Raya Orlov tried to catch her breath as she rushed through the camp at Kribirsk, the heels of her shoes digging into the earth beneath her feet.
She quickly entered the General's tent, rushing past the Grisha lounging about and towards his desk, where he sat eating breakfast.
"I can't believe it," she breathed out, a smile breaking out onto her face when his dark eyes met hers. She excitedly reached out, grabbing a piece of the almond cake that sat at the edge of his breakfast tray and nibbling on it as she continued. "I can't believe you were right. After years of bickering about it, you were actually right! Fuck, we could've saved a whole lot of arguing. And, to think—"
Now, she had caught his attention. "Right about what?" he asked curiously, swatting her hand away when she reached forward for another piece. One look in her eyes and he was groaning, breaking off another piece of the cake and dropping it into her waiting hands.
"They found her," she revealed, taking another bite of the decadent treat. "They found the Sun Summoner."
Within the hour, the supposed Sun Summoner was on her way to the tent. From what Raya had heard, she had cast a light so bright, it had caused the volcra in the Fold to dissipate to ash, and after using such immense power, she had fallen unconscious.
When Raya heard the guards' footsteps, she glanced towards General Kirigan, who nodded once at her, and rushed past him and the other Grisha in the tent and made her way outside.
When she caught sight of the two guards' tight holds on the Sun Summoner's arms, her brows furrowed.
"I can take it from here," she growled at them, looking between the guards, both of whom were exceptionally larger than herself.
"Step aside, magiya razuma," one of the guards spat, glaring at Raya. In turn, the girl simply smirked, pulling her gloves off and grasping both guards' wrists in each of her hands.
As she felt the link fully form, she lowly stated, "Let go of her arm," and in the next second, each guard snatched their hand away from the Sun Summoner as if she'd burnt them. "Now leave." With that, she let go of her grasp on their wrists, watching them turn on their heels and walk away, as if they'd been entranced.
"Is your arm okay?" she asked the girl before her who looked rather ordinary. Not to sound offensive but Raya had imagined someone physically strong or mentally powerful to be the Sun Summoner. The girl before her looked like she'd just been taken from the damp, poverty-stricken streets of Kribirsk.
Her thoughts rushed away when she noted the girl nodding whilst taking hold of her sore arms. "Come," Raya stated, nodding towards the tent and offering the girl a soft smile before leading her into the lion's den.
Every Grisha in the tent was stood at attention, eyes glued to the nameless girl beside Raya. She helped the girl to her place front and center before going to step to the side. The girl naturally reached out for Raya, seeking the only comfort she'd seen since waking. In response, Raya squeezed her hand and offered her a soft smile before making her way to the General's side.
As he stood in front of his large desk, Raya leaned against it. From beside her, he softly commanded the unnamed girl when his eyes met hers.
"Closer." She timidly stepped forward, glancing back at Raya. "Well?"
"Well what?" she snapped before realizing her place. "Sir."
Raya couldn't help but snicker, hiding it with a cough she wasn't sure anyone believed. The General turned to her for a moment, his eyes gleaming with amusement that only she could see. He then glanced back at the girl. "What are you?" he asked.
"Alina Starkov, Assistant Cartographer, Royal Corps of Surveyors... They're all gone," she sighed, thinking of her fellow cartographers. "It's my fault. That's why I'm here, isn't it?" She glanced around the room before turning back to the General when he held a hand up to stop her rambling.
"Answer the question." He then followed Raya's suit, leaning against the desk as well, shoulder brushing against that of the girl beside him. "What are you?"
Alina was quick to retort. "A mapmaker, sir." The Grisha around her laughed. Raya took note of the fact that Zoya, who manned the main sail of the same ship Alina was on, also didn't seem to find the girl's answer particularly humorous.
"Quiet," General Kirigan ordered, and the laughter immediately halted. He then broke his gaze from the Sun Summoner and looked around the tent. "So who actually saw what happened?"
When no one spoke up, Raya turned to the Squaller. "Zoya?" she asked.
Though the two had notoriously never gotten along, right now they were in the same boat, theoretically speaking. Everyone wanted to know what happened and Zoya seemed to be the only one with any answers.
"We were attacked barely two markers in. Someone lit a lantern."
"And?" the Darkling asked.
"The volcra went after the riflemen and our Inferni first. And then there was a searing light."
"It was her!" a rifleman beside Zoya spoke, pointing directly at Alina.
"Our mapmaker," General Kirigan mused. "Is this true? Can you summon light?"
With a look that closely resembled obliviousness, Alina shook her head. "Where did you grow up?" he suddenly asked her.
"Keramzin."
The General hummed as Raya spoke beside him. "Were you ever tested?" she asked the girl out of pure curiosity. The Sun Summoner went mute then, unable to come up with a response. "You don't remember it?"
After another quiet response from Alina, the General pushed off of the desk and stepped up to Alina. "Well, let us just make certain." He placed his infamous ring right-side up on his thumb, the pointed end facing outward. "Lift up your sleeve." As he spoke, darkness slowly started to wrap around the tent. This set Alina on edge as she glanced over the General's shoulder and met Raya's eyes. The Corporalki smiled gently, nodding her head in encouragement. "Your sleeve, please."
Alina turned back to the Darkling, offering her arm after lifting her sleeve. The end of his ring dug into her skin and ran down her arm, watching her wound open up. A nearly blinding ray of light suddenly seared out of Alina's arm, encasing the entire tent in brightness. The light reached every crevice of the enclosed space, even scorched through the roof of the tent, lighting up the sky.
Raya wordlessly watched on, eyes glued to the light exiting Alina's body. Her jaw hung open, eyes wide as she witnessed just a glimpse into the power the Sun Summoner held.
When the General pulled his ring away from the wound, the light disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. And the first sound to break the silence in the tent was Raya muttering, "Holy shit."