chapter seven.
rising and falling
!smut!
I SHOT TO MY FEET. "WHAT HAPPENED?"
"Sergei let her real name slip. He seems to be taking to heights about as well as he took to caves."
I released a growl of frustration. Genya had played a key role in the Darkling's plot to depose the King. I'd tried to be patient with Sergei, but now he'd put her in danger and jeopardized our position with Nikolai.
Baghra reached out and snagged the fabric of my trousers, gesturing to Tolya.
"Who is that?"
"One of my guards."
"Grisha?"
"Yes."
"He sounds—"
"Freya," Tolya said. "They're coming to take her right now."
I pried Baghra's fingers away. "I have to go. I'll send Misha back to you."
I hurried from the room, closing the door behind me, and Tolya and I raced for the stairs, taking them two at a time. The sun had long since set, and the lanterns of the Spinning Wheel had been lit. Outside, I glimpsed stars emerging above the cloud bank. A group of soldiers with blue armbands had gathered by the training area and looked about two seconds away from drawing their guns on Tamar and Alina.
I felt a surge of pride to see the Etheralki arrayed behind them, shielding Genya. Sergei was nowhere to be found. Probably a good thing, since I didn't have time to give him the pummeling he deserved.
I went straight to Genya, her eyes wide and fearful. I pushed her behind me.
"The King is waiting," said one of the guards.
I was surprised to hear Zoya snap back, "Let him wait."
"I tried to lead them off by threatening them, but they wouldn't budge," Alina said.
"It's alright. You did what you could." I said fiercely, glaring at the soldiers.
I put my arm around Genya's shoulders, leading her a little way off. She was shaking as her nails dug into my arm.
"Listen to me," I said, smoothing her hair back. "No one will hurt you. Do you understand?"
"He's the King, Freya." I heard the terror in her voice.
"He's not the king of anything anymore," I reminded her.
I spoke with a confidence even though I felt nothing but a fiery rage.
"You must face him."
"For him to see me... brought low like this—"
I made her meet my gaze. "You are not low. You defied the Darkling to give me and Alina freedom. I won't let yours be taken."
Alina approached us. "The guards are getting antsy."
"I can't do this," said Genya.
"You can."
Gently, Alina laid a hand on her shoulder. "We've got you."
A tear rolled down her cheek. "Why? Back at the Little Palace, I reported on you two. I burned your letters, Alina. I let you believe—"
"You stood between us and the Darkling on Sturmhond's ship," Alina said. "I don't reserve my friendship for perfect people. And, thank the Saints, neither does Freya."
"Can you trust us?" I asked.
"I trust you," she said, but her eyes were on mine.
"Okay," I said.
She pulled up her shawl. "All right."
We returned to the group, Genya clinging to my side, her arm wrapped in mine.
"We're ready," I said to the soldiers.
Alina, Mal, Tolya, and Tamar fell into step behind us, but I held up a warning hand to the other Grisha.
"Stay here," I said, then added quietly, "and keep alert."
On the Darkling's orders, Genya had come close to committing regicide, and Nikolai knew it. If it came to a fight, I had no idea how we would get off this mountaintop. We followed the guards across the observatory and through a corridor that led down a short set of stairs. As we rounded a bend, I heard the King's voice. I couldn't make out everything he was saying, but I didn't miss the word treason. Which only resolved my anger, allowing it to build to a kill extent.
We paused in a doorway formed by the spear arms of two bronze statues— Alyosha and Arkady, the Horsemen of Ivets, their armor studded with iron stars. Whatever the chamber had once been, it was now Nikolai's war room. The walls were covered in maps and blueprints, and a huge drafting table was littered with clutter.
Nikolai leaned against his desk, arms, and ankles crossed, his expression troubled. I almost didn't recognize the King and Queen of Ravka. The last time I'd seen the Queen, she'd been swathed in rose silk and dripping with diamonds. Now she wore a wool sarafan over a simple peasant blouse. Her blonde hair, dull and straw-like without the polish of Genya's skill, had been twisted into a messy bun. The King was apparently still partial to military attire. The gold braid and satin sash of his dress uniform were gone, replaced by the First Army drab that seemed incongruous with his weak build and graying mustache.
