How or when the Sun Saint will appear is unknown. With the recent blight of the Fold across our lands, many have begun to see the her as the one who will rid us of this scourge. Goodness and light, to balance out darkness and evil.

~ Extract from the last chapter of The Istorii Sankt'ya, translated from Old Ravkan

*

To Alina,

Mrs Petrova from the school is writing this letter (she read your last one to us) but we are telling her what to write.

Everyone liked your presents. The ointment does work, like magic - Da can hunt much better now and makes himself far more useful. Misha is the only one in the house who can read that book you sent him. We think it's about wars, no one is sure, but he likes it at least. We are glad you like Os Alta and are being treated well. I did not know Grisha soldiers get money sent to their family - a lot of money! Don't forget where you came from and turn all hoity-toity now you're living in such a fancy place. If we see you again and you put on airs and graces, you will be for it. Don't go forgetting us. Ma.

Sun Summoner? Like in all those stories from church? What do you mean you got attacked? What were Fjerdans doing so far south? How did you kill them? Are you alright? And why is the Darkling taking such an interest in you? I am glad you're not going soft. Mind your manners but don't let anyone push you around. If they treat you badly then send a letter and I will come to Os Alta and get you out somehow. Da.

Thank you for the book Alina. I like it very much and hope you are having a good time. From Misha.

I know you're angry that I missed the testing. Sorry. I'm angry at myself. I'd have stopped them taking you. I tried to go after you but everyone stopped me. Don't forget about me now you have your fancy Grisha friends. Love you. Mal.

Hearing their words made Alina think of them all, properly think of them, for the first time since she had left home. It was easy to get caught up in her new, busy life, to push away the heartache of leaving everything she had ever known, to block out any longing to return. But now, faced with the words of her family, her best friend, a lump had risen to her throat as the enormity of what had happened hit her for the first time.

After several embarrassing minutes of wiping away tears from her cheeks and praying no one walked into her room, Alina carefully placed the letter from home safe in the drawer of her bedside table. The same drawer that her father's hunting knife was in. She didn't want anyone else to see it. Not after such a delayed reply, even given the distance between Os Alta and Temogra. Not after it had been given to her already opened.

Her life was better here. She had enough food, nice clothes, and a beautiful set of rooms. She wasn't an outcast, was respected (generally, sometimes too much), and was taught so many interesting things. She had fun here, too; Alina would have been bored stiff staying in Temgora her whole life. Even if one of her closest friends was reporting on her to the Darkling.

She surprised herself by not holding that discovery against Genya. Alina did not confront her about it either, knowing it would get back to him, and likely reflect badly on her friend. It was easier to pretend nothing was wrong, to talk and laugh together as they had always done these past months, and still enjoy her company. Now Alina had friends, she found that she hated the idea of losing any of them. She was a little more guarded about what she said to her friend, but that was all.

No, she saved all her anger for the one who ordered Genya to do it.

*

The Darkling left at dawn, along with a sizable group of other Grisha, heading for the Shu Han front.

Since he had been at the Little Palace her entire time there, Alina had almost forgotten he was actually a General and would have to go to war at some point. He had not seemed to want to go, either, not with her still acting cold towards him, but had evidently had no choice. As it turned out, Alina was not more important than the entire Second Army. The King didn't even know she existed yet.

She was quite glad to see him go. Not only for the fact that it disturbed her how well he played her, trying to get her to like him; she also felt much more free. She could sit where she wanted to sit at dinner. She got into more trouble in lessons; without the threat of being reprimanded by the Darkling, none of the teachers came close to making her feel bad about misbehaving. And she could act more like the other young Grisha. Of course, with him gone, the other children were more relaxed around her. Most had gotten over the presence of the Sun Summoner already, and thankfully the staring had stopped months ago, but now they actually acted more familiar with her. As though she was just one of them, rather than the Darkling's favourite.

Mostly, Alina liked this change. She got on relatively well with most of the others her own age - most liked her simply for the fact she spoke her mind and was entertaining in lessons - and had her few close friends; Zoya, Nina, Katya and Viktor. But things here weren't so different from Temgora.

