The ownership of all characters related to and involving the novels of The Vampire Academy and Bloodlines Series remain the sole property of Richelle Mead, the Penguin Group and any affiliates.
No copyrights have been infringed on maliciously.
A/n: Hello again, everyone. It was great to hear from you all about the continuation of ACOTS. I wasn't sure that anyone would still want to continue reading it after a 19-month break, so I was really excited to see the responses.
As promised, the continuation begins with Chapter Twenty-two, which I have split into two parts because the original chapter was just too long. I will try to post every second week, but I don't have the same time as I did before, so it will probably be only once a month.
On a side note, I am personally very happy that the second season of Peacock's Vampire Academy is never going to see the light of day. I cannot actually believe that two different sets of people managed to so completely fuck it up. Admittedly, the series was better than the movie, but like the movie, it deviated too far from the source material. I liked the actors and the diversity of the characters, especially those never focused on before, but that was about it.
Happy reading.
T.
A Conflict of the Soul
Chapter Twenty-Two (Part One)
"Ibrahim! I told you, not here and not now!"
"Janine." He replied softly, almost cajolingly as he turned to smirk at her; unconcerned by her ire or that she was practically shouting at him now. "She knows. Everything is out in the open now, so what difference does it make where it happened? Honestly, why are you still fighting this?"
"Because we agreed to wait until she was older!" She spat angrily.
"How much older must she be?"
"She's only eighteen!"
"If she is old enough to kill Strigoi and pass her Trials, then surely she is old enough to know who her father is."
"This is not the same kind of situation and you know it. You had no right to tell her!"
Sighing, Ibrahim saw his guardians begin to approach, but he shook his head once for them to remain where they were before he smiled indulgently at Janine and almost crooned. "I'm her father. I have every right in the world to tell her." Taking offence to that, Janine again began to angrily berate him. Continuing to loudly squabble, the pair took no notice of the attention they were drawing to themselves or to their daughter.
Their daughter…turning my focus away from them and towards Rose, she was staring at her arguing parents with what could only be described as an expression of frozen horror. I didn't think my own expression was any different as I tried to process the surreal scene playing out before us whilst the phrase continued to tumble around my brain…their daughter.
Ibrahim Mazur: known smuggler, blood-dealer, extortionist and suspected executioner, was the father of the girl I loved.
I had often wondered about the man who had fathered Rose; imagining him as one that was as disinterested in their dhampir children as most Moroi fathers were. Never in my wildest imaginings had I pictured this…him. He was someone who was as different from his daughter as night and day. Yes, we all knew that Rose wasn't above breaking the rules on occasion, but she wasn't a criminal. She had a strong moral compass with a needle that always pointed to the greater good, not one that had a needle that spun to suit its owner's agenda. Not one like his…
Ibrahim Mazur.
Turning my attention to him as he continued to quarrel with Janine, I had another opportunity to scrutinize him without being noticed. The physical resemblance between father and daughter grew stronger the longer I looked. It wasn't just the colouring; it was the way they tilted their heads, the shape of their lips, the way they held themselves…it was a bit unnerving if I was honest with myself because it was like I was seeing an entirely new person when I now looked at Rose. I didn't change how I felt about her; nothing ever would, but I couldn't help but wonder what or who she would see now when she looked in the mirror.
I knew better than anyone how the association of a parent could influence the child.
Swallowing against the uneasy tightening of my throat created by the connection between father and daughter, I had always hoped that once she learnt who he was, she would want to find him, maybe build a relationship with him as an adult, but now that I knew who he was, I no longer wanted that for her. Ibrahim Mazur was a dangerous man who, if even half of what was said about him was true, made enemies everywhere he went. He was as much a marked man as those he himself targeted.
I didn't want him anywhere near her.
Janine obviously felt the same way and continued her angry tirade, though you would have to be deaf to not hear that it had a strong undercurrent of fear. The anger I could understand, but it was the fear that worried me the most. "Have you given any thought to what you've done?" She hissed, looking at Rose –who still had not moved or spoken – with more maternal concern than I had ever seen.
"What have I done?" Ibrahim asked innocently, arching a thick brow.
"Exposed her!"
Exposed? Pulled up short by the word, I didn't like what it implied. Turning slightly towards Rose, the movement was meant to look natural, but it was all about protection, and as I did it, I caught sight of a frowning Lissa from the grandstand. Standing in-between Tasha and Christian, all three of them looked both confused and concerned by the exchange below, and as I watched, they begun to push through the crowd and make their way along the walkway and towards the stairs.
"Come now," Ibrahim scoffed at Janine's concern, drawing my attention back to him. "She is no longer a child and from what I've heard about the incident in Spokane and the attack on the Academy, not to mention the rescue in the caves, she is more than capable of looking after herself."
"I'm not questioning that she can protect herself and those around her from Strigoi, but we both know that with you, it's not just them that are a danger. Now you've put her at risk by openly declaring her as your child in front of hundreds of people."
"There aren't that many around us." He corrected softly, looking about at those milling around; all eager to be part of the unfolding drama even as they viewed him more than a little warily.
