In Novokribirsk (West Ravka)...
It had been a failure. The Crows' last link to their journey across the Fold, the only one who could possibly be able to get them across, let alone into the Little Palace to kidnap Alina Starkov - the rogue Heartrender, Nina Zenik, was gone, taken by Fjerdan hunters on the accusation of simply being a Grisha. Probably halfway gone by now to Fjerda to stand trial, although according to the rumours, the trials weren't fair. Not one bit. The Grisha that were kidnapped by the hunters never came back alive. And the man called the Conductor, or Arken, wasn't helping.
Inej jumped down from the roof ledge as Kaz stalked out of the inn building, with Jesper and Arken following close behind.
'All clear,' she said, shedding her hood.
'This seems like a reasonable juncture to abandon this whole Sun Summoner plan,' Arken said. Kaz turned to stare at him, dead in the eyes, with that cunning glare he always wore, never seemed to shake.
'Abandon? We're in this now. I know what a million kruge means to me. What does it mean to you?'
'Freedom,' Inej replied.
'Fun. Like, at least a few months,' Jesper added. The Conductor shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed.
'Retirement.' Kaz's expression did not change.
'Right. So we press on. Get us across the Fold and I'll figure out the rest on the other side.' Arken pulled out a small, leather-bound notebook.
'Fine. To cross, I'll need 20 pounds of alabaster coal. A peck of Majdaloun jurda. Not the kind from Kerch. It's too weak. And... a goat.' Kaz's expression did change then, to one of confusion. All of their expressions changed to confusion. 'Now, we meet in the dead of night. There's a wreckage of a skiff northeast, on the edge of town. So, who gets what?' It was Kaz's turn to give orders.
'Inej, jurda,' she nodded. 'I'll get the goat.' He walked up close to Jesper. 'And Jesper... just the coal. No detours.' Jesper's face at this request reflected that of a child who was telling his mother that he wasn't going to destroy anything while she was out and about. He took the slip of paper from Kaz.
At the Little Palace...
'No Army uniform includes a veil,' Alina complained, walking down the hallways with Genya Safin, the Grisha Tailor.
'You look fine.'
'Say one wanted to leave the Little Palace...'
'But everything you need is here,' Genya noted.
'I've got some things I've forgotten at the camp. I could just go back.'
'Don't be ridiculous. This way.' Genya led Alina down another hallway. The silence was broken only by Alina attempting to blow the mask off of her face. 'Stop that!' she scolded. 'No one can see you until King Pyotr does.' Alina stopped in front of a mirror and lifted the veil to see her face.
'It's just as well. This outfit is ridiculous,' Alina replied, the scorn heavy in her voice.
'Sadly, this is how the King sees the First Army. He cares little for mud, blood and sacrifice.'
'Shouldn't I be in a kefta?'
'Oh, no,' Genya replied. 'The King expects to see a humble girl plucked from the ranks of his army. He'll want to take the credit for you. You'll get a kefta once he's witnessed your power.'
'My power,' Alina muttered as the two descended down a pair of steps. 'Right.' The two walked down the mahogany stairs.
'By all accounts, it'll be King Pyotr, the Queen, Crown Prince Vasily, and the King's spiritual advisor, the Apparat. He's this greasy rat...' Genya was cut off by Alina's question.
'Was that a library? Is it available to all of us?'
'Everything here is available to all of us. The general built this home for us so we can thrive.'
'Has a Grisha ever escaped?' Alina asked as her and Genya walked outside.
'Planning on making a break for it?' General Kirigan asked, coming up alongside Alina, replacing Genya's place. Alina shed her veil to look at the general.
'Oh, I didn't mean to...' Alina began to say, but stopped when she saw the building in front of her. 'Saints!'
'I think the Grand Palace is the ugliest building I have ever seen,' Kirigan said, the two falling in step with each other on their walk to meet the King. 'How was your rest?'
'Restless. Despite Genya's magic, I didn't -'
'It's not magic. It's science. Or rather, Small Science. We do not conjure from nothing. We manipulate that which already exists around us.'
'You make it sound so easy.'
'A bird makes flight look easy,' the general replied. 'But it was born to do so.'
'When it's ready.'
'So, be ready.' The two stopped in the middle of the courtyard.
'You're asking me to do something I didn't even know I could do three days ago.' Kirigan turned to look her in the eyes.
'Do you believe I brought you here to make a fool of you? To maike a fool of both of us? Just keep your focus on me, and you'll be fine. Once he sees what you can do and we have his blessing, you will remain here to train.'
'His blessing?' Alina asked, confused for perhaps the millionth time today. 'I thought you ruled the Grisha.'
'I may lead the Second Army, but the King is still the King.'
General Kirigan, with a whole host of Grisha, led Alina Starkov into the great hall of the Great Palace, where the King, Queen, the Crown Prince and a few people dotted here and there stood, waiting for the presentation. The King and Queen turned to look at Alina, as did the rest of the courtroom. She looked up at Kirigan, and he nodded subtly. She took off her veil and handed it to a maid, who took it away.
'I thought she'd be taller,' the King said.
'I thought she was Shu,' the Queen added. 'Well, I guess she's Shu enough. Tell her... oh, I don't know... good morning.'
'I don't actually speak Shu, your Highness,' Alina replied respectfully, attempting, and somewhat succeeding, to hide the sting in her heart from the King and Queen speaking about her like that. She'd heard it a thousand times; didn't mean it didn't sting anymore than it should have.
'Then what are you?' the Queen replied. There was a dead silence, so quiet you could have dropped a pin and the silence would be broken. After a while, Alina opened her mouth to speak, but General Kirigan spoke first.
'She is Alina Starkov. The Sun Summoner, moya tsaritsa.' He bowed low. 'She will change the future. Starting now.' He raised his hand, and Alina noticed a female in the crowd with similar black hair and dark eyes to Kirigan's who was also raising her hand, and the room turned black with Kirigan's and the female's powers of shadow. General Kirigan turned to Alina and whispered in her ear, 'Now call the sun.' He grabbed her wrist gently, holding it. Suddenly, the whole room exploded in a white light. Some flinched from the brightness of it, even the Grisha, but there was gasps all around the room of awe and shock at the sight of it. Then he let go of her hand, and the darkness faded, along with Alina's sunlight, making the room's previous brightness return to normal. The King stood, clapping enthusiastically, along with the rest of the room.
'Bravo! Bravo! How long will she need?'
'Destroying the Fold will be no easy feat,' Kirigan replied. 'She alone may not be able to do it. She will remain with me at the Little Palace to train... undisturbed.'
'Then train her quickly,' the King spoke. 'Our wars have been a noble pursuit, but this chatter from the West about becoming a sovereign nation, that needs to stop. The sooner we are one country again, the better.'
'Agreed... moi tsar.' He bowed low again, and Alina followed suit. Then the two turned and walked towards the large group of Grisha. 'You were perfect,' he remarked to Alina.
'I don't know where it came from.'
'It came from everywhere. Because you called upon it to come.' He turned to her. 'Welcome home, Miss Starkov.' He released her to the other Grisha, and a Grisha woman in a purple kefta hugged her. Several more women came forward to hug her and smile and for the first time in days, Alina Starkov truly felt like she was home. Zoya was the last to walk up to her.
'It is an honor to formally meet you,' she said. Zoya hugged her, but as she released, she whispered in her ear, 'You stink of the orphanage, half-breed.' She released Alina and Genya grabbed her arm.
'You truly are one of a kind. The whole country is going to be talking about you now,' Genya said brightly as the two walked away.