The True Saint

The Hidden Room

I'm really proud of this part of the story and I hope you guys like it too! Surprise; it's in multiple perspectives :) Enjoy! <3

Mal's POV

"Hey, do you see that?" Nikolai perks up next to me. His head peaks out of the stable window. I recognize what he sees. It is a flashing light coming from the Grand Palace. That must be our cue.

"Let's go!" I say while grabbing my rifle. I only have a few bullets left. I need to use them wisely.

I run close behind Nikolai, making sure no Grisha see us. I practically run into him as he stops suddenly.

"What are you doing?" I whisper annoyed.

"Run," Nikolai proclaims before grabbing something from out of his pocket.

I don't question him as I sprint in the other direction. A deafening blast erupts as Nikolai joins me in fleeing from it.

"Saints! What was that?"

"Just a small homemade bomb, it should draw their attention for a bit."

I stare at Nikolai in complete terror. "A bomb? How long have you had a bomb in your pocket!"

"No need to dwell on unimportant things."

"I think that is a very important thing if you had that the whole time just rolling around in your pock-"

"Shh, the guards are coming."

I fume in silence at his cockiness. We hide behind a statue in the courtyard. I peak my head out to see Squallers and some Inferni rush out of the Grand Palace. Now it's my turn.

The palace doors are now unprotected, which makes it easy to get in. The Grand Palace looks even larger on the inside than from the exterior. It's going to take a while to find the Darkling, but it will be worth it once I get to see Alina again. She can get the power to kill the Black Heretic and we can go somewhere quiet. We always talked about starting an orphanage in Karamzin.

There are voices coming from a hallway on the other side of the foyer. I sneak past some Fabrikators having a conversation. To my relief, when I look down the corridor, I see the Darkling surrounded by men and women. They all seem to be scribbling down what he says on paper. One looks over in my direction and I hastily duck behind the wall.

As long as he stays in this wing of the palace, he should be out of Alina's path. I just need to divert him if he tries to leave. It shouldn't be that difficult.

I slowly peek back around the corner. To my horror, the Darkling is nowhere to be found. I silently curse myself for thinking this would be easy. I just need to find him.

I walk swiftly down the hallway. The hall turns left at the end, so he could have only gone one way. I see a black piece of fabric turn the corner at the end of the next corridor. I start towards it. When I turn the corner, I spot him. The Darkling is running. He didn't spot me, so what could the Darkling be running from? ... Or towards.

Alina, what did you do?

Alina's POV

There are so many books to look through in such a short time. I don't know how I am going to find it.

I need to think like the Darkling. Where would he hide a dangerous book that could defeat him? He wouldn't leave the book in plain sight. This library is used by all Grisha in the palace, so he would need to hide it from them.

I walk past the bookshelves to the back of the library. I notice a section on the wall that looks out of place. There is a lantern hanging on the wall above a wooden cabinet. The light is hung too close to the cabinet to place anything on top of it. All of the other cupboards have an oil lamp set on the surface. I haul the cabinet away from the wall and take the lantern off of its hook. The hanger raddles when I grab the light. I summon an orb of sunshine to examine it better. When I wiggle the hook, it seems too loose. I twist it up so that it sits horizontally and this releases some sort of lock in the wall. There is a clank that makes me jump. The wall shifts, causing the wallpaper to tear.

A hidden door. Of course! It seems a little cliche to me, but then again, so is the Darkling.

I pull on the hook and the door opens stiffly. Inside there is a small room with a table placed in the middle. It has papers and documents scattered across it. In the center, there is a book with a deep black cover. It gets my attention immediately as I walk towards it. The cover simply reads: 'Merzost'. I pick up the book and suddenly feel its pull. Merzost is calling me. Like a siren's song, I fall deeper into its grasp. I feel the possible power that Merzost could give me if I use it.

I hear a clear, low voice in my head. It talks with good reasons, but deep down, I know it is evil.

Open the cover, child. Think of all the potential you are wasting by denying your fate. Just read the words and you can have unlimited power. You can possess the ability of creation itself. What are you waiting for?

I have to snap out of this. I can't use Merzost yet. It's too soon. I hear a different voice that is muffled and far away. It sounds so familiar and home-like.

Alina Alina. Alina!

"Alina, Run!" I snap out of my trance to see Mal running through the library, towards me. He is yelling to get my attention. I try to call back to him, but my throat starts to close and the air leaves my lungs. I start gasping for air to no avail. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a Heartrender in the hidden room with me and everything starts to make sense. The Darkling found me.

To my horror, I watch the Darkling enter the library, running up behind Mal. I try to scream for him to move but the Heartrender is relentless. I start to taste blood in my mouth as my lungs are being crushed within me. Mal aims his rifle at the Heartrender. At the same time, the Darkling raises his hands in an arc motion and shadows form in a blade between his palms. My vision begins to go blurry as he aims the Cut at Mal. I try to shout, but it comes out as a sob. My vision goes out entirely and I am consumed with the darkness of forced sleep.