Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

Sixty-three: Alina Starkov

Sixty-three:

Alina Starkov

There was rocking, and someone was humming while they stroked the top of her hand. The last thing she remembered was Aleksander talking about bringing the second army back, about taking over the crown. Then there had been shadows. A name danced in her mind that she struggled to remember. "The Darkling," she murmured with her eyes closed, "The Darkling......" She felt a finger reach out and stroke her cheek, making her shiver under the stranger's touch. Her eyes flickered opened and she was staring at her husband, except....it wasn't her husband.

The man before her had her husbands face, the same dark hair, and dark grey eyes. But she knew this time that the man sitting on the side of her bed was not her husband. "Alina," he breathed, "my darling Alina, you're awake. I was worried about you. The pregnancy has taken it's toll on you and you have been sleeping for most of our trip."

"Trip?" Alina asked. Her voice was strained, as if she had not had water in days. It was more than strained. It was raspy. "What trip are you talking about? We were home, in Os Alta."

He smiled at her. "We are going to The Fold. Now that you are pregnant, you'll be strong enough to defeat it. Together, we are going to save our country from the terrible thing that has taken over it. The peasants will be so grateful that they will name us the rulers of Ravka. We can make changes for the better. I will be the King, and you will be the Queen, and we will rule Ravka together. We will restore grisha to their rightful place of power and our child will rule."

Alina forced herself to sit up in her bed. "You aren't Aleks. You're not my husband."

"I am The Darkling," he said, "I wear your husbands face. I have his power. Who am I if I am not your husband?"

She shook her head. "You're his past self," she said, "I don't know how you've taken me back to the past, but you have. I am not your wife. The child inside me is not yours. I will never be yours. I belong to Aleksander Morozova. I am his wife, Lady Morozova, and the child inside me is ours. I won't let you use my child or me for your own selfish gain."

He laughed. "And who is going to come save you?" he sneered at her. "I already had my spy kill him. All of this time, centuries later, and you still don't know the rule of keep your friends close but your enemies closer, Alina. Such a shame. If you had paid attention, you might have realized that Genya was your enemy and always has been. She was always going to do as I asked her. She never cared about you. She only cared about what could be done for her, and how she could get you to help. She stabbed your husband. I expect he's dead by now."

Alina's face fell. "He's not dead. Aleksander and I have a connection. If he were dead, I would have felt it. He's alive, and he's going to come for me, and his daughter, and he will destroy you."

"Are you so sure?" he said, tilting his head to the side. "He's part of me, Alina. I know his mind because we share it. He has a chance to restore the grisha army to what it once was. You know he thirsts for power as much as I do. I don't think a bouncing, baby brat that hasn't been born yet is going to change anything for him. Power is addictive."

"He loves me," she declared loudly.

The Darkling laughed. "Do you really think he loves you? I know his heart. We don't love, Alina. We crave power. You have the power that we need. That's all you are. You aren't anything special. He won't give up on his legacy of destruction. I know him."

"You think you do," said Alina, "but I have seen him look at me with love and devotion in his eyes. He's not dead, and he won't give up on me, or our marriage. He'll come for me, or if he can't, he'll send someone else for me. But you're not going to win, Darkling. One way or another, you're going to be destroyed. Because if he doesn't do it, I will destroy you myself. I remember things too. I killed you once before, and I can do it again."

He laughed. "Not truly my dear. For as long as The Fold exists, I will exist, for it is part of me. As is your child. I would think long and hard about your desire to kill me, Alina. You've no idea how that might affect the baby."

She placed a hand on her stomach. "I hate you," she snarled.

He laughed again. "I know your heart too, my Little Sun Summoner. You don't hate me. I don't think you could ever have the power to hate me. I have kissed you, tasted you, been inside your every crevice. You cannot hate that which you have savored, and you have savored me, my dear. I am in your skin now. My child grows deep within you. There is no escaping me, ever, and your body will not let you hate me."

He reached out and stroked her cheek. "Besides, once this little one is born, we'll have to start on a spare. You needn't worry, my dear Saint, I'll make sure it's just as enjoyable a process as it is for me. You've got nothing to worry about."

"You won't ever touch me!" she yelled.

He laughed. "Oh Alina, don't make promises that you won't be able to keep. It does make you look pathetic my dear and that isn't a good look to have on a Queen you know."