If you're an Adrian fan, this chapter is for you.

45. Friends and Foes

(Mikhail POV)

After my Spirit dream with Sonya I fell into the first solid sleep I'd had in years, but the much-needed rest was cut short by the sound of a knock at my door. I rose hurriedly, afraid I'd slept through my alarm and missed the start of my next shift, before realising I'd only been asleep for an hour. Damn. I got up from bed and stumbled tiredly across the living room to see who had chosen this moment to disturb my sleep.

A young Moroi was standing in the doorway. His deep green eyes were slightly blood-shot from weariness and (by the smell of him) a long night of drinking. Normally a snappy dresser, the man's clothes were crumpled as if he'd fallen asleep in what he was wearing, and I could tell by his dishevelled appearance and strained expression that he was not at his best.

'Lord Ivashkov,' I greeted him with a handshake, wracking my sleep-deprived brain trying to figure out why he was here.

The man raised an eyebrow at my equally rumpled appearance. 'Really, Mikhail? We've organised and carried out a prison break together – I think that puts us on a first name basis, don't you?'

'Sorry, Adrian,' I mumbled with a wry grin, hiding a yawn as I opened the door wider for him to come inside. 'Old Guardian habits die hard and you're still royalty, no matter how hard you try to behave to the contrary.'

The tall Moroi sauntered past me straight into my tiny kitchen and began opening a few cupboards. 'You got anything to drink in here?' he asked casually, continuing his search.

'Just some medicinal scotch in the bathroom cabinet,' I answered, closing the front door and following him into the room. I used to enjoy a drink or two with Don after work but my schedule didn't allow it these days.

'Maybe I'll just wait till I get home,' he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

I didn't think Adrian normally had a problem with drinking scotch, and the idea that even he had a limit was surprising to say the least.

'So, what brings you here this morning?' I asked my visitor, indicating for him to sit on the couch before setting about fixing myself a cup of tea.

'Just checking in to see if you got anywhere with Joe yet,' he drawled nonchalantly, refusing the offer of a chair in favour of hopping up to sit on the counter-top to watch my progress around the kitchen.

Joe. So that's what this was about. Ever since Rose was charged with the murder of Queen Tatiana, Princess Vasilisa had been desperately trying to find a way to clear her friend's name. While Vasilisa's involvement in the monarch elections left her with little time to spare, she and her friends Adrian, Christian and Eddie were conducting their own private investigation into the case and had stumbled across some shocking new evidence.

Lissa and the boys recently discovered that Joe Senkin, a key witness at Rose's trial, had provided false testimony to the Court that ultimately led to Rose's guilty verdict. If the Moroi Council learnt of Joe's perjury there was a chance that Rose might be granted a retrial, but unfortunately Lissa's 'evidence' wouldn't be admissible in Court as it had been acquired under compulsion.

Eddie volunteered to track down the false witness and acquire the information another way, but Lissa realised the word of a junior Guardian whose conduct was already under review wouldn't be taken very seriously by Hans or the Moroi Council. Abe couldn't help out this time either because, as Rose's father, he would be seen as having a vested interest in the case, and while Tasha Ozera was keen to offer her assistance, the Ozera name no longer carried much influence at Court. (Besides which, Tasha's radical political views and out-spoken nature probably wouldn't do Rose any favours in a room-full of conservative royals.)

That's when Rose's friends turned to me. As far as the Moroi Council were concerned, I had no personal connection to Rose, and if I did uncover any useful information I would be able to report it directly to the Captain of the Guard. I was the perfect candidate for the job.

'Well, about that…' I began, feeling slightly guilty as I glanced up from stirring my drink. 'I've been meaning to catch up with Joe, but Hans has had me working around the clock. But don't worry,' I added hastily. 'I'm on a break until midnight now so I will make that my priority for today and report back to you by seven or eight at the latest.'

Adrian nodded in thanks then became lost in his own thoughts, his mood unusually sombre.

'So, have you had any other leads?' I enquired, to fill the awkward silence.

