Dear Diary,

I wasn't surprised when Guardian Petrov balked at my statement—I'd known instinctively that she would argue against visiting the cave. Setting aside the fact the trip would be physically taxing, there were also safety aspects to consider—to say nothing of the emotional minefield we would all be forced to navigate. Petrov tried to change my mind, listing a myriad of reasons why it wasn't going to happen; I listened to her calmly without interrupting, waiting until she was finished to point out the one thing she'd overlooked—the only thing I needed to counter her argument.

I wasn't a student or an employee of the Academy, and neither was my grandmother—therefore, she had no control over what either of us did. She could not stop us, and if she would not help us, I would find a way to get us to the cave on my own.

"Viktoria, you're not thinking clearly—"

"Actually, I beg to differ. I am thinking quite rationally—without involving my emotions. You, on the other hand, are not."

"Emotions don't have anything to do with this!"

"Don't they? You have admitted that what happened in the cave that night haunts you—and yet here I am, asking you to revisit it. That would be bad enough on its own—but to do it in the company of my grandmother and I? Two women related to the guardian that you left there?" I did not use my brother's name—to do so would shatter my façade of calm, and I knew that would only serve to work against me. She would latch on to any sign of emotion I might display, claiming it was proof that I couldn't handle visiting the spot—so I kept my face a solemn mask, hiding away my pain.

"I'm looking at it from a purely logistical standpoint." She rubbed her temples, frowning. "You're unfamiliar with the area we're talking about. It's five miles away—and that's if we go through the forest on foot. Even if we take the longer route and use vehicles, the cave is over a mile away from the dirt road that leads from the interstate—we'd still be looking at a hell of a hike. Your grandmother would never be able to make it—and neither would you with that ankle."

I fought back the urge to roll my eyes; my being hurt was a moot point and she knew it. "Guardian Petrov… do you really believe that I'll remain injured once Adrian sees me? My ankle will not be a problem, and neither will Yeva—she could walk five miles without breaking a sweat."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to test that theory. I refuse to be responsible for her having a heart attack or—"

"Do not concern yourself with such things—my time on this earth is far from over, Madam. I will hold my grandchildren's children and the children they bear before my heart starts to slow. I cannot take my least breath until the knowledge is passed on—that is the way of our bloodline."

Yeva's voice was strong and sure, making me wonder if she had seen the things she spoke of. Had we been alone, I would have asked her—but for now, it would have to wait.

"Now please… enlighten me as to exactly what it is you think I am too old and feeble to do."

I glanced over at her, trying not to smile; telling my grandmother she can't do something is never the smartest thing—it only strengthens her resolve to do it and prove you wrong. "We were discussing the attack that happened here—I think that you and I need to see the cave… but Guardian Petrov says it is impossible. She thinks that the journey would be too hard for you."

"Nothing on earth is impossible if there is determination in one's heart and the ability to see clearly." She entered, moving closer to the desk; gone was the shuffling gait she so often favored—she moved like a queen, shoulders back and spine straight, her expression one of stubborn defiance.

"Oh, I don't know about that—I can't fly, no matter how much I always wanted to as a kid." Adrian slouched in the doorway, smiling mischievously.

"Incorrect. You could have—you simply did not use logic. Had you thought about it clearly you would have seen a plethora of answers right in front of you—airplanes have wings and fly. There is sky diving. Hang gliding. That ridiculous activity people do on water… what is it called—parasailing? Rappelling down the side of a mountain—all things that would let you experience soaring through the air." Resting her hands on the desk, she leaned forward, invading Petrov's space. "If my granddaughter feels we need to go to that place and is willing to expose herself to the pain of seeing where her brother died… then we are going—that is all there is to be said."

"We're not talking about a casual stroll, Ms. Belikova," Petrov snapped, standing up and gesturing towards a large map that was framed on the wall. "I'll tell you the same thing I told your granddaughter—it's rugged terrain, no matter which route we take. Since it's outside the wards, it would mean pulling some of my staff off duty to guard you—"

Adrian's snort of amusement cut her off. "I always thought Rose's habit of offending people was something she inherited from Abe, but now I'm starting to wonder if she picked it up from you, Allie."

She scowled at the interruption. "Excuse me?"

"You just insulted her physical capabilities twice in one sentence; you implied she was too feeble to make it and that she didn't have the ability to protect herself. You're really batting a thousand today, aren't you?"

"I was simply stating obvious factors that pose a problem—I don't see what that has to do with Rose."

"I am sure you are familiar with the saying 'little pitchers have big ears'? Small children are like sponges, they absorb the things they see the adults around them do—my nephew used to pick up on things we said all the time." I glanced over at Adrian; it was an interesting notion. I'd always just assumed that the abrupt rudeness Roza often displayed was a part of her personality—I'd never stopped to wonder what it might be that made her so prickly and brash. "She couldn't have gotten it from her parents—they weren't around during her formative years."

Petrov's scowl faced, a look of surprised confusion slowly replacing it. "Are you actually suggesting that I act like Rose Hathaway? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"I don't mean it as an insult, Allie—you did raise her, right? Well… you and the other members of the faculty. I think the fact Rose looked up to you that way is kind of… touching. And I'm not saying you fly off the handle all the time or go off halfcocked." His brow wrinkled as he started worrying his lip with his fang; I could tell he was troubled—wondering if he'd offended the woman or somehow hurt her feelings.

"Enough! When you are overly emotional about something, your guard drops," Yeva interjected, her voice full of impatience. "I noticed it within five minutes of meeting you—the boy is much more observant than people give him credit for. He is seeing a side of you that is normally hidden and it surprises him—that is what he is rambling about."

"I wasn't rambling—"

"You were." Yeva seated herself in the chair next to mine, reaching over and taking my hand as she studied my face intently. Her voice dropped, the irritation softening out into a tone of concern. "Are you all right, kotyonok?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to derail the conversation." Adrian pushed away from the door, moving to stand beside my chair; I tensed as he reached out, gently touching my shoulder.

