A/N: I wrote this fic before reading KoS, which I just got from the library, so if the Zoya and Juris stuff is way off, I apologize.
Chapter 7
Everyone did their best to portray a false sense of calm and control with Isaak doubling as Nikolai. But Alina was still constantly anxious, expecting disaster at every turn. Kirigan was out there somewhere, walking around as the true king of Ravka. And Alina was still a Shadow Summoner. Their journey to the Fold had been under the pretext of finding an answer to her change in power, and to return in failure did nothing to dispel the whispers and murmurs about whether she was a threat or not.
Then reports started coming in that the Shadow Fold was returning. And not just in the barrens where it had once stood, but large patches in random, different places as well. Everyone's darkest fears were coming to life. Alina and her friends knew it must be Kirigan, but since the rest of the country believed he was dead, they were casting blame on the only other known Shadow Summoner.
"What do you have to say to this?" the Apparat demanded of her in the council chambers with all of the king's advisors present.
"I know what it must look like to you," Alina replied, trying to project an air of trustworthiness. "But I swear this is not my doing, and I will do everything in my power to find out what is going on."
"Your power is the problem," the Apparat rejoined. He turned to "Nikolai." "Your Highness, are you going to let this heretic destroy our country all over again? The Shadow Fold is springing up everywhere now."
Isaak tried to look confident as he faced down men who were technically his superiors. "I will consider the matter carefully," he said.
The Apparat fumed silently for several long moments, then turned and stormed out. The rest of the advisors followed, murmuring amongst themselves.
Isaak slumped when they were gone. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to handle all this."
"It's not your fault," Alina replied. "We're all trying to hold things together by a thread. We need to rescue Nikolai."
If only they knew how.
"There may be something," Tolya spoke up. "I read about an ancient ritual once, one that was used to remove monsters from men. It's called the obisbaya. But all I remember is that it was done in the sacred thorn wood, which is somewhere in the Fold. Not to mention we'd have to get Kirigan there somehow, if we even did find it."
Alina furrowed her brows in thought as she remembered the thorns Elizaveta had bound her with. "I think I know where it is," she said. Of course, getting Kirigan there would be the bigger challenge. Still, it was something to go on. "Find out what the ritual involves," she told Tolya.
He hesitated. "I'm not supposed to leave your side."
"I'll find Tamar to take over," Alina promised.
With that, she headed outside and took the less-traveled paths to the Little Palace. As she came up through the overgrown gardens, voices carried from a group gathered out back.
"Do you realize what you're saying?" Adrik said sharply. "You're talking about treason."
"We're talking about standing up to Alina," another voice replied. "And taking her down before she becomes too powerful."
Alina pulled up short in dismay and listened from behind the bushes. Through the mesh of leaves, she could make out Adrik, Nadia, Genya, and Tamar facing a group of the Second Army.
"Alina is not a threat," Nadia rejoined fervently.
"She's a Shadow Summoner," another pressed. "Just like Kirigan. And now the Fold is returning."
"She's not behind that," Genya defended.
"Even if she's not, she is being blamed, and the country will turn on all Grisha again. We didn't act against Kirigan, so we need to now. Prove our loyalty before we're all lumped in as traitors again."
Tamar drew her axes in a clear sign of challenge. "You'll have to go through me."
"Enough," Alina declared, revealing herself.
Everyone stiffened and exchanged tense looks.
"You're right," she went on. "People are blaming me. And they will blame all Grisha, as they have done throughout history. Which is why we must stay and stand together, as one Ravka. Let our actions of solidarity be the proof this country needs." She swept her gaze around, meeting each and every person's eye. "I don't know what's causing the Shadow to return, but I am not going to just sit by and let it run rampant. I will find a way to stop it, just like I brought down the Shadow Fold."
A few of the Grisha continued to look doubtful, but at least the majority shifted their postures from defensive to deferential. Some gave her respectful nods as they turned to leave.
Genya, Nadia, Adrik, and Tamar huddled around Alina after the rest dispersed.
"It's only a matter of time before they learn of Kirigan," Genya whispered. "Shouldn't it come from you?"
"I don't know," Alina admitted. "I don't want to strike fear into people, not to mention I can't announce Kirigan's return without revealing that he's possessing the true king of Ravka." She shook her head. "No, I want to try getting Nikolai back first. Tolya thinks he has a lead."
"Is that what he's doing instead of accompanying you here?" Tamar said with a hint of disapproval.