"You know it only takes one person to spread a rumour!" Janine gritted from between clenched teeth. "By the end of the day, half of our world will know she's yours."
"Good."
"Good!? Good!?" Janine spat. "You're acting as though you haven't just put her in danger!"
"There is no danger, Janine. Not now. Those we both once feared are no longer a threat." Hardening his voice, the sinister edge to it made my stomach clench. "I took care of that personally when she no more than a few months old."
"Those enemies might not be a threat anymore, but you have made more over the last two decades than anyone can count. Do you even know who they all are? Where they all are? And has it never occurred to you that once they learnt that you had a child – something they would see purely as leverage against you – that they wouldn't hesitate to exploit it?"
"Of course I know who they all are. There isn't anything in my life that I leave to chance. And once they did learn of her, they wouldn't dare to try and use her against me, Janine." Ibrahim reassured her softly, but there was an undertone of menace that couldn't be missed. He truly believed that nothing could touch him or anyone else in his world, but Janine wasn't as convinced.
"You can't know that. You're gambling with my child's life!"
"Again, she is no longer a child, and she is not just yours; she is mine as well. Don't you think that it's time for you to cut the apron strings?"
"She cut those when I was four and she dumped me at the Academy, not that you would know. You were nowhere to be found." Rose flatly ground out; finally finding her voice as the shock receded and anger took its place. Some of the anger would stem from being spoken about as though she wasn't there, but the rest of it would be at the situation she was now in the middle of.
"Of course I knew that you were left here when you were four." Ibrahim countered softly. "Your mother and I discussed it at great length before the decision was made when you were only a few days old…did you really think that I didn't know?" Looking Rose over in a way that was transparently appraising, Ibrahim smiled slightly. "I must say, even bruised and bloody, you are as beautiful as your mother."
Giving her father the once-over in return, Rose didn't bother to hide her disdain at his comment. I had expected a reaction from her once she overcame the shock…excitement, curiosity, maybe even fascination, but all she exuded now was open hostility. Not that anyone could blame her. Maybe if Ibrahim had chosen a more tactful time and place to introduce himself, she might have reacted differently, but dropping this kind of bombshell after just completing her Trials – one of the most important milestones of her career – had only succeeded in enraging her.
Learning that he had apparently known about her since birth wasn't helping either.
Frowning at the unflattering scrutiny he was under, not something I got the impression he was accustomed to, Ibrahim bristled beneath her narrowed gaze, but before he could comment, Rose turned away from him; almost dismissing him before she turned on Janine with a glare. "Is he really my father?"
Taking a deep breath, Janine nodded. "Rose…I know that you are upset, but this isn't the time or place to do this."
"I agree, and yet here we all are." Ignoring her mother's pinched look of displeasure, she asked. "Has he known about me from the start…when I was born, where I was?"
"Rose…"
"No more excuses, no more lies. Tell me the truth, mom!"
Folding her arms over her chest, Janine's mouth straightened into a mulish line. It was obvious that she didn't want to confirm anything that Ibrahim had said, but she also seemed disinclined to lie to Rose any further and found herself in a situation she was unfamiliar with. Holding her daughters unflinching gaze for a few seconds more, she threw a baleful look at Ibrahim before she nodded just once in confirmation.
A flurry of emotions crossed over Rose's expressive face all in an instant…disappointment being the most clearly visible, but there was also hurt there. Hurt at being deliberately kept in the dark by her mother for the last eighteen years. I knew that she had repeatedly asked about him during Janine's fleeting visits, and that Janine had categorically refused to reveal anything. She was too close to the situation to see beyond anything other than her injured emotions right now, but I wasn't. Janine clearly had a reason for doing it…a reason I needed to know about.
Turning away from her mother after a moment in which I saw her visibly grapple to control her emotions, Rose addressed Ibrahim with as much dispassion as she could muster. "If you've known about me all this time, why have you never made contact? Were you never interested in meeting me?"
"Of course I was. You're my daughter; my only child."
Twisting her mouth, Rose snorted softly. "Well that answers any question about siblings. Why did you choose now to introduce yourself? Why not before?"
"Your mother wouldn't allow it until after you graduated. Admittedly, I might have jumped the gun a little, but you're as good as graduated, so here I am."
"Ibrahim!"
"It's the truth, Janine," Ibrahim calmly asserted in response to Janine's protest. "I'm not trying to make you the villain here, but it was your decision."
"And you know damn well why I made it!"
"Why?" Rose barked an interruption at her arguing parents. "Because of what you were saying before? About it not being safe for me? What does any of that mean, anyway?"
"Again, this is not the time or…" Holding out a hand to halt Janine's attempt to cut the conversation short, Ibrahim reached out to briefly rest his hand on her shoulder before squeezed gently. She didn't flinch from the touch, but it did seem to disorientate her slightly.
"It's better to get everything out in the open, Janine, especially if you're so concerned about her safety. They aren't concerns that I share, but as her mother, it's your due. "
"Safety from what?!" Rose demanded again, only beating me to the question by a fraction of a second. I needed to know this as much as she did. I needed to know everything there was about any threat against her. Moving closer to the three, I made no attempt at excusing myself from the conversation; not caring what either of her parents thought of my involvement.
