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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

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It was a new day at the Little Palace and Inessa felt more exhausted than ever. She had been up all night waiting for the Darkling to summon her or come to her room to get information on Alina. But he never came. It wasn't until the following morning when she learned that he was in a meeting with the King to discuss the Sun Summoners training. The Smirnoff girl felt as though she dodged a bullet, not wanting to have any discussion with General Kirigan. But she also knew that the time would eventually come for a debriefing. Lucky for Inessa, she has one more day to get over her fears.

The Heartrenders nerves were on edge as she walked through the halls of the Little Palace. She was alone with her thoughts as she made her journey to her destination. Well, almost alone. Inessa knew the Darkling's oprichniki were watching her as she walked down every corridor. What made matters worse was that she also knew they reported everything to the Shadow Summoner. Meaning the Smirnoff girl had to watch what she said and what she did. She was never truly alone no matter how much she craved that feeling.

It wasn't long before Inessa reached her destination. Once again she found herself standing outside Alina's door. She was to escort her to the training area so that she may begin working with Botkin, something that the Smirnoff girl longed to do. A shaky sigh passed over her breath as she knocked on the Sun Summoner's door. Inessa stood in the hallway for what felt like an eternity before the door finally opened. Alina just stared at the girl in front of her, making it seem as though she was expecting someone else. That lasted for another moment before a small smile appeared on her lips and she walked out of the room.

The two of them made their way through the halls in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. Inessa knew that the best thing they could talk about would be Alina's training. A small conversation about what to expect could calm her nerves in an instant. But the Smirnoff girl wasn't the person for that job. She had never trained with Botkin after all, only with Fedyor, Ivan, and the Darkling. Inessa didn't even know how the other Grisha trained. And yet she was assigned to escort the Sun Summoner to her first session. To anyone else, it wouldn't make sense. But the Heartrender knew the Grisha General wanted her by Alina at all times. He needed her to learn everything there was to know about the Starkov girl. And no matter how much it bothered Inessa to spy for the Darkling, she wouldn't fail him.

The Heartrender was vaguely aware of the pair of oprichniki trailing behind him. She was so used to their presence that they became almost nonexistent to her. But she was still careful with everything she did. On the other hand, Alina wasn't used to having guards following her around the Little Palace. She would glance back at them every now and then, making it very clear to everyone that she was uncomfortable. But just like Inessa, she kept her mouth closed. It was almost as if she knew they were the Darkling's ears. If only she knew the Smirnoff girl was too. Then maybe Inessa could get out of her assignment.

It wasn't long before they found themselves walking down one of the many staircases in the Little Palace. They had just reached the bottom floor when Alina headed toward the doors, only for another pair of oprichniki to block her path. Before the Sun Summoner had a chance to speak, Inessa grabbed her arm and dragged her in the direction they should be heading.

"Why are the guards keeping me inside?" the Starkov girl asked, now not caring who or what heard their conversation.

"Because you're supposed to be somewhere else right now," Inessa whispered just loud enough for only Alina to hear.

The Starkov girl just sent her a confused look and was about to ask her about her hushed voice. However, their conversation was soon interrupted by two Etherealki walking toward them with large smiles on their faces. They didn't hesitate to grab Alina's arms and walk with her, leaving Inessa trailing behind them.

"We weren't properly introduced earlier," the brunette girl said as the smile on her face grew, "I'm Marie, this is Nadia."

"Are you really a mapmaker?" Nadia questioned with curiosity in her eyes.

"Were you really attacked by Fjerdans?" Marie asked before Alina had a chance to answer the previous question, "how many Fjerdans did you kill?"

"Kill? I barely got a swing off at one," the Starkov girl told them without bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Sounds like our timing is perfect," the raven-haired girl declared after letting out a small laugh, "welcome to the first part of your new daily schedule. Combat training."

Alina couldn't help but glance back at Inessa with confusion in her eyes, as if questioning if what they said was true. A small smile soon appeared on the Heartrender's lips before nodding at the Sun Summoner. It wasn't long after that when they walked out a large wooden door and arrived at the training area.

The Smirnoff girl couldn't help the shock she felt at the sight of so many Grisha training together. She knew it happened from her conversations with Fedyor, but it was a whole new experience seeing it firsthand. Some Grisha were practicing their combat skills while others were working together on their stances. The unity of it all brought the smile back to Inessa's face. But that joyful feeling didn't last long as her grin slowly faded. Because at the end of the day, the Heartrender knew she would never be able to experience training with other Grisha.

