Shadow and Bone

“He … he said that Darklings are born without souls. That
only something truly evil could have created the Shadow
Fold.” I glanced at his cold face and added hastily, “But Ana
Kuya sent him packing and told us it was all peasant
superstition.”
The Darkling sighed. “I doubt that serf is the only one who
believes that.”
I said nothing. Not everyone thought like Eva or the old
serf, but I’d been in the First Army long enough to know that
most ordinary soldiers didn’t trust Grisha and felt no
allegiance to the Darkling.
After a moment, the Darkling said, “My great-great-greatgrandfather
was the Black Heretic, the Darkling who created
the Shadow Fold. It was a mistake, an experiment born of his
greed, maybe his evil. I don’t know. But every Darkling since
then has tried to undo the damage he did to our country, and
I’m no different.” He turned to me then, his expression
serious, the firelight playing over the perfect planes of his
features. “I’ve spent my life searching for a way to make
things right. You’re the first glimmer of hope I’ve had in a
long time.”
“Me?”
“The world is changing, Alina. Muskets and rifles are just
the beginning. I’ve seen the weapons they’re developing in
Kerch and Fjerda. The age of Grisha power is coming to an
end.”
It was a terrifying thought. “But … but what about the First
Army? They have rifles. They have weapons.”
“Where do you think their rifles come from? Their
ammunition? Every time we cross the Fold, we lose lives. A
divided Ravka won’t survive the new age. We need our ports.
We need our harbors. And only you can give them back to us.”
“How?” I pleaded. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“By helping me destroy the Shadow Fold.”
I shook my head. “You’re crazy. This is all crazy.”