Sankta Alina

AT THE AGE OF TEN, SERAFIMA LEARNED TO USE A GUN. She'd sit, crouched on their poach, gun propped on the railing. Cold metal pressed against her cheek. Her father was at her side and a tree at the end of the barrel. Serafima wrinkled her nose as snow danced against her face.

Mother had been furious when she'd heard. She had stormed out of the house and practically dragged Father back in by the ear. Neither noticed Serafima was still armed.

She's just a child, Mother argued. A girl at that! She should be playing with her siblings, not learning to fight. Father could only plead his case. Their village was forgotten by both countries that tried to claim it. Battles were waged daily. Wandering grisha threatened their village, but they had no people to defend against them. Drüskelle we're still the enemy after all, and Ravka had nothing similar. Father wanted her to defend her siblings. Mother argued he could do that and, later, so could the twins.

Serafima had seethed at hearing this. "The twins", Lev and Micha, were five, half her age. She was supposed to protect them. She wouldn't let them face the grisha witches any more than her parents would let her face them.

Except she was that grisha witch now, and miles away from her brothers and sister. Nonna was sixteen, Lev and Micha fourteen. Serafima couldn't protect them now. Not from herself, and not from the other monsters that would seek them.

It was something Serafima remembered, as she stood in a crowd cheering for her abilities. People who saw an entertainer instead of a witch or a criminal.

"I told you," Minke said, as he draped an arm over she shoulder. "I told you it'd be fun."

"You also told me you'd never talk to me again if I helped," Serafima added.

Minke rolled his eyes and poked her nose. Serafima sighed. Typical. It seemed he was determined not to leave her alone.

Even less so when, when they were supplied with rooms that fit two max, Serafima got stuck with Minke. She didn't know the logic of it. Maybe Kaz was hoping she'd get annoyed and throttle him, leaving extra money for the left of them. Maybe Inej had wanted to stick with Jesper, followed by both Kaz and Arken refusing both Minke and giving him his own room. Maybe the Saints were mad at her for calling Inej insane for her worship or...trying to burn the goat (oh, grow up, won't you?)

At least there were two beds. Two rickety beds, covered in moth—bit sheets and probably the moths that bit them. They creaked at the slightest movement. Which meant Serafima spent the beginning of the night listening as Minke practically broke his bed twisting and turning. Finally, she flipped over to face him.

"Will you stop that?" Serafima said.

There was a long pause. Minke managed to stay still and quiet for a whole moment.

"Could I light a candle?" Minke asked.

"What on Earth would you want to do that for?" Serafima said. "Knowing you, you'll burn down the damn room."

"I don't like the dark."

Serafima glared at the human shaped shadow that was probably Minke. It was in the right place. She'd assumed Minke was just being a pest when he said he was scared of the dark. Making a joke. It sounded like a joke at the time, and the dark was a damn stupid thing to be scared of. Except now Serafima had to deal with his nonsense.

"Are you being serious?" Serafima demanded. Minke was silent, but the answer was clear, and Serafima gave an exasperated sigh and rolled out of bed. "I'll get you a damn candle."

"You don't have to," Minke hurried.

"Are you going to stop flopping around like you're having a seizure?" Serafima said.

"Well —"

"I need to sleep too, Rademaker," Serafima stopped in doorway and added, "Besides, this room smells like death. Maybe I can find something to plug my nose."

Minke perked up. "You think if we find a dead body, we'll get a finder's fee?"

"I think they'll arrest us for having a dead body."

"It was their dead body first!"

Serafima shook her head. What was she even arguing for? He'd be impossible either way.

☼ ☼ ☼

SEVTA SCOWLED DOWN AT HER FOOD. No matter how many times Nonna and Juliya insisted she should eat, she instead settled on sulking. It just so happened that  Juliya had made the mistake of telling the girl that she'd be gone for the week of the winter fete and she was not happy about it. First Nonna had left to the Fold and Juliya had been busy. Now Juliya was leaving.

"Nonna's back now, and Ebbe's not leaving any time soon," Juliya said.

Sveta turned to look at Ebbe. He sat with the rest of the materialki, opposite of the general's table. She grumbled and crossed her arms.