"Don't—I'm fine."

Too late. A surge of liquid heat rolled through me, ebbing and rippling like a warm tropical tide. The aches throughout my poor, battered body evaporated, but they were immediately replaced by an entirely different kind of throbbing altogether—one that was centered smack dab between my thighs. I bit my lip, fighting to hold in a moan as I jerked away from his hand; his dark green eyes were wide with shock—he could feel it too. The vibe of his magic had shifted… at least where I was concerned.

He moved quickly, shifting so his body was hidden from view by the back of my chair; Yeva started chuckling as I bent over to root through my gym bag, pulling out one of my brother's old sweatshirts and handing it to him. "Here… it's long."

"Am I missing something?" Alberta watched as Adrian tugged the sweatshirt over his head; despite his height, it was still gigantic on him—but at least it enabled him to hide away the most obvious sign of his arousal.

"They are young—their hormones run rampant. His magic… it affected them both."

I swiveled my head to glare at her, scowling ferociously as I processed what she'd said. "You could have warned us."

She shrugged. "I was not sure it would happen—I did not want to let my own experiences influence you."

Alberta cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing as the meaning of what we were discussing finally hit home. "Ahem… back to the subject at hand—"

"We are going. You do not need to send anyone with us—give us a map and we will find out own way."

"I'm sorry, I can't—"

"You can."

"You do realize that technically the Belikovas are guests of the Queen," Adrian said in a soft voice. "You can sit here and argue as much as you want, but all either of them has to do is make a call and the visit to the cave would become an official order."

"And all I have to do is make a call and your life expectancy will drop significantly—so stay out of this Ivashkov."

I bristled at the implication. Yeva tensed beside me. The look on her face went from argumentative to downright unfriendly in two seconds flat. "Guardian Petrov… I do not appreciate your threat to cause problems within my family—and Adrian is one of the family, whether my grandson approves or not. Furthermore, I do not need Vasilisa Dragomir to fight my battles while I hide behind her crown—I am going to the cave. I have a right to see where Dimitri died."

"Ms. Belikova—"

"Show me where this cave is—the way you talk it must be as far away as the moon." Yeva stood up, walking over to the large map, tapping her foot impatiently.

Petrov crossed the room to comply with the demand—probably thinking that my grandmother would back down once she saw the distance.

She didn't.

After studying it for a moment, she nodded her head, then turned, heading for the door. "Come children—we have a long walk ahead of us. If we start now, we should reach the wards by sunrise."

I grabbed my bag and followed her, leaving the accursed crutches behind. We were halfway down the hall before Petrov's voice called out behind us, making us stop in our tracks.

"Wait—you win…I'll take you."

"You see kotik? That is how you bluff someone." Yeva said softly, her lips curving up in a self-satisfied smile. "If you pay attention, perhaps the next time we play cards, you will have a chance at beating me."

Three hours later, Petrov was running over the list she'd jotted down for what had to be the sixth time—she kept rechecking the small backpack that she'd filled, as if the contents might have somehow vanished since the last time she'd gone through it. We were waiting for the sun to rise—that was her sole stipulation. None of us argued—it was easy enough to delay our departing flight for later in the afternoon. Yeva was impatient—her fingers were drumming out a never-ending rhythm on the arm of her chair. We'd distracted her for as long as we could by taking her to eat and then to pack up our things, but now we'd run out of things to do, so it was all a waiting game—and one thing my grandmother really hates is to be kept waiting.

"Do you really need all that?" I asked as I watched the guardian test the flashlights she'd laid out—it was the third time she'd done it in the last twenty minutes. From what I understood, it was a rather small cave system, but she was acting like we were venturing into a giant, endless catacomb to the center of the earth.

"We didn't map it all out—I don't want to chance getting lost."

"Yeva—you okay?" The concern in Adrian's voice made me realize the drumming sound had stopped; I glanced over at my grandmother, immediately fighting off a wave of panic at the strained look on her face.

She'd gone pale—paler than I could ever remember seeing her—and her eyes were wide and unseeing. Her jaw was tensed and her hands were clenched so tightly to the chair that the tendons stood out, pressing against her skin.

"Vision," I murmured softly, reaching out and gently prying the hand nearest me off the arm of her chair. I stroked it, hoping to soothe her—she looked almost distraught.

"Not ready… she's not ready," she mumbled in Russian; her brow furrowed, her hand clenching around mine so tightly that I let out a hiss of pain. "It's too soon."

"Is she alright? Is it some kind of… seizure?"

I glanced over at Petrov, frowning. "No—it's not. She'll be fine in a few minutes. Perhaps you could get her some water, please?"

"I'll go—I could use a smoke anyway." Adrian squeezed my shoulder as he moved to leave the room.

"There's no smoking on cam—" Alberta cut herself off with a sigh. "Never mind, you'll just do it anyway. There's bottled water in the break room—third door on the left." Her attention returned to Yeva; she shook her head in dismay. "This trip is a bad idea—I knew she wasn't up to it."

"Her age has nothing to do with it," I snapped defensively. "Surely if my brother was as close to you as you've implied, he mentioned the fact that she has the sight?"

"Superstitious nonsense. I don't believe in—"

"Whether or not you believe it is inconsequential—it's the truth. It is similar to the visions Spirit users get—or do you discount their gifts too?" As the words left my mouth, a thought occurred to me—I remembered the prediction Yeva had made when we were in the dress shop, about Lissa losing herself to her element. Was that what she was seeing play out in her mind—the young queen going insane? "The things she sees are never wrong, Guardian Petrov, though sometimes it can take a while for them to come true. That's why we have to go to the cave—sometimes she can pick up on things that others can't."

She ignored my comment—presumably to avoid a debate on the issue—but I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't pleased with my reasoning. "What if this happens when we're in the middle of the cave?"