"Yes. And I was coming here to ask you to take over as my bodyguard," Alina replied.
"Next time wait for one of us," Genya chided.
Alina suppressed a huff. She wasn't helpless. But then she was reminded of how her friends weren't immune to being collateral damage, so she kept her feelings to herself.
"There's something else," Tamar interjected. "I've received word that a cult devoted to the Darkling has formed. They believe he should be granted Sainthood."
Alina's jaw went slack, aghast at the notion.
"Are they a threat?" Adrik asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Tamar answered. "But if I were their proclaimed Starless Saint in need of support, I'd go there first."
They might be the key to finding Kirigan and Nikolai, then.
"Can you get more information on them?" Alina asked.
"I have a network I can tap."
Alina nodded. "Good. We need to keep an eye out for this cult."
"That's another bodyguard you've just reassigned in less than two minutes," Genya pointed out.
Alina sighed. "Right. Okay, any volunteers?"
Her stomach twisted when Adrik and Nadia stepped up, especially Nadia, who had already taken a bullet because of Alina. But they were spread thin and had only a spare few they could trust. Hopefully one of their leads would pay off soon.
Zoya moved her arms in practiced sequences, summoning and bending the wind to her will. Her hair whipped about her in the powerful gale.
"Stop forcing it," Juris said.
She dropped her arms in exasperation. "I'm getting stronger," she pointed out.
"You mistake strength for power. Grisha didn't use to focus on dominating the elements; they were more in tune with nature. It flowed through them. You are not separate from your summoning; stop acting like it."
"Maybe if you hadn't destroyed my amplifier," she said bitterly.
"Grisha misuse those as well," Juris retorted. "You make talismans out of bone chips and discard the most powerful parts of an amplifier. When I killed the dragon, he was the first true challenge I ever faced as a warrior, the only creature able to meet me as an equal in the field. I could not help but respect him. And when I killed him, I felt nothing but regret. As he sank his jaws into me, I knew he felt just as I did. The dragon and I were the same, connected at the heart of creation, born of the elements and unlike any other. In that moment, we bonded, shared all our memories and experiences; we lived a thousand lives together. He continues to live in me now, and I am him. If you are to ever harness your full potential, you must open yourself to the communion."
Zoya bit back her frustration at his tales that sounded more like myth and magic than reality and raised her arms again.
"Stop summoning and listen," he snapped.
She dropped her hands with a scowl. What did he want from her? Zoya was not one to give up, however, so instead of repeating the same action that kept getting her scolded, she closed her eyes. Listen. Listen to what? The air was currently still and thus there were no whistling gales. Science, she reminded herself. This was the Small Science, so what was it, at its basics? Molecules in the air that were always moving. And movement caused vibration, silent to the human ear, but present nonetheless. Zoya listened to the elements that made up the air, felt the tiny pings amplify as her awareness of their song increased all around her.
"Good," Juris said. "Nature is always moving. Move with it."
Zoya slowly held her palms up, not to summon, but to feel the essence of the wind as it currently floated tranquilly. She shifted her balance, then started to turn ever so slowly, moving with the air. She sensed the changes it made as the molecules orbited and swirled around each other. And then instead of yanking them out of formation to summon a gust, Zoya pushed them faster in the direction they were already going. The wind swelled and surged. Zoya concentrated on the natural folds and bends, moving her hands to guide the currents through them.
A massive cyclone formed around her and launched into the sky, picking up sand and blotting out everything in tan. And then she let it go, releasing the wind to continue its spiral into the heavens. It corkscrewed like a nebulous dragon before fading into the blue backdrop. Zoya turned back to Juris.
"Finally, you're getting it," he said.
She felt a pang of disappointment at his lackluster response but shoved it down to focus.
"Now, find water," he instructed.
Zoya frowned. "I'm not a Tidemaker."
"You are Etherealki, and therefore have the ability to access all of those powers. You just have to abandon the teachings you are clinging to. They only inhibit you."
Zoya suppressed a sigh and closed her eyes again. She tried to repeat the process of listening as she had done with the wind, though she didn't know what water molecules would sound like on a fundamental level. Sure, running water made a distinctive sound, but there were no streams or creeks for miles. She would have even said there was no water anywhere in the Fold at all if Juris hadn't summoned some from below to help clean out Alina's wounds. Which meant she should be focusing her senses downward.
