Chapter 2

Nikolai was in the Shadow Fold, surrounded by a miasma of darkness as far as the eye could see. Lightning flickered in the cloying brume but made no sound. He turned this way and that, trying to find a way out. But as he turned around again, he came face to face with Kirigan. The Darkling's scarred visage split into a grin before he abruptly burst into mist and dissipated.

"Nikolai…" a voice called faintly.

He woke with a jolt and immediately rolled over to clutch at his shoulder where the wound pulsed fiercely. He lay there gasping for several long minutes before he finally managed to force himself up. He was moving slowly as he hobbled to the dressing screen where his clothes hung haphazardly, and he avoided looking at the mirror as he dressed.

He didn't realize how late it was until there was a knock at his door.

"Moi tsar?" Genya's voice called with a touch of concern.

"Yes," he answered. "Come in."

She opened the door and slipped inside. "Is everything all right? You missed your first meeting and the others are worried." Her frowned deepened as she looked him over. "I remembered you said the wound pains you."

Nikolai grimaced. "It is worse this morning. I didn't realize the time."

"I know I can't heal it, but maybe I can try to at least alleviate the pain?"

He looked at her thoughtfully. "Do your scars pain you?" he asked softly.

Genya shook her head. "Not anymore."

He took a seat and tried not to hold himself so rigidly as she probed his shoulder again. He could feel the Shadow writhing under his skin, like some sentient entity. But the pain surrounding it did gradually lessen under her ministrations as she was able to at least soothe the raw nerves and inflammation.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

Genya stepped back, expression troubled. Nikolai couldn't imagine what she felt being this close to a fragment of the thing that had disfigured her.

"Mal is helping David and me. We hope to learn something that can perhaps help us make the merzost dormant in you like it is him," she said.

Nikolai frowned in thought. "Would that make me an amplifier?"

"I don't know. But even if it did, no one needs to know, and there's certainly no need to sacrifice you to defeat some great evil."

She abruptly fell silent, and Nikolai imagined she had thought of Alina in that split moment like he just had. They were all worried about her and how this shift in power might change her.

"Do you think Alina is right?" Nikolai asked quietly. "That she can control it?"

Genya didn't answer for a long moment. "I used to believe in Kirigan," she finally spoke in a hushed voice. "And I was so very wrong. I'm not sure my faith in anyone can be trusted when it comes to that kind of power."

Nikolai nodded soberly. "Thank you again," he said, getting to his feet.

"Call me if the pain becomes bad again."

He inclined his head in appreciation and walked her out, then they parted ways as he headed out to the meetings he was supposed to be having. But he couldn't shake the question he had about Alina turning back on himself—would the Shadow inside him change him too? He shuddered at the disturbing thought.

He was almost to the War Room when the Apparat stepped out in front of him.

"Your Highness," the weaselly man greeted. "Is everything all right? I heard you missed two meetings."

Nikolai's jaw was tight as he plastered on a casual smile. "Unfortunately, not all matters of importance follow a schedule," he replied.

"Hm," the Apparat hummed. "Would that matter have been Alina Starkov?"

Nikolai furrowed his brows. "No. Why do you ask?"

The Apparat leaned closer, lowering his voice in earnest. "She is a danger to Ravka, Your Highness. To you. The political alliance was beneficial before, but now it is a threat."

Nikolai's teeth hurt he was holding his neutral composure so firmly. He was fed up with this man, but the Apparat was powerful and well-backed in the court, so Nikolai couldn't just sack him, no matter how much he wanted to.

"I understand your concerns," he replied diplomatically. "But I will not turn on an ally on the basis of past prejudices alone. Alina Starkov has done more for Ravka than any other Grisha and has shown no signs of turning on us. If her actions should ever change, I will, of course, evaluate them with the full seriousness my position demands."

With that, he swept past the man and entered the War Room. The Apparat did not follow.

Alina and Zoya were there, going over maps and figures. Alina may have been the leader of the Second Army, but she was relying heavily on Zoya's expertise.

Alina straightened. "Is everything all right?"

He was really tired of people asking him that. "Fine," he answered a tad shortly. "Where are we?"

They coordinated some troop and battalion movements along the northern border with Fjerda, along with receiving Zoya's report on the dual training exercises between Grisha and otkazat'sya, which were having some hiccups but showed promise. If Ravka was to be united, the two groups were going to have to learn to not only get along, but fight as a unit.

