Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

Eighteen: Aleksander Morozova

Eighteen

Aleksander Morozova

When he got to the Little Palace, David Kostyk was waiting for him. He was one of the royal librarians and had been helping him try to find something involving the small sciences that would help them against their enemies. The legends of Ravka told of soldiers with magical powers that had once existed. Time and technology had made their powers go dormant, but Lord Morozova had a feeling that the old magic was still there.

"You found it?" he said when he approached the young librarian.

David nodded. "It took some searching, but it was there. It was buried in the back of the shelves. At the very top. I nearly fell off a ladder trying to get it."

He sighed. "David, the next time you're getting an ancient book for me, I would appreciate it if you didn't break your neck trying to do it."

"Oh," said David, "are you showing concern for me?"

He placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Despite what everyone says of me, David, I am not so much a monster that I would wish you death."

"That's good. Because usually I annoy people so much, they.... well...."

He sighed. "Don't worry about most people, David. They're arseholes. Show me where the book is please."

"I took it to my office," he said, "I thought it would be prudent to keep it there. You know the King banned it long ago, and there have been several attempts to break into the library as this is one of the few remaining copies."

"Thank you for that. Very prudent on your part. It wouldn't do for the King to find out what I was doing before I can actually do it."

David nodded. The two of them walked through the palace to the library, and once inside the large room filled with bookshelves that covered the walls, and then rows, and rows of them they took the stairs up to the second floor. David's office was there tucked away in the back. It was small, also filled with bookshelves, and there was a desk with chairs.

Lord Morozova took a seat, and David went around to his side of the desk. He pulled out a rather intimidating key ring that seemed to have every key from the palace on there. Then, he opened the drawer, and pulled out a red and gold book.

The Lives of Saints was written across it in glittering, gold letters.

He let out a breath of awe. "Well done, David."

David handed the book to him. "Lord Morozova.... you know that book is all children's stories, right? People have thought for centuries that if we could bring magic back to Ravka, we could swing the war in our favor. But we don't need magic or saints. What we need are peace talks, which won't happen as long as----"

"Careful, David. Don't want to speak treason. You never know who might be listening in the Little Palace."

David sighed, and nodded. "Alright, alright," he said, "what are you going to do with it?"

"I'm going to find something that will help us win the war," he said, "the magic from one of these creatures would be enough to blow our enemies to smithereens."

"Sir," he said, "doesn't relying on magic seem impractical?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I've tried everything else. They keep on coming for us. Every time Fjerda attacks, our country ends up in ruins. When people think of Ravka, they think of a crumbling dynasty with an economy that will never recover because of all of the wreckage our enemies have laid waste too. Just once, I would like to see Ravka rise. Even if it means using a children's fairytale do it."

David raised an eyebrow. "I suppose marrying Alina has nothing to do with this either?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would marrying Alina have anything to do with this?"

"She's from Keramzin. Didn't you know?"

He furrowed his brows. "But her father----"

"It's where she lived with her mother, for most of her life," David said, "Genya tells me that she didn't even see the Duke regularly until her mother died. When Genya told me you were planning on marrying her, I thought maybe you'd found out from Nikolai somehow. Since you've been so invested in your search for magic...."

"There were rumors of grisha---the last of the magical soldiers----hiding in Keramazin," he said thoughtfully, stroking his chin, "they pretended to be human. But there were strange things that happened there.... enough that the town took notice, and they say that the last of them died in a car accident."

"Alina's mother died in a car accident," David offered.

He gripped the book in his hands. "Thank you, David," he said, "this has been very informative. Do you have a bag I could slip the book into?"

"I thought you might need one," he said, and pulled a black, velvet one with silver drawstrings out from his desk drawer. Aleksander took it, placed the book inside, and walked through the Little Palace as if he didn't have something illegal with him.

The Saints had brought Alina Starkov to him, he was certain. And together, they were going to bring back the old magic, and save Ravka. Together, they would make their country thrive again. Together, they would make it rise to new heights more than ever before.