"Ebbe hardly ever has time," Sveta complained, "And Nonna's got her new friend."

Nonna blinked. "What?"

Sveta simply blew raspberries and continued to glare at her food. Like many of the children that arrived in the Little Palace, Sveta had no one before she arrived and was one of a faceless many inside the palace. Unlike them, however, she had been able to find people who cared about her. 

Nonna understood. She had been the opposite. At home she had three siblings and her parents, and plenty of other kids to play with. The Little Palace had been a strange place at the beginning, especially after Serafima ran away and everyone decided that was a mark on her as well. It was only Ebbe and Juliya, and later Sveta, that made it feel comfortable. Feel like a home. If she was in Seta's position, if she genuinely believed she might lose them, would she be in any better a mood?

"Oh, for Saint's sake. Nonna isn't going to replace you, don't be ridiculous," Juliya ruffled Sveta's hair. Sveta huffed. "Alina's new. How'd you like it if no one talked to you when you arrived?"

"I wouldn't like it..." Sveta said.

That seemed to cheer Sveta up some. She still didn't eat her food, but Nonna suspected she just wasn't hungry at this point. Instead she carefully piling the mush into a small tower. It sort of looked like a person. That was what Sveta claimed it was supposed to be, anyways. Nonna smiled and nodded.

It seemed fitting that Alina appeared then.

For the last few days, she'd be sitting with the summoners. She'd gone horse back riding with the general and spent most of her time with summoner friends. She hadn't mastered her powers or her training, but she was doing better. Finally fitting in. Maybe Juliya had been right once, and Alina had liked having someone who was kind to her, but clearly she had moved past that now.

Except today. Today, she spotted Nonna and, a grin on her face, ran over. It earned a few odd looks for the corporalki, who still found someone beneath them stepping out of line offensive, sun summoner or not. Alina didn't seem to notice.

"I did it!" Alina cheered. "I did it! I did it!"

"Did what?" Nonna asked.

Instead of answering, Alina thrust her hands under Nonna's nose. She leaned back. Alina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Nonna watched in surprise as a light slowly built under her skin. It spread outwards in a done, webs of light slowly expanding from her hands. Annoyance turned to aw as people leaned in to look. Alina twisted her hands together. Then, she pulled them away. Hands spread, a ball of light the size of a man's head hanging between them.

"Oooo," Sveta leaned over Nonna's shoulder. "I bet you could kill a man with that."

"Sveta!" Juliya scolded, before offering Alina a supportive smile of her own.

"Alina, that's amazing!" Nonna said. Alina dropped the sphere and laughed. She practically tackled Nonna in a hug. Seconds later she pulled away and grabbed Alina's hand, studying the palm. She knew something seemed different. "You had a scar there. It seemed important, what'd you do with it?"

"I, uh..." Alina straighten as if bracing herself. "I had Genya erase it. I can't it hold me back."

"Oh..."

Nonna tightened her lips and glanced at Juliya. The woman only shook her head and looked away. Alina wasn't the first Grisha to run from their past. She wouldn't be the last.

☼ ☼ ☼

THEY ARRIVED IN OS ALTA THREE DAYS LATER. It was unfortunately close to the winter fete. Serafima would have preferred to meet with Jip before they entered the Little Palace, but they had to appear right as the entered the city. The most they could do was write down a letter had sent it to their latest known location. Arken had assured this was the proper place, though Serafima was growing to question his intentions.

Some would call Serafima paranoid, but she didn't trust Arken. Something seemed...wrong. The way he kept trying to scare them off while never addressing his own return. The sudden appearance of extra letters and notes in his baggage. The wondering off combined with suspicions when they did anything similar.

They came to a stop at the Little Palace gates. Serafima bristled as the stopped for their papers. Over the man's shoulders, she could make out the grisha's bright keftas. It had been so long...no one would recognize her.

No one but Nonna.

"Relax," Minke squeezed his way next to Serafima. "You aren't the one with the ugly mug."