He looked frail leaning on his wife's chair, the damning evidence of whatever Genya had done to him clear in his stooped shoulders and loose skin. As I entered, the King's eyes bugged out almost comically.
"I didn't ask to see this witch."
I forced myself to bow, hoping some of the diplomacy I'd learned from Nikolai might serve me.
"Moi Tsar."
"Where is the traitor?" he bayed, spittle flying from his lower lip.
So much for diplomacy.
Genya took a small step forward. Her hands shook as she lowered her shawl. The King gasped. The Queen covered her mouth. The silence in the room was the quiet after a cannon blast. I saw realization strike Nikolai. He glanced at me, his jaw set. I hadn't exactly lied to him, but I might as well have.
"What is this?" muttered the King.
"This," I said firmly, eyes still on Nikolai, "Is the price she paid for saving me and Alina," I said. "for defying the Darkling."
The King scowled. "She is a traitor to the crown. I want her head."
To my surprise, Genya said to Nikolai, "I will take my punishment if he takes his."
The King's face flushed purple. Maybe he'd have a heart attack and save us all a lot of bother.
"You will stay silent among your betters!"
Genya lifted her chin. "I have no better here." She wasn't making this any easier, but I still wanted to cheer.
The Queen sputtered. "If you think that—"
Genya was trembling, but her voice stayed strong as she said, "If he cannot be tried for his failures as a king, let him be tried for his failures as a man."
"You ungrateful whore," sneered the King.
"That's enough," Nikolai said. "Both of you."
"I am Ravka's King. I will—"
"You are a King without a throne," I snapped, then took a deep shaky breath. "And I respectfully ask that you hold your tongue."
The King shut his mouth, a vein pulsing at his temple.
Nikolai tucked his hands behind his back. "Genya Safin, you are accused of treason and attempting murder."
"If I wanted him dead, he'd be dead."
Nikolai gave her a warning look, then looked at me.
"I didn't try to kill him," Genya said.
"But you did something to the King, something from which the court doctors said he'd never recover. What was it?"
"Poison."
"Surely it could have been traced."
"Not this. I designed it myself. If given in small enough doses over a long time, the symptoms are mild."
"A vegetable alkaloid?" asked Tamar.
She nodded. "Once it builds up in the victim's system, a threshold is reached, the organs begin to fail, and the degeneration is irreversible. It's not a killer. It's a thief. It steals years. And he will never get them back."
I felt a little chill at the satisfaction in her voice. What she described was no mundane poison, but the craft of a girl somewhere between Corporalki and Fabrikator. A girl who had spent plenty of time in the Materalki workshops.
The Queen was shaking her head. "Small amounts over time? She didn't have that kind of access to our meals—"
"I poisoned my skin," Genya said harshly, "my lips. So that every time he touched me—" she shuddered slightly and glanced at me. "Every time he kissed me, he took sickness into his body." She clenched her fist. "He brought this on himself."
"But the poison would have affected you too," Nikolai said.
"I had to purge it from my skin, then heal the burns the lye would leave. Every single time." Her fist clenched. "It was well worth it."
Nikolai rubbed a hand over his mouth. "Did he force you?"
Genya nodded once. A muscle in Nikolai's jaw ticked.
"Father?" he asked. "Did you?"
"She is a servant, Nikolai. I didn't have to force her."
I clenched my jaw. It was very tempting to kill the king.
After a long moment, Nikolai said. "Genya Safin, when this war is over, you will stand trial for high treason against this kingdom and for colluding with the Darkling against the crown."
The King broke into a smug grin. My fingers twitched at my side, just one movement and you'd be dead, bastard. But Nikolai wasn't done.
"Father, you are ill. You have served the crown and the people of Ravka, and now it is time for you to take the rest you deserve. Tonight, you will write out a letter of abdication."
The King blinked in confusion, eyelids stuttering as if he couldn't quite comprehend what he was hearing.
"I will do no such—"
"You will write the letter, and tomorrow you will leave on the Kingfisher. It will take you to Os Kervo, where you'll be seen safely aboard the Volkvolny and across the True Sea. You can go someplace warm, maybe the Southern Colonies."
"The Colonies?" the Queen gasped.
"You will have every luxury. You will be far from the fighting and the reach of the Darkling. You will be safe."
"I am the King of Ravka! This... this traitor, this—"
"If you remain, I will see you tried for rape."
