Immortal Love - Darkling ff. -English version-

Chapter 1 - Cartographers

The car rumbled over another pothole on the road and everyone in the car was shaken up. The car drove without already not necessarily elegant. The whole way you were jolted and shaken. But what more could you expect from a military vehicle. There one did not possess necessarily luxury. Unless you were a Grisha. And in the First Army they were considered very arrogant and thought they were something better.

I sat next to my childhood friend Alina the whole time and kept silent. I never liked the rides in those rickety companions. But I had no choice but to endure them. Lost in thought, I stroked a strand of my long, dark hair out of my face, which flowed smoothly over my shoulders. I watched Alina, who continued to draw on one of her maps the entire trip, apparently not minding the jostling, because her drawing was as neat as ever. I envied her a bit for her talent.

Alina and I had known each other since we were little and grew up together in the orphanage of Duke Keramsov of Keramzin. Together with our best friend Mal we were almost inseparable. Although at some point I noticed that Alina had a crush on Mal and Mal probably had a crush on Alina. I liked to call myself incapable of relationships, because I was never interested in any of the boys and girls I had met so far. It was as if my heart was saying wait, not yet.

"Alina how do you do it in here?"

"Jiggling improves texture."

The emerging conversation snapped me out of my thoughts. The blond Alexei had leaned over Alina's shoulder and was looking at her drawing. All the while, he was rubbing his hands together. Apparently he's freezing just like me, I thought to myself. Another cartographer now joined the conversation.

"The shadow Fold looks different to me, though. I would need the view from your land."

I hated it when people reduced Alina to her looks. My friend was half Shu and the Shu were enemies of Ravka. Many people acted dismissively toward Alina because of this and made her feel unwelcome in her homeland. I had gotten into trouble from time to time for passionately defending my best friend. Now I was angrily glaring at the cartographer sitting across from me.

"Just so you know, you pea brain. Alina grew up here. Now let it go."

The cartographer opened his mouth once more to retort something spiteful, but he only conceded a kick to the shin. Alina hadn't said a word during the whole thing, just stared dejectedly at her hands. I put a hand on her arm and smiled encouragingly at her. Satisfied, I saw the corners of Alina's mouth twitch.

From the front, the curtain that covered the small window to the driver's cabin was pulled back. A blonde woman eyed the cartographers sitting in the back.

"We'll be there in five minutes. Pack everything up and if you leave anything you will not get a replacement for it, you hear. "

Everyone packed up their things and prepared to arrive. I fiddled with my bag, locked it and set it down on my knees. The car was jolted by another pothole. No one paid attention to this, however, as it had become the norm on their trip. What startled everyone and made some blanch were loud, inhuman screams. And everyone knew what it was.

Volkra. Monsters that lived in the shadow fold and avoided the light. It is said that they were created with the fold. By the Black Heretic, a very powerful Grisha, who, however, gave his life during the creation. And now centuries later it still exists. And several people and Grisha have lost their lives there. Mal's parents, Alina's parents and probably my parents too.

She used to think why nobody goes around the corridor then. The simple answer of old Ana Kuza was that we, that is Ravka in the north are held in check by the Fjerda and in the south by the Shu Han. So, if you wanted to go from east Ravka to west Ravka, or even vice versa, you had to go right through the shadow fold with the Volkra.