The comment was only half true — Minke could have been attractive if not for his scars — but Serafima wasn't going to tell him that. If they'd had more time, if Arken hadn't stuck them with a crowd of people who'd wonder why Minke's face had changed, she'd have Jip tailor them away. Have everyone tailored, in fact, so no one would connected them to any suspicious groups at the fete. Instead they'd have to do it after, and hope it held until at least West Ravka.

"Only party I've been invited to, and I look like a goon," Minke continued.

"Shut up," Serafima hissed as the guard began his instructions. She then slapped Minke's hands away from his hat to stop him adjusting it into oblivion and added, "Don't be vain. We're here to work, not look pretty."

"Why can't I do both?"

Because you couldn't be pretty if you tried, Serafima was tempted to say, but that seemed unnecessarily cruel. Minke was sensitive about his appearance.

"This writ allows you access to the grounds, the main ballroom, and nowhere else," the guard announced. Minke raised his hand. He was ignored. "You are being employed by the Queen. You are not her guests. You are to stay together as a group, at all times."

The guard stepped past them, moving between the group as he spoke. Serafima raised an eyebrow as the man passed Minke, completely obvious to him fishing around in his pockets. A set of keys disappeared up Minke's sleeve. Serafima was almost impressed until he spotted her and winked, at which point she was reminded why she thought he was a pest in the first place.

The lecture continued without interruption.

"No guns—" Jesper tilted his head "—no knives—" They glanced at Inej, still fully armed. "No weapons of any kind. Punishment for violation of these rules ranges from being fired to being fired upon. Now do we all understand these rules?"

A commotion broke out down the way at another carriage. The guard turned to look.

The struggle was a man being hauled out from under the wagon. Once fully freed, he shoved the guard pulling him free. The guest behind him gasped and backed away.

"The Sun Summoner!" The man cried. "I just want to see her!"

The man ran for the door. At once he was caught by a new pair of guards. He stumbled and rolled. Soon enough two guards had him by the arms and the rest had guns at his face. Serafima cocked her head. She spotted a familiar face in the crowd of guards.

Kaz Brekker walked past into the door with the rest of the guard corp. Serafima shook her head and followed their group after him. Seemed his was doing good on his own.

☼ ☼ ☼

AS MUCH AS NONNA MISSED JULIYA, FETE PREPARATIONS WERE STILL A BLAST. Alina had invited her to join getting ready. She'd been surprised when that meant Sveta and Ebbe were coming along, but had accepted them kindly. Marie and Nadia were already waiting. They had been a little less accepting, but relented when Sveta and Ebbe busied themselves in the corner. Sveta insisted that she was as good at makeup as Juliya, and Ebbe was the only one willing to let her experiment.

While Marie and Nadia hadn't given Nonna the best first impression, they'd turned out to be rather nice. Especially when the conversation turned to poor Marie's tragic love life.

"I panicked," Marie protested as they laughed at her story of woes. "Nobody's ever asked to spend time with me before."

"So you see him on fire?" Alina said.

"It was an accident!"

"The squallers had to launch him right into the lake," Nadia added.

"Well...at least he's okay?" Nonna said. "And he won't be forgetting you any time soon."

"In Fjerda, we routinely set love ones on fire," Ebbe offered as Sveta smeared a line of makeup across his forehead.

Marie turned to him. "Really?"

"No. That is stupid and dangerous," Ebbe said. "But I'm sure he's never felt hotter."

Marie groaned and buried her face in her hands. Just in time for the doors to open and for Genya and her crowd of maids to arrive. The laughter died as they turned to face her. Nadia and Marie even managed to look cheerful when they greeted her.

"They need your for the kefta," Genya said.

"No, I'm so late," Marie cried. "Nadia, come on."

With that, the two rushed off. Genya turned to the three remaining. Nonna suspected she was about to ask them to leave until her eyes fell on the massacre that was Sveta's artistry.

"I'm sorry...what is that?" Genya waved vaguely towards Ebbe's face.

"I'm working here!" Sveta complained.

"Saints..." Genya studied the work. "Nonna, be a dear and clean his face up."

Nonna took that as their sign to leave. She took Sveta and Ebbe with her, Sveta grumbling and Ebbe assuring her that he thought it looked quite lovely. Nonna didn't know what she'd done to his face, either, because it took hours of scrubbing to get it cleaned up. All the while Sveta glared like Nonna was killing her first born. It was only the promise of more, proper lessons that kept her from murdering them both.