The Queen clutched a hand to her heart. "Nikolai, you cannot mean to do this."
"She was under your protection, Mother."
"She is a servant!"
"And you are a queen. Your subjects are your children. All of them."
The King advanced on Nikolai. "You would send me from my own country on so slight a charge—"
At this, Tamar broke her silence. "Slight? Would it be slight if she had been more noble?"
Mal crossed his arms. "If she'd been born noble, he never would have dared."
"This is the best solution," said Nikolai.
"This is not a solution at all!" barked the King. "It is cowardice."
"I cannot put this crime aside."
"You have no right, no authority. Who are you to sit in judgment on your King?"
Nikolai stood up straighter. "These are Ravka's laws, not mine. They should not bow to rank of status." He tempered his tone. "You know this is for the best. Your health is failing. You need rest, and you're too weak to lead our forces against the Darkling."
"Watch me!" the King roared.
"Father," Nikolai said gently, "the men will not follow you."
The King's eyes narrowed. "Vasily was twice the man you are. You are a weakling and a fool, full of common sentiment and common blood."
Nikolai flinched. "Maybe so," he said. "But you will write that letter, and you will board the Kingfisher without protest. You will leave this place, or you will face trial, and if you are found guilty, then I will see you hang."
The Queen let out a small sob.
"It is my word against hers," the King said, waving his finger at Genya. "I am a King—"
I stepped between them. "If you dare to lay a hand on her again, I will see about having you split in half by my own power."
"You shut your mouth, you grotesque little Fjerdan witch. I should have had you two witches killed when I had the chance."
"That is enough." Nikolai snapped, his patience fraying. He gestured to the guards at the door. "Escort my father and mother to their rooms. Keep them under watch and ensure that they speak to no one. I will have your abdication by morning, Father, or I will have you in irons."
The King looked from Nikolai to the guards who now flanked him. The Queen clutched at his arm, her blue eyes panicked.
"You are no Lantsov," snarled the King.
Nikolai merely bowed. "I find I can live with that fact."
He singled the guards. They took hold of the King, but he pulled free of their grip. He walked to the door, bristling with rage, trying to summon the scraps of his dignity.
He paused before Genya, his eyes roving over her face. "At least you look like what you truly are," he said. "Ruined."
I could see the word hit her like a slap. Razrusha'ya. The Ruined. The name the pilgrims had whispered when she'd first come among them. Mal moved forward. Tamar's hands went to her axes, and I heard Tolya growl. But Genya halted them with a hand. Her spine stiffened, and her remaining eye blazed with conviction.
"Remember me when you board that ship, Moi tsar. Remember me when you take your last look at Ravka as it slips beneath the horizon." She leaned in and whispered something to him. The King paled, and I saw real fear in his eyes. Genya drew back and said, "I hope the taste of me was worth it."
The King and Queen were hustled from the room by the guards. Genya held her chin high until they were gone. Then her shoulders sagged.
I put my arm around her shoulder, but she shook me off. "Don't," she snarled, brushing away the tears that threatened.
Alina started forward at the same time I said, "Genya—"
She held up her hands, warding us off. "I don't want your pity," she said ferociously. Her voice was raw, wild. We stood there helplessly. "You don't understand." She covered her face with her hands. "None of you do."
"Genya—" I tried.
"Don't you dare," she said roughly, tears welling up again. "I left you when you needed me most. I deserve to suffer. I don't deserve to be fixed."
I was desperate for words, clawing my way to find them, begging for just something to say. To help her. Genya turned to leave when I called out.
"Don't even think about walking away from me, Genya Safin," I said desperately, fiercely.
Genya halted before she could so much as walk out the door, her shoulders stiffened, her breath shaking. There were people in the room, but all I saw was Genya.
"The moment I met you, you strode with a confidence I'd never seen anybody in this world carry. You were beautiful, your eyes stood out the most. They were like an ocean, I'd find myself getting lost in them for what felt like hours." I breathed. "When you betrayed us. I understood. You wanted sanctuary, and he gave you that. You did all of these things to protect me, to protect us. You did it because you thought you were doing the right thing."
I took a step forward, her back was still to me, but her shoulders were sagging.