"We stop and take a break and wait for her to snap out of it—the spells do not last long." As I spoke, the tension drained out of Yeva's body; she slumped in the chair, her eyes fluttering closed as she took a deep breath. "There—you see? She'll be good as new in a moment or two."

The guardian muttered something under her breath, but I was too intent on my grandmother to really care what was said. "Adrian has gone to get you some water grandmother—he will be back in a minute. Just take it easy—"

"When I am dead I will rest—I am fine." She cleared her throat,

I watched as she rebuilt herself, shoving aside the dreamy lethargy of vision by focusing on the room around her. "What did you see? Was it about Lissa?"

"Something that must not be spoken about." Her eyes flicked to Alberta and then back to me—I understood the gesture. She would tell me later, when there was no one around to overhear. "How much longer until we leave?"

Alberta glanced at her watch. "Emil should be here with the car in the next twenty minutes or so. Don't worry, we'll be at the wards by sunrise."

Yeva's lips tightened into a flat, narrow line. "Viktoria—"

"There's my girl—glad to see you're back in business." Adrian's cheerful voice broke in as he returned. As he handed her a bottle of water, his fingers brushed the back of her hand; I didn't feel his magic, so the gesture must have been to comfort her, nothing more. "Feeling alright?"

"Thank you kotik—do not trouble yourself with worry over me. I promise you I am not going anywhere for a long, long time."

"So—what'd I miss? Anything interesting?"

"Nothing, we were just discussing when we'd be leaving for the cave," Alberta said.

"We will not be leaving for the cave. The children are not going."

"What? I was incredulous, not believing what I'd heard. "Of course I am going—this was all my idea, remember?"

"It is not up for arguments—my mind is made up."

Adrian shot me a confused look, but I was just as in the dark as he was. "Grandmother—why?"

"You need to remain on campus—that is where we told your brother you would be."

I tensed, not liking the sound of that at all. I flicked my eyes over to the guardian, filling them with accusation. "Did you call him?"

"No—and I resent your asking me that," she shot back, frowning.

"Natural enough assumption—" Adrian said. A glance in his direction confirmed that he was just as tense as I was. "—since you threatened to sic him on me."

"Dimitri does what he pleases—he needs no one to incite him. You will remain here—am I understood?"

I remained silent, not answering. Instead, I studied her with narrowed eyes—something wasn't adding up. She wouldn't meet my gaze—which was unlike her—making me wonder what exactly was going on in her head. "Yes grandmother, I understand," I finally answered. My voice was demure and submissive—the sweet kitten without claws.

In the past, I would have thrown a fit, whining and pleading in an attempt to get my way—but those type of antics rarely worked on Yeva. I was a much smarter girl now than I'd been a few months ago. Instead of wasting time with tantrums, I would put it to better use on something much more important—figuring out a way to circumvent her plan and countering it with one of my own.

I could tell Adrian was puzzled by how easily I'd accepted being cut out of the trip; I suppose he was used to the way Roza does things—steamrollering over any opposition and never admitting defeat. I wasn't Roza—I never would be. I understood something that she probably never would—the strongest trees in the forest are the ones that sway with the wind lest they break.

I tried my best to ignore his searching glances—I couldn't exactly tell him what I was thinking or leave before they set out, since I needed access to Petrov's bag to set everything in motion. All I could do was shrug and sigh, playing with my phone as I tried to look completely innocent—that's never an easy thing, but it's even harder to do when you're actually planning something sneaky.

Emil finally appeared; immediately I jumped up, grabbing Alberta's backpack. As I assisted assisting her into it and helped tighten the straps, I slipped my phone in the outside pocket. "Guardian Petrov, since I have to stay here, I thought I might send Abe the information you gave me so he can get started on what he needs to do. May I us your fax machine?"

"Of course—just dial nine to get an outside line." She watched Emil help Yeva to her feet, lowering her voice to a murmur. "I'm impressed with how maturely you're handling this. Most young people would have made a fuss."

"I'm not most young people, Madam—I was raised to respect my elders and their decisions." I smiled sweetly, moving over to retrieve the folder of information she'd given me from the depths of my bag. "If it is alright with you, I will tell Abe to deal directly with you as opposed to the headmistress, since you are the person who knows what's going on."

"That's fine. Here—" she grabbed a business card off her desk, offering it to me on her way to the door. "There's my contact information. Make sure the door clicks behind you when you leave—it locks automatically."

"Good luck—and be safe. I hope Yeva finds the answers that are needed."

I glanced at the clock as the door closed behind them—watching the second hand dance around its face. I'd wait a few minutes before checking the corridor—that was more than enough time for Yeva to make it to the buildings exit.

"I can't believe she did that."

"I can. She's stubborn," I answered, glancing over at him and arching a brow. "Surely you have noticed?"

"Well yeah… but that was a pretty crappy thing to do, leaving you behind. You have a right to be there too." He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "Guess it's a moot point now—not much we can do about it."

"Want to bet on that?" I cracked open the door, peering up and down the hallway. "How well do you know the layout of this building?"

"Huh?"

"At Saint Basil's all of the supplies the guardians use are stored in the same building where their offices are—is it the same here?"

"I have no idea. Why?"

Ignoring his question, I closed the door, moving over to the desk and grabbing the phone—punching in the number I'd spent the last twenty minutes memorizing.

He answered on the first ring.

"Abe Mazur, who's this?"

"Vika. I need a favor."

"Another one? You're racking up one hell of a debt, kid."

"This one shouldn't cost me anything—it's something so simple it will take you less than a minute," I argued.

"A favor is a favor, no matter how great or small the effort might be, little girl—what do you need?"

"In thirty minutes or so I am going to call you back—I'll need you to give me the GPS coordinates of my phone."

"Do I want to know why?"

"I'll need to go get it. Needless to say… it would certainly make it easier if I knew the precise location."

"Did someone steal it?"

"No—I hid it in something I need to track." I sighed impatiently. "Look, I don't have all day to stand around and barter with you—will you do it or not?"

