A/N: The interest in this surprised me, tbh. I wasn't expecting it lol but I'm glad that you're all curious. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let us know what you think! We're about to really dive straight in.
Chapter Two: Disclosure
She has to wait for the right moment but she cannot delay. Her calculations told her that he'd find what he was looking for but not be able to keep it. It is best to leave no sign she has flaunted his restrictions in his absence, warning or no.
She leaves her quarters in the middle of the day. It would be easier to go at night but also expected. She disillusions herself and walks into the library. She browses the shelves, unhindered in her search for the first time since her arrival. There is so much that lies before her.
She goes back to the book she had been reading when he had called for her. The spell does not include anything she holds, so she needs to move quickly. She places the book on the table, less obvious if someone does appear than something floating, and scans through it quickly until she reaches the passage.
The forbidden power mentioned is not explained in detail. It is connected to the mythology on amplifiers for Grisha. The book does little more than touch on the topic. She needs more information. If the amplifiers increase a Grisha's power, then there is likely something in this world that either possesses the ability to send her home or can help her create it. Perhaps something similar to a portkey. It would be far more helpful if her means of arrival had accompanied her.
She hears something move and pauses. She was unaware that others used the library frequently, but then she has never been allowed the freedom to attend it in person. Her books were always delivered.
She catches sight of something red in the aisle. She slips away as quietly as possible, moving to the next aisle. While they cannot see her, she does not want to try to have to maneuver around someone.
She does not anticipate the Grisha to be aware of her.
"Who's there?" the man asks. She knows he can't see her but she realizes quickly that a disillusionment does not hide the sound of her heart or her footsteps.
She tightens her grip on her wand and presses herself against the shelf. The entrance is not that far away. She just needs to slip by. She calculates her odds of moving quietly enough without him hearing. She could apply a muffliato, but she cannot cast it silently. Not yet.
"How are you hiding from me?" he calls out. "I can hear you, but where are you?"
It almost feels like she's back in those woods, running from Snatchers. A cold sweat breaks out and she can feel her hands start to shake. If she closes her eyes, she's right there, hiding with Harry and Ron. There were so many times she nearly died. Her heartbeat pounds in her ears. She releases a breath slowly, one that she didn't even realize she was holding. She had sworn to herself that she was never going to be that scared again.
"Found you."
The arm grabs her and she reacts instinctively. "Lumos solem!"
He screams as the light flashes, letting go and reaching for his eyes. Hermione runs.
She darts past a couple of people who are running towards him. It's the perfect distraction if they don't catch her. If she reaches her rooms, there will be no cause for them to suspect her. No one saw her.
She reaches the dorms with ease. She slips in as soon as there are no others in the hall. She feels like she can breathe when she finally releases the disillusionment.
"How did you do that?"
Hermione turns quickly. She thought she was alone. No one ever came into her rooms.
Sergei, one of her guards, is sitting in the chair, watching her. She runs through all possible outcomes in her mind. He's seen too much. There is no outcome that runs in her favour here. Not while he knows. She raises her wand.
"Obli-" Everything goes dark.
She wakes up slowly. This isn't like every other time she's woken up since the war. This feels like she's back in the medical wing of Hogwarts, right after surviving Dolohov in the Ministry. She nearly died that day. She still bears the scars from it and she could never handle the taste of licorice after that one potion she had to take every day for two weeks.
Despite sleeping, she feels exhausted. She tests her movements slowly. She's not bound by anything but there is an ominous presence in the room. She doesn't need to open her eyes to know who it is. She mentally runs over her chances of pretending she's still asleep. Her odds are better if she wakes up and faces this.
She opens her eyes.
The room is dark. Only the flickering of the flames in the fireplace provides enough light. She's not in her dorm. For a second it feels as though she's back in Gryffindor Tower, having fallen asleep reading. There is no comfort in waking here though.
"You lied to me."
She tries not to sigh and forces herself to sit up. "When did I lie?"
"You told me I would find what I was looking for!" He snarls. "You didn't tell me I'd be too late!"
"I warned you," she says. "It would slip through your fingers if you were not careful."
The shadows in the room seem to increase and the fire looks as though it will die out. "Are you finished with your tantrum?" she asks. She refuses to be afraid. Or at least, she refuses to show it.
"You try my patience."
She tries not to roll her eyes. He's not the first to say that to her. Hermione has been trying people's patience ever since she was a child and learnt to ask questions. She moves her toes and her hands under the blankets, trying to ensure that everything is in order. A quick glance tells her that her wand is on the table next to him. "What is the problem?"
"She was murdered by witch hunters!"
That makes her pause. "Who was?" She was not aware that such medieval practices were still in place. The only ones close to witches here are the Grisha and she thought they were revered in Ravka. She frowns at that. There is still too much that she doesn't know about this place.
"The Sun Summoner!"
Hermione stares at him blankly. "Am I supposed to know who or what that is?"
He turns his glare on her. A shadow whips out at her. She casts a silent and wandless bombarda. The end post on the bed explodes.
"Accio!" Hermione's wand flies into her hand. She pushes herself to her feet. Her wand feels as though it stabilizes her. She will get through this any way she can.
The shock of the explosion wears off and his shadows increase. Another whips out at her. She ducks and casts a protego. Something breaks behind her. The way his shadows consume the room reminds her of the Dementors. The only thing he lacks is the despair they draw out. It still gives her an idea. "Expecto patronum!" The silver otter bursts forth from her wand. The expansion of his shadows pauses as he stares at the animal in surprise. It dances around them both, pushing back at darkness. It provides her enough distraction to cast her next spell.
"Lumos solem!" The light of the sun bursts forth, shoving back the shadows. The man before he covers his eyes in time. He lowers his arm, staring at her in surprise.
"What are you?"
Hermione considers her options. He is still blocking the only exit in the room. "Someone you should not threaten." The knowledge here is not worth the risk that is now presented to her. "Move."
"You blinded Lev."
That was likely whoever stopped her in the library. "You have healers here. I assume that he will recover."
"What...are you?" he asks again. He steps closer and she holds up her wand, ready to twist it into movement. She knows enough incantations to stop him in his tracks. Even simple first-year curses would work. A leg lock curse would eventually wear off, but it would buy her enough time. "Ms. Granger, it is vital you tell me what I want to know. All of Ravka will depend on our honesty with each other now or at least the two of us reaching an accord. We do not have much time."
She presses her lips together. "Why?" It isn't that she doesn't believe him. He looks honest enough but she has seen too many powerful men dictate that they(alone) know how to save the world, all the while condemning others. She's tired of it.
"The Sun Summoner was foretold," he says. "That they would come and destroy the Fold. They would reunite a Ravka cut off from our trade ports and arable land. Word has already spread that she has been found. If the people are told we have lost her it will be chaos. And the Grisha will be blamed and suffer the greatest cost."
It matches what she saw before he left. The excitement spread throughout the palace of a saviour that has been found. She runs through everything she knows about the man before her. "You don't strike me as the type to look for a saviour."
"On the contrary, faith in finding a sun summoner has kept me alive through some of my worst trials. And we need one still. Allow me to explain"
"Faith does not mean the same to all. I know about prophecies and exactly what they do to the chosen ones. Especially those meant to save the world from evil. It is never what is written."
"Then you know the cost of losing all hope."
"Why should I care?" she can't help but ask. "These are not my people."
"We are Grisha. If they turn against us, they will turn against you."
He has a point. Suspicion and fear have a way of turning even the virtuous into someone who would willingly offer another as a sacrifice. She has seen it over and over. She has been that sacrifice.
"I'm listening."
[tbc]
