Taking power

Part 10 - Fighting

'Please' She heard him whisper and felt his hot breath behind her. His hand came down to touch her back.

What was he doing here, with her? It was as if just the thought of him had conjured his presence, his presence that had just destroyed any chance of escape with Nikolai. At least in one piece.

'Alexsander, where are you?'

'Right here.' He said, grabbing her hand and pulling them both further into the shadows and pitch blackness.

Alina turned, searching frantically with blind eyes that weren't yet used to the shadows, whilst the darling waited arms crossed.

'You were hiding in front of a false wall. I followed it to you from the inner rooms of the fortress. Did you not feel it?' came his whispered voice from somewhere to Alina's voice. It sounded rushed, even urgent, though she couldn't be sure when Nikolai was the only one on her mind.

Her eyes finally adjusted to see Alexander flushed but composed, staring right at her from the edge of a narrow walled corridor. The air stank of mildew and years of disuse.

'Feel what?' she asked quietly.

'The light, the shadows, the spaces they fill, it shows you the way even in darkness, if you listen close enough.'

Despite the urgency of Nikolai's voice, and the danger they both were in, she listened. Something about the glint she caught in his dark eyes from the dim candlelight told her that she should listen. In their little forgotten corridor she listened to the light and the shadows. Dimly, at first, she felt the rooms around her flicker and then come into being in her mind. She saw their edges, shrouded in darkness, and the beams of light coming from the candles above to make the outline of rooms around her.

The darling stepped closer. 'More' he urged. 'Feel what you have not seen. Lean into the darkness.'

She tried with all her strength but all she could focus on was the light coming from Nikolai's cell. It was blinding. And terrifying. Again and again, she felt for the light in the shadows, hearing only the darklings irritated huff in return. They were running out of time.

'Alina, I need you to do this. Right. Now' He said, slipping his hand into her slim shaking one.

Instantly, she felt it, his amplifying abilities making her powers so much easier to control. She felt steady again. She felt in control.

He felt it too. 'Up, I need you to look up. Into the living quarters. Look for the biggest room with the most shadows. Those will be furniture. And feel for the shadow of a woman. She will be surrounded by several guards. They will cast a big shadow.'

'What? What woman?' Confusion filled her voice. 'No. I need to help the prisoners. They're torturing them down here. They need help first.'

'This is very important. If you help me now,' he whispered, leaning down closer until their faces were almost touching, 'I will not interfere with your plans with the boy.'

Suddenly, Alina felt very naive. How could she have forgotten who she was with? Even worse, he definitely knew about Nikolai. Their escape felt impossible and now the grip of his hand in hers felt like a vice.

'Do it Alina. Or I will not be so reasonable next time'

There was urgency in his voice, but the choice was hers. Alina felt it in the power that was flowing like a lifeline though her body. She had the power here.
But, Nikolai's screams had silenced her. She could feel his pain in them, see his suffering. And it was so far from the charming voice, the warm laugh she remembered. She had to hear it once more, if not her than the others should hear it. He was her link to the rest of the family. He was the goodness that she couldn't be anymore.  She pushed down the guilt that was beginning to creep up and pointed. After all, the most she could see of this woman was her shadow.

'There. Three floors up take the left corridor. She's in the last room with six guards. She's writing, I think. The guards are not paying attention. Be quick. The opportunity to catch them off guard will be over soon.'

She cringed at the lie. It was only a little one after all.

'Quick?' His disappearing voice came as he left. 'Whyever would I be quick when they have appalled my Sankta Alina so dreadfully?'

Alina tried to swallow the sick feeling that came with his cruel words. She had just sent a woman to her death. A terrifying, bloody death full of monsters and darkness. It only half worked.

Still, she managed to stumble out of the dark corridor and get away from his presence. Alina stuck to the corners, to the shadows that she had seen in her mind. If she couldn't pull herself together now it would all be for nothing.

His cell wasn't hard to get to. It felt too easy. Were they even worried about him escaping? Her time in the army already told her the answer. No, they didn't think anyone would come to his aid, Nikolai, the king of Ravka, had been abandoned in the eyes of Shu Han. She should be thankful, she knew, and yet she found herself almost wishing there were someone here. She wanted to fight strong, trained soldiers, because he was worth a thousand. And she would do it a hundred times over.

The wooden door opened easily when her light melted the lock. Inside was the whitest room Alina had ever seen. White walls, white painted floorboards and a white painted ceiling. It was painfully bright. Too loud, that was the feeling of this room. And there, chained to the middle of the far wall was her Nikolai. He was still streaming. Her head was searching for the source but all she saw was more white.

Nothing.

And yet it felt like everything was in this room.

'Nikolai, it's me.' she said quietly whilst slowly approaching him, 'Its Alina Nicky'.

She was relieved when a stifled groan seemed to respond.

Reaching for her powers once more, she moved to melt off his chains just as she had done to her own all weeks ago. His cries intensified. She wasn't even sure that he was seeing her when his eyes moved frantically and continuously as she worked. The chains fell away quickly, but not before she saw the brown stains of old blood on the insides of the cuffs. It sickened her. Anger rose to meet it. Carefully she pulled Nikolai onto his feet, holding his weight when his weak legs slipped, and out of that terrible room. Somehow, though he didn't look it, he was heavy, and sweat had started to gather in Alina's hairline. He screamed again when she lit their way with her light.

They were too white.

It was a split second decision. Almost instinct. She shrouded them both in shadows that still felt unfamiliar to her own power. It was the only thing that calmed him down enough to escape down the corridors of cells and back through the endless maze of the fortress.

Somehow, they got out. But it was a blur. And it was blurriness that met them on their escape of the stone fortress. The lane that their party had ridden up was hidden by lingering smoke and the all too familiar metallic scent of blood. She thought it was deserted. From her vantage point it was deserted. But then again maybe it was from her exhaustion that she missed the little camp of red clad survivors in the tree line. A familiar pressure on her heart soon had her marching over. And there she saw just how the party that she had come so close to escaping had fared during the fight. Her heart would have sunk if it wasn't for Nikolai sitting next to her. She was angry, not defeated, when they returned. Angry at the people that had done this to her golden prince.

She knew the darkling felt it too, wherever he was.