Little Shadow//Shadow & Bone

ten

We head into the fort to try and find Alina and Mal. We can see that the Fold is still very much intact and has swallowed half the fort.

"The Fold should have fallen by now," Nikolai states.

"Did she find the Firebird?" Tolya asks Tamar.

"Long story. It's Mal," Tamar tells him.

"I'm sorry. Did you say Mal is a bird?" Jesper asks.

"Still no sign of Kirigan," Nikolai states.

There's a rumbling of thunder as we walk into the fort and into the Fold.

"We go in, we find Alina and Mal," Nikolai states.

"Here," Kaz says as he hands Nikolai his cane.

"Don't you need it?" Nikolai asks.

"I've got more experience with pain," Kaz assures him.

"Follow me," Tolya tells us.

I hear the volcra growling and see two at the end of the hallway. Everyone pushes into a chapel. I take a deep breath before using my powers to cut them. I close the door behind me and lean against it.

"Metal hinges," Wylan says. "Jesper."

"Move," Jesper tells me.

He uses Grisha powers to seal the metal hinges shut. I take a deep breath.

"That should hold the volcra," Tamar states.

"We'll see," Jesper remarks.

Then I hear hissing. It's one of the nichevo'ya.

"Everybody, back," Tamar warns.

"Kirigan's shadow monster," Kaz states.

"But without the blade, how do you kill a shadow?" Wylan asks.

"All we have is this," Nadia says.

Her and Adrik step forward. They use their powers to try and blow the shadows away. They only stay gone for a moment before the shadow monster reforms.

"Shield your eyes," Wylan tells us.

I turn away from the monster. When I look back it's gone. Whatever Wylan threw at it must have worked.

"Yes!" Jesper shouts. "My man. We haven't actually put a label on it, yeah? I mean, he did that."

Or not. The monster is back and bigger. Nothing I do can stop it. We try holding the monster off. Suddenly the sun comes out.

"The Fold," I say.

"Saints! She did it," Nadia says.

The monster is still here though. Still putting up a fight.

"Why is it still here?" Tamar asks.

"The sun can't kill it!" Tolya shouts.

The monster knocks Tolya back. Tamar rushes to his side. Nikolai tries to swing at the monster, but the monster pins him to a column through his shoulder. I try to use my powers to at least distract the monster but it's not helping.

Suddenly the monster is gone. Nikolai falls to the ground and Tolya and I rush to his side.

"Kirigan must be dead!" Nadia shouts.

We stumble out of the fort and into the light. There are soldiers all around trying to regroup.

"Long may the night carry our souls Until the dawn renews us," Tolya says.

"Rabinov Canto Seventeen," Kaz states.

"Seems we both share an appreciation for life's beauty," Tolya tells him.