I had to lie low. At least for now. I avoided any chance to speak up against the new and terrible law. Rose had been scheduled for a hearing, much to my relief. But this, this was only the first of many hurtles. I still had to avoid the gaze of the public, and Mazur. He was up to something, as he always was. He had a frightening degree of power and influence. And his scheming is obviously hereditary, because his daughter was also up to something as well. I could sense her distraction and determination. She was hiding something. I just didn't know what. And I was scared.
I threw on a jacket and made my way down to the court cafè. It was unusally busy, the quiet mumur of visitors decorating the air. Christian and Vasilisa would meet me, late as always, I guessed. I grip the paper cup and turn to find a seat when I come face to face with the one person who I wouldn't have expected to see. I smile.
"Dimitri!" I cry. He looks uncomfortable to be out and about in public. His hands are shoved into his pockets and his shoulders are hunched. He gives me a weak smile.
"Hello, Tasha." We mindlessly chat while he waits for his coffee. He gets a large, and I recall him studying for his exams. I didn't see him at all that month without a coffee cup in his hand. As we take our seats, I decide to push my luck.
"So. How's Rose." He sighs in a way that makes me guess that he has been hounded by others about the girl. He refuses to meet my eyes.
"I don't know." I sigh loudly.
"Oh, Dimka..." I whisper, lightly touching his hand. He looks down at the cup on the table, peeling up the rim with his free hand.
"I can't. I won't." The look on his face makes a dark feeling twist in my gut, as if the truth was coming for me; as if I couldn't run from it. The guilt overwhelmed me, especially when seeing a rapidly wearing Dimitri. He seemed to sink into himself. I watched him silently for a few minutes.
"You can't avoid her forever, you know. There's a good chance that...that she won't-"
"She's innocent." Suddenly, his eyes meet mine in a firey passion that burns throughout me. I struggle to regain my words.
"I- I mean- Dimka... Of course she's innocent! Rose would never do this! I know she's innocent," I cry. I choose my words carefully. And I tell the truth. I do know she's innocent. She would never murder someone. At least, someone who was mortal.
I sigh. "But you do know that there is a very good chance that she'll be imprisoned for life. An even better chance that she'll be executed..." I trail off, trying to read his expression. His lips are pursed and his face calm.
"I will not let that happen." He whispered, more to himself than to me. He bids me a muffled goodbye and departs quickly. I sigh. Excellent.
I try to desperately distract myself from my saddened thoughts when I see my nephew and his girlfriend walk through the door. Vasilisa is buzzing with an excited air of enthusiasm; papers clutched in her arms.
My eyes and Christian's eyes met, and he shrugged helplessly while being pulled along by the thin blonde. They slid into the chairs across from me. Vasilisa slams down the books and sheets, spreading them out like a feast before me.
"You'll never guess what!" she squeals. I smile.
"Hey Christian, Lissa," I say. She laughs.
"Hi. Anyways, I think I might have found a way to save Rose!" My heart stops, and I have to will it to beat. When I regain my breath, my pulse is vibrating in my chest.
"Wha- How?" I whisper. Vasilisa looks extremely pleased with herself.
"It was so simple! I cannot believe I didn't think of it before! I mean, really, it's-"
"Lissa!" Christian laughs. "Calm down, sweetheart." She laughs and strokes his hair for a moment, before returning to her thoughts.
"Well, once Dimitri was released, they were worried about him still being a strigoi. Which is totally moronic," she huffs, brushing her silken hair from her face. I nod.
"Well, they decided that he must still be a strigoi, since, you know, his eyes were brown and his skin wasn't pale and he has a soul. I mean, he shows all the signs." She rolled her eyes.
"Lissa," I whisper. "How does this save her?" My heart is squeezing ever-tighter in my chest. The princess, not sensing my unease, smiles broadly.
"They installed a security camera. On the end of the hall. His room is on Rose's floor." Horror explodes in my chest. She knows. She knows everything. Run. Get out. NOW!
"Have you looked at the tape yet?" My voice is hoarse and alien.
"No, it's being retrieved. The memory card is going to be retrieved. It's ridiculous, really, I mean, what use is a security camera if it doesn't have someone watching. But of course, the stone walls make it kind of hard to rewire and drill holes..." I nod slowly. There's still a chance. You can fix this. Through the horror and pain, I smile.
...
I run to the Guardian's building. It is midday for the vampire world, so the building is almost entirely empty. I scale the steps, three at a time, and arrive on Rose's floor. At the end of the hall, a man stands perched on a ladder. His attention is focused inwards, on the camera he is removing. I smile and approach, clearing my throat.
"Hello," my voice is perky and light. Disgustingly so. The man, garbed in the clothes of the court, grunts a reply. I sigh.
"Excuse me!" This catches his attention. He looks at me, his eyes rippling with annoyance.
"What?" He grunts again.
"Destroy the camera. Do it. Now." He is strong, and he struggles with the compulsion I use. Finally, I win the war, and his sharp eyes glaze over. I step back as he gets off the ladder and reaches into his toolbox. I watch as he winds back and hear as the hammer he holds connects with the lens. A crack rings through the space. I know I am playing dirty, but this is a desperate time. With more time, I could have come up with something much more efficient and less risky. Unfortunately, I did not have this luxery.
A wave of dizziness washes through me. The compulsion I have used in the last few weeks is extrodinary, and it is wearing me down. I have been practicing, in case I would ever need it, but it was only small things, not to this degree.
When the world rights itself, I see the scattered pieces of metal lying at the base of the ladder. I smile, and compel him to forget what he has seen. I leave the building feeling tired and slightly nauseous, but with a overwhelming sense of relief and triumph.