Glossary: nichyev'ya - nothing(s)
After we walked for so long I noticed it was getting late as he led us to a hotel. I questioned if we were staying there but he seemed to be focused. The man at the front seemed to be motioning up as we all went up there and I thought this was odd. As I looked back I noticed the man was just looking the other way as we made it into a room. It was dark and there was an eeriness to this.
"Why are we here?" I asked, he seemed to be focused on something in the corner as I watched. He'd been here before it was clear to me something had changed in the fold as I saw creatures walk out from the shadows. My skin crawled at the sight of them, they were shadows with nothing but forms and probably mouths. "We're going to wait for Alina, so I can thank her." Aleksander said, the sounds of the Grisha backing up as Aleksander gave a motion for those things to stay in the corner while he led me to a seat. I hadn't taken a chance to notice they were all in regular clothes.
So these things he got from the fold? I thought
Aleksander took a seat while waiting and he pulled me down where I was sitting in his lap and laid my head down. "As long as you side with me, the nichyev'ya will never harm you." Aleksander whispered in my ear. I felt a sense of peace being near him but I wondered what happened to him while we were away from each other. The Aleksander I knew was in there somewhere and I needed to reach him but I wasn't feeling safe with those things.
We were there for a while before the sound of footsteps coming up the room was evident. I realized Alina and Mal must have been in this place. I'd known they were in Cofton and now Aleksander wanted revenge. "Aleksander, don't hurt them too bad." I begged, "Mal could be a useful tracker to help." I felt a shift in Aleksander as I must have had a good point, I couldn't see him very well but being in darkness like this with those things in the corner was not helping either.
When the door opened the Grisha who were working with Aleksander grabbed Alina and Mal, Ivan had a knife to Mal's throat as Alina had used light but it was useless. Aleksander picked me up and set me in the chair as he walked out. "Hello Alina." Aleksander said as my group stayed by the wall. They wouldn't move unless I motioned for them to do so. "Search her for any weapons and take them." Aleksander said as those Grisha were following his orders. "How did you find us?!" Alina demanded as he showed her the golden hairpin.
"You and my wife leave an expensive trail." Aleksander said as she tried to get free. "I don't know where Amira is, she parted ways with me after we got here!" Alina said as Aleksander nodded and put his left hand on his right as the shadows left around me revealing me in the chair. "I found her first, being taken care of by someone connected to Baghra." Aleksander said as I was glad to get out of the shadows. "But I am not here to kill you Alina, even though you tried to do that with me and take away Amira's dreams of freedom and a family." Aleksander said as I just sat there. "No, I am here to thank you."
"Thank me?" Alina asked as Aleksander smirked and walked over to me as shadows surrounded us and he expanded his shadow protection to my guard group as I merely listened. The sounds of those things moving was evident, the fear in the other Grisha was evident and somehow I knew my group was safe. "You risk our people to those nothings?" I asked as Aleksander looked at me "They know who to go after." Aleksander said
I had to sit there waiting as the fight was going on, the sound of the sun easy to tell but I was scared. I looked at Aleksander as I saw this was taking a lot out of him and tears formed in my eyes. "Stop this, please." I said as I got up and went over to him, placing a hand on his cheek. "Please. I can't bear the thought of you dying over these things." I said as he looked at me. For a second I thought he'd say no, he'd refuse my request but he put a hand on my cheek as he kissed me. I hadn't felt his lips against mine in two weeks. It was what I missed the most.
"This is for us." Aleksander said, "Just these two for now, we need to catch up but we need to get moving on the sea whip." the second amplifier of Morozova's amplifiers, I remember we talked about doing this together as I nod. When the shadows were released around us I saw that thing on Alina biting into her as he smirked. "Thank you Alina, for this gift."
