Swan Song ~ Shadow & Bone

8

okay, so a quick note, there are a couple of pov changes in this one, and i'm sorry for anyone that gets confused 😅

Kaz's POV

I stepped out of the carriage behind Karlin with some difficulty after deciding that Arken would be the one to find and capture Alina.

"Kaz," Jesper called quietly as he followed me. "Kaz!" I sighed and turned to face him.

"What, Jesper?" I asked impatiently. "We have things to do, we can't afford to waste time." He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I know, but..." He groaned. "Are you sure this is still a good idea?" He shook his head. "I mean, you said it yourself, she knows you're here, she's onto you!" I didn't have to ask who he meant. In the brief time Jesper had known Katya, the two had grown close. Not as close as her and me, but close enough that he knew perfectly well what she was capable of even when she didn't know she was Grisha.

"I know she's onto me," I told him. "And trust me, I don't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath if we get caught. But we won't, so it won't be a problem. We get Miss Starkov, and we get out. Kat doesn't even have to know she's gone." He sighed.

"And what if she does?" he asked quietly. "What happens then? You know better than anyone that she doesn't forgive easily. And with her magic-"

"Simple Science," Karlin and I cut him off quickly. In the brief time I had been around the Grisha in Novokribirsk when Kat was taken, I had heard them mention it countless times. He nodded.

"Yeah, that. She's more dangerous than ever." He gulped. "And I know she said she doesn't want to fight you, but you know she will if she finds out that we took the Sun Summoner even after she warned you." I sighed and nodded.

"Which makes it more important than ever that we have an escape plan ready." I looked up at him and nodded towards the stables. "So get us one."

Katya's POV

I ducked away from Kirigan and Alina as I saw the other Inferni getting into their places around the room. They began throwing flames across the room, above the heads of everyone there, and I grinned as I forced my way through the crowd into the middle of the room.

I threw my hand into the air, catching the flames as they turned my trademark pure white. I brought my other hand up to meet it before throwing them out to the side, watching with pride as they flew across the room before snuffing out and leaving the room in applause and cheers. I met Kirigan's eye from across the room, grinning when he nodded. I ducked through the crowd again to lean on one of the archways as I watched Alina do her own demonstration.

I watched in awe as light flew across the room, brightening everything despite the shadows that previously encompassed it. It was one thing to see fire wherever I went, but this was something entirely. Alina had brought the sun into the Little Palace. And from the grin on her face, she wasn't planning on taking it away any time soon.

As the lights diminished, everyone in the room stared in awe before dropping to their knees. Each and every one of them brought a hand to their forehead before placing them on their hearts, muttering the same words: Sankta Alina.

I smiled as I looked back at the young girl who was looking around the room with wonder in her eyes. She looked at me, and I dipped my head, giving her a small nod as my sign of respect. I wove through the crowd towards Kirigan and Alina, and when I reached them, Ivan was whispering something into Kirigan's ear. The Darkling's eyes lit up (as much as was possible), and he caught sight of me. He took a breath before looking down at Alina.