"I think you have a future as a tailor," Ebbe offered, rubbing his now raw cheek.

"No!" Sveta cried. "I'm solider."

"Just...behave Sveta, all right," Nonna said. Then she slapped Ebbe's shoulder and added, "You, too, Ebbe. You were horrible!"

"Horrible?" Ebbe asked.

"To Marie! You shouldn't tease her like that, she was upset," Nonna scolded.

"Oh. I apologize."

It was hard to tell if Ebbe was being genuine or not. His tone hardly ever changed. Still, Nonna assumed the best. They'd all been joking, he was simply joining in, not trying to trick her. Ebbe, like most fabrikators, had poor social skills, even if Nonna would actually call him the most competent of them.

At once, Sveta twirled off to enjoy the rest of the day, and Nonna took Ebbe's arm to follow her. There was a day's worth of amusements to enjoy.

☼ ☼ ☼

WHILE KAZ SEARCHED FOR A PLACE TO CATCH THE SUN SUMMONER, THE OTHERS WAITED. Inej worked on her routine. One in while she would ask for their opinions, but only Minke seemed to reply. Jesper was his typical self, distracted by some good looking stable hand, and Serafima...she was still looking for her sister.

A part of her knew Nonna wouldn't look the same. She'd been a child when Serafima fled, now she was nearly an adult. But Serafima knew she would know her when she saw her. The same way she knew the way the waves moves, felt the draw of the sea — she knew her sister better than she knew herself. Serafima could find her in the dark. She could find her now or in a thousand years.

"You're not even paying attention, are you?" Inej complained as she came to stand next the two. Serafima blinked and turned towards her. "Are you all right?"

"Shouldn't you be practicing?" Serafima said.

"I was, but the only one offering help is Minke," Inej shot Minke a glance.

"I'm sorry, what now?" Jesper finally blurted out.

"I said, you're not paying attention. Either of you," Inej said.

Jesper squinted, "Oh. I do vaguely remember you being airborne. Was that recently?"

"You're supposed to be looking for a way out, Jesper, not your next romantic conquest," Minke interrupted, making them all jump in surprise.

Serafima glared up at Minke. When did he learn to be sneaky?

"So stop flirting with the stable hand," Inej scolded.

"What stable —" Jesper glanced back in the direction he'd be staring for half an hour. "Oh, him. I suppose he's moderately attractive, but I hadn't really noticed."

"Your lying is almost as bad as your tastes in men," Serafima said. She snapped under his nose. "Focus, Jesper."

"You got distracted, too!" Jesper protested.

"Not by being horny!"

"Oh, so what was it then?"

"This is going to be a lot less amusing when the carriage you find isn't fast enough," Inej interrupted, before it could turn into a full blown argument.

Serafima opened her hands to Jesper, waiting for his response. What's his excuse this time? He always had one. They gave him a damn job and, unless it involves shooting things, he half asses it. Kaz must have a reason to keep him around. Now would be a good time for him to prove it.

"Oh. So now you're an acrobat and a carriage expert?" Jesper said. "Tell me, what makes one carriage faster than another? Wheels? Weight? The year is was built?"

"Well, if you want to get technical —" Minke started.

"Don't answer, trick question. The right answer is there is no right answer, because the carriage doesn't matter. It's the horse that makes the difference. The horse determines how far, how fast, and that determines whether you get caught or not," Jesper explained.

Serafima almost admitted she was impressed. It was some solid logic. Then she realized even the slightest bit of praise might cause Jesper's already big head to pop, and refrained for his own safety.

"No human being should ever be as proving as you are right now," Inej muttered.

"Me?" Jesper scoffed. "What about your sun summoner? I'm not the one who invited half the world to see me do a party trick."

"You really think this summoner invited these people? They're just as much a pawn as the rest of us," Serafima corrected.

Inej, of course, was offended by both their answers.

"You think that's what it is? Just a trick?" Inej asked through gritted teeth.

"Kaz thinks it's a trick, and so does Serafima. Now Serafima's usually a bit negative, but Kaz? He's not usually wrong," Jesper said.

