Kingdom of Scourge and Shadow (The Sightstone Series #1)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Alina

"Better a pauper with friends, than a prince with enemies."

-Araiyan proverb, source unknown

***

 Sitting on the floor of Sofiya's room, eating the candies and cakes and pastries they'd bought at the fair, and sipping drinking chocolate topped with fresh cream from paper cups, it was easy to forget that the other Healers would be neck-deep in setting up the hospital and preparing for an influx of patients even as snow began to fall outside the windows.

Night was falling, and Alina could hear the wind howling beneath the eaves, sending flurries of snowflakes swirling, but, inside, curled up on the plush rug by the fire, it was warm and cozy. Alina had changed back into her white uniform as soon as they'd returned, but Sofiya had loaned her a taupe shawl of the softest, warmest cashmere that she'd bundled around her shoulders, adding to the illusion of coziness and comfort.

"Ugh," Sofiya said, wrinkling her nose adorably. "I hate that you look good in taupe. No one's supposed to look good in taupe."

Alina shrugged. "If it's any consolation, dark colors wash me out. Bright colors, too."

Sofiya grinned. "It does, a little," she said, reaching for a little almond cake. "You know, the only reason I never got rid of that shawl is because Pyotr gave it to me."

"Pyotr?" Alina asked with a knowing smirk. "The Elemental?"

She was a bit surprised. She hadn't imagined that the very dashing–and equally brooding–mage was anything resembling Sofiya's type, but, thinking of Marina and Demyan, she supposed there were stranger pairings. Really, with all the couples she was just hearing about, there must have been something in the air.

Sofiya blushed. "Don't judge," she said primly. "I've seen the way you look at Nikolai."

Now, it was Alina's turn to blush. She ducked her head and reached for a piece of marzipan shaped like a tiny pumpkin, hoping Sofiya hadn't noticed her flushed cheeks. Sure, she liked Nikolai–just like every other girl at court. He was rich, handsome, intelligent and kind, everything anyone could hope for. But the king would never let her be with another man, and, even if Nikolai felt the same way about her, there would be nothing she could do. She was bound to the king and his will.

"So, Pyotr, huh?" Alina said, nibbling on the marzipan. She was starting to feel sick from how many sweets she'd eaten, but she had no intention of stopping. It was nice to do something a little bit bad, for once. "I can't say I know him very well."

Sofiya stared absently out the window, fiddling with the rim of her paper cup. "He's kind, you know," she said softly, a small, distant smile playing over her lips. "Mostly, the Elementals look down on us, even Combat Healers, a little. But Pyotr always says hello to me, and he looks out for me in training. He's nice to everyone, actually. He's very serious, though. He doesn't really joke around, and he's always kind of distracted."

"Probably why he hasn't noticed you pining after him," Alina quipped.

Sofiya plucked a pillow off her bed and chucked it at Alina, who ducked. It missed by a mile and fell harmlessly behind her. Alina clapped a hand over her mouth to smother a giggle and glanced up at Sofiya, who looked like she was trying desperately not to laugh. One glance at each other was all it took, and they dissolved into gales of laughter for no good reason.

This, Alina thought. This was what she'd been missing, all these years. For so long, she'd been alone. Even Nikolai had been oblivious to how unhappy, how lonely, she was. Then, he'd dragged Elektra into her life, and it was like the floodgates had opened. She wasn't sure if it was her work on the Scourge that had made people let her into their lives, or if it was just spending day after day stuck in a small space together, or if it was, maybe, that they'd started seeing her less like an outsider and more like one of them.