All Things Must End

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖 • ℕ𝕠 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣

As I clasp the last button on my kefta, I hear the door handle rattle, and the lock clicks. Aleksander appears on the other side. His eyes are sunken in with dark circles underneath. I know better than to call it sleep deprivation. His cheekbones are more pronounced and his jaw sharper than before using merzost. He looks exhausted—like he is fraying, unraveling.

"It is done," he says solemnly.

He steps to the side, and Amelia immediately takes the chance to run out the door. However, a few seconds later, I hear her scream in alarm and run back to Aleksander's side. She seizes his arm with an iron grasp, refusing to let go. I get a bit closer to see what she is so afraid of. A nichevo'ya looms on the other side of the wall, guarding the door. The shadows composing it shift and change as if it is a living, breathing creature. Nevertheless, it has no heartbeat, no blood, no breath. It is nothing.

        Aleks bends down and caresses Amelia's head to his chest. "It's alright, Little One. They serve me. There is nothing to fear." He beckons for the monster to come. It drifts closer to him, nuzzling its head in his palm. Then, he takes Amelia's hand and places it on the creature's chest. She clings to him tighter but does not pull her hand away from the monster.

"You will both grow accustomed to them with time," the Darkling says. "They are stationed in every hallway of the Grand Palace, so soon enough, you will not even notice their existence."

        "I think it's time to go to the Little Palace for training," I tell Amelia bluntly. She nods, eager to return to training after not going for a few days.

        As she leaves, she carefully avoids the nichevo'ya, hugging the wall to get past it. Once I am confident she is out of hearing range, I whip around and poke Aleksander's chest angrily. "What are you doing with that amplifier? Why did you steal it from her last night?"

        Light bleeds from my palms in my fury. He calmly enterlaces his fingers with mine while summoning shadows; the darkness snuffs out my light within seconds.

        "There is no need to waste your energy fighting me on the amplifier. I do not plan to use it or bind it to Amelia. She made her choice."

        This puts my mind at ease slightly. I take a deep breath, feeling the embers of my power beneath my skin extinguish. "It still wasn't yours to take," I mutter. Then, a slight smirk takes over my features, and I say, "If you just wanted a pretty necklace to wear, I would have given you one."

        The corner of his lips curl up into a smile. "I must say, I've missed your sarcasm and that jesting smile of yours." He leans down and waits for permission to kiss me. Although I am still mad, I allow him to close the distance between us, planting a light kiss on my lips. After, I move to pull away, but his hands slip around my back and hold me to him. I sigh in a moment of weakness and let my head rest on his shoulder.

Before, when we were fighting each other on opposite sides of the war, we fought, and I hated him. It was as simple as that. Now, it is more complicated. We still fight, but the difference is that no matter the magnitude of fight, I can not hate him because I will never stop loving him. This is what makes it so hard to implement my morals. Aleksander has changed for the better, but he still needs help keeping on the right path. I can help him, but only if I put aside my urge to surrender.

The realization sobers me. "Why did you take the amplifier," I say, returning to my familiar perverse self.

He sighs deeply, seeing that I will not back down. "I was studying it, that's it," he explains. "I will stay true to your wish. I will not approach Amelia regarding the new amplifier, even though it would help me understand Morozova's motives. But last night, I took it to my study to look at it closer and perhaps find a potential clue. Ilya Morozova created it for a reason. He does not do things without careful thought or intent."

"Did you find anything?" I ask, scared to hear the answer.

"No." His mood sours. "It is just a piece of bone that looks like it came from a small animal. Though it is little, it holds the same amount of power as your Stag or the Sea Whip. I could feel its familiar strength when I touched it." Aleksander brushed the hair from my shoulders and ran his fingers across the length of the Stag fused to my collarbone. I shiver as power tingles beneath the surface, anxious to be released. "He sought out Amelia. I will learn why, whatever it takes."

        "As long as no one gets hurt in the process," I warn.

        He gives a none-to-convincing nod with a set jaw and pulls me into one last embrace, placing a kiss on the top of my head before departing to catch up on the week of ignored kingly duties.

        I watch him as he leaves with skepticism and worry adorning my features. I will need to keep him close for a while. He will not stop obsessing over this amplifier that Morozova gifted to Amelia. The question is, how far will he go to learn the truth?

***

The afternoon is quite monotonous. Outside of the library window, I watch the snow drift down from the heavens. In my armchair, I fill out forms upon forms of work from the last few days that piled up while Aleksander kept me in our room. I haven't had meetings to attend or people to consult with because no one is allowed inside the palace besides the very few people Aleks trusts, including Ivan and Coraline.

I glance up from my work to eye the wretched nichevo'ya hovering in the corner of the library. It just stands there, facing me with its expressionless visage, the noise similar to a million bugs flapping their wings in unison. The abomination was unnatural. It shouldn't exist, and the consequence of its existence is Aleksander's health. His uncharacteristic tiredness flashed before my eyes. It makes me shudder.

As if he had sensed my thoughts stray to him, and he very well could have through the tether, he comes through the doors of the library and approaches my chair. The Darkling leans down to kiss me on the cheek.

"I see you've caught up on most of your work," he says, looking at the pile next to me. However, a little more than half remains to be read.

"I would be done with all of it if there wasn't a shadow abomination hovering next to me."

He sighs, kneeling beside me, and caresses my cheek. "How long will you stay mad at me, Alina?"

"Well, we have an eternity. . . so about that long."

He hums and says, "My stubborn wife." It does not come across as a complaint but rather a gentle song as it leaves his lips.

"You knew what you were getting into when you decided to marry me."

"I did." He smiles in agreement, a genuine smile, not one of his heedful half-smirks.

He leans in and captures my lips, staying for a long, passionate kiss that takes my breath away. I look into his piercing grey eyes. I was expecting to see that rare twinkle that he never showed to anyone but me, but it wasn't there. His eyes were dull and fatigued. The yawning chasm of eternity stared right back at me.

Why did he have to use merzost? He knows that merzost takes more than it gives. He told me that himself.

My grieving thoughts were cut short by the sound of tapping and shuffling coming from the hallway. In the doorway, Baghra appeared in her usual ghastly figure. I usually saw her in the darkness of her cave. Seeing her in full light is even more startling.

She regards us both with sharp, harsh eyes and says, "We need to talk."
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