Everybody Hurts ━ shadow & bone [1] ✔

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

CHAPTER EIGHT
Magic Vs The Small Science

"Mother." Marissa greeted, sitting to face her mother on the bed. "Aleksander has arrived." She informed. Strands of her hair were let loose off the braid, covering her eyes.

"I heard."

Then, Aleksander walked at a fast pace to the room. "My son." Baghra coughed.

"I'm here. But we do need to leave. Soldiers are sweeping west. They're punishing us for being Grisha." Aleksander warned both his mother and sister.

"Punishing you. You made him afraid. Now he wants you to fear him." Baghra told Aleksander.

Aleksander furrowed his brows, "I won a war for him." Aleksander stated.

"And in doing so, started a war on us." Baghra replied, causing Aleksander to stand up and turn his back to the two of them. "Oh, Aleksander. Where's the girl, your Healer?"

"Dead. She died because of me." Aleksander murmured.

"She died because they always do. They're not as strong as you, Marissa and me." Baghra said.

"You're the one who taught me how to kill, mother. The one who taught the both of us. Their blood is on your hands as much as mine." Aleksander snapped.

"I taught you both so you could protect yourselves. Not them. I told you as much, but you are so stubborn. You wouldn't listen. Maybe you will now. Go. Flee. Go west. Go to Kerch. Wait for the King to die. Then return with a new name. A nobleman's name." Baghra said.

Aleksander sighed.

"Bide your time until there's a problem only Grisha can solve. Then the King must embrace us." Baghra instructed.

"And what about those in danger now? We need to safeguard all Grisha. We need to teach them how to fight." Aleksander told his mother.

"Most Grisha aren't fighters. They fix things. They make things." Baghra responded.

Marissa and Aleksander shared a look. They both had the same idea. "An army." Marissa said.

"We make an army. Morozova did it. Forge new life to amplify our power. We are his bloodline. He made us, too." Aleksander further thought.

Baghra stood up, as did Marissa. "You mean to use merzost? We practice the Small Science. Not magic!" Baghra quipped.

"Marissa—"

"No!" Baghra dismissed Aleksander.

"Marissa is a different form of Grisha. Her power... it is magic. And his journals are here. They're here in the archives." Aleksander stated.

"No, no, no, no, no. You cannot control it."

"I could create, just like he did. Like Marissa is starting to."