Hey everyone! Just two quick notes I want to make:
1) I have changed my settings so that anyone who doesn't have an account can review (a.k.a an anonymous review).
2) I just want to thank: kittenxxkisses, ItaSaku1 and Twilighternproud for reviewing my story so far. You guys are awesome and I really appreciate your comments (you all have some really good theories too!) (P.s. kittenxxkisses- no, unfortunately I am not a published author, but I do aspire to be one day :) So thank you for saying that I could definately be one and that you'd read my books, because this comment honestly made my day!)
Also, thanks to everyone who is reading my story :)
Anywho, onto chapter three!
Chapter Three
THE NEXT FEW DAYS WENT by without anymore drama, and without anymore weird notes, so I was starting to believe that the person who had sent the threat was just some freak making a joke. Dimitri and I hadn't been able to get anymore information from the note itself, and none of the Guardian's had seemed to show any signs of compulsion, so we decided that it was nothing serious to worry about. It was most likely just some stupid prank.
So with that out of the way, it seemed like there was nothing left to worry about. Well, almost nothing. I was still concerned about Adrian, especially after the other night. I had spoken to Lissa about it, and she told me that it was just his way of trying to get me out of his head, because apparently alcohol hadn't been strong enough to do the trick.
Lissa didn't seem worried, claiming that this was just Adrian's way of dealing with everything, and that he would eventually calm down and go back to normal. Well, as normal as Adrian could be that is. So I let the issue slide, on the condition that Lissa promised to keep an eye on him.
And apart from Adrian, there was also the fact that I was currently heading to the last place I ever wanted to be... the last place I ever wanted to return to.
Huh, so I guess there was still reason to worry.
"Remind me why I agreed to this," I asked Eddie as we walked side by side.
"Because you have no choice," he answered back, his tone expressionless.
I sighed, and glared at the ground.
"Just checking. 'Cause you know, if I had a choice, I would rather stick needles in my eyes than do this."
Eddie just laughed.
"Come on, don't you think your overreacting? Yes, I know that what we're about to do will be... unpleasant-"
"Uh!" I snorted.
"But we were both given direct orders and we can't ignore them, not unless you want to chuck away being Lissa's Guardian."
He had a point, but being forced to do what we were about to do, was just cruel. Okay, so maybe I've faced worse, but I still really didn't want to be in this situation.
"By the way, have you heard the news?"
"What news?"
I knew that Eddie was purposely changing the subject, but I was too intrigued to care.
"Robert Dashkov has been caught."
I stopped walking.
"What? Why?"
After I had killed his brother, Victor, I didn't think that anyone would even be after Robert. The Guardians knew what had happened to Victor, they knew what I had done, but Dimitri and Sonya had vouched that I had acted in self defence, even though I felt like I had murdered him in cold blood. Either way, I thought that was all in the past. Guess I was wrong about that.
"For kidnapping Jill- I mean Princess Dragomir, and for aiding his brother in all the other crimes they committed together," he said, tugging my sleeve to get me moving again.
"But from what I saw, Robert isn't a threat. Sure, he's a bit loopy, but that's because he's a Spirit user."
Now, believe me, I wasn't the Dashkov brother's biggest fan or anything, but I never really had a problem with Robert. If anything, I felt bad for him, because I knew firsthand what it was like to live with Spirit's side effects. And after what happened to Victor, I had truly hoped the best for him.
"Well, like most things in life, it's out of our hands."
Eddie's words brought me back to reality as we entered the nefarious building that I was going to be contained in for the next two whole hours! I know that may not seem like a long time, but when you were being forced to Guard the woman who had framed you for murder and then shot you, almost resulting in your death, then two hours seemed like a hell of a long time.
We signed in and walked through row after row of cells, until we finally reached the one I had nightmares of visiting. I avoided looking directly into the cell and concentrated on getting directions from the Guardians who we would be relieving.
"Just keep a close eye on her, and if anything happens, hit this button," one of them said, indicating to a giant red button surrounded by glass. They conversed with us for a few more minutes before heading off, promising that they would be back in two hours. Yeah, they better be, over wise I would be pissed.
"Hello Rose."
I felt my whole body tense at the sound of Tasha's voice. I could tell she was amused, which just made me even angrier. My eyes locked with Eddie's, and I could tell that he was silently warning me not to lose my temper. I was a Guardian, and I needed to stay professional.
So I just nodded in her direction. "Tasha."
She was sitting on the edge of her cot, but when she realised that she had my attention, she stood up and walked right up to the bars.
"Oh don't be like that. You know, I didn't mean to shoot you." I grimaced at the memory of the bullet entering my chest, but stayed silent. "Fine, act all uptight, but just know that I really am sorry for what I did."
I couldn't tell whether she was being sincere or not, but somehow, I really doubted that she felt bad. "Geez, you are hard to crack. Even Dimitri was easier to break."
My eyes flashed with anger, which made her smile."But then again, you're here because you've been forced against your will, whereas Dimika had no obligation to come," she taunted.
"Don't call him that," I snapped.
If there was one thing I absolutely hated in the world- apart from Stirgoi- it was Tasha calling Dimitri "Dimika." It just made my blood boil to know that they use to have such a close connection. And had he really come to see her?
"Sorry, did I hit a nerve?"
"That's enough," Eddie said firmly, locking eyes with Tasha.
"Fine," she replied, holding her hands up in defence. "I'll just go sit over on my cot and say nothing."
