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ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕟 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕠𝕧

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The trip to West Ravka was long and sightless. Especially considering how I'd spent most of my time below deck, wondering whether or not I should visit Mum and Mal down in the small brig they'd been put into.

The general had insisted that they were kept in there as a precaution, for everyone's safety. I hadn't made much of an argument at the time, nor had I gone to see them since we'd left the harbour of Ketterdam. I didn't know what to say or think, and even after days on the water spent alone in my room... I was still no closer to having any peace of mind. 

Everything had changed so quickly in less than a day.

My life in Ketterdam had ended as soon as we'd left the harbour. Not that I had had much of a life there anyways. 

I had spent my whole life hiding and containing my abilities, never using them even when I was alone. It'd years of me biting my tongue every time I wanted to know my mum's past, which she would never talk about. Never again. Every afternoon, after school I'd been chased home by bullies. And if I hadn't been quick enough, I'd return home with a black eye, like the one I'd had sported before.

It was no longer there anymore. A Corporalki Healer had healed it under the General's... my father's orders.

It was still an odd thought. I barely knew him, and what I did know about him wasn't that great. I wasn't too keen on reaching out to anyone just yet. He hadn't visited me in my room since we'd set sail, but I didn't mind. I hadn't really been in the mood to see anyone anyways.

But as we drew closer to West Ravka, which I could see peeping over the horizon from my window along with the tall, shadowy Fold, I began to take in the last few moments of silence and space. Above deck I could hear the crew and Grisha walking around, calling out orders and following them through.

The warm sun lit up my room and I caught sight of seagulls soaring over the waves, watching the giant ship sail by. In Ketterdam the sky had always been clouded and the streets cold. Winter took up about three quarters of the year, and Summer wasn't much different. West Ravka wasn't much warmer, but the sunlight seeping through the walls and windows was comforting and I closed my eyes for a long second.

There was a knock at the door and I turned around just in time to see it open and a woman walk in. She was Grisha, with fiery red hair and amber eyes. She was dressed in red kefta marking her as Corporalki, but the embroidery on her cuffs and hem were blue, which was strange. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I caught myself staring as she crossed the room, carrying a leather bag in her hand.

Her face was completely symmetrical, she was slim and the red of her kefta enhanced the red of her hair. 

"Don't just stand there," she said, standing by the desk and chair, motioning for me to come. "We don't have much time."

I seemed to have forgotten how to communicate and my mind was wiped blank. "Ugh... Time until what?" I replied, feeling light headed. I'd never really been attracted to women, but this Grisha wasn't like other women. She was physically flawless.

She didn't seem to notice my flabbergasted reaction, or maybe she just didn't care. "Until we reach the docks and the public gets their first look at you." She grabbed my hand and sat me down in the chair.

I stared down at my feet, my heart quickening its pace. 

"Keep your head up please." She said, lifting my chin gently and inspecting me closely. She smelt like sweet perfume and flowers. "Hmm... I can work with this." She said, pulling me towards the long mirror on the wall.

I didn't know what more she could. I was clean, well, as clean as I could be after days at sea, and I wasn't keen on letting her put any make-up on me. She stood behind me and I stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was smiling. "You have your mother's eyes." 

"You know her?"

I caught the edges of her smile faltering a bit, and her amber eyes shone a little dolefully. "Yes. I knew her back in the Little Palace. We were friends."

"Were?"

"We had a falling out." She mumbled, before forcing her smile to return and shifting her attention. "But, we don't have time to talk about all that. Let's get you ready."

I tried to look over my shoulder at her but she forced my head to face forward again as she inspected me further. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Genya Safin."

"I've never seen your kind of kefta before. I mean, I'm no expert on rankings but-"

"I'm a Tailor," she interrupted, running a brush through my hair. 

"A Tailor? What's that?"

She paused mid-brush, staring downwards. "I would've thought your mum would've told you." She said in a near-whisper. "I can alter your appearance temporarily." She eventually answered, opening the bag she'd been carrying.

I glanced at it from the corner of my eye. Inside there was a collection of jars, each containing some weird and random item. Some had bits of fabric, others had flower petals and leaves, and some even contained animal fur.

Genya opened a jar full of black beetles and lifted one up with her fingernails. I took a step back. I wasn't a beetle fan. Just the thought of insects always made my skin crawl. Genya must've noticed my discomfort, cause she gave me a reassuring look and said, "Don't worry. It won't even touch you, trust me."

