Deadly Obsession (The Darking x Oc)

Chapter 7: In The Field

We had been travelling for three days, spending a few nights camping out under the stars, allowing Feydor and I to point out all the different patterns in the sky to those around us. I had been given a tent to share with Zoya, which was nice, and it allowed me to get to know the woman better. We had stopped in Poliznaya on the way, and restocked with some food and water, which was nice, and I had played around with some of the children there.

We were now a few hours' travel from the Shu Han border, and I was getting more and more nervous, never having been in a situation like this before. I felt completely ready, but totally out of my comfort zone at the same time. I wondered if this was how Alina and Mal felt on their first mission as part of the First Army.

I was glad that Feydor was on this trip with us, it made me feel better, he always knew the best ways to make me smile. Having Zoya and Ivan made me feel better too, seeing as, to my knowledge, they were the best soldiers in the Second Army. And of course, we had the general with us, and I was sure that many members of both the Fjerdan and Shu Han armies were terrified of the shadow summoner, knowing how strong his abilities were.

I had also managed to get to know the two inferni who accompanied us as well. Pavel was hilarious, and often told miraculous stories around the fireplace for us all to laugh at. Polina, while sterner than her brother, was still kind and gentle, and I had conversed with her at one of the camps. They were both very talented, and I could tell their high places in the generals army were well earned.

The general and I had travelled inside the carriage together for all three days, and we had actually made light conversation as we journeyed across lands I had never seen before. The general was kind enough to point out certain landmarks, mentioning interesting historical facts about them all, making me wonder if he had seen any of these events.

From all my reading, I knew that if a grisha was very powerful, or had an amplifier, they could age a lot slower, and those who were extremely powerful were known to live for centuries, the most famous being Morozova. Shadow summoners, and sun summoners, if one actually existed, were the most common example of these, however there were some etherealki who were known to live for well over a hundred years.

I wanted to ask the general, but didn't want to bring up any bad memories, or seem like I was intruding, so I simply decided to look for answers in the library once I returned to the Little Palace. That had always been my go to strategy for when I didn't know something, there was always a book which could help.

I had managed to read through all three of the books I had brought already, and was now re-reading the stories about all the Saints once again. I had noticed the General glancing at the book every so often as we journeyed towards Shu Han, but he never asked about it, so I kept quiet and continued to read.

"We should reach the Shu Han border in just over an hour. We'll move into the Second Army camp there, and I want you to stay with me." The general said, making me look up from the story I was reading. I closed the book, understanding that this was a serious conversation which could save my life. I nodded my head gently, before the general glanced out of the window.

"I want you to inform me if you wish to leave my side, you've never been anywhere like this, and I want you to stay safe." The general said, keeping his gaze outside. I nodded again, a lump forming in my throat as I realised how dangerous this could be for me. If there was an attack on the camp, I would probably freeze up before I could do anything, especially seeing as I hadn't really kept up with much combat training in the past few years since I'd graduated.

There was relative silence for the last hour or so of our journey, before we finally rolled to a stop, and I could hear people around us calling out orders. There was a knock on the carriage, and the door flew open, the general signalling for me to get out first. I stepped out, grabbing onto Feydor's hand as I did. I looked up at my friend, who gave me a short nod, before moving to stand beside Ivan as the general stepped out.