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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

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Inessa was surprised when she wasn't assigned to escort Alina around the Little Palace for the day. She was even more surprised to discover she was spending time alone with the Darkling. For some reason that she couldn't quite understand, the Smirnoff girl felt uneasy about the idea. She couldn't understand why she didn't like the Grisha General alone with the Sun Summoner. But what she did know was that there was nothing she could do about it.

So instead of being with Alina that day, Inessa was left to do an extra training session with Fedyor and Ivan. And they didn't take it easy on her. They were working on her close combat skills, meaning it was her against her against both of them. Lucky for her, they weren't allowed to use their Grisha abilities. The Smirnoff girl was surprised at how well she was doing against them. She'd only been knocked down twice and was able to get back up quickly. That was something that had never happened before. But she didn't let that get to her head as she continued to block their attacks.

"Keep your arms up. You need to keep her upper body protected," Fedyor told her while sending a punch at Inessa's chest, an attack she quickly blocked with her arm.

The Smirnoff girl quickly adjusted her stance before throwing a punch at him. To her dismay, the Kaminsky man easily dodged her attack. Because she was so focused on Fedyor, Inessa failed to notice Ivan approaching her from behind until it was too late. The Bozic man swung his leg through the air, knocking the Smirnoff girl's feet out from under her. That caused her to hard fall onto her back and a groan to escape her. Her eyes soon reopened to find Fedyor and Ivan standing over her. One had a large smirk on his face while the other was staring at her with disappointment in his eyes. Neither expression surprised Inessa in the slightest.

"You need to be aware of your surroundings, Inessa," Fedyor explained while helping the young girl to her feet.

"You don't say," the Smirnoff girl responded without even attempting to hide the annoyance in her voice, "how am I supposed to guard the front of my body and watch my back at the same time?"

"It's not that hard," the Bozic man scoffed, slightly irritated by Inessa's words, "and you better learn fast. Your enemy won't go easy on you like we do."

"First of all, when do either of you ever go easy on me?" the youngest Heartrender questioned, earning nothing but silence from Ivan and Fedyor before she continued speaking, "and secondly, after five years of being locked up and constantly watched, it's pretty clear I'll never be out in the world alone."

Inessa wasn't surprised to see the shocked looks on Fedyor's and Ivan's faces. She even surprised herself. She had had those thoughts for years but never voiced them out loud. The Smirnoff girl just stared at the two men in front of her for another moment before looking away. She was a bit embarrassed by her outburst, even though it was how she truly felt. An uncomfortable silence soon settled around them, one that Inessa was hoping would soon be broken. But to her dismay, it lasted for a lot longer than she had hoped.

What felt like an eternity passed before the silence was finally broken. Unfortunately for Inessa, it was Ivan who began speaking. "The General has high expectations. He has you train privately with us to ensure you learn what you need to. And he keeps you under supervision to ensure your safety. After all, you're the King's niece. People would use that against you if they found out. Do not question his motives."

The Smirnoff girl hesitated for a moment while taking in his words. She knew he was right, especially since she'd heard that same speech so many times. But there was a small part of her that always felt something was off. Instead of voicing her second thoughts, Inessa pushed them away like she always did. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she looked up at Fedyor and Ivan. "I know that. The pressure just gets to be a lot sometimes."

"We understand, Inessa," Fedyor said in his usual calm voice, but this time it did nothing to ease the Smirnoff girl's nerves. Instead, it only seemed to irritate her more. "But know that the General is always thinking about your safety."

Again, Inessa hesitated. She wanted to question them more. Ask how and why keeping her locked away was protecting her when no one knew she was related to the King. She wanted the answers she never received. But again, the Smirnoff girl didn't have it in her to ask, knowing questioning the Darkling wouldn't lead anywhere good. "I know. And I am grateful for the General's protection."

Before their conversation could continue, an oprichniki approached them. The three Heartrenders just watched as he walked toward them before stopping right outside the circle they were in. "I apologize for interrupting your training. Baghra requests to see Ms. Smirnoff right away."

That was all it took for Inessa's blood to run ice cold.

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Inessa's heart was beating a mile a minute as she walked down the path that led to Baghra's hut. She had no idea why the Grisha teacher wanted to see her, but being unexpectedly summoned by Baghra was always nerve-wracking. The Smirnoff girl stood outside the door for a moment while trying to gather her bearings. What she didn't expect was to hear Baghra call out for her to enter. She never knew how the woman knew when people were there, but she also never questioned it. After letting out a long sigh, Inessa pushed the door open and walked inside.

The first thing she saw when she walked into the hut was Baghra and Alina sitting in chairs across from each other. Both of them seemed to ignore Inessa's presence as the Starkov girl did her best to summon the light. Amazement coursed through the Heartrender's veins as she watched a small ball of light appear in Alina's hands. But she seemed to be the only one impressed by the Sun Summoner's actions.

"I think I need an amplifier. Something to boost my strength," Alina said without taking her eyes off the ball of light in her hands.

"You can't light a doorway on your own. What would you amplify?" Baghra retaliated with a hint of boredom in her voice. Her words caused an annoyed look to appear on the Starkov girl's face as she extinguished her light.

