Author's Notes: Sorry this took a while to write! I've been crazy busy, and since I've only watched the show, I had to make up some stuff in the plot. We don't really learn much about West Ravka or the Apparat in the TV show. I hope it is believable and you all enjoy it! Thanks for reviewing and adding this to your favorites! Special thanks to AffectingHail who left a kind review just before I posted this chapter! I've never quit a story, but it might be slow going at times! Thanks for your patience.
Chapter 7
His mother had been useless and Aleksander had no patience for her lectures. Storming back towards the palace, he spotted Ivan rushing towards him.
"Sir, I've been looking for you. When I went to the Apparat's church this morning to prepare for the ceremony, it was a massacre."
Not waiting to hear more from Ivan, the general ran to the church. The guards at the door were conspicuously absent. He went straight to the basement, his mind seized with worry for Alina.
Red blood covered the walls in the stag's cell, and there were two bodies outside of it, one was his heartrender that was watching the stag overnight and another grisha. Their throats were cut. All traces of the stag were gone, but it had obviously been killed. Nothing could survive after losing that much blood.
"Where are you Alina?" he whispered. Ivan had caught up, and David, his trusted fabrikator had joined them as well.
"Do either of you know what happened here?" General Kirigan asked.
"I found it like this an hour ago. The only other information I know is the Apparat is missing," Ivan said. This brought Kirigan's gaze up quickly.
"Missing? For how long?" he asked. Was there a connection to Alina?
"When I found the room like this, I sent someone to find the Apparat. The Apparat and most of his close cronies are gone. He reportedly was seen last night, but no one has seen him this morning.
Alina would not be able to leave on her own. She probably wanted to get as far from him as possible after their conversation the night before, but the palace was well guarded. Having the Apparat help her escape made sense, but it sent a shiver down his spine. The Apparat was dangerous, and who knew what he wanted to use Alina for.
"I do still have some of the stag's antler so we can go ahead, even if Alina already has part of the stag embedded in her flesh," David said.
"Alina is missing. Ivan send word to my top grisha to meet me in the war room, and I want letters drafted to our agents abroad to quit what they are doing and search for the sun summoner and the Apparat. There is no higher priority."
"Yes sir," Ivan said and took off.
"What shall I do with the remaining antler?" David asked.
"Keep it for now. Go inform Genya of what is happening and send her to the war room."
"What is it general?" Valeriya asked. Everyone was gathered in the war room looking nervous. No one had dared speak, but Valeriya was always bold and no nonsense, which is what he liked about her.
"The sun summoner is missing," General Kirigan said. There was a collective intake of breath. "The Apparat is also missing," he continued. Eyes darted back and forth in worry. "And the stag has been killed and the amplifier gone."
No one made eye contact with him after that. This was a colossal failure and no one was sure who was to blame, but the General's temper was legendary. The silence stretched on for several minutes.
"Do any of you know any more information about these facts? Did you see anything suspicious last night?" General Kirigan asked with a deadly calm. Everyone shook their heads.
"We will assume the Apparat killed the stag and kidnapped our sun summoner. I have agents out in other countries already that will look for them. Your job is to keep your eyes and ears open, and some of you will be sent into the Ravka countryside. Zoya, you have family connections in West Ravka, so I'm sending you there. General Zlatan is more likely to have sent more assassins than kidnappers, but we will rule out every possibility. And we will find them."
Aleksander dismissed them, and sat at his desk, holding his head in his hands. He had spent hundreds of years searching for his sun summoner, and now she was torn from his grasp again. If he had a clue of where to look, he would be on his stallion in seconds, but the Apparat was good at covering his tracks. It might take a while to find Alina, and there was nothing he could do about it. His darkness spread out from him and every light in the little palace went out at once, leaving all the grisha in darkness.
Alina tried to blend in and walk quickly, as if she had some business to be about. A big man jostled her as he walked by, and she narrowly missed tripping over a wagon and landing in a mud puddle. Her chest also hurt where the amplifier was, but she tried to ignore the antlers. Alina wandered the streets for what seemed like hours, and her hunger left her feeling faint. She looked longingly at a market selling fresh fruit, but she had no money. If she had some water, maybe her scattered brain would think of a plan, but that also required money.
