In The Name of Shadows - A Darklina Story

Chapter 9: A Long Way to Kribirsk

Publishing date: 03/11/2022

Note: There is a bit of violence here, but nothing spectacular and very disturbing. But you were warned anyway.

The third day of the journey towards Kribirsk was passing and Alina Oretsev was feeling the effects of discomfort associated with long horse riding. She had just been abducted from Keramzin and now she was sitting on her white stallion again, but this time her wrists weren't tied.

What am I doing here? Alina thought, knowing that for now it was the only possible solution for her.

The girl wondered what would happen to her if she turned her horse now and set off on the way back towards Keramzin. However, Aleksander made everything even more difficult, saying that in case of an absence of cooperation on Alina's part, the Shadow Summoner would kidnap Mal, and he would torture him until his wife would realize that another betrayal could be fatal for all of them.

Would he really be able to do this? The Havoc Summoner thought as she considered all the possible scenarios. I know he hates Mal, but would he risk me hating him even more than I do now?

"I don't hate Tracker, my little Alina. I don't want to waste my time dealing with pathetic substitutes of men." Aleksander's voice suddenly rang in the mind of the white-haired girl, creeping there up again like an uninvited guest.

"This pathetic man comes from your family, Aleksander Morozova. And if yes, what does it say about you? Who are you then?"

"This is a funny mistake of history, my little Alina. And as you can see from what happens to Grisha, ​the ​history seems to make huge mistakes very often."

"Oh yes, because only you are infallible. And only your reasons are righteous. And do you know what is the funniest thing about it all, Aleksander? That you really believe it."

"And I will never stop believing. Because I make mistakes very rarely, my little Alina. The problem with wanting," the Darkling whispered in Alina's mind, "is that it makes us weak. But I am not weak anymore. Not as long as you are strong now."

But Alina didn't answer him anymore. She had heard these exact words coming from the Shadow Summoner's lips before and she realized that there was no point in continuing this mental scuffle.

What's even worse, the girl was not sure if she would be able to defeat the Darkling right now. She believed that she had no chance with him in possible open confrontation, but at the same time she believed that the situation would change when Aleksander would teach her how to control her new powers. Perhaps then the Havoc Summoner would overpower him somehow. For this reason, Alina had decided to obey the Black Heretic for now, as she hoped he would explain to her how to control her summoning abilities, and then she might outsmart him somehow.

Maybe then the Havoc Summoner and Mal would run away together. Maybe then they would begin a new life, as if nothing bad had ever happened. Maybe then the girl would no longer be afraid that her husband may die, and she would be able to protect him herself.

But was Alina ready to live the life of a fugitive until the end of her days? The days full of immortality that could only be ended with unlikely Alina's death. And what about Mal? Would he come to terms with the fact that his wife was Grisha? And how long would their happiness last when a human life was so short and full of suffer while the mighty Grisha could live forever?

The Havoc Summoner had thought more than once about what the Darkling was trying to make her believe. About what she had to expect from this strange three-man deal, in which she, Mal and Aleksander Morozova had been placed. If Alina discovered any possible solution, she would immediately renounce her immortality. Moreover, perhaps it would be possible to get rid of Aleksander Morozova once and for all, saving Ravka from all possible damage that this cruel man could soon cause to this tormented country.