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Here's the next chapter!

Chapter Ten

DIMITRI P.O.V

I HAD TO SEE HER again. And not just in a dream, like yesterday. Even though I was grateful to Adrian for doing what he did, I needed to find Rose and bring her home. I walked as fast as I could without my stride turning into a run. If anyone was going to be able to find Rose, it would be Sydney.

Lissa had been on edge ever since we had arrived back to Court. Her eyes had filled with tears when she realised that Rose had not returned with us, and if not for Christian's support, I think she would have broken down there and then. And I know that I would have joined her.

But as the new Queen, she suppressed her emotions and told us that she could hide Sydney and Zoe from the public's eye. She organised a small building for them to stay in that was at the back of the estate, hidden behind a line of thick, luscious greenery. She also gathered all the supplies Sydney needed for her spells, and promised that she'd do everything in her power to get Rose back.

We had all been going about things as normally as possible, but the truth was, we were all numb. We couldn't allow ourselves to even think for a moment that we might never find Rose. For me, it wasn't even an option.

After I was satisfied that no-one had followed me, I entered the world of greenery and headed towards the small, worn down wooden house that had been forgotten about by most.

I had almost reached tattered looking door when I heard shouting from inside.

"You need to stop this Adrian!"

"I can't! I can't just sit idly by, especially after they helped me get you back!"

"But you'll lose yourself in the process! I can already see Spirit starting to effect you! If you don't stop…"

Sydney's voice trailed off, and I decided to knock before I overheard anymore. It wasn't right to eavesdrop.

Adrian was the one who opened the door. The moonlight reflected on his face, revealing dark circles under his eyes. His skin was paler than usual too.

"Belikov," he muttered, and nodded in greeting.

I returned the gesture, and then slipped inside, closing the door behind me.

Sydney stood nearby, leaning against the old stair railings that led up to the bedrooms Lissa had set up for their stay. She held up her hands before I could speak.

"I know what you're going to ask Dimitri, but I'm sorry. I still can't get a hold on her. There's still something blocking me."

"You have to keep trying, please don't give up," I pleaded, walking across the room so I stood in front of her.

"I'm not going to," she mumbled into her palms as she rubbed her eyes. Exhaustion had started to show. "I need a break in between spells though." Her eyes travelled to the top of the stairs. "But when I haven't been doing magic, I've been trying to get Zoe to talk. But she won't say a word."

My fists curled at the memory of when we had discovered that Zoe had been pretending to be Rose. If I had trusted my first instinct when I knew something was wrong, maybe Rose wouldn't be in danger now...

I didn't like Zoe being here with us. Even if she was Sydney's sister, after everything that had happened, she posed a major threat. If she got in contact with the Alchemists, they would be able to claim that we had abducted one of their own and cause a major fight to break out between them and the Moroi. But Lissa had assured me that Zoe had been searched, and nothing had been found on her. And this lodging contained no phone, or computers, so there was no way for her to communicate with the outside world. She also hadn't tried to break free, or do anything suspicious. So even though I didn't like it, I had no choice but to trust that we hadn't missed anything.

Adrian suddenly appeared by my side.

"If Zoe hasn't let anything slip yet, then she's not going to. I think you're right and the Alchemists have re-inked her." Adrian's words reminded me of what Sydney had said on the plane. They must be talking about the Alchemist's Golden Lily tattoo. "You'll just have to focus on finding her with your magic."

"But what if I'm not strong enough? I tried to get a hold of Ms. Terwilliger for help, but she said she can't do any magic for a while as she's too drained. So for now I'm on my own…"

Adrian cupped Sydney's face so their eyes met, and I turned to give them some privacy. And also because I didn't want them to see the pain that I knew would be filled in my eyes. Roza…

"Even if something is blocking you Sydney, you'll be able to break past that. You're so strong, and amazingly talented. You're also the smartest girl I know. You'll find a loophole."

Sydney gasped, and I immediately spun around to find her smiling.

"That's it! A loophole! Why didn't I think of that before! Adrian, you're a genius!" She spluttered out, before charging up the stairs.

Adrian and I exchanged a confused stare, but he was quick to shake of his bewilderment. He started to make his way up the steps, but I stopped him.

"Adrian, can you wait for a moment?"

Cautiously, he turned around and walked back down so that we could face each other.

"What's this about?"

His guard was up, unsure of what I was about to say to him.

That made two of us.

"Thank you," I breathed, managing to find the words. "For helping me see Rose yesterday."

He blinked in surprise. I continued.

"I know that it must have taken a lot of Spirit-"

Adrian snickered.