"I'll let you know when you call me back. And Viktoria—whatever it is you're doing… try not to get caught."

"Yes sir," I said. There was no response—he'd already hung up.

I returned the phone to its cradle, glancing over at Adrian; he was staring at me with a look of admiration on his face. "What?"

"You never intended to stay behind, did you?"

"Of course not—now get over here and help me look for her keys. She didn't put them in her backpack—I watched her pack it half a dozen times."

"Could have been in her pocket," he pointed out, coming around the desk to help me search.

"No—there wasn't a bulge in any of them. I looked."

We rifled through every single drawer, coming up empty handled. I cursed softly, but wasn't deterred—we'd just have to do it the hard way. I grabbed a piece of paper from her desk, tearing off a strip and wadding it up as I headed for the door. "Come on."

"Angel… what are you planning? "

"We need flashlights… and I need a stake." I crouched down, examining the metal plate in the doorframe, then shoved the paper I'd wadded up into the hole where the latch would normally catch. Pulling the door closed and reopening it confirmed that I'd been successful—my makeshift method for keeping the lock from engaging had worked. "That's why we have to find the storage room. At my school it's in the subbasement—that's probably where it is here too."

"And how exactly do we find it?"

"Simple, "I said, heading for the sign at the end of the hall marked 'stairwell', "we go down."

The door screeched loudly in protest when I opened it; I grabbed Adrian's hand, tugging him after me as I sprinted down the stairs—not stopping until he started wheezing loud enough for me to hear. I pulled him into a narrow sliver of darkness afforded by the tiny opening beneath the stairs so he could catch his breath. At least if anyone investigated the noise and peered over the railing, they wouldn't be able to see us hiding in the shadows.

"You do realize," Adrian whispered, leaning against the wall as he tried to slow his breathing, "that Allie's got all that stuff with her. We don't need to—"

"They'll have gone in long before we get there—we have to wait and get the location, remember? Then you have to add on the time it will take to reach the cave. Without flashlights we can't go in." I stuck my head out glancing up at the landing; there was no one there—we were safe. "Come on."

"What exactly do you think we're going to miss? It's a cave, Vik—musty, dirty… empty."

I walked slowly this time, keeping my strides short as we descended the remaining stairs; I didn't want to exhaust him before our expedition had even begun. "I'm not sure… it's just a feeling I got. When Petrov and I were talking about things… I got a feeling that there were answers to be found in that horrible place."

"Yeah, but are you considering the repercussions? If we're not here when your giant brother arrives, he's not going to be too happy. He's already twitchy about you hanging out with Johnson—if he thinks you've disappeared with him…"

"He's not coming—she was bluffing." I tugged open the door to what I hoped was the sub-basement—not that we really had another option. We'd reached the end of the stairs. "Number one, Dimitri wouldn't just up and leave his charge. Number two, neither would Roza—and do you really think she would let him make a trip back here… to the place where it happened without her?"

He scowled in irritation. "So why did she say—"

"I told you—it was a bluff. She probably didn't think I could handle seeing the spot where Dimitri died." Flicking the light switch, I immediately grimaced; the space in front of us wasn't anything like what I'd been hoping to find.

At Saint Basil's, the sub-basement beneath the Guardian's building was pretty much an armory; it was a maze of dark hallways that led to various rooms where anything and everything a guardian might need was stored. Saint Vladimir's was set up in a completely different way. The room in front of me was a huge, open space, lit by banks of bright fluorescent lights on the ceiling, and it was sectioned off into what looked like individual cages made of chain link fencing—each with a number affixed to the links and a padlock on the door.

Moving closer, I spotted furniture in some of the cages, while others held stacks of boxes with labels on them that said things like 'dishes' or 'summer clothes'. I realized this must be where the staff stored whatever personal belongings they couldn't fit in their rooms. Somewhere in this warren, there was a cage that Alberta paid for, filled with possessions that belonged to my brother—ones she'd believed he would never reclaim. I wondered if there were pictures tucked away inside it—photos of me and our family. Perhaps our images had helped him alleviate any loneliness—reminding him that we were waiting for him to visit home.

"This isn't it—I thought for sure it would be down here."

"Don't panic—we'll just go floor by floor until we find it." Adrian grabbed my hand, pulling me in for a quick hug. "We should probably split up though—we can cover more ground that way."

I considered what he'd said, chewing at my lip; he was right, of course—we didn't have nearly enough time to search the building thoroughly if we stuck together—but I didn't want him getting into trouble if he got caught snooping on his own. "Let's search the first floor together—if it's not there… then we'll split up."

Retracing our steps, we returned to the floor that held Alberta's office; we were lucky—most of the doors had little plaques beside them, indicating what they were. It was mainly comprised of office space—most of them empty—as well as a couple of large conference rooms and a staff lounge where the guardians took their breaks. Returning to the stairwell, I glanced down the long narrow hallway that sat in a recessed opening, branching off to the left; from its positioning, it was obvious that it led to the portion of the building where the novice academic classes were held. We didn't need to waste time searching in that direction—there was no way the supply room would be in an area where students could access it so easily.

Going up a level, we resumed our search; this floor was set up differently than the ground floor—the hall formed a T, jutting out in three different directions. Adrian took the corridor to the left while I went to the right—we agreed to meet up and search the remaining section together if need be. I'd searched four rooms, coming up empty handed when I heard Adrian's voice calling out to me.

"Vik—jackpot!"

I jogged in the direction of his voice; as I rounded the corner, he glanced my way and frowned. "There's no way we're getting in here sweetheart—it's locked up like Fort Knox."

I hurried over, ignoring his pessimism—I might not be good at much, but one thing I'm excellent at is getting in locked rooms. Crouching down, I examined the locks—there were two of them beside the standard issue one on the knob; I could handle that one easily enough, but unfortunately, the two additional ones were both well beyond my meager skills.

