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Alina looked at the portrait, then back to Baghra, slightly concerned for the old lady. The portrait didn’t truly look like Aleksander, it looked like a painting of an ancestor like the Blakc Heretic was supposed to be. Maybe Baghra was just confused. She was an old lady afterall and spent much of her time in unbearable heat. That’s it, she's confused.
“This looks nothing like him really, more like an ancestor. Why would this prove anything to me?”Alina questioned.
“Are you blind child? That IS Aleksander!”Baghra exclaimed.
“No, it looks like an ancestor which the Black Heretic is. Do you have any actual proof of Aleksander being him?”
“I’m his mother.”
With that said she summoned shadows around her. Alina just stared, trying to comprehend everything being said.
“If you’re his mother, why are you betraying him? Why would you only be telling me this all now? Why not before? What game are you playing with me?
“You need to leave now! He is going to use you, he’ll make you a slave.”
Baghra tried to grab Alina’s wrist but she moved too slowly as Alina ran past her back the way she came. She had had enough of the old crazy lady. She would talk to Aleksander, he would tell her the truth, right? She got back to the war room just as Aleksander was coming back in.
“Alina, what’s wrong? How did you know about that passage?”he asked.
“Baghra came through it, dragged me off and made some wild claims!”
“Like what?”
“That you’re really the Black Heretic and want to make me a slave...oh and that she’s your mother. Which the last one I can believe, she showed me she’s a shadow summoner too.”
“She is my mother, I didn’t want it to be common knowledge in case someone would use her against me. As for the rest...do I look centuries old to you?”
“No, and she tried to show me a portrait that looked somewhat like you but clearly wasn’t.”
“My mother is old, she hasn’t used her summoning in a long time and that can affect a Grisha’s health. I’m sorry if she scared you.”
Alina nodded before she remembered he hadn’t answered the other claim.
“What about the enslaving me part?”
“She thinks I want to use your powers for my own gain. There’s a theory that with Morozova’s stag, that it can connect two Grisha in a way that they can access each other’s powers. It’s only a theory though. I was going to talk to you about when we found the stag.”
“Do you think it’s possible? If we were connected could I summon shadows?”
“In theory yes, though it would be easier for me to access your powers only because I’ve used mine for so long, when you have trained longer it would be easier for you.”
“Would you be able to access them without my permission?”
“Yes, that would be the theory.”
Alina took it all in, trying to process everything she’d been told. It all seemed too much.
“Alina, the stag was found. A tracker found the herd, a tracker who says he knows you. I believe he said his name is Mal.”
“Mal, he’s here?”
“So you do know him. He said as much.”
“Where is he? I need to see him.”
“He’s in a guest room right now but first there is something else. Marie was killed earlier, that’s why I got called away. Someone one tried to assassinate you.”
“No….that can’t be true...she ...she can’t be dead.”
Alina felt herself start to fall down as she felt faint. Aleksander caught her and brought her to a chair. He set her down gently and grabbed her a cup of water to drink. She took it with a shaky hand and gulped it down quickly.
“Who?”
“A man called the Conductor who has been smuggling Grisha out of the palace for some time now. He was hired by Zhaltan.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead. I killed him after getting the information from him.”
Alina nodded at that, she was still in a bit of shock but the thought of this man no longer being able to hurt anyone pleased her. The thought shocked her as well, she never thought she’d be happy at someone’s death but he did have it coming, right? Was this what is was like to be Grisha? Having someone kill you just for who you are?
“We have to stop all this, Zhaltan and whoever would just kill us for existing.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do, Alina. It’s not easy though with all the centuries of prejudice against us. The only reason I was even able to build this palace was because I made the Grisha useful to the Tsar but he can take that all away if he wants.”
“So what do we do?”
“Overthrowing him is one thought, it could work with you being a living saint or we show what power we have, end the wars our way and get the people on our side. If we could instead use the Fold as a weapon against our enemies, and use it as leverage to start peace negotiations, we could gain the commoners support. They would love not having to see their friends and family die.”
