When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

At the heart of the story is Ala, a zmora haunted by blood-soaked visions, Niko, a strzyga capable of transforming into a horned owl, and Dymitr, a mysterious, taciturn man with a past steeped in violence and secrets. They are drawn together by the blooming of the mythical fern flower, a rare and potent magical artifact believed to break curses or grant powerful boons.

The plot follows their desperate race against time through the underbelly of a magical Chicago, as they seek out the elusive witch Baba Jaga before the fern flower withers. Ala hopes to use the flower to break the bloodline curse that has plagued her family for generations. However, the journey is fraught with danger. They are hunted by the Holy Order, a fanatical, supernatural-knight-like faction determined to wipe out magical creatures, and the trio faces deadly confrontations, including an unforgettable battle against a murder of enchanted, bloodthirsty crows.

The climax and the final chapters of the novella reveal Dymitr's true identity—he is a Knight of the Holy Order himself. Not only that, but his sister, Elza, is also a Knight, and she engages him and Niko in a brutal duel. Dymitr's hands, stained red with the signature marks of the Order, betray the truth he had tried to conceal. In a charged confrontation, he saves Niko’s life by dueling Elza and ultimately disarming her, leaving her humiliated and broken.

The story takes a reflective, redemptive turn when Dymitr offers the fern flower to Baba Jaga—not for himself, but for Ala, asking the witch to use it to lift her curse. In exchange, he asks for his sword to be destroyed, thereby severing his identity as a Knight and symbolically (and literally) sacrificing part of his soul. Baba Jaga agrees but demands his sword, which contains half his soul, as payment. This act becomes both his penance and his liberation. Though he survives, he is left "diminished," no longer the lethal instrument of the Order he once was.

In an epilogue, Dymitr is seen returning to the leszy—the forest guardian introduced in the opening scene—to test his bow again. It’s a symbolic full circle, implying that though Dymitr has given up being a Knight, he is not done fighting for something better. The fern flower did bloom, it did save Ala, and Dymitr, though altered, has begun a new chapter of life shaped by his own choices—not the violence of the Order.