Ash and Dusk

Chapter 26

The next day I made sure to be present and visible all the time. In the meetings. In the library or even the kitchen. Wandering by myself through the corridors, letting servants and nobles see that I was just there. I knew that I wasn't being followed by the Darkling's oprichniki anymore, but information is easily gained when passed from one to another. That's what he is counting on.

So I was going to use that in my favour.

When the sun started to descend slowly on the sky, I retreated to my chambers. I knew my absence would stand out, so the moment dinner started without me, after the polite wait for me to show up and, of course, the sending of a servant that didn't found the Sun Summoner in her chambers, I knew he would start searching for me. Again, I thought smiling.

I almost felt sorry for the servant, as I watched her going from room to room in hope of finding me. I was already there, invisible and sitting on an armchair in the guest room of my quartes, but there nontheless.

I filled a knapsack with things I wasn't going to need, just to keep the appearences, and grabbed it on my way out the room. With a vague gesture of my hand, the curving of light stopped and I was visible again when I pushed the door open.

Now, this was the tricky part. Every small step was needed to be done with precision, otherwise my plan would fail from the beginning.

I was going to parade all the way to the main entrance, making it seem like I was planning on leaving. The catch was that it did not have to look obvious, but more like I genuinely wanted to be very discreet while sneaking out. No more than a limited number of people were to see me, hopefully reduced at one person in particular.

There was a chance that he could be in a meeting or in his personal study, being the ever occupied self he is. But the Darkling wouldn't let me get away that easily, even more when he knew I was planning something.

As quietly as I could, I passed room after room with my attention sharpened, avoiding large halls or corridors from where I could hear voices. It seemed I chose the hour perfectly, because there weren't many people outside of their private chambers. I reached the exit without any trouble.

The sound of a heavy door opening made me alert. I turned on my heel right in time to see the Darkling stepping out of the library, the first room at the top of the left-sided stairs. I didn't have time to do anything but dive in my power so quickly that, when I bent the light away from me, my head became a little dizzy. He turned his head in my direction.

Now!

I forced my hands to move with unhurried normality, so when I opened the door (or the door opened by itself, for what anyone could see) it seemed like I wasn't aware of the fact that the Darkling was watching me from behind.

"Alina...", he started.

I shut the door with a loud thud.

He wouldn't be that reckless to send someone else after me. In the time he could call for his oprichniki, I would be long gone and he knew that too.

Looking over my shoulder, I was more than pleased when I saw him stepping out of the Ravkan Embassy. When I saw the shadows covering him, making him look like one of them in his own invisibility, I smiled sharply.

Let the chase begin.

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