"Hey, Sun Summoner!" Came the mocking shout from behind as she and Katya walked across the yard. It came from Yuri Vasiliev and his group of three friends, the only ones to rival the rowdiness of Alina, Nina and Viktor (Zoya and Katya were much more restrained).

"What?" She stopped and turned around, wariness making her tone rather short. Wariness both of Yuri and of the fact that she and Katya had given her guards the slip, just because; they were likely looking for her. Already the others in the yard, all of them young Grisha, were turning around to look.

Alina did not like Yuri. He was two years older than she was, the eldest of his friends, and reminded her too much of Igor, the boy from Temgora who she had eventually had to stab with a knife to stop him picking on her. Yuri didn't like her, either; she had embarrassed him often enough in their classes. He and his friends seemed to love insulting her, to which she just laughed and replied with something even more horrible, and funnier. The boys didn't like that, of course, and there had been plenty of glares and dark muttering sent her way in response. Alina herself was untouchable while the Darkling was here, though they had hassled Viktor occasionally in the boy's dormitories. Her friend handled himself well enough, not lacking for spine at all. It also helped that most of the other boys liked him more than they liked Yuri.

But now the Darkling was gone, and that seemed to make them braver. Earlier that day in mathematics, Yuri had made some stupid comment to Katya, and Alina had replied rudely with something that made everyone laugh at him. It was so meaningless that she couldn't even remember what she said. Something insulting about his mother... Whatever it was, the boy had flushed red in anger, and now apparently was annoyed enough to seek her out.

"No need to be rude," Yuri grinned, as his friends snickered. "I just wanted to see if you can back that smart mouth of yours up, without your oprichniki looming over your shoulder,"

"You want to fight me," She scowled, catching on.

Yuri's smirk was answer enough. A murmur rippled through the watching Grisha children.

"Alina, no, he's bigger and older than you are," Katya groaned quietly beside her. At Alina's sceptical look, her friend continued. "I hate him as much as you do. I just don't want to end up in the Healer's wing. The Darkling isn't here, remember, that's why he's doing this now,"

Katya was talking sense. But although Alina knew it was stupid, she could not - would not - back down like this, not in front of everyone. She'd liked the fear the other village children eyed her with when she started carrying round that knife. Although she disliked the attention that came with being the Sun Summoner here in the Little Palace, she liked that she had a place here, that most people didn't hate her or look down on her. She didn't want to risk being the raggedy outcast girl again, not here.

"Fine,"

Yuri blinked. Evidently he hadn't expected her to agree so easily. "No summoning," He was quick to specify. "I won't use my fire. You won't use your light,"

"Fine," Alina said again, having been planning on that anyway. Using her powers in a fight risked turning Yuri into a charred husk, and she didn't hate him that much yet.

She stepped forward, and Yuri, cheered on by his friends, did the same.

Alina lost, of course. Despite only being two years older, Yuri was tall for his age, and had been a blacksmith's son before coming to the Little Palace, so was strong as well. She gave as good as she got, though, and might even have won, had she not been swept off balance by an unnatural force hitting her knees. Yuri's blow caught her around the face, sending her crashing to the floor, spitting out blood.

"You dirty cheat!" Alina was on her feet in the blink of an eye despite the fact her head was spinning, rounding on Yuri's friends. "Your Squaller knocked me over!"

"Not my fault you're a little Shu bitch who can't fight her way out of a paper bag," The boy in question shrugged.

In her anger, she threw herself at him as well. Everything then escalated out of hand very quickly. It was essentially Alina versus four boys for half a minute, before all of them staggered and clutched at their chests. Her head swam with dizziness as her blood pressure suddenly dropped; Fedyor had swept down the steps into the yard and seized all their hearts at once. Whilst the Darkling had taken most of his favoured Heartrenders with him to the front - Ivan, Vladimir, Anzhelina and Elmira to name a few - Fedyor had stayed at the Little Palace. Most likely to mind Alina, though she didn't like to think of it as that.

