"Shh, it's me".

Alina stopped struggling as soon as she heard his voice, her eyes widening and she relaxed in his arms. She reached up and gently tore his hands away from her, her head turning and she looked up into his brown eyes.

"Mal" she whispered and gazed at her.

"Yeah" he breathed and Alina let out a breath of relief, her hands reaching up to touch his shoulders, his face, her thumbs running across his cheeks.

"You're here" she said in surprise and he nodded.

"That's right, I'm here Alina" he whispered and before he could say anything, Alina pushed her body forward, her lips attacking his in a deep and hard kiss. Mal was a little taken off guard but he soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around her, his hand snaking into her hair as he kissed her back. The sweet taste of her lips warmed him inside and Alina felt a pang on her heart, not wanting to let go. When she did, she rested her head against his, catching her breath.

"Oh Mal, I'm so glad you're here" she whispered.

"it's alright, everything is going to be alright" he reassured her and she looked up with a tear in her eye. She was overwhelmed with his presence and she wondered if this was it. Was this her chance to finally escape or would Kirigan catch them like last time.

"How did you escape, I heard he was keeping you somewhere else" she asked, her hand touching his arm which caused Mal to hiss in pain. Alina looked down in worry, watching as he fought back the pain he was feeling from her touch.

"What's wrong, what happened?" she asked and looked closer at his arm. The sleeve of the uniform he wore was now stained red and wet. Her hand touched the sleeve and when she pulled back, her hand was covered in a thin layer of blood.

"Mal!" she said but he shook his head.

"Alina I'll explain later, we don't have much time, we need to go now" he urged and took her hand to pull her along but she stopped.

"Wait, Kirigan is out there" she said.

"I know, I saw him, he's out there because I escaped, we have to go now if we want a chance of escaping" he said and pulled Alina across the room. As they reached the door, Alina stopped and tugged Mal's hand.

"Wait, if I go out, they'll spot me easily, there's no way we will be able to get out without being spotted" she explained in a flurry. Her heart was beating fast, pounding on her chest. She was certain Kirigan would have his guards looking all over the palace for Mal. Plus there was an Oprichniki right outside the door… or so she thought.

Mal looked her up and down and agreed. She needed a disguised. Mal looked at the door and then back at Alina, holding his finger up.

"One second" he said and opened the door a tiny bit, peeking through the gap before slipping out. Alina heard Mal grunt softly and he walked backwards into the room, dragging something with him. She gasped as he pulled in the unconscious Oprichniki and shut the door behind.

"Quickly, help me get his clothes off" he hurried to take of the guards' clothes to give to Alina. Alina sank to her knees to help Mal, their hands brushing together as they hurried to tore to the clothes off. Alina fumbled with taking off the kefta and she threw it on the floor. The idea of burning the thing came to Mal's mind but he didn't have time for that. Perhaps they could bring it along to make a fire while travelling. He smirked thinking about it and Alina gave him a confused look.

"What's funny?" she asked as she scrambled to get the clothes on. They were much bigger on her and they looked oversized but it would have to do. In fact, the bigger the better. It would hide her slim figure, making it harder to spot her.

"I just… nothing, come on, let's get going" he held his hand out for her and Alina took it. She felt immediately safe in his hand and her nerves inside her dulled down. Mal checked once more out the door before pulling Alina out, the two walking side by side.

"Keep your head down, try not to call attention" he warned and Alina nodded. She kept her hands by her sides even though she wanted to keep them together encase someone attacked her. She'd be able to block them easily and quickly with her light but it would give her up disguise.

She followed Mal and as they started down the stairs of the palace, Oprichniki ran past, running down the hall. Alina stopped in her tracts, her nerves coming back but when she saw they didn't stop and went past her, she let out a shaky breath.

"Come on, this way" Mal urged and Alina looked up from the Oprichniki hat she was wearing. Suddenly, she did stop dead in her tracts as she saw the entrance to the little palace.

"Wait" she said and Mal turned with narrowed eyes.

"We can't go yet, there's someone we need to get" she remembered David. She couldn't leave without him, not after everything he's done for her. He was the only Grisha on her side right now and he would be useful.

"What, Alina we don't have time, we have to go now" Mal exclaims and Alina shook her head.

"No, Mal I promised him he could come with us, we can't go without him… it's David, he's the only other person here who's been helping me and I can't go without him" she said and she saw the frustration in Mal. Mal glanced around and let out a sigh, turning back to her.

