{BOOK 3/3 of The Triumvariate Trilogy}
What it darkness was a place? A place where creatures that ruled nightmares flew about. And what if it was created out of spite and greed by a dangerous man with a purpose?
It has been almost two centuries sinc...
The Darkling did not enjoy staying at the palace. He was constantly ambushed by the Apparat and the King about Alina's progress, as if he wasn't stressed enough about it. But that helped him make a decision. He wasn't going to take any chances. The Darkling was going to go on the hunt himself.
So before the winter fete could arrive, the Darkling scouted the forests with his soldiers. He spent what felt like countless days trying to find traces of the stag, but that didn't get him anyway. The trackers weren't lying after all. Good. Because if they were, they wouldn't have lived long enough to see the morning sunlight.
The Darkling would stay away at night, rereading all the letters that Alina had addressed to the tracker friend of hers. The way she talked about him could only mean one thing, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he needed the help of the orphan.
The Darkling shook that thought and walked out of the tent that was set up for rest. The moonlight glistened through the canopy of the trees but it was almost time for dawn. The sun was going to rise up any time. Maybe this was the time that Adaline would have ruled. It was the perfect time for the morning dew to settle over leaves.
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He walked through the dense forest and started climbing down a small hill to come face to face with a flowing river. He moved some leaves on the ground and sat down criss-crossed. He had remembered a similar location when he was only a decade old. He couldn't swim and that was his biggest weakness. Baghra always teased him about it, which later became Adaline's job. He couldn't believe how well the two women in his life got together with each other, even if it included him getting teased.
The Darkling picked a stone up and threw it across the river, watching it ricochet to the other side, leaving ripples at each jump. He didn't know why each ripple caused him to remember little details from his life.
He was almost killed that day. He had trusted someone and that almost caused him his life. He had let his guard down and trusted the stupid Tidemaker who thought that she could live with his fall. The Darkling was only glad that Baghra was there for him. She had helped Eryk leave the town soon. He needed a start over after everything that had happened.
He still shuddered thinking about that.
But that was a moment that had defined his life.
What made Grisha so vulnerable for that girl to have wanted to kill him? The greed of men.
What had made Baghra and him move from town to town, hiding who they were? The wrath of men.
And what had caused Sophie to leave the town? Men.
The Darkling may not have hunted the man down, because if he had, he would have slowly tortured him before finally taking away his life. He had left his mark on Sophie. He had tried to kill her and left her scared through who she was.
The Darkling would never forget the day she had stumbled into his house, her hands bruised, her eyes red and her dress bloody. He tried to console her but the tears flowing out of her eyes left little blooms around her. Baghra had tried to touch her but she pulled back almost immediately, wincing at every touch.
She had let him go. She had let the person who had tried to kill her for her powers go because she believed that his greed had blinded him. She always tried to see the goodness in people, even the ones that caused her arm.
She knew who Annika was to the Darkling and she made him realise that humans can be pushed to an extent where they can never return from. It was up to them to decide whether they were a good person or an evil one.
Sophie had been far too good for her own good. She was betrayed over and over again but she would always seek for someone's redemption.
It was his fault too. He had taken her for granted.
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A teardrop fell down the Darkling's eyes. He hadn't thought about her like this in a really long time. Maybe it was because he was in her territory. The fresh earth, the rustling leaves and the flowing river - all of them reminded him of her.
The next morning, the Darkling made his decision.
He sent word to the unit in Chernast that he was seeking out the Stag. There was no way that he alone could find it. It would take him forever, but the King did not have that much time. He needed to be put down soon.
A few days passed by where the search continued and once the hunting party was confirmed, the Darkling let loose the stiffness on his shoulders.
He was close to it. He knew it in his bones, the same ones that people would kill him for.
If they found the Stag, the trackers were to meet him in the castle as per his clear instructions. He had sent a handwritten letter that would allow them into the palace without the King's foolish army stopping them. They were to meet him first no matter what.
Maybe he would get to meet the infamous Malyen Oretsev after all.
The Darkling returned to the Little Palace the day before the fete. He was glad to have made it back in time. The first thing he did was make his way to the Fabrikator's gallery, where he gave his order for Alina's winter kefta to be black. He noticed the sudden shock on the Grisha's face, but that didn't matter to him. It was the next sentence that seemed to bother the Grisha more.
"The kefta will have my symbol on it."
The Darkling wasn't going to take any more chances. This was the last test. This was his final chance to see if Alina was Adaline or not. If she wore the kefta, she was her own person. But if she entered the ball in dazzling blue, the Darkling would have his answer.
Which possibility he wanted to come true, he did not know.
*****
Hey everyone! Yes, I'm still writing this. Just needed some time to get over my story 'A Flight's Desire'. Do give it a read when you have the time. My new book 'Empires Fall' is also out now!
Also, now you know why none of Adaline's forms liked to be touched. I've been WAITING to write this reveal. Someone tried to kill Sophie and that left a mark. But as for Adaline, she is not like Kaz. All the comments. I've come across of that fact are actually kinda hurtful because not everyone is comfortable with being touched
