kimanaet webber clarys
Natasha Mulhearn
Alina was orphaned at a young age, when her parents died in the Fold. She grew up in the orphanage at Keramzin, where she became friends with Mal, and the two would often play together. One day, the Grisha came to test the children at the orphanage to see if they were Grisha. Not wishing to be separated from her friend, Alina secretly cut her hand as she was being tested, sabotaging the results, causing them to mistakenly believe she was not a Grisha.
After Mal is selected to accompany the Second Army on an expedition across the Fold to Novokribirsk, Alina destroys the First Army's records of the western coastline and Os Kervo, resulting in her entire unit being stationed on the very same skiff to redraw the destroyed maps.
Two out of thirty-seven markers into the Fold, the skiff is attacked by volcra. Alina remains hidden alongside the wall, that is until Mal finds himself being lifted from the ship. Alina picks up a rifle and shoots the attacking volcra. She rushes over to Mal, who tells her "I'll meet you at the meadow." The volcra swoops back down and digs its talons into Alina's back. She and Mal hold onto one another as the beast tries to take her, and suddenly, a large explosion of light manifests from within her, destroying the nearby volcra.[1]
Alina's wounds are tended to by a Corporalki Healer and she is taken before General Kirigan, where he asks where she grew up and when she was tested, but Alina claims not to remember. She insists that she is nothing more than an ordinary map maker. However, when Kirigan grabs her forearm and makes a slight incision, a beam of light comes shooting out her arm and through the roof of the tent, confirming that she is indeed the Sun Summoner.
Alina is escorted to the Little Palace by Ivan and Fedyor without so much as a goodbye to Mal. She sees Mal chase after her carriage and she tries to scream to him that she did not know she was Grisha. The Heartrenders explain that her kefta is bulletproof and will keep her safe from attack. Which is all but certain once news of the Sun Summoner begins to spread. While Fedyor expresses joy that her the hope she represents, Alina is not so optimistic, as she will be a victim of further prejudice, and that her life will now be in constant danger. The carriage comes to a sudden stop and the Grisha find themselves under attack by the drskelle. Alina is pulled from the wagon and dragged into the field, where she is attacked by a drskelle soldier armed with a hatchet. Before he can bring any harm, General Kirigan arrives and slices the man in two with a single forward motion, using Grisha powers.
General Kirigan escorts Alina to see the King and Queen, who like others, are skeptical of Alina's alleged sun summoning abilities. General Kirigan drapes the room in shadows before grabbing Alina's wrist and provoking her abilities. Alina calls onto the sun and brightens the entire room. The King is pleased and agrees to allow Alina to remain at the Little Palace with General Kirigan for training. Afterward, Alina is greeted with open arms by her fellow Grisha, with the exception of Zoya, who embraces Alina only to whisper in her ear that she "stinks of the orphanage." She also refers to Alina as a "half-breed."
Nadia and Marie guide Alina to combat training, where she is greeted by Botkin and pitted against Zoya in combat, who Botkin has personally trained since she was ten years old. Alina charges towards Zoya twice but is bested both times. When Zoya makes an inappropriate remark about Mal, Alina becomes enraged and strikes her in the face. In a fit of rage, Zoya uses her Squaller abilities against Alina, which is strictly prohibited. While unconscious, Alina again dreams of the stag before being coming to and noticing Marie and Nadia hovering over her.
Alina is approached by the Apparat in the library. He tells her that it is important that they are friends and then notices her looking into the lore of the stag and informs her of the Bonesmith, one of the first Grisha in recorded history. He knew Grisha would always be hunted, so he sought to magnify their power. He made mythical animals from his own bones brimming with powers. Killing one of these beasts and then molding a piece onto a Grisha's body would amplify their abilities. Only the Grisha who takes the creature's life can take its power. The Apparat then gifts her a book titled The Lives of Saints.
Alina trains with Baghra to harness her power. Baghra asks about her parents and origin. She then asks Alina where she belongs, but Alina is no longer sure. Baghra reveals that General Kirigan is a human amplifier and questions if Alina can summon light without him gripping her wrists. Given her uncertainty, Baghra commands Alina to leave and to only come back once she truly believes that she's capable of destroying the Fold.
