Dark Nights

𝟶𝟼| David

I wake to the sun soaking into my skin. I sigh, reaching beside me. When I feel the cold sheets I bolt upright. He was here, he laid beside me, I kissed him, I. . . I told him Alina was marrying Nikolai. As I run my fingers through my heart I see a shift beside the window. I whip my head around to see a servant opening the blinds.

"Sorry miss. Did I startle you?" The girl asks.

"No, no. Not at all." I say taking one last grace at the empty bed. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly noon, Miss Socorro." The girl says and my stomach drops.

"Shit." I curse as I throw myself from the bed and throw clothes on.

I ignore the pounding in my head as I navigate these halls to the training room. I slide around the corner to stand outside the training room. I see Alina standing with Nadia and Tamar.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I." I begin.

"Just slept in." Farley says with a smile. "It's alright."

"We've been training for nearly an hour already." Alina huffs.

"I'm sorry, what are we. . ."

"I know you said no interruptions." A boy barges in. "But they need you in the war room."

We share quick glances as Farley takes my arm and we make our way quickly to the war room. As we enter, my feet root in the stone beneath them.

"David Kosyk." Alina and I seethe as he raises his bonded hands.

"Oh so you do know him." Nikolai says, striding over to us. "He claims to have escaped a very alive general Kirigan. He gave himself up without a struggle. We found this on him. He says it's one of morozovas journals." Nikolai hands Alina an aged leather bonded book. "I for one a dying to know more, but he insisted he speak only to you."

"Alina." David steps forward before Tolya places a hand on his chest and pushes him a step back. "I know I wronged you, both of you. Please believe that I regret my role in that deeply."

"The one where you forcefully melded bones around our necks or the one where you gave Alek. . . general Kirigan more power than he asked for?" I say.

"I know you have reason to distrust me but I have no loyalty to General Kirigan." David says.

"He survived the Volcra?" Alina asks, her eyes dark with hatred.

"I'm afraid so." David admits. "He also knows you both survived and are in East Ravka."

"Tell us where he is." Mal orders.

"No, no, no. Mm-mm that would be a very bad idea. . ." David says.

"You can't expect us to trust you unless you're willing to share information" Alina says.

"Confronting him would be suicide." David says.

"And hiding from him is cowardice and a disgrace to Ravka." I hiss.

"You don't understand. Kirigan used Merzost to create something in the fold." David says and I have a hazy recollection of their mention from Kirigan. "Creatures that do his bidding, the size of two men. Formed of pure shadow. They have no breath to take, no heart to stop, no blood to drain, yet they live. That live and they kill. They are Nechevo'ya. Nothing." David continues. "Bullets, blades, fire, all simply pass through and they walk freely in sunlight. I fear that merzost may be the only way to kill them."

"So how is it you managed to get away then?" Mal inquires.

"Genya." David says and I see Alina's face fall. "We tried to escape together but. . . The nichevo'ya. She sacrificed herself to get me out." Davis says and I voice cracks as my gut turns and Farleys hand grips mine.