RAYA ▸ SHADOW AND BONE

10 | waiting a long time

All of the sentiment brought on by Raya's memory of her first winter fête was wiped away when she learned that the General had provided Alina with a black kefta for the party.

Genya was speaking with Marie and Nadia about the aforementioned kefta when Raya walked up to them. She cajoled Marie to reveal the topic of interest, her smile quickly faltering. At the sight, Nadia grabbed Marie's hand and quickly made an excuse so the two girls could hurry away.

Raya's eyes were now trained on the ground, a frown prominent on her lips. "Why would he do that?"

Genya watched her friend's change in attitude, reaching out to pull Raya by her side. "Because men don't think with their heads," she mumbled, leading Raya through the palace, back to her room where she knew Callus would be, ready to lick Raya's face and help her feel better.

"Why does he live to piss me off?" Raya groaned, hating that once again, she was feeling the same, regretful feelings about ever exploring any sort of relationship with the Darkling. It was clear enough that he only ever cared about himself; selfish bastard.

"The General is..."

"Vain? Self-centered? Power hungry?"

"Complicated," Genya offered. "He could have offered that kefta to Alina as some sort of political statement. Perhaps as a show of her power to the guests."

"Alina doing the demonstration, as planned, would've shown off her power to the guests. He––he––He irritates me more than I ever thought I could bear. I don't know why he's doing this but I hope for his sake, it's not the reason I think." Raya glanced out the window to see the entertainers outside before her eyes met Genya's once more. "You should go see the carnival. I know you love those troupes just as much as I do," Raya offered.

Genya shook her head, looping her arm through Raya's. "I saw them this morning. Besides, you're my friend and you're hurting. I want to be there for you. I'm not going anywhere."

The comment made Raya's heart swell. Genya reminded her of the friends she grew up with; she was just as loyal, just as good a friend.

The two spent much of the day together until it was time for them to begin getting ready for the party. Genya made Raya feel a hundred times better when she did her hair and makeup, and dressed her in the most lavish deep red gown she'd ever seen. Black gems lined the dress, their reflective surface making the dress shine when any light bounced upon it.

"Genya," Raya sighed. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Probably look like you've gotten a lot less sleep than you do now," Genya joked, making Raya chuckle. "Besides, you wouldn't look any different. You're gorgeous; all I did was accentuate that beauty."

Raya smiled once more, grabbing her friend's hand. "I don't mean what you do physically. I just appreciate you being here for me as a friend. I hope you know how much your friendship means to me."

Genya squeezed Raya's hand as they walked down to the Grand Hall together. "I can only assume as much as your friendship means to me."

The two girls entered the lavish hall, taking in the decorations, the lively conversation taking place and the intriguing entertainment in front of their eyes. They were only separated when Fedyor walked up to the pair and asked where the General was. Raya shrugged, supposing he must still be in his suite, getting ready. With a sigh, she offered to go grab him, as many of the attendees were already asking a word with him.

She wanted to speak with him about the black kefta business; about Alina calling him Aleksander. She wanted to hear what kinds of excuses he had in store this time; she was ready to put him in his place.

She stopped by a pair of familiar large, black wooden doors that led to the Darkling's suite. The doors were cracked open a foot or two and, as soon as Raya looked inside, she wished she hadn't.

Her breath caught in her throat, muscles halting movement. General Kirigan stood in front of the strategy table, dressed in his signature black kefta. And, in front of him in a matching kefta stood Alina Starkov, her lips pressed firmly to his.

Darkness clouded Raya's vision now, her breathing deep and uneven. She watched them pull away, her lips tightening when the General cupped Alina's cheek.

His next words echoed in Raya's head an innumerable amount of times in the next few days; in fact, looking back on it now, she wasn't sure that dreadful sentence ever really ever left her thoughts.

"I've been waiting a long time for you."

With that, Raya's calm, unmoving demeanor changed in a flash. Her eyes were now deep-set, brows furrowing and lips pursed. The smiling, happy Raya was nowhere to be found. She was instead replaced by this bitter and vindictive Raya, who had fire coursing through her veins.

She turned on her heel, steps echoing loudly as she walked down the hall in a blind rage. She happened upon a First Army officer on duty. "You," she seethed, "Go tell the General he should spend as much time attending to his guests as he does attending to the Sun Summoner."

"I don't take orders from you, magiya razuma," he spat at her as she walked away.

Raya halted, turning on her heel to face the man once more. From several feet away, Raya held a hand up, fingers curling as she felt the bond fully form, and ordered, "Do as I say."

Without another word, the soldier turned and made his way towards the Darkling's quarters. Raya needed a walk to cool down before she could go back to the Grand Hall. So, she took off her heels, held them in her hand and started making her way around the palace. She walked along wings she'd never explored before, rooms she didn't even know existed. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to ease her fury; nothing seemed to distract her from it, either.

That is, until her eyes caught the figure of a guard walking down an empty hallway, or rather her eyes caught his limp. She curiously watched as the guard stopped for a moment, using the wall for support as he clutched his leg. Her brows furrowed when he took his headpiece off for a moment, running a gloved hand through his jet black hair. After a moment, he placed the hat back on and started to stroll forward again, limp barely visible this time.

Raya quickly caught up to the stranger, hand shooting out to grab his arm before turning him around to face her. Her own hazel eyes met with a familiar pair of ocean blues ones she could spot from a mile away.

"Kaz," she breathed out.