𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 S𝖊v𝖊𝖓
AS I SUSPECTED, there was no conversation throughout the whole ride back to the capital. The Darkling's piercing gaze bore through me the entire time. I could not stop thinking about what he had said. I will break you eventually. With time, you will see. Was it a threat or his friendly way of telling me that I will eventually end up like him; cold and callous? Either way, it worked. That was all I could think about on the trip back to Os Alta.
The general's carriage came to a stop in front of the Little Palace gate. The palace used to be a place where I finally felt like I was meant for more. I began to feel accepted as a Grisha. All of the people there were so hopeful of a better life. Now, I could see the truth behind the elegant decor and grand rooms. The Little Palace housed deceit and ignorant bliss, something I will never get back. However, ignorance comes with a price, and Novokribirsk just paid it. The Grisha here do not know the impeding truth. The supposed heroic general that will stop all war was also the one who tore our country apart and blamed it on an ancestor. He was the one who slaughtered his own city and their 'Sun Saint' did nothing to stop it.
From the carriage window, I watched Grisha line up in anticipation of our arrival. They had most likely just come from dinner and were eager to hear where the Black General and Sun Summoner have been for nearly two months. The cab's doors opened and Kirigan put his hand in front of me before I could step out. "The other Grisha will approach you and ask about our trip to the Fold. You will tell them that we successfully did what we needed to and there will be no more war with our country. You will then claim fatigue and retire to your room where I will meet you in fifteen minutes." He stoped and added, "And don't even think about running."
"So I'm your prisoner," I lamented with a sneer.
"No," his expression turned cold. "But if you try to run, you will learn very quickly what it is like to be my prisoner, Miss Starkov."
Before I could protest, he put his hand on the small of my back and nudged me out into the crowd of people. The first to approach me was Nadia. She hugged me and smiled. She then asked to touch my bone collar. A few Tidemakers and Inferni also gathered and ogled at the amplifier in fascination and slight envy. You can have it, I thought, but in all actuality, I would not wish this on anyone. The Darkling conveniently slithered his way out of the gathering and disappeared before I could notice. I silently cursed him for leaving me to answer all of the eager Grisha's questions about the trip and Morozova's amplifier and the events inside the Fold. I held my fake smile as I talked and begrudgingly lied about how we murdered hundreds of our own by staying vague with my words. By the end, my claim of exhaustion was not faked. I politely excused myself and slowly made my way to the bedroom. I took my time to make sure I kept him waiting. It may have been petty, but I had a right to be. The pine door to my room swung open with a creak where I met the patient eyes of Aleksander.
He sat on my bed, looking down at something and I stopped abruptly when I glimpsed what it was. He was looking at one of my sketching journals that I kept in my nightstand. I stalked up to him and tried to snatch the pages, but he blocked me and held the book out of my reach. "Give that back!" I growled.
"Did you draw this?" he asked in a scarily quiet voice, holding a sketch of the Ice Dragon. It was a hastily-made pencil drawing of a mythical creature that lived in the True Sea. I had begun to dream of it after I arrived at the Little Palace and they only came to be more frequent when the Stag's collar was bound to me, although, I did not dare tell the Darkling. His stern look made me pause for a moment before I began struggling again to get it back.
"It doesn't matter. That is not yours to look at. It was in my drawer... Did you search my things?" I asked during the horrifying realization.
"Answer my question."
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My Villain, My Balance
Fanfiction"You might make me a better man." "And you might make me a monster." ― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising PREVIEW: "I could not see it at the time," I told the Darkling. "I was too blinded by your half-truths and seduction to see clearly. You claimed m...