I looked at Alina, seeing her in pain. It made me feel bad as she fell unconscious and Aleksander made a hand motion as the nichyev'ya backed off leaving to wherever he'd had it. He made a motion to his Grisha who were scared as he led me away. We kept walking for some time as we came to one of the better places and he walked in leading me to the room. He looked at my guards who'd followed motioning to the other rooms. "they're rented for the night. Tomorrow, we board the ship I paid for to take us to find the sea whip." Aleksander said
As he led me inside, he let my hand go as he took off that shirt that didn't suit him. I saw him reach for his coat and his kefta but I walked over and made him look at me. I took in the appearance of faint scars on his skin as I carefully traced them. "You were hurt by the volcra." I said as I saw they were healed by a healer but still faintly there. "It's not your fault this happened, I thought Alina would understand the cause." Aleksander said
You knocked me out when I could have helped. I thought
"At least you were safe during this whole thing, someone carried you off the skiff I assume." Aleksander said as I turned from him remembering what he did. "You killed west ravkans, the royals won't trust you now." I said as he sighed "Nothing a heartrender can't fix." Aleksander assured me. I removed the cloak revealing my kefta since I'd never parted with it even though it was an eyesore. "I see you kept your kefta, you really do look stunning but you probably must miss your parents, your brother and your cousin." Aleksander said as I turned around and looked at him. "Don't talk about them like they haven't heard. A heartrender can change the emotions and thoughts of a human but not Grisha!" I said suddenly angry
When I thought about it, what was I angry about, the actions he had done. No, I knew that was coming and blood was going to be shed. He was alive and it'd been two weeks before he found me. I was the one who talked Alina into using the golden hairpins knowing that it would lead us to him. I needed him to be by my side when things got bad, I had come to rely on him and maybe that was what bothered me. A year ago, I relied on no one and I was a loner who took pride in doing things her way, and now I wanted nothing more than to drown out the world and lay beside him.
"You're angry, you have every right to be but it was not easy to get to Novi Zem." Aleksander said as I sighed just wanting to go to bed. All my outfits were back at the little palace and the kefta and jewelry was all I had of him for two weeks. I walked over to see he had a double bed and a private room so he was paying a lot for these rooms. Laying down it was peaceful and I laid there for who knows how long before I put the cloak on deciding to go out. Aleksander had followed me as I walked down the path as I had a few coins from Nico as I stopped by my favorite pie place and got one. "How are you doing Ms. Silina?" The baker asked, "Much better now, thank you." I said as I paid for the pie and when I turned around he was there looking at me. "You have a favorite pie?" Aleksander asked, "mhm, it's apple pie." I said as I walked out of the place.
On the way back, I saw a dog run over to me and put his paw on my leg as I handed Aleksander the pie as I kneeled down. "Hi, well aren't you cute?" I said as the dog licked me and I laughed. I heard a man run over as the dog got behind me and I stood up seeing the man had a whip. "You found my dog, thank you miss." The man said as he went to reach for it but I moved where he couldn't. "Are you abusing this animal, mister?" I asked as I was prepared to out myself if I had to for an animal. I heard the dog whine as he looked at the man and I could just tell that this dog was probably better off with me.
"That dog doesn't listen to a thing I say, what makes you think you can do any better girl?" The man said as I noticed Aleksander didn't like the way this man talked to me. "I am capable of many things sir, but this dog ran to me when it was escaping you. I hear it whine and I can tell it's in fear or you've been mistreating it." I said as I saw Nico had come out to look for me. "How much for the dog?" He asked as he had his earnings for the day and the man looked back as he named a price. Nico tossed him a bag with Novi zem coins and motioned for the guy to get going as he looked at me. "Dog is yours Amira, better train it before we leave the area." Nico said before he walked away
I looked down at the dog as I kneel before realizing this dog was a five-month-old puppy. "You have to name the dog, Amira. The man didn't give you a name." Aleksander said as I nod looking at the sweet dog. "Shadow." I said as I stood up. The dog got up and wagged its tail as I smiled but looked at Aleksander. "Shadow, since the dog is black." Aleksander said as I led the way and Shadow followed while Aleksander walked beside me. "You wear black and control shadows." I reminded him.
We were in that hotel for a couple more days as Aleksander had to make sure the boat was secure and I had to make sure that everything was ok with Shadow. I was able to get a collar for her after we'd figured out that she was a girl and I made sure that my symbol was on her so they knew the Dual Summoner was her owner. When we boarded the boat I wasn't sure about this but I was going to make the best of it.
Aleksander led me to a cabin and I was to stay there until we left shore. Shadow stayed with me and when I felt we were sailing for a while things got worse. I eventually had to run to the side of the ship and vomit. Aleksander went over to me as he looked at me and I looked at him. "You're getting sea sick? It's uncommon." Aleksander said, but as we were on that ship for days and Nico helped with Shadow he started to become suspicious. It wasn't just the boat going back and forth like when we'd came here or the food, just the tiniest thing made me sick.
Nico was the first to approach me and he thought about it "Are you getting morning sickness?" Nico asked as I looked at him confused. "You're getting sick on the sea. I don't think it's sea sickness Amira. I think you're pregnant." Nico said as I sat there on the side of the ship listening as I thought about it over and over. I'd had small signs in Cofton of things making me sick and now it was worse on the sea.
I'm expecting our first child? I thought
