"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady."
Well, it was time to come clean. So why couldn't I say anything? Why weren't the words coming out?
"Well," the Darkling prompted, "who are you?"
I suppose I could answer that. With an encouraging nod from Mother, I turned to the Darkling, providing the answers long overdue.
"I serve you as your general in the future, moi tsar," I bowed. "One of them, anyway."
"Tsar?" Mother asked her face a picture of surprise and concern.
"Not yet," he muttered, perhaps remembering what I said before. He decided to continue with this area of questioning.
"Generals," he emphasised, "Who are the others?"
"Alistair, my brother..."
"Is he a summoner too?" Mother piped in.
"Yes..."
" A Shadow or a Sun Sum..." the Darkling interjected.
"Enough!" I boomed. "Can't I get through one sentence without your interruptions?"
Mother raised her hands in apology, beckoning me to continue. The Darkling looked like he had been struck by Baghra's cane. I almost lost my resolve.
"He's a shadow summoner like you, moi ts... soverenyi..."
I saw unease flicker across his face as I used the title. It seemed to be a recurring reaction.
"And like me," Mother began, you're a su..."
"Shadow summoner. I'm a shadow summoner too," I finished for her.
With a flick of my wrist, I called the shadows, proving my point. And adding to Mother's confusion. Unfortunately, the Darkling picked up on this.
"Is something amiss, Miss Starkov?"
"I... I just... thought Leksi..."
The General's eyes widened.
"So you do know her..."
He turned to face me, his stare threatening but not a threat.
"How is this possible, Leksi?"
"Mother and I share some kind of summoner's connection. We can't control it, but it is how we met."
YOU ARE READING
The Summoners' Heir
FanfictionBorn to both light and shadows, I'm respected but feared. I have lived many centuries and served as a general under the Darkling and Mother's reign. In a desperate attempt to flee an ambush, I unknowingly used merzost. Little did I know that I had r...
