"Let, me, go," I gritted out, I could feel my patience getting thin, the anger seeping into my power, the build up of weeks upon weeks, I couldn't control it.

He noticed the room darkening before he pulled his hand away, burned. I wouldn't be able to hold onto it for much longer.

My power like a wild animal, not meant to be restrained, ready to be cut loose.

"Rena-"

"Don't," I cut him off, running a hand through my hair, letting it loose down my back, I could feel my hands start to burn up, not uncomfortable but in recognition. I turned facing the door, "Go find your sister and the others, he's coming."

He looked around at the darkening shadows and my hands beginning to glow, then with nervous eyes left me.

The second the fall of his feet were nothing but a silent pad I threw open the doors and ran to the grand palace as fast as I could, kefta and hair a flowing river of black behind me.

I slipped through the grand doors, wide open to welcome any late comers invisible, not sticking around long enough to see the guards confused faces as to the sound of boots on marble with no one in sight.

My path to my mother was lit by the torches of argument, wafting through the halls.

“No!” I heard someone shout, turned again. “This is his own petty jealousy! He cannot stand to see me succeed. He—”

Warning bells began to ring, distant at first, down near the city walls, one and then another, joining each other in a rising chorus of alarm that echoed up the streets of Os Alta, through the upper town, and over the walls of the Grand Palace.

“You’ve handed him Ravka,” I heard the distinct voice of Nikolai say.

Chairs pushed back in what I presumed was panic.

Finally I found the right door, letting my invisibility fade I pushed them open, and just in time, the windows exploded and acting on pure instinct I pushed the light into a dome around the occupants of the room, shielding them from what was to come.

Glass rained down, people threw up their arms to shield their faces the guests screamed, huddling against each other, switching from staring at the windows then to me.

Before I could blink body's made of pure darkness swarmed into the room on wings of molten shadow, filling the air with the whirring buzz of insects.

“Get the King to safety!” Nikolai cried, unsheathing his sword and running to his mother’s side, totally unbothered by my sudden appearance.

The palace guards stood paralyzed, frozen in terror.

A shadow lifted a boy from his feet and threw him against the wall. He slid to the ground, his neck broken.

Vasily still stood at the table, the King cowering beside him.

“You did this!” he screamed at Nikolai. “You and the witch!”

He lifted his saber high and charged, bellowing with rage. But before Vasily could bring down his weapon and meet his target, a shadow creature grabbed hold of him and tore his arm from its socket, sword and all. He stood for a moment, swaying, blood pumping from his wound, then dropped to the floor in a lifeless heap.

The Queen began to shriek hysterically. She shoved forward, trying to reach her son’s body, feet slipping in his blood as Nikolai held her back.

“Don’t,” he pleaded, wrapping his arms around her. “He’s gone, Madraya. He’s gone.”

Strangely, I didn't feel an ounce of pity for the lost prince as the life faded from his eyes.

Another crowd of shadow people descended on the royal family and I saw my mother, Alina, form two blades of light, cutting the shadows in half and narrowly missing someones left ear.

It occurred to me that I hadn't moved since letting the light dome fade, and unlike everyone else, went untouched.

Carefully I walked over to my mother where both she and Nikolai were trying to corrall the king and queen out of the room, "What's up?" I asked as if it were a normal, bright Friday afternoon.

I saw Mal shoot me a look before grabbing my by my kefta and dragging me through a door with them.

The pace was slow through the grounds, granted by that of his most royal highness the king, weezing and bent double, it really left one to wonder how he got all those medals.

“I have to get them to the Kingfisher,” said Nikolai.

“Take the long way around,” Alina said. “The Darkling will be headed to the Little Palace first. He’ll be coming for me.”

Well that's a bit patronising, I briefly thought, alas she was right, but not totally, my father was coming for multiple reasons, she just happened to be one of them.

“Alina, if he captures you—”

“Go,” she said. “Save them, save Baghra. I won’t leave the Grisha.”

"And Misha," I added, "He's with her."

“I’ll get them out and come back. I promise.”

“On your word as a cutthroat and a pirate?” Alina smarted.

He touched her cheek once, briefly, long enough that I thought I was going to through up. “Privateer.”

Another explosion rocked the grounds.

“Let’s go!” shouted Mal.

"What are they?" I asked following Mal and Alina.

"Nichevo'ya," my mother answered, "Shadow soldiers that should have never existed."

I looked up to the sky seeing a rough shape of said soldier heading towards the little palace, "Great, shadow, something I can work with then."

Alina rounded and I almost ran straight into her, "Absolutely not, do you hear me? No." She more ordered than suggested.

"This isn't the time to start parenting," I mumbled under my breath.

She stood fast, "Rena I'm serious, no. Those things are merzots, abomination, their unnatural."

I stepped around her, "That may be so but don't the Shu and Fjerdan's call us abominations, time to show them the truth."

"Rena...." She warned.

I turned round to face her and put my arms up in mock surrender, "Fine I just won't use merzots, I'll figure out another way to attract them."

I heard Oretsev scoff behind her, "You want those damn things near you?"

I glared at him, "You see Oretsev unlike you I can actually fight them off."

"Enough," Alina interrupted, "Rena are you sure, I don't want you getting hurt."

"What's another kick to the shin, eh? I'll be fine, now go, I don't like standing here doing nothing."

She hesitated but had no choice but to relent and leave once I turned my back, clapping my hands together.

I searched for the unnatural shadows, my fathers shadows and called to them, sending a beam of darkness up into the slightly darker sky like a magnet, trying to attract them or at worst put them off course.

It worked.

Mabey a bit too well as I heard the skittering of bug like sounds getting closer, too close.

My magnet like shadows disappeared as a blade of light soared through it, curious.

The cut was like a scar in the night, lighting its path as it met it's target, dissolving the nichevo'ya to nothingness.

Only it wasn't my doing.

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Soooooooo, I wrote ahead instead of actuall upcoming chapters, as of writing this I released chapter 35 yesterday, but in my defence I'm just after watching Marvels Eternals and I was feeling bloody inspired. #MakkariAndDruig4Life

Help I can't get them out of my head.

~Sarah (PoshStarfish775)