"My…line of work, Rosemarie," Ibrahim began, only briefly glancing in my direction before continuing, "And business interests have made me a very wealthy man, but they have also made rivals out of former business associates and those who have ambitions to succeed me in the future. Some of those associates wouldn't hesitate at the chance to use you as leverage against me to achieve this. I don't want you to be concerned about it, you understand, despite your mothers fears. I have dealt with them." Smiling at Janine with easy charm, the skin over her cheekbones flushed a delicate pink but the effect was ruined by her scowl.
Only vaguely aware of the continuing byplay between them, the questions from before of the threat to Rose were suddenly answered. Powerful men made powerful enemies, and Ibrahim Mazur was no exception. Neither of her parents were wrong in thinking those enemies would use Rose again him, and despite her father's assurances that they were no longer a threat, I didn't share his confidence. Not when Rhonda's warning was suddenly all I could think about.
Up until this point, I had feared that the danger to Rose would have come from Victor Dashkov or Rose herself, but now I had to amend that way of thinking to include her father as the greatest threat. His mere association with her would expose her to dangers she had no way of dealing with; dangers that were more ruthless than any Moroi and more deadly than any Strigoi.
And with this little display, he had all but announced her to the world.
"If I can kill Strigoi, I'm sure that I can handle the scum you associate with," Rose challenged brashly, ignoring the annoyance in his drawn brows. "What exactly is your…line of work?"
"I would rather not say."
"Meaning you're a criminal? Wonderful! Just what I imagined my dad would always be!" Coated thickly with sarcasm, Rose's scornful reaction to her father clearly didn't sit well with him as his frown of annoyance turned into displeasure.
"I would prefer being called father." He stiffly corrected.
"I don't give a damn about what you would prefer," Rose spat furiously. "You show up here, out of the blue, and act like you're doing me some sort of favour by introducing yourself after knowing about me since birth and then tell me what you would prefer! Let me tell you where you can stick your preferences…"
"Rose!"
Turning towards her mother's admonishment; Rose skewered her with a look of equal scorn. "Well done, mom. Brilliant choice for my father. Did you even bother with being selective, or did you just pick the first guy to walk into the room?"
"That is out of line, Rosemarie," Ibrahim barked harshly. "Do not be disrespectful to your mother." Taking an almost menacing step towards her, Ibrahim expression was rigid with outrage. "She doesn't deserve this kind of treatment from you and I won't tolerate it, do you understand?" Saying this as though it was going to make any difference, Ibrahim Mazur was a man who was obviously used to others obeying him without question, but if he was expecting the same kind of blind obedience from his daughter, he was in for a nasty surprise.
Taking a step forward to meet him almost head on, Rose hissed with equal menace. "You, have no right to tell me what to do, father or not." If Rose hadn't been so incensed in the moment, she might have been able to appreciate the interesting dynamic between her parents. They obviously weren't on the best of terms now, but at some stage, their relationship had been important enough to Ibrahim for him to still defend Janine. "You don't have the faintest clue as to what kind of relationship I have with my mother, so don't presume to tell me how to act around her."
Levelling a hardened stare at Ibrahim, Rose's defiance infuriated him as he growled. "You don't talk to me like that either, Rosemarie."
"Apparently I do, old man." Smirking at his visible outrage at being referred to as old, Rose refused to be intimidated by his furious scowl. "I don't care who you are, what you are or what you do. You don't mean anything to me. You don't scare me."
Leaning forward, he smiled in a parody of humour; revealing his fangs. "I should, little girl."
"Both of you, enough!" Janine hissed, looking around uncomfortably at all the attention they were drawing. "If you two insist on continuing this conversation, we need to have it in private." One of those interested onlookers was Alberta, who was rapidly making her way through the crowd to where we stood.
"I agree," Ibrahim agreed, making an effort to be more civil, though if the tight muscles in his face were any indication, the effort had cost him. "There's no need to make a scene."
"If you are so concerned about avoiding a scene, old man, then you shouldn't have chosen to tell me who you were at my Trials!" Rose challenged, not interested in listening to her mother's warning.
"Ah, yes," Ibrahim suddenly crowed, as if the importance of today for his daughter had slipped his mind momentarily or that he and that same daughter hadn't been at each other's throats moments earlier. "Your Trials. Congratulations on passing them, Rosemarie. From where I was watching, I was very impressed by both your skill and ingenuity. That last move on the bridge was brilliant."
"Oh, thank you. Such high praise from a man who knows nothing about me." Sweetly sarcastic, Ibrahim either didn't hear it or chose to ignore it. Looking over him again, it seemed like Rose was cataloguing parts of him that she hadn't given much attention to before. "Well at least now I know where I get my colouring from. What are you…Israeli? Greek?"
Huffing in offence, Ibrahim frowned. "I am Turkish."
"Huh."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"What else do you want me to say? How happy I am to find out I'm half Turkish? I'm not."
