"you want freedom, I can grant it to you."
"do not give me hope. that is a luxury I cannot afford."
***
{S&B s1-?}
{the darkling x oc}
{through heaven's eyes :: book one}
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☼☼☼☼☼☼
HER EYES WATCHED THE FLAMES flicker back and forth, wondering how much of it was Vadoma's doing and how much of it was natural.
Her classmate still hadn't mastered her control over the volatile matter and sat just a few feet away from the fireplace, the orange flames licking her face, illuminating Vadoma's bronze skin as she ran a hand through her ebony locks. They were much darker than Reyka's own, having spent most of her time in the Inferni's personal training room where little damage could occur. Reyka was always out with the Tidemakers, using the lake as a spot of rejuvenation and isolation when it got too stressful at the Little Palace.
As a result the ends of her glossy brown hair bleached themselves naturally in the sunlight, giving the Suli girl even more of a glow than she usually had.
"What saint are you praying to this time?" Reyka deadpanned, pulling her exhausted friend from her stupor, her kefta nearly catching on fire from how close she'd been to the flames, ink blots on her nose.
Vadoma let out a sigh and faced her, leaning against the wall, her back cracking as she did so. Reyka arched a brow. Vadoma shut her eyes in annoyance. "I'll see a Heartrender about that tomorrow," She sighed, wiping the ink away.
Reyka shook her head, "A Heartrender can hardly fix bad posture. I'm afraid you'll have creaky bones forever."
A pillow flew through the air and Reyka skillfully dodged it, her laughter puncturing the air before sending one sailing back, landing squarely in Vadoma's face. The younger girl let out an 'oomph' before blowing the lone strands of hair obscuring her vision away with a sigh.
"Kamren thinks there's a chance I could earn an amplifier." Vadoma explained, tossing the book she'd been studying close to the ornate bed railing. "She's having me search possible places we can go."
Reyka plopped down on the floor, pulling the book closer to her. It was a list of places Inferni had visited for amplifiers before. She recognized a few of them, bristling when she caught sight of the village near the edge of Os Alta. The same one she'd been taken from before. Reyka arched a brow. "These all look pretty isolated, are you sure about this?"
Vadoma sighed and took the book back, propping it up on her knees, "No, but I have no other choice. If I can't control the damn flames..." She didn't need to finish the sentence. Reyka had seen firsthand what happened to Grisha that couldn't control their abilities. All of Ravka had.
It sat in the middle of the continent, an ugly black scar that not even the most talented of Inferni could pass through.
"Besides," Vadoma continued, peering at the book once again, "It's not like I had Mayakovsky to foster my talents."
Reyka groaned at the obvious dig. It was all she'd been hearing since she'd taught herself the Cut to slice down a particularly annoying tree when she was sixteen.
