Author's Note

So everyone that's reading this is probably aware by now that a lot of SaB hate was/is doing the rounds on FFN and Tumblr over content involving the Darkling. I am not going to get into it on here, especially over those that threw shit at my own fic. I could delete the comments but I'm not, because I'm tired of turning the other cheek. That's what I used to do because hate unfortunately comes with the territory of fandom. I would just delete the worst and publish the ones I found funny. But the joke's over now. And yeah, I had to take a break from the shitstorm, because guess what, I'm only human. So to those spreading hate – you've made your questionable point, so move on. To those who can't grasp that concept, I'll deal with you later in the review section - when I can be bothered - because like I said, I'm not wasting anymore chapter space on you all.

To those that took the time to reach out over PM or left kind comments, anonymous or otherwise, I really appreciate it, so thank you.

Author's Note: A trailer for this fic can be found on YouTube under:

'this darkness is the light' {lianna starkov} oc shadow bone fanfiction trailer.

A Plan For Every Thought

Lianna carefully closed the cupboard doors, darkness instantly engulfing her, before sitting down cross-legged in the furthest corner, the sound of Mal's yells now nothing more than a dull murmur, releasing some of the tension racking her small frame. Unlike Alina, she wasn't afraid of the dark, finding it allowed her to be her true self. She had sought shelter in the attics after Cook had caught Mal taking a forbidden shortcut through the vegetable patch, trampling over her precious potatoes, resulting in him being brought in front of Ana Kuya. As usual, nothing escaped her eagle eye, which had immediately fallen up the sticky cake crumbs framing his mouth where he had forgotten to wipe it clean. Cook had promptly checked the pantry, only to unsurprisingly find some of the medovik cake missing, and now Mal was taking the beating Lianna should have got.

Scrunching up her eyes, she pulled out from inside her cambric shirt the piece of scrap paper Alina had been showing Mal earlier. Lianna had found it on the floor, snatching it up before anyone could see, Alina never showing her sketches to her anymore, sharing them with Mal instead. Alina possessed a pronounced aptitude for drawing, Lianna's artistic abilities strictly limited to stick figures that floated half way off the ground. But wherever Alina was now, Lianna didn't know, having fled from facing Mal, knowing full well it was her fault he had been punished.

Glancing guiltily around her, Lianna carefully set down the piece of scrap paper on the floor in front of her, before pressing her palms together and then pulling them apart, releasing a burst of silver light that swiftly swirled into a small pulsing ball. Through careful manipulation, she could make it whatever size she pleased, sometimes letting it fly through the air like a lightning streak. Alina possessed the same strange power, except her light was golden in hue and hot to the touch, unlike Lianna's which felt ice cold. When they were small, and nobody was around, they would play at being the sankta their mother told them stories about, who would one day bring the miracle of light and save them all from the great darkness.

But these days were long gone, Alina preferring to pretend she did not possess such power, forcing Lianna to do the same. But sometimes Lianna stole away by herself and recklessly let loose her light, feeling an intoxicating sense of freedom each time. But it was a stolen pleasure, much like medovik cake and skipping lessons. Witches, or Grisha, used to be burned on the Pyre, or so one of the old serfs that worked on the estate had said, sounding as though he wished it was still in practice. Ana Kuya had dismissed him for his superstitious beliefs, but his words had frightened Alina regardless, and now she acted as if she were o'tkazat'sya.

Brow furrowing, Lianna studied Alina's sketch, its finely pencilled outlines illuminated by the silvery glow of her light, confused at what the drawing depicted. A majestic stag stared up at her from the paper, its dark gaze alarmingly intelligent, as if it was on the edge of almost speaking. She looked at it for a long moment before casting the paper aside, fear warring with jealousy and confusion, the stag yet another secret Alina shared with Mal. Her twin was increasingly shutting her out, disappearing to Saints knew where with Mal for hours at a time, leaving Lianna on her own when once they had never been apart.

To her horror, the cupboard doors suddenly creaked open, the gap revealing Alina's furious face, Lianna instantly bringing her palms together, extinguishing her light. Before she could react, Alina was dragging her out of the cupboard and flinging her to the floor, anger lending her the strength she usually lacked. Stunned, Lianna just lay there, half on her side, half on her stomach, staring up at her sister as though she had never seen her before. Alina stared down at her in turn, dark eyes blazing, now confusingly wearing a rough woollen sacklike high-necked tunic over her dress, the middle cinched in by a thin black leather cord.

"You broke your promise!" Alina cried, stamping her foot at the same time. "You broke it, Lia!"

"Why should we hide what we are, Alina!?" Lianna retorted, sitting up as she spoke. "We are special! We are Grisha!"

Alina rushed her, clamping her hand over Lianna's mouth, painfully pressing her palm down, making Lianna gag. "We will be separated," she whispered, glancing frantically over her shoulder, although the closest person was three floors down below them, "is that what you want?"

Lianna shook her head just as frantically, eyes suddenly wide with alarm, her arrogance extinguished like her light. Alina studied her, before letting go, satisfied her sister understood. As she then wiped her hand clean on the front of her strange tunic, Lianna leaned back on her haunches, now even more confused by Alina's words as well as her attire. "What do you mean we would be separated?" she asked, brow creasing.

"People are coming to test us," Alina explained in a low voice, tugging impatiently at her tunic as she spoke, "to see if we are Grisha."

Lianna straightened up, her dark eyes suddenly shining, the future unexpectedly bright and beckoning. Alina was wrong. How could they be separated when they were both special, both Grisha, one light echoing the other, unable to exist apart. They would no longer have to hide who they were. They could leave the orphanage and never look back. Maybe they would go to Os Alta, the dream city. But most of all, there would be no Mal to take Alina from her.

"We have to lie, Lia," Alina snapped, ruining her reverie, "or they will separate us."

Lianna's head jerked up, her dreams dashed to dust. "No, they won't," she argued, shaking her head, "we would be together, you know that."

Alina shook her head in turn. "I am going to lie," she said firmly, "and that means you have to as well."

Waiting for the fireworks to begin

And in that moment

I decided to do nothing about everything…