"I know what they think, I'm asking what you think," Inej said.

If Serafima didn't know better, she thought she caught some pleading in her tone. Inej, she realized, was searching for at least one person to believe as much as she did. Serafima could only offer a smile and the regret that she couldn't give Inej the support she wanted.

"Hey...I think...that as long as we get paid...I don't care if she's real or not," Jesper answered.

Inej's face fell. She turned and walked away. Minke promptly slapped them both on the back of the head.

"What was that for?" Jesper whined.

"You're horrible. Both of you," Minke scolded, and with that, he left as well.

Jesper gawked Serafima, who only shook her head. What could she say? The two were sensitive.

☼ ☼ ☼

THE OFFICIAL BALL WOULDN'T START FOR HOURS. Instead, both grisha and guests were allowed to enjoy the festivities. Performing troupes had come from around the world to perform for the queen, while booth lined the grounds with foreign wears and food. Students crowded around the games and candies. It was one of the few fun moments they had.

Sveta dragged the two of them through the crowd. If Nonna thought she was excited, the girl was even more so. She wanted to stop at almost everything. Watch every show, try all the food, play every game. Nonna couldn't bring herself to tell the girl no. It was good to see her excited about something that didn't involve fighting and war. Nice for her to just be a kid, not a solider.

Given the main attraction, Nonna shouldn't have been surprised that so many shows focused on the sun summoner. Sankta Alina. Saint Alina of the Fold, Daughter of Ravka, Daughter of Keramzin. Nonna shouldn't laugh, but she couldn't help it. Alina Starkov? A saint?

Not likely.

Even worse was the fact that none of the performers even looked like Alina. Not a single one was Shu, nor did they even look close to it. Instead all were blonde and pale, looking more like Nonna herself than Alina, and draped in whites and gold. They were graceful in a way Alina couldn't manage (no offense meant. Nonna doubted she could float her way along the stage the way the preformers could, either.)

It was at one of these shows that a pair of bony fingers wrapped themselves around Nonna's upper arm. Nonna tried to jump away. She found herself faced with Baghra, who thrust a finger into her face to shush her.

"Come with me, girl," Baghra said.

Nonna glanced over her shoulder. Ebbe held Sveta on his shoulders so she could see over the crowd. Not that it mattered. The girl yawned and leaned her elbows on his head to prop up her own. She'd be sleeping in hours. Nonna feared Baghra's wrath, but she feared leaving Ebbe with only a sleepy Sveta to guide him more.

"I should let Ebbe know I'm leaving so he can take Sveta back to her room," Nonna said.

"We don't have time," Baghra insisted.

Before Nonna could protest further, Baghra hauled her through the crowd. Said crowd opened to let her pass. Natural selection had made it the case. You didn't last long if you didn't respect Baghra, and even the guests knew to avoid the old woman glowering at them. Nonna was left to her devices. It was Baghra's world. They were just living in it.

They went on towards the Little Palace, then deep inside it.

Nonna did her best to take in everything. It was hard when she was being rushed past it in seconds. The hallways were mostly empty. Everyone was out celebrating. There was one guard, and he practically stumbled into the wall try to side step Baghra's path. Nonna turned to apologize, but he'd already disappeared around the corner.

Finally, Nonna was thrown into a room. She turned, stunned. Book shelves lined the walls and a table took up much of the floor space. Figurines covered the map printed table. The war room, Nonna realized.

"You're friends with the sun summoner, aren't you?" Baghra asked, though her words sounded more like an accusation than a question.

"I suppose," Nonna said.

Was that the right answer? Nonna could never tell with Baghra's constant scowl.

"You've never spoken with the general, you aren't one of his spies, I know that," Baghra said. "So why?"

"Why?" Nonna repeated.

"Don't be daft, girl, you know what I mean," Baghra scolded.

Baghra stalked across the room, her fingers playing with a worn sheet, draped over what appeared to be a picture frame.

