Chapter 9
With two of their party now in slings, their progress hunting the Stag was even more hampered. Alina's healing ability at least kept any infection at bay, which was an immense help. Tolya's attention was split as they trekked through the forest, flitting between scanning the ground for deer tracks and keeping an eye out for Mal, who was likely stalking them. Despite his helping them before and Alina's insistence he still retained some of his mind, the demon did try to kill Nikolai. They couldn't know for sure how much control Mal had, so they needed to be on guard. Not to mention there was no shortage of other dangers, like Fjerdan patrols. And they were running low on supplies. It was nearly impossible to hunt game in the dark, and the animals seemed just as spooked as everyone else by the frozen eclipse.
"You turning into a tiger sure would have been useful," Tolya remarked to Zoya.
She shot him an unamused look, but he could tell by everyone's expressions they felt the same.
"I certainly felt more useful as a fox than I do now," Nikolai said.
"A fox can't sit on the Ravkan throne," Zoya pointed out.
"At the moment, neither can I," he replied wryly.
They came across a stream and at least could fill their canteens. They were also able to forage for some berries and nuts, though that was hardly filling. Tolya's stomach cramped with hunger.
Alina canted her head in consideration at the bushes growing on the bank, then began to summon forth light. She dipped it into the water, then arced it around to come up under the soil. The plants grew lush, and more fruit blossomed and ripened on the branches. Tolya plucked several plump berries and tossed them in his mouth.
"That's very useful too," he said.
She gave a wan smile.
They were about to get moving again when a metallic object came flying into their path and clattered on the ground. A small canister started spewing smoke. Several more landed around them, filling the air with a cloying brume.
Tolya coughed and tried to cover his mouth and nose, but he was already feeling the tilt of lightheadedness. "Run!" he yelled, but no sooner had he taken a step that his muscles wobbled and he went down. His vision swam as the smoke clouded out everything, and then it all went black.
He woke up with a pounding headache, sitting propped up against a wagon wheel with his hands bound behind his back and legs outstretched with ankles tied. Tamar was on his right, shoulder against his, and next to her was Nikolai. Zoya and Alina were at the end, all similarly restrained. Tolya blinked the last of the fog from his vision and found they were surrounded by Fjerdan soldiers.
The one wearing captain's stripes strode over upon their waking.
"So, you are the fabled Sun Summoner," he spoke in Ravkan to Alina.
She stared back up at him but didn't respond. There was no point in denying it; she'd been using her power this whole time. Tolya wasn't surprised word of her had spread this far north, though he didn't know what to expect from these men.
"The Darkling is looking for you," the captain went on.
Alina visibly tensed. "The Darkling is your enemy, the one who summoned the eclipse. I'm trying to find a way to stop him and bring the sun back. That's why we're out here, hunting the Stag."
"The Stag," the captain repeated with a dubious laugh. "That's a myth."
"So was I until recently," she rejoined.
The man regarded her shrewdly. "Indeed. In any case, the Darkling does need to be stopped. You will come to Djerholm with us."
"What?" she blurted.
"Our scientists are already working on a way to undo the eclipse. You will help them."
"I can't do anything from there," Alina protested. "You have to let us go."
He snorted. "You are too valuable. And you will help us—willingly or not."
"You don't know what you're doing," Zoya argued angrily.
The captain ignored her and turned his attention to Nikolai. "I know who you are. Having a Lantsov heir as a hostage will likely prove useful at some point." He gestured to his men. "Get those two up. Kill the others."
"No!" Nikolai exclaimed.
Tolya and Tamar squirmed in their bonds, but the ropes were too tight and they couldn't get free.
"Summon something," Tolya hissed at Zoya.
"I'm trying. I need my hands."
The foot soldiers came forward and deftly cut the ropes on Alina's and Nikolai's ankles, then hauled them up and away.
"No, stop!" Alina yelled futilely as other men moved in with swords to dispatch their unneeded prisoners.
But then Mal was back, dropping from the treetops onto the first two men and slashing his talons down their faces. Screams rent the air. Then he launched himself at the man holding Alina, snatching him away and flying a few paces before the man's screams ended with a guttural sputter. Chaos erupted as the remaining soldiers turned to face this new threat.
Tamar managed to get her arms under her legs and out front, then twisted around to hurriedly free Zoya's hands first. Once done, the air crackled with growing static as Zoya summoned the storm. She paused before unleashing it long enough to untie Tamar's hands.
