Child of Legend - A Shadow and Bone Fanfic

Chapter 17

It had been almost three months of being stuck at the little palace, and a week or two since I had discovered that Zina, Luka and Koldan were reporting on me, I was still ignoring them.

Grisha came and went enjoying their lives while I was only permitted to leave when the general said so, and that most likely meant with him.

So imagine my surprise when one rainy day as I was huddled over some theory on the couch, books spread out all over on my desk and bed, I heard a knock at my door. I didn't have the faintest idea of who it was.

"Come in," I shouted, too lazy to go over to the door, they came to me, if they really wanted to see me they could let themselves in.

"Is it such a drag to open your door?" The Darkling asked me sarcastically, walking through the door.

"Truthfully? Yes, what do want," I said putting my bookmark in my book and closing it.

"You're very straight to the point, arent you," he commented sitting down on the small bit of couch that wasn't covered in books.

"Well incase you haven't noticed, I'm a bit busy trying to catch up," I gestured at all the books laid across my room.

"Very well," he sighed, "I'm going to inspect some of the front lines tomorrow and one of my inferni seems to have come down with a cold. I figured you might benefit from the change of scenery."

Joy danced in my eyes, "Seriously? Away from the palace? Uh YES," I exclaimed tossing my book away, "What's the catch?" I asked suspiciously.

"Not everything has a catch you know," he reliped.

I raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed, "Its the outpost by the Shu han border, by your old village."

"Oh," I shrank back into the couch, I felt conflicted, all I wanted was to go back there, try and get some sort of reassurance that everything was alright, but if there was an outpost there that only meant that everyone was gone.

"Are you still okay to come?" He asked.

I nodded, "But one question," he raised an eyebrow, "I left something there, it was well hidden so even an idiot like you wouldn't be able to find it, could I get it?"

He cocked his head to the side a bit, "Did you just call my men idiots?"

"No I called you an idiot, idiot. So can I?"

His lips quirked up into a slight smile, "Of course."

So there was a soul under all that.

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The next morning I joined a group of around 10 Grisha in the courtyard where a cluster of horses were lined up.

In the group I could make out the colours of a few healers, heartrenders, squallers and inferni.

"I forgot to ask," the Darkling said coming up behind me, "You do know how to ride, don't you?"

I flicked my hair behind my shoulder dramatically, "You're looking at the number one messenger in my village."

The ghost of a smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth as a servant came over with two horses and handed us both the reins.

The horse the Darkling held was black all over, even the tack was fully black, I had to admit it was very fitting for the rider.

Rena held the reins of a beautiful grey speckled horse, whose eyes were a deep brown like her own.

She rubbed her hand along its muzzle as her father conversed with Ivan. The horse nickered softly, welcoming the gentle rubs and scratches.