Shadow and Bone

peeking out from his bloodied shirt, was a very pale, very
tired-looking Mal. My legs went weak and I pressed a hand to
my mouth to stifle a sob.
Mal was alive. I wanted to push through the crowd and
throw my arms around him, but it was all I could do to stay
standing as relief flooded through me. Whatever happened
here, we would be all right. We had survived the Fold, and we
would survive this madness, too.
I looked back at the dais and my elation withered. The
Darkling was looking directly at me. He was still listening to
Colonel Raevsky, his posture just as relaxed as it had been
before, but his gaze was focused, intent. He turned his
attention back to the colonel and I realized that I had been
holding my breath.
When the bedraggled group of survivors reached the base of
the dais, Colonel Raevsky ordered, “Kapitan, report.”
The captain stood at attention and answered in an
expressionless voice: “Approximately thirty minutes into the
crossing, we were set upon by a large flock of volcra. We were
pinned down and sustaining heavy casualties. I was fighting
on the starboard side of the skiff. At that point, I saw …” The
soldier hesitated, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded
less sure. “I don’t know exactly what I saw. A blaze of light.
Bright as noon, brighter. Like staring into the sun.”
The crowd erupted into murmurs. The survivors from the
skiff were nodding, and I found myself nodding along with
them. I had seen the blaze of light, too.
The soldier snapped back to attention and continued, “The
volcra scattered and the light disappeared. I ordered us back to
drydock immediately.”
“And the girl?” asked the Darkling.
With a cold stab of fear, I realized he was talking about me.
“I didn’t see the girl, moi soverenyi.”
The Darkling raised an eyebrow, turning to the other
survivors. “Who actually saw what happened?” His voice was
cool, distant, almost disinterested.