"Alright, but we have to be quick, the guards will be searching" with not a moment to lose, Alina took Mal's hand in hers, dragging him to where she knew David would be. They kept their eyes on alert, blending in with other Oprichniki to not be seen and Alina tugged Mal down a small corridor to a workshop. David was always either in his workshop or in his chambers and he had mentioned to Alina he would be there tonight.

She quickly opened the door and Mal followed in quickly, shutting the door. It was dark except for a small lamp on one of the tables and Alina noticed David sitting there, his hands fiddling with some material of some sort. His head shot up and he quickly stood, his eyes nervous.

"David, it's me" Alina said quietly, even though there was no one else here.

"Alina" he looks between her and Mal, who he mistook for an actual Oprichniki until Mal looked directly at him.

"It's okay, it's only Mal" she assured him and David relaxed instantly.

"What's going on?" David said as he hurried around the table to stand with Alina and Mal.

"David, we have to get going, Mal managed to escape the cells and now the Oprichniki will be looking for him, we managed to disguised ourselves as one so they wouldn't notice us. Kirigan is out there now, we don't have a lot of time" Alina said in a flurry and David nodded.

"Ah yes… okay, um- "he panicked and couldn't think straight, his words becoming fumbled with each other and Mal groaned slightly.

"Look what's the best way out of here, we need some way of travelling to The Fold. We won't make it on foot, they'll catch up to us".

"We're better off going through the side of the palace, if we're quiet enough, we can catch some horses and go on them" David suggested.

"Okay" Alina said, her nerves now getting the better of her. Her stomach felt sick inside and she swallowed a shaky breath. Mal took her hands in his, seeing the terror in her eyes.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, we'll get out of here, I promise" he whispered softly and Alina gave him a small smile. Mal leaned down and pecked her lips before latching his fingers around hers.

Alina and Mal followed David through the palace, checking every doorway and hallway so that they wouldn't be seen. Now that they had David, they would look a little more suspicious and if someone were to ask, they might notice Mal and Alina. Alina kept her hand in Mal's, her fingers clutching on tightly. As promised, David led them to a back door that led out the side of the palace.

The night was dark and where they stood was silent. The cold wind blew against them and froze Alina's cheeks. She could have used her light to keep them warm but it would attract too much attention and then they would be screwed. Their boots crunched in the gravel and stones and they tried to keep the noises to a minimum. As the crept against the wall, David stopped and held his hand to signal them to also halt. He peeked around the wall, his vision now looking out into the courtyard. A few Oprichniki ran across, holding their rifles ready to shoot Mal if necessary.

"There's guards, we can't go out yet" he whispered. The stables was a few feet away and there's a chance they could be seen if someone was to come out.

Alina watched nervously, her hand trembling slightly. She was only really looking out for one person; Kirigan. If he saw her, he would bring her back and both Mal and David would be in danger. As she scanned the courtyard, her eyes landed on something else and her mouth dropped open slightly.

"Wait, I have a better idea" she whispered and Mal looked over to where she was standing.

"Are you sure Alina, it might create too much attention" he said worriedly.

"Yes, but it will be faster and safer, plus it will make it harder for Kirigan to catch us" she replied. David and Mal looked at each other with a little hesitation but ultimately it were a better plan than the horses.

They waited until they were certain they could run. The three of them quickly ran across the grass to the stable where the black carriage was parked. The horses had already been attached to the carriage which meant they could just hop in. they looked once more before dashing to the carriage, opening it and jumping inside. David quickly jumped on the front, grabbing the reins.

"Do you know how to drive this thing" Mal said and he stammered.

"No, but I'll try" he said and whipped the reins, the horses neighing softly before starting to trot off. The carriage took off and Alina and Mal sat safely in the back. Alina held on to Mal, her hand tightening around his and she didn't dare look out the window. Mal did it for her, peeking out and watching careful as the carriage took off through the little palace, across the entrance.

"we're out… we're out of the palace" he said and Alina sighed in relief, her head resting on his chest. Mal wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close and he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Tt's okay, we're okay" he whispered and Alina closed her eyes, falling closer to his embrace.

"Thank you Mal" she murmured. She felt so safe, so protected. She finally felt a bit of freedom. But she wasn't fully free yet.

…

Kirigan strolled inside the cell, his eyes wandering over the scene. Ivan stood behind him, hands clutched in front. Kirigan had his hands by his sides, fists tightening and dark shadows behind him creeping on the walls. His eyes were dark and his mouth pressed tightly together.

He waltzed into the cell, walking up to the Oprichniki on the floor. With his boot, he rolled him over on his back, a groan escaping as his body was in pain.