"Why not? I come from a long and distinguished line of Moroi. I may not be Royal, but I have a lineage that you should be proud to be a part of. Our family name has an illustrious history behind it and more importantly, it carries power in our world."
"Your world, not mine." Rose sneered. "And in case it slipped your memory, I'm a Hathaway, not a…what was your surname again?"
Lips compressing in irritation, Ibrahim shook his head in exasperation at Rose's deliberate taunting. Turning to directly address me, his dark eyes were fathomless and very hard to read; almost snake-like. Now I understood the moniker of Zmey. It wasn't just because of his underhanded business dealings, but because of the eyes. Rose shared the same colour, but not the same malevolence.
Switching from English to Russian, Ibrahim ignored his daughter for a moment and complained to me that Hathaway women, no matter what their age, were obviously overly emotional and that made them more than just a little bit unreasonable to deal with. Looking quickly at Rose, who understood every word he had just said, the angry flush along her cheekbones highlighted those same eyes; and for a moment, I felt a twinge of sympathy for her father.
Narrowing her eyes, Rose hissed with quiet menace in answering Russian. "We become more unreasonable when we're spoken about like we're not here."
Clearly unconcerned by being caught out, a slow smile of delight transformed Ibrahim's sly features. "Excellent! You've learnt Russian. The next language you will learn will be Turkish. They're very different, but I have no doubt you'll pick up on it quickly enough. Now repeat after me, Rosemarie…"
"I'm not going to repeat after you," Rose ground out between clenched teeth, interrupting him yet again. His mouth flattened in disapproval. Being interrupted – like disobedience – wasn't something that happened to him often. "I don't want to learn Turkish."
"Why not?" Seeming genuinely perplexed, Ibrahim spread his hands in question. "You obviously have an ear for languages."
"Why should I bother learning a language I'm not going to use?"
"For when you visit me of course. Once I publically announce you as my daughter, you'll..."
"No!" Janine all but shouted. "You are not publically announcing her, Ibrahim. It's bad enough that you've insisted on doing this here and that the gossip will spread faster than a virus. Making more of a spectacle of Rose will only do her more harm than good. It's not happening."
"As much as I hate to agree with my mother," Rose added in with an arch of her brows. "She does have a point. I don't want you to acknowledge me in any way either and I'm definitely not fucking visiting you."
Frowning at the defiance and the sudden united front of mother and daughter, Ibrahim spoke with soft menace to the pair of them. "You're both being very stubborn, and that language is unnecessary, little girl."
"Congratulations, old man. That's one more thing you know about me, and whatever language I choose to use, is no concern of yours." Refusing to back down, father and daughter continued to each other antagonistically. Rose, so intent on rebellion didn't seem to notice that Alberta was suddenly standing at her side until she was close enough to touch. Placing a restraining hand on her arm, Rose looked at her with a startled frown before Alberta gently squeezed and faced her parents.
"This is neither the time nor the place for this." Alberta cautioned softly, echoing Janine's earlier words. "This kind of publicity is bad for only one person; your daughter, which neither of you are taking into consideration right now, so this needs to stop, or all the effort of trying to protect her all these years will have been for nothing. Look around you. How many are hearing this? Guardians, Moroi…students?" Uncharacteristically protective of Rose, it wasn't just her actions, but her words that made me realise that she had probably always known who Rose's father was.
It also sparked a memory of a conversation between Alberta and I at Court. She had given me a vague warning about Ibrahim either being a powerful ally or a powerful enemy. At the time, I hadn't understood why she had said it, but now I did…it meant that he already knew about our relationship. The question was how? The only logical answer to that was that he had a spy or spies in the Academy, but who? Aside from Alberta, the only other person who knew about us was Adrian, and I highly doubted he was the informant. He would have no issues throwing me under the bus, but not Rose.
Wracking my brain over the possibilities, there was no one that immediately came to mind and it made me uneasy with the knowledge that despite how careful we had been, it hadn't been enough and that someone I knew and trusted, was betraying us.
"He doesn't much care who hears, Alberta," Janine muttered in disgust. "He's more than happy to expose her to the public."
"Alberta!" Ibrahim exclaimed enthusiastically, ignoring Janine's barb. Opening his arms to embrace her, Alberta neatly sidestepped him; pulling Rose with her and closer to Janine. Not taking the deliberate brushoff personally, Ibrahim looked her over in a way that I took offence to, before smiling with flirtatious charm. "Look at you! You haven't aged a day."
Shaking her head in disapproval at his efforts, Alberta's mouth flattened. "No one here is going to fall for your charms, Mr. Mazur. Least of all me."
"Charms?" Rose snorted rudely. "Is that what you call it?"
"Try to show a little respect, daughter."
Glowering at her father's retort, Rose opened her mouth to retaliate, but Janine impatiently stepped in between them as a buffer. "Rose, enough. Alberta is right." Glancing over her shoulder at those who had caught her attention, Lissa, Tasha and Christian had almost reached us, but their progress was slowed by those in the crowed who knew them. By the looks of it, Adrian was trying to join them, but he was also being distracted by others.
