Alina- Grisha Steel

Late in winter, he took me aside after a long lesson in which I’d actually managed to land a blow to his ribs (and been thanked for it with a hard cuff across my jaw).

“Here,” he said, handing me a heavy knife in a steel and leather sheath. “Always keep with you.”

With a jolt, I saw that it was no ordinary knife. It was Grisha steel. “Thank you,” I managed.

“Not ‘thank you,’” he said. He tapped the ugly scar at his throat. “Steel is earned.”

Shadow and Bone Chapter 13