The Shadow Crow (A Shadow and Bone: Season 2 Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: The War on Kirigan Begins

Several days later... 

Mal, Alina and I rode into Nikolai's camp, and were swiftly greeted by Genya, Nikolai and someone else dressed in First Army livery. 

'We lost Baghra,' Alina said. 

'It's true,' Mal replied. 'She's gone.' 

'She saved my life,' Genya said softly, her face crestfallen. 

'Mine too,' Alina said, and they hugged. I felt the grief rush back, and I hugged Genya shortly after, letting out a choked sob, but pulled back and restrained myself shortly after. 'Before she died, she broke the connection between me and Kirigan,' Alina said to Genya. 'I no longer feel him.' 

'Does that mean he's dead?' Genya asked. 

'Most likely not,' I mused. 

'Safest to proceed as though he's alive until we hear otherwise,' Nikolai announced. 

'And the Firebird?' Genya asked. 

'Mal knows where it is,' Alina replied. Mal tried to say something but was swiftly cut off by Nikolai. 

'Tell us what you need to find it. Everything we have is at your disposal. It appears Kirigan is on the move. He - he destroyed the First Army camp at Keramzin. Our scouts say there are no survivors.' 

'He knows my weaknesses,' Alina spoke. 

'Two teams, then,' the strange man in First Army livery said. 'One go with -'

'Oretsev, sir,' Mal said, extending a hand. 

'Dominik,' the man replied, shaking Mal's hand. The man named Dominik turned back to us. 'One team go with Oretsev to get the Firebird; another goes straight at the Darkling to stop him advancing.' 

'Tomorrow, then, we move,' Nikolai said, and walked away with Dominik. Alina and Mal walked away too, as did me and Genya. 

Later... 

I laid on the bed, closing my eyes shortly after, and awoke to see my brother, Aleksander, standing in the corner of the room. I rose up from the bed, just noticing my sleeping form. 

'You killed our mother.'

'I didn't mean for that to happen.' 

'Whatever you did or didn't mean to do, she died because of the nichevo'ya. Because of you.'

'I'm only coming for the tracker. Nothing else.' 

'And for an orphanage full of helpless children, or so I'm told. I hope she kills you. The Sun Summoner. And then I hope that you rot down in the seventh layer of hell, because that's where you belong.'

'You are my sister, Adela. You love me.' 

' "Loved". Past tense. You're dead to me. You lied. My mother lied. I only just found out that I was the wretched prodigy of none other than Ilya Morozova.' The shadows snaked around my hands. 'A creature in a bloodline fuelled by the poison that is merzost. Magic. Not the Small Science. You resurrected me. Twice. Using merzost both times. You sold me to the Crown for a bride price, a cheap thing to give away so you could keep your precious Second Army. I was a bargaining chip under the will and whim of king and country, and neither you nor Mother did anything to stop it. I couldn't make something of myself - because how was that possible when I'm nothing more than Morozova's granddaughter?'