𝑺𝒎𝒐𝒌𝒆 | 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒙 𝑶𝑪

Five

Jolana was very used to riding horses but it seems that Alina was not because she requested they take a break because her tailbone was hurting.

Once Alina got off the horse she was all wobbly and tried to steady herself. Jolana was also quite unstable she just did a better job of hiding it. Alina stepped far away from the General and when he attempted to step closer she tried to keep her distance. Only stepping closer to grab the handkerchief he offered.

Jolana just tried to keep a low profile. She didn't want to do anything wrong. 

"What happened back there?"

"Drüskelle, Elite members of the Fjerdan military trained to infiltrate deep behind our lines and kill or kidnap Grisha,"

"I only met a few near the Fjerdan border," Jolana added. The General's attention turned to her, she was uncomfortable but continued. "They were always much more skilled than the simple foot soldiers we were tasked to deal with,"

"I wasn't asking about them, sir," she punctuated the end of her sentence, his head turned back to Alina, "I meant how you sliced one of them in half from a dozen paces,"

He seemed peeved, "Would you rather I'd used a sword?"

She thought for a second but all she could come up with was "I don't know. Sorry,"

"It's fine," He stepped closer to Alina and Jolana watched as an onlooker. "There is matter to everything. Even air. Or shadow. Too small to see. The Cut is something a Summoner can do but it requires tremendous skill and I would only use it as a last resort. Like that ambush,"

"Is this my life now? Hunted wherever I go,"

"You get used to it,"

"Saints," Jolana muttered under her breath.

"Alina," he stepped a step closer to her, "Your little light show in the Fold was visible from miles away, whatever their original mission was, they must have diverted to find you. Their friends and anyone tracking you will find the field your friend vaporized and now will know the direction your going, which is why I'm traveling with you,"

"They're that scared of you?" Jolana asked

He turned to face Jolana and said calmly, "I think they are more scared of Miss Starkov,"

"Why would they be scared of me?" Alina asked. It seems the pair of young women were full of questions.

"What your power means to us. You may well be the first of your kind, but we've always had a name for you. For what we hope you can do. Enter the Fold. Destroy it from within. With proper training and some amplification, you could-"

"No!" She cut him off.

"No?" Jolana said quietly more to herself than anyone else

"I don't want any of this. Why can't you get rid of it?" Alina questioned the General.

"You think I haven't tried, Miss Starkov. If I enter the fold I'm a beacon for the volcra. All I can do is make it worse,"

"There must be a way," Jolana offered, "With all the Grisha science there must be a way to transfer it to someone else who wants it,"

"Yes, exactly Jolana. Someone who could actually use it," Alina bargained

"You would give up your gift?"

"Gift? You dragged me away from my only friends and now according to you, I'll be a target for the rest of my life. You know why you've never found someone with this power? Maybe it's because they don't want to be found!" Alina stepped up to him showing that she wasn't scared of him.

"Miss Sokolov, you were tested as a child weren't you?" he asked suddenly, still facing Alina as he spoke.

"I don't remember,"

"Miss Starkov, were you were tested as a child?"

"We hid, didn't want to be even more different, more alone,"

He now turned to look at Jolana "Miss Sokolov, would you give up your gift? Would you give up your abilities to stay in an army where you might starve to death or die in the fold?"

"Me and Alina aren't the same,"

"Well, you're more alike than you'd think. Both of you somehow got past the testers, both have an extraordinary gift, and you're around the same age,"

"Alina has the gift, the world-changing gift, the fold destroying gift. There's much more pressure on her than there is for me,"

"Your fire is-"

"That's not even the biggest difference, she had something to miss while she is off being the savior and all that stuff. I don't have anything to go back to, no friends, no family, no real big passion to go die in the fold,"

Alina exasperatedly said, "You can't blame me for wanting all of that,"

"She wants to live her old life, even as she forced into a new one, I didn't want to live that old life and I get to start a new one," Jolana said simply. General Kirigan's gaze lingered on Jolana before getting back on the horse. They were getting closer to the Little Palace. The Palace for the Grisha, their new home.