Ruin and Rising Read Online Free PDF Page B

loyalties were tied more tightly to me than his cause. And I was too weak to stop him.
    But was Tamar telling the truth? Were these allies really enemies? Nadia hung her head. Zoya kept her chin lifted, her blue eyes bright with challenge. It was easy to believe that either or both of them might turn against me, might seek the Darkling out and offer me as a gift with some hope of clemency. And David had helped to place the collar around my neck.
    Could Mal have been tricked into helping them betray me? He didn’t look frightened or concerned—he looked the way he had at Keramzin when he was about to do something that got us both in trouble. His face was bruised, but I noticed he was standing straighter. And then he glanced up, almost as if he were casting his eyes heavenward, as if he were praying. I knew better. Mal had never been the religious sort. He was looking at the master flue.
    Plots within plots . David’s nervousness. Tamar’s words. You trust her.
    “Release them,” I commanded.
    The Apparat shook his head, his expression full of sorrow. “Our Saint is being weakened by those who claim to love her. See how frail she is, how sickly. This is the corruption of their influence.” A few of the Priestguards nodded, and I saw that strange fanatical light in their eyes. “She is a Saint, but also a young girl governed by emotion. She does not understand the forces at work here.”
    “I understand that you have lost your way, priest.”
    The Apparat gave me that pitying, indulgent smile. “You are ill, Sankta Alina. Not in your right mind. You do not know friend from foe.”
    Goes with the territory , I thought bleakly. I took a deep breath. This was the moment to choose. I had to believe in someone, and it wasn’t the Apparat, a man who had betrayed his King, then betrayed the Darkling, who I knew would gladly orchestrate my martyrdom if it served his purpose.
    “You will release them,” I repeated. “I will not warn you again.”
    A smirk flickered over his lips. Behind the pity, there was arrogance. He was perfectly aware of how weak I was. I had to hope the others knew what they were doing.
    “You will be escorted to your chambers so that you may spend the day in solitude,” he said. “You will think on what has happened, and good sense will return. Tonight we will pray together. For guidance.”
    Why did I suspect that “guidance” meant the location of the firebird and possibly any information I had on Nikolai Lantsov?
    “And if I refuse?” I asked, scanning the Priestguards. “Will your soldiers take up arms against their Saint?”
    “You will remain untouched and protected, Sankta Alina,” said the Apparat. “I cannot extend the same courtesy to those you would call friends.”
    More threats. I looked into the guards’ faces, their fervent eyes. They would murder Mal, kill Genya, lock me in my chambers, and feel righteous in the act.
    I took a small step back. I knew the Apparat would read it as a sign of weakness. “Do you know why I come here, priest?”
    He gave a dismissive wave, his impatience showing through. “It reminds you of home.”
    My eyes met Mal’s briefly. “You should know by now,” I said, “an orphan has no home.”
    I twitched my fingers in my sleeves. Shadows surged up the Kettle walls. It wasn’t much of a distraction, but it was enough. The Priestguards startled, rifles swinging wildly, as their Grisha captives recoiled in shock. Mal didn’t hesitate.
    “Now!” he shouted. He shot forward, snatching the blasting powder from the Apparat’s hand.
    Tolya threw out his fists. Two of the Priestguards crumpled, clutching their chests. Nadia and Zoya held up their hands, and Tamar spun, her axes slicing through their bonds. Both Squallers raised their arms, and wind rushed through the room, lifting the sawdust on the floor.
    “Seize them!” yelled the Apparat. The guards sprang into action.
    Mal hurled the pouch of powder into the air. Nadia and Zoya lobbed it