Blood Soldiers: The Second Army - Grishaverse Prequel

8 - Aleksander

After Yelena had fainted, Aleksander and the other Grisha carried her back to her house, where her father and the two Corporalki began to take care of her.

Yeva had come to find him where he'd been training the Etheralki, and they'd rushed back to see her about to take on twelve or so witch-hunters alone. Aleksander had ordered the other Grisha to take the day off from training, but he knew they wouldn't.

They all looked different after using so much of their power in combat: stronger, almost with a faint glow to their faces. He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed that there were only eight, but they were driven, and young enough that they could be moulded into the best soldiers this world had ever seen. He would make sure of it.

Aleksander paced around the small sitting room in Yelena's house as he waited for them to see what was wrong with her. She'd been covered in blood, but he'd thought her kefta would protect her from most attacks. Still, he supposed there was always the chance a stray arrow had caught her neck, or her legs. The thought didn't comfort him.

Her mother rushed in and headed upstairs to see her daughter, ignoring him entirely. Aleksander was at first a little offended, but he'd seen the pain and fear on her face. They truly cared so much about their daughter. Yelena had told him how they had begun trying to convince her to stay here with them. She wouldn't though. She couldn't. Already she'd learned so much, and she knew the Corporalki were progressing quickly with their Heartrender and Healer training. He knew she would only continue to grow in power and strength, and he was all the happier to know she would fight for their new world by his side.

After a few more minutes, the Corporalki came back downstairs, confusion on their faces.

Her father shook his head, "She is fine. Perfectly fine. Perhaps it was simply shock."

Pavel frowned, "Perhaps it was from using too much power at the one time. She snapped one of the witch-hunters bows, and then she killed seven of them at once. Those last three...It may have been a little more than she could handle."

Aleksander noticed the new light in Pavel's eyes. Apparently, the boy had taken down three of the witch-hunters without much practice of his Heartrender abilities. Impressive. Aleksander nodded to him, "Perhaps." But was that truly the limits of her power? He was sure he'd felt so much more. Maybe he should look into finding an amplifier for her.

"You can go and see her if you'd like, we woke her up," Yelena's father said.

He climbed the stairs and found her small room, her mother sitting beside her as they talked.

"I don't think I'll be getting any of that out," her mother said, frowning.

Yelena sighed, "It is a rather fearsome trophy. We could just leave it."

"Absolutely not, you're trying to win people to your cause. Not scare them away. I'll make another."

Aleksander realised they were talking about her ruined kefta. Indeed, the blood had begun to dry, clumps of it and...was that...skin? He held in a shudder. No, she couldn't wear it. But he thought of how fearsome she had looked in the red.

"Perhaps you could dye the new one red?" he said as he stood in the doorway.

"Ilya," Yelena smiled at him, before worry took over "Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, everyone's fine."

Relief flooded her features, "Good. Good."

"I really do think you should dye it red. Perhaps we could dye all the keftas. Red for the Corporalki, and well, I don't know what the other colours could be. But it would look rather striking. Red certainly suits you."