"Excuse me," a slight man said, as he tapped her arm, "there is a room at the inn ahead for you. Enter and sit at the far table where I will be waiting for you." The man continued ahead of her at a faster pace than she could manage, and entered a large inn, with peeling paint on it's sign 'The Twin Crowns.'
She had no other leads so she cautiously followed the man, wishing that he would at least offer her lunch. Hopefully he was not working for General Zlatan. The man was where he said he would be, and she joined him at the small table. The room was loud in the front around the stage where a woman was singing, but the back area was mostly deserted.
"Who are you?" Alina asked as she sat down on the rickety wooden chair.
The man pointed to his white headband and said, "One of your servants." He must be a follower of Sankta Alina. Had he left the note?
"Do you know how I got here?" she tried to ask, but her parched throat refused to get the words out. The man stood, went to the bar and brought back water for her and soft bread. She greedily drank and ate, while glancing up at the man watching her occasionally.
"Thank you. Do you know how I got to West Ravka and why I am here?" Alina asked, more clearly this time.
"You must bring your light to the people of West Ravka. They walk in darkness. I, and others like me, will help you bring the light. There is a room for you here. After you eat, I can show you it. It might be better to talk there," the man said in a whisper. That did not answer her questions.
She was tempted to ask for more food, but her need to know what was going on overruled her slightly satiated hunger. Where were her friends? Did General Kirigan know where she was?
"Lets go to the room. I need answers," Alina said. The man nodded, and let them up the back stairs to the hallway of rooms. Hers was the second on the left, and no one was in the hallways.
Inside the room was as unremarkable as the rest of the inn. The small room contained a single bed, a wash stand, and a lantern hanging on the wall.
"How did I get to West Ravka?" Alina asked as soon as the door was closed behind them.
"Sankta Alina was a prisoner of the Darkling. We freed you and brought you here, where you could be the light."
"Who is we?" Alina asked. It sounded more and more like General Kirigan was not involved in her ending up in West Ravka.
"Why the Apparat of course, and your other servants. We freed you as soon as we were able. I am sorry you have suffered," the man said.
She found his answers vague and frustrating, but at least she knew the Apparat was involved. Knowing who was responsible for her freedom gave her a bad feeling. The Apparat would try to use her as well. In many ways he was no better than Kirigan. And she did not know his true purpose. Whenever she was around the man though her skin crawled.
"Why did you bring me here?" Alina asked.
"As I said, to bring the light."
"But why here specifically? Why not Shu Han? West Ravka isn't as dark as some other places," Alina replied.
"The Apparat has not told me any more Sankta Alina."
"Where is the Apparat?" Alina asked in frustration.
"He will join us eventually. He has told me to help you start the revolution in West Ravka without him. All of Ravka will surrender to your light."
"And how are we do start a revolution here?"
"Many of the people of West Ravka do not like General Zlatan, and would happily look to the sun summoner for guidance. They wish the fold to be destroyed. Tomorrow there is an underground rally for you to talk to the people; to show them our cause is just. I know you have had a long journey. I will leave you now to prepare for tomorrow," the man said.
Alina sat on the bed and stared at the closed door. He had not left her any money; she would not get far if she ran. She wanted to demand more answers, but that man had been a religious fanatic, following the Apparat's orders. She needed to talk to the Apparat. She would even settle for talking to General Kirigan to find out what had happened. Who had put the amplifier on her? And why West Ravka? She didn't want the people to be fighting each other or the peasants to be slaughtered trying to fight General Zlatan.
Standing, she decided to risk going down to the common room. If she could just hear some rumors of what was happening, then she would be better prepared for what was to come. Steeling herself, she opened the door, went back down the stairs, and sat at a table by herself. She had to try to find out more information. It was the only weapon at her disposal, and the only way to avoid being used in the Apparat's schemes.