"What's the point in trying to keep anything a secret, mom?" Rose asked softly whilst dealing Janine a look of withering amusement. "Everyone here has already heard all they need to know about our dysfunctional, non-existent family, and honestly, so have I." Turning dismissively to Ibrahim, Rose almost sneered. "Knowing that you are my father makes absolutely no difference in my life, in fact, I would prefer to completely ignore that you even exist, just like you have since I was born, and as for you." Facing her mother again, Rose took a single step towards her. "It's a little too late to start acting like my mother, so thank you for coming to Trials, but I don't want you at the graduation ceremony tomorrow night." Glancing over at Ibrahim again, she narrowed her eyes. "Either of you."
"Rose…"
"No," she sharply cut off her mother's pleading protests and recoiled from her reaching hand. "The pair of you have ruined something that I have worked towards – without either of you around, I might add – my whole life. This was meant to be my moment to prove that I was worthy, that I could be more than just Janine Hathaway's daughter and for a little while it was, but now, no thanks to you two, it will be remembered for anything other than my abilities as a guardian."
Patting Alberta's hand, still on her arm, in a bid to get her to release, she did so with a concerned frown. "Rose, don't do or say anything that you might regret later." She advised quietly, more for Janine's benefit, I felt, than for Ibrahim's. "Once you've cooled off, you might feel differently about…"
"I won't," Rose interjected calmly. Turning away from her parents without a backward glance and ignoring the protests from both of them, Rose caught my eye as she walked away from them. The communication between us was silent, but understood. She wanted me to follow her, but knew that I couldn't. Not right now at least. I would have to bide my time before I could. Hopefully the others wouldn't reach us before I could. I didn't want to have to waste more time with coming up with excuses so that I could talk to her alone.
"Let her calm down, Janine." Alberta consoled, patting her briefly on the shoulder. "There's a chance that she would have changed her mind by tomorrow night and will want you there for the ceremony. Archer is only scheduled to leave on Saturday, so there's still time. She's proud and stubborn, but not petty."
"Yes. Stubborn. Like her father." Rounding on Ibrahim, Janine hissed. "This is your fault. If you had only listened to me, and waited, this wouldn't have happened."
"If I had listened, you would have come up with a dozen more excuses to delay telling her, so I made the decision for you." Shaking his head, Ibrahim glanced towards the direction Rose had disappeared into. Deeply shadowed by the flood lights overhead, only her silhouette was visible. "I admit I could have gone about it with a little more tact, but…"
"Tact?! You?!"
Twisting his mouth sardonically at Janine's retort, Ibrahim sighed. "Sniping at me isn't going to change what's happened, Janine."
"No, you're right. And neither is standing here arguing with you about it, so I'm going to do the only thing that I can do now. I'm going to find my daughter and you," pointing a finger at him as a threat, Janine ferocious glare couldn't be misunderstood. "Are not going to interfere." Fixing an unflinching glare in my direction before Ibrahim could argue, Janine almost growled. "And that goes double for you, Belikov."
"I think we should re-join the others, don't you, Belikov? This is a family matter, after all." Eyeing me with intent, Alberta tried to diffuse the situation before it developed, but as she created a buffer between us, we heard her name being called by a small group of Council members, one of which was Hans. Muttering curses beneath her breath, Albert delayed for a few seconds before excusing herself to join them, but as she did, she skewered me with a warning look that I understood, but was already far too late to do anything about.
Keeping my expression neutral before responding to Janine, I forced myself to be polite when all I felt was impatience at being kept away from Rose. "What goes double for me, Guardian Hathaway?"
"Staying away from my daughter. I thought I had made myself clear about this the last time I was here. In fact, I thought we understood each other perfectly, but that obviously wasn't the case." Reminding me of the conversation and the consequences that had almost cost me Rose, the corners of my mouth tightened in dislike for someone who I had once greatly respected.
Wandering closer with a quizzical brow, Ibrahim stood at her side, but Janine ignored him; unconcerned that he was about to gain first-hand knowledge of a relationship his daughter should never have been in…or was he? If Alberta's previous warnings and my spy theory was correct, he already knew. Watching his reactions now might be the only way I would find out. Janine was playing a dangerous game, but maybe it was better to know for sure how he was going to react to it.
"We did understand each other, Guardian Hathaway, but only because I was stupid enough to allow myself to be manipulated into thinking that way. I won't ever be that stupid again."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning that you tried to convince me that I was the greatest threat to Rose's career; that I was putting her in jeopardy by continuing a relationship with her, but that's not true. I understand that you were only trying to protect your child, but you honestly don't know the first thing about what your daughter wants and needs. You have no idea what's best for her. You also have no idea that the greatest threat to her future came from the very people she will shortly swear to protect with her life."
Narrowing her eyes angrily at my criticism, Janine almost growled. "What are you talking about?"
Paying closer attention to Ibrahim than to Janine, he didn't look at all surprised by what I had just said. It was all the proof I needed to confirm that he already knew about our relationship. It also made me wonder if it had been him who had pressurised Hans Croft into telling me about Rose's rigged Trials. Hans had looked rattled when reconvening after dinner and Ibrahim had been talking to him during it. He had the influence and apparently the ear, and despite his absence from her life, he didn't seem the type to allow anyone to cheat his daughter.