"Saints, Alina, are you alright?" He offered her a hand, which she woozily took, accepting the help to her feet. "You look a mess! Did those little shits jump you?"

She was suddenly very aware of what would happen if she said yes, with half of the Grisha her age watching. Not only would she be known as a snitch, but the punishment the Darkling would give to these boys would make what had happened to Zoya look like a picnic. She didn't want to give him any more opportunity to isolate her, nor set her apart from everyone else.

"No," She said. "I started it. It was my fault. Vasiliev said something that annoyed me and I jumped at him. They were just defending their friend,"

"Hm," Fedyor didn't sound like he believed that, but let it go for now. The whole yard was muttering again, eyeing her with something better than blind awe at the fact she could summon the sun; respect. "Get these four to the Healer's wing," He said to some nearby boys. "Alina, come with me,"

So that Yuri was under no impression that she lied out of any liking for him, Alina glowered over her shoulder as she was led out of the courtyard, limping. He just mouthed something that looked infuriatingly like 'I won'.

"They're all in quite bad shape," The Heartrender sounded quite impressed. "Not bad, for a tiny girl,"

"Vasiliev is the only decent fighter out of them all. If I'd used my powers, they'd all be dead," She said honestly.

"I'm glad you did not," Fedyor said. Once they were out of sight of the crowd his voice turned concerned. "I'll have a Healer brought to your chambers, Alina. You look a bit worse for wear too. Do you think anything's broken?"

"Don't know. Haven't broken anything before. Except when Zoya broke my nose,"

"Well what hurts the most?"

Her leg had been twisted at some point, and her shin stamped on hard. Her arm felt numb, her bruised cheekbone throbbed and her split lip stung something rotten. Not to mention the other cuts, bruises and scrapes all over her. Fedyor was right, she did need a Healer.

"My heart, after you slowed it down," She shot a small smirk his way. "That's what I'll tell the Darkling, anyway,"

Fedyor laughed, unbothered. "You should watch your mouth, you little devil. With the Darkling away, I'm the one who decides your punishment. Seeing as you lied to spare those boys the General's wrath - don't look like that, I'm a Heartrender, I can tell - I was going to be lenient, even if you did slip away from your guards. Though if you want to scrub the toilets in the guards barracks every day for a month, by all means, continue with your threats,"

Alina pulled a face. "I won't do that even if you tell me to. You can't make me," No one here could lay a hand on her without making an enemy of the Darkling, and angry words were easy to block out.

"Unfortunately I can't," Fedyor admitted. "You're not meant to realise that, though. I'm meant to scare you to death," He grinned even as she staggered, vision blurring as her heart rate slowed again.

"Funny," She glared at him. "You're not scary at all, just annoying,"

"The Darkling has desensitised you to anyone less scary than he is," The Heartrender pretended to look dismayed.

"I'm not scared of him," She said, then amended that. "Well, not much. It's just that he's the only one who could get away with doing anything he wanted to me. And he's good at... at getting in my head,"

Fedyor's smile faded at that. "I'm glad you see that already," His voice became quiet, barely more than a murmur. "He's good at getting in everyone's heads. And you are only a child - don't pull that face, you are. You know you can talk to me, if it gets... too much. I will listen, at the very least, and not repeat what you say to anyone, even if I can do little else. He has your best interests at heart, Alina, but don't fall for any mind games,"

Why did he sound so worried?

"As if," She scoffed, which put the grin back on his face.

"You know, you're entertaining enough that I don't even mind being put on babysitting duty,"

"Don't call it that!"

*

Unlike with Zoya, the fight between Alina and Yuri Vasiliev only seemed to spark hatred between them. The events in the courtyard had not reflected well on Yuri at all. Everyone thought he'd had to cheat to beat a small girl two years younger than him in a fight, not to mention the fact that they had seen Alina willingly land herself in trouble so that he would avoid punishment. Her own popularity had shot up, whilst he and his friends faced jokes and teasing.

This only led to them being even more awful to each other, despite all the adults watching them like a hawk for any sign of trouble, on Fedyor's orders. Muttered insults, threats, tripping each other up in the hall, tiny stinging balls of fire and light shot at each other, him getting her in trouble at every opportunity. They were both as bad as each other, doing everything they could to make the other's life miserable.