"Told you. Guess we're out of luck," Adrian muttered, scowling at the door.

I glanced up, running my eyes along the left side of the door frame; if the door opened outward, the hinges would be outside. All we would have to do in that case would be remove the pins and slip inside—but of course… we weren't that fortunate. My eyes moved further upward, raking along the ceiling; it was the same kind we had at Saint Basil's—square acoustic tiles that rested in a metal frame.

I studied it for a moment, then grinned. "Not yet we aren't. I told you before… I am very good at getting into places where I'm not supposed to be."

"Yeah? Well unless you can teleport—"his voice trailed off abruptly as I stood and moved to test the doors on either side of the storage room; the first one was locked. The second one wasn't.

"Come on—I've got an idea." I said, flicking the light switch as I hurried into the room.

"Why does that scare me?" Despite his statement, he followed me with a wary look on his face. He closed the door behind him, leaning against it as his eyes traveled around the room. "So? Enlighten me Angel—what's the plan?"

The space of around us was empty except for a plastic trashcan and one of those rolling white boards that have made blackboards obsolete; I'd been hoping for a desk or in the very least a file cabinet—something I could use. I cursed softly, frowning as I gaged the distance from floor to ceiling—I estimated it to be about nine and a half feet… perhaps ten, but no more.

"How steady are you on your feet? Can you keep your balance pretty good?"

He frowned. "I suppose so. Was that supposed to answer my question? Hate to break it to you… it didn't."

"Watch and learn," I teased, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the wall. "Put your hands flat—like you are trying to do a push up. No—like this… stand like someone is about to pat you down…you know, searching you for contraband."

I demonstrated what I meant, then reached over, guiding him into the position I needed him to be in. When I slid a hand between his legs to make him spread them further out, he chuckled, glancing back at me and flashing a suggestive grin.

"Hey now—no getting frisky. We've got someplace to be, remember?"

"Very funny. Just brace yourself, okay? Lean against the wall for support… and whatever you do… don't move." I dropped my bag and placed my hands on his shoulders, then took a deep breath and hoisted myself up—positioning my foot on his thigh to help me climb his body. His healing had not only helped my tired, aching muscles and reinvigorated me—it seemed to have given me a boost in strength, making the task far easier than I'd imagined it would be.

"Vika—what the hell?" His head swiveled as I moved higher; I was in the process of slowly standing up on his shoulders when his sudden movement almost unbalanced me. I swayed for a moment, on the verge of tumbling backwards—but he reached up, grabbing my calves to steady me. "You're going to get hurt!"

"I will if you keep moving around! Stop squirming and stand still!" I grumbled, regaining my balance. I reached up to the ceiling, pushing up on the tile above me and sliding it to the side.

The next part was the tricky one—the metal framing wasn't very strong, so I'd have to move quickly or risk it breaking which would send me hurtling towards the ground. I grabbed onto it and pulled myself up into the darkness, immediately reaching for the wooden support beams that ran parallel from one wall to the next along the length of the room. It was good to know that some things were universal—like the crawl spaces in ceilings.

"Goddamn it—what is this, Mission fucking Impossible?"

"Obviously not—I don't have any fancy gadgets to help me." I stuck my head over the opening, sticking out my tongue.

He didn't laugh—in fact, he was gazing up at me with a frustrated look on his face. "Not cool Vik."

I shifted my position, wincing as a splinter bit into my palm. "Can we talk about this when I'm not ten feet in the air? Just grab my bag and go wait outside the door—I'll unlock it."

"You're crazy, you know that, right?"

"I prefer to think of it as highly determined. It's an easy enough task, Dusha—getting up here was the hard part. Now it's just a matter of crawling a foot or two and dropping down in the storage room. Go on—I'll see you in a few minutes." I maneuvered myself around—not an easy task for someone my size while in a crawlspace—carefully making my way by sliding my hands and feet along the beam in a hunched over position. If I'd had to do it for very long, my back would start to hurt—lucky for me it was just a matter of clearing the wall between the two rooms.

Once I was over the wall, I felt around in front of me, prying up a ceiling tile and gazing down into the darkened room below; dropping down would actually be a little harder than I'd let on—I had no way of knowing what might be below me. I shifted around as best I could, letting my legs dangle over the hole for a moment before stretching one out into the void; it something solid almost right away—that was a very good sign. Lowering myself down carefully until my feet were firmly planted, I immediately crouched and felt around with my hands, trying to determine how much space I had to work with. It wasn't a lot—my best guess was that I was on a shelving unit of some kind, but as narrow as it was, it made reaching the floor much easier since I could use the shelves as an impromptu ladder of sorts. I was careful as I crossed the room, keeping my arms stretched out in front of me; my senses were heightened, but that didn't mean I wanted to risk smacking face first into a wall or the sharp pointed corner of another shelving unit.

By the time I got the lights on and the door unlocked and open, Adrian was pacing back and forth in the hall; if that wasn't enough to clue me in on his nervous state, the drumming of his fingers on his thigh certainly would have given it away.

"See? Piece of cake." I smiled, pulling him into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Maybe for you it was—I'm not used to watching my girlfriend do shit like that."

"You dated Roza," I pointed out. My eyes were already moving over the shelves, trying to find what we would need. "I'm sure she did things that were a whole lot more daring that crawling through a ceiling, Dusha."

"Touché—but with her I expected it. I knew she was a loose cannon before we got involved."

I hesitated, frowning. For a moment, I didn't trust myself to speak. His tone of voice seemed almost reproachful—like I'd purposefully been hiding something important from him. Averting my eyes, I moved to the closest shelf. "Are you saying that if you'd known my personality and Roza's were similar on some things… you wouldn't have gotten involved with me?"

"What? That's not what—"

"If you're having second thoughts and you want to call this… whatever it is… off… you can. I would still give you blood, if that's what you're worried about—"

"Vika—"

I ignored his interruption—hurrying to get out what had to be said before I started to cry. "I won't change who I am for anyone, Adrian. Not even for you."