A knock preceded Adrik's entrance. "Excuse me," he said. "But the first merchants from Kerch have arrived."

Nikolai sighed. Right, the state dinner that had been in the works since before his mission to Ketterdam; he'd forgotten. Ravka was broke and needed financial backing if it was going to keep up its defenses, so Nikolai had reached out to the wealthy merchants of the island nation for some business partnerships. The soirée was to wine and dine their potential backers in the hopes of securing their support.

"That's tonight?" Alina said, having apparently forgotten as well. "How dressed up do I have to get?"

Nikolai smirked. "You can make even a soldier's plain uniform look stunning." As intended, she rolled her eyes in response. Nikolai hesitated. "While on the subject, though, it would help to…dispel some of the negative rumors if we present an image of control tonight."

Alina quirked a brow at him. "Control?"

"No displays of…summoning."

Alina lifted her chin. "As long as no assassins crash the party," she rejoined.

Nikolai and Zoya couldn't help but share a look at that. Everyone had begun to walk on eggshells around the issue of Alina's shadow summoning.

"I'm grateful you were at the coronation," he said. "But should anything happen tonight, it would be better to leave the protection to our Grisha guards. If at all possible."

She huffed irritably but shrugged in what Nikolai took as acquiescence.

They concluded their meeting, and he went to find the twins and Mal, who were in David's workshop.

"I'd forgotten about the dinner party we're having with merchants from Kerch tonight," he told them. "And I think some bodyguards are in order." He raised his brows in question at Tolya, Tamar, and Mal.

The twins grinned. "I love parties," Tamar said.

"Are you expecting trouble?" Mal asked seriously.

"Not from the guests, but with Fjerda's new weapon and Shu Han attempting to build the same, I believe we can't be too cautious." Nikolai faltered, then added to Mal, "Alina and I will have to put on a certain amount of show for our guests, and I would understand if you didn't want to be present for it."

Mal's jaw ticked, but he said, "I'll be there to protect you both."

Nikolai nodded in gratitude. He was grateful for all the friends he could keep close.

When it was time for the party, Nikolai was uncharacteristically nervous. He chalked it up to how the last celebratory gathering of the court had gone.

He conducted the meet-and-greets with the wealthy merchants, many of whom he'd had dealings with as Sturmhond, but thanks to the little bit of tailoring he used to wear as the privateer, they did not recognize him now.

Many of them were hesitant to enter financial arrangements with a country that had no guarantees on its debts, but Nikolai wielded his charm like a rapier and was able to secure a number of promised loans. The thing about Kerch businessmen was they didn't really care about ethical or moral quandaries, such as whether the Sun Summoner harnessing Shadow was "good" or "evil." In fact, it was her power and position in Ravka that gave the merchants some confidence the country wouldn't fall to its neighbors and thereby default on its debt.

"Nikolai," Alina interrupted, drawing the gazes of several men as she joined them.

He smiled. "Gentlemen, may I present the legendary Sun Summoner and my fiancée, Alina Starkov."

She had opted for a royal-esque gown and studded crown, which she wore with radiance as she charmed the merchants just as deftly as Nikolai.

"And when is the wedding?" one of the merchants asked.

"We haven't set a date," Nikolai quickly deflected. "And such an extravagance cannot be justified under the current circumstances."

"Which is fine by us," Alina put in smoothly, linking her arm in Nikolai's as she smiled up at him. "We both have Ravka's interests at heart."

The merchants hummed and smiled in response.

"Perhaps we could come to an arrangement that would include the means for the ceremony you both deserve," someone suggested with a wink.

Nikolai plastered on a fake smile but didn't let the man take him down that track. He tried not to fidget as his collar suddenly felt a little too tight and his shoulder started to ache.

"Tell me," the man went on anyway, addressing Alina, "what do you envision for your wedding?"

Alina faltered before attempting to recover. "Well, as a man of your standing has certainly been to many parties, I'm interested in what you would suggest."

The merchant beamed and launched into regaling the group with a story of some sort of extravaganza. Nikolai kindly excused himself and made his way through the banquet hall to a table in the back where he grabbed a flute of wine and knocked it back in one drag. He fumbled at his collar, trying to loosen it just a smidge without ruining his polished look. The aching in his shoulder was making his whole body stiff.