"Were you watching the other novices take their Trials?"
"Of course."
"Did you notice anything different about it when it was Rose's turn?"
Frowning in aggravation at my vague line of questioning, Janine thought about it. "They seemed longer, and the set up was different. There might have been more attacking guardians, but I was…distracted during them." Glaring at Ibrahim, who merely shrugged, it was clear that it had been him that had caused the distraction. "I didn't take that much notice."
As with most of her life, I wanted to add, but didn't. "Clearly you didn't, because if you had, you would have noticed that her run was deliberately set up to be harder than the others."
Scoffing, Janine viewed me with an openly mocking expression. "Don't be ridiculous, Belikov. The Council would never purposefully set out to cause the failure of a novice."
"He's right, Janine." Ibrahim quietly confirmed, and in turn, confirmed my own suspicions. "You know that there are those who do not want our daughter to be assigned to the last Dragomir. Those who still believe that she is not the right choice, despite the fact that she clearly is."
Staring at him in shock, Janine seemed lost for words for a moment; trying to judge, it seemed, if she should trust him. But the sincerity of his words, coupled with what she already knew about the prejudice against Rose, convinced her. Watching as the skin over her cheekbones turned ruddy with outrage, she almost screeched. "Why would they do that?"
"You know the answer to that already, Guardian Hathaway."
"This is unacceptable. It's outrageous! They deliberately set out to risk her chances at passing." Scowling in the direction of the cluster of guardians that Alberta had joined, Janine bristled with indignation – both as a mother and a guardian. "I think I'm going to have a word with Hans…"
"No," I interrupted quickly; concerned that if she confronted him, he would know that I hadn't kept my end of the bargain. "He can't know that you know. He made it very clear that I had to keep it to myself. There is no telling what will happen if he knows that I didn't. For Rose's sake, the fewer people who know this information the better."
"He told you this when you and Alberta were called to Court, didn't he? Because you're her…instructor." Hearing the ugly undertone in the word, I ignored it even as I found myself surprised that she knew we had been there three months ago.
"Yes. How did you know we were there?"
"Rumours circulate quickly, Belikov, and you going to Court would definitely be speculated over."
"What else have you heard, Guardian Hathaway?" I asked, wanting to know if she had heard anything about my transfer.
"If you're refereeing to Randall Ivashkov being your father, it's no concern of mine. Rose is my concern. When you returned, you told her about what Hans said?"
So, nothing about my transfer…interesting. "Of course I told her. Just like he knew that I would, but that's as far as it goes. He can't know any more than that, or it could jeopardise her." Focusing on Ibrahim briefly, there was nothing on his facial expression to give him away, but there was calculating amusement in those dark eyes that couldn't be disguised.
"And how did you know?" Janine tightly questioned, following my gaze.
Smiling enigmatically, Ibrahim reached out to drape a casual arm over her shoulders; not taking it at all personally that she angrily shrugged out from beneath it and took a step away. "Does it really matter how I know, Janine? What matters now is Rose." Shrewdly deflecting the attention away from himself, Janine nodded absently.
"You're right. I need to talk to her."
"I think she's made it more than clear that she doesn't want to talk to you, Guardian Hathaway." Deliberately placing myself in her way, it wouldn't deter Janine, but it would make my feelings on the matter known. Piercing me with a look of intense dislike whilst Ibrahim raised a quizzical brow, Janine took the few steps necessary to bring us toe to toe and glared up at me whilst speaking in a tone of soft menace.
"You might think you've won, Belikov, because I can't keep you away from my daughter for what little time she has left at the Academy, but once the week is finished and she leaves for Court to be assigned, with you remaining here, that will be the end of it. Whether it's what you want or not." Smugly satisfied that she had once again figured out a way to keep us apart, her vindictive little smile made my blood boil.
I shouldn't have let it; I should have remained objective because I still hadn't told Lissa about my transfer, but there was just something about the almost gleeful enjoyment in her speech that made it impossible. Trying my best to remember that despite not liking her, she was still a Guardian I had once greatly admired, I took a step back and taking a calming breath, I asked.
"You don't know why I was at Court, do you?"
Still smiling, Janine shook her head. "No, neither do I care."
"You should…just a little."
"Why?"
"I requested a transfer and it was granted."
Smile slipping a little, the suspicion was growing in her eyes. "Transfer to where?"
"Court." I said succinctly, making no effort to disguise my satisfaction. "I'll be leaving with the graduates on Monday."
Smile completely wiped clean by rage, Janine turned puce as the implications of my words sunk in…implications that meant her daughter and I would be together and she could do nothing to stop us. So angry she could barely articulate, she eventually spat out. "You've been assigned to Court?! How is that possible? What position?"
"That isn't really any of your business, now is it?"
Spoken so softly it was almost carried away in the gentle breeze, it seemed to send her into a higher rage. "If you think that you're going to get away with this…"
"How are you going to stop me, Guardian Hathaway?" Deliberately interrupting her…deliberately provoking her, I reminded her that whilst she was a highly respected Guardian, she didn't have enough clout at Court to make things difficult for me. "The decision was made by the Council, and you are not a member."
