on to him, circling him like a vulture hunting its prey. All the while, Alina stood silent, her eyes running back and forth between the interrogation and her friend.

"Well… you should be afraid" Kirigan said softly and retreated back in front of Fjerden.

"You come into my country, attack my Grisha, kill them, hunt them down…and you want to destroy us".

"Than's right" the Fjerden smirked.

"Is there anyone else I should know about that is planning to attack us?" Kirigan asked.

"The other's will come, they aren't afraid" the Fjerden lied, his heart starting to beat a little faster from the adrenaline rush. There were no other Fjerden's planning to attack Ravka… yet.

"He's lying" Ivan spoke behind the Fjerden, informing Kirigan who turned to the prisoner and raised a brow.

"So you are afraid" he said mockingly.

"You Grisha scum, someone will tear down The Fold and you will be left with nothing" he gritted through his chipped teeth and Kirigan blinked silently.

"Leave us" Kirigan ordered and with a sharp nod, Ivan brushed past and vacated out the cells, the door shutting with a clack.

The cell fell silent for a few seconds which felt like minutes. Alina could sense something was about to happen, the reason why she was brought down here in the first place. Alina looked back over at Mal and her heart sunk as he stayed staring forward.

For god's sake, look at me

"The Grisha you attacked was an inferni, do you know what they can do?" Kirigan stated but didn't wait for the Fjerden to answer.

"They have the power to manipulate fire, control it and use it to their advantage but you didn't give them that chance".

"I think it's only fair that you experience that" Kirigan turned and stared straight at Alina. Her breathed hitched inside her and her eyes widened slightly.

"Come" he commanded and Alina stayed still. She knew… she knew exactly what he was going to do. With no response to his command, Kirigan pressed his lips tightly together and gave her a warning look.

"Alina" if she didn't obey him now, she'd be in serious trouble. Alina shook, her body shaking out of fear and the unknown and she looked down to the ground as her feet made her way towards Kirigan.

As she stepped forward, her eyes flickered to the cell she had been watching and her heart skipped a beat. Mal's brown, sunken eyes were staring at hers, he was looking at her, watching her.

You're here

She could read his eyes, the words he wanted to say so desperately but Mal wasn't stupid, he knew they would both be in trouble if he spoke a word. She was here, standing just on the other side of the cell. The last time he saw her, she was at the mercy of The Darkling, forced to light The Fold. It was there, on the skiff, while his heart was being crushed by the Heartrender, they had reached for each other and never felt the others hand.

Mal wasn't sure he recognised her. She looked so different. On the skiff she was dressed in a gold and black dress, hair neatly tucked behind her head and a clear bright face. But that wasn't the girl he knew.

Her long black hair was tied in a braid behind her head, falling down her back with a few strands seeping out. Dressed in the black kefta that fitted her tightly, she looked… Grisha. Having never known her to be Grisha until all of this happened, he didn't recognise her at first. But there was only one person called Alina and her black hair gave it away. It was more relaxed and loose… different from the other hair styles she had worn at the Little Palace. Somewhere underneath that cursed black kefta was the girl he knew. The girl he wanted back, the girl he wanted to save.

Having been in these cells for months, Mal had plenty of time to contemplate on how he could of stopped all this. How he could have saved Alina.

I should of killed her… like she asked

No, he would never, could never do that. He wouldn't live on without her being there.

Without trying to catch the attention of The Darkling, Mal turned his body, wincing from the pain and clutching his side as he moved to get a better look at Alina, his eyes meeting hers again and he gave a reassuring nod to her.

Yes I'm here

Alina stepped closer to Kirigan, her eyes now rising to meet his, her hands in front of her. Kirigan smirked as he circled around Alina, standing behind her and his hands pressed onto her shoulders, giving her the command to kneel in front. Her legs slowly sunk to the floor, her knees once again meeting hard concrete and swallowed the hard lump in the back of her throat. His hands lingered on her shoulders, his grip tightening as he stood behind her.

"I hope for your sake you aren't afraid… because I certainly would be if I was you" Kirigan warned dangerously, his voice dark and cold.