"What happened?" he said with a low voice.

"The tracker… he escaped" the guard breathed and Kirigan glared down at him, the shadows around him growing as his anger did.

"I know that… how did he escape" he gritted angrily at the guard and saw a piece of fear in his eyes.

"Something happened, he was screaming, we rushed in and then he attacked us and then he…" he glanced over to the other Oprichniki who lay dead on the floor, his insides ripped and flesh torn away from his body. Kirigan blinked angrily and let out a frustrated breath through his nose.

He was seething… furious… infuriated. The tracker just could not stay put.

I should have killed him when I had the chance, he thought to himself. Things would be simpler if he had. He wouldn't have to worry about him getting near Alina for starters. But then again, he wanted Mal to suffer.

The guard pushed himself from the floor and looked down noticing he was missing his uniform.

"He took my clothes" he said and Kirigan looked down, also realising that he was no in his uniform. Realisation kicked in and Kirigan turned to Ivan.

"Alert all the Oprichniki and Grisha, the tracker is dressed as one of them, have them look out for anyone acting strange. Find him, bring him to me" he ordered darkly and Ivan nodded, turning quickly to alert the guards and Grisha. Kirigan slowly retreated out of the cells himself, his eyes hard as he walked back to the palace.

When he reached the beginning of the corridor leading to his chambers, he noticed that the door appeared to be empty with no guard. He stormed over, shoving the door open with his palm and his eyes dashed across the room.

"Alina!" he called and stormed into the bathroom, seeing no sight of her. he turned back around and as he came across the room, his eyes fell on the black kefta fallen on the floor. He had then noticed another unconscious Oprichniki on the floor with his uniform also stolen.

Darkness surrounded him as shadows engulfed the walls and the floor, swirling around his feet. He clenched his fists and his eyes hardened. Anger boiled through his body and behind him, a shadow started to form one of his soldiers. The shadow solider stood tall, his long arms hanging, claws curling and the shadows morphing together. It let out a growl and a rumble and Kirigan stared forward before speaking.

"Find them".

…

They had been travelling all night and day. Alina had been sleeping on Mal's shoulder, her head tucked into his chest with his arm around her shoulder, keeping her close. David had managed to get them out of the little palace and they were making their way to The Fold.

They had decided to stop for a few minutes, taking in some fresh air. They sat in a small clearing, sitting on a damp log. Alina's stomached rumbled and she wished there was some food nearby. Mal had gone off scowering the place, looking for anything they could use for supplies. David sat beside her, fiddling around with some wood and a piece of wire fencing he found.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"I thought it might be useful to make some weapons for our journey, not sure if it will work but it's something" he said, folding his hands to bring the materials together. the metal and the wood formed together to make a knife and Alina smiled at him.

"That's a good idea, you'll need something to defend yourself. The sooner we reach The Fold, the better" she said and David smiled.

"Thanks, we're the only Grisha who can't use our powers to attack really" he said a little sadly and Alina placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Doesn't mean you can't defend yourself; you could make a sword if you wanted to or anything, that's your weapon there" she said and David laughed nervously.

"Thank you, Alina, you're the first person who has ever really cared about what I can do" he said and Alina felt a twang in her heart. She felt sorry for David. She knew exactly what it was like to be treated like a nobody. Before she was a sun summoner, she was just an orphan from Karemzin. The only person to understand her then was Mal.

Mal trigged back to their small circle, carrying some wood and what looked like a handful of blackberries.

"it's all I could find but at least it's something" he said, dropping the wood on the floor and handing Alina the berries. She picked one off the stalk and popped it in her mouth, the sour berry turning her face into a scowl. She offered one to Mal but he declined.

"You need to keep your strength as well" she said and dropped the berries.

"Let me see your arm" she demanded and Mal sighed but gave in. he pulled the sleeve up and showed her his wounded arm.

"Mal!" she exclaimed, examining the bleeding cut. The Volcra had certainly torn his skin right open and the cut was oozing blood and gunge.

"What happened?" she asked as she patted the wound gently a piece of her clothing. She was glad she had worn the thin attire underneath the Oprichniki uniform. It was far too big for her and she wouldn't be able to defend herself properly.

"The Volcra, I used it to attack me so I could call the guards in, that's how I escaped" he said and hissed as Alina tied the thin fabric around like a bandage.

"That should hold until we make it safely across The Fold" she smiled and gave his cheek a kiss.

