Kirigan walked across the courtyard of the little palace, heading towards the small cell building that currently held Mal and the Volcra. He walked with determination and once he reached the door, the guards immediately opened up for him, allowing him to push through.
The door swung behind him and he was in darkness. This was it, the moment of truth. Everything he had been working towards would finally becoming together. He was finally going to be the most powerful Grisha in the country. No one would defy him now. He would have every weapon available to him; The Fold, his beloved second army which would soon be known as the only army and of course, his shadows.
He slowly walked forward, coming into view of Mal who sat in the cell. The tracker had been behaving lately which Kirigan had enjoyed. Perhaps he had admitted to himself that he was in no way going to win this. That Kirigan would always have the upper hand… and Alina. Was she finally accepting her fate?
Did she now realise he was the only one for her. That the tracker could never measure up to what she needed. He could make her the second most powerful Grisha and together they would rule Ravka. After today, nothing would stop him.
Mal glared up at The Darkling, standing there with a smug look on his face.
"What" he grunted and Kirigan let out a huff through his nose.
"I just wanted to thank you again for this opportunity, without you I wouldn't be able to do what I'm about to do" he smirked.
"And what exactly is that?" Mal asked with curiosity. Fear boiled inside him and he hoped that Kirigan had only come for a chat and not what he thought he was going to do.
"You'll see in a moment but also, you have given me the chance to make Alina my soulmate, bind us together for eternity" kirigan stepped to the bars and stared down at him.
"That must hurt, knowing you are the reason she will be mine and you'll be alone, trapped in darkness while she and I rule Ravka together" Kirigan spoke quietly and calmly, knowing full well Mal would lose his temper. He watched as Mal sucked in a breath, trying to contain his anger.
"Alina is smart, she'll never let you make her your soulmate, she'd rather die than be with you" he spat and Kirigan chuckled, shaking his head.
"You don't know how wrong you are… Alina is finally understanding that I am her equal. She will yearn for me, anytime I'm not there it will feel like she's dying".
"She hates you, ever since you took her power, she has wanted to kill you" Mal raised his voice, his fists clenched by his sides.
"If she hates me then why did she kiss me, tell me not to leave her, beg me to come back to her" Kirigan said and Mal stayed silent.
"Your lying" he scoffed.
She must be pulling some act to get him to trust her
"No, I've told you before I'm a man of my word. Alina will be with me… and it's all thanks to you" Mal scrambled from the floor and pushed himself against the cell bars.
"You delusional prick, she doesn't want you!" He screamed but Kirigan only stepped away and retreated to the cell next door. Kirigan stood staring into the shadows, taking a deep breath and he reached inside his kefta. He slowly pulled out a sharp dagger, the blade twinkling off the small candle light and he proceeded to take his kefta off, draping it on a chair nearby.
He took the sleeve of his black uniform, pushing it up and revealing his arm. Mal watched with wide eyes, staring out through the bars, hands clutching them. Kirigan closed his eyes, leaning his head back and he raised the dagger, the shape end pointing down. He pushed the dagger down into his skin, cutting open his arm and blood pooled out, draining from the wound onto the floor. He grunted softly from the pain but continued to cut. His hand shook and once he had made a large gash from his wrist to his elbow, he dropped the dagger, the item clattering on the floor.
He opened his eyes, short breaths escaping and blood running between his fingers, dripping off the ends. He swallowed heavily, feeling weaker but he stepped to the door of the cell, his other hand raising and with a swift motion, the door unlocked. The shadows swirled and Kirigan stepped inside the cell, standing tall.
A soft growl came from the Volcra and it's sharp claws scraped on the floor. A low sniff came and Kirigan stared through the shadows, his eyes hard on the creature. He held his arm out, his breathing now heavy and deep and slowly, the Volcra started to come out of the shadows.
"That's it, come to me" he whispered and Mal could see the head of the Volcra peaking through the shadow, it's nose pushing forward to sniff the bloody arm. Suddenly the Volcra froze and a growl came once again followed by a screech. Mal jumped in fright and he scrambled back as he watched in terror.
The Volcra roared and flapped it's wings, screeching and it's claw hand reached out and attacked Kirigan. He grunted in pain and suddenly, the Volcra took flight, the chain on it's neck keeping it low but it still had room to grab on to Kirigan, pulling him deeper into the shadows. His body disappeared and all that was heard was screams and cry of pain and agony. The Volcra screeched again, it's claws ripping at his uniform and tearing into his skin.
Mal couldn't see anything through the shadows but he heard everything. Suddenly Kirigan screamed in pain as he pushed his arm in front of him and the Volcra took a bite, it's teeth digging into the already cut flesh. A yell came from Kirigan and he scrambled on his feet to drag himself out the Volcra cage. The Volcra screamed and tugged at the chain but Kirigan summoned a shadow and threw it towards the Volcra, stunning it so he could quickly lock the cell.
Mal stared from his place, peeping through the bars. Kirigan stumbled, his hand clutching his arm and he slowly managed to find his balance. His hair was messy and uniform ripped, showing his skin where small cuts were placed at the hands of the Volcra.
He breathed deeply and looked down at his arm. The blood that was once red had now turned black. He ran his fingers over the cut, the bleeding ceasing and turning to a scar. The Volcra could never have killed him, only scar him. Kirigan knew that, he knew he could never be killed by the very thing he created but it didn't mean the Volcra weren't a fan of him. The fact he had kept this small Volcra and treated it with some love and care meant he'd be less damaged than if he'd thrown himself straight in.
Kirigan gathered himself, standing tall with his back straight. The sound of the Volcra died and Mal continued to stare at Kirigan.
Kirigan once again closed his eyes, his hand turning so his palm was facing up and as he raised it slowly, a shadow started to form. It started from the floor, shadows rising and forming legs. The legs turned to a waist and then to a stomach, slowly creeping up and growing taller than Kirigan. Its body formed together and long arms hung down with sharp claws on the end of its fingers. Finally, the shadows moulded into a head, completing the form.
It wasn't exactly human but it took the form of it. It was at least 10 feet tall, towering over Kirigan and it stood like a solider, waiting for a command. Kirigan stared up at the shadow creature he had created, his eyes alight with wonder. He had done it. He had conquered what he intend to make.
Turning slightly, he started to raise his other hand, summoning another shadow creature, this time in the similar form to a lion. It grew on all fours, the shadows swirling together to creature a body. The head was large, shadows looming out like a mane and a low growl came from the creature. It had sharp claws on all paws and its teeth were jagged and long.
Kirigan stared wildly at it, his hand slowly reaching out and the creature stepped forward, placing it's head on top of his hand. Although the shadow passed through his hand, he still felt the touch of the creature as if were solid. He let out a satisfied breath and then looked towards the shadow solider.
"Step forward" he commanded and the shadow solider moved forward as soon as the command was given. The shadow solider stopped when it had obeyed the command and Kirigan smirked. With a wave of his hands, the creatures disappeared and he turned around, a proud look on his face and he caught eyes with Mal.
Mal was stricken with disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had witnessed. This was the shadow army he was talking about. The attack of the Volcra had given him the power to summon these creatures and now he can use them against the opposition. Now that he had his army, he could move on to the next phase of his plan.
"I hope you said all you could to Alina… because now she will be mine forever" he said and with that, he walked out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. Mal erupted in a rage, rattling the bars of the cell.
Hey so I hope you like it, what do you guys think will happen next, let me know in the reviews what you think. Thank you all so much for your love on this story.