Element [The Darkling]

Chapter Thirty

Tolya woke me up almost an hour later, and from the odd look on his face, I could tell that I'd been giving signs of a nightmare.

I remembered bits and pieces of the things I'd heard in my dreams, lost in thought as Tolya led me down the hall to the war room, where we would discuss what to do next.

You want to use that as leverage? ... the little saint to come to you? Stupid boy.

It's the last piece that she needs. And I need her. Tell me what you know!

She will never stand by your side.

Baghra's voice kept mixing in with Kirigan's. I kept seeing the flickering of a cage in my vision. I had been alone in the tent in the fold.

You're afraid. Same as you were as a boy.

I don't need you to burn villages for me anymore, Mother.

Baghra's pained scream cut across my mind, splitting my head open with the ugly truth that even someone like Baghra couldn't hide from him.

"We've received accounts of First Army units found massacred here, here, and here." I snapped back to attention as Nikolai showed Alina and Mal different spots on a map, and shoved those thoughts out of my mind.

"That's too far from the border to be Fjerdans." Mal said.

"Or Shu Han." Alina added.

"There's good evidence these units were holding Grisha captive."

"It's close to the Fold," I mused, pointing at the map. "They were likely leaving them there to be swallowed up and eaten by volcra when they became the prey."

"Some reports say soldiers were mutilated." Nikolai said. "Some... cut in half."

"I don't mourn them." I said, and the three looked at me as I shook my head with a heavy sigh. "But... no one should go out like that."

"It's Kirigan, isn't it?" Alina asked.

"We haven't been able to find his base camp-"

"There's no way he survived the fold." Mal cut Nikolai off, in denial.

"He survived it before." Alina said seriously.

"He's alive." I said with conviction, bringing their attention to me as I wrapped my arms around my body. "I can feel it." I admitted. "Now that I'm back in Ravka, I can feel him calling to me." A

"From that far away?" Mal asked in surprise.

"He is a human amplifier." Alina pointed out.

"And I've had two amplifiers since." I added.

"Besides, he's the only one who can do the Cut." Alina said. "Baghra yes, but this is him."

"I think Baghra's his captive." I said, and they looked at me in shock. "I had a dream. I saw a cage, and I heard their voices. They were speaking to each other. Then she..." I trailed off, my mouth going dry.