Long Live the Soverenyis

XI - THE LABYRINTH OF BOOKSHELVES

The sun was starting to rise when Katherine looked at the window. She blinks a few times in an attempt to get the somnolence out of her body. As expected by Cheshire, her curiosity over the book won the desire to sleep and she spent the whole night reading.

However what he didn't expect was that the witch would make her own notes at the end of the book. The Darkling would hate to see his book full of Norse runes, something he probably can't understand, but it was obvious that Katherine wouldn't write her thoughts in english or latin. Every important note of hers are in Norse runes: an idiom that a lot of people don't know. That way, it doesn't matter if someone sees them because it's improbable that the person will be able to read them.

"What do you know about amplifiers, Cheshire?" Katherine suddenly asks the shadow.

They amplify Grishas' powers.

She looks at him with a reprimanding face. "I'm serious, Cheshire."

They're made of organic remains, animals or humans. A third voice appears in their conversation, and Katherine doesn't need to look behind her to know it's Umbra, her quietest and sweetest shadow.

"Humans?"

There are some Grishas that are living amplifiers and increase your power just by their touch. The Darkling is one! That's why he can tell what power you have.

"So I can be more powerful by his side?"

No. If you stay at his side too much, it won't have any effect. There will be a moment that your body will get used to his power magnifying. For an amplifier to work properly, you have to kill it first.

The witch faces the shadow with widened eyes. That wasn't what she was expecting. "I have to kill an animal or person to have an amplifier?"

Umbra nods. And then pick something of them, like a nail or tooth. Then you go to a Materialki Grisha to merge it on your skin.

Katherine looks at the book's opened page, one with an image of the Morozova stag, the sea whip and the firebird. Her mind and heart are racing so fast that it feels like she'll faint at any time. "Umbra, can a Grisha have more than one amplifier?"

There's a moment of silence before the shadow answers. I haven't heard of any.

"But do you think there can be exceptions? Like a powerful Grisha. Do you think they can handle the strength of more than one amplifier?"

I think it's possible, yet dangerous. The shadow appears right in front of Katherine to face her. It can simulate magic, something a Grisha's body isn't made of.

"Umbra—", the witch gazes at the image in the book again. "I think I know what they are training the Sun Summoner for."

Katherine really expects her thoughts to be wrong. If it's true that the Grishas want Alina to have those 3 amplifiers — the most powerful of all —, they want her to simulate magic.

This is wrong on so many levels. Nature's balance will be destroyed on the minute Alina has them merged on her skin, which will lead to powerful consequences. After all, nature does everything to get the world's balance back.

Magic is only meant for the Supernatural, and if those 3 strong amplifiers let Alina simulate magic, it'll be the end, because she'll be practicing something that doesn't belong to Grishas. Magical balance will break, and nature won't hesitate to bring that back in a short period of time. The consequences of restoring magical balance are so strong that it can lead to hundreds or thousands of deaths. The Shadow Fold will be a joke compared to that.