Last Sacrifice – Vampire Academy #6

“Sometimes I don’t either. Like I said, it’s much easier said than done. Still, I think he has helped me recover more quickly than I would have on my own. I’m grateful. And as for you and your auras …’ That small smile returned. “Well, you’ve got to figure it out. I don’t believe in soul mates, not exactly. I think it’s ridiculous to think there’s only one person out there for us. What if your “soul mate’ lives in Zimbabwe? What if he dies young? I also think “two souls becoming one’ is ridiculous. You need to hold onto yourself. But I do believe in souls being in sync, souls that mirror each other. I see that synchronicity in auras. I can see love too. And I see all of that in his aura and in yours. Only you can choose what to do with that information–if you even believe it.’

“No pressure,’ I muttered.

She looked like she was about to end the dream but then stopped and gave me a piercing look. “One thing to be careful of, Rose. Your auras match, but they aren’t identical. Dimitri’s is spiked with bits of darkness, leftover from his trauma. That darkness fades a little each day. You carry darkness too–but it’s not fading.’

I shivered. “Lissa. It’s the darkness I’m taking from her, isn’t it?’

“Yes. I don’t know much about bonds, but what you’re doing–even if it’s helping her–is very dangerous. Spirit tears us apart, no question, but in some ways … I think we spirit users are built for it a little better. Not that it’s always obvious,’ she added wryly. “But you? No. And if you take too much, I don’t know what’ll happen. I’m afraid of it building and building. I’m afraid it’s just going to take one spark–one catalyst–to make it explode inside you.’

“What happens then?’ I whispered.

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know.’

With that, the dream faded.

I fell back into dreamless sleep, though my body–as if knowing it was time to take my shift–woke on its own a few hours later. Night’s blackness surrounded me once more, and nearby, I could hear Dimitri’s even, steady breathing and sense his warmth. Everything I’d just discussed with Sonya came pouring back to me. Too much, too much. I didn’t know where to begin processing it. And no, I didn’t know if I could believe it, not with what I’d seen in real life. Behaviors and feelings rarely line up. With a deep breath, I forced myself to be a guardian, not an emotionally distraught girl.

“Your time for sleep, comrade.’

His voice came to me like light in the darkness, soft and low. “You can get more rest if you need it.’

“No, I’m fine,’ I told him. “And remember, you’re not–‘

“I know, I know,’ he chuckled. “I’m not the general.’ Oh lord. We finished each other’s jokes. I do believe in souls that are in sync. Sternly reminding myself that Sonya’s visit hadn’t actually been about my love life, I recounted the rest of the dream to Dimitri, describing John’s betrayal and Jill’s abduction. “Did I … did I do the right thing telling Sonya where we are?’

Several moments passed before he replied. “Yes. You’re right that we need her help–and she can find Jill. The problem is, Victor and Robert have to know that too.’ He sighed. “And you’re right that I’d better rest up for what’s to come.’

So, in that efficient way of his, he said no more. Soon, his breathing shifted as he fell back into sleep. It was amazing how he could do that with so little effort. Of course, that was something we’d been taught as guardians: sleep when you can because you don’t know when you’ll be able to again. It was a trick I’d never picked up. Staring into the darkness, I kept my senses sharp, listening for any sounds that might indicate danger.

I might not have a talent for falling asleep instantly, but I could keep my waking body alert while still checking in with Lissa. Jill and our escape had occupied me today, but events at Court still weighed heavily on me. Someone had tried to kill Lissa, and a group of guardians had just dragged off Eddie.

When I looked through her eyes, it was no surprise that I found most of my friends together. They were in a stark, intimidating room similar to the one she’d been questioned in about my escape–except it was larger. And with good reason. It was packed with all sorts of people. Adrian and Christian stood by Lissa, and I needed no aura reading to know the two guys were as uneasy as she was. Hans stood behind a table, hands pressed on it as he leaned forward and glared at everyone. Opposite Lissa, against the far wall, Eddie sat stone-faced in a chair with a guardian on either side of him. Both of his guards were tense, braced to leap into action. They thought Eddie was a threat, I realized, which was ridiculous. Yet, Hans seemed to share their opinion.

He jabbed his finger at a photograph lying on the table. Taking a step forward, Lissa saw that the picture was of the guy who’d attacked her–a picture taken after his death. His eyes were closed, his skin gone pale–but it provided a detailed look at his facial features, bland as they were.

