Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I'll be releasing the next and final one on Valentine's Day! (in honor of it) so see you then! (:
As we headed toward the statues (or pedestals,) Lissa was showered with Valentine's Day gifts from her "loyal subjects." There was so much that we had to stop by her room to drop off all the balloons and teddy bears, in which we were greeted with an entire room full of even more gifts that people dropped by her room.
"So many admirers, Lissa, does Christian ever feel… insecure?" I tease as I open yet another box of chocolates and take out the raspberry filled ones, my favorite. Lissa throws a teddy bear at me, which I dodge, of course.
"Look, this one's from Charles in Wyoming," I say as I take out and open a card from the bottom of the chocolates, "It reads, 'Your majesty, I thank you for the service you provide to the Moroi world, and I hope you know that I have stood behind you one hundred percent through the electing process, and now. You will bring the dawn of a new era, and I am forever grateful. Happy Valentine's Day, I share my love.'"
Lissa has a surprised look on her face.
"Hmmm," I wonder out loud, "I wonder if this Charles from Wyoming is any cute. The name Charles usually fits hot people."
At this, Lissa throws another teddy bear and gets back to organizing all her gifts.
When she's finally done, we grab a bite from the café, my "bite" being two bear claws, and Lissa's being a coffee and fruit cup, and head back to the statues.
The court just recently took away the fences that were up as they cleared up the mess made with the explosion. In the statues' place were now two shiny pedestals reading Russian words that I don't understand.
"Okay," Lissa sighs, looking at the pedestals as if seeing the ghosts of the formidable statues that were once there. Or maybe she did, you never knew with spirit users. "I'll look around this one," Lissa points to the right one and then the left, "And you look around this one."
I nod, and pretty soon, Lissa shouts at me, waving a parchment roll in her hand. "They put the roll in the exact place we planted the bombs."
I smile weakly, still a little disgruntled for not being a part of my prison breakout. Lissa opens up the roll:
Dear Lissa and Rose,
Lissa, you're beautiful, and not just smart, but badass smart too. It's one of the reasons why I'm forever wondering how someone was born so perfect. And Thanks for the explosion, one of the greatest moments of my life.
Clue 3: This one will lead you guys to the finale… Christian says the word surprise brings people's hopes up too much and finale sounds better. The clue is for both of you, this is where everything changed.
Love,
Christian and Dimitri
Lissa and I both look up from the parchment with worried smiles.
"Where everything changed?" I asked a bit irritated, all these clues were making my brain, hardwired for action, tired.
"I'm guessing it's where you exposed Tasha," Lissa says dejectedly, her face pensive and probably thinking back to that day. I absently touch my chest, where a jagged scar ran across.
Lissa was right, that was where Christian learned his aunt was a murderer the whole time, where Tasha herself shot me in the chest, where I threw myself to save Lissa, and where Dimitri had the chance to choose to save one of us.
"So we're going back to the ballroom?"
"Yep," Lissa sighs and we head toward the main building.
The surprise, finale, whatever it is had better be good, I hate that place.