Zoya stepped up beside him, though she didn't look his way as her gaze swept over the party. "Is everything all right, moi tsar?" she asked neutrally.

"Fine," he grunted, then shook his head at his rough voice. "And you should call me Nikolai," he added more softly.

She still didn't look at him. "In public, it's better you be addressed as Your Highness."

He smirked. "You would make a fine politician, Nazyalensky."

"I despise the underhandedness of political dealings," she replied without missing a beat. "I prefer the directness of a good punch."

Nikolai's lips twitched. "I'll deny it if you repeat it, but there are quite a few people I'd like to deal with that way." A fresh stab of pain stole his breath and he bowed over the table with a gasp.

Zoya snapped her gaze to him, then quickly and surreptitiously took his arm and ushered him from the hall into a small parlor. Nikolai staggered to a chair for balance and clutched his shoulder.

"I'll get Genya," Zoya said.

Yet before she could turn to leave, Nikolai happened to look up at a mirror inconveniently hanging on the wall in the room. And there was the Shadow Monster, raging back at him. He scrambled backward in horror, bumping into Zoya. She shot her hands out to catch him, and he grabbed her arm in return.

"What's wrong?" she asked in alarm.

"Do you see it?" he choked out, torn between staring at the horrific visage looking back at him and squeezing his eyes shut against it.

Zoya followed his gaze to the mirror, her brow furrowing in confusion. "No. What do you see?"

His chest hitched as he began to hyperventilate, and he finally looked away, willing, pleading, praying for the living nightmare to disappear.

"Nikolai," she said urgently, like she had been trying to get his attention more than once.

He opened his eyes again and dared to look at the mirror. It was his own human reflection gaping back at him in horror. He let out a shuddering gasp and attempted to straighten and stand on his own. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

Zoya eyed him skeptically. "You said sometimes you see shadow monsters that aren't there," she prompted.

He swallowed hard as his throat constricted. "When I look in the mirror…sometimes it's not me. It's- it's one of those things. The nichevo'ya. What if the merzost is changing me into one?" he asked fearfully.

Zoya didn't say anything to that. Of course, she wouldn't know. None of them knew what this was or what it would do to him.

"Are you all right if I leave to get Genya?" she asked instead.

Nikolai pulled himself together and straightened his coat. "I'm all right," he repeated, this time with more assurance. "The pain has calmed down. We can go back to the party."

Zoya once again eyed him with that sharp scrutiny, but she nodded and escorted him back.

Alina hurried over once she caught sight of them. "Where were you?" she asked, her mouth turning down as she took in his appearance. "Is everything all right?"

Nikolai managed to put on that fake smile of his. "Everything is fine." He offered her his elbow, which she took despite still looking concerned, and they strode back into the foray of political maneuvering.


The party wound down without any further incidents or disasters, much to Zoya's relief. A few of the merchants accepted accommodations at the Grand Palace, while others were content to begin the journey back to Kerch. Nikolai and Alina lingered until the last guest had departed and the servants began to clean up.

Alina went over to Mal, beaming at the success of the evening. "The merchants of Kerch don't care that I'm a Shadow Summoner now," she told him.

Mal's expression was tight with displeasure.

"These merchants would sell their own grandmothers if it earned them a profit," Zoya interjected from nearby. "Not the type of people you should value approval from," she added pointedly.

Alina shot her an irritated glare. "These merchants are currently our best allies."

"Ally and friend are two different things," Mal said. "And these merchants wouldn't be here if it weren't about money."

Alina shook her head and turned on her heel to storm out.

Mal sighed and dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Give her time," Zoya told him.

"Time may not make things better," he said grimly.

Zoya thought of Nikolai's "episode" and wondered the same.

"Heretic!" came a shout from out in the hall.

Zoya and Mal bolted for the door and barreled out in time to see a soldier of the First Army aiming a pistol at Alina and pulling the trigger in rapid succession. Zoya threw her arms up, summoning a gust of air that veered the bullets off course. They struck the wall and ricocheted off light fixtures instead. Shadows burst up around Alina and then shot toward the soldier, slamming into the woman and pushing their cloying fumes into her nose and mouth. She made horrible, choking noises as she writhed in place.

