Page 62 of Shadow and Bone (The Grisha 1)
“I did try to warn you,” she said with some sadness.
“And you know what the Darkling plans to do?”
“There are rumors,” she said uncomfortably.
“They’re all true. ”
“Then it has to be done. ”
I stared at her. After a moment, she looked down at her lap. Her fingers pleated and unpleated the folds of her kefta. “David feels terrible,” she whispered. “He thinks he’s destroyed all of Ravka. ”
“It’s not his fault,” I said with an empty laugh. “We all did our part to bring about the end of the world. ”
Genya looked up sharply. “You don’t really believe that. ” Distress was written on her face. Was there a warning there as well?
I thought of Mal and the Darkling’s threats. “No,” I said hollowly. “Of course not. ”
I knew she didn’t believe me, but her brow cleared, and she smiled her soft, beautiful smile at me. She looked like a painted icon of a Saint, her hair a burnished copper halo. She rose, and as I walked with her to the flap of the tent, the stag’s dark eyes loomed up in my mind, the eyes I saw every night in my dreams.
“For what it’s worth,” I said, “tell David I forgive him. ” And I forgive you, too, I added silently. I meant it. I knew what it was to want to belong.
“I will,” she said quietly. She turned and disappeared into the night, but not before I saw that her lovely eyes were full of tears.
CHAPTER 21
I PICKED AT MY DINNER and then lay down on my cot again, turning over the things that Genya had said. Genya had spent nearly her entire life cloistered away in Os Alta, existing uneasily between the world of the Grisha and the intrigues of the court. The Darkling had put her in that position for his own gain, and now he had raised her out of it. She would never again have to bend to the whim of the King and Queen or wear a servant’s colors. But David had regrets. And if he did, maybe others did, too. Maybe there would be more when the Darkling unleashed the Shadow Fold’s power. Though by then, it might be too late.
My thoughts were interrupted by Ivan’s arrival at the entrance to my tent.
“Up,” he commanded. “He wants to see you. ”
My stomach twisted nervously, but I got up and followed him. As soon as we stepped out of the tent, we were flanked by guards who escorted us the short distance to the Darkling’s quarters.
When they saw Ivan, the oprichniki at the entryway stepped aside. Ivan nodded toward the tent.
“Go on,” he said with a smirk. I desperately wanted to smack that knowing look right off his face. Instead, I lifted my chin and strode past him.
The heavy silks slid closed behind me, and I took a few steps forward, then paused to get my bearings. The tent was large and lit by dimly glowing lamps. The floor was covered in rugs and furs, and at its center burned a fire that crackled in a large silver dish. High above it, a flap in the roof of the tent allowed the smoke to escape and showed a patch of the night sky.
The Darkling sat in a large chair, his long legs sprawled out before him, staring into the fire, a glass in his hand and a bottle of kvas on the table beside him.
Without looking at me, he gestured to the chair across from him. I walked over to the fire, but I did not sit. He glanced at me with faint exasperation and then looked back into the flames.
“Sit down, Alina. ”
I perched on the edge of the chair, watching him warily.
“Speak,” he said. I was starting to feel like a dog.
“I have nothing to say. ”
“I imagine you have a great deal to say. ”
“If I tell you to stop, you won’t stop. If I tell you you’re mad, you won’t believe me. Why should I bother?”
“Maybe because you want the boy to live. ”
All of the breath went out of me and I had to stifle a sob. Mal was alive. The Darkling might be lying, but I didn’t think so. He loved power, and Mal’s life gave him power over me.
“Tell me what to say to save him,” I whispered, leaning forward. “Tell me, and I’ll say it. ”
“He’s a traitor and a deserter. ”
“He’s the best tracker you have or ever will have. ”
“Possibly,” said the Darkling with an indifferent shrug. But I knew him better now, and I saw the flicker of greed in his eyes as he tilted his head back to empty his glass of kvas. I knew what it cost him to think of destroying something he might acquire and use. I pressed this small advantage.
“You could exile him, send him north to the permafrost until you need him. ”
“You’d have him spend the rest of his life in a work camp or a prison?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yes. ”
“You think you’ll find a way to him, don’t you?” he asked, his voice bemused. “You think that somehow, if he’s alive, you’ll find a way. ” He shook his head and gave a short laugh. “I’ve given you power beyond all dreaming, and you can’t wait to run off and keep house for your tracker. ”
