SuperNova [Shadow&Bone]

Dva

Books clattering against the floor echoed the room. As the sounds became more frantic, the tied individual came back to his consciousness.

The Suli girl looked away from the papers in her hands and at the man.

"Awake? Finally." The man let out pairs of grunts and pants before he could respond.

"You hit me." The disbelief in his voice was clear to the girl.

"I needed some time."

"To ransack my apartment-" She was quick to cut him off.

"To find records of the children you sold to the brothels."

"I have never sold any indentures." The statement alone upset the girl enough to rush to his side.

"You sold people to the White Rose. People like me."

"You work for Heleen. No, no, you've got it all wrong. I'm not in her business, I'm a smuggler." The blood from his nose evident from the earlier dried made slight cracks as he pleaded.

"You steal people. How many Suli indentures have you sold?"

"I liberate families fleeing the war." The girl's lips trembled as she steps away, "I smuggle deserters and refugees. Please, please!"

She rested her knee on his chest before reeling the knife back before sharply placing it near his neck.

"Give me names. Who buys them? Do you separate the boys from the girls?"

The Conductor evaded the question entirely.

"How old were you when you were taken? Who are you looking for? Your parents? A sibling?" Her lip twitched at the last question. "A sister?"

"Brother." she spat, "He was 12 and I was 14 when four men took us from my parents' wagon, separated us. I came to Ketterdam on a labor merchant ship. I don't know where he went."

"Tell me what I can do to help." The girl struggled slightly to keep herself from crying.

"One had a silver tooth. Went by the name Gregor or Griggs."

The man shook his head frantically despite the knife pressed tightly against his neck.

"I don't run in those circles, really. You're likely after longshoremen or stevedores who take side money from people like Heleen."

"If you can't give me a lead, you can at least give me my freedom." In her motion to kill the man, a small fabric had shown itself. The Conductor recognized the figure in the patch.

"Sankta Lizabeta? You follow the faith, too?" He pleaded with her, " What amount of prayer can forgive murder?"

The tears collected in her eyes hardened.

"Ask the Saints for me." She brought her hand up to brign back down before she was startled.

"Don't!" Another knife from her wrist was sent flying towards the intruder, only to mark inches away from their face. She immediately recognized the boy in front of her.

Kaz Brekker.

"He's our way to Alina Starkov."

"Him?"

"Heleen knew it. She was using you to sabotage our mission."

"She and I made a deal." She argued with him.

"It isn't worth more than what we get with him alive." She turned back to Kaz with fury in her eyes.

"You chose him over my freedom? Over finding my brother?"

Kaz knew he had to choose his next words to his Wrath carefully.

"You assume it's one or the other."

_

The group of four traveled to Novokribirsk, a small town in West Ravka. After coming to the realization that their key into the Little Palace had been taken. They needed to find a new way in.

_

Alina, Kirigan, and Sidra were in front of the lines of color-assorted grisha. While Alina was looking at the intricate designs of the ceiling, she hadn't noticed the youngest leaving the pair to stay with the larger group. With a nod of confirmation, Alina took off the veil and handed it gently to a servant dressed in white and creams. It was only mere seconds before the insults rang through the room.

"I thought she would be taller."

"I thought she was Shu. Well, I guess she's Shu enough."

Sidra never truly liked the crown royals of Ravka. They were too close-minded and shallow. He had the same comments made about him being Suli only the year prior.

"Tell her...Oh, I don't know...good morning."

Alina was quick to correct the Queen as if she wasn't the 'queen'.

"I don't actually speak Shu, Your Highness."

The way she paused before saying the respective title made Sidra smile to himself. Maybe, she wasn't so bad.

"Then what are you?" The queen's question made the newfound grisha pause. She looked back at the group of grisha behind her. Her eyes locked with gentle brown ones. Sidra tried his best to give her a smile and a small thumbs up, while trying not to be seen by the others. It was okay for her to answer, even if she was unsure of the answer herself. Luckily for her, General Kirigan spoke for her.

"She is Alina Strakov, the Sun Summoner, moya tsaritsa." He bowed his head slightly before continuing, "She will change the future. Starting now."

With a mere wave of his hand, the light in the room was replaced with black shadows, leaving only the windows behind the throne to shine. While many felt frightened by the action, Sidra couldn't help but smile. He liked Al's shadows. They always covered him like a protective blanket shielding him from any harm.

He was distracted by the small tendrils of shadows that covered his face, mostly his eyes. He didn't understand why until the room lit up in a bright golden white light. His eyes had become sensitive to sudden light bursts, since he was kept in a dark basement for almost a year.

Sidra felt warm, not only on the outside but the inside as well. A sudden pull of adrenaline ran through Sidra. Unbeknownst to himself and others, while the shadows blocked out Alina's light, they also blocked the sight of Sidra's glowing eyes. The light stayed for another minute before dissipating. The room bursts into clap and cheers at the wonderful display of raw power.

While talking with the King, Kirigan kept a small shadow near Sidra to play with because he knows how anxious he gets around large crowds. He hadn't noticed the two were heading back to the group until the tendril booped his nose before vanishing. The grisha split to let their general through, although he paused halfway through and looked back. He held his hand out. The smile on Sidra's face created smiles on other grishas' faces. The grisha collective agreed that they would make the young boy's childhood the best they could offer. Whether it be help with homework or drills, or simply baking cookies at three in the morning. They took care of him.

Sidra rushed towards Kirigan's waiting hand and latched on with both hands. They had reached the steps when he pulled Kirigan to a stop. The older looked at the boy confused before realizing what he wanted to do. With a small smile, he sent Sidra towards the group. His footsteps clattered towards the girl of the hour.

"Alina!" The grisha parted slightly to make space for the boy, who came smiling ear to ear. He came to a stop in front of the girl. He gestured to her asking for a hug, which Alina quickly agreed to. With her arms wrapped around his shoulders and his arms around her waist, the two embraced tightly.

"Welcome home, Alina."