Blood and Water - The Darkling

Prologue

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𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 we were young, the servants at the Duke's house would call us malenchki or little ghosts. I suppose it was fitting, as we were the smallest and enjoyed causing mischief throughout the halls. Well, Alina and Mal were the playful ghouls. I, however, only followed them around to try and keep them out of trouble. From eavesdropping to stealing peaches, I had my work cut out for me.

Mal arrived shortly after my sister and me. They quickly became close friends, never doing anything without the other and by extension without me. We were all orphans of the border wars who were deposited at the Duke's mansion to grow up and learn. As a boy, Mal was short, stocky, and shy around everyone except Alina. My sister and I were different, a fact that the bullies never let us forget.

My slightly younger sister was pale and skinny while I was too Shu to ever fit in. Despite being fraternal twins, we still shared everything, even the not-so-pleasant memories. I remember one of the first moments when we were finally exposed to the cruelty of human judgment.

Alina and Mal wanted to steal some pastries that were being baked for the Duke's visitors. In agreement with such a scheme for once, I hid with them in the kitchen cupboards. Ana Kuya, the Duke's housekeeper, was gossiping about Alina and me. She compared my twin to sour milk and me to that of a Shu Han bandit they saw depicted in war propaganda.

"And both of them, so skinny!" the cook had replied. "Never finishes their supper."

Worried, Mal had turned to us and whispered so low that even I struggled to hear, "Why don't you eat?"

"Because everything she cooks tastes like mud," my sister had replied.

"Tastes fine to me," was his quick rebuttal.

"You'll eat anything," Alina and I responded at once.

After a short comfortable silence, Mal turned to Alina and said, "I don't think you're ugly."

"Shhh!" she and I hissed. Alina turned her head thinking she was hidden by the shadows but I saw the smile on her face. That was when I realized that the boy was already in love with her and perhaps she was with him.

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During the summers, we would all suffer through hours of chores and lessons. Alina and Mal would disappear to the woods with their creeks and meadow. While I spent my time star gazing and teaching myself to be strong. Instead of hunting for birds' nests, I learned how to use a bow and throw hand-sharpened kitchen knives. Progress was slow but fast enough to deter the bullies from giving Alina much trouble. This came in handy during the winter months, being stuck inside with the lax teachers and cruel children. My sister and her boy shadow would hide, while I took the beatings the older kids would dole out. I quickly learned to use my smaller frame to be faster and spent my free time stealing any books that could teach me to be smarter in a fight. The brawls dwindled until I could put even the bulkiest of bullies on his ass. Not once did any of them have any time to try and turn their physical cruelty towards Alina. Especially when even as small as I was, I would always get back up.

On the day the Grisha Examiners came, all three of us were peering through the window waiting for the mail coach. When the troika was pulled up by three black horses, we knew. Alina and Mal rushed to our usual eavesdropping position in the gallery and I quickly followed suit. They discussed us a bit, as we were the only three being tested that year. But I remember the conversation took a different turn than I was expecting.

The woman in red robes asked, "And what are they like, these children?"

"Both twins have some talent for drawing. Svetlana, the older one shows great promise in this respect but she does have a tendency to get into brawls with the other children. The boy is most home in the meadow and the wood," Ana Kuya had responded.

"But what are they like?" repeated the woman, which surprised me greatly. I found it odd that they actually seemed interested in us.

Ana Kuya's expression turned sour as she responded, "What are they like? They are undisciplined, contrary, far too attached to each other. Especially the boy and-"

"They are listening to every word we say," said the young man in purple.

My sister and Mal had jumped in surprise as they noticed that he was staring directly at our hiding spot. In my pursuit of knowledge, I had already learned of the Grisha and their unique powers. That in combination with the fact that I have never been one to frighten easily meant that I was not startled. We had been caught and there was no escape, probably never had a chance since the moment we got too close.

Ana Kuya called all three of us down and we reluctantly followed orders for once. The woman in red stood as we entered and asked us, "Do you know who we are?"

"You're witches!" blurted Mal before I had a chance to respond.

"Witches?" the woman hissed. She quickly faced Ana Kuya and basically snarled, "Is that what you teach at this school? Superstition and lies?"

"You're Grisha. You do something with Small Science, right?" my confident voice rang out before more could be said.

The woman in red turned around and left Ana Kuya to her embarrassment. Quickly, her dark eyes went from blazing to curious as she responded, "Yes. You're a smart one, aren't you? We keep this country and this kingdom safe."

"Very right, little one. We have come to test you and see if you are unique like us," the man in purple spoke up and proceeded to ask Ana Kuya to leave the room.

"Wait!" exclaimed Mal. "What happens if we're Grisha? What happens to us?"

The woman in red looked down at us, "If by some small chance, one of you is Grisha, then that lucky child will go to a special school where Grisha learn to use their talents."

I remember how my blood ran cold even as the spark within me surged to the surface. After a moment, I pushed the feeling down and locked my gaze on Mal and Alina. They clasped hands and stared into each other's eyes. I knew then that I had to keep pretending or lose my sister forever. Little did I know that the day would come where I would no longer hide from what I was but embrace it with open arms.

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*There we go guys, first "chapter" done. Hope you enjoyed it. Thoughts?