The tyrant's daughter

Chapter 9

Ravka: The Grand Palace

Viktoriya's POV

Do I really smell like spices and the night?

 And how does he know what night smells like?

 Does it have a distinctive scent?

Why am I racking my brains?

Forget it, he might be sleepy.

It had been almost two hours since my conversation with Nikolai and I couldn't sleep. I had been repeating his words in my head, trying to contemplate it's meaning or motives and hadn't come up with anything, all the while he was in deep sleep. How can someone fall asleep so fast? Was he going to say something afterwards? 

Stop! You're doing it agai-

A rattle of chains demanded my attention, and I sat up straight.

 No, he had just changed his side. Relief flooded through me. I still had absoloutely no idea what to expect. I would never admit this to anyone, but I was terrified of the unknown and I couldn't even fall asleep due to the constant anticipation. On top of that, I had to try not to die and expel that thing out of him, while not hurting him. I love my life.

I sighed and curled up against the velvet chair again. I've had plenty of sleepless nights before, mostly because I was avoiding nightmares, but I was tired and needed the sleep. So, I did what relaxed me....I sang, a lullaby to be specific. My mother used to sing it to me when I was young.

My eyes started to droop as the last line ended and darkness followed.

***

It was a new dream. No skiffs, no shadow fold.

I was sitting on a very uncomfortable albeit gorgeous golden throne, kept on a raised dais. It was the same as the one I had seen in the throne room, but even more grand up close. The armrests were adorned with black diamonds and sapphires in swirling patterns. I was dressed in the finest silk kefta I had ever seen. It was pitch black with blue, embroidered borders and a light diamond necklace. I felt like royalty.

A tall man was standing before me with his back turned towards hundreds no, thousands of people listening to him. He was dressed similar to me and had hair the colour of a raven's wing.

I noticed a similar throne to my right, an eclipsed sun was carved into it. He turned towards me, while adressing the crowd and smiled. My heart stopped. I could never forget those stormy grey eyes that haunted my dreams, the inhuman beauty that kept the malice hidden and those pronounced cheekbones and mouth like mine. My breath hitched.

"Princess, come greet your subjects.", he said in a calm, cold voice. As if he was controlling them, my feet straightened and I walked towards him. The people roared in approval. Or was it anger?

He placed a hand on my shoulder and I tensed. I wanted to pull away, but it felt as if I was trapped in my mind and couldn't control my limbs. "Show them what you truly are, moya lapushka." My darling, really? I wanted to snort.

He suddenly grabbed my hand and something inside me stirred. I tried, and failed to keep my powers in check and they curled from my hands. There was a loud crack and the world was enveloped in darkness. I could still feel his large, calloused hand over mine, coaxing my shadows to do their worst.

I could hear the beat of leathery wings and the screeches of the volcra. Had I used merzost?The people screamed and I heard a couple of children wailing. "STOP! Stop this!", I shouted over the commotion. To my surprise, he let go and the darkness receded. There were no volcra, no bloodshed, but the people looked shaken and pale as if I had shown them their worst nightmare.