I came back to my body just in time to see my father enter the tent his cloak billowing after him in a stream of black.

Almost immediately, Pytor stood at attention, "Moi Soverennyi," he bowed, my father gave a nod of acknowledgement and Pytor then left and stood on the outside of the door.

He took off his cloak, draping it over a nearby chair and looking around the small tent. It wasn't much, a desk and chair, bed and plush seat were all that filled it, at the center a small fire circled by stones with a hole in the roof to funnel out smoke.

He finnaly came to where I was perched on the plush seat and sat on the armrest of it, "When will you allow me to trust you again, Rena," he sighed.

I almost scoffed, "That's a decision for you and you alone."

He looked down at me, "Then what were you planning to say to your mother, don't lie, it is beneath you."

I thought for a moment, eventually I said, "She had told me about some event going on tonight, there's been coach's coming in from all over, I just wanted to know what was happening," I confessed.

He narrowed his eyes, "What event?"

"Prince Nikolai's birthday," I said without thinking.

Immediately I clasped a hand over my mouth but it was too late, the damage had been done, I could see scenarios playing out in his head already, the pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages. "Fath-" I started but he silenced me by swiftly standing up and moving to the door.

No less than thirty seconds later Pytor and two other Grisha entered the tent, my father had the mask of general plastered on his face and in his voice as he spoke to them. "Meeting in 20 minutes in my tent, make sure all group leaders are there," a squaller left, "Take five Corporalki and scout out Os Atlas, I want to know who's on watch and where they are the weakest," a heartrender left. Finally he turned to Pytor, "Make sure she stays awake, I can't risk her telling Alina of our plans, I don't care if you've to raise her heart rate just, don't, let, her, sleep." He turned to me before picking up his cloak, "Wash up, put on your kefta and a cloak if your cold, I expect you in my tent in no more than fifteen minutes," he then left me to bask in my idioticness.

Opting to not fully undress to wash myself, mainly since Pytor wouldn't leave, I dunked my head into a pail, water splashing out onto the floor when I came back up. Patting my hair dry with a towel I pulled it into a low bun.

As I pulled on the shirt that went under my kefta Pytor came around the changing screen, "Saints," I swore when I saw him, "Do you mind? I'm getting dressed."

He threw a black kefta that looked like my size at me, "Time's up, let's go," he ordered.

As he led me to my father's tent I didn't know what to expect, what might happen, but it certainly wasn't this.

We entered the tent and my father silently beckoned Pytor over, he murmured something along the lines of 'get the koi' Koi? What need did the darkling have for a fish? Mabey he was hungry and craving a specific dish.

Pytor left and he signaled for me to join him by the fire where it burned bright and warm, illuminating the whole tent in tones of orange and red.

"You're not telling me all you know," he accused, "Vital information."

"Answers are ever more rewarding when you figure them out yourself," I smarted, I was in no mood for this today.

He turned his face away from the fire to look at me, it seemed he too was not in the mood, "You will tell me, although you may think you understand what is happening it is very much beyond you."

I scoffed, "What interest did you ever have in parties, you-" before I could finish my sentence Pytor came back into the tent, except this time he was holding someone by the scruff of their collar, they were struggling and the evidence was in their cut lip, the blood blending into their dark skin, "Luka," I said somewhere between a whisper and a cry.

His hands were bound and he looked at Pytor with what could only be described as pure hatred, when he heard my voice his expression melted immediately into suspicion, relief and then somewhere in between.

I made to go to him but my father held me back, trapping my arms behind my back, "Let him go!" I shouted, "Please, just let him go."

My father ignored these protests, pulling me back further, "Mr.Zaytsev is it?" He asked, Luka remained silent. The Darkling sighed, "Very well, if that's how this is going to go," he nodded and Pytor exited the tent, pulling Luka after him, "I'll deal with him later," I heard my father mutter as they left.

"Luka!!" I shouted, struggling against my fathers grip, "Don't hurt him, don't you dare-"

"Rena," my father cut across me, loosening his grip so I could step away from him.

"If he's hurt-"

"He will remain untouched as long as you do as your told."

I huffed, "What do you want?"

He sighed a small, light laugh, "How easily you give in, your mother and you, two peas in a pod."

"I never agreed to anything," I snapped, "I was just asking what you wanted, but there must be another way to go around it without involving my friends."

"I don't enjoy being cruel to you Rena but we must all work together if this world will ever reach its full potential," he told me.

"Then don't, don't do this, don't threaten my friends, don't try to capture Os Atlas, just don't."

He shook his head as if all I had just said seemed impossible, "When I ask you to, you will recount all that you know to my advisors, I will know if you stutter that some part of something is a lie and will have Pytor on standby to tell me what is what."

I rolled my eyes, "Is Pytor your new pet, trained to obey every command? What happened to Ivan, at least he was some bit tollerable."

"Killed," he said without a trace of emotion, "By your mother and her so called saviour friends."

I froze, no, Ivan was there, he was on the ship, I could still see his scowl in the back of my head. "When?" I asked quietly, barley a whisper.

He shook a dismissive hand, "Aboard the ship when we were betrayed, organs crushed by a rogue Heartrender." It was too much, all of this, it was too fast, "You see now Rena, there is a cruel side even to those that act like the have the kindest hearts."

Turns out I'm an idiot and my mocks are next week so that's fun, I don't know about you but study is physically IMPOSSIBLE

So basically what I said last chapter but this week cause I got mixed up lol

~Sarah (PoshStarfish775)