“You killed a Moroi!’ exclaimed Hans. I’d apparently tuned in to the middle of the conversation. “How is that not a problem? You’re trained to protect them!’

“I did,’ said Eddie. He was so calm, so serious that the part of me that could still muster a sense of humor thought he was like Dimitri Junior. “I protected her. What difference does it make if the threat’s Moroi or Strigoi?’

“We have no proof of any of the details of this attack,’ growled Hans.

“You have three witnesses!’ snapped Christian. “Are you saying our reports are worthless?’

“I’m saying you’re his friends, which makes your reports questionable. I would have liked to have had a guardian around to verify this.’

Now Lissa’s temper flared. “You did! Eddie was there.’

“And there was no way you could have protected her without killing him?’ asked Hans.

Eddie didn’t answer, and I knew he was seriously considering the question, wondering if he might truly have made a mistake. At last, he shook his head. “If I hadn’t killed him, he would have killed me.’ Hans sighed, his eyes weary. It was easy for me to be angry at him right now, and I had to remind myself he was just doing his job. He held up the picture. “And none of you–none of you–have ever seen this man?’

Lissa studied the face once more, repressing a shiver. No, she hadn’t recognized him during the attack and didn’t recognize him now. There was really nothing remarkable about him–no notable feature you could point out. Our other friends shook their heads, but Lissa felt herself frowning.

“Yes?’ asked Hans, immediately jumping on that subtle shift.

“I don’t know him …’ she said slowly. The conversation with Joe the janitor popped into her mind.

“What’d the guy look like?’ she’d asked Joe.

“Plain. Ordinary. Except the hand.’

Lissa stared at the picture a moment longer, which just barely showed a scarred hand with a couple of bent fingers. I had also noticed it in the fight. She lifted her eyes to Hans. “I don’t know him,’ she repeated. “But I think I know someone who does. There’s a janitor … well, a former janitor. The one who testified about Rose. I think he’s seen this guy before. They have an interesting business relationship. Mikhail was going to make sure he didn’t leave Court.’

Adrian did not look happy at all about having Joe brought up, seeing as it implicated his mother for bribery. “They’ll have a hard time making him talk.’

Hans narrowed his eyes. “Oh, if he knows something, we’ll make him talk.’ He gave a sharp nod toward the door, and one of the guardians by Eddie moved toward it. “Find this guy. And send in our “guests.” The guardian nodded and left the room.

“What guests?’ asked Lissa.

“Well,’ said Hans, “it’s funny you mention Hathaway. Because we just had a sighting of her.’

Lissa stiffened, panic flashing through her. They found Rose. But how? Abe had assured her I was safe in that town in West Virginia.

“She and Belikov were spotted outside of Detroit, where they kidnapped a girl.’

“They’d never–‘ Lissa stopped. “Did you say Detroit?’ It was with great restraint that she didn’t shoot questioning looks at Christian and Adrian.

Hans nodded, and although he gave the appearance of just passing on information, I knew he was watching for some sort of telling reaction from my friends. “They had a few other people with them. Some of them got away, but we caught one.’

“Who did they kidnap?’ asked Christian. His astonishment wasn’t faked either. He too had thought we were safely stashed.

“Mastrano,’ said Hans. “Something Mastrano.’

“Jill Mastrano?’ exclaimed Lissa.

“Jailbait?’ asked Adrian.

Hans clearly wasn’t up to date on this nickname but didn’t have a chance to question it because just then, the door opened. Three guardians entered, and with them was– Sydney.

  WOULD HAVE GAPED IF I were there, both from the shock of seeing Sydney and at the sight of a human on Court grounds. Humans, actually, because there were two others with her, a man and a woman. The man was young, only a little older than Sydney, with deep brown hair and eyes. The woman was older and wore the tough, seasoned look I associated with Alberta. This woman was dark-skinned, but I could still see the golden tattoo she and the other humans had. All Alchemists.

And it was obvious these Alchemists were not happy. That older woman was putting on a good show, but her darting eyes made it clear she wanted to be somewhere– anywhere–else. Sydney and the guy didn’t hide their fear at all. Sydney might have gotten used to me and Dimitri, but she and her associates had just walked into a den of evil, as far as they were probably concerned.

The Alchemists weren’t alone in their discomfort. As soon as they’d entered, the guardians no longer regarded Eddie as the room’s threat. Their eyes were all on the humans, scrutinizing them as though they were Strigoi. My friends seemed more curious than afraid. Lissa and I had lived among humans, but Christian and Adrian had had very little exposure, other than feeders. Seeing the Alchemists on “our turf’ added an extra element of intrigue.