"When Kirigan touched me-"

"General Kirigan can't be your crutch forever," the Grisha teacher declared before sitting up straighter in her seat, "and the use of amplifiers is barbaric, lazy practice-"

"You could at least try to be encouraging."

"I'm not your mother. But I guess you'll always be looking for one of those."

Shock coursed through Inessa's veins after hearing Baghra's words. But she was even more surprised by Alina's actions. The Sun Summoner immediately jumped to her feet and glared at the woman in front of her. The Smirnoff girl watched as her hands balled into fists at her sides, making Inessa ready to jump in at any given moment. But instead of acting on her emotions, Alina brought her hands up in front of her and summoned the light. The sphere she created glowed brighter than ever before, causing a smile to appear on Baghra's face.

"There she is. Welcome," the gray-haired woman said while Alina continued to glare at her, "that tea should be taking effect."

The next thing Inessa knew, the light faded from Alina's hands. All emotion faded from the Sun Summoner's face as she blankly stared at the world in front of her. If the Smirnoff girl was new to this world, she would be shocked and concerned about Alina's demeanor. But Inessa had heard about Baghra doing this more times than she could count. The Heartreader was happy to say that she had never experienced it herself, but she never knew why that was.

"Where are you, child?" Baghra asked, drawing Inessa out of her thoughts and back to the situation at hand.

"I'm at the orphanage," Alina responded as she clutched the hand that had the scar she refused to let Genya heal, "it's the day the testers came."

"What happened on this day?" the Grisha teacher questioned while Inessa took a step closer to them, suddenly very interested in what was happening in front of her.

"I was tested," the Stakov girl responded in a tone just above a whisper, "I knew the testers used sudden pain to detect Grisha power. But it wouldn't show if I was already in pain. So I protected myself."

Inessa's breath got caught in her throat after hearing Alina's words, but no one seemed to notice. On the outside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The Heartrender was still standing to the side and watching everything play out in front of her. But on the inside, Inessa was a mess. She had always known that the Grisha testers used pain to find new Grisha. That was common knowledge to everyone. But it never occurred to her that being in pain prevented the test from taking place. All it would've taken was a simple papercut for her to still be with Nikolai.

The Smirnoff girl was drawn out of her thoughts when Alina walked past her and out the door. It wasn't until the door slammed shut behind her that Inessa turned her attention back to Baghra. She wasn't surprised to find the gray-haired woman already staring back at her. After all, she was the one who summoned the Heartheader here. The two of them just stared at each other until Baghra gestured for Inessa to sit down in the now vacant chair. The Smirnoff girl hesitated for a moment before walking across the room and sitting across from the Grisha teacher.

"You...you wanted to see me?" Inessa asked after trying and failing to calm her nerves.

"I did," Baghra responded while her eyes continued to study the girl sitting in front of her, "you are a very reserved person, Inessa. I only ever see you talking to Fedyor and Ivan other than General Kirigan."

Once again, the Smirnoff girl hesitated. She was unsure about where the Grisha teacher was going with this discussion. But instead of questioning her words, Inessa simply continued their conversation. "I don't feel the need to get close to anyone else. It causes distractions."

"So then why are you spending so much time with the Sun Summoner?"

Inessa's breath got caught in her throat as her blood turned to ice. She didn't know how to respond to Baghra, so she remained silent. The Smirnoff girl knew that even if she tried to lie to the Grisha teacher, she would see right through her words. Unknown to the young Heartrender, her silence was enough to tell Baghra everything.

"You must've made a good impression on Alina for the General to assign you as her guard," the gray-haired woman said, causing a wave of confusion to wash over Inessa. But before she had a chance to respond, she noticed Baghra writing something down on a piece of paper. "It must be nice to finally have a higher role in the Little Palace."

"It is a great honor," the Smirnoff girl responded in the calmest tone she could muster, "I'm happy for the opportunity to prove myself to General Kirigan."

Baghra looked up at her with an unconvinced look in her eyes. Lucky for her, she knew it was because the Grisha teacher was aware of her true feelings. It wasn't long after that when Baghra took her hand and gave it a tight squeeze, transferring the paper into Inessa's hand. The gray-haired woman kept eye contact with the Heartrender as she opened her mouth to speak. "I know you will be successful."

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Night had fallen and Inessa found herself back in her room. She was relieved that she didn't have to report Alina's day to the Darkling. It lifted a weight off her shoulders that she didn't know she carried. But now there was a new weight she carried, one she didn't quite understand. And it all had to do with the folded paper in her kefta pocket. She just stared at her kefta as it hung on the back of her bathroom door. Inessa was both nervous and curious about what she would find written on the paper. She didn't know how long she'd been staring at her kefta, but she did know that her fireplace was slowly going out. Inessa sat on her bed for another moment before letting out a long sigh and getting to her feet.

A million thoughts swam through her head as she approached her kefta and reached into her pocket. Her fingers soon made contact with the paper, causing chills to run throughout her entire body. The Smirnoff girl hesitated for a moment before slowly pulling out the paper. The silence around her was suddenly noticeable as she walked across her room and sat in the chair in front of the fireplace. Her hands shook as she carefully unfolded the paper and read the note. And for the third time that day, her blood ran ice cold. She read over the words a few times before crumpling up the note and throwing it into the fire. As she watched the paper burn, all she could think about were the words written on it.

Protect Alina. Don't trust the General.

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