Keeping to her word, Tasha stayed silent, but her gaze never left my face. I tried my best not to let her words get to me, but it was hard not to get angry, not when there was the possibility that Dimitri had come to visit, and might even still be visiting this bitch.
I internally sighed. This was going to be the longest two hours of my life.
Two hours later, I found myself finally free. I knew that I was in danger of overacting, but I had to admit, having Tasha glare at me for two hours was like a form of torture. Eddie hadn't been so lucky and had to rush off to run some other errands, leaving me on my own.
"Are you okay Rose?" I turned at the sound of a familiar voice, and smiled in greeting when I realised who it was.
"Oh, hey Jill. Long time no see."
She returned my smile, and started to walk beside me as I headed towards the Queen's palace, which was located at the other end of Court.
"Yeah, it has been a while hasn't it? Guess that's my fault since I've been trying to keep under the radar and all," she replied.
"I don't blame you for wanting to keep a low profile. If I was in your shoes, I would be doing the exact same thing. Besides, Royals can be quite vicious, especially in situations like this, so it's all for the best anyway," I said, trying to make her feel better.
"Yeah, I guess," she murmured. "Anyway, how are you?"
"I'm fine."
I could see Jill raise her eyebrows at me from the corner of my eyes.
"Are you sure, because you seemed kind of tense before..."
"Seriously, I'm all good. Just had to do some unpleasant Guardian work before, but it's over now, so there's no point in moping about it," I replied, trying to give her my best attempt of a smile.
"Okay, well as long as you're sure your okay..."
That's one of the things I loved about Jill. She was so sweet and caring, and really was like a little sister at times. She also knew when to let things go, unlike her older sister.
"I'm fine, but thanks for worrying about me."
We had reached the entrance of the hall that would lead me to the main room that Lissa was always in at this time of day. Jill looked around awkwardly, unsure of what she should do. "Hey, you don't have to do anything that you're not ready to do," I said softly, making sure she knew that I would understand if she didn't want to come hang out with Lissa. Things where still awkward between the two of them and things would only get worse if Jill was pressured to rush their sisterly relationship.
"Okay, well then if you don't mind, I'm going to go see my mum," she said, her face relaxing.
We said our goodbyes and then parted ways, promising each other to catch up soon for a proper chat.
Five minutes later, I found Lissa, who was just leaving her main office flanked by a group of four Guardians.
"Hey Rose, she said, greeting me with a hug. She then turned to her Royal Guardians and asked them to give us some privacy. They nodded and moved away so that they were just out of hearing range. I looked out the window, and saw the twinkling of the starts beyond the trees.
I loved this hallway, because it was the only one that had a long line of windows, making it seem more open and beautiful in comparison to the others.
"So, what's been up with you," I asked, turning my attention back towards my best friend. Her eyes fell, and I could tell that it had been a very long day for her.
"I've been in meetings all day, discussing what Tasha's punishment should be for her crimes."
I almost choked.
"Wait what? I thought that she would sentenced to death like I had been, I mean that's the law isn't it?"
"Yes, it is, but since I'm the new Queen, I have to re-evaluate all the laws and if there's one I want to change, like say the death penalty, then I have to get enough votes. Which is why I've been in meetings all day," she said, her voice tired.
"Why? Why would you help her after all she's done?"
There was a part of me that didn't want Tasha to die. Killing someone just seemed like a wrong punishment for murder; as didn't that just make us as bad as them? But still, I wouldn't go out of my way to help her, especially not after she shot me, and I didn't understand why Lissa was trying to save her as well. Or maybe I did.
"I'm not doing it for Tasha, I'm doing it for Christian and I'm doing it because of what almost happened to you. You could have been killed and I don't want that to happen to anyone..."
I heard it before I saw it, and my instincts immediately kicked in before I knew what was actually happening. As the sound of glass breaking echoed through the hall, I pushed Lissa to the ground, protecting her body with my own as everything shattered around us. I could feel shards of glass rain down on my skin, cutting me in every single place imaginable. But that didn't matter. The only thing I cared about was Lissa's safety.
Eventually, the glass stopped falling, and Guardians were there in an instant to help us up.
"Take her to a safe location," I ordered, not caring about the fact that I didn't really have any authority over them. Lissa wasn't physically hurt, but she was in shock, which was just as dangerous as any cut or wound.
The Guardians acted fast, forming a protective circle around Lissa as they carefully led her away. I was too shocked to move, and it wasn't long until other Guardians started to show up.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, bringing me back to reality.
"Roza, are you okay?" At the sound of Dimitri's voice, I turned around stiffly, trying to control my shaking. His eyes widened at the sight of me, and I looked down at my arms to see why he was staring. The glass had managed to leave some nasty cuts on my arms, as well as on my neck and face. "Come on," he said, grabbing my hand. "You need medical attention."
"Wait," I said, pulling my hand free from his grip. I had just noticed something, something that I hadn't seen before. In the wall, right where Lissa and I had been, was a silver arrow. "An arrow?" I asked. "Who in the hell uses an arrow as a weapon these days?"
Dimitri crouched down so that he was at eye level to the arrow.
"I don't think someone was using it as just a weapon."
I joined his side to see what he was looking at. And as always, he was right. The arrow wasn't just a weapon, it was also a message. One that clearly stated:
I TOLD YOU TO WATCH YOUR BACK.
Dimitri and I looked at each other, fear mirrored in both our eyes.
This wasn't some stupid prank anymore.
Now, it was serious.
Hmmm... Another threat/first attack, any more theories on who's behind it?
Next chapter up soon!
Also, please R&R!
