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I knew all the stories by now The firebird wept diamond tears, its feathers could heal ht be seen in the flap of its wings I’d scoured book after book of folklore, epic poetry, and collections of peasant tales, searching for soends centered around the icy waters of the Bone Road, but stories of the firebird came from every part of Ravka and beyond, and none of them connected the creature to a Saint

Worse, the visions were getting clearer andappeared to me almost every day, usually in his chambers or the aisles of the library, sos or as I walked back from the Grand Palace at dusk

"Why won’t you leave ht as he hovered behindminutes passed I didn’t think he would answer I even had tione, until I felt his hand on my shoulder

"Then I’d be alone, too," he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the la for e of ht When he didn’t appear, I so why he hadn’t coht spot was Vasily’s decision to abandon Os Alta for the yearling auctions in Caryeva I nearly croith delight when Nikolai gave me the news on one of our walks

"Packed up in the ht," Nikolai said "He says he’ll be back in time for my birthday, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds so," I said "It’s not very regal"

"Surely I’," he said with a laugh He whistled that same off-key tune I re Then he cleared his throat "Alina, not that you aren’t always the picture of loveliness, but … are you sleeping?"

"Not htmares?"

I did still drea from the darkness of the Fold, but that wasn’t what kept ht "Not exactly"

"Ah," said Nikolai He clasped his hands behind his back "I notice your friend has been throwing himself into his work lately He’s ht, "that’s Mal"

"Where did he learn to track? No one seems to be able to decide if it’s luck or skill"

"He didn’t learn He’s just always been able to do it"

"How nice for hi"

"You’re a spectacular actor," I said drily

"Do you think so?" he asked Then he leaned in and whispered, "I’ht now"

I shook rateful for Nikolai’s cheery babble, and even more thankful when he let the subject drop

IT TOOK DAVID alet his dishes operational, but when he was finally ready, I had the Grisha gather on the Little Palace roof to watch the demonstration Tolya and Ta the crowd Mal was nowhere to be seen I’d stayed up the previous night in the co to catch hiht when I gave up and went to bed

The two huge dishes were positioned on opposite sides of the roof, on the flat lip that extended between the dos They could be rotated through a system of pulleys, and each was les to protect against the glare I saw that Zoya and Paja had been teaether, and Nadia had been paired with a Durast on the second dish

Even if this is a total failure, I thought anxiously, at least they’re working together Nothing like a fiery explosion to build camaraderie

I took my place at the center of the roof, directly between the dishes

With a jolt of nervousness, I saw that Nikolai had invited the captain of the palace guard to observe, along with two generals and several of the King’s advisers I hoped they weren’t expecting anything too dramatic My power tended to show best in full darkness, and the long Belyanoch days made that impossible I’d asked David if we should schedule the de, but he’d just shaken his head

"If it works, it will be plenty dramatic And I suppose that if it doesn’t work, it will be even more dramatic, ith the blast"

"David, I think you just made a joke"

He frowned, utterly perplexed "Did I?"