"You did so much to do what you thought best for our safety. Even in the darkest of circumstances and moments, you always held strong to what you thought was right. You protected me, you have done and shown me things so deep and painful that it has... only ever made me— made me admire you, adore you, and love you."
Genya went rigid again. I'd thought she'd push me away. But then she turned back around strode up to me and kissed me. It was no gentle kiss, it was rough, passionate, and out of all the other times, full of teeth and tongue.
Alina cleared her throat, and Tamar gave a low whistle. We broke apart and I was blushing furiously. Genya's grin was so dazzling it made my heart twist in my chest.
"You don't need fixing." I whispered, "You'll never need fixing."
"You should say those types of things more often," Genya said with a smirk.
Alina let out a laugh.
"Do not think to rest easy, Genya Safin," Nikolai said coldly and deeply weary. "When this war is over, you will face charges, and I will decide whether or not you are to be pardoned."
Genya stepped away from me and bowed gracefully. "I don't fear your justice, Moi tsar."
"I'm not the King yet."
"Moi Tsarevich." she amended.
"Go," he said, waving us away. When I hesitated, he simply said, "All of you."
As the doors closed, I saw him slump at his drafting table, his head in his hands. I trailed the others back down the hall. My feet dragged at the prospect of returning to the Spinning Wheel. It had been one of the longest days of my life, and though I'd held exhaustion at bay, now it settled over my shoulders like a sodden coat. I decided that Tamar or Alina could update the rest of the Grisha on what had happened, and I would deal with Sergei tomorrow. But before I could find my bed and sink into it, there was something I needed to know.
At the stairs, I grabbed Genya's hand. "What did you whisper?" I asked quietly. "To the King."
She watched the others move up the steps, then said, "Na Razrusha'ya. E'ya razrushost."
I am not ruined. I am ruination.
My brows rose. "Remind me to stay on your good side."
"Darling," she said, turning one scarred cheek to me, then the other. "I don't have a good side anymore."
Her tone was merry, but I heard the sadness there too. She winked then whispered, "Come to my room with me, would you?"
I tried to mask my surprise but it was well obvious I hadn't succeeded, because Genya's famous smirk curled her perfect lips.
She leaned forward, "I want to show you something."
She led me down a series of halls, up a set of stairs, and to a set of rooms that were on the eastern side of the mountain. The door frame was formed by the clasped hands of two bronze maidens I thought might be meant to embody the morning and evening stars. Inside, the far wall was entirely taken up by a round window, ringed in riveted brass like a side-scuttle on a ship. The lanterns were lit, and though the view would most likely be spectacular in the daytime, right now, there was nothing to see but darkness and my own tired face looking back at me.
"Alina and the rest are just down the hall. I requested that we share a room." Genya whispered. "If you are okay with it, that is."
A pitcher of hot water was waiting for me by the basin.
"It's a lovely idea," I breathed.
Genya smiled, "Good, I don't think I was going to let you go, anyway."
I laughed lightly and said, "I can believe that."
"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier—" she paused. "I was just scared."
I shook my head and reached for Genya's hand, "You don't have to apologize to me. You aren't the only one who was angry."
"Yes, you are quite the enigma when so,"
I chuckled again, "What is it that you wished to show me, Safin?"
"This and..." she stepped back into me, hand coming to my cheek. "I want to try something with you."
"You want to—"
"If you want to, but yes, I would like to have sex with you, Freya. If not tonight or tomorrow then eventually I would like to."
It wasn't a topic we'd discussed, but it was something that we both knew would happen sooner or later— not just because we wanted to but because we'd wanted to show each other our more affectionate side in intimacy. Which I had no issue with, but it was my first time ever wanting to do this with her, and my first time having sex. Yes, we'd been close to doing it, but not before someone interrupted us because of the Apparat or because we were always surrounded by people. We'd rarely ever gotten an opportunity to be alone together since we'd even left the White Cathedral and even since before. It was nice that she'd gotten us our own room.
No more distractions— we were finally alone.
"I want this just as much as you do," I whispered.
She closed the gap between us, our lips touching. Her lips were soft against my own, the hand that was on my cheek ran down the length of my arm and to my waist. Her grip was suffice — gentle and tight. The press of her lips to my own were like a dozen of fireworks going off inside of my sternum, making my heart hammer like it was about to burst from my chest.
