Centuries

Chapter 4

  I just barely caught the Darkling before he fell and hit the ground.

"Hey, wake up."

 
I shook him and hit him in the face harder than was necessary but he didn't wake up and there was a Fijerdan soldier running in my direction. I wanted to use my powers but nobody could find out what I could do. I looked around at everyone and they were too caught up to pay attention to me.

I summoned the cut and hoped for the best. I felt the surety that came with touching the Darkling and that helped me aim the cut, the burst of light that came with it was definitely not a good thing.

The Fijerdan fell in half on the ground. I hoped that no one was paying closer attention than I thought they would or it would be clear I was the one who used the cut and not the Darkling who wasn't showing any signs of regaining consciousness.

Using my power without the amplifiers felt wrong. Like I was incomplete. There could be a chance they had landed near me and I could look for them but I had bigger problems to deal with at the moment.
 
There were still several Fijerdans standing and we were outnumbered. This time I definitely couldn't get away with the cut again so I drew my knife and tried to avoid the darts flying everywhere. In the midst of all the chaos I could have killed the Darkling so easily. Nobody would know it was me and he couldn't fight back. But Ravka needed him in some ways.

I needed to plan this carefully. Without him the second army wouldn't have been created. Grisha would never have the closest to safety they would ever have.

I  noticed that a Fijerdan was charging directly at me and I barely had time to grab my knife and stab him. I took out my bloody knife. The thought that this was my first of many kills flashed through my head there was so much happening that I didn't have time to process it.
  
I looked over at Kate who was fighting using flames and I felt a pang of jealousy. I hated hiding who I was again. And I had done all that hiding for Mal who was now dead. I knew that I had centuries to save him but it seems impossibly far away. The rest of the fight was a blur of trying to not get shot.

  I thought the size of the Fijerdans would make it harder to fight them, thankfully they stumbled around the forest with difficulty. It made it easy for me to stab the second one that came sprinting at me. He fell but he was still alive. If I were the person I was several months ago I would have let him live. But I wasn't, I slit his throat and braced for the next attack.

We were taking the lead and it wouldn't be long before we defeated them. When they were all dead or had fled we regrouped and surprisingly nobody had been killed.

The Darkling was still unconscious Willow had put his around her shoulder and I was surprised at how easily she was carrying him. The trackers were walking ahead leading us back to camp which wasn't as far as I expected but I was still getting tired of walking through the thick forest. 

   I couldn't help but think of how if Mal were here with me he probably wouldn't even pay attention to me he'd probably make friends with the other trackers and I'd eventually lose him forever. It was still better than him sacrificing himself in the catacombs for a mission that was almost certain to fail. We finally reached camp close to dusk and I went with Willow to go find a Healer.

  "Good job killing that Fijerdan." Willow said
"What's good about killing someone?"

"We're at war, it's what we have to do. We might as well be good at it."
  
Even if they made it their life mission to kill us and burn us it still felt wrong to kill them.

  The Healer said that the Darkling would probably wake up within several hours and the darts had only been made to keep someone unconscious so he would be fine. I could sense Willow's worry as we left the tent still.

   "The Healer said there's nothing wrong, you don't need to worry."

I had never been good at comforting people so that was the best I could do.
  
"I know but-" Willow hesitated  debating whether to tell me what she was going to tell me.

"What is it?" I asked gently

"You're not grisha so it doesn't matter but he's an amplifier so killing him would make a greedy person very powerful." 
 
  I never considered that anyone would attempt to kill him that I always thought that attempting to murder him would be too hard and the punishment would be death but now he didn't have any guards and something told me the murder wouldn't get the punishment they deserved.

   "So now would be a good time for someone to kill him?"

"Exactly. I'm probably being paranoid but there's plenty of people who would do it if they knew."

I didn't think it was very likely that it would happen but just to be sure Willow and I ate dinner in clear view of the tent.

"The patrol went pretty well I thought." Kate said as she came to sit by us.

"Two people almost died."
Willow retorted

  If that was one that went well I didn't want to know what one that didn't go well was like.

   "We all almost died." I muttered

"We could've actually died" Kate replied

I wondered again how she was always so positive but I was grateful for her nonetheless. Eventually Willow and Kate went to sleep but I couldn't. I was more energized than I had been since I last used my power. It couldn't hurt looking for my amplifiers. The worst thing that could happen was that they weren't here.

   I grabbed a lantern and went to the outskirts of the camp where I had landed. Looking around at night was a pain in the ass but it was better than someone seeing me.

Like everything else this too would be easier if I could summon light. I finally caught a glimpse of white and it was the fetter. Although it was broken in half the power was mine so it still worked. I could probably wrap something around it to put it back together and wear at least one of my amplifiers.

   The collar wasn't far away and had also broken and it still worked. It pained me that I couldn't wear it too but at least I had it. I shoved both the amplifiers in my backpack and hurried away before someone noticed me. I was wrapping a thin rope around the second amplifier when I overheard General Janazain and someone whose voice I didn't recognize talking behind the bushes.

   "And you're sure you saw someone summon light?"
Said general Janazain skeptically.

Saints. Someone must have seen me use the cut.

"Yes. I couldn't see who it came from but I saw a flash of light."

The voice I didn't recognize said. It had to stay that way.

   "First a shadow summoner and now a Sun Summoner where do these abominations keep coming from."
General Janazain said bitterly.

So I was right he didn't like grisha. But why was the Darkling his second in command if he hated him. So much wasn't adding up.  At least I had my amplifiers and more hope than before that whatever mess I had gotten into I could get out.