It hurt to say that—it felt like I'd swallowed broken glass—but it had to be done. If he couldn't accept me—faults and all—then there was no point in dragging things out. I would not be one of those girls that betrays herself and her values to please a man. I couldn't—it was far too easy for me to remember my mother making that mistake with my father. Though it would shatter my heart and soul to lose him, I couldn't be anything other than what I was, remaining true to myself first and foremost; to do anything less would not be an act of love—it would be an empty, meaningless thing.

"That's not what I as saying at all, Vika." He moved—a moment later his arms slid around me, pulling me back against his chest. I could feel his body trembling against mine—it made me wonder if the thought of ending things bothered him as much as it did me. "Just… warn me next time, okay? I wasn't prepared for you to go all ninja on me."

"Are you sure that's all it was?" I asked softly, still staring at the shelves; I was afraid of what I might see in his eyes if I dared to turn my head.

"The only thing I'm unsure of is whether or not the fact you don't know how amazing you are is refreshing…or frustrating. Either way, I'm not a fool—I know a good thing when it's right in front of me."

A sound of relief escaped me as I leaned back into the warmth of his body. It felt like a giant, crushing weight was lifting from my chest. I'd overreacted, which was embarrassing, but at least the air had been cleared—now he knew my position on the issue, so there was no chance of a misunderstanding later on. "Just good, huh? Not great?"

He growled playfully, tightening his arms around me. "Great. Fabulous. Wonderful. Fan-fucking-tastik. Gorgeous. Sexy as hell—I'd keep going, but I'm afraid you might get an ego the size of Rose's. Plus… I do believe we've got a party to crash."

I laughed softly, turning my head to brush a gentle kiss against his cheek. "You're right—start looking flashlights. And a stake—even one of the plastic practice ones will do."

As he moved to start searching, I began grabbing things at random from the shelf in front of me; a length of rope, bright fluorescent chalk—things we might not need, but since I'd never been in a cave and we wouldn't have the benefit of Alberta or Emil guiding us through it, it was better to err on the side of caution. "If you see a backpack, grab it. My duffle bag might be too bulky to maneuver with once we get inside."

"I suppose you've got a plan for how we're going to get there? Hotwiring a car, maybe?

I frowned at him. "Why does everyone keep assuming I know how to do that? I'm not some kind of criminal!"

He shot me a pointed look. "Says the girl who just climbed through the ceiling to burglarize the guardian's bat cave."

"This is borrowing, not burglary." I huffed indignantly. "Knowing how to steal a car is something else entirely—besides, we don't have to do anything that drastic. They think you are a guardian, yes? So we will go to the motor pool and request a car."

"Beauty and brains… quite a combo. I think I'm beginning to understand Rose's obsession with Russians."

I smiled as I moved on to the next set of shelves, unable to resist teasing him a bit. "You realize that you just inadvertently complimented my brother too, right?"

He chuckled softly, but when he spoke, there was no amusement in his voice—it was completely earnest. "He's your brother—I can't just randomly insult him anymore. I'm not saying I won't relapse a time or two… but I promise that I'm trying, Angel."

"Thank you—I appreciate that. I know how hard it is for you to—"

"Exactly what in the hell is going on here?"

I jumped at the unexpected voice. Spinning around, I came face to face with Stan Alto—who looked livid, to put it mildly. If his face was any redder, he might suffer a stroke. "Who gave you two clearance to be in here?"

I was at a complete loss; in all my years of sneaking around Saint Basil's, I'd never once gotten caught. "I… uh… we were… uh…"

"Assessing the inventory to see what might be needed," Adrian inserted smoothly, crossing the room to stand beside me. "It's all part of the fund Mr. Mazur is setting up—he wants to make sure the staff has the best equipment available."

"Is that so?" Alto's eyes ran over the items I'd dropped beside my bag. "Because it certainly doesn't look that way to me—I'd say the two of you are raiding our supplies, not supplementing them."

Adrian stepped forward, ducking his head down a few inches so his eyes were level with the guardian's. "You're completely wrong—we aren't stealing anything. In fact… we're not even here at all."

I groaned as goose bumps danced along my skin. It was almost impossible to ignore the surge of desire that flared up when he pulled Spirit. It didn't last long—a sharp, stabbing pain behind my eyes chased away the arousal almost as soon as it began. The pain was so intense that it almost brought me to my knees, though that also could have been the result of the deep feeling of unease that accompanied it. It was almost a sense of forewarning—telling me that he shouldn't be using his amped up compulsion so freely… it would lead to trouble in the end.

"Dusha, don't—please."

"Relax Angel… what was it you said? This is a piece of cake for—"

"No! I mean it!" I shoved him, hoping it would break his concentration. "This is my problem—let me handle it, okay?" I stepped directly in front of him, not waiting for an answer; Alto shook his head, looking more than a little dazed. "I was borrowing what I needed to go to the cave where the Strigoi camped out. Alberta Petrov and Emil took my grandmother, but she made me stay behind."

"Why would she do that?" His eyes searched mine—perhaps looking for any sign that I was being less than truthful. He could search all he wanted—there was no lie there to see.

"Honestly? I don't know. I suspect she was trying to spare me from seeing where my brother was turned, but whatever her reasoning might be… it doesn't matter. I have a right to see the spot , and since I am a legal adult, no one can stop me from going." I glanced over at the supplies I'd commandeered, letting out a sign. "I mean… you can certainly stop me from taking that stuff… but I'll go with or without them."

He stared at me for a moment, then brushed past me without uttering a word. I watched as he grabbed a flashlight off the shelf, my eyes following him as he stalked around the room, mumbling under his breath as he grabbed things off the shelves.

Adrian raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. "Probably should have stuck with doing it my way, sweetheart."

"We'll talk about that later." I frowned, irritated at the fact I was starting to sound like Yeva.