Alina quite enjoyed it. Her blood boiled whenever Yuri did anything against her, but it was worth it for the times she angered him. This was why when Yuri and one of his friends came after her again, a couple of months later, she merely laughed. Zoya was with her, and together they beat the boys soundly before Alina's oprichniki guards - who had not let her out of their sight since that first fight, unfortunately - could step in.

"See!" Alina heckled as she was torn away from the boy by Grigori, a strong oprichnik (they had learned not to let Okati, the amplifier, touch her when she was angry). "I can beat you too, if I bring a friend! You needed four, you dirty coward,"

Yuri, being dragged in the opposite direction by Boris, spat blood on the floor. "At least I don't hide shivering behind the Darkling's kefta,"

Alina laughed. "Do you see him here? I won, fair and square,"

Once again, she insisted to her guards that she had been the one to start the fight. They were doubtful, but as they had been just turning around the corner when it started they were unable to say for sure.

When the Darkling returned from the front four months after he had left, shortly after Alina turned ten years old, he dismounted his great black horse and his eyes immediately found her own.

"Alina. You look well. Life at the Little Palace suits you," He smiled briefly, then his expression turned stern, as he pulled off his gloves. A large hand reached out to touch her bruised jaw. "Though I hear you have been getting into fights in my absence,"

His touch was accompanied by familiar feelings of warmth and surety. Amplifier. She'd forgotten what it felt like.

"I'd get into fights if you were here or not," She wanted to pull away from his grasp but for whatever reason did not, simply looked up at him with a scowl; she was still angry with him from what she had overheard before he left, angry at him for sending Genya to spy on her, yet a treacherous part of her desperately wanted his approval. She compensated for this part with rudeness, of course. "Some people deserve it,"

"Then that will be remedied," His tone was cold. The Darkling's hand moved from her jaw to her shoulder, gripping tightly as he led her inside. Many eyes watched them go. "You are not a street rat, Alina, so do not act like one,"

It was hard to bite her tongue and tell him it wasn't her fault. She would find some level of sick enjoyment in whatever punishment was dealt to Yuri, she hated him that much. But... no. That wasn't her. She didn't care about Yuri's well-being, but his comment about hiding behind the Darkling had gotten to her. If she told anyone, surely that made it true? Something she could not stand.

*

It was shortly before Alina's tenth birthday, almost a year since she had arrived at the Little Palace, that she managed to get into a bath for the first time without throwing a fit. Genya had been slowly persuading her all these months, starting off with using the tub as a wash basin, then standing in it up to her ankles, until finally she had managed to sit down. Fear had seized her at once but she had gritted her teeth and made herself sit stock still, but still gripped Genya's arm painfully tight.

"You did it!" Her friend exclaimed.

"Don't say that, I'm not five," Alina grumbled, slowly releasing her hold on the girl's wrist but not letting go entirely. "And I might be sat in the tub, but I'm not putting my head underwater,"

Genya did not take it personally. "Better than the day I met you. At least you haven't pulled out a knife. Why are you glowing?"

"Oh," She looked down at herself and realised she was indeed glowing with golden light. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's heating up the water. I think it's the cold I don't like," The water had always been cold when her father had held her under.

"That makes sense," Her friend agreed. "It's good you're not so afraid anymore. How on earth will you learn to swim otherwise?"

"Don't push it," Alina warned, shuddering at the thought, and Genya laughed.

*

I hope Alina's thought process is clear here, in that she is not being noble or self-sacrificing for the sake of it, but A) doesn't want to Darkling to be seen favouring her and punishing Yuri, isolating her from her peers (she's still angry about the conversation she overheard with Baghra), and B) she is fiercely independent and wants to fight her own battles, like she always has done. Flawed though this thought process might be, Alina is still a child, even though she acts mature for her age.

Thanks so much for all the kind comments on the previous chapters. Like I said, even a few words are much appreciated and inspire me to continue writing!