There was blinding, all-encompassing heat. A burning sensation that felt like I was being engulfed in flames. It was inside me but it was also around me. I was the flame, spreading like wildfire. There was no darkness. Only light. Light that danced around me, jolting from my body.

I am the sun.

At first, I tried to measure time by counting how many times I woke up screaming, drenched in sweat and tears. Then I lost track. The screams began to bleed into my dreams where all I heard was the sound of his voice, screaming from above. He fell from the sky into a dead sea that sat still, unmoving. It engulfed him without a sound. Tar spread from where he fell, turning the water into thick black sludge as I swam toward him.

I couldn't reach him. Black tar crippled my movements, pulling me beneath the surface the more I struggled. It drug me under as I called his name. The blackness filled my lungs as I tried to breathe. It spread within me like a poison, blanketing me in darkness. Then nothing.

I awoke to the flickering of a candle. I was startled by its vibrance. Life seemed to emanate from the tiny flame. Its purity stirred something deep within me. I could feel it recoiling as I held my hand over the dancing light. I slowly sat up, feeling my muscles tense and bones crack. A dull ache spread through my body as I grabbed the candle and cradled it in my hands.

The sound of rhythmic breathing drew my attention from the flame to the corner of the small room. I could barely make out the outline of someone slumped over in a chair. A small sliver of moonlight filtered in through drawn curtains, illuminating well-polished boots on the floor. Nikolai?

I drew in a sharp breath as memories came rushing back. Nikolai was a winged beast the last time I saw him. What had happened on the Fold? I crawled out from beneath the woolen blanket and stepped lightly onto the creaky wooden floor. Where was I?

With the candle in hand, I cautiously approached Nikolai. I moved the candle along his sleeping body, examining him. He had returned to normal. Everything was as it should be, aside from his wrinkled clothes. I crouched beside him and reached for his hand that dangled over the side of the armchair. He didn't stir as I held his arm to the candlelight. Guilt washed over me as I saw black veins spread along his exposed skin.

Something within me stirred again as I traced the lines along his arm. This time it didn't recoil; it came forward, drawn to the darkness that remained inside Nikolai. Merzost. I dropped his arm and reeled backward, startled from the uneasy feeling I had.

"Grotesque, isn't it?" I jumped at the sound of his voice. Nikolai adjusted himself in the chair, stretching his limbs. His face looked ghostly in the candlelight. His cheekbones were more prominent than before with faint cuts apparent on his face.

"Nikolai…" I began but words escaped me. The room began to spin as I stepped backward towards the bed.

"Don't worry, Alina. I won't hurt you again," he said as he stood from the chair. I stumbled backwards onto the bed, still clutching the candle. He closed the gap between us, floorboards creaking, and held my arm to steady me.

Nikolai's touch stirred both darkness and light from within me. They struggled against one another, fighting for power. I closed my eyes and focused on the warmth of the candle—its light and its life. The blackness shrank away as the light spread through me, subduing the darkness for the time being.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"Not long, only a week. Though I wouldn't exactly call it sleeping," his voice softened. "You kept alarming everyone at the Little Palace so we had to move you here. I know this isn't the nicest of places but it kept your screams in."

I blinked through dots that clouded my vision and looked around me. I couldn't see much aside from the chair in the corner. I pushed light from my hand and saw a large black stove sitting in the center of the room. Baghra's hut. Another wave of guilt washed over me. The image of Baghra throwing herself over the ledge at the Spinning Wheel flashed across my mind.

"This isn't right," I protested. "I can't be in here." I pushed myself from the bed and stumbled toward the door. Nikolai was by my side before I could reach the doorknob. I tried to push him away but my body was too weak. He guided me back to the bed and sat down beside me.

"Alina, we need to talk about what happened on the Fold," Nikolai whispered.

"I don't know what happened." I couldn't admit to him what I wanted to do, what I tried to do. The pain was too much. I pulled my legs into my chest and focused my eyes on the floor.

"Can you tell me what you remember at least?"

I hesitated, moving my eyes to the melting candle. "I don't remember anything, Nikolai. Can you tell me what happened instead? Starting with how you're no longer…" The sentence trailed off. I couldn't call him a monster because that's not what he had been. I couldn't let myself believe it.

He laughed lightly but there was no trace of humor behind it. "You helped me, Alina. I was searching for you, flying through the darkness in the direction of your screams and I found you. Before I could register what had happened, you became light itself. It was like nothing I had ever seen." Nikolai paused, expecting me to say something. I remained silent.

"The light consumed everything, including me, and more than half of the Fold. It was quick, like several bolts of bright lightening setting the world on fire. And then it was gone as quickly as it came. Tamar and Tolya found you surrounded by the bones of hundreds of volcra. Whatever you did, you destroyed them." He paused again.

"And the Darkling?" I asked.

Nikolai sighed and shook his head. "Gone. Vanished. I speculate that he retreated into what's left of the Fold with his shadow army and Grisha soldiers. You put on an impressive show, which I'm sure scared him into hiding. For now."

"Are you scared he'll come back?" I asked without thinking. I turned my eyes to him, expecting to see fear etched in his face but I didn't find it. Whatever emotion Nikolai was experiencing, I couldn't read it. He hid his true feelings well.

"Of course I fear he will return, but Ravka has its beloved Sankta Alina, Destroyer of the Fold, well most of the Fold. You will protect us all from the darkness," he said with a smirk.

I forced a small smile and nodded, turning my gaze back towards the candle. Minutes passed as we sat in silence. I tried to push away all my thoughts, focusing on the dancing flame while Nikolai sat perfectly still, probably strategizing something important.

"Do you think you'll feel well enough to meet with me tomorrow?" he asked, shattering the silence.

I met Nikolai's gaze. His expression was soft, forgiving.

I nodded and said, "Yes. I don't have it in me to sit in this hut all day. I'll do whatever you want if it takes my mind off things." Things. We both knew what I was referring to but I couldn't bring myself to say his name. I couldn't bear it.

Nikolai grasped my hand and squeezed it gently. But his touch was different than before. Back at the Spinning Wheel, his grip was soft and warm, gentle and certain. Raised scars replaced his once soft hands. There was no certainty in his touch. No, it was something else, something different that felt oddly familiar to me.

I pulled my hand away from his and whispered, "It's only been a week."

"I know," he said as he stood from the bed. He put on his boots and walked to the door, causing the floor to creak loudly. "But I won't let you close yourself off from the world, Alina." He opened the door and stepped out into the moonlit night.

Author's Note: I was eager to go ahead and publish this chapter so you guys can have a feel for where the story is going. Please review and let me know what you think!