Her brave tracker… he'd subject himself to a thrashing from a Volcra for her

"Speaking of which we should get going, I'm sure Kirigan has sent his guards out looking for us and no doubt he'll use his shadow army" Mal said and Alina furrowed her brows.

"Shadow army?" she said with confusion. What was he talking about, she wondered? Mal looked back at Alina and then at David, realising Alina didn't know what he was talking about. David looked nervous and shrunk his head down.

"You didn't tell her" Mal said, his tone low and David sighed.

"I didn't have an opportunity" he said and Alina looked between the two.

"Tell me what?" she said, her nerves growing higher. Mal sat back on the log and took her hands in his, gently rubbing the backs with his thumbs.

"The reason Kirigan wanted the Volcra was to make a shadow army, one he could summon and be able to use to fight against the other nations if he needed to. I saw him do it yesterday before I escaped. He cut his arm open so he was bleeding and then threw himself in the cage with the Volcra. He managed to get out before it could do anymore damage but he intentionally wanted it to hurt him so he could summon the army. There was one like a human but tall, really tall and the other like some sort of lion animal" he explained and Alina's eyes widened.

"Saints" she whispered. Never had she thought that was what was intended. She had forgotten about the Volcra and it then clicked inside her that, that was what business he had to attend to. He was creating his own army that no one could possibly destroy. No one except Alina. her light could vanish the army but only if powerful enough.

"There's something else" Mal said with hesitation which only made Alina more nervous. She blinked as she watched Mal's face tighten and he sucked in a deep breath.

"After he made the shadow army, he said he was going to use it to bind you to him, make you his soulmate forever, so you could never be apart" he murmured and Alina had a look of terror on her face.

She let out a huff and took a moment to think.

Be his soulmate, forever

Bound to him for eternity

No freedom

Be his forever

No, no I won't let that happen.

She could never let him do that. Not after everything he's already done. But would she? Over the past few days, she had started to feel what Kirigan had said she would feel. That pull telling her she needed him. He was there for her, only him. He would give her what she needed. Would she be so stubborn to give into that small part, that tiny piece of desire that called for him.

It will feel like dying when I'm not there

His words rang through her head and Alina squeezed her eyes shut, drowning it out.

"No, no I won't let him do that" she whispered. She turned to Mal and took his hands.

"Kirigan won't have me, as soon as we get to The Fold and enter, he won't be able to come in" she said with determination.

"How do you know Alina, what if now he can thanks to his shadow army" he feared that Kirigan would be able to come after her even through The Fold.

"He won't, the Volcra will attack as soon as they see him, as long as we get through it before he catches us, we will be out of his torment and prison" she looked Mal deep in his eyes and he nodded softly.

The three of them made their way across the sand, the horses trotting and as they neared The Fold, a low rumble came from it, lightening striking inside it. Alina felt her heart thudding against her chest as they neared it. The times she had been here had been the worst for her. And she didn't want this one to be any worse.

David gradually stopped the horses, halting them and the carriage. Alina and Mal jumped out, making their way to the front and staring at The Fold. The darkness cracked and thudded, a low screech of Volcra from the other side which only fuelled Alina's nerves.

You need to be brave, their counting on you

Alina took a deep breath before turning to Mal and David.

"Okay, stay close to me, I'll summon my light just before we enter. Don't step outside my light or you'll die" she tried not to sound so deathly but it was the truth. She nearly lost Mal once, she wasn't going to lose him again.

The three slowly started to move to The Fold. Alina started to bring her hands up, ready to summon for when she needed to. The Fold was getting closer and the thick murky shadow seemed even more terrifying walking in than on a skiff. Alina tried to not let it scare her and she held her hands firmly a small ball of light coming out.

They were nearly there, only 20 feet to go and it seemed like they had been walking hours trying to reach it.

"You ready" she said.

"Ready" Mal answered.

Alina glanced at David.

"Ready" he nodded and Alina started to pull her hands apart, growing the ball of light. She kept her eyes focused on The Fold, her hands firm, keeping the light steady, once she had it up, she wouldn't be able to bring it down until they came out the other side.

"Ahhh" Alina whipped her head to the side, a gasp escaping as Mal suddenly fell to the floor, his hand reaching his chest and he gasped for breath.

"Mal" she yelled and instantly dropped her light, falling into the sand as she clutched him. His face started turning blue and he gasped for breath, clinging to the sand. Alina gasped rapidly and she looked over, eyes wide as she stared at Kirigan.

So I couldn't wait till tomorrow to update so thought I would give another update. This chapter is quite long but I wanted to fit everything in it. Hope you like it, what do you guys think will happen, let me know in the reviews