Noble Hope| General Kirigan

𝔸𝕕𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖

{100k Bonus Chapter}

"IT'LL BE A LONG PASSAGE WITHOUT THAT WINE SHIPMENT."

"Have a heart. Novokribirsk is in ruins." the man paused. "The Sun Saint and Darklings are dead."

Had she felt even the littlest inkling of emotion Adaline would have laughed. It seemed impossible to do so.

The sun shone brightly on the mast of the ship in which she stood. A few people stalked back and forth, giving her soiled cloak dirty glares like it was her problem. She didn't care.

Adaline couldn't stand being alive; the light reminded her of Alina, and the dark reminded her of...

She couldn't say his name.

It had been not even a day. A few hours, at most. And they all expected her to walk and talk like normal. But things weren't normal anymore. The world of Grisha stopped being normal to Adaline the second Mal dropped the gun.

She didn't know which was better-- Mal having shot him or his own mistake returning to haunt him.

The Starkovs, Crows, and Mal boarded a ship to Ketterdam mear minutes ago, and still, she could barely stand to look back at the shadowy wall that stood hundreds of feet above her. Her hands shook with each step her unstable legs took. Not only was she tired from the fight, but just looking at herself was a struggle.

Her black hair fell in messier waves than usual down her back. The same dark eyes she occupied were seen every time she accidentally glanced at Alina. Her tanned skin was now paled from vigorous amounts of dust and sand coating her arms. Mal was worse to see.

Adaline knew--she could feel it in her chest-- that he had no regret for what he'd done. Her heart tightened painfully just thinking about it. With a shuddering breath, she blocked all emotion from showing on her beautiful face.

The same face he fell in love with.

Another deckhand walked past where she stood at the mast, greeting them with an old Kerch saying, "Malenchki."

Adaline picked at her nails, scraping the dirt and grime from under them as she muttered, "Little ghosts?"

Another voice made her body lock and tense. "It also means survivors."

She kept her gaze pointed at the water as Mal took a spot next to her. "But ghosts are what we'll need to be for a little while. Zoya was right, the whole world will be after you and Alina."

For a moment, one singular moment out of pure rage, Adaline felt the familiar flicker of shadows at her fingertips. Just as quickly as they'd come, she'd made them return to wherever they'd come from.

The salty sea wind tore through her hair as she said, "I know some people in this world who'd like those odds." Adaline paused, turning her deadly glare to the younger boy. "Are you going to shoot me in my sleep? Or maybe just throw me to the Volcra."

Mal sighed, running a calloused hand over his short hair. "Addy, you know why--"

That nickname. That damned nickname that Adaline never wanted to hear again. Memories of him flashed through her mind. His gentle kisses, the sound of his voice as he told her he loved her, and the feel of his skin on hers. The one she would never get to feel again. "Don't call me that."

The tracker almost flinched at her tone. She'd never spoken to him like that before.

Adaline turned to fully look at him. "We," she sneered, shoving her finger into Mal's chest. "Are not family. We're not related, we're not close, not anymore. You ruined that, Malyen, e'ya razrusha'ya!"

Translation: I am ruined.

"There is no fixing this. There are a million things you could say but not a single one can make up for it-- for his life." her voice broke. "You took his life, Mal. There's nothing you can do to repay that."

Mal looked hurt, though he knew he had no right to. He knew he deserved every word she spoke, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, hanging his head and looking down to his feet. "I'm sorry that it was you who fell in love with him."

Adaline scoffed, her chest heavy with emotions. "Fell in love with him? I didn't just love him, Mal, he was... everything." her eyes were searing with a fury that not even Adaline knew she could muster. "He was everything that I lost when we were separated. He was my friend, my lover, my safety. He taught me how to control and trust myself. I most likely wouldn't be alive without him.

"There's no getting him back now. So listen closely when I tell you, Malyen Oretsev," her voice was dangerously low, and Mal was tempted to take a step back when he noticed the shadows curling around her shoulders and hands. They were far enough away from prying eyes that no one would see, but Mal knew now of the power his best friend held.

"Nothing is safe from me. No person, no object, nothing. I will rip this fucking world apart with my bare hands, and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me."

 A few stray tears fell down the tracker's cheeks. He knew her threat wasn't empty; he had lived through most of them. He didn't believe Adaline would allow him to live long enough to see this one through. Without another phrase spoken, he walked away to Alina, who stood in silence on another side of the boat. Adaline's eyes burned with tears, and the only thing she could imagine was his hand wiping away her sadness, his lips brushing away each shred of emotion that fell from her eyes. All she could do was remember his absence.

Every touch, every word, every look, every kiss.

Everything about him was gone.

He was gone.

There was no getting him back.

Just like Alina and Mal wouldn't get Adaline back either.

Everything about her was in ruins, and it was their fault, whether they knew it or not.

And now,

her heart sat at the tips of her shoes.

And though it wasn't real,

her heart had truly been ripped out of her chest.

****~****

Here we are again. The first time I wrote an extra chapter was for 30k, and at that point, I never would have imagined I'd reach where I am now. And most importantly, I couldn't have done this without everyone who's read Noble Hope. It's actually insane to look at my book and go, "Wow, I did that."

I've been writing since I was nine years old and knowing that now, at fifteen (nearly sixteen) I've accomplished something this big would make Little Me probably pee herself.

Thank each and every one of you for sticking with me and leaving me comments and votes on this book. NH and all of you are officially my babies. (It's even crazier that I started this last June) 

Also, peep Adaline's revenge promise. I've got some crazy things planned for season 2 ;)

Thank you. So, so much for everything you've all done. See you in Act II!

-Rory