Chapter 36

                                    

                                          
The Firebird. Our last amplifier. The one that could most possibly make Alina powerful enough to destroy The Darkling... the fold.
Every day was a guessing game, especially running around like chickens with their heads cut off not knowing where The Darkling would strike next. 
Alina had come to me and told me she had tried her best to have Baghra tell her more about Morozova but she wouldn't budge. That old grump.
"Oi, Safin!" I turned to see Tamar running to catch up with me. She thankfully snapped me out of my thoughts. 
I was walking by myself around the palace. I could walk freely now that Vasily was no longer in the Palace.
"Hello." I greeted her, now walking side by side.
"I wanted to talk to you." She smirked.
"About?" 
"You're not very good at hiding your emotions you know." What was she going on about? My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Tamar laughed, "Hey, don't get bothered with me, be lucky you're not stuck listening to Tolya's poems."
"Is that why you're here? You escaped the dreadful poems?"
"Yes and no. But forget what I said, I change my mind about what I want to speak to you about." She smiled. 
"What?- Ok?"
"I wanted to catch you up since you weren't in the meeting yesterday." We had a meeting?? Why wasn't I invited? "The Apparat, he's been spotted.." 
"The Apparat? I haven't heard about him in a long time." I said almost straining my voice from talking so high-pitched.
"Well... he is creating a cult of the Sun Saint and his beliefs in the Darkling."
"Where is he? We have to stop him."
"He was seen in Kerskii and Ryevost."
"Is he still there?"
"No. He appears places but before the King's soldiers can close in he disappears."
"Like in thin air?"
"Wouldn't be surprised if so."
"We have to kill him." I sighed. He's trying to gain more followers. "We have to do it soon Tamar he's growing more and more powerful as we speak."
"The apparat or the Darkling."
"Well I was talking about the Darkling, but both."
"Tamar, Amelia. Nikolai needs us, Grisha Council." Tolya told Tamar and me, running towards us.
After the other night I tried nothing but to avoid Nik. But it was impossible to do in a palace that basically belonged to him.

When I entered the room for council, Alina stood tall at the front of a table where maps were laid out. Next to her was of course the one and only, Nikolai Lantsov.
Sergei sat looking quite angry. And on the other side of Sergei a fabrikator, A suli girl named Paja.
David sat further down the table, the durast that could work on anything, glass, wood, metal, steel.
And next to that bunch sat my favorite Fedyor. When I saw him I ignored everyone else and took a seat next to him and Zoya.
"Amelia!" Fedyor smiled fondly. 
"Hey," I smiled. We said no other words because at that moment the meeting had started. The meeting began discussing the posts with soldiers around Ravka.