As Vladim moved to turn the locks, I heard Genya whisper. "You definitely owe me a kiss after all this, Don't think I won't hold you to it."
I laughed lightly. "We'll see."
"There is no seeing, you will, if I have to be the one to do it then so be...
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MAL TOOK BOOTH WATCHES AND LET ME and Alina sleep. That morning he had handed us both strips of dried meant and said simply, "Talk." We weren't sure where to begin, so we started from the worst of it.
"The Darkling plans to use the Shadow Fold as a weapon," Alina said. Mal didn't even blink, "how?" He asked.
"He'll expand it, spread it through Ravka and Fjerda and anywhere else he meets resistance. But he can't do it without me to keep the Volcra at bay." Alina explained, but Mal looked absolutely confused, "just you?" He asked Alina, "what about Freya?"
"He will take away my sun-summoning abilities by using merzost." I said, "he thinks it can be an advantage for him to get half of what doesn't belong to him."
Mal blinked, "I don't understand." He started, "you are both sun summoners, why only take away yours?" He asked.
"Because Freya is only half sun summoner. Kirigan thinks that if he can take away that half of her, it will give him that power." Alina said, "he could not do that with me, my power is whole and if it is taken away from me it could possibly kill me."
"Then how could he use you?" He asked, "he will try to find Morozova's herd and slay it. The one who slays the stag is the one who claims the amplifier, he will kill it and put its antlers onto my neck, and he will force me to do his dirty work." Alina said, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"After my power is gone." I started, "he would still have control over me, by merzost. I and Alina would belong to him. But I would be useless to him by that point."
Mal nodded, "let's walk," he said abruptly. "You can tell me the rest while we're moving. I want to get us deeper into the mountains."
He shoved the blanket into his pack and did his best to hide any signs that we'd ever made camp there. Then he led us up a steep and rocky trail. His bow was tied to his pack, but he kept his rifle at the ready.
My feet protested every step, but I followed and I and Alina did our best to tell Mal the rest of the story. Alina told him everything Baghra had told us, about the origins of the Fold, about the collar that the darkling intended to fashion so that he could use her power, and finally about the ship to Os Kervo.
When she finished, Mal said, "You shouldn't have listened to Baghra."
"How can you say that?" I demanded he turned suddenly and Alina almost ran into him. "What do you think will happen if you two make it into the fold? If you make it onto that ship? Do you think his power stops at the shore of the True Sea?"