Tamar then freed her own legs, then Tolya's hands. As he undid the ropes at his feet, she went for their weapons. Tolya's sling had been removed in their capture, so it didn't hamper his movements, and he bit down on the pain that tugged his shoulder as he attacked with his sword.
Alina and Nikolai ended up on the ground, and Alina apparently couldn't summon with her hands behind her back either, so the twins rushed to give them cover. But most of the fighting was concentrated on the demon in their midst, who was tearing the Fjerdan soldiers to pieces. Zoya battered a few others with gusting gales that flung them into trees with resounding cracks, and lightning forked down to strike the captain as he attempted to flee. His smoking remains fell behind a charred bush.
Soon all the soldiers were slaughtered, and the demon rose from its crouch, shadowy wings fluttering like wisps.
"Mal, wait!" Alina called desperately.
He hesitated and turned his head toward her slightly. His fangs and talons dripped blood, his tattered trousers also stained with dark—and dried—splatters. There was nothing human left in him.
Save that he didn't immediately attack them…
Zoya went to untie Nikolai and Alina.
"I know it's you," Alina pressed, vibrating with urgency as she waited to be able to stand. "You've saved me multiple times now."
His gaze flitted over them as he shuffled in place. He then opened his mouth as though to speak, but no words came out. The demon had robbed him of speech.
"Mal, please," Alina pleaded. "Don't go. Stay with us. We'll find a way to help you, I promise."
The demon shifted again but didn't make a move to flee. Alina slowly approached him.
"Alina," Tamar said in a low tone of warning.
She ignored it, tentatively raising a hand to reach out. Mal didn't move. She gently touched his arm, and he didn't react, except to give her a pained look. "I see you," Alina breathed.
They remained like that for a long beat, until Nikolai quietly spoke up,
"We should take what supplies we can."
So they rifled through the wagon for any rations they could carry, then set off again. Mal followed a few feet behind, occasionally baring his fangs at Nikolai in particular. Tolya stepped between the two of them and kept his sword out of its sheath, just in case. No offense to Alina, but if it came down to Mal or Nikolai, Tolya knew who he'd choose in a heartbeat.
But the demon—or Mal—didn't attack.
They found tracks again, this time belonging to a lone deer. And then, a short while later, up ahead through the dark trees stepped a white stag, huge and magnificent. It almost emitted its own subtle glow in this eternal darkness. Tolya felt a pang of remorse that they would have to slay such a beautiful creature.
But the world hung in the balance.
He signaled to Tamar to split off to the sides; they would skirt around and herd the Stag back toward Alina to do the deed.
Nikolai handed her a dagger with a somber nod. Then he and Zoya stepped back. Mal retreated into the shadows, as though knowing the demon might spook the animal.
Tolya and Tamar moved off, quietly circling around behind the Stag. Its nostrils flared, picking up their scent. Tolya slowed and went carefully. As he and Tamar closed in at its rear, it took a nervous step away from them, then another. Alina stood waiting as it shifted warily in her direction.
Then a blade of shadow came arcing out of nowhere, angling past Alina and hitting the Stag in the chest. It went down with a pained sound. Alina whirled as Kirigan stepped into view.
"Hello, Alina," the Darkling said. "I see you've been busy." He snapped his fingers. "I know you're there, pet. I underestimated you. But you're mine. Now, finish the task I gave you."
Mal slunk from the shadows, flinching as though trying to fight the Darkling's command.
Alina's eyes widened. "Mal, don't!"
But Kirigan's shadows ebbed around him, pulsing with malevolence. Mal screeched, and even from a distance, Tolya could see the shift in his eyes as the demon rose to the forefront. It lunged at Nikolai. Alina leaped toward him and Zoya and threw up a dome of light over the three of them. The demon crashed into the solid shield and tumbled backward. Kirigan's eyes gleamed in the radiant light.
Tolya and Tamar were largely unnoticed, so they drew their weapons and crept forward. But as they reached the Stag, they halted. The animal was still alive, but it had been fatally wounded and was wheezing heavily as blood pumped out of its wounds. The two looked at each other. Mal was under the Darkling's control again, and there was no way to get Alina to the Stag without sacrificing Nikolai and Zoya. Tamar gave a nod of understanding—they couldn't let Kirigan get an Amplifier, no matter what.
They knelt down next to the Stag and set aside their battle weapons, then drew their daggers. In tandem, they poised their blades over the Stag's heart. The animal keened in pain, and they thrust down simultaneously, ending its suffering and unleashing its power.
An invisible force exploded outward and through Tolya. His sister, likewise, jolted, and they were both knocked back on their asses. A heady rush filled Tolya.
