The True Saint

Unavoidable War

        "Queen Leyti," Aleksander addresses. "I did not expect to see you of all people here. I noticed that you disappeared from my wife's ball fairly quickly. It is strange." He gives a dry chuckle. "You left nearly the same time that my wife was kidnapped. And now you are here... but let's save the fraudulence. Princess Makhi has already informed me of your plans to aid Fjerda in targeting our Second Army with jerda parem."

        "We are not the enemy."

        "Yet you share the idea that Grisha should be cut open and studied."

        "Yes, I do believe that they should not be in a place of power nor should they be soldiers of a country," she huffs. "but that is not why I took the deal with King Grimjer. Sure I would gain a piece of useless Ravkan land from it, but I was forced to help Fjerda. This is much bigger than you and I."

        "Bigger than the only surviving leaders of the East?" I question.

        "Yes, Sun Summoner. You are interfering with a situation that you do not know the half of. I am here in hopes that we can stop this before Fjerda erases the borders and claims all of it as their own."

        I stare at her in shock, but Aleksander's eyes narrow in skepticism. "Then tell us the full story, Queen Leyti. What makes this bigger than the reigning monarchy?"

        She sighs shakily and begins her explanation. "A couple of months ago, before your wedding, I was approached by a group of Fjerdan extremists. The Störningar<The Disruptions>. They share their late king's beliefs that Grisha should be executed, but they also want Fjerda to be a world power. The only world power. They thought that their king was not doing enough to ensure Fjerda's power."

        "The Störningar," Aleksander restates. "I am aware of who they are. They have always been suppressed and quieted by the Fjerdan government from doing any real harm."

        "Until now," Leyti warns in a low voice. "They threatened my family. I was to help King Grimjer's plan if I wanted my children and grandchildren to live. Grimjer had his own strategy to kill the Ravkan royalty because you are Grisha, but the extremist group believed that the King would smudge the opportunity given to him. They want Fjerda to be unchallenged at being the most powerful country and Grimjer was only focused on ridding the land of Grisha. The Störningar wanted their king dead," she accentuates in her Shu accent. "He was only a roadblock to their rule and their plan of remaking the maps. Grimjer dug his own grave which gave the Störningar an opening. They have most likely already taken over the Fjerdan government. Without their king, a country can only retain anarchy for so long."

        My head is spinning. Everything is starting to make more sense. Grimjer played out his own plan, but there is always someone more evil and dangerous than the one before. Grimjer was only a temporary threat. Now a group even more deranged has taken over and wants to wreak havoc on all of their enemies. Where Grimjer only wanted the destruction of Grisha, the Störningar want world domination. I am beginning to see why the Darkling cannot see peace as an option. There is always one added threat once another is vanquished...

        "So why tell us? Are you proposing peace between Shu Han and Ravka?" I ask.

        "More of a temporary alliance. I will give the order for Grisha to not be interfered with in Shu Han and a mutual military access agreement. In return, Ravka will do everything in its power to stop the Störningar from succeeding, seeing that you border Fjerda. I like the way maps are drawn now, I do not wish for it to display Fjerda from north to south. Do we have a deal?"

        "What of your family?" Aleksander questions. "When it is known that you have betrayed the extremist group, they will send their men to kill them and you."

        "Which is why I trust that you will end the group and this war quickly before they can find out, using everything at your disposal. And I mean everything."

        Aleksander and I both know what she means. She wants us to use not only Shu Han and Ravka's armies, but she wants us to use the amplifiers. She wants us to use Merzost.

        Aleksander has been very quiet for the past few minutes. I can tell he is thinking and planning strategies in his experienced mind. After another long silence, he says, "we have a deal."

        She nods and her worried brow relaxes a bit. "Then I will see to it that I keep my end of the bargain. Your Grisha are now safe on our side of the border until the Störningar are eradicated. Good Day," she nods stiffly and takes her leave. I have almost forgotten that Nikolai is with us. He finally breaks the silence and says, "I do not like this. She is not to be trusted."

        The Darkling nods in agreement and says, "yes, she has lied on multiple occasions, but there is no doubt that she was telling the truth now. It did not make sense before as to why she would aid Fjerda. The deal did not benefit her enough to risk her country. I am guessing that her family had no idea that they were being threatened. Only Queen Leyti knew the truth. I would say that she was unwise to save her loved ones at the risk of her country but I have learned that I am no different." he looks at me for a second before glancing down and shaking his head. "We played right into their hands. We did their dirty work by killing the king. The only thing they did not count on is our knowledge of their plans. But now we know what is coming and I have a feeling that they will not be as easily defeated as Grimjer, but I have an idea as to how to stop them."

        "How?" I ask.

        "With our amplifiers, we cannot create, but we can summon with the same amount of power as Merzost, the only thing as powerful as a matter of fact. You proved it when you destroyed the Fold. With both of our powers combined, I believe we can summon an army. They will not be as strong as nichevo'ya, but where Merzost takes, summoning works to serve us. It will not take a toll on our health, therefore, we can summon as many soldiers as we need."

        "An army of light and shadow," I gasp.

        "Precisely."

        "Then you'd better start summoning," Nikolai says. "While you do that, I can address the armies, prepare them for war, and strategize." The Darkling looks at him unpleased. "You cannot be everywhere at once," he reminds.

        I take the Darkling's hand in my own and plead with him. "He is right. Nikolai can take care of the armies while we use the amplifiers. You know he is more than capable. Just let go of some of your control. Please," I add.

        He runs his long fingers through his shadowy locks and gives an exhausted sigh. "Fine."

        Nikolai bows and scurries off to the war room I presume. I depart with the Darkling to an outdoor training area where we begin to experiment with an army of our own.

        My anger keeps building up inside me until we reach the front gates and I let out a growl in frustration. The Darkling arches a brow. "What is the matter?"

        "What isn't the matter!" I cry. "There is always one threat after another. I feel like I am in a whirlpool and as soon as I can catch a breath, I am pulled right back down under. When will it stop?"

        For once, Aleksander has no words, no remark. He just looks at me and then ahead at the courtyard. I sigh and try to keep my thoughts on the task at hand. After another minute of walking, I hear the Darkling and Nikolai's voices ring through my head. 'Sometimes war is necessary.' I have tried to believe that this world can be at peace, but I have learned in the past few days that there will always be conflict. Fold or no Fold, enemies or no enemies. This world is cruel and if war really is unavoidable, then I will embrace it to protect our own. We will win.
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Wow, one more chapter left, guys! I cannot believe that it has been almost 5 months since I started writing. This book got so much more readers and compliments than I could have dreamed of. Thank you so much!! <3