“What is that?” Tolya asked, lowering himself down to get a closer view of the book in my lap. He was so huge that it was a bit like having a bear join me for a study session.
“I’m not sure. I saw the name Ilya in the index, so I picked it up, but I can’t make sense of it. ”
“It’s a list of titles. ”
“You can read it?” I asked in surprise.
“We were raised in the church,” he said, skimming the page.
I looked at him. Lots of children were raised in religious homes, but that didn’t mean they could read liturgical Ravkan. “What does it say?”
He ran a finger down the words beneath Ilya’s name. His huge hands were covered in scars. Beneath his roughspun sleeve, I could see the edge of a tattoo peeking out.
“Not much,” he said. “Saint Ilya the Beloved, Saint Ilya the Treasured. There are a few towns listed, though, places where he’s said to have performed miracles.
I sat up straighter. “That might be a place to start. ”
“You should explore the chapel. I think there are some books in the vestry. ”
I had walked past the royal chapel plenty of times, but I’d never been inside. I’d always thought of it as the Apparat’s domain, and even with him gone, I wasn’t sure I wanted to visit. “What’s it like?”
Tolya lifted his huge shoulders. “Like any chapel. ”
“Tolya,” I asked, suddenly curious, “did you ever even consider joining the Second Army?”
He looked offended. “I wasn’t born to serve the Darkling. ” I wanted to ask what he had been born for, but he tapped the page and said, “I can translate this for you, if you like. ” He grinned. “Or maybe I’ll just make Tamar do it. ”
“All right,” I said. “Thanks. ”
He bent his head. It was just a bow, but he was still kneeling beside me, and there was something about his pose that sent a shiver up my spine.
I felt as if he were waiting for something. Tentatively, I reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. As soon as my fingers came to rest, he let out a breath. It was almost a sigh.
We stayed there for a moment, silent in the halo of lamplight. Then he rose and bowed again.
“I’ll be just outside the door,” he said, and slipped away into the dark.
* * *
MAL RETURNED FROM the hunt the next morning, and I was eager to tell him everything—what I’d learned from David, the plans for the new Hummingbird, my strange encounter with Tolya.
“He’s an odd one,” Mal agreed. “But it still couldn’t hurt to check out the chapel. ”
We decided to walk over together, and on the way, I pressed him to tell me about the hunt.
“We spent more time every day playing cards and drinking kvas than doing anything else. And some duke got so drunk he passed out in the river. He almost drowned. His servants hauled him out by his boots, but he kept wading back in, slurring something about the best way to catch trout. ”
“Was it terrible?” I asked, laughing.
“It was fine. ” He kicked a pebble down the path with his boot. “There’s a lot of curiosity about you. ”
“Why do I doubt I’m going to like any of this?”
“One of the royal trackers is sure your powers are fake. ”
“And just how would I manage that?”
“I believe there’s an elaborate system of mirrors, pulleys, and possibly hypnotism involved. I got a little lost. ”
I started to giggle.
“It wasn’t all funny, Alina. When they were in their cups, some of the nobles made it clear they think all of the Grisha should be rounded up and executed. ”
“Saints,” I breathed.
“They’re scared. ”
“That’s no excuse,” I said, feeling my anger rise. “We’re Ravkans, too. It’s like they forget everything the Second Army has done for them. ”
Mal raised his hands. “I didn’t say I agreed with them. ”
I sighed and swatted at an innocent tree branch. “I know. ”
“Anyway, I think I made a bit of progress. ”
“How did you manage that?”
“Well, they liked that you served in the First Army, and that you saved their prince’s life. ”
“After he risked his own life rescuing us?”
“I may have taken some liberties with the details. ”
“Oh, Nikolai will love that. Is there more?”
“I told them you hate herring. ”
“Why?”
“And that you love plum cake. And that Ana Kuya took a switch to you when you ruined your spring slippers jumping in puddles. ”
I winced. “Why would you tell them all that?”
“I wanted to make you human,” he said. “All they see when they look at you is the Sun Summoner. They see a threat, another powerful Grisha like the Darkling. I want them to see a daughter or a sister or a friend. I want them to see Alina. ”
I felt a lump rise in my throat. “Do you practice being wonderful?”
“Daily,” he said with a grin. Then he winked. “But I prefer ‘useful. ’”