"Here—I noticed you don't have one Johnson. You'll need it. Try not to lose them—they're expensive." Alto held out two stakes; when we didn't immediately take them, he scowled with displeasure. "Well? Do you want them or not?"

"I…yes. We do."I grabbed one, elbowing Adrian. He looked completely taken aback, but he reached out and grabbed the other, holding it gingerly, as if he were afraid it might bite.

"I'll meet you out front in fifteen minutes—" the guardian's tone was almost friendly for the first time since I'd met him. "—make sure you close the door on your way out."

I stared at him dumbly. "What?"

"I'm going to get a car—it's faster than going on foot."

"But… why?"

"I just told you—it's faster to go by the interstate," he said, his voice full of impatience. "It's a longer route, but it takes half the time."

"No—that's not what I meant. Why are you doing this?"

"Don't think it's because I'm sentimental—I'm not. Your grandmother was right—I failed him that night. We all did. Belikov never would have left one of us behind—he would have stayed and fought to the death if that's what was needed." He paused, his eyes dropping down to the floor; he suddenly seemed much younger than I'd estimated, making me wonder if his abrupt, brusque rudeness was a mask he'd worn so frequently that it wasn't easily shed. "Helping you is the least I can do. You held your own today. It was impressive… it reminded me of him."

I watched him walk out the door, so startled I could barely speak. "Did that just happen, or am I having delusions?"

"It happened…. I think we better look for jackets. If Alto is complimenting people…hell must be freezing over."

I grabbed my bag and began shoving the things we'd gathered inside; Adrian held out his stake for me to add to the load—I shook my head, refusing to take it. "Since I suppose it would be pointless to ask you to wait for me in Petrov's office… I want you to be armed."

"More than pointless—it'd be a total waste of time." He studied the stake for a moment, his lips twitching up at the sides. "I don't know how to use this thing, Angel—I'd probably end up hurting myself if I tried."

"If we run into a Strigoi in the cave and it gets too close, you can use it to hold them off. Rake the tip along their face or arm or whatever is within reach.. But…I'd really be more comfortable with you staying inside the wards."

"Look I know you guys have it beaten into your heads that you have to protect Moroi at all times, but—"

"You are an idiot if you think this has anything to do with the fact you are a Moroi." I snapped. "I don't want you going because I care about you—I don't want you to get hurt. Alto and Emil think you're a Guardian—if we run into trouble, they're not going to realize you have no idea what to do."

"I'm not totally helpless, Vik. Spirit users can pull on all of the elements—we just can't use as much as someone who specializes might. I'm willing to bet I can muster up a little fire if my ass is on the line."

He held the door open, indicating I should go first; I walked past him, only to be stopped by his hand grabbing my arm. "Speaking of Spirit… why'd you stop me? It's not like using it will make me nuts anymore." His hand slid up my arm, moving to my neck—his fingertips caressed the spot where he'd bitten down.

I shivered. I couldn't help it. "I don't know… I just got a weird feeling. Remember what you said to Alberta? About why the books might have been stolen? Well if people find out how strong your compulsion can be…"

He nodded as my voice trailed off, grimacing at what I had left unsaid. "They'd freak out. No one wants to think someone has that kind of power."

"Exactly. And if you keep doing it to people… eventually someone is bound to catch on. All it would take is one person to start a panic."

"You could be just a little paranoid, sweetheart. It's not like they'd come after us with pitchforks and torches—this isn't the dark ages."

"I am sure the women who were accused of witchcraft in Salem thought the same thing—or if you would like a more recent example, look at the Ruska Roma. They have been persecuted for centuries just for being different," I said, frowning. It was a touchy subject for me since Yeva insisted there was a touch of Ruska near the roots of our family tree. "Fear of the unknown drives even the most civilized people to do horrible, horrible things."

"So… you think the Moroi would… what? Round up all the Spirit users and lock them away somewhere? Come on Vik—"

"Don't say that—not even as a joke!" I snapped, wincing as another stab of pain lanced behind my eyes. "It could happen Adrian! Roza told me about the special ward in Tarasov—are you willing to risk ending up like that?"

"Lissa would never let that happen," he said gently. "And for something of that magnitude… the council would have to have the Queen's approval—"

I dropped my bag, reaching up and grabbing his face between my palms; I didn't know why, but my heart was racing—I had to make him understand. "Queens can be silenced, Dusha—you should know that better than anyone. All it takes is one assassin slipping into a room. Lissa is already in a precarious position—if the Moroi decided that Spirit was too dangerous… they would do away with her too."

He looked taken completely aback by what I'd said; it made me wonder if it was the first time he'd ever faced the brutal truth. Tatiana's death had been a warning sign—one he apparently hadn't processed. The former queen had brought him up pampered and protected in the shadow of her crown—and because of that, he actually believed that Royalty was an unbreakable shield that would always keep him safe. It wasn't—history was littered with Nobles who had shared the same mistaken belief right up until the moment their wings were clipped and they slowly plummeted from grace. I couldn't help but wondered if those poor, misguided fools had finally seen the light of truth in the dark moments before their executions.

The thought of Adrian locked away or meeting the same fate as Tatiana terrified me, but at the same time, it awoke a fierce protectiveness in me too. Gazing into his eyes, I swore to myself that I would do what his Royal blood could not—I would keep him safe, no matter what the cost.

"I am not asking you to stop using your magic, moy Dusha—I know that you couldn't, not even if you wanted to." I stroked the pad of my thumbs along his cheekbones, trying to hide my fear so he would not see it reflected in my eyes. "I am just asking you to please be more careful about who you use it on. I don't want anything bad to happen."

But it will. It must.

It echoed through my mind, chiming sweetly like a bell. I bit down on my lip hard enough to draw blood; he didn't notice—he had turned his face to press his lips against my palm.

"Do you really think that could happen?"

