RAYA ▸ SHADOW AND BONE

07 | magiya razuma

Alina spent the morning going riding with the General and it wouldn't have bothered Raya so much had Genya not mentioned the smile gracing the Darkling's face when they returned to the Little Palace.

Raya was the only one who made him smile. She didn't care how jealous or possessive she sounded.

Herself and Genya were walking past the courtyard when the Tailor told Raya something particularly interesting. They ran into the General for the first time that day. Neither luck nor the Saints were on his side then, Raya swore it.

When he walked over to them, she crossed her arms over her chest, asking, "Why did you tell me not to worry about Morozova's Stag and then send out word for the First Army to go find it?"

General Kirigan's dark eyes wavered to Genya then, who had told Rays the news.

"Don't look at her. Why are you looking at her? Look at me," Raya snapped.

The Darkling sighed, turning to the girl before him. "It's just a precaution."

"What is?" Raya asked, hearing Genya slip away quietly to give them some privacy.

"If the stag exists... if the stories are true... we could find it, use its power."

"I told you all this last night and you brushed it away without a second thought. Care to tell me what changed your mind?" His eyes broke contact with her and she scoffed. His ride with Alina had clearly provided him with a change of heart. "Fucking hell." She turned on her heel and walked away.

"Raya, stop," he tried, walking up to her and easily keeping step with her short strides. "Don't blame Alina."

"Oh, I don't. I wholeheartedly blame you. I'm just curious as to why you'd believe the words of a girl you just met over mine."

To that, General Kirigan didn't have an answer. Even if he had, Raya was done with the conversation; she didn't want to hear what he had to say. So, she scoffed one last time before turning on her heel and making her way back inside.

Sitting inside her room, Raya realized that the Little Palace had changed greatly since she first arrived here.

Raya reached up to clutch the necklace tight between her fingers. The wings on it pricked her skin but she couldn't have cared less at that moment.

She gazed up to see the First Army guards still stationed around her—two in front and two behind—as they led her to a large, dark, wooden door in the east wing of the Little Palace. They knocked before entering and Raya followed, her grip on the necklace loosening until her hand laid by her side. The guards moved away once she entered the room, instead choosing to stand by the door.

Raya's eyes wandered along the dark walls of the large room, covered in elegant wallpaper, lined with what looked like real gold. The designs were intricately made, each unique and unrepeated. Her eyes followed them until they happened upon a figure dressed in a black kefta, facing away from her.

Her blood ran cold as she recalled all the gruesome stories she'd heard of the Darkling.

Yet, when he turned to face her, she couldn't seem to connect those terrifying stories to the face looking back at her now. He looked innocent and quiet, harmless even. He offered Raya a soft smile, going to make his way towards her.

Out of instinct, she backed away a few steps until a guard gripped her arm, forcing her back.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, pulling her arm away from his grasp as she glared at the nameless soldier.

"Relax," the Darkling's soothing voice spoke, his tone nearly making Raya drop her guard. "We're not here to hurt you."

"When they found out about my power, your men dragged me from my home to this ugly building. You can't actually expect me to believe you mean well."

The Darkling's eyes narrowed upon the guards behind her. "My men were given strict orders not to harm you," he growled. "They will be dealt with appropriately."

Feeling his eyes on her made Raya anxious. She reached up again, subconsciously, and gripped the pendant hanging around her neck.

"What's that around your neck?" The Darkling asked softly, slowly making his way over to Raya and pulling her fingers away from the necklace. He took the charm in his hand.

"It's a crow."

"Intelligent birds," the Darkling remarked, eyebrows quirking when Raya wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pulled his hand away from her pendant. "Well known for their adaptability..." He met her eyes once more. "What's your name?"

"Raya."

"Raya..." He tried it out. "You're special... no one else has your power. You have a gift, you know?"

Raya's jaw slacked. "If it was a gift, you wouldn't be treating it like a weapon."

"I don't want to use your power, Raya," he explained.

"Really? Then why haul me across the True Sea? Across the Fold?"

"Ravka's at war."

"Ravka's always been at war," Raya scoffed.

"Yes, but before, there was never anything—anyone—strong enough to put a stop to it."

"I'm not your savior. I'm not some sort of Sun Summoner who can just destroy the Fold and end the wars with Fjerda and the Shu."

"You can control people!"

"I'm very well aware," she answered. "You'd think I had magiya razuma tattooed across my forehead with the amount of times I heard your soldiers say it around me. At least come up with something more creative than mind-bender."

Again, the Darkling seemed frustrated with the lack of intelligence from the First Army. "Raya, I need your help. No one else can do what you do. With your assistance, we stand a fighting chance at this war—at ending this war."

"And what exactly do you expect me to do?"

"You can help us get answers from any enemies we capture. Maybe even turn them to join our cause. They'll have no choice but to listen to you."

Raya's lips pursed. "This is exactly why I skipped my test. I don't want to be used; I don't want to be anyone's weapon."

"This can be your purpose, Raya... haven't you ever wanted a purpose? A reason for getting up everyday? For something bigger than yourself? Something that could heal our world?"

Those words changed everything for Raya. She grew up in the slums—without parents, sometimes without food or proper clothing. Maybe she could make a difference. Maybe the part she played could lead to even one less hungry and homeless child on the streets. Maybe he was right—maybe it could heal their world.

And, if that meant leaving home for a while, the sacrifice would be worth it.

"Okay. I'm in."