My guest blinked a few times as he returned his focus to my question. 'Well, there are plenty of political motives for the murder,' he answered finally. 'We discovered that Aunt Tatiana was secretly trialling a radical form of combat training for Moroi, which would have ruffled more than a few feathers if the news got out… And she only supported the Guardian age law as a way of stalling the more extreme factions who hoped to make Guardian training compulsory for all Dhampirs.'

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I always thought Queen Tatiana had been conservative in her social views but clearly I hadn't given her enough credit – the old woman had been playing the political game very craftily.

'But aside from the obvious political motives,' Adrian continued, 'we've also been following up on the possibility that the murder was a crime of passion.' He paused to shudder dramatically. 'You can't imagine how disturbing it has been hearing all the sordid details of my aunt's love life.'

'Youch!' I grimaced at the thought. There were some things you didn't need to know about your family members, and intimate details of their sex-life was definitely one of them.

Adrian's face was sour as he went on with his explanation. 'Everyone knows about Tatiana's affair with her Dhampir toy-boy Ambrose, but we uncovered another connection to a Moroi named Blake Lazar – the creep. Last night a few of us met up with Blake over drinks at the Burning Arrow and he spent the whole time trying to deflect attention away from himself by trying to incriminate as many other people as he could.' There was a bitter tone to Adrian's voice that put me on the alert.

'Like who?' I asked carefully.

'Well, Ambrose to start with… but now Lissa's got it into her head that maybe the murderer was actually a woman who was involved with Ambrose and didn't like sharing him with Tatiana.'

'Hmmm… interesting theory,' I replied thoughtfully. 'Did you get any names from Blake?'

There was a brief silence from Adrian and I thought he wasn't going to continue, but he eventually opened his mouth to speak. 'Marta Drozdov and Mirabelle Conta were mentioned, among others,' he answered darkly.

'Which others, exactly?' I pressed him, sensing he was still holding something back.

'Daniella Ivashkov,' he hissed out.

My eyes widened in shock at the familiar name.

'Yes, my dear mother,' Adrian continued bitterly. 'I've had a few hours to think about it, and maybe, just maybe, I can understand why she might have had an affair with Ambrose – Dad is a complete bastard after all – but she's not capable of murder, I swear! She's my mum for God's sake!' he finished, his voice strained with emotion.

The man couldn't sit still a moment longer, jumping down from the counter-top to pace around the lounge room like a caged animal.

'I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, Adrian,' I followed him to sit on the couch, hoping my passive tone of voice would keep his anger from escalating any further. 'This is only one potential lead to consider. If it was a crime of passion it could have been Marta or Mirabelle, or even another woman we haven't found out about yet. And that's assuming we aren't barking up the wrong tree entirely – it might have been a political motive after all.'

The Moroi eyed me sharply then a faint look of relief crossed his face before the tiredness and stress returned once more. 'I just hope you're right,' he replied dejectedly, coming around to slump on the couch beside me.

'Is there something else on your mind?' I asked carefully, turning slightly to face him as I took a sip of my tea.

Adrian and I weren't close friends by any means but we'd met a few times now and I was concerned by this uncharacteristically negative mood. Most people saw the Ivashkov lord as just another party animal who liked to have too much of a good time, but I realised there was a darker reason behind his alcohol abuse and devil-may-care attitude. I'd only met a few Spirit users in my lifetime, but they all seemed to struggle with the darkness that came with their gift; Sonya had coped better when we were together, and Lissa had her bond with Rose, but as far as I was aware Adrian was managing the effects of Spirit alone.

The Moroi threw me a calculating look before he shrugged his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.

'I wouldn't say I've had the best few days,' he breathed glumly, propping his feet up on the coffee table and rubbing his tired eyes. 'This Spirit gig is a real bitch,' he continued after a pause. 'I wouldn't normally talk about it, but you understand, don't you Mikhail? What Sonya went through?'

I nodded and gripped the handle of my cup a little tighter. Sonya. Oh my God - the dream. She was Moroi again. Maybe she'd arrive at Court today? My Sonya... Wait. Focus. There's a Moroi royal right here who needs me too – they come first. I returned my attention to Adrian, hoping he hadn't noticed my lapse in concentration.

