Chapter 9

Alina picked at the threads of her coat as she watched the scene. Tolya and Tamar were so still they looked like statues, whereas Nikolai's facial muscles kept twitching minutely. Alina could only guess what was happening inside his mind as he battled the demon for control. His hands around the Neshyenyer remained steady throughout, and it was like some grotesque, living painting. Then, out of the blue, Nikolai thrust the blade into himself.

Alina jolted and threw her hands up over her mouth. Mal flinched and Nadia gasped. Though the sword had pierced Nikolai's heart, the shadow wound on his shoulder burst into embers that floated away like chaff, just like the nichevo'ya had when they were destroyed. All that was left was a puckered scar where the wound had been.

Nikolai's hands fell away from the blade and his head dropped limply. Alina's breath caught in her throat. Tolya grabbed the sword and pulled it out, and Tamar quickly moved in to heal the wound, but to their surprise, it immediately scarred over. Nikolai's whole body rose with a gasping inhalation and he opened his eyes, blinking dazedly. Recognition sparked a second later, and he shot his hands up to his chest and shoulder, craning his neck down to look.

Tolya covered his hand with his own and gave him a broad smile. "It worked. The Shadow is gone."

Nikolai sagged against the stone altar. The twins wrapped their arms around him and leaned their foreheads against his, overcome with sheer relief. Nikolai crossed his arms as he reached up to cling to them as well, his chest still shuddering. His eyes looked watery, and Alina felt like crying too.

It was a long moment before the three finally broke apart and Nikolai got to his feet. Alina moved forward then and threw her arms around him.

"Thank the Saints," she breathed.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Alina pulled back, and Mal embraced him next.

Nikolai tapped his lucky compass. "Thank you," he said. "It came in handy."

Mal grinned. "You should keep it for a while this time."

Nikolai smiled back.

Nadia handed him his shirt and coat, which he slipped back into. He then removed the gloves that had been hiding the scars on his fingers, only to find they were still there. Not the shadow cracks of the demonic essence like in his shoulder, but the marks of the horror he'd endured.

He flexed his hand but didn't say anything.

"Maybe Genya can do something about it now that the merzost is gone," Alina said.

Nikolai just nodded and put the gloves back on. They then returned to the Kingfisher and sailed back to the Grand Palace.

Genya and David must have been watching for them, because they hurried out to meet them as the ship landed at the docking platform.

"Did it work?" David asked anxiously as they disembarked.

Alina smiled. "It did."

Genya broke into a relieved smile.

Nikolai paused to look around at each and every one of them. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "For everything you have done for me these past weeks, and longer, as the case may be. I am immensely grateful for your loyalty and friendship."

Tolya and Tamar beamed and patted him on the back.

"We should go inside before anyone asks what we've been up to," Zoya said.

"Excavating sacred ruins," Nikolai replied with a glib grin. "Quite impressively, too," he added with a twitch of his lips.

Zoya rolled her eyes, but it was in amusement rather than annoyance. Alina was going to have to dig into that later.

But for the moment, she hung back with Mal as everyone headed inside.

"I suppose you'll be leaving again now," she said.

He nodded soberly. "This whole thing has reminded me how important the bigger picture is—Ravka. This country needs Nikolai, and it needs you. And no matter how we feel about each other, that must come first."

Alina started to shake her head, but Mal took her by the arms to cut her off.

"This is the right thing to do for now," he said earnestly. "Like Nikolai said when he first proposed this proposal," Mal quirked a grin at the quipped quote. "You might not need to go as far as a wedding. We can still be together one day. But not now. And so in the meantime, we both need to be where we can do the most good."

Tears pricked at Alina's eyes, but she nodded in understanding and agreement.

For Ravka.

Nikolai once again sat in his study, a spectacle in front of his friends as Genya examined his scarred hands.

"I'm sorry," she said regretfully. "The Shadow is gone, but I still can't heal or tailor them."

"I understand," he said. "I'll come up with some dashing tale to explain them later."

"Perhaps playing with unstable chemicals at the summer palace," Mal suggested wryly.

Nikolai smirked.

"How are you feeling?" Alina asked, still concerned.

"Like I spent the afternoon wrestling a bear," he replied. "But, my mind is…quiet."

She looked relieved.

Nikolai glanced at Mal and the twins. "When will you be leaving?"

"Right away," Mal answered. "We should get back to Inej, see how her mission is coming along."

"Will you stay the night?" he asked. "I would like to share one more meal with you all. Who knows how long it will be before another catastrophe brings us back together."

They shared wry looks but agreed, and this time David joined them, as he didn't have any pressing research to get lost in.

It was a rather bittersweet affair for Nikolai. He was free of the demon, could turn his focus back to defending Ravka…but he was also changed. And not just the visible scars that would be a constant reminder of the monster that had taken him over. There was a heaviness inside him now, something more profound than the not-so-secret legacy of his birth, or the trials he'd had to overcome throughout the years…or even that the death of Dominik had carved into him. He didn't know what lay ahead for him. He didn't think anything could be worse than what he'd already faced, but despite the victory over the demon, he had learned a touch of humility. The scars on his hands and feet would also be a reminder of that.

But no matter what, Nikolai also knew one thing for certain—whatever he would have to face, he would endure.