For a long time, there was nothing, and she didn't know if it was because she was failing or there simply wasn't any water to be found. And she wouldn't put it past Juris to let her flounder around for nothing simply as a test.
But then, finally, she felt something. A trickle, far below ground, creeping its way through rock and sediment. Zoya synced herself with that flow, becoming aware of every nook and cranny that the water was traveling through. Only once she had a comprehensive sense of it did she gently and gradually redirect the flow upward. They responded with surprising ease, welling up through the surface at her feet and soaking the sand.
"Good," Juris repeated, and this time he sounded truly pleased. "Tidemaking is the weakest of my summoning powers. You're learning quickly."
Zoya beamed. She couldn't believe she had actually summoned an element that should have been impossible for a Squaller. Everything Kirigan had ever taught them was…wrong.
"Keep going," Juris said. "We are far from done."
Zoya's previous irritation at the man's drill approach tempered in the excitement of what else she could learn.
Nikolai had never experienced such helpless anguish as being trapped in his body, unable to act or move, or do anything. He couldn't even look away from seeing through his own eyes as Kirigan commanded the helm. Nikolai was paralyzed, forced to see and hear everything.
They were currently outside as Kirigan summoned Shadow, trying to bring back the Fold. He apparently didn't even need to use merzost from scratch, as Nikolai's body was already contaminated with it; the Darkling could tap into it without further poisoning himself. A pocket of darkness formed and burbled in the distance, not at all where Kirigan had been aiming to create it. The Darkling thrust his hands out, trying to bend the miniature miasma to his will. But it wasn't responding. Nikolai could sense how frustrated Kirigan was. This was one of a dozen instances where he'd tried and failed to restore the Fold, or even control it.
"Well, that was underwhelming," Nikolai taunted.
It was the only weapon he had, and he refused to simply sit back and submit.
Kirigan mentally snarled at him.
"I don't understand," he said aloud, clenching his fists. "My power is so weak."
"It's because of Alina and her using the Firebird to bring the Shadow Fold down," Elizaveta replied. "The remnants of that power still resonate across the length of the Fold. If you want your full power restored, you will have to reclaim it."
"How?" he snapped.
"You will need to bring Alina and the tracker back to the palace in the Fold and pierce them both with the sacred thorn wood."
"Then we will have to figure out a way to get them there," Kirigan mused.
Nikolai did not like the sound of that.
Kirigan smirked as he sensed Nikolai's trepidation. "What, no insouciant quips now?"
Before Nikolai could attempt to think of a comeback, they were interrupted by three of the cult members in black robes coming toward them. The figures looked oddly shaky and pale.
"What is it?" Kirigan asked irritably.
In tandem, the three opened their palms and pushed some unknown substance into their mouths. The shakiness calmed, and they each straightened. Then one of them shouted something in Fjerdan, and they all thrust their hands out. Kirigan and Elizaveta both gasped and doubled over as gut-wrenching pain tore through them. Even Nikolai felt it, and it was just like the coronation: Grisha juiced up on the new jurda parem drug.
"Death to the king!" the first shouted.
What a wry twist of fate, they thought they were attacking Nikolai Lantsov. As his internal organs seized up, Kirigan summoned shadow to form the Cut. Nikolai abruptly strained with all his will and might to hold the Darkling back. Kirigan jerked as his limbs suddenly froze mid-summon.
"What are you doing?" he snarled.
It took every ounce of Nikolai's concentration and strength to prevent Kirigan from finishing the Cut. If he could stop the Darkling by killing them both, then so be it.
Kirigan fell to his knees and began to cough up blood. Elizaveta wasn't suffering the same way, but she seemed immobilized by the three Grisha as well.
But Nikolai was not immune to the destruction ravaging their shared body, and his focus began to waver as the ripping agony tore at his insides. It only took a split second lapse for Kirigan to wrest control back. Arching up with a ragged gasp, he formed the Cut and sent it slicing through the assassins. The assault cut off, and Kirigan fell forward onto his hands and knees again, retching.
Elizaveta recovered first and crawled over to him. "Moi soverenyi."
"I need my full power back, now," he growled.
She helped pull him to his feet, and they staggered their way back to the monastery where they began to mobilize his followers.
"I will never stop fighting you," Nikolai said.
"You are an irritating gnat," Kirigan replied disdainfully. "And not for much longer. Once I draw Alina and her tracker to the thorn wood and reverse what they did to me, Nikolai Nothing will be just that—nothing."