"Sun Summoner," a deep voice called out, drawing the girls' attention to Botkin, who was standing in the center of a dirt patch. While Alina hesitated for a moment, Marie and Nadia walked toward him, taking the Starkov girl with them. A small sigh passed over Inessa's lips as she followed them before stopping right outside the circle. The Grisha trainer just studied the Sun Summoner for another moment before speaking once again. "All of Ravka's foes want to kill you before you can destroy the Fold. It's a great honor to have so many enemies."

"A very warm greeting," Alina muttered under her breath just loud enough for the three girls around her to hear.

The grin on Nadia's face slightly grew as she looked over at the Starkov girl. "He's always like this."

"You must learn to defend yourself fast," the Grisha trainer continued after taking another moment to study the Sun Summoner, "do you know how to fight?"

Alina hesitated for a moment before a small smile appeared on her lips. "I've had some training."

"Show me," Botkin ordered while gesturing around at the many Grisha surrounding them, "pick an opponent."

The Sun Summoner's eyes scanned those surrounding her before landing on Inessa. She didn't know why Alina was even considering choosing her, unless she wanted to face someone familiar. But her idea was soon put to an end when the Grisha trainer said two simple words. "Not Inessa."

The two girls just stared at each other until Alina began looking for another opponent. It wasn't long before her attention landed on a group of three girls standing across the clearing. If Inessa were being honest, that group would be at the bottom of her list of people she wanted to face. They didn't look the least bit friendly and all seemed to be sizing up the Sun Summoner. The next thing anyone knew, Alina pointed at the girl standing in the center of the group.

"Zoya Nazyalensky," Botkin said with a hint of pride in his voice as the girl in question stepped forward, "I've been training her since she was ten."

Zoya continued to walk toward Alina until she was standing right in front of her. The only thing standing between them was the Grisha trainer, but even the Smirnoff girl knew that wouldn't be for much longer.

"Care to back down?" the Nazyalensky girl asked with a look in her eyes that Inessa couldn't decipher.

"Not familiar with the concept," Alina responded without an ounce of hesitation in her voice.

"Fighters ready?" the Grisha trainer asked while taking a step back. It only took a second for the two girls to get into their fighting positions. That was all it took for Botkin to shout the starting word. "Fight!"

Inessa couldn't help but hold her breath as she watched Alina approach Zoya. Determination was plastered all over her face as she swung her fist at the Squaller. But the Nazyalensky girl dodged her attack with ease. Not even a second after that passed when she used her foot to trip the Sun Summoner and send her to the ground. A smug smirk appeared on Zoya's lips as she stared down at Alina. That lasted for another moment before she turned and walked away from the Starkov girl.

Alina looked around at the Grisha watching their fight. Well, more specifically watching her. That was all it took for her to jump to her feet and call out to Zoya. "We go again."

Inessa let out a long sigh, knowing that this wasn't going to end well. Botkin glanced over at Alina with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes before nodding. The Squaller turned back around to face the Sun Summoner. It wasn't long after that when the Grisha trainer raised his hand in the air. "Fight!"

Once again, Alina walked toward Zoya with determination in her eyes. Inessa was surprised that she was impressed by the Starkov girl's willingness to prove herself, even if it was a bit foolish. But what she wasn't surprised by was the Nazyalensky girl easily defeating Alina again. Now the Sun Summoner was back on the ground with a very confident Zoya standing over her. The Smirnoff girl watched as the Squaller whispered something inaudible to Alina, which caused anger to form on the latter's face. The smirk on Zoya's face did nothing but grow as she released her grip on Alina and walked away.

No matter how much she wanted to stop the Starkov girl before she did something reckless, there was nothing Inessa could do to prevent what happened next. The furious Sun Summoner soon jumped to her feet and stormed toward Zoya. The Squaller barely turned around when Alina swung her fist through the air, landing a hit to the Nazyalensky girl's cheek. The force was enough to send Zoya stumbling back a few feet. She stood with her back to the Starkov girl for a moment before making her next move. It happened so quickly that Inessa had barely enough time to comprehend what was happening. Zoya spun around as fast as she could before sending a gust of wind at Alina, sending her flying through the air and into a large pile of hay.

Panic coursed through Inessa's veins as she raced toward the Starkov girl. She was the first one to reach the Sun Summoner, followed by Marie and Nadia. The Smirnoff girl kneeled beside Alina and called out her name multiple times, only for the latter's eyes to remain shut. Just as she was about to call out for a Healer, Alina's eyes snapped open. A relieved sigh passed over Inessa's lips as she helped the Starkov girl to her feet. But that was soon mixed with a hint of guilt. She wished that the reason she felt relieved was because Alina was okay and not out of fear of the Darkling. But sadly that wasn't the case.

"Are you okay?" Inessa asked while helping Alina to her feet before picking some hay out of her hair, "I can't believe she pulled that move against you. The Darkling won't be happy when he finds out about this."

