You Must Know The Darkness To Appreciate The Light

🔆🌙 Chapter 3 🔆🌙

I followed, or more accurately, was dragged by, the Darkling across the lawn and through the halls of the Grand Palace to his office. "What did you tell them?"

I wrenched my arm free. "Worried about your reputation, fiancé?"

"No games, Alina. What did you tell them?"

I made an exasperated gesture and shrugged. "I don't know, nothing important. I told them about the orphanage, about how my powers got discovered. Life in the First Army."

He glared at me. "If you are lying, all your friends will suffer."

"What damage to you possibly think I could have done by chatting and making friends?"

"You were trying turn my Grisha against me!" the Darkling never raised his voice, but he did now.

"I was following your orders to meet and talk with them!"

"I didn't order you to tell lies."

"I wasn't!"

He stepped towards me, I backed up. I didn't know what he intended, but after last time, I didn't want to find out. The Darkling's brows furrowed and he continued towards me. I backed into the wall. I was trapped. I started rubbing at my neck anxiously. He stopped and his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Your neck."

The collar of my kefta had come undone, the bruise in full view. He reached out. I tried my hardest not to flinch as he gently touched the dark reddish-purple mark.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, you meant to kill me, I assume?"

"Alina, please. I truly am sorry."

I was shocked by how remorseful he sounded. A minute of uncomfortable silence passed between us. "We should go. We'll be eating with the rest of the Grisha in the Little Palace."

I fixed the collar of my kefta and nodded, glad to get away from here and being alone with him. "Yes, we should. Before anyone thinks we were making ourselves busy in over ways."

"What would be harm in letting them think so?" I scowled at him. "I don't need rumors or any other ideas spread around."

His eyebrows raised. "What kind of rumors?"

I rolled my eyes. He truly was oblivious sometimes. "You don't want to know." I walked to the door and yanked it open. "Let's go. Please."

The Grisha stood when we entered the Great Hall, but the Darkling waved for them to continue with their meal. We sat at the Darkling's ebony table, servants scurrying around us. They placed our meals in front of us, and I wasn't surprised to find it consisted of herring and rye. He never does change, does he? I wasn't hungry anyway.

Everyone else ate, I surveyed them. I recognized Valentin, Nikita, Polina among those at the Summoner's table.
Ivan, Fedyor, and a few other Heartrenders and a few Healers who's names I didn't remember sat at the Corporalki table. The Alkemi from the pavilions sat with a single Durast at the Materialki table. Fabrikators rarely attended dinner, usually too busy in their workshops.

"So," the Darkling took a sip of his water. "I don't remember that crack in the dome being there, at least not when I lived here last."

I looked up. A huge jagged crack shot through the dome above the room, it had since been patched but it still stood out like a sore thumb. "I suppose it must have happened when your nichevo'ya attacked.

He wasn't fooled by my lie. "What really happened to it?"

"It was just a little accident."

He tipped his head, waiting for me to continue. I played with a wrinkle in the tablecloth. "I tried to kill someone using the Cut. I hit the dome instead."