"Ah, so that's what this is about. I knew you overheard us!"

"Just listen."

He crossed his arms, and gestured for me to continue.

"You've done enough. You were right when you said Sydney will be able to find her. If you keep using Spirit at the same rate you have been, you'll go over the edge."

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

Adrian and I were far from being friends, but he was a good guy. And if Rose were here, she wouldn't let Adrian risk his own life for hers. And neither would I, especially when it was unnecessary. And especially because it wasn't just his life on the line.

"And what about Jill?"

I could see from his face that I had hit a nerve.

He started to speak when Sydney's voice called from upstairs, cutting him off.

"Guys! Get up here, now!"

We raced up stairs to find Sydney sitting next to her sister, on the bed that I hadn't seen Zoe leave for the past few days. I stood there, puzzled, as I watched Zoe frantically scribbling something down on a pad of paper.

"What's going on Sage?" Adrian asked, looking just as confused.

Sydney looked up with excitement.

"I figured out a loophole!"

Zoe passed the pad of paper to her older sister, who quickly read over it, making her smile widen.

Realising that we still hadn't caught on yet, Sydney explained.

"I realised that I had been asking Zoe the wrong questions. Instead of trying to make her talk, and give us information about Rose, I asked her what the Alchemists had instructed her to do when she had been re-inked. But, she still didn't answer. So I went out on a limb and gave her some paper and a pen, and asked her to write down the answers. And she did! Apparently, the Alchemists did re-ink her and her instructions were…"

Sydney glanced down at the pad of paper. "Do not speak to any outsiders until told otherwise, and obey all and any of our commands."

My eyes widened with surprise. I was unaware that the tattoo contained such a power.

"Can she tell us where Rose is?" I questioned eagerly, feeling hopeful for the first time.

Zoe took the paper and pen out of Sydney's hands, and began to write again. A few minutes passed by, and when she was finally done, she gave the pad back to her sister. Sydney read aloud Zoe's reply:

"I can't tell you exactly where she is, as one of their commands was to not reveal the location of the Re-Education Centre. But I can narrow down the search, I just need a map of some sort."

I tensed.

"Forgetting the fact that she was re-inked for a second, she's still on their side isn't she? How can we trust her?" Adrian asked the question that I had been thinking. Sydney glanced at Zoe, who was smiling warmly.

"The instructions weren't the only thing she told me. Zoe also said that she was forced to get a new tattoo, and that she hates our dad for making her risk her own life for his own gain. She said that she can finally see that I'm right to have broken free from the Alchemists, and that she wants to do the same. She's sorry for what she's done, and wants to make up for it."

Zoe grabbed Sydney's hand and leaned into her. "Look, I know what our father is like. He has this aura about him that makes people go to the end of the earth for him. It's like he has his own kind of compulsion. So I believe her."

I don't know what to think. I trust Sydney's judgment, but I can't help but feel that hers is being clouded by her love for her sister. But at the same time, we don't have any other leads. So what did we have to lose?

"Okay." I said, finally caving in to reality. "I'll go get us a map."

"That won't be necessary." Sydney motioned for me to stay, as she reached into her pocket and retrieved her smart phone. "We can use this."

Unlocking her phone, she handed it over to Zoe who began to fiddle with the screen. We all watched as she typed in a location, and zoomed into…

"West Virginia?" Adrian asked in disbelief. "Can't you be a little more specific?"

Zoe shook her head.

I took the phone and stared at the screen. Rose was somewhere here. There was still a lot of ground to cover, but if I left now I could work my way through the towns and see if there had been any suspicious activity…

"Dimitri?"

I snapped out of my daze to see that everyone's eyes were on me.

"What should our next move be?" Adrian question, clearly determined to help despite our earlier conversation.

"You guys stay here, and keep working on spells to find out Rose's exact location," I explained as I handed Sydney back her phone and moved towards the stairs. "In the meantime, I'm going to try things the old fashioned way."

Before any arguments broke out, I sped down the steps and walked out the door. It was time I made use of Lissa's promise. With the help of the Guardians, a witch on our side, and an actual location to start investigating, things were finally looking up.

As I hastily walked to the throne room to find Lissa, I remembered the way Roza's lips had felt the last time we kissed, and how I had wanted to tell her how much I loved her. But the dream had ended too soon. I remembered the warning she had given me, and the anxious look in her eyes as I ignored it.

That couldn't be the last time I saw her.

I had to find Rose, no matter what it meant losing in the process.

A/N:

Here comes Dimitri! But will he be able to track down Rose? And is he heading into a trap?

Remember to R&R! :D

Next chapter will be up soon!