'It's normally easy enough to control the darkness with a bit of self-medication,' he continued, downing an imaginary cocktail by way of illustration, 'but when the shit really hits the fan… things just… get on top of me a bit, I guess.'

'Have you got anyone close for support? Friends? Family?' I suggested.

'Lissa's great and she obviously gets the Spirit thing, but she's pretty tied up with her own worries at the moment,' he answered. 'Dad's an arsehole, and Mum tries her best to be there for me but she doesn't really understand what's going on. And then there's Rose...' he petered off, staring blindly into the distance.

'So how are things working out with you two?' I probed lightly. All the time Rose had been searching for Dimitri I'd been under the impression that the two Guardians were in a relationship, but current rumours at Court put Rose and Adrian together. It wasn't really any of my business but it would be a lie to say I wasn't a little bit curious.

'It's… complicated,' he finally replied, running a hand through his messy brown hair. 'She's an amazing woman… and an absolute fox,' he smiled to himself before his expression sobered again, 'but sometimes she's so strong and independent I don't think she really needs me like I need her. We've definitely got a strong connection, but between the pressure of the murder investigation and the added complication that her ex happened to come back from the dead a few weeks ago, things have gotten a little… weird.'

'Ouch – that's rough,' I sympathised when he'd finished. I felt like I'd been through the wringer lately but clearly I wasn't the only one so badly affected by all this upheaval. I thought for a moment, trying to find some words of comfort or advice. 'Well, at least Rose is safe for now with Dimitri and Abe's Alchemist friend Sydney – wherever Abe arranged for them to wait it out,' I offered, 'and with this new evidence from Joe we should have a good chance of gaining a pardon for Rose, and then you two will have an opportunity to work things out together.'

'Sure… maybe,' Adrian responded noncommittally, but he sat up a little straighter, encouraged by the thought of reuniting with his girlfriend. 'Well, thanks for the chat, Mikhail,' he made a move to go, unfolding his long legs from the coffee table and standing up.

'What are friends for?' I smiled at him tiredly, stifling another yawn as I walked him to the door.

'Well, I'll talk to you later – after we've both had a proper sleep, and maybe a shave,' Adrian shot a meaningful glance at my rumpled hair and five o'clock shadow then headed back to his own apartment.

When I was finally alone again I returned to bed and slept fitfully for six hours before my alarm went off and I got up to proceed with my interrogation of the Moroi janitor, Joe Senkin.

He wasn't difficult to crack in the end. (I normally found that most people were willing to talk with even the mildest suggestion of physical violence.) It turned out the reason that Joe had been so convincing lying under oath was because he honestly couldn't remember the exact details about when he'd seen Adrian or Rose the night of the murder. He figured there was no harm accepting a bribe from Daniella Ivashkov in exchange for providing an alibi for her son Adrian - after all, it didn't hurt to have a royal family in your debt. And when another Moroi offered him a large sum of money to incriminate Rosemary Hathaway he had no problem speaking out against 'that murdering bitch' - everybody knew she did it anyway, so why not take the cash and get some personal benefit out of this whole thing?

When I returned to my flat half an hour later, I listened back to the recording I'd taken on my phone several times, checking to see I hadn't missed any important clues. Without a name for the anonymous Moroi it wasn't the strongest evidence, but I hoped the Moroi Council would consider it enough to warrant further investigation - and convince them to postpone the execution order that had been put out on Rose.

I'd planned to find Adrian immediately and let him know how the meeting with Joe had gone, but work got in the way as usual. (One of the Guardians on duty in HQ had gone home sick and I was called in early to cover for him.) Resigning myself to another long - and hopefully uneventful - shift, I decided to catch up with Adrian later on my break. It was about 8:30pm by the time I finally got the chance to duck out of the office, and I was enjoying the short walk to the Ivashkov royal quarters when I was alerted by an unusual sound coming from a few streets back in the residential area for 'common' Moroi and Dhampirs.

