Blood Soldiers: The Second Army - Grishaverse Prequel

23 - Yelena

It had been a week since the battle and so much had changed.

At first it had been strange to see the First and Second Armies working side by side to keep the camp running smoothly. Now, it was just...normal.

They'd held funerals for the dead, burning the eight Grisha on a pyre with the other soldiers. She had wanted to burn them in their keftas but knew how difficult they were to make and get materials for, so they'd gone without. Yelena had tried to stay strong for her other soldiers, but the empty ache in her chest had remained. 

Shame filled her too. Though she would never tell anyone, she had tried to...wake them. With her power, but they wouldn't respond to her. It was surreal, and heartbreaking to feel such...nothingness. It was like where their bodies lay was nothing but a void, her own power meaningless.

She and Ilya had been working tirelessly to strategize with the General and prepare for other attacks along the border. News had been sent to Os Alta about their win, and they had been awaiting their next orders when finally, a messenger had arrived with a letter from King Konstantin.

He ordered the First Army to travel east to another battlefield with the Fjerdan's and had asked the Grisha leader to meet in Kirbirsk. He was permitted to bring a small guard, of no more than six soldiers, and it was to be a peaceful meeting.

Yelena and Ilya had gone back and forth for ages, wondering if it were some sort of trap. They hadn't expected it to be so...easy. On the one hand, the King would be a fool not to consider letting them join him. Especially after their battle with the Fjerdan's. Even if it were a trap, the Grisha were not easily killed, the King would not be much of a threat.

They had decided to go, and Ilya had allowed her to pick a small group to come with them. The meeting would remain a secret, or at least, as secret as they could keep it. In the end, both Yelena and Ilya had decided to go, not wanting to let either go alone.

Now, she rode along beside him as they entered Kribirsk, a small town in Ravka's west. It was one of the main trading posts along the way from Os Kervo to Os Alta and was probably the third largest town in the country.

Yelena had chosen two Heartrenders, Lars and Karina to come with them, as well as Roman, a Squaller, Marko, the Inferni and Lidia, a Tidemaker. Yelena was the sixth 'guard' in Ilya's retinue, despite being his second in command. Four oprichniki had come too and would be staying behind while the others met the king.

Back with the First Army, the original Grisha Army had been left in charge, and Yelena could only pray to every saint she knew that they wouldn't kill each other in the meantime. She loved and trusted them, but this was a big ask.

Marko drew up beside her, "You think he's here yet?"

Ilya pointed to where a large camp had already been set up with horses and the king's guard patrolling the perimeter, "I think so."

They'd been travelling nonstop for eight days to get to Kribirsk, and Yelena was at least glad that their meeting wouldn't be delayed any longer. A group of First Army soldiers greeted them icily. 

"You are the one they call Ilya Kuznetsov?"

Ilya nodded, "I am."

The men led them forward, to a place where they could dismount and move to meet with the king. Their small party was patted down, and any weapons removed. Yelena tried not to roll her eyes. They were the weapons.

Finally, they were brought into the large central tent, where the King sat on a carved wooden chair, reminiscent of a throne. King Konstantin was in his 60s, slightly on the older side, and he wore a simple gold circlet on his brow. Despite his age, Yelena could see the sharp cunning behind his kindly eyes.