All eyes turned to me and the darkling, we were still staring at each other, neither of us breaking eye contact.

For a while, no one said anything, when finally the darkling spoke, "This old couple, they were your parents? Someone close to you?" he asked.

"You- you have no right, to speak of them," I responded, my voice shaking and threatening to break at the thought of talking about my adoptive parents.

"No? So you are an orphan?" he questioned, I couldn't respond, if I did I feared I might break down, that all the emotions that I had been holding hostage inside of me might break out, like water leaking from a dam.

"Were your parents Grisha?" he pressed.

"Please, stop-" I started to say but was cut off.

"Who were your parents?" he demanded, if he could see my discomfort and my emotions clawing their way out, he didn't show.

"I don't know!!" I shouted, finally breaking and ending our unofficial starting contest. "I never knew them, I was le-"

"Left at a doorstep, in hope that you would find peace and joy, unlike they had" he finished for me standing up.

I stared at him, bewildered, "How did you-" I stopped as I looked over to the table he was standing at before I came in. On it was the few things that came with me all those years ago, my baby blanket, letter, and scarf, I noticed for the first time how bare my neck felt without it.

"Give, them, back," I said slowly, anger and hatred lingered in my voice, I didn't care that this man could strike me down with a single flick of his hand, I didn't care that the tent I was in was filled with Grisha, he had no right to look through my things, they were personal and I was pretty sure that scarf was on my neck, meaning he would have had to come and take it off or get one of his soldiers to.

"Witnesses say you summoned both shadows and light, do you know how rare that is," he told me, completely ignoring my question.

"So what if I did?" I responded bitterly.

"Stand up" he ordered, reaching out his hand for me to place mine in and help me up.

"I don't need your help to do as simple a task as standing," I remarked dodging his hand and slowly standing, I could tell he was slightly annoyed at me, but if I was still alive now that meant that they needed me for some odd reason, and that was enough, so yes, I was going to push every single of his buttons just to annoy him, or at least die trying.

"Everyone out" General Kirigin ordered, "Ivan, you stay, tell me when she lies."

"Don't trust me?" I mocked.

"I don't trust anyone except my Grisha" he answered as everyone in the tent except Ivan filled out of the tent.

Soon everyone except us three was gone, I stood where I was in the middle of the tent, the General was leaning on his desk looking at me, Ivan at his side.

It felt like an eternity that we were just there regarding each other, staring, daring the other to say something, when finally I couldn't take the silence any longer, "Why?" I asked both of them.

The darkling raised an eyebrow, "Why, what?"

"You killed nearly a whole village, just for what, being shu?"

He thought about this for a moment, then instead of answering my question he said, "Ivan, go fetch my satchel"

We stared at each other for a while, until he told me, "You are, a very curious case, you know"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it's not" I stated.

As I was about to say something else Ivan came back into the tent holding a black leather satchel, "Sir a group of Fjerdans was spotted in the forest, just outside the camp, they're getting ready to attack" he reported.

"Of course they are, I was going to wait, but let's get this over and done with shall we," he said as he took a few steps towards me and pulled something off his finger, I slowly backed away, unsure of what was happening, "Don't be scared," he said, surprisingly reassuringly, as shadows engulfed the tent.

"I'm not scared" I countered, "Just, confused"

"Lift up your sleeve"

"Wh-what's happening," I asked

"Your sleeve, please," he said again, hesitantly I pushed my dirty sleeve up from my wrist to my elbow, obviously I didn't get the message, he sighed, then grabbed my wrist and pulled it out towards him, I stumbled forward nearly landing on top of his chest, with his other hand he forced my sleeve up to my shoulder. The thing he took off his finger which I guessed was a ring had appeared on his thumb, it had a silver claw-like piece on the front that stuck out, it looked sharp, he pressed it to my skin, and cut open a small section of my arm, but instead of blood, a searing light bolted up out of my arm, it lit up the tent then burned a hole through the roof of it, then continued towards the sky, when it had burned through shadows came from my arm, in the same place, it intertwined with the light, almost as if in a dance, bolting towards the sky, the cut closed and I stumbled backward staring at the small scratch it had left on my arm.

Both the darkling and Ivan were looking at each other, as if they were having a silent conversation, "Wh-what, was that?" I asked, horrified at what I thought the answer might be, but I was wrong, it was so much worse, very much worse.

"That was confirmation" the Darkling responded.

I looked at him confused, "Confirmation of what?" I demanded, visibly distraught.

Instead of answering my question, he said something else to me, I noticed that he did this a lot, like a lot, a lot, "Do you know how one comes to have the power to manipulate shadows? To be able to summon it at will?"

"It's not exactly something I've ever taken an interest in learning, seeing as the only one's who have existed this past century has brought nothing but destruction"

He seemed slightly irritated yet amused at my answer, "Well then, let me, educate you" he started to circle me again, "You see, you need not be a Grisha to heir one, it is more of, a gift"

"Some gift" I muttered, Ivan, shot me a quick look of distaste.

"But with certain, abilities, like mine, like shadows" he continued "It is more, how do I put this, genetical, meaning-"

I cut him off, "No, no no-no-no. I refuse to believe it, you're lying, why should I believe you" I demanded, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, it couldn't be possible.

"How," I asked, barely able to stand from shock.

"How old are you, I thought at your age, you would have been thought this, well when a man and a wom-"

"14, and you know that's not what I mean, who is my mother?" I demand.

"Ah, so many questions, so little time to answer them, Ivan" he nodded at Ivan who then grabbed my arm and led me out of the tent.

We came out of the tent and all eyes turned to me, I wasn't used to being the center of attention, whispered conversations broke out as we passed. Still in shock, I tripped and stumbled as Ivan dragged me away. "Hold on- ouch, wait- ugh, could you slow down a bit-" I slipped but Ivan caught me by the scruff of my shirt.

"Your shoes are too small" he commented.

"Nice of you to notice" I replied sarcastically, "Where are you taking me, I want to go home"

"I'm taking you home" he replied vaguely.

"Something tells me that you and I have two different meanings of home" I muttered before I could argue any more he grabbed my arm again and I started stumbling and tripping after him once more.