I nodded, stepping back in front of the mirror again and watching her reflection as she touched the beetle with her spare hand and then ran her fingers over my hair.

I watched in awe as it instantly became softer, glossier and slightly darker than it'd been before. "Wow. That's really good." I reached up to touch it, only to have my hand smacked away.

"No ruining my masterpiece!" She said, putting the beetle back in its jar and pulling out a rose petal from another. She added some colour to my cheeks, smoothed my skin and highlighted the clear quartz colour of my eyes. By the time she was done, I looked healthier than I'd ever been in my entire life.

"Thank you," I glanced out the window again, seeing the docks coming closer.

"We're not done yet. Where are they?"

"Where are who?"

"The Fabrikators, they should've been here-" A knock cut her off and she dashed towards the door, pulling it open and taking something from the arms of a female Fabrikator on the other side. "It's about time." She grumbled, shutting the door and holding the object out to me.

My eyes widened at the sight of the shiny, brand new kefta. The fabric was a strong Summoner's blue, and the cuffs and hems were decorated in black and gold thread. "It's the best the Fabrikators could do with the little supplies they had."

I took the kefta carefully. The fabric was strong but soft under my fingers that ran over the cuffs. "Well, hurry up and put it on." Genya glided back the door. "Everyone's waiting for you on deck."

I hugged the fabric to my chest, spinning back to the window. We'd finally made it to shore, and beyond the campsite further down the field, I could see the infamous Fold. It was bigger than I had expected. The shadows moved as if it was alive.

I pulled on my kefta, enjoying its warmth and comfort. It was my exact size and soft against my skin. Although it was already warm inside and the kefta was very hot, I felt a kind of... pride, in wearing it.

With one last shaky breath, I pushed open the door and began climbing the stairs. I blinked my eyes as I reached the bright deck. The crew members were hurrying left and right, unloading boxes and bags from the ship onto the dock.

I turned to watch them walk down the ramp to the docks and froze. All along one side of the ship, Grisha were lined up in their three different orders. All eyes were fixed on me, the young boy in the brand new blue, gold and black kefta.

They looked amazing in their own keftas of blue, red and purple. They stood tall and proud, like colourful soldiers. Compared to them, I felt like a kid playing dress-up.

I couldn't see Mum or Mal anywhere. Perhaps they were still below deck? Or maybe they'd been taken to shore already?

 "Reagan." I spun on my heel, almost tripping. General Kirigan was standing right behind me, his kefta as black as the Fold. 

"General," I began to give a little bow, then caught myself and tried to save my pride with a polite nod. I peeped up at him, but if he was embarrassed by me, he didn't show it. I did though hear the whisper of a scoff from the lines of Grisha.

The General put his hand on my back, leading me towards the ramp. I followed alongside him quietly. My eyes were drawn to the colossal wall of darkness ahead. Although I was miles away, I could've sworn I heard the inhuman cry of something from within.

It sent cold shivers down my spine. 

"How does it feel?"

"Huh?" I looked up at the General, who I realised had been watching my expressions. 

"Your kefta?"

"Oh, it's nice." I tugged it further over my shoulders, despite already feeling hot underneath it. The campsite was much like the one at Ketterdam's harbour, only bigger. There were more tents and more Grisha. A huge black tent was set up closest to the Fold and I caught sight of skiffs in the distance.

"It's yours. Unless blue isn't quite your colour." He lifted his hand towards the lines of Grisha that'd followed us from the ship. They held back, before splitting off to find their tents. When we were finally alone, we continued walking towards the black tent. "Your mother wore blue." He was no longer watching me, which was a relief. His gaze was overwhelmingly powerful.

Around us, Grisha were peeking out of their tents at us. To the Darkling, in his midnight black kefta blowing out behind him like a dark mist. And then to me. The boy at his side, with a less than graceful walk, dressed in his unique Summoner's uniform. Heads turned as I walked past and their unwelcoming stares made my cheeks go red.

"Ignore their stares. They don't know who you are." The General explained, head held high as we marched right through the centre of the camp. "But they will. Once they see what you can do."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll be leading us across the Fold today." His words caught me off guard. 

"Wait, what?" I shouted, stopping in my tracks. I stared up at the Fold. Dark, looming, dangerous... Just looking at it made me feel like an ant under a huge, black boot. "I can't..."

