Salem Starkov is Alina Starkov's cousin who like her is a cartographer for the first army but when they both unexpectedly enter the Fold on a mission they are both exposed as people of myth, but the real question is, is everything in the myths true?
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Instead of going straight to dinner I head to the library and hunt for the book that contains the myth of the Lightning Summoner. I find seven different copies of the text and all say the same thing "The Lightning Summoner will be the most powerful of all Grisha, destined to rule A Kingdom fun of misery and disappear, transforming it into a place of culture and where people of all backgrounds can be safe. She will do this with The Dark Prince by her side and then and only then will no one challenge her rule. For together they are unstoppable" in some texts they talk about the dark prince being her equal in power and others talk about him having a defect of some kind meaning people often over looked him. Surely that can't be general Kirigan, he ins't my equal in power and he doesn't have a defect. He got it wrong and I should be relieved but for some reason I don't, I just feel dread.
I make my way to dinner and I place myself next to Darla, both of us being Etheralki. I will never get used to thinking of myself this way, "how was the meeting?" she asks as we tuck into our food. Mine was taste tested before hand to make sure it wasn't poisoned which made me feel rather uncomfortable "it was- um it was fine" I say my eyes wandering to The Darkling sitting on his own, all in black obviously and he is already looking at me. I look down at me plate and continue eating letting Darla carry the conversation.
My next days are filled with learning about amplifiers, trying to use my power (to no avail) and training with Karlan (kirigan is off somewhere on a mission), I am about to fall asleep on my third night in the Little Palace when my window slowly creeps open, my heart starts racing and I don't say anything instead I pretend to be asleep, trying to keep my breathing even. I can hear the persons footsteps coming slowly over to the bed and I open my eyes just in time to see a dagger being dangled in front of me. I scream and scramble away, the man, I am certain it is a man, climbs onto the bed and grabs my ankle pulling me towards him. I fight back but he is stronger then I am and I am now pinned underneath him. "please" I beg my voice high with fear, the man flashes an evil smile "you shouldn't exist" he says, his voice rough like sand paper. My hands are pinned to my sides and what I have read about the Small Science is that a Grisha needs to put their hands together before they summon. My mind flashes back to the attack in the woods and how my hands where at my sides then and I still managed to summon. But how did I do it?
slowly I take. deep breath and close my eyes, picturing lightning forming in the clouds above us, I feel the power rumble inside me and electricity running through my veins. When I open my eyes lightning shoots from the palms of my hands shooting up and frying the man coming to kill me. He screams in pain and I manage to shove him off as the guards come rushing in. I am against the far wall, my hands shaking and a feeling of dread in my stomach, "Miss Starkov what happened?' one of the guards asks but I can't take my eyes off of the body. I killed him, I took another person's life, this isn't the first time but this was different, I wanted to kill him. If you hadn't have done it, you would be the body on the bed right now Salem, I reassure myself, I look over at the guard and say "he um, he came in through the window and he tried to kill me" my voice shaking. The guards whisper something between each other and one escorts me down the hall to another room "stay here for tonight my lady, we will double security. This won't happen again" before he can walk away I ask "can I stay with Alina?" he hesitates and looks down the empty hall a though an answer lies there.
"ok" he says and escorts me to my cousins room, inside she is already awake and she pats the space next to her on the bed and without saying anything I climb in. I curl up into her side and she strokes my hair "I am here Salem, I am here" she soothes and together we fall asleep.
I am in a bright room, the sun leaking in through all of the windows "mama?" I call out in a voice younger than my own. A woman, about 30 appears a giant smile on her face "ah my beautiful sweet girl" she says coming over and cupping my face. I haven't seen her in almost 13 years and the thought of that brings tears to my eyes. As they fall my mother wipes them away and says "don't cry, I have come to tell you something" I hold her hands as they still cup my face urging her to continue, "I am so incredibly proud of the young woman you have become sweet girl but I must warn you. People will be after that power you have, they will think it makes you dangerous" I nod my head and drop my hands "I know mama, a man tried to kill me tonight". She sighs, sadness and regret painted all over her face "worse is yet to come sweet one" she tells me "they will not only seek to destroy you but some will seek to control you. Don't let them control you Salem" I am about to say something back when I am pulled from my dream.
"Sal, Sal wake up" my cousin says shaking me away, groaning I turn over and wince at the light shining in the room "what happened?' I ask my voice rough from sleep. I look over to the half Shu girl who is sitting with her legs crossed facing me, her palm is up with light balancing in it, "you were crying" she says and I sit up in awe of the magic she is prodigy right now "Lina, you can summon" I say completely entranced, she smiles brightly and moves the light up and down her hand "because of a lot of hitting from Baghra" she says and I notice the scar on the palm of her hand is gone. "You got Genya to erase it" I whisper and she looks at her hand, her eyes sad and she says "it is time to move on, Mal has probably forgotten abuts by now" I shake my head and sit closer so our knees are touching "Mal hasn't forgotten us Alina, we are his best friends. he wouldn't" although I am not so sure any more. We have written him countless letters over the last few weeks and we haven't gotten a single reply.
There I an awkward silence and I stifle a yawn "lets just try to sleep for a few more hours" and I fall back onto the bed.