"I don't know… but I don't think you should risk it. I mean… think about this—all those Spirit users that are locked away in Tarasov? What proof do we have that they were really insane before their incarceration? Maybe they were perfectly fine when they got locked up, and the years of captivity is what slowly eroded their minds. There has to be a reason that people forgot about Spirit for such a long time, Dusha—a reason why the people who had it suddenly started keeping it a secret. If the Council burned the Royal library in an attempt to destroy all the books that talked about Spirit… what else might they do to keep the secret hidden away forever?"

"We need to say something to Lissa—or better yet, mention it to Rose and let her take it from there. Lissa will be more likely to listen to her than she would to me." He sighed. "It won't be easy either way—Lissa is like me. She uses it without thinking… and I hate to say it, but lately she's been acting a little… off."

"I know. The day we went shopping she started to slip." I frowned, thinking about the way the young queen had been so dead set against wearing a charmed ring that might help her control the tumultuous element that threatened her mind. "Yeva said she won't last more than a year or two at most."

Maybe I can start healing her," he mused, grabbing my bag and taking my hand as we headed for the stairs. "If charmed silver helps, then a direct blast of healing should help her even more. I never tried it before because it would have been too risky, but now… if it drains me too much… you can help with that."

I had a feeling that what he was suggesting would be a temporary fix at best—like putting a bandage over a gaping wound without stitching it up first; you might initially stop the bleeding, but underneath the gauze, the wound would remain open, festering and never fully healing.

"I don't know if that will work, Dusha—Yeva said there was no help for her, remember? I'm not saying you shouldn't try," I added quickly when he looked like he was about to protest, "just don't get your hopes up too much."

I knew that theoretically, the Spirit in my blood should be able to help Lissa too—but between the things Yeva had mentioned and what I'd felt when Adrian fed, I suspected that wasn't the way it worked. Perhaps in some strange way it was like donating an organ—everyone might have the same parts inside of them, but only certain people could be matched up in the end.

We both fell silent as we walked towards the exit; it wasn't until his hand was on the door that I remembered Abe was waiting for my call. " I have to call Abe back—I can't leave him waiting. Will you tell Alto I will only be a minute?"

"I can come with—"

"No—he might get impatient and change his mind or have another weird mood swing. I'll practically be right behind you."

Before he could object further, I spun around, jogging back in the direction of the lead guardian's office. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of telling Abe that I had wasted his time—I had a feeling that wasn't something he'd appreciate in the least—but I couldn't exactly avoid calling him either. If he didn't hear back from me, he'd probably assume the worst and do something drastic or double whatever it was he was charging me—I just hoped that whatever he demanded in exchange for the additional favor was something that I could pay. I dialed the phone and waited for him to pick up, trying to ignore the prickling that shivered through my mind—a warning to watch my step. However kindly the man might act towards me, I could not allow myself to forget that Zmey was very, very dangerous person to be indebted to for any length of time.

The conversation didn't go quite the way I'd expected; instead of angry indignation, the Moroi seemed almost relieved to hear that I'd found another option. I soon understood why; for all my scheming, I had not stopped to consider one very important detail—GPS or not, it was impossible to track a cell phone that was surrounded by layers of rock, deep inside a cave. By the time I said goodbye, I'd successfully confirmed two very important things: Zmey agreed that our deal was void since he hadn't been able to produce what I needed—and Dimitri was still at court. As pleased as I was at having gotten my way with Abe, I knew better than to gloat. Something told me I'd have need of him again in the future, so I had to stay on his good side, no matter what it took. I hung up the phone and practically ran to the car, hoping that Alto and Adrian hadn't killed each other in the interim.

It was time to head to the cave.

A/N: Sorry for the long A/N—I try to space them out, lol.

—First: I apologize for any typos or obvious fuck ups. I attempted to edit this one, but it's 5:00 am here and I still have not slept. My handwriting is sometimes rather hard to decipher, and insomnia... is a bitch.

—Second: As always, thanks for the wonderful reviews, thoughtful comments—and for wanting to read more about Vidrian. I appreciate you all so, so much. ;o)

—Final: I have received several private messages asking the same two questions, so I am going to respond to them here where it can be seen by anyone who might be wondering the same thing. PLEASE BE ADVISED: When you ask for my opinion, you get just that. I do not sugar coat things—I'm sorry, but that's just not me. I am blunt, honest, and I do not BS—keep that in mind when/if you read the Q &A below. (And actually, these answers are pretty nice, for me. If you don't believe me, just take a look at some of the posts tagged anon on guardianrose's tumblr. )

—Q: Will you still be updating this fic despite what was revealed in The Ruby Circle?

A: Of course I will. Canon for me ended on the last page of The Golden Lily. I do not acknowledge any book that occurred after that point—for me, they do not exist, and NONE of my fics will follow their events in any way, shape or form.

—Q: Have you read The Ruby Circle/what did you think of it?

A: I hated it. In my opinion, it reads like a horribly written fanfic. It is filled with clichéd tropes, possessive sue/stu(s) and almost every single character is so –out of character- that they are barely recognizable—ESPECIALLY Rose and Dimitri at the end of the book.

Basically, if you buy the book, be advised that you are paying for something that is subpar to 95% of the fanfics that are free on this site. I personally don't think VA/BL fans should pay for a canon novel that reads like a really bad Degrassi fanfic—but hey, maybe that's just me.

I have a full review of this book up on Goodreads; if you are interested in reading it, just go to goodreads and add /samwysesr to the end of the url or search –people- for samwysesr. I will also add a link to the review on my profile page here, but lately it seems to take a few days before profile updates go through.

There are spoilers on the review, but I have them hidden. If you actually want to see them, you have to click on 'show spoiler'. I also gave a synopsis of the key points in the book and detailed what was wrong with them/ how they clashed with VA canon. I also have a couple replies in the comments as well that elaborate on a couple of the reasons Sydrian does not work. (Trust me, I have wayyy more reasons than the ones listed there, but writing long replies takes me away from important things, like updating fics!) :oD