"Bring it to me' he whispered close to Alina's ear. Alina took a glance over at Mal, her eyes big and pleading.

Mal looked over in shock, his mouth parted and eyes wide.

Alina took a deep breath in, bring her hands together and a surge of power was brought from beneath her hands, a bright light expanding to a small ball. She pulled her hands apart, widening it until is was the size of a grapefruit, the light a bright yellow and illuminating the dark cell.

Alina could see Mal more clearly now and she looked over with teary eyes, her hands keeping the ball of light in control. She didn't want Mal to watch, she didn't want him to be here. She had only wanted to run back upstairs, run back to her little spot beside his throne where she was out of Mal's eye line.

Please… don't watch

She pleaded with her eyes at him and Mal couldn't look away. He didn't want to, he didn't want to miss a second of his best friend. He had gone so long without seeing her, he didn't know when he was going to see her again. Maybe never.

"Good girl" Kirigan praised her, his hand reaching to stroke her head softly, his fingers curling across her cheek and Alina stared forward, unable to watch the expressions on Mal's face as he watched The Darkling touch her.

White hot rage boiled inside him and his urge to run to the bars and scream and shout had to be pushed down. He couldn't let Alina face the consequences because of his jealousy, of his wrath inside him that Black Heretic was using his best friend.

Kirigan circled around Alina, standing in front of her and the Fjerden. With one hand, Kirigan pressed it onto Alina's shoulder, a sharp shock electrifying her as his finger touched the edge of the collar underneath her skin. She gasped loudly, her eyes flying open and the power surged from her to him, flowing and expanding the fiery hot ball.

The Fjerden struggled against his binds, his eyes now wide with fear and Kirigan took a deep breath in, bringing up his other hand. The fire ball flowed from Alina into Kirigan, the ball now the size of a melon and with a quick slash of his hand, the ball flung forwards, hitting the Fjerden straight in the face, yellow molten splashing to the side and burning his face. Hot screams erupted from the prisoner as they tugged and strained against the binds, his face now melting and burning his eyes.

The smell of burning flesh filled the room and Alina felt as if she was going to throw up. Kirigan's hand remained on her shoulder, forcing her power to him and she was starting to feel the effects. She gasped as she felt all her energy being powered into him, her hands becoming weak and her body slumping forward.

Kirigan released his firm grip and Alina fell forward, her hands pushing out to stop her from hitting the floor as she regained her strength back. Sweat dripped from her forehead and she gasped for breath. Her head slowly turned to the right, her eyes once again meeting those brown ones.

Mal gave her a small smile. It was the first time he had smile since he got here.

It's okay, it's not your fault

He hoped she understood what he was trying to say and after a few seconds of catching the slightest bit of strength, Alina gave a crooked smile back. Mal could never blame Alina for this… this was all him.

The searing sound of flesh sizzled as smoke rose from the smouldered face of the Fjerden. His body lay restless, as black smoke filled the cell. The smell was repulsive and the sight of him made Alina want to throw up. She cast her eyes to the floor, not wanting another glimpse of that. All she wanted to do was

Kirigan stood, admiring his work and he turned to face the other Fjerden prisoner, his face not amused by any means and still hard. The prisoner had also watched the punishment carried out, his lips trembling and eyes fixated on his once friend and fellow solider.

"You can tell Fjerda, that Ravka does not take kindly to people who hurt Grisha" Kirigan said clearly and slowly and he turned, stepping forwards to Alina who stayed on the ground. His boots stopped in front of her, meeting her eye line and Alina slowly brought her eyes up, running them along his legs and up to greet his face.

His eyes had fallen soft, his lips pressed together and he no longer looked furious. He had relaxed.

"Let's go" he ordered, his voice calm but demanding. Alina took one last glance over at Mal, her eyes desperately trying to communicate.

I'll be back… I promise

Kirigan brushed past Alina, making his way to the door and like the good girl she was, Alina followed, her head hung down and her hands clutched together, the power that had once been hers had died.

Hey so I hope you like it, please leave a review and let me know what you think