Grinding her teeth in rising frustration, she glared balefully at me one more time before flinging a glance over her shoulder at Ibrahim and stalking off in the direction of her daughter. Not for a moment did I think that was the end of the conversation, or her attempts to keep Rose and I apart, but for the moment, I had won and so would savour this small victory.
About to follow after her because I didn't want her upsetting Rose any further, the softly threatening voice I heard over my shoulder stalled my plans. "Belikov? Don't run off yet. Let mother and daughter talk a little more; mend fences so to speak. I think it's time that you and I become better acquainted."
Realising it was my turn, I pivoted to face him; my movements tight with tension. Janine might not be able to make much trouble for me at Court, but Ibrahim Mazur was another story all together. He wielded influence there that could make my life more difficult then it needed to be. Cautiously, I waited for him to make the first move; like chess opponents waiting for the pawn to move.
Viewing me speculatively as I remained silent, Ibrahim sighed and sank his hands into the tailored pockets of his slacks as he watched Janine's disappearing figure. "So this is the thanks I get for pulling strings at Court? My daughter isn't very grateful, is she?"
Another confirmation. "Well, as she said, you did just disrupt a very important event in her life."
Shrugging, he smiled briefly "A father's exuberance."
Absolutely no remorse…the man was shameless. "You told Hans to warn me about the fixed Trails." I didn't ask a question, merely stated a fact.
"Told? No, no. I threatened him. You're very intuitive; by the way, to have figured it out so quickly, but from what I've heard about you, I shouldn't have expected anything less."
Eyeing the sinister smile warily, I had my confirmation, now I wanted a reason. "Why?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm not about to let any prejudice against my daughter jeopardise her future. I chose not to tell Janine because her volatility often overshadows her judgement…very much like her daughter. She would have created more problems for Rose; despite your warning, and neither of us wants that, do we?"
"You knew that I wouldn't keep it a secret from Rose."
"People in love don't keep secrets from each other…do they, Belikov?"
And yet another confirmation. The spy theory had been right, but how long had he known, and why had he chosen not to do anything about it? "How many spies do you have in the academy, Mr. Mazur?" I asked calmly; not bothering to deny. There was no real point now.
Again the sinister smile made an appearance. "You think it's just the Academy? No, no, dear boy. I have them everywhere, and I have more of them than you could ever know about. In fact, it would surprise you greatly if you ever learnt about who they are in this very Academy." Strolling closer, he leaned in towards me, only a few inches shorter than I was. "I must say, you didn't make it easy for them. You were very careful, but there were just too many coincidences with the two of you for the relationship to be platonic. It's only luck really that you haven't been caught yet. Not that it matters now. You're all but free to announce your relationship."
Uneasy at his calm acceptance, it took a long moment to respond as I wrestled over how to answer. Did I downplay it, or confirm? He was very sure of himself, so there didn't seem any point in playing word games, and I went with the latter.
"You're not going to warn me away from her?"
Pleased by the directness of my question, Ibrahim shook his head almost fondly. "Goodness, no. I don't share Janine's concerns, you understand, but I do indulge her. As a mother, who has more right than she, to be concerned? As for me, as far as I can see, you've been instrumental in getting my daughter to this point in her career, so why quibble over the how? Before you came along, she didn't push herself, she didn't want to be anything other than what she already was, but with you, she has truly reached her potential."
"I didn't have to do much. The talent and drive is her own." If he knew about the changes in Rose; changes that she herself had admitted had more to do with proving herself to me, than to anyone else, his spies had been within these wards long before I had arrived.
"Of that I have no doubt, but what you did for her, Belikov, was focus that talent and drive. As far as I can see, your relationship with my daughter isn't jeopardising anything. In fact, I would dare say that if you hadn't been transferred here and tasked with finding and returning her and the Dragomir Princess, Rose would never have aspired to greatness."
"You knew that she had left with the Princess, yet you did nothing to return her?" Strong disbelief coloured my question. "With all your resources, you could have had them returned within a day."
"Agreed, but I wanted to understand her motives for having done it in the first place. Besides, I had others watching over them. They were safe. And when you managed to track them down so quickly, I knew they were both in good hands. You'll find, Belikov, that I'm a more liberally minded Moroi that many of my contemporaries. I can be a very important friend to you; a powerful influence in your favour."
For a price, my mind whispered cautiously. "And what do you want in return?"
"Nothing…well, maybe one little thing."
"And that is?"
"Talk to my daughter. Convince her that having me in her life is to her benefit. I don't mind starting slowly, but she seems very stubborn and resistant to the idea. You can help with that. I've seen your influence over her. I know she'll listen to you."
More manipulations, I thought darkly. Ibrahim may not be insistent that I stay away from his daughter, but he was trying to manipulate me just as surely as Janine had, and I wanted no part of it. Aware that I was about to make another enemy; this time one far more powerful than Janine Hathaway, I tucked my hands into the pockets of the duster and committed myself to my decision.
