Blood and Water - The Darkling

Chapter 15: Clueless

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𝕬𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 another productive session with Baghra, I spend some time at the Summoners' pavilion to practice my night summoning. Everything I can do with light, I can now do with shadows. Once I'm satisfied I spend the rest of my time in the library.

There is no mention of the stags in any of my theory books, but I do find a reference to Ilya Morozova, one of the first and most powerful recorded Grisha. There is also plenty about amplifiers but most of this information I already knew. A Grisha can only have one amplifier in his or her lifetime and once a Grisha owns an amplifier, it can be possessed by no one else.

One statement does stand out to me: "The Grisha claims the amplifier, but the amplifier claims the Grisha, as well. Once it is done, there can be no other. Like calls to like, and the bond is made."

I don't know why but it seems important. Therefore, I store the information for later.

"The horse has speed. The bear has strength. The bird has winds. No creature has all of these gifts, and so the world is held in balance. Amplifiers are part of this balance, not a means of subverting it, and each Grisha would do well to remember this or risk the consequences."

Another philosopher wrote, "Why can a Grisha possess but one amplifier? I will answer this question instead: What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men."

Sitting beneath the library's glass dome, I think of the Black Heretic. Many believe that the Shadow Fold was the result of his greed. If true, perhaps this is what the philosophers meant by consequences. For the first time, it occurs to me that the Fold is the one place where the Darkling is helpless, where his powers mean nothing. Yet, once again something doesn't make sense to me. This whole story feels wrong. There's a lie somewhere in what I've learned and it kills me that I can't quite figure out what snippet of information is upsetting me.

With a sigh, I close my books and stand. One day I'll figure it out. But for now, I must continue with my other lessons.

Lunch was uneventful. So I made my way to the training grounds excitedly. Botkin has taken a liking to me, which isn't necessarily a good thing. He continuously puts me through drills and spars, barely giving me a chance to take a breath. When I think the lesson is over, Botkin motions towards someone behind me. I turn around to see Ivan standing next to Kirigan. With all of the adrenaline running through me, I didn't feel his approach.

Botkin yells, "Ivan, you fight star pupil."

I look between both of them incredulously. My fighting is pretty damn good but Ivan still has at least a foot on me and actual field experience. Still, I'm not one to take the coward's way out.

Ivan approaches me with a small smirk, "I've been hoping for a chance to knock your ego down a peg, Svetlana."

I matched his expression and size him up, "You wouldn't be the first to try, Ivan."

He shakes his head and cracks his knuckles, "Just wait. I'll put you on your ass, Starkov."

"Can't tell me that, Ivan, a lady may get the wrong idea. Take me on a date first," I say with a wink. "When I win, you have got to admit you like me."

"Well, I don't. So it's a good thing you're going to lose."

After that, we get into position and Botkin asks, "Fighters ready?"

We both nod, not once breaking our staring contest.

"Fight."

Ivan moves with surprising swiftness. I barely have time to crouch out of the way. On my way up, I kick him in the chest. He recovers quickly and swings again, striking me in my jaw. Before I have time to steady myself his next blow to my stomach lands, causing me to stumble. Ivan strikes again but I grab his wrist tightly, pulling it forward so I have access to repeatedly punch him in the stomach. Eventually, he recovers enough to legitimately throw me a good distance away.