Centuries

Chapter 1

"Are you sure about this?" Mal asked as he paced back and forth in the cramped quarters.

"I agree time travel seems really far out, even for a Sun Summoner." Zoya said I was surprised to hear that from her given how little she seemed concerned with me in the past.

But they were right, we were underground with limited resources and the Apparat could catch us at any moment.

"The Darkling is too powerful now if I don't kill him before he suspects me we won't stand a chance."

I didn't want to think about how I was dreading the moment I'd have to kill him. I had every reason to hate him but I still wanted him to come to me through the bond, I was still relieved when I found out he was alive. Then Tamar burst through the doors.

"The Apparat knows, Alina I'm sorry I thought we'd have more time but we have to go. Now." She grabbed my wrist and hauled me out the door before I had time to process what was happening. I heard a gunshot behind us and the soldat sol behind us but they weren't the only ones behind us. So was Mal.

"Mal!"
"Alina. Go don't worry about me." He called back.

I should have kept my mouth shut. Distracting him gave one of the soldat sol a perfect chance to put a bullet in his head. Tamar continued dragging me down the hallway.

"I'm sorry but we have to move faster."

Mal had survived the Darkling countless times and fought so hard for me to be safe. He couldn't be dead. He had to live. I did not want to think about spending the rest of my life without him. After what seemed like an eternity of running down the hallway, David was waiting in the basement where we had begun our project a month ago.

It seemed ridiculous that somewhere so far underground would have one but it was a good thing that it did for hiding the time machine. Zoya was quick to follow as Tamar slammed the door shut. It wouldn't hold for long but it had to be enough time for everyone's sake.  The time machine was a box that had been crafted from grisha steel. It was hard to think that I would get the chance to kill the Darkling in just a few moments.

I didn't believe in saints the way some people did but I prayed that it would be enough to save Ravka but what if in some messed up way the Darkling's rule could be a good thing? Grisha would be safe but at what price?

No. He was cruel and merciless nothing could possibly make up for the amount of blood on his hands. "
Where's Mal?" David asked concern flashing across his face

"He's dead." Zoya replied "The soldat sol shot him." The words stung.

It was just moments ago I was sitting with him in my quarters and now he was gone and it was all my fault. He saved my life so many times and I couldn't save his once. I couldn't fail to kill the Darkling too.

"Get in, we don't have much time."
The pounding on the door was getting louder. I stepped in the machine. There were lots of wires and buttons on the outside but the inside was just steel.

Several moments passed I couldn't hear anything from outside but I could tell it had been too long and something was wrong.

Finally I fell through the darkness. David told me this was what would happen but it still took me by surprise. My plan was to enter right before my power was revealed and earn the Darkling's trust again and backstab him before he could expand the fold. I'd land in Kribirsk but when I landed I could tell something was off.

There was no darkness that loomed over the town. Although Kribirsk had never been much now there was even less all the buildings I could see in the distance were more like shacks and there were army tents all around me. But the landscape around proved that it was the right place.

Soldiers were everywhere moving around the tents but I noticed there were no keftas anywhere.

"Hey." A voice from behind me said "Are you part of the new unit?" He asked

"I- yeah. Sorry I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing." I replied to the tall man behind me

"Go set up camp and if you are grisha use your power whatever way is useful."

So there were grisha, but I didn't like the way he said grisha with such disgust I thought Ravka had moved past that. And then it hit me. The fold had been created before the second army and the fold wasn't here. Neither was the second army. David had overshot me by at least 4 centuries.