I was certainly astonished to see Sydney there so quickly. Or was it quickly? Hours had passed since we’d escaped Jill’s house. Not enough time to drive to Court but certainly enough to fly. Sydney hadn’t changed clothes since I’d last seen her, and there were shadows under her eyes. I had a feeling she’d been grilled to no end since her capture. The mystery was, why bring the Alchemists here to the meeting about Eddie killing the unknown Moroi? There were two completely different issues at stake.

Lissa was thinking the same thing. “Who are these guys?’ she asked, although she had a pretty good idea who Sydney was. She’d heard enough description from me. Sydney gave Lissa a once-over, and I suspected she had guessed Lissa’s identity as well.

“Alchemists,’ said Hans gruffly. “You know what that means?’

Lissa and my friends nodded. “What do they have to do with Eddie and that guy who attacked me?’ she asked.

“Maybe something. Maybe nothing.’ Hans shrugged. “But I know there’s something strange going on, something you’re all involved in, and I need to figure out what. She’– Hans pointed at Sydney–‘was with Hathaway in Detroit, and I still have trouble believing none of you know anything about it.’

Adrian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, the perfect picture of indifference. “Keep believing that, but I don’t know any of these people. Don’t Alchemists hate us? Why are they here?’ Adrian, ironically, was the only one of my friends who knew I hadn’t been in West Virginia, but you’d never tell from his demeanor.

“Because we have an escaped murderess to deal with and needed to question her accomplice in person,’ was Hans’s crisp response.

A denial of my guilt was on Lissa’s lips, but the older Alchemist jumped in first. “You have no proof that Miss Sage was an “accomplice’ to your criminal. And I still think it’s ridiculous that you wouldn’t let us do our own questioning and leave it at that.’ “In any other situation, we would, Miss Stanton,’ replied Hans. Ice was forming between the two of them. “But this one, as you can imagine, is a bit more serious than most. Our queen was murdered.’

Tension ramped up even more between the guardians and the Alchemists. Their working relationship was not a happy one, I realized. It also occurred to me that even if Sydney’s superiors thought she’d committed some crime, they would never admit as much to my people–which meant Hans’s paranoia wasn’t entirely unfounded. When none of the Alchemists responded, Hans seemed to read this as approval to begin interrogating Sydney.

“Do you know these three?’ He gestured to my friends, and Sydney shook her head. “Ever communicated with them?’

“No.’

He paused, as though hoping she’d change her answer. She didn’t. “Then how did you get involved with Hathaway?’

She studied him intently, fear in her brown eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was because of him exactly. Really, she had a lot of things to be nervous about right now, like being here at all and the eventual punishment the Alchemists would dole out. Then, of course, there was Abe. Technically, he was the reason she had gotten ensnared in this mess. All she had to do was tell on him, say he’d blackmailed her. It’d get her off the hook–but incur his wrath. Sydney swallowed and forced a defiant look.

“I met Rose in Siberia.’

“Yes, yes,’ said Hans. “But how did you end up helping her escape here?’

“I had nothing to do with her escaping this place!’ said Sydney. It was a half-truth, I supposed. “She contacted me a few days ago and asked for help to get to a house near Detroit. She claimed she was innocent and that this would help prove it.’

“The Alchemists knew by then she was a fugitive,’ pointed out Hans. “Everyone had orders to look out for her. You could have turned her in.’

“When I first met Rose, she didn’t seem like the murdering type–I mean, aside from killing Strigoi. Which isn’t murder at all, really.’ Sydney threw in a little Alchemist disdain. It was a nice touch. “So, when she said she was innocent and could prove it, I decided to help her. I gave her a ride.’

“We already asked her about this,’ Stanton said irritably. “And we already told you that we did. What she did was foolish–a naive lapse in judgment. It’s something for us to deal with, not you. You worry about your murdering fiend.’ Her words were light, like they were going to take Sydney home and chastise a naughty child. I doubted it would be that simple.

“Who were the people with her?’ asked Hans, ignoring Stanton.

Sydney’s contempt grew. “One was that guy … Dimitri Belikov. The one you think was “cured.’ I don’t know who the others were. Two guys and a woman. They never introduced us.’ It was a well-done lie, her faked disgust about Dimitri masking her knowledge of the rest of our associates.

