Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (z-lib.org).mobi

wounded in battle, for an infant who was ill with fever, and for the health of
Alina Starkov. I flinched.
“Let the Saints protect the Sun Summoner,” intoned the priest, “she who was
sent to deliver us from the evils of the Shadow Fold and make this nation whole
again.”
I swallowed hard and ducked quickly out of the church. They pray for you
now, I thought bleakly. But if the Darkling has his way, they’ll come to hate you.
And maybe they should. Wasn’t I abandoning Ravka and all the people who
believed in me? Only my power could destroy the Fold, and I was running away.
I shook my head. I couldn’t afford to think about any of that right now. I was
a traitor and a fugitive. Once I was free of the Darkling, I could worry about
Ravka’s future.
I set a fast pace along the trail and into the woods, chased up the hillside by
the ringing of church bells.
As I pictured the map in my head, I realised I would soon reach Ryevost, and
that meant making a decision about the best way to reach the Shadow Fold. I
could follow the river route or head into the Petrazoi, the stony mountains that
loomed to the north-west. The river would be easier going, but it would mean
passing through heavily populated areas. The mountains were a more direct
route, but would be much tougher to traverse.
I debated with myself until I came to the crossroads at Shura, then chose the
mountain route. I would have to stop in Ryevost before I headed into the
foothills. It was the largest of the river cities, and I knew I was taking a risk, but
I also knew I wouldn’t make it through the Petrazoi without more food and some
kind of tent or bedroll.
After so many days on my own, the noise and bustle of Ryevost’s crowded
streets and canals felt strange to me. I kept my head down and my hat pulled
low, sure that I would find posters of my face on every lamp post and shop
window. But the deeper I got into the city, the more I began to relax. Maybe
word of my disappearance hadn’t spread as far or as fast as I’d expected.
My mouth watered at the smells of roasting lamb and fresh bread, and I
treated myself to an apple as I refreshed my supplies of hard cheese and dried
meat.
I was tying my new bedroll to my travelling pack and trying to figure out how
I was going to carry all the extra weight up the mountainside when I rounded a
corner and nearly ran straight into a group of soldiers.
My heart slammed into a gallop at the sight of their long olive coats and the
rifles on their backs. I wanted to turn on my heel and sprint in the opposite
direction, but I kept my head low and forced myself to keep walking at a normal