{BOOK 1/3 of The Triumvariate Trilogy}
Adaline was living a normal life moving from military camp to camp as she tried to help anyone in need. Everyone needed her medical advice for she was the best doctor in the country.
But when the Grisha of Rav...
The journey took longer than Adaline had assumed. She couldn't sleep due to the bumps in the road but the sleep was no more than what she usually got. The hours were very few and she was just glad for the food that she got to eat because otherwise, she would have fainted.
The route that they took was through the southern trails. It was the quickest way but it wasn't the easiest. It took them a week to reach Os Alta. There were no interruptions on the way but the stoppings that they made was definitely heaven. Adaline was grateful to have the chance to stretch her legs out. Carolyn kept the conversation going wherever the silence was uncomfortable. Erik would join if he wanted, but he looked more scared than in a conversational mood.
On their last stop, Adaline realised that the Darkling kept a distance from her but watched her keenly. She had a million questions for him and though she could have asked him them before, she didn't know why she didn't. They never shared a conversation in the week.
The massive gate of Os Alta opened up to greet the Grisha of Ravka. There were tons of shops in the beginning and it seemed to remind Adaline of the market near Keramzin. She missed Simon all the more when her gaze fell upon a shop selling biscuits. They were known for their love for biscuits.
The coaches continued to move and she was trying to soak in what was known as the "beauty of Ravka". She couldn't see how people would want to live in such a place while soldiers gave their life up at the warfront. She felt disgusted. Good, she thought. At least she knew that she wouldn't belong.
She closed the drapes over the window and leaned back in her seat. "Not interested?" Carolyn asked.
"Just tired," she answered, pursing her lips together.
That part of the journey seemed to last forever while her guards/babysitters were happy to be back home. Adaline didn't know how anyone could blindly trust one man; one man whose predecessor had created the Fold and destroyed every part of the economy overnight. Maybe that was what being Grisha did to you. Maybe you had a sense of belonging which you never got anywhere else. She knew what it meant to be Grisha and the dangers that came with it. It was very obvious, but looking at them in person, she wondered if it was maybe worth it in the end. But every time that she did, she saw the set of granite eyes which made her go back to her initial feelings.
The coaches stopped eventually and the doors were opened by guards dressed in their uniform, the King's hawk particularly making it hard to realise that they were in the Little Palace after all. Adaline walked out and looked around to see what was the Grand Palace, the King's winter home. She was hoping that Carolyn and Erik would be on her side like they had been on the journey but disappointment and anger for the eagerness surged through her when she found the coach was empty. They would've gone to meet members of their Order. What was Adaline thinking?
"What do you think?" She was startled by the voice that spoke beside her.
She held her chest as she calmed her heart down after the sudden spike. "Do not sneak up on me," she told the Darkling.
"It's a habit," he shrugged. "So, what do you think?"
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Adaline looked at him; his eyes. He looked young, but his eyes were old. She wondered if that was what made him the Darkling. "I think it's the ugliest building I've ever seen," she replied with honesty.
That was not what he was expecting at all. He tried not to let his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "And why is that?"
She scoffed. "Look at every little carving, every piece of detail," she said, pointing to the front gates that they had just passed. "How many hours would that have taken? All of it goes unnoticed by us. This isn't the beauty that the world should hold over us."
He thought about what she told him. "Fair enough." Even though Adaline didn't know it at that time, he liked her honesty because not everyone seemed to trust him with the truth. "We'll be meeting the King and Queen tomorrow. I suggest that you take some rest today."
"How am I supposed to rest when I'm here without wanting to be?" She said softly. "I swear to you that there has been some kind of a mistake. I cannot be Grisha!"
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"Even if you aren't," he started, patiently. "You should try to be one. Your powers are extraordinary. You might just be the answer." Adaline felt strange. What was he telling her? "Your training will begin once the King sees your powers."
"No!" She snapped, louder than she had intended when the Grisha near the two of them turned their gaze towards them. "I mean," she lowered her voice to merely a whisper and groaned. "I don't know how my powers work. Just....don't ask anyone to cut themselves."
A faint smile escaped his lips. "Get some sleep," he said before walking away to meet Carolyn, who was waiting for him nearby.
Had she been instructed to keep him informed? Adaline wondered. Her eyes were too tired to follow the Darkling leaving her side, but when the doors opened and everyone started walking inside, her legs blindly obeyed her. The Grisha split into three groups depending on their Order. When her eyes searched the crowd for the black among the other colours, she suddenly realised that he really could blend into the shadows.
A middle-aged woman in charcoal dress approached her and started to lead the way. Adaline followed her. It didn't matter anymore. She was stuck behind the facade now. There were guards at every post and every step of the way. How was she supposed to make an escape plan with so many of them?
She rolled her eyes at how long she had to walk for but was grateful when the woman opened a door where she was met with the smell of fresh sheets. Adaline's mouth fell open when she looked around the room. "Shall I bring you lunch?" The woman asked.
Adaline turned around, surprised that she was talking to her. "T-thank you." Her lower lip trembled when she looked around the alienness around her. Her bag was on the top of the bed. Someone must have kept it there. The room was brighter than her eyes were used to. The bed looked like heaven to her at that moment, but she was not going to let her get swayed away with whatever luxury that was going to be thrown at her.
She fell to the ground as the weight in her chest took over as she held back a sob. The Darkling had taken her away from her home, but she wasn't going to let tears flow out because of him. She was going to escape one way or the other.