Lissa leaned forward eagerly, speaking just before Hans could. “What was in Detroit? How was Rose going to clear herself? Especially with Jill?’ Hans didn’t look happy about the interruption, but I knew he had to be curious about Jill and Detroit as well. He said nothing, perhaps hoping someone might slip and reveal a key piece of knowledge. Sydney, however, continued playing distant and cold.

“I have no idea. That Jill girl didn’t seem to know either. Rose just said we had to get to her, so I helped her.’

“Blindly?’ asked Hans. “You really expect me to believe that you just trusted her like that?’

“She’s my–‘ Sydney bit her lip on what I suspected was “friend.’ She turned her professional mode back on. “There was something believable about her, and I figured it’d be a waste of resources if the Alchemists had been helping you hunt the wrong murderer. If I decided she was guilty, I could always turn her in. And I thought … I thought if I was the one who solved this, I’d get the credit and a promotion.’ That was a good, good lie. An ambitious girl trying to improve her career on the sly? Very good. Well, not to everyone.

Hans shook his head. “I don’t believe any of you.’

The guy Alchemist took a step forward that made every guardian tense to jump him. “If she says that’s the way it happened, then that’s the way it happened.’ He had the same fierceness and mistrust that Stanton had, but there seemed to be more. A sort of protectiveness toward Sydney that was as personal as professional. Lissa picked up on it too.

“Easy, Ian,’ said Stanton, still keeping her eyes on Hans. Her composure reminded me more and more of Alberta. She couldn’t be at ease with a roomful of guardians but wasn’t showing it. “It doesn’t matter if you believe her or not. The point remains: Miss Sage answered your questions. We’re finished.’

“Do Jill’s parents know anything?’ asked Lissa. She was still in shock at all of these developments–not to mention worried about me being out of my safe mountain town– but this mysterious shot at clearing my name was powerful. She couldn’t let it go.

Sydney turned to Lissa, and I could practically read the Alchemist’s thoughts. She knew how close Lissa and I were and would have liked to give Lissa some sort of comfort. There was no way, though, that Sydney could do that with these people in the room. She also had to be aware of the fact that I myself hadn’t told Lissa anything about Jill.

“No,’ said Sydney. “We just went there, and Rose said Jill had to come with her. The Mastranos don’t know why. And then–and then Rose did take her. Or Jill went with her. I’m not sure what happened. It all turned to chaos.’

Neither the Alchemists nor guardians disputed me taking Jill, which made me think it was a story they’d gotten–and accepted–from both Jill’s parents and Sydney. It had just enough truth to be plausible–and explain Jill’s disappearance. It didn’t mention the Dragomir secret, however, which Emily was probably more than happy to keep quiet for now.

“There,’ said Stanton. “This is exactly what we told you before. We need to leave now.’ She turned toward the door, but guardians blocked the way.

“Impossible,’ said Hans. “This is a serious matter, and Miss Sage is the only link we have to a murder–a royal murder. And a kidnapping.’ Stanton scoffed, and I remembered Sydney once saying the Alchemists thought the Moroi royalty system was silly. “She doesn’t seem to be of much more use to you. But don’t worry–we’ll be holding her. Contact us if you have more questions.’

“Unacceptable,’ said Hans. “She stays here.’

Ian, the other Alchemist, joined the argument, moving protectively in front of Sydney. “We’re not leaving one of our own here!’ Again, I had that funny feeling about him. A crush, that was it. He had a crush on her and was treating this as more than just business. Stanton gave him a look that said she would handle this matter. He fell silent.

“You can all stay here, then,’ said Hans. “Makes no difference to me. We’ll get you rooms.’

“That is unacceptable.’ From there, she and Hans got into a raging argument. I didn’t think it would come to blows, but the other guardians had closed in slightly as a precaution.

Ian’s eyes darted between Stanton and Sydney, but he didn’t get into the fray. Once, his gaze passed over the table Hans leaned against, and Ian suddenly did a double take at the photograph. It was only a brief pause, a slight widening of the eyes … but Lissa caught it.

She took a step toward Ian and Sydney. One of the guardians glanced at the movement, deemed Lissa safe, and returned to watching Stanton. “You know him,’ Lissa murmured, keeping her voice below the shouts. In fact, it was a little too low because she got blank looks from Sydney and Ian. Their ears couldn’t hear what a Moroi or dhampir could have.