stardust chords | the darkling

PREFACE

[  COMING THIS MARCH  ]

Ithaca Zaiste was a fighter — she was just born that way. She saw her parents constantly fighting each other and learned from them. Why solve problems with peace when she could do it by force?

When they died, she was sent to an orphanage in Keramzin. There, she found as many fights as she could until everyone else was too scared to throw a first punch. That was why Alina Starkov and Mal Oretsev clung to the girl — sure, Ithaca was a year younger, but she was their own form of protection from the cruel world.

Growing up, Ithaca's tendency to punch first and ask questions later followed her around, landing her a job in the First Army as a soldier whereas Mal became a tracker for them and Alina a mapmaker. While her friends kept their heads down and tried to survive, Ithaca threw herself into every fight she could. Within her first few months, she rose in the ranks because of her skill, and the only reason she wasn't promoted to the highest rank of General was because then they'd lose her skill in the field as a Colonel — Generals never saw any action, a thought she couldn't stand. Because anyone that went up against Ithaca in a fight lost — it didn't matter if you were a Grisha, a Drüskelle, or a Shu Han warrior.

And at times, she wasn't sure if she was fighting to protect Ravka or just to form a fist and wield a weapon, the only things that made her feel something.

Well, it wasn't the only thing, but she had to keep that as a secret for just herself, not even trusting Alina and Mal with it.

Ithaca was a Grisha — a special one from what she could decipher. No, she couldn't control the wind and waves or manipulate blood flow. But when she was alone and focusing hard enough, she could summon shimmering light — it was cold and blue and powerful.

It was the only thing that convinced her she wasn't completely darkness incarnate.

She knew of this long before the Grisha came to test them at the orphanage, but the last thing she wanted was to be separated from Mal and Alina. The test was triggered by sudden pain — that's what the older kids had said. So, in a plot concocted by Alina, they cut their hands before the test, ensuring that they were already in pain, rigging the test. At the time, Alina had no idea the ramifications of what she'd done. And Ithaca knew — she just didn't care.

As the war raged on, it seemed Ithaca found a fight every other day, but it wasn't satisfying. It wasn't as if she could fight the Fold or even cross it to find new enemies. She couldn't fight the ruling king she hated so much or the Grisha that turned their noses up at her despite knowing how important she was in the first army.

But she was content in the First Army, never once considering revealing her true nature for a chance at a bigger and better fight.

At least not until her favorite mapmaker decided to start a fire.