I looked around and noticed for the first time that there was a considerable more amount of Grisha gathered than before we left for our walk, not much, but just enough that it was noticable.

"Is it just me," I whispered, "or is there-"

"More people here than last time." Koldan finished, "Nope, not just you."

We slipped into the arguing crowd of Grisha and caught bits and pieces of conversations and arguments just like, "I don't care if she has the kings blessing she's not qualified-" or, "Did she really fight the Darkling on the ture sea?" and even, "Mabey we should give her a chance."

Naturally some people stopped talking and stared at us as we tried to slip past and I apologised for bumping into them, but mostly we slipped in between people unnoticed.

Zina gave a little tug on my sleeve, I looked back and she motioned for me to follow her, shd led me to Koldan and Luka who were talking with...

"Rena, I heard you were back," Fredyor smiled, but the smile was a sad smile, the smile of someone who had lost so much already.

I gave a small smile back. "What happened to the roof?" Luka asked him, glancing at the cracked ceiling.

He looked up, "Ah the roof, well, how do I put this-"

"Starkov lost her temper and cut it open," Zoya offered from behind him. She came over to us, "Don't you four have classes tomorrow?" She questioned, we all had a sudden interest in our shoes, "Get to bed, you know the curfew for underage Grisha."

We parted ways and headed for our rooms, the sky darkening as we did.

I was about to undress for the night when I heard a small knock at my door, I walked over to the door in my white shirt and black trousers, not bothered to put on my kefta that was laid over the chair by my desk.

I opened the door to a small, nervous looking serf boy, he could be no older than eight by the looks of it, that or he was just very small, "Yes?" I asked him in a light voice that I hoped wouldn't rattle him.

"Baghra wants to see you," he said in a small voice, "now," he quickly added as if he had forgotten that part.

My eyebrows furrowed, I had never heard of a 'Baghra' before, "Can this wait, it's very late and if I'm caught sneaking around I might be in alot of trouble," I told him.

He simply shook his head and repeated, "Baghra wants to see you, now."

I gave a small laugh, I knew that even if I had gone to bed I would just be laying there, I could never actually sleep, "Alright, just wait here I need to get my kefta."

I quickly grabbed my kefta and shrugged it on as I closed the door behind me, "Lead the way," I offered.

He led me through the palace and outside, walking towards the lake, "What's your name?" I asked him.

"Misha, miss," he responded.

"Please, call me Rena," I was never comfortable with people calling me miss, it just seemed so.... formal.

"This way, miss Rena," he said leading me down the old abandoned path, I rolled my eyes but there was no point correcting him.

"Are you sure this is where we're meant to be going?" I asked him as I avoided a thorny branch, he simply nodded and carried on.

When we stopped I looked up to see we were standing outside the old hut that always had smoke coming out of it, "Everything all right?" I questioned.

"Yes yes," he responded, "I was waiting for you to catch up, she doesn't like to let the heat out."

"Alright," I nodded, slightly embarrassed, we approached the hut. It was covered in ivy and vines, all overgrown and an almost bright, healthy green colour.

He opened the door for me and I stepped in, placing a hand on the wall to steady myself from the wave of heat that hit me, "Just down the steps and to the left, miss Rena, by the fire."

I could see a hunched figure by the fire he was talking about, "Are you not coming in?" I asked, slightly sceptical.

He shook his head then winced as the hunched figure shouted out to us, "Close the door boy, you're letting the heat out," he gave me a small smile then closed the door. I stood there for a while facing the door, unsure of what to do. "So you're the girl who claims to be the daughter of the Darkling, huh? Come closer."

"I don't 'claim' to be," I answered walking closer, "I was actually quite against the idea that it was true, at first, and- Saints it's warm in here," I breathed, the air felt like it was ablaze, fire creeping up my arms and burning my skin, "Do you mind if I take my kefta off? It's just so hot."

She grunted in response and I took that as a yes, I took off my kefta and carefully placed it on the back of an old rickety chair she had motioned for me to sit on.

"Who are you?" I asked after a brief uncomfortable silence. She looked up and it all came back to me, I had seen this woman before, twice actually, but before I was blinded by own arrogance to see it.

"What are you doing here child? You and your mother, the two of you can never stay away from this place," she said.

Her eyes, they were- I shook off my shock, "I-I didn't really have a say in the matter, ma'am," I sputtered.

She scoffed, "I suppose that would have happened, but you should have fled that day," she told me while I looked at her in confusion, "With the rest of your little village, he wouldn't have found you then."

My eyes widened, "How do you know about that?" I asked, a slight waver in my voice, I hadn't told anybody that I was hiding from the Grisha that day, that I was like a scared little mouse with a big angry cat on my tail.

"Child please, who do you think your mother trusted to get you out of Ravka, away from both her and your father. She gave me those pitiful little mementos and trusted me to find you a safer place to stay. I would have gone deeper into Shu han if those people weren't trailing me, idiots, the lot of them. And now your here, back where it all started."

I stared at her in shock, "You? But- I was told- well I wasn't told anything. But why?" I asked her.

Baghra scoffed, "If the little saint left you at a Ravkans door they would have simply turned you over to the Darkling once you were tested," she explained, "She couldn't risk going to the border so I was trusted."

I let it all sink in, it didn't make much of a difference to my present life but I was still astonished. "What happened to your eyes?" I questioned, trying to change the subject, "When I met you in the forest they were- well, there."

She pulled her blanket closer around her, "When my son found out I helped the little saint escape, he was, furious to say the least," she sighed, "It could have been worse I suppose, but my faith in him is long gone."

My eyed widened in horror, who would do such a thing to one's mother? "Wh- who's your son?" I asked.

Baghra's shadowed eyes looked straight through me, "He didn't tell you did he?" She asked herself, "You have more family here than you think child. One of the reasons Alina trusted me with you is because I'm your grandmother," she explained, adding, "And not by her side."

Just vibing on wattpad in a level red storm😗✌