Chapter 40

                                    

                                          
Every Grisha in the tent was stood in attention, eyes glued to the nameless girl beside Amina. She helped the girl to her place front and center before going to step back. 
                          
The girl naturally reached out to Amina, seeking the only comfort she'd seen since walking inside. In response, Amina squeezed her and offered her a soft smile before making her way to stand between Nikolai and her husband. 
                          
As he stood in front of his large desk, he commanded the unnamed girl.
                          
"Closer." 
                          
She timidly stepped forward, glancing back at Mina. 
                          
"Well?"
                          
"Well what?" she snapped before realizing who she was talking to. "Sir."
                          
Amina couldn't help but snicker, hiding it with a cough she wasn't sure anyone believed. The General turned to her for a moment, his eyes gleaming with amusement that only she could see. He then glanced back at the girl.
                          
"What are you?" he asked.
                          
"Don't ask stupid questions like that. She's a human. What did you think she was, a dolphin?"  the brown-haired girl asked.
                          
Aleksander raised his hands in a surrendering motion, letting her take over the questions.
                          
"Sorry about that, Alina. I'm Amina Kirigan, can you please tell us what exactly happened during the attack?" she asked kindly.
                          
"I-I'm not sure exactly," she stammered.
                          
"One minute they were attacking us out of nowhere and the next there's this blinding light."
                          
"That's all right. We just got information from some people that you are a Sun Summoner. "
                          
"That's ridiculous. There's no way I'm a Sun Summoner."
                          
"Were you tested when you were younger?" This time it was Nikolai who asked.
                          
Alina went mute then, tilting her face towards the ground, trying to escape the questioning stares around her.
                          
"You don't remember it?"
                          
After another quiet response from Alina.
                          
"Well, let's just make certain." Amina's voice cut through the silence.
                          
She placed the ring her husband gave her on her thumb, the pointed end facing outward.
                          
"Lift up your sleeve."
                          
Aleksander let darkness slowly envelop the tent. This set Alina on edge as she glanced at Amina. The Corporalnik smiled gently, nodding her head in encouragement. 
                          
"Your sleeve, please."
                          
Alina offered her arm after lifting her sleeve. Alina immediately felt calm at Amina's touch, as she let the end of her ring dig into the other girl's skin and ran it down her arm, watching her wound open up.
                          
A nearly blinding ray of light suddenly seared out of Alina's arm, encasing the tent in brightness. 
                          
Everyone wordlessly watched on, eyes glued to the sight. The Sun Summoner's jaw hung open, eyes wide as she just witnessed just a glimpse into the power that she had held her whole life yet just found.
                          
The light reached every crevice and corner of the tent almost burning through the tent's fabric just as Amina pulled the ring back.
                          
When the Heartrender pulled the ring away, the light disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. And the first sound to break the silence in the tent was Nikolai and Amina muttering simultaneously, 
                          
"Holy shit."