Mal laid still on the hard floor, his body beaten, bruised and buried in darkness. He didn't know how long it had been since Kirigan had shut him away in the shadows. He hadn't seen any light for days. He was barely keeping alive. The guards brought him a small cup of water for the day and little food, curtesy of Kirigan's orders. Blood was dried on his face from his broken nose and his whole body ached anytime he moved. He had resorted to just lying on the floor the whole time, dragging himself to the food and water when he needed to.
His eyes had gotten use to the darkness now and if light were to come in the room he'd be blinded in an instant. The guards spoke no words to him and he had no contact with anyone. Every day, Mal tried to regain his strength so he could find a way to escape his hell and free Alina but with the lack of nutrition, it was proving harder.
His body was taking a while to heal and he certainly wouldn't have any strength to fight if he was still wounded. Although he would rather stay like this than have one of Kirigan's healers touch him. Mal thought about Alina, praying she was safe and not hurt. He hoped that what Kirigan said wasn't true and that even though she was his soulmate, he hoped she would never forget him.
He hoped that Alina was still fighting him or at least pretending to go along with Kirigan so she could find a means of escape. At one point, Mal was starting to believe that he really had won and that there was no way of him and Alina running free from Kirigan's hold. He was growing more powerful and it would only be a matter of time before Alina truly wanted to stay with him and rule Ravka the way he wanted to rule it.
And where would that lead Mal?
Mal coughed up blood as he laid almost lifeless on the ground, clutching his stomach as he did to stop the pain. The blood splattered on the ground and ran down to his chin, saliva pouring out the corner of his mouth. His throat was dry which made the cough even more painful and he was desperate for a drink.
Suddenly, a loud clang came from the door and Mal believed it would be the guards coming to bring him the minuscule amount of food and water. The sound of footsteps scuffing on the floor didn't faze Mal but instead of the cell being opened and the food and water being plopped down like usually, a bright light from a candle glowed on the other side of the cell, illuminating the person holding it.
Mal squinted closer and saw what looked like a woman standing on the other side, dressed in a red kefta with fiery red hair. The candle light flickered and the woman behind opened the cell, stepping inside. Mal made no move to get up and saw she was carrying a tray with something on top.
The woman came closer, crouching down and placed the candle on the floor, lighting the room and getting rid of the darkness. Mal clammed his eyes shut to shield his eyes from the bright light and slowly opened them to readjust to the surroundings.
"Are you alright" she asked and Mal coughed again as he spoke.
"Who are you?' he grumbled.
"My name is Genya, I'm a tailor here" Genya reached forward to open Mal's jacket to which he pulled back. He didn't want any Grisha touching him. Genya huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Your bleeding, let me help you" she urged.
"Why, so the guards can come back in here and do a repeat on me" he snarled.
"So you can get your strength and leave this place with Alina" she fired back and Mal looked at her with wide eyes.
"Alina… is she okay… what happened to her" he said worriedly. Had something happened to her?
"She's fine but if you want a chance of getting free you can't be bleeding" she said and opened Mal's jacket. On the tray was some bandages and a bowl of water along with some cream in another small pot. Genya placed her finger in the cream and rubbed it along the various cuts and bruises which soothed them. They didn't heal completely but the soreness was starting to disappear. Mal watched with an intense look, watching her every move encase she was going to try and pull something.
"Why are you helping me?" he said and groaned as Genya pressed a little to firm on one of the cuts.
"Because I did something terrible and I need to make it right" she said and Mal furrowed his brows. Had she done something to hurt Alina. Mal was a little uncertain about a Grisha helping him to try and escape.
Genya sighed and moved to his face to wipe away the dried blood.
"When Alina came to the little palace, general Kirigan ordered me to be her friend, to get close to her. At the time I was a spy to Kirigan acting as a servant for the queen. Alina put her trust in me".
"Alina had no idea about any of this but before you and her where on the skiff to The Fold, she found out and we had an argument. At the time I was following orders but then our friendship started to grow and I didn't realise how much of an impact it would have".
"So you're on his side" Mal snarled and tried to get away but Genya yanked him back.
"I was… but he made me do something to Alina which I didn't want to do" she said sadly. She still remembered the look on Alina's face as she took away her scar of Mal.
"What" Mal asked with fear in his voice.
"The scar, on her hand… Kirigan made me get rid of it. As a tailor I can alter a person's appearance and by doing so it would mean Alina would not have anything to remember you by".
The scar was gone. The last thing that Alina had so that she would never forget Mal was gone. Taken away by Kirigan's orders. Mal felt his blood boil inside and his face turned red with anger.
"I didn't want to do it" she whispered.
"So why did you" Mal shot back and Genya glared at him.
"Because I didn't have a choice. Kirigan would have made me do it either way and if he had it would have been more painful for Alina" Genya raised her voice, the tracker now irritating her.
"How do I know you're not just saying all this. How do I know you aren't working for him still" Mal said and Genya huffed?
"I am the first person that has come to see you and I've been trying to help you. Look, I know what I did was not good- ".
"You were supposed to be Alina's friend and you betrayed her" he interrupted.
"I was following orders. This man is the most powerful Grisha and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I understand what I did to Alina was awful and I am sorry and now I want to help her" Genya went silent and swallow hard before speaking again, pain in her voice.
"She said that Kirigan killed David" she felt tears come to her eyes and Mal sighed, nodding.
"He did, we were trying to escape through The Fold but he got there before us. David was trying to save Alina and Kirigan stabbed him. He killed his own people. He talks about trying to save them but he'll happily get rid of one so he can have Alina to himself" Mal said with disgust and then started to push himself from the floor to get up.
"What are you doing" Genya said.
"Getting out of here, where is Alina" he groaned slightly as his side was still hurting and he clutched it as he tried to walk out the cell but Genya stopped in front of him.
"Are you stupid, you can't leave now, Kirigan will see you".
"Where's Alina" Mal ignored her and Genya sighed in frustration.
"Listen to me, if you and Alina are to get out of here you need to trust me. I can't help you get out myself otherwise Kirigan will know but I can help behind the lines. Kirigan needs to think I'm still on his side otherwise Alina will not stand a chance" Genya said.
"So you expect me to just lie in here when I have a chance of getting out now" Mal wasn't thinking properly. He didn't even know what was going on up in the little palace and he was determined to escape now. He needed an action plan in order to get out without Kirigan winning again. All he wanted now was Alina.
"You don't understand. Kirigan will kill you if go up there" Genya said but Mal just laughed.
"No he won't. He said he wants me to watch as he and Alina rule together. He won't kill me because he wants me to see that I can't have her" Mal glared, his fists balling up tightly beside him. He wasn't going to let Kirigan have her.
"Well he will if you go there now. Trust me" she demanded.
Mal huffed and relaxed his tense shoulders, shuffling on his feet. He realised the tailor was right. He couldn't be hasty just because he saw an opportunity to leave the dark cell. He needed to be clever about this.
"Fine, what are we going to do".
Hey so I hope you like it, what do you think will happen next, let me know in the reviews