"Come." He held his hand out to me. "Let's talk about this alone."

I nodded, eager to get out of everyone's line of sight and away from the bone-chilling shadow of the Fold. I'd never seen anything like it. But that wasn't what scared me. It was how familiar it felt... As if I had seen it before in dreams. It was a bigger version of the shadows I used to summon when my mother wasn't watching. "Come." He repeated.

My boots, which felt like they were full of cement, finally moved and together, we disappeared into the General's tent.

"General Kirigan, I mean ugh..." We still hadn't discussed titles, so I just ignored the formalities and got to the source of my troubles. "What happened on the boat I... That was the first time I've properly used my power in years. How am I supposed to-"

"I have faith." He sauntered across the tall tent as he spoke, looking back at me over his shoulder. "You have the power to change everything, Reagan. Soon, a trip into the Fold will be like walking through the park."

"You and I have very different ideas on what a walk in the park looks like," I murmured, catching him smiling a bit. I took in the space around me.

There were four rooms to the tent that I could see, each with cloth walls that could be tied open or hang closed. The first room, that I was currently standing in, was like a large living room. There were couches, rugs, pillows and a long table with bowls of fruit on top.

Two of the other rooms were bedrooms, one of which I guessed the General slept in. The other looked empty and unused. It'd most likely been meant for my mum, but she still wasn't anywhere to be seen. I'd forgotten to look for her outside.

The final room was a study of some sort, with a round table and a desk overflowing with pens, ink, books, paper and maps of Ravka. 

Despite being a fugitive of the King, the General lived as he had before. A man with power, money and a magical army on his side.

"Eat." He pushed a bowl of fruit towards me. "You look starved. Did you not eat anything on the ship?"

I picked a grape from the jumble of fruits. "There's only so much fish I can stomach." I popped the grape into my mouth, enjoying its sweet taste. Fresh treats, like grapes, had been a luxury in Ketterdam and I fought the urge to stuff my face with more of the delightful green fruits.

 Instead, I kept my manners in check and ate them one at a time, trying to hide my cravings.

"You should get some more sleep too," he added, his expression was impossible to read. His face was stone still and his eyes bored into mine. There was an angry longing in them. And obviously, that made me increasingly uncomfortable. "You'll need all your strength today."

I swallowed the grape in my mouth. "I'm fine. Not tired at all." I lied. It'd been impossible to sleep on the ship that had been bobbing and rocking out of time constantly throughout the night. "General-"

"Please," his tone was soft and out of place, compared to the look in his eyes. "If we're not on father, son basis yet, then please call me Aleksander."

I nodded. "Sure... Aleksander, I just- What happened?" He tilted his head in confusion. "When I shook your hand and I... What was that?" 

He stepped forward, honestly looking like a panther stalking forward. The thin scars on his face only adding to his predator-like qualities. "You've heard of amplifiers, right?"

"Of course, Mum has one." His jaw clenched a bit, and I knew why, but I didn't go further into the subject. "They amplify a Grisha's power."

"I'm a 'living amplifier'."

I was about to say that, that sounded unreal, but I'd already seen things that could be thought of as 'unreal'. 

"I didn't realise that was a thing," I said instead, watching him circling past me and take a seat in one of the dark, velvet armchairs. 

"It was how I was able to amplify your powers back in Ketterdam."

"And you will do it again when we go through the Fold?" Although I couldn't see it from inside the tent, my eyes swerved in its direction. He nodded silently, his stubbled chin resting on his knuckle. "And... What about my mother, and Mal?"

I heard his slow inhale and saw his chest rise and fall before he answered. "They're needed on this side of the Fold for now."

"They aren't coming?"

"For now." He repeated, voice steady as always.

I could've argued. I could've said that I wouldn't go unless they were coming. I could've shouted, or run. But something stopped me... I bit my bottom lip. "So what will happen when we reach the other side of the Fold?"

"Your training will begin."

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Hey Readers,

I am so grateful for the number of you who have been reading my books,
leaving wonderful comments, adding this to your libraries
and liking my chapters.

The support is overwhelming and reminds me why I like to do what I do.

Above you might've seen that I've made a fun little banner.
It was just a fun thing I got inspired to do.

Thanks again for all your support!
Please share the word and I'll see you all next time,

When we enter the Fold!

- DawnTide