My Villain, My Balance

Chapter 25: Wanting Makes Us Weak

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞-𝕱𝖎𝖛𝖊

ⓉᕼE GᑌᗩᖇᗪS ᕼEᒪᗪ Misha's arms. He thrashed in their hold, but they drug him over to the first cell like he weighed nothing, and he did compared to them. In his hands, he held a small wooden sword held together with twine. He whacked the men with as much force as his small arms could muster, which wasn't much. It was like stabbing a lion with a twig.

"What are you doing with him?" I rasped, fists clenching the iron bars, raddling the gate to get them to stop.

"Miss Alina! Tell them to let me go!" Misha shrieked. "I just did what you told me to do!"

They shoved him into the cell and locked it. Misha's face was stuck in a horrified expression which made me boil with rage. I listened to footsteps coming down the stairs, slow and dramatically echoing off the stone walls of the narrow passageway. First, I saw the dark boots, then the hem of the black kefta, and finally, he wholly emerged into the small room, returning my heated glare. As he approached my cell, all was silent except for the sniffles of little Misha.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him. I knew the answer already. He was doing this to prove a point, to enforce that just because I was the Sun Summoner did not mean I could defy him—the Darkling. The Black Heretic. He was doing it to flaunt his power over my head. That was, after all, the foundation of our relationship since the very beginning—a delicate balance of power—and it always would be. If one side of the scale tipped, it all fell down. So, no, I did not need to ask him why he was doing this, but I wanted to hear him say it so that he might listen to himself, hear how unreasonable it was, and tip the scales back in my favor.

The Darkling reached through the bars and lifted my chin carefully with two fingers. "Well, lapushka, my plan was to bring my punishment upon Baghra. That was the deal. You broke your end, so she no longer gets the privilege of her sight. But then your little friend here," he gestured to Misha, "stood in the way, refusing to move, claiming he needed to protect Baghra."

My heart sank when I remembered what I had said to him. Keep Baghra company for me while I'm gone, and keep her safe. It was because of me that he was here.

"I told him to do it. Punish me, not him."

Aleksander cocked his head and a playful smile formed on his lips, but not a friendly one. "I've learned that you are very strong-willed, Alina, but if I prick someone you care about, you bleed. So if putting you down here alone will not be punishment enough for you, I'll let you have company."

"He is a kid!" I cried.

"Yes. So maybe you will think long and hard before breaking my trust again because next time, I may not be so kind."

He nodded his head, and the two guards began ascending the stairwell. The Darkling followed close behind them, but I called out, "this is about Luda, isn't it?" He stopped abruptly; the room stilled, and when he turned, it was the first time I had seen a genuine look of surprise on his face. Saints, it felt good.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"It doesn't matter. It is, isn't it," I repeated more confidently.

"You know nothing of Luda," his voice dropped down to a dangerous tone, warning me to tread lightly.

"I know that you loved her," I said, a bit softer. He held his gaze on me, silently offering one last chance to back down, but I continued. "And I know I was the first person since her that you've shown your true self to—demons and all. It's why you are acting this way, isn't it? I broke your trust after you became vulnerable with me; after you said that you loved me..." My eyebrows raised heavenward when I thought more about it. "And you don't want to get hurt again, so you would rather lock me down here and hide your pain."