Alina continues her training with Baghra over tea but repeatedly fails to summon even the smallest ball of light. She proposes they find her an amplifier, but Baghra argues that amplifiers are for the weak and lazy. Instead, she utilizes Alina's rage to push her to summon light. Baghra's tea takes effect, and Alina finds herself back at the orphanage with Mal being tested by Grisha examiners. In fear of being separated from Mal should she happen to be Grisha, Alina had her palm in order to deceive the examiners, as sudden pain was often used to detect Grisha powers. Baghra then encourages Alina to bring forth the light, but still, she struggles.
Alina enters General Kirigan's room unable to sleep. She finds him looking over a map of Ravka. He reveals that there is talk of uprising in the west led by their First Army General. Shadows begin to engulf the room as General Kirigan becomes overwhelmed with grief and concern. Alina touches his hand and light emerges. Having captured his attention, she tells him that he is not alone.
Days later and Alina has still yet to receive any letters from Mal. Convinced that he is ignoring her, Alina lets go of him and summons light without the need of an amplifier, much to Baghra's satisfaction. Later that night, Alina asks Genya to erase the scar on her palm.[4]
Alina and Genya prepare for her performance at the winter fete. When Alina expresses her desire to keep her black kefta, Genya warns her to be careful of powerful men. David interrupts with a pair of gloves for Alina's demonstration but she assures him she can perform well enough without them.
Alina enters the ballroom dressed in General Kirigan's colors. He guides her up to the stage and introduces Alina as their liberator before encasing the room in darkness, allowing for Alina to bring light, much to the guests' amazement. After her performance, the Apparat approaches Alina and informs her that the people are erecting altars to Sankta Alina because she has given them faith and warns her that she has a much bigger role to play than even she realizes.
Alina goes back to General Kirigan's room, where the two of them proceed to kiss until they are interrupted by Fedyor. General Kirigan leaves but assures Alina that he will return. Just moments after General Kirigan's departure, Baghra enters through a secret door and tells Alina that she must leave the Little Palace immediately. She reveals that not only is General Kirigan her son but that he is also the Black Heretic and that he intends to expand the Fold and use it as a weapon. Baghra leads Alina down a secret passageway and tells her to wait for allies, but instead, Alina exits through a door, leading her outside the Little Palace. She then proceeds to hide in the trunk of a carriage.[5]
After the carriage comes to a stop in Ryevost, Alina opens the trunk to find Kaz Brekker, Jesper Fahey, and Inej Ghana watching her. They make her a deal to safely escort her through the Fold. However, when Alina declines their offer, refusing to be anyone else's captive. When they refuse to step aside, she blinds Kaz and Jesper, and though Inej is fast enough to conceal her eyes, she holds a great deal of respect for the Sun Summoner and allows for her to flee.
Alina runs into the nearby woods after being attacked by a fleet of soldiers. There, she is reunited with Mal. After they're clear of the soldiers, she accuses him of ignoring her letters for months, but he insists that he wrote her. He then asks how long has she known that she was Grisha, however, she insists that she didn't know until that day in the Fold. Mal then reveals that he found the stag with help from Alina's drawings. She realizes that the Darkling must've stolen her drawings and informs Mal how it can be used as a Grisha amplifier. She then embraces Mal and thanks him for finding her. That night, they find shelter, spending the night out in the wilderness, during which time she shows Mal her abilities.
Rather than going to the Fold as planned, Alina and Mal decide to hunt the stag and use it against General Kirigan and the Fold. Before long, they find themselves only a day or two behind the herd.[6]
Alina and Mal track down the stag. Alina points a rifle but ultimately opts against killing the creature, suddenly coming to the realization that she can claim its power without killing it. Alina pets the stag and her powers are amplified, though only momentarily as General Kirigan arrives with his men and shoots the stag with an arrow, wounding the creature. Mal attempts to kill the stag but is attacked by Zoya and Ivan. As Alina pulls the arrow from within Mal, General Kirigan attempts to kill the stag, but Alina deflects his strike. General Kirigan presents Alina with an ultimatum: either kill the stag and let Mal die or release the stag and he'll have Mal healed. Alina chooses Mal, allowing for General Kirigan to deliver the killing blow to the stag, decapitating the creature with the Cut.
General Kirigan proposes that he and Alina join forces. She takes his hand, and David molds the stag's antlers into a collar. The antlers infuse with Alina, with the sharp ends protruding from her shoulder blades, thus bridging the gap between Alina and General Kirigan, allowing him to control her powers.
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