Alexei Pavlov was a self-righteous prick.
As soon as Lissa had convinced me to stand down, Guardian Mega-Hulk had donned a sardonic smile, as if he knew every move I'd ever planned on making. As soon as we'd been herded onto the aircraft, he had moved to separate Lissa and I, "lest we try to form an escape plan". Never mind the fact that we had been.
Uncharacteristically, I chose to stay quiet the entire trip. The guardians around us were more than happy not to test my resolve, leaving me alone for the majority of the flight.
For that, I was thankful. It left more time to stew in my own raging emotions as I considered that possible dangers that lay in wait for us at the academy.
Once the plane landed, we were quickly shuffled into separate SUVS, each of us encircled by guardians. It seemed like over kill, but this was, of course, the moment we had figured would be our chance of escape. Alexei flashed that smirk at me as if to say he knew as much. There was no use in moving forward with a half baked plan.
The highway from the airport had given way to the academy's thickly wooded driveway which had in turn given way to its wrought iron fencing and imposing gothic architecture. With the setting sun tucked behind the surrounding mountains, signaling the start of the vampiric day, the stone was washed in pink and orange. I had forgotten how beautiful the school could be.
Beautiful and filled with unknown dangers.
We exited the vehicles and I addressed Guardian Pavlov for the first concrete time since he had struck me off my feet this morning.
"Are you taking us to Kirova?"
Whether or not he was going to respond to me didn't matter. I was quick to recognize exactly which doors they were leading us to, both confirming the answer to my question and causing a tinge of bitterness creep into me. It may have been a few years since I had been at the academy, but this route was branded into my mind a while ago.
"Is there a reason you had to take this way?" I asked, louder this time.
No one attempted to answer me as they opened the doors and a sea of eyes slowly flickered our way.
They had lead us straight into the commons. During breakfast.
I used the half-second of reprieve to square my shoulders, sling on a haughty smile, and try to focus anywhere except for the sea of novices and Moroi faces that burned through us now. A glimpse into Lissa's feelings told me she was doing the same – though with less proudness and more attention to her own feet.
Headmistress Kirova's office stood at the end of a long hallway that ran perpendicular to the commons. Our fellow students probably could have watched us all the way to the end of the hallway, and it was likely they did.
We were shuffled into her office, the heavy wooden door slamming to shut us in, cutting off any whispers that had risen behind us. Of our escort, only Alberta, who was in charge of guardian operations at the school, and Alexei stayed. They took their traditional places along the wall, silent and seeming to take in everything and nothing at once.
Kirova turned towards us, eyes blazing. I could see the wheels turning in them, preparing to unleash a speech she had no doubt been perfecting over the past several years since we had escaped, one that was sure to win awards.
Despite Kirova's relatively young age for a Moroi – whose longevity exceeded humans and guardians by several years – I had loosely held onto some hope that she had croaked in the time we were away. Evidently that was too much to ask.
A gentle voice spoke before she could.
"Vasilisa."
We had swept into the room without even seeing him, something I could nearly scream at myself for missing. Some future guardian I was.
Prince Victor Dashkov reached out from a nearby chair, grabbing onto a cane which he used to push himself up and out of it.
"Uncle," she gasped, throwing her arms around him, careful not to knock him off balance. I could feel her empathy flowing into me, a warm golden glow bubbling to the surface. If only she could help him.
"You have no idea how glad I am that you are safe, Vasilisa." He patted her back, straightening himself and turned to me. "You too, Rose."
I thought about reaching out to grasp his hand, not knowing how else to approach him, but settled for a nod from where I stood. It seemed as though he would crumble in my grasp. My heart broke. Once a stately individual that our society could have championed as king, Victor was afflicted by a rare Moroi condition that was causing him a quick and withering decline.
His daughter, Natalie, was in our grade at St. Vladimir's, painfully his shadow. He had moved into guest housing on campus just after the car accident, dedicating his limited time to being around Natalie as well as to looking over Lissa. Once a close confidant of the family, his familiarity and proximity had soothed Lissa since her loss.
After a few more moments, Kirova cleared her throat, making it more than clear that the pleasantries had overstayed their welcome.
