Siege and Storm

Alina finds Mal in the stables, where he is fighting Grisha for sport. When he wins, he and Zoya kiss until he sees Alina. Alina runs outside. Mal follows, and they argue about how to fix their estrangement. Mal worries that maybe she’s supposed to be royalty while he is nothing; plus, when he touches her, there’s a weird electric charge. Nothing is ever easy. Mal asks whether Alina would ever give up her magic for him, and her answer is a quick “[n]ever” (367).

As Mal walks Alina back to the Little Palace, she tries to tell him about being haunted by the Darkling, but Mal just picks up a bottle of alcohol and leaves. Alina cries herself to sleep. She wakes up to Mal kissing her, but then realizes that it’s not Mal—the Darkling has shape-shifted into her beloved. She screams and he breaks apart into Shadow. No one hears Alina yell out.

In Os Alta, Alina sees a group praying to Sankta Alina (Alina’s new saintly incarnation). This feels to her like madness and desperation. When an old woman recognizes Alina, the crowd surrounds her, ripping her hair and tearing her clothes. She decides to let them tear her apart but then hears a loud shout as Tolya pushes back the crowd.