It's only a short one. Sorry! I didn't want this to get in the way of the next part. Still I hope you're still with me! ^.^

Chapter 5

It was like I was invisible, or mute. Standing in the heart of guardian HQ I was seriously considering using violence to get my message across. I know I must have sounded unhinged; explaining about crazy enchanted water had gone down like a boat with a hole in it. It sunk. But it didn't 'sink in'.

'Perhaps you should take some time off, Rose,' My mother looked concerned, but for all the wrong reasons, 'You've been pulling some long hours protecting the queen, you can't be a one man army.'

She was right, I wasn't a one 'man' army at all. It looked like I was going to be a one 'woman' army however. 'Just, please, will you send someone outside? And see for yourself? Or else just look at the other loopiness happening around court! Drink a glass of water! And Dimitri! He just… He hung up on me!'

I immediately regretting admitting that last part.

'Oh Rose, I knew this was a bad idea.' My mother sighed, putting her hands on her hips before continuing, 'I warned you. You can't let your emotions rule you! You have a royal, the most important royal to protect.' She sighed again, then looking at my companion with a more hopeful expression; 'Let Adrian take you out or something-'

'Mom!' I interrupted, inwardly chastising myself for sounding so whiny, 'Will you please just listen to what I'm saying? There is something wrong with Liss- the queen! She's been cutting again.'

And for the second time I regretted my loose mouth. A veritable SWAT team was scrambled to Lissa's apartments, including my mother. I was left staring at the empty spot where she had stood.

'Do you think that was an overreaction?' I asked Adrian who was hovering somewhere behind me.

'What? You? Overreact?' I flew at him then.

'Not me! The hit squad that emptied out of this room!' Adrian drew nearer and dared to throw an arm about my shoulders. His body was warm and until then I hadn't realised just how cold I was. I shivered and even accepted his coat as I let the cogs turn in my head.

'They're just worried. I'm worried!' He pulled me tighter into his side and I felt a shot of instant guilt for enjoying the pressure of his body. Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri, I repeated in my head as a sort of mantra. I needed to get a grip. Perhaps that nasty water was still effecting me.

'This has to be magic,' I muttered, more to myself, 'But…' I spun about the room, desperately trying to figure something, anything, out. I pulled out my phone and tried Dimitri on a whim that this was all in my head, but it went straight to answerphone. The sound of his deep, rumbly voice, asking to leave a message, made me shiver even more. I had joked about the water being 'Strigoi rain', but that steely sound in voice when he had actually answered earlier was all too familiar. It was still him, but the warm earthiness had disappeared, it was like Novosibirsk all over again. Instinctively I reached up to my neck, the memories of being Dimitri's blood whore were becoming easier to suppress, but sometimes…

'Rose?' Adrian's voice cut through my stasis and I sprang back into myself.

'I'm not waiting here while they all play the 'Rose-is-a-crazy-person' routine. We need answers… Oh!'

It hit me. 'How do you fancy getting your fortune read?'