Her lecture for Lissa didn't disappoint. With my own intimate knowledge of Kirova's reprimanding, I had half a mind to say it was one of her best. She brushed on everything: family honor, educational commitments, recklessness… and on.
It was easy for me to concentrate on the paperweight on her desk, tuning out everything I was sure I would hear haunting Lissa's thoughts in the coming weeks.
At my own name, I tuned back in.
"And you, Miss Hathaway. Of all the irresponsible things you have gotten up to in your time at this academy, this has got to be the lowest of them all. You have broken the base promise of our kind. Guardians protect Moroi. Guardians don't kidnap them and go gallivanting around the country, offering the last Moroi of her bloodline up to the Strigoi like fodder."
Lissa's emotions welled up inside her, but she spoke levelly, voice verging on the edge of compulsion. "Rose didn't force me to into anything. I wanted to go – I insisted on going. She's not to blame here."
As if she was actually listening, Kirova scoffed, leaving her chair to look out the window of her office.
"Miss Dragomir, I don't care if you orchestrated the entirety of the plan from creation to implementation. As a novice, it was her responsibility to stop it from ever happening. She could have notified people before you acted. Her duty is to keep you safe."
I snapped, all the stewing I had done over the past few hours welling up inside of me. I was out of my chair in seconds, Alexei and Alberta shifting away from their places on the wall. They were probably readying themselves in case they had to restrain me.
"I did my duty! I kept her safe. I got her out of here when no one at this goddamn academy were even trying to. I took her away because she wasn't safe here, I did my duty."
From the bond, I could feel Lissa trying to calm me, sending soothing messages. I was a lost cause.
Kirova looked at me as such, unphased and making her way to sit on the edge of her desk. "Miss Hathaway. Do tell. Why was a magically-warded facility with experienced guardian protections less safe than living on the run with a half-trained novice? Please, enlighten me."
I couldn't. It was too much.
She smirked at my response, or lack thereof. "Exactly as I suspected. Having avoided the consequences for the destruction you caused here just before your escape, my decision is made. You, Princess Dragomir, must continue here at the Academy for the safety of yourself and your bloodline."
"Unfortunately," she continued, dripping in sarcasm. "We have no such obligations to you. We have made arrangements for you to be sent away, immediately."
I wanted to jump to my feet again, fight the resolution, defend myself. But my throat was bone dry. I struggled to catch my breath.
Suddenly, a commotion could be heard out in the hallway – raised voices, no doubt of guardians, opposing another, increasingly indignant. I saw Alberta and Alexei, in my peripheral vision, readying themselves for the doors to open, hands posed near their stakes as if any second a strigoi might stroll in after making pleasantries with the outside guards.
A man I had never seen before strode through the doors. He wore an ostentatious maroon velvet suit, a yellow and gold silk scarf, and – if I squinted – I swore I could see a gold hoop in at least one of his ears. I caught Lissa's eye and, in addition to the lingering fear and shock I could feel pouring through the bond, they held confusion.
"So terribly sorry that I'm late. What have I missed?" His deep voice was accented, though not in the same way as Alexei's, and it was clear that he knew exactly what he had come into.
Kirova, for once, was nearly speechless. "Uhm, excuse me," she stammered out. "I don't know how you got in here or who you are but-"
"Ibrahim Mazur," he said, reaching forward between Lissa and I to grab her hand, squeezing one between both of his hands and holding them far too long for my preference.
The action did nothing to help Kirova's wide-eyed stare. If anything, they grew wider. "Mr Mazur, your reputation precedes you. I can be available to meet with you following this meeting, but I have to insist that we get this one tied up before then."
"Headmistress Kirova, you may call me Abe," he started, settling into an unoccupied seat next to me and crossing his legs in an over-stated gesture. "I will have you know that I was sent for as a part of this meeting."
"Mr Ma- Abe," she corrected herself. "That is simply impossible."
"Not at all. You sent for Rose's parental guardian and, as her mother is occupied with Lord Szelsky, I came in her place."
The room fell silent as he turned to catch my wide, confused eyes. What the hell was going on?
"I can assure you," the man continued, "that the wellbeing of my daughter has a great deal to do with me."
I felt Lissa's alarm and could feel her eyes snap to look at me. I didn't break Abe's eye contact, and it hit me. I was looking into my own eyes.
