Darkness Unfold (#3)

Chapter 3: Done All Wrong

Alina was confused. There was no way in hell that she was a Grisha. She had been tested as a child and there was no way she could be more different than she looked. She would always be an outsider, no matter what.

As soon as the Darkling let her arm go, she lost her balance in that situation and the Darkling kept her from falling to the ground, her thoughts muffled. "Ivan!" He shouted. "Get her to my coach. I want her surrounded by an armed guard at all times." He wouldn't make the same mistake that he did with Maxwell, but Ivan wasn't him. The Darkling reminded himself that. "Take her to the Little Palace and stop for nothing." Ivan nodded. "And bring a Healer to see her wounds."

He started to turn away. The situation was all too familiar for him. "Wait!" He heard the girl speak. She grabbed hold of his arm and there were loud gasps that spread across the room. The Darkling stiffened. "There's been some kind of mistake. I don't....I'm not..."

He had to turn and look at her hand on his sleeve. She let go when she felt the rage in his look. "I'm not what you think I am." The same words.

The Darkling stepped closer to her as if to intimidate her. "I doubt you have any idea what you are." He said so that only she could hear. He was waiting for the look of recognition. He only needed one confirmation.

He nodded at Ivan before starting to walk towards the raised dais. He pushed her away from his thoughts. He had found the answer to all of his questions that morning. Then why was he feeling so guilty? Why was he upset that Alina wasn't the answer?

He heard Ivan's tone while addressing her, and that only made him think of what if she was Alina. "Ivan." He called. "Mind your tone. She is Grisha now."

He made his way to tell the General about the change of events. The entire tent was looking at either him or the girl that was being forced outside. "Alina Starkov is now under my protection. We will take good care of her at the Little Palace." '

She was the answer. She had to be.

The General fumbled for words. "I...don't know what to say."

That was amusing. Nobody knew what to say when the Darkling was around.

The situation was way too familiar. If she was back, he would not make the same mistake again. He had promised himself that he wouldn't. He didn't want to believe that she wasn't back because she had told him that she wouldn't meet him again. He would be meeting her, whatever that meant....and he had eternity to figure that out.

But the answers were right in front of his eyes. The Sun Summoner was real. He finally had the answers to how to destroy the Fold. But that wasn't his plan. He wouldn't be able to expand the Fold to save his people as long as she was haunting his thoughts.

He had to make a decision.

"Choose!"

His gaze fell upon the other Grisha that he trusted - Zoya Nazyalensky. He had met the Squaller when she came to the Little Palace with someone, her aunt perhaps. She was bloody all over and broken. But she had an anger in her that was unmatched, and in that anger, he found her.

Zoya excelled in her training and study and she mingled with her new life straight away. Is that what made him think that she could be her reincarnation? Why did he allow him to prefer her over other Grisha that stayed trusting him?

He regretted his feelings for her blinding him for making a mistake with Zoya. He had it all wrong. Zoya wasn't her, and neither was Miss Starkov. She wouldn't come back. She wouldn't be the reason that he lost his sanity.

"You should apologise to Freya."

He wanted to.

He had pushed Zoya to the edge many times before. He had let her believe that he favoured her over everyone and that she could use that over other Grisha. He had made his mistakes and he should have apologised long before.

But that wouldn't make him the Darkling anymore.

He was a ruthless and cunning man. He despised everyone who came in the way of his victory. He would get what he wanted no matter what happened to others. He had to keep Ravka safe. It was all about looking at the bigger picture.

He would never let anyone see that he was a broken man behind the facade that he portrayed.

Alina may not be Adaline. But that wouldn't stop him from making sure of that.

He was heading towards the exit of the tent when he heard someone call him from the group of soldiers. He turned around and saw the back of the head of that person. The tracker, he thought.

"Let me go!" He was fighting his superior. "I need to find her. Whatever this is, it isn't right."

"This isn't right."

The Darkling's jaw clenched. Get out of my head! But he only heard her laugh in return.

"Stand down, Oretsev! You will get back to your post tonight. This conversation is over."

The Darkling made his way out. He couldn't have anyone assume that he actually cared about what was going on. He made his way towards the lower valley where the horses were being kept. He brought his horse, Destrier out. He was going to get to the Little Palace as fast as he could. He needed to go through Ilya's notes again. There had to be a way that he could change history.

He had to find the amplifiers.

He had to prove her wrong.

He had to make his mission come true.

And he had only one answer - Alina Starkov.

The Darkling looked at his creation. His madraya had warned him against it. "Merzost comes with a price and it may not be the one that you would be willing to pay."

But he had, hadn't he? He lost the only person that he ever loved, the only person that he ever let to see the person that he truly was. And the worst part of it was that he was the master of his fate. He killed her every time when all she ever wanted was for them to live happily with each other and let other Grisha live in peace as well.

But if he had destroyed the Fold, men like the King would have taken control of that area and made something themselves that would have only been worse for the fate of Ravka. There would be no use for Grisha. They would lose their respect. He regretted wielding the blade in his hand but he didn't regret what he did.

The future of Ravka depended on him.

It depended on Alina Starkov.

Loud thunder evoked from it and he heard the cries of the volcras in there. He came to one decision. He was going to do everything in his power to get Miss Alina Starkov out there in the Fold and he was going to save Ravka.

Whatever it took.

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A/N: I can't believe that this book has reached 1K views already! This is the third chapter for Saints' sake!
I'm thinking that I'll work on the second book after finishing Part 1 so that I can give a little backstory to what happened after Adaline died. That would probably be for the best.
Anyway, no mourners!