"You don't need to tell him," the Starkov girl responded while keeping her eyes glued to Zoya, who was getting a lecture from Botkin.

The Smirnoff girl hesitated for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "A lot of people saw what happened, Alina. He's gonna find out one way or another. Now let's go find a healer to get you checked out."

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Once Alina was checked by a healer and taken back to her room, Inessa made her way back to her own room. She didn't have anything to do until her training session later that night. She was looking forward to having a moment to herself, even though she knew it wouldn't be for long. Fedyor tended to come to her room early so they could talk about their days. The Kaminsky man always had more to say than she did, but that was expected. He had far more freedom than Inessa ever did. But the private conversations with her best friend always made up for it. Because hearing about someone else's freedom was almost like living a life of her own.

It wasn't long before Inessa finally arrived at her room, which was located on the other side of the Little Palace. She didn't hesitate to push open the door and walk inside. A small sigh passed over her lips after she closed the door before moving to take another step into her room. However, the Smirnoff girl didn't make it much farther when she noticed someone sitting on her sofa. Their sudden presence caused her to jump before she realized who it was. The Darkling just stared at her with no emotion in his eyes, as if taking in every inch of the girl in front of him. What felt like an eternity passed before he gestured to the chair across from him. Inessa hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to walk across the room and sit down with the Grisha general.

The Darkling continued to stare at her, which made Inessa fight the urge to squirm in her seat. An unknown amount of time ticked by before he finally broke the silence surrounding them. "What have you learned about her?"

"I haven't learned very much yet. Alina's somewhat of a quiet person. I don't think the new environment is helping that," the Smirnoff girl told him, only to receive a blank look from the powerful man across from her. After letting out a silent sigh, Inessa continued speaking. "She misses her home and longs for someone she left behind. She has this scar on her hand that she didn't let Genya heal. She's sentimental about it. I think it has something to do with whoever she's thinking about."

"She will soon learn that the Little Palace is her new home," General Kirigan responded before a ghost of a smile passed over his lips, "much like you had to after we brought you here. But now you know that this is the best place for you to be."

Inessa hesitated for a moment after hearing the Darkling's words. She knew he was right in some context. She enjoyed being around Fedyor and Ivan far more than her uncle, aunt, and Vasily. But nothing would replace the joy she felt when she was around Nikolai. And she knew that the Darkling knew that. So instead of letting his words get under her skin, the Smirnoff girl forced a smile onto her face. "The Little Palace is the only home a Grisha needs."

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After two hours of training with Fedyor and Ivan, Inessa found herself sitting beside the former in the dining room. She used her fork to push around the food on her plate as she replayed her conversation with the Darkling in her head. It was enough to make her lose her appetite, but she also knew she needed to eat. So despite the want to push her plate away, Inessa forced herself to eat the bland food on her plate. The only one who seemed to notice her usual change in mood was Fedyor, which wasn't shocking. He watched the girl sitting beside him with a hint of worry in his eyes. Inessa hadn't acted like she was in a very long time and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her head. But instead of questioning her in front of everyone, the Kaminsky man made a mental note to ask her later.

What was surprising was that Ivan paid no attention to Inessa. He was usually the one to call her out on her lack of eating or even her mistakes in training. But he seemed very off that day. Inessa was very confused by it at first, but she soon discovered why he was acting strange. The Bozic man's attention was glued to Alina, who was eating a celebratory meal at the table across from them. She even had a taster to make sure her food was safe to eat. Inessa knew that Ivan thought it was a little overboard. He always thought that all Grisha should earn respect from experience, and Alina barely had any.

It wasn't long after that when another Heartrender delivered a scroll to Ivan. Curiosity flowed through Inessa's veins as she watched him unroll the parchment and read the information inside. She didn't think it was possible for him to look more annoyed than before, but she was wrong. After reading over the letter one last time, the Bozic man got to his feet.

"News from the Fjerdan front," the favored Heartrender announced, causing everyone's attention to fall on him, "in the First Army, many casualties in the 18th, 27th, and 36th battalions. Also among the dead, six Healers, four Inferno, and three Heartrenders."

As soon as he finished reading over the casualty numbers, Ivan's eyes snapped up to meet Alina's gaze. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before the Heartrender spoke once again. "The Fjerdans will be no match against a unified Ravka. Why are you here eating figs? You should be training every waking moment to tear down the Fold."

Shock coursed through the Smirnoff girl's veins as she stared at Ivan. She wasn't surprised by his words, but she still wasn't expecting it. When she looked over at Alina, Inessa found her looking down at her intertwined fingers with an emotion she knew very well. Guilt.

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