"There's one small problem with that request, Mr. Mazur."
"And what's that?"
"You are a criminal and I don't want Rose anywhere near you. Her mother and I may not see eye to eye on many things, but we do agree on one. You are a danger to her; a threat, as are those you associate with, and no amount of influence will change the way I feel about you being in her life."
"And what else do you and Janine agree on?" He asked softly, dangerously.
"Publically announcing her."
"You're both worrying for nothing."
"And you're not worrying enough. You're putting your child at risk."
"And that makes you angry, doesn't it?"
"You have no idea."
"Have you no faith in my daughter's ability to protect herself? Like her mother."
"I have absolute faith in your daughter, but she and every other guardian have enough danger in their lives on a daily basis just doing their jobs. They don't anymore to deal with because their father cares only for his own needs and doesn't give a damn about theirs."
Affable attitude gone in a heartbeat, Ibrahim's dark eyes chilled over as he sighed. "Now you listen to me, boy. What happens between my daughter and I, is no one's business but our own, and let's not forget, that I did you a favour, so now you get to do one for me in return. In my world, Quid pro quo is not merely a Latin phrase.
"You didn't do me a favour; you did one for your daughter and then made sure I knew about it. I don't owe you anything."
"And what about your lovely family in Baia? Are you telling me that you don't know about the favour they owe me, Belikov?" Delivered with quiet menace, the leverage I had feared he would gain over my family because of my mother's innocent request created an almost uncontrollable kind of anger…the kind that only Randall Ivashkov had ever been able to provoke.
"Is that a threat?" I gritted from between clenched teeth.
"What do you think?"
"I think you're used to intimidating people into doing what you want, when you want it and how you want it. I think that you're not above using whatever leverage you can find against them; right or wrong. I think you have an ulterior motive for everything you say and do. I think you're untrustworthy, corrupt and dangerous…and I also think that you've underestimated me. I will not be manipulated or blackmailed. I will not be pushed into a corner or be bound to you in any way. I acknowledge that my family owe you a favour, and I will repay it; at a time of my choosing and in a way that does not call my own morality into question. Now you can either choose to accept that, or you choose to accept that you will get nothing for me in return. Ever."
Looking at me thoughtfully for a long moment, the cunning behinds those hard, dark eyes should have been a concern, but the threat against my family, even just the insinuation of it, would have given me enough reason to face off against the Devil if I had to.
And Ibrahim Mazur was no Devil…he was merely a Moroi.
"You don't scare easily, do you, Belikov?"
"Not when something that I love is threatened."
Nodding with something that reminded me a little of admiration, Ibrahim held out his hands in an act of contrition. It surprised me, though I didn't trust the gesture any more than I trusted him. "Have no fear. I am no threat to Olena or the rest of your family. You may be reluctant to do as I ask now, but once you are away from the safety of the Academy grounds and the reality of life at Court dispels all your notions of how our world truly works, I'm certain that you'll come around to my request. Remember what I said about having a friend?"
"I wouldn't hold my breath, Mr. Mazur."
"Oh, please. Call me Abe, and I hope you will allow me to call you Dimitri?" All charm now, the devious manipulations were all but hidden. "I wonder," he continued. "Will you use the newly gained knowledge of your parentage to your advantage at Court?"
"Nyet." The word was flat and final.
"No, I didn't expect that you would. You seem like a man of integrity, Dimitri. My daughter has chosen wisely."
"I won't be used by you as a weapon against her."
"Of course you won't. A weapon would be of no use against Rose. Persuasion would be a better avenue." Looking past me to where other Moroi stood gathered still; one of them being Hans Croft, he grinned at someone over my shoulder and waved. "If you'll excuse me? I have other matters to attend to before I depart in the early hours of the morning."
"You're not staying for the graduation ceremony?" This did surprise me. I hadn't expected him to listen to Rose.
"No. I know when I'm not welcome. I will visit with Rose once she has settled down to Court life. We can revisit this conversation then. I'm sure after you've had a while to think about it, you'll see that my point of view is rarely wrong." Holding out his hand, I looked at it with the reluctance of grasping a coiled snake, but nonetheless shook it quickly before releasing.
"It was a pleasure, Dimitri."
"I wish I could say the same, Mr Mazur."
"Abe," he scolded lightly – almost affectionately – with a broad grin that revealed his glistening fangs before strolling away. Releasing a tight breath, the safety of distance between us wasn't as much of a relief as I had hoped it would be. Maybe it was because I wasn't naïve enough to think that his acceptance of my refusal was anything but a reprieve. I had no doubt that he would do exactly as he said and would visit Court in the coming months to push his agenda again. I had managed to circumvent him for now, but how was I going to stop him then?
Flexing my shoulders to loosen the tense muscles, I waited only as long as it took for him to join them before I slipped into the shadows of the arena and went in search of Rose. For the time being, she was what I needed to concentrate on her, not the threat her father posed.
A/n: Question? Can a dhampir that is Shadow Kissed be turned Strigoi? If yes, then can they be restored by Spirit if they've already been affected by it? I've probably read it somewhere before, but I can't for the life of me remember. Thanks.