My Guardian instincts kicked in at the sound of a man's shout, and I dashed towards the noise as more grunts and yells rung out. I was nearly on the scene when a woman's scream pierced the night air, and I rounded the final corner to see a Moroi on the ground lying in a pool of his own blood. Eddie Castile knelt above the body with a bloodied silver stake in his hand, rising up warily as the sound of fast approaching footsteps echoed towards us. Guardians rushed in from all directions, immediately jumping to the conclusion that the young Dhampir with the stake was a murderer and a threat. Within seconds, Eddie was pinned roughly against a wall, and the stake was pried from his fingers. A beefy Guardian cuffed the struggling prisoner on the jaw to subdue him and Eddie finally gave up his attempts to escape, sagging weakly against the strong hands that held him in place.

Nobody seemed to pay any attention to the woman who stood off to one side, pleading for the Guardians to release their captive. But I did. Princess Vasilisa was cowering in the shadows flanked by Adrian and Christian, and I rushed to their side, my thoughts racing wildly as I struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

'Are you alright, Princess Vasilisa?' I enquired immediately, but it was Christian who stepped forward to answer.

'No, she's not,' he choked out harshly. 'Nobody's alright. That piece of shit lying in the street just tried to murder Lissa, and now your Guardian buddies are taking Eddie away in handcuffs for killing the scum that attacked the princess,' he practically shouted out of fear and anger.

'Follow me,' I instructed the trio, taking control of the situation. No matter how unjust Eddie's arrest was, we could sort out the finer details later – my first priority was getting Vasilisa to safety, and I didn't want to take any chances of a second attack. Christian, Adrian and I surrounded the princess in a protective knot and ushered her back to her quarters as quickly as possible. When we arrived at the royal apartment we were met by Janine Hathaway at the door, and after I gave her a quick debrief she sprang into action, performing a sweep of the rooms to make sure the place was secure before ushering the frightened young woman inside.

The tough little Guardian returned after a few minutes to report back to me, stepping out into the hallway where I'd posted myself as lookout. ''Thank you, Mikhail,' she said gravely. 'I'll take it from here – you go back to headquarters and let Hans know the princess is safe.'

I nodded in acknowledgement and set off at a jog. I'd just entered the main office of HQ and pushed past a small crowd of Guardians who had gathered in the lobby, when the phone at the front desk rang. The man who'd taken over for me when I'd gone on my break was busy shouting into his own phone, so I grabbed the receiver just before it rang out.

'HQ. Mikhail speaking,' I barked out above the noise in the overcrowded office.

'This is Guardian Dyatlov from retrieval team three,' a deep, commanding voice came through. 'Captain Croft isn't answering his phone and I need you to get an urgent message through to him.'

'Proceed,' I replied, grabbing a pen a paper.

'We've located the fugitives Rosemarie Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov,' the Guardian instructed. 'My team is heading in now to kill or capture. We anticipate a result in the next thirty minutes but request back-up from any available Guardians in the area as a precaution.'

Christ. My pen stopped in mid-sentence, digging into the page.

'Did you hear me, man?' the Guardian snapped impatiently.

'Yes. Yes – I've got the message. I'll find Hans immediately and have him call you with any further instructions,' I stumbled over my reply. 'Where are the fugitives now, exactly?'

'We've found them in Ann Arbor, Michigan,' the man replied curtly before hanging up in my ear.

Ann Arbor? I thought frantically as I made my way down the corridors in search of Hans. Why was that name so familiar?

I stopped in my tracks when the penny suddenly dropped. I'd been there once before – when I was hunting for Sonya. That was where her cousin Emily Mastrano lived.

Then a far more worrying thought crossed my mind. If Rose was somehow the one who managed to bring Sonya back to life, then it was possible – likely even – that they were still travelling together. And right now, an elite team of Guardians were on the way to their location… to kill or capture.

Run, Sonya. I whispered aloud, not caring if anybody heard me. Just run.

Author's Note:

I started this chapter unsuccessfully a few times before finally settling on the idea of using Adrian as the central character. So glad I did as it was actually pretty cool to imagine how Adrian might open up to the boyfriend of another Spirit user.

I really wanted to get a Tasha reference in there when I mentioned Abe, but didn't quite manage it. If I'm editing though the week I'll try to tweak & add a quick cameo.

Anyway, off to bed. Posting the next chapter on the weekend hopefully!

P.S. Sorry about the cliff-hanger!