•~ in which a runaway bride made a deal with a man of shadow ~•
"I'm not coming with you"
"you don't really have a say in this you know?" he said as he walk toward her.
lifting her chin gently, she could feel his breath as now they are standing fac...
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— Inside the General’s Tent —
“Take the antlers,” the Darkling said to one of the oprichniki. “Cut a piece from each.”
The oprichniki stepped forward and bent over the stag’s body, a serrated blade in his hand. Alina turned away, her stomach heaving as a sawing sound filled the stillness of the clearing.
They stood in silence, their breath curling in the icy air, as the sound went on and on. Even when it stopped, she could still feel it vibrating through her clenched jaw.
The oprichnik crossed the glade and handed the two pieces of antler to the General. They were almost evenly matched, both ending in double prongs of roughly the same size.
The General clasped the pieces in his hands, letting his thumb roll over the rough, silvery bone. Then he gestured, Lunetta was surprised to see David emerge from the shadows in his purple kefta.
Of course. She thought to herself, The General would want his best Fabrikator to fashion this collar. David wouldn’t meet her gaze.
They weren’t close the only time they talked was him asking what Genya's favorite jewelry. Now she wondered if Genya knew where he was and what he was doing.
“David,” Lunetta said softly, “don’t do this.”
David glanced at her and then hurriedly looked away.
“David understands the future,” said the General, the edge of a threat in his voice. “And he knows better than to fight it.”
David came to stand behind Alina's right shoulder. The General studied her in the torchlight. For a moment, all was silence.
Twilight had gone, and the moon had risen, bright and full. The glade seemed suspended in stillness.
“Open your coat,” said the General.
Alina didn’t move….
Lunetta knew he is not the type of man who likes being denied, so she lifted her head signaling Alina to look at her…