Nonna blinked. Yes, a part of her know what Baghra meant. Why was she spending time with Alina if Kirigan hadn't made her? It was the rest that didn't make sense. What did she mean spies? The general didn't need spies, he spent plenty of time with Alina himself. Why was it so extraordinary that she would just befriend Alina? She had plenty, three not counting Nonna herself. And why did Baghra care? Didn't want Nonna corrupting her prized pupil?

"I only wanted to be nice," Nonna said, defensiveness creeping into her tone. "You can't keep her away from everyone, you know."

"What do you know about the Black Heretic?" Baghra asked.

"I — he created the fold, everyone knows that. What's your point?" Nonna demanded.

"Is that all?" Baghra narrowed her eyes. "Don't play stupid, girl, you know the stories. A linage of Darklings, all working to undo their ancestors crimes. That's what they've told you, isn't it?"

Baghra pulled the sheet free. Below was a painting of...well, the general. Nonna tilted her head.

"Gullibility is humanity's greatest flaw," Baghra said with a shake of the head. "There had been one Darkling, girl —"

Nonna squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. What was Baghra talking about? First she drags Nonna half way across the Little Palace, now she was throwing accusations of — of what? Of being a thousand year old monster? Saints, she was insane. Baghra was insane. 

"Baghra, please —" Nonna started.

"Don't mock me," Baghra hissed. Nonna winced as her fingers locked around her wrist. "People assume practicing the small sciences takes energy, but we know better. It gives it. Powerful grisha live for centuries."

"You're hurting me."

"Think, girl. Why do you think there's only one shadow summoner in the Little Palace? Only seen at the same age, when their father's died? For their safety?" Baghra scoffed. "Are you so naive?"

"Baghra!" Nonna finally yanked her arms free, grimacing as Baghra's nails raked her wrist. "Will you just listen to me? It's just a painting, it means nothing. You can't accusing someone of this over nothing."

Baghra's face darkened. The room did the same. Nonna stepped back as the corner shadows grew and crawled along the wall, leaning in, pressing in around them.

"Nothing?" Baghra said. Warning clung to every word. "You think I don't know my own son?"

Nonna's thoughts skipped a beat. Her mind glitched and all she could managed to do was blink dully. There was a moment where she was supposed to process everything — Baghra was a shadow summoner? There were more? Son? — and it simply didn't. She swallowed nervously. Saints, her head hurt.

The shadows receded. Baghra let out a sigh that almost sounded defeated.

"I thought I could train Alina in time. Make her understand. But it's too late, they've found the stag," Baghra shook her head.

"The stag?" There was only one stag Nonna knew of that would require such a reaction, Morozova's amplifier, but that was a myth. "What does that have to do with Alina?"

"Nothing good. I know my son, he promises the end of the fold, but he'd never allow it. He won't allow Alina out of his control, either," Baghra said.

"But — We have to warn her," Nonna insisted.

"I thought you'd agree," For once, Baghra seemed to approve of Nonna's choices. "If you care for Alina at all, you'll do exactly what I say."

Chapter Six, brought to you by plot progression, Serafima's refusal to pick a damn side on if Minke could be attractive, more Nonna and Alina moments, Baghra's poor explaining abilities, and Sveta being the small gremlin she was always meant to be.

UPDATED NOTES: I probably should have mentioned Lev and Micha before this, but there really wasn't any good time. Also, I'm going to honest, when I was writing this I didn't think about how important that was for the plot. Specifically, having otkazat'sya siblings was a massive influence on Serafima leaving the Little Palace. Like "she probably wouldn't have left if it was only Nonna" important. 

This is also why, if you remember when I originally wrote this and especially if you know the very original time I made Nonna, their ages changed. 

OG Nonna also had three siblings: Serafima, another older sister, and a younger brother. However, between ages being reduced (Serafima going from 28 to 18 and and Nonna from 18 to 16 to fit the canon characters) and me forgetting what their siblings actual ages where/thinking Nonna was the youngest, Lev and Micha ended up twins to fit right between them. 

I ultimately decided to move them to the end for a more reasonable birth range (with the bonus of emphasizing the ridiculousness of their mother's statement. "Don't give a ten year old a gun" is reasonable. "Their five year old brothers will defend us instead because they're boys" is not a reasonable alternative.) They are still twins though. I liked that.