"Alina!" Mal shouted.

She stopped with an abrupt jolt, and the shadows dissipated. The soldier fell to the floor, dry heaving. Zoya couldn't help but stare at Alina in horror as Tolya and Tamar arrived and quickly took the soldier into custody.

Alina turned to Mal, her expression somewhat stunned by what she'd done, like she hadn't even realized she was doing it.

"Someone help!" Nikolai's voice rang out from behind them.

Zoya's heart dropped into her stomach as she whirled around, expecting the king to have been injured. But he was down the hall, kneeling over a figure in a blue silk kefta who was lying on the floor. They rushed over, and to Zoya's horror, it was Nadia. There was a bullet hole in her stomach and blood was rapidly pooling out.

Zoya dropped down beside her and grasped her shaking hand. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she rambled.

Nadia didn't speak. Her eyes were blown wide, her chest hitching as she went into shock.

Tamar pushed her way in, and Nikolai jumped up to give her room. The Shu warrior wasn't a trained Healer, but she could use her heartrending to slow the bleeding and steady Nadia's vitals.

Genya arrived next, and then Nikolai was gently pulling Zoya away so the Tailor could get in and also work on her friend.

"The bullet is still in her," Genya said. "We need a Durast."

Zoya didn't see who rushed off to summon one. She couldn't look away from Nadia as Mal moved in to lift her into his arms and carry her away to a room. Genya and Tamar kept pace with him, hands hovering as they continued to work their power to stabilize Nadia. The rest of them followed, and Zoya barely registered the light hold Nikolai kept on her arms.

Mal took Nadia to her room and laid her on the bed. A Durast arrived to remove the bullet, and Genya started giving instructions to him and Tamar, as the process was going to be messy. She paused and looked at everyone else. "We need the room," she said.

So the rest of them backed out to wait in the hall. Zoya knew how serious such a wound was—blood loss, ruptured organs, infection. And Healers could only do so much to encourage the body to repair itself.

Adrik came running up. "How is she?" he asked urgently.

"Genya and Tamar are working on her," Alina replied.

"This is my fault," Zoya murmured. She hadn't given thought to where the bullets went, only that they hadn't hit their intended target.

"No," Alina said. "It's mine. The assassin came after me because of…" She trailed off and looked at her hands that had wielded the Shadow with such menace. No one else spoke.

It was a long wait before Genya and the Durast emerged, the Durast hurrying away.

"Nadia is stable," Genya told them. "We've mended the worst of the damage, but we'll have to take the rest in stages and watch for infection along the way."

"Can I see her?" Adrik asked.

"Of course." Genya beckoned him in, then looked at the rest of them. "You should all get some rest."

"Thank you," Nikolai said on behalf of them all.

And so they wordlessly dispersed. It took Zoya a few minutes to realize Nikolai was walking her back to her room.

"I should be seeing you safely to your room, not the other way around," she finally said.

He just looked at her with that kind expression that held no hint of falsehood or pretense. "It wasn't your fault. Bullets find victims that weren't the target all the time, Grisha interference or not."

Zoya did not feel comforted. She reached for the door handle but winced when turning it strangely hurt.

"Were you hit?" Nikolai asked in concern, having noticed.

"No."

"Do you mind if I check?" he asked, eyeing her skeptically.

A retort to rebuff his inappropriate advance was on her tongue, but she caught herself before she could voice it. She could tell he was genuinely worried and not trying to flirt with her. So she let out a put-upon sigh and unbuttoned the cuff of her sleeve, then rolled it up. The sight that greeted her was not what she expected—darkening bruises in the shape of fingers wrapped around her arm.

Nikolai's face drained of color, and he took a step back. "I did that," he said hoarsely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Zoya frowned at the marks. The strength he'd possessed in that moment in the parlor room had certainly been…unnatural. Inhuman.

"I'm sorry," he said again, looking mortified. And he quickly turned and retreated down the hall without another word.

Zoya felt like she should say something, call him back, but she couldn't form the words. She knew he hadn't meant to hurt her. Just like Alina maybe hadn't meant to use the Shadow to suffocate someone slowly and methodically. But it didn't really matter, because there was no question that the Shadow inside them was evil. And Zoya was truly beginning to fear for them all.