Long Live the Soverenyis

XIII - THE CUT

A/N: Hey, guys! How are you? I just want to thank you that are reading and enjoying. I can't believe there are people that like my writing! There's also, 2 things that I want you to know before the chapter:

1) The Fjerdan words in this chapter were taken from Grishaverse Wiki, so forgive me for any mistakes.

2) ❗️TW: grisha/witch hunt, blood❗️

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They entered the Little Palace through the Darkling's personal door chambers, not wanting to be seen nor bothered by anyone. Kirigan had only told a Heartrender, one of his personal guards, to not be disturbed. The man nodded and went away to spread the General's order, but Katherine felt his gaze burning her back.

She has a feeling that she'd already interacted with the Darkling while this Corporalki was near him, but couldn't remember that at all. However, little does she know that this is true. Ivan — along with Fedyor — was one of the Heartrenders that were shocked to present the first time that Kirigan wasn't annoyed or bothered by an otkazat'sya servant clumsiness. The two Corporalki privately discussed that event, both having no idea of what had happened that day.

When they finally got into the General's office, he circles the wooden desk until his chair, making Katherine feel obligated to sit down at the one in front of him. The Darkling's silence, analyzing every movement of hers to decide what he's going to say first.

After a tense minute, where both of them just look at each other without a word, he breaks the silence with a question: "Who are you?"

Your equal, the witch thinks.

Instead, she answers: "Someone that wants to fight for my people."

He raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "You don't seem Grisha."

"I am not."

"Then who are your people?"

"The ones that just want to survive."

That catches his full attention, making him fight the urge to lean over the table to get closer to her. The Grishas are the only ones he knows that fight for survival and for a place to live in peace. And since that woman said she isn't a Grisha, then what is her?

"We hide to live. Lie to survive. Although Ravka is a safe place for Grishas, it isn't for my kind."

"Nonsense."

"It isn't nonsense when it's true." Katherine tries to breathe without trembling. "Especially when you're threatening to end our security."

There it goes. The thought that he is the villain of every narrative in this world. The disgust for his deeds, no matter how much they helped the Grisha on their quest to conquer a place to call paradise.

Kirigan can already feel the hatred towards this woman starting to corrode his insides. She's one of the ignoramus people that blindly believes that the world before the Fold was better for the Grishas, that the hunts were like nowadays — less atrocious — and there were no fights for survival between Grishas.

If there's anything the General hates more than hunters and traitors is this kind of people.

"You're ready to cease the peace we lived through so many centuries, one of the only things that protect us from the bastards that wish to torture and murder us." Disdain starts to fill Katherine's veins as she remembers the stories of many Supernaturals of what Ravka was like before the Unsea.