The Starry Sky - A Darkling/General Kirigan Prequel

6

Upon re-entering the hall Anna was able to get a much better look at the decor of the place. Thankfully, it was well lit by sconces and candles, illuminating the faces of all the Grisha sat around three sides of a square table, as well as making the plush seats and tiled ovens look warmer and cosier than they probably were. Bathed in the golden light of fire the place looked significantly more spectacular, and for that moment Anna could see how this building had been fit for a queen.

The eight men in front of her and The Heretic all took their seats on the only empty table, the one closest to the door they'd just exited, leaving only two places in the middle, one of which was highlighted by a large ebony chair, with the carving of an eclipse in the top of it. When it was just the pair of them standing the entire room had a clear view of them, and every single person was taking that opportunity to lean across their tables or peek above heads to watch. With impenetrable nonchalance the Heretic let go of Anna's arm and moved forward to pull out a chair. It would be impossible for him not to know that everyone was staring at them adamantly, and yet he managed to act as if it were only the two of them in the room. He took her small hand in his and helped her squeeze between his chair and the table into her seat, before standing stoically in front of his own throne, garnering the attention of all the Grisha immediately. Incredible. Not a single eye was left on Anna.

"As I'm sure most of you are aware tonight eight more Grisha have joined our ranks, all of whom are from Fjerda, I expect that those of you fluent in the language will be available to help translate and teach them Ravkan. Their orders have also been disclosed to their correlating groups, meaning you will be in charge of making sure they begin the training they may so require. Lessons with Baghra must be decided amongst yourselves and her, and I hope you all remember the importance of this training and act accordingly. Secondly, I must introduce you all to Anna Zolotov," He directed a hand at Anna, but did not look away from the Grisha, who he'd been looking between throughout the entirety of his speech,
"She is here to help develop our forces, and improve the management of the quarters in my stead. As she will be aiding in many of my responsibilities, it is on my command that you treat her with the respect you would treat me." Anna was trying hard to keep a plaintive look on her face, but now hearing that she would immediately be treated as someone on the Heretic's level, instead of as an equal to the other Grisha like he'd originally said she would, it was difficult not to gawk at his declaration.
"Finally, I must remind all of you that you are here for a reason. I see no benefits to questioning your place here, when it is rightfully deserved. This remains the safest place for Grisha to train in the world, and it would do well to remember that there is strength in numbers." Anna didn't have a clue what that last part meant, but thought it best not to ask when they were surrounded by people.

The Heretic sat down and out of nowhere came groups of servants who placed dishes of food onto the tables in front of everyone. Anna felt the heat increase in the room as plates of steaming food were uncovered, filling the room with a medley of savoury smells. Immediately she saw people begin to help themselves to spoonfuls of soup and servings of meat, grabbing bread rolls and pouring out mugs of kvas, whilst building conversations with the people seated around them. There were very few empty spaces at the tables, and she knew that if the Heretic's plans to expand their numbers succeeded they'd either need bigger tables, or people would have to start sitting on both sides of them.

Everyone had the same food, which Anna liked, it meant that even Black Heretic's didn't treat themselves as significantly more important than everyone else. Some foods she could easily identify, pheasant, herring, mushroom soup, whereas others looked like the kind of things you'd feed to prisoners, including a reddish brown circle of something that looked liked it would be a more useful bludgeoning tool than food. Carefully, she used her cutlery to pick up some pieces of pheasant and a few potatoes, and then added a couple bread buns to her plate for safety. The Black Heretic, who was pouring himself some kvas from a metal jug looked towards her and asked,