The Darkling snapped his attention to them, eyes blazing with fury. "No!"
The twins staggered to their feet urgently, though neither knew what to do now. Tolya thought of the wind but had no clue how to summon it. Zoya had described being immediately able to sense the molecules in the air, but there was nothing like that Tolya could name. There was something, though, he just couldn't place it…
Kirigan whirled back to Alina. "It doesn't matter," he snapped angrily. Tolya could practically hear the blood pounding furiously in the Darkling's veins. "You are the only one with true power, and there are no more Amplifiers for you."
"There's one left," she said boldly, still holding up the dome of light.
Kirigan laughed. "Yes, the Firebird. And I know where it is—or rather, who it is."
Alina's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
The Darkling sneered smugly at her. "You see, the Firebird isn't a creature, but a bloodline. One passed down over the centuries from Morozova's own child. To the Sun Summoner."
Tolya exchanged a startled look with Tamar.
"If you truly want to harness the Firebird," Kirigan went on. "One of you will have to kill Alina. And I don't think you have it in you."
"You're lying," Nikolai accused.
"I'm not. But don't worry, I have no interest in killing you for the Amplifier either, Alina. You'll stand at my side soon enough. Whether it be a year or ten, your friends will die off and you will remain, and I will be all you'll have left." He paused then, canting his head ever so slightly. "But then, why wait."
He launched a cascade of shadows that slammed into Alina's light shield with resounding force. She cried out as she jerked beneath it, struggling to keep it up. Kirigan's blood was thrumming with his power, and in that moment, Tolya and Tamar acted on instinct. They shot their hands out, and Tolya felt himself connect with the man's body. The coursing blood began to slow down. Tamar closed his airway.
Kirigan lurched with a startled gasp, ending the shadow assault. He grunted as he snapped his gaze back to the twins. Tolya focused with all his might on bringing the Darkling down, but unlike Alina and Zoya, who were newer to their abilities, he didn't need his hands to summon. The shadows rose up around him as though by will alone, and they coalesced into those hulking, faceless monsters. The creatures charged the twins, who reflexively released their newfound power and snatched up their weapons, which they were more familiar with. Even so, their blades merely swished through the nebulous monsters, which were able to become solid enough when they backhanded Tolya and Tamar through the air.
Alina dropped her protective dome in order to shoot a beam of light at the creatures. That, at least, pierced their amorphous hides. But it left her, Nikolai, and Zoya vulnerable. Kirigan summoned shadows in his palms, preparing to finish off the last Lantsov heir, when Mal shrieked and leaped forward. Instead of attacking Nikolai, Mal grabbed Kirigan by the back of his cloak and lifted him into the air.
"Mal!" Alina yelled as he carried a kicking Kirigan off into the darkness.
The Darkling let out a raging bellow that resounded like thunder.
Nikolai grabbed Alina's arm. "We need to go."
Alina staggered as he pulled her away. Tolya was keenly aware of her pounding pulse and the pain radiating through her chest and ribs, an awareness he knew he shouldn't have. The Stag had bestowed a different power on him and Tamar. He tested reaching out with his senses to calm Alina's racing heart and smooth out her breathing. It worked, and they picked up the pace until they managed to find a cave to take shelter in. But the moment they were inside, Alina was shaking her head and turning around to go back out.
"I have to find Mal."
Tamar stepped in front of her, blocking the path. "It's too dangerous. We're no match for Kirigan."
"Kirigan will kill him!"
"Mal is tough," Nikolai said, though his tone was subdued. "He's escaped Kirigan before, and he's found us multiple times; he'll find us again."
"Or lead Kirigan to us," Zoya muttered.
Alina sank to the ground, expression fraught with devastation. The rest of them shared grim looks over her head.
"What happened to you when you killed the Stag?" Nikolai asked.
Tolya shared another wordless look with his sister. "I'm not sure, but it seems we're able to…manipulate the human body."
Tamar nodded. "I can hear everyone's heartbeats, can…sense the blood in your veins."
"That is both fascinating and a little unnerving," Nikolai replied.
"We didn't want to kill the Stag," Tamar added. "We just thought it better than letting Kirigan get it. He's powerful enough."
Nikolai nodded. "You made the right call."
He glanced at Alina, as did the rest of them, no doubt all mulling over Kirigan's claim that she was the Firebird. Tolya hadn't come across anything in legend to contradict it… But if it was true, then what did they do now? They needed Alina to get an Amplifier so she could break the eclipse. And without one, what hope did they have?