“A weapon? How would that even be possible? We’d have to control it somehow. Are you able to control it?”
“If I’m inside the fold then I could expand and reshape it how I want. The problem is that the Volcra are drawn to me which is where you come in. You could keep them away, keep us safe and I would move the Fold. If the other countries see the risk of it being expanded into their lands, they might surrender.”
“That’s why you want me to have the amplifier, so I could more easily shield us and you’d be able to control it if I couldn’t.”
“I’d prefer if you could do it without my interference but it would be a failsafe.”
“You always meant to tell me though before putting it on me?”
“Yes, or if you refused I would have forced it on you and controlled your powers. I’m sorry, Alina, but I have to do what I need to to help our people and the rest of Ravka even if it means doing something despicable like that.”
“I would have hated you for it but maybe in time I would have understood.”
“There’s something else I should tell you...if you are willing to help me with the Fold.”
“It seems the only viable option at the moment so, yes I will help but now I’m worried. What else is there?”
“My mother was telling the truth about me being the Black Heretic.”
“How is that possible? You’d have to be at least 400 years old.”
“I’m a living amplifier and the most powerful Grisha. I’ve been alive for far longer than 400 years. After I accidentally created the Fold, my mother and I went back into hiding. I helped Grisha where I could and about 100 years ago, I came to the Tsar with an idea of how we Grisha could help cross the Fold and help fight the wars with the Fjerdans and Shu Han. He agreed and that’s how I was able to build the Second Army.”
“When you say the Fold was an accident, how did it really happen? What were you trying to do?”
“The Tsar had put a bounty on my head and any Grisha who followed me because he feared my power. Some of his men found me at a hut in the woods one night, me and Luda. She was a healer and my wife. I tried to talk to them but they wouldn’t listen and fired arrows at me. Luda could heal me fast as I pulled them out hoping to scare them with what seemed to be my immortal powers. I didn’t know that they knew about her or that she was there. One snuck in the hut and dragged her out. I begged for them not to hurt her but it didn’t matter. They killed her there and I killed them.
The other Grisha were at a hiding place and I knew I needed to buy them time to get away. I had Morozova’s journals and believed I could use Merzot to change the men into an army for me but I didn’t understand what I was using at the time. They changed into what are now called Volcra and the Fold ripped itself from my body, I didn’t know what was happening until after. I never meant for it to happen.”
Alina stared at him, trying to comprehend all that he told her, the fact he was centuries old, that he had been married and just the awfulness he must have endured for so long. She got up and rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and just hugged him as hard as she could. He stood stock still for a moment before loosely putting his arms around her.
“I’m so sorry about Luda and everything. I want to help however I can, I don’t want anyone else to die for nothing or for anyone else to lose someone.”
“I’m glad to hear that but it won’t be easy and you will have to make tough decisions. Things that will make you uncomfortable but war...revolution is messy and people will get hurt no matter how hard we try to keep that from happening. Zhaltan needs to be dealt with. Expanding the Fold on his town would be a clear message.”
“The whole town but they didn’t send the assassin. What if you only did the dry docks where he is sure to be?”
“That’s a possibility but there’s still a chance there would be civilians at the docks.”
“I know but it would be less than an entire town filled with children. The lesser evil, no?”
“Okay, the dry docks only. Starting to think like a leader there, Alina.”
“I have to learn fast if I’m going to help you.”
“Glad to hear, now it is getting late. Did you want to see your tracker now?”
“I think I’ll wait till morning. We have more planning to do.”
They stayed up the rest of the night discussing everything to do with the stag, the Fold, even what was to be done after to help fix Ravka and how to help stop the Grisha persecution. The future was already looking brighter with the Sun Summoner and the Shadow Summoner bending their heads over maps and reports together making a plan for the years to come.