Our lips disconnected after a moment and she whispered, "Do I have permission to remove your blouse?"
I nodded, breathlessly. Something began to pool in my stomach, warm as a flame, I reached out to her. As her fingers wove through the strings of my blouse. Exposing the mounds of my breast. Once all the strings had been undone, she gently pulled the rest of the blouse free from my trousers and slowly moved her hands up to push the blouse sleeves from my shoulders. The blouse's sleeves brushed down my arms until it landed into a puddle on the floor.
"So beautiful," Genya said admiringly, her eyes roaming my form.
Her hands then found my trousers, "May I?"
With a nod, her fingers began to undo the buttons. It didn't take long for her to do, but I could tell she wanted to take this slow. Her eyes scanned every inch of my exposed skin, and once my trousers were abandoned next to my blouse, her hands found my waist.
"I've always wondered what you'd look like with all these layers of clothing discarded from you." Her voice gentle, but husky.
"Genya," I couldn't help the desperate plea that escaped my throat. "Please."
"Please what?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at me.
"Please kiss me," I said.
This kiss was nothing but rough, her tongue in my mouth, one of her hands running up and down my arms, as they prickled, the other was roaming up and down my sides, arm hooking around my waist and pulling me closer to her. She bit my lip and a gasp fell free of my lips, she chuckled against me, then began to walk me backward. Towards the bed, laid in Latin red silks.
She pushed me gently onto the bed, and as she slowly began to remove her blouse with one hand the other came to rest on my cheek. She leaned over me as she pulled the remaining string free of the coil and kissed me again, this time softer, but still passionate.
I reached my hand up to push down the sleeves and watched as it was discarded with the rest of the clothes on the floor. I traced her arm as her kisses fell to my neck, her tongue coming out to run the length of my neck and jugular.
I moaned, tilting my neck to the side to allow her more access as she continued her assault on my skin. Her other hand came up to hold the other side of my face, her fingers tracing the apex of my cheek. Her assault then moved to my chest, kissing the area just above my heart and lower.
Her lips attached to my left nipple, her tongue rolling over the bud as the hand on my neck moved down my body to my hip. I arched up into her.
"Genya!" I mewled.
She hummed against me, sending a vibration down my stomach and to my core. She sucked and bit at my nipple, then continued her assault further down, kissing and sucking at the skin of my hip and navel.
She looked back up at me, smirking as she got up and onto her knees, her fingers traced the skin of my legs before grasping them and hooking them over her shoulders, I watched, eyes hooded as an ache began between my legs. I groaned as she began to kiss my inner thighs, nipping playfully at the skin.
"Genya," I groaned, bringing my hands up to cover my face. "Don't tease."
"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'm going to give you what you want."
The closer she got to the area I wanted her most, the more she teased me. I mewled, clutching onto the bed sheets.
"Genya," I whimpered. "Please."
She pulled back from me and watched as my chest heaved, "My Saints, Freya, you are breathtaking." I looked down at her, pleading eyes as her lips curled into a smirk. "Tell me what you want me to do to you, Freya."
I groaned and said shakily, "Fuck me with your tongue, please."
With a hum and a look of satisfaction, she found my clit. I arched up into her, but she grasped my hips and pinned them down to the bed. I cried out, head tossing back as she sucked my clit.
Her tongue altered between teasing the outer corners of my clit, nipping and sucking until the only thing I could say was a string of slang, dirty words.
"Fuck Genya!" I said as my legs began to shake.
She slowed her movements to tease me, then sped back up. My cries getting louder and louder.
"Genya!" I mewled in frustration.
My things locked around her head as I moaned out another string of curses.
"Saints!"
Genya pulled away, wiping at her face, she had that cocky smirk on her lips. She climbed up my body and kissed me slowly before rolling off of me.
"That was...." I trailed off.
"Good?" she said.
I nodded, "Saints, if I had known you were good at that I would have gotten into your pants sooner."
Genya cackled, "Is that so?"
I nodded and then yawned. "Come on little Saint, let's get you to bed."
She pulled the covers up and around us as my head laid on her chest, listening to the steady rise and fall of her heart.
"I love you," Genya whispered.
Warmth spread across my chest, "I love you, too."
『 Authors note 』
And it happened though I'm cringing at the way it's written. Let me know if you like it or not.
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