Sorry for not updating. If you're looking for someone to blame, I'd blame my computer. It died. You can also blame the weather. That killed it.
I'd also like to take this time to confess this chapter did not turn out as well as I'd hoped it to have done.


"What's new, then?" I asked as I flung my bags down onto my desk. The day had ended and we were in the canteen eating dinner. I'd chosen to stick, faithfully, to my seat with Anton at the back of the room, despite the offers that I'd received to sit elsewhere. It amazed me how 'popular' I'd become at this place in such a short time, and reminded me of how petty people could be. It was all about reputations. Once you were deemed 'cool', everyone wanted to be around you. Also, I'd sworn to myself that I'd not get too attached to people around here, since I'd decided I'd re-enrol back at St. Vladimir's once I'd sorted stuff out here.

Anton looked up at me as I sat down and gave me a tired smile.

"You'll love this one: the queen's coming down." My jaw dropped.

"You what now?"

"Yeah. She's heard about the resistance we Moroi have got going, and... well, I'm sure you've guessed she doesn't like it. She seems to be developing a lot of hatred for anyone who encourages Moroi to fight back against Strigoi. Even if," he added as I opened my mouth to curse the woman, "they themselves are willing to fight."

"But why's she coming down?" I whined.

"Because what she says goes. And also..." he flinched, as if he'd already anticipated telling me this wouldn't sit well with me.

"She knows I'm here," I breathed. Then I swore.

"Yeah." Anton looked quite forlorn.

"Damn. She'll give me hell."

"I know."

*

Queen Tatiana's arrival was not widely appreciated by any of the Guardians or the Moroi. Just before she'd been due to arrive, Valik could be seen striding around the campus cursing her, with several Moroi in tow who were all nodding solemnly and whispering hushed agreements.

They lined up by the entrance though, in a formal welcome that did seem very genuine to the unsuspecting outsider. The angered, agitated moods seemed to have been dimmed for the purpose of the arrival of the Queen, as a sleek black limousine pulled up, looking terribly alien in this setting.

Tatiana stepped out, and cast an almost disgusted look across the grounds, rooted where she was on the spot. Her personal guard hovered in the background. Her eyes flickered past me briefly before returning to land on me, as though she'd been trying to pick me out. A look of pure distaste crossed her expression. Anton, standing beside me frowned and shifted slightly.

The Queen danced towards us. She made everything about the poise and elegant Moroi grace somehow detestable; made it look so perfect that it thus became flawed.

"Miss. Hathaway," she sneered disdainfully, upon reaching me.

"Your majesty," I returned, refusing to meet her stare.

"I see you've seen sense, then. I see it's finally occurred to you that the likes of yourself could never, in any way, be qualified or responsible as you'd need to be to guard the only heir of the Dragomir line. Were you a more respectable person, I'd almost be inclined to thank you."

"That's not what this is about," I told her coldly. "I have every intention of returning to my post after I'm done." Tatiana laughed loudly, and without mirth.

"Of course. You're here to... avenge your mentor, wasn't it? And good riddance. I'm sure that you couldn't be good for much better." She drifted off quickly, before I could reply. I stared at the floor, scowling, trying to hide my upset expression. A few of the nearby students shot me sympathetic looks. Further up the line, Tatiana had stopped by Valik and was now intent on attacking him. Valik stood his ground, though, and wore an expression of grim satisfaction when the damned woman flounced off in an enraged manner to unleash her wrath on her next unfortunate victim.

Anton was staring up at the guest quarters where Tatiana would later be staying. He wore an unreadable expression on his face.

*

"Well Rose, I'm now almost certain you've used every single known American expletive in existence within the past five minutes. Congratulations; that must be some sort of record."

I glared over at where the queen sat, with a scornful, sour expression. Valik smirked. "I'm wondering when you'll eventually bully someone into teaching you all of our ones."

The dining hall was unsurprisingly more empty than usual. Tatiana had demanded that a select few — the select few she wanted to be there — attended, and that was all. The rest were allowed out into the local towns to eat, save for the Moroi who had already crammed into the feeding rooms before they were banished off along with the dhampir students.

I sort of wondered why I was here, eating in the presence of the bitch herself. It seems sort of clichéd that Valik and I, and Anton were all three invited to eat with her, since she had established her strong hatreds for both Valik and I. As for Anton, I wasn't sure how he'd wound up being asked to eat with the 'select few', but he hadn't bothered to show up for it. Typical of him, it seemed.

As if Valik had been reading my mind, he turned around and asked me where Anton was. I shrugged.

"Why should I know? He probably couldn't be asked." Valik frowned.

"That doesn't sound like him. He may be annoying, rude, arrogant and slightly useful, but he knows when to respect his superiors." He glanced towards the Queen in dismay as he said this.

We moved on to discuss various other trivial things, after that, though we all wanted to know when Tatiana would come over and harass us about the resistance. In the few hours since she'd arrived, she'd managed to hear of my involvement with the Moroi Warrior group, which was pretty much just my luck. Another thing for her to hate me for.

Valik stopped eating, and sniffed the air slightly.

"Can you smell burning?" he asked me suddenly. His brow was wrinkled in concern.

"I um... oh. Oh God. Yeah I can. Not too far off, either."

A Guardian burst into the hall, earning the attention of everyone in it. He scanned it, and then his eyes rested on Valik. He hurried over.

"I thought you ought to know," he whispered, the urgency in his voice blatant, "that someone's set the Queen's room on fire." Valik cursed.

"Do we know what happened?"

"Actually, we do. We've got the fire under control. And the... culprit... is sitting in your office waiting for you. It's going to be hell to explain, though, isn't it?"

"It is. And I think I know who's behind this." He sighed, tiredly. "Right. Time to go and explain this one, then."

*

A couple of hours later, I was called to Valik's office. Tatiana was there, waiting for me instead of Valik. I started when I saw her, and then started cursing under my breath.

"I suppose you think this is funny," she snapped, once I'd closed the door.

"Sorry?"

"Oh! Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. My room was set on fire."

"I heard about that... Your Majesty."

"I bet. You masterminded it, didn't you?" I paused.

"Huh?"

"Your little boyfriend was behind the whole thing. The one standing next to you this morning when I arrived."

"He and I aren't dating," I told her icily. "I don't care who you are, but I'm not going to stand here and be accused of burning down your room."

"Of course. I've heard things about you. You sound like the type to get passed around, like a filthy blood whore."

Valik burst into the room.

"That is quite enough," he thundered. Nadejda stalked in after him, and nodded towards me before fixing a cold stare on the Queen.

"I've seen an awful lot of things, Tatiana Ishakov," she said. Her tone was low, sinister, and held a dangerous air to it. "I've seen a lot of futures. But yours..." she laughed. "Your death will be slow and painful. It will be reminiscent of all of the pain that you have caused your subjects during your lifetime. A cloud of death and screaming agony is hanging above your head. Your people beg that you allow them to fight in their rightful place. You deny them this. The deaths you have caused... your ignorance is the root of this evil you seek to destroy. You shall suffer for it."

She turned heel and left, pausing only to call me out after her.


I'm contemplating making some fun, random interval chapters in which I answer some of the questions that have been asked in the reviews, although right now, I can't say I have nearly enough questions to answer. So, PLEASE, ask away!