Rose's POV

My initial shock over the revelation of Dimitri's whereabouts subsided only after my conversation with Sunshine had ended. It was quickly replaced by other worries. What was he doing at the academy? Where was Christian? Were they on some misguided mission together? Or had something happened? Had the Guardian Council reached out and reassigned Dimitri, now that it seemed like Christian was no longer a part of the Queen's life? So many questions, and no possible way to answer any of them. Unless, of course…

My phone was back in my hand before I could think twice about it.

"Guardian Croft," answered a voice that, several years ago, I would have wished to never hear again. It was hard to believe I'd dialled his number voluntarily, but he was the best chance I had to get in touch with the Guardian Council.

"Hans, it's Rose Hathaway. I'm going to need—"

I shouldn't have been surprised that I was immediately interrupted. "Hathaway? Are you joking?"

"Do I sound like I'm joking?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

He hesitated for a moment. "No one's heard from you in years. Now you're contacting me of all people?"

"Yes, I am. Look, I know we're not the best of friends—"

"Certainly not."

"—but I'm going to need to talk to the Guardian Council about… my current assignment. I thought maybe you might be able to get me in contact with them."

There was silence for a few seconds and then he burst out laughing. "No. No, this is… this is too good. You don't know, do you? Oh. Oh, I'm going to get you in touch with them. Hold on. I'll forward this call right now."

Aaaand he was gone. I was confused for a moment, until someone else picked up. Someone I would have never expected.

"Guardian Hathaway, head of the Guardian Council, what can I do for you?"

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

How had I not known about this? When had she – when had my mother – become head of the council? It didn't seem like her at all. Wasn't she all about being in the field? Then again, she wasn't getting any younger, and she'd garnered more than enough respect to take on this role.

"This is Guardian Hathaway," I eventually replied. "I'm calling to—"

"Rose?"

I dropped the professional act, unsure why I'd even tried in the first place. "Um. Yeah. Hi, Mom."

More silence. When she spoke again, she sounded significantly less calm. "Rosemarie! I haven't heard from you in eight years! Where have you been?"

"Um. I'm afraid that's on a need-to-know basis," I told her. This wasn't a personal call to catch up with my mother. She must have known that, seeing as I wasn't calling her personal number.

She huffed. "Sure. That's exactly what I was told when I took over."

"For good reason," I replied. I had no idea when she had taken over, nor did I know what the former head of the council had been told about my departure from Court. "You've got to trust me on this one, okay? Lissa's orders."

"I figured." She let out a long sigh. "I know there must have been some compulsion involved in convincing the council that there's no need for you to return, but with many of the members being replaced in the last years… there's been talk."

Mikhail had told me as much. It might have been a good thing right now, though, and maybe the fact that my mother essentially had final say over my assignment was even better. She'd understand, right? She'd have to. "I know. That's… one of the reasons I'm calling."

"We can't give you more time on whatever mission you're on right now if that's what you're asking," she said. "I've been fighting for you here, I really have, but without knowing what's happening, there's nothing I can do. We were going to order you to come back by the end of the year."

Well, at least she appeared to still be on my side. Our relationship had improved significantly in the last few years before I'd left, but going more or less off the radar for eight years might have changed some things. "That's not why I'm calling." I took a deep breath. "I would like to ask for reassignment."

That appeared to stun her. "Come again?"

"I would like to—"

"You've fought your entire life to become Vasilisa's guardian, and now you just want to be… reassigned?"

It was my turn to sigh now. Did I want this? Hell no. But what could I do? Something was going on with Dimitri and Christian, and even though Lissa hadn't specifically ordered me to watch over her husband, I felt it was my duty to find out what had happened there. "I don't expect you to understand. It's not that I… the thing is… I can't tell you my reasons."

"Did something happen between you and the Queen?"

"No."

Her exasperation appeared to grow with every second this conversation went on. "I'm going to need an explanation then."

"All I can say is that I need to go back to St. Vladimir's Academy, and that Lissa can't know."

For the third time in as many minutes, I'd managed to render her speechless. That had to have been some kind of record. Nevertheless, she collected herself quickly enough. "First Belikov, and now you? I really don't want to know what's going on at that academy, do I?"

This time, I was too stunned to speak. Of course, his presence at the academy would have to have gone through the council, but this sounded like he had asked for it. That would rule one of my ideas as for why he was there out.

"What do you know about Dimitri?" I asked cautiously. If he had asked to be assigned to St. Vladimir's, that could still mean many things. It also gave me little information about Christian's situation.

"Nothing. That's the problem. Two months ago, I got a call not unlike this one. He asked for a position there, and insisted that nobody could know. Not even – no, especially not – the Queen. Or you, actually."

That, of course, only strengthened my resolve. Our agreement years ago had included keeping Christian's location from both Lissa and me. Did that mean they were both at the academy? I sure hoped so for Christian's sake, but I had no idea what that could mean for Sunshine. He was her father, after all. "So? You could make it happen for him, can you do the same for me?"

"Yes," was the immediate answer. "But you won't like what you'll find."

I didn't ask why. I'd never, ever, wanted to work at an academy. Dealing with teenage Moroi – or, worse even, novices who were too cocky for their own good – was definitely not my idea of a good time. But I had to do what I had to do. Not only to find out what had happened to Christian, or why Dimitri appeared to have been so eager to go back there. It would also allow me to keep an eye on Sunshine, though I hadn't dared to consider the possibility before. If she let it slip that she knew me, amidst all these Moroi and guardians, that could have been another problem entirely. A problem for another day, though. "I don't care. I need to go there."

"Very well. How soon can you start?"

Kirova was decidedly not happy to see me in her office the following day. She was even less happy when a quick call to the Guardian Council confirmed that I really was the new hire joining the academy.

"Thank you, Guardian Hathaway," she told my mother before she ended the call and turned back to me.

I grinned. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

"It would appear so," she said with an insincere smile. Reluctantly, she walked over to a cabinet behind her, and opened one of its drawers. She appeared to think on it for another moment, then opened a different drawer and retrieved a single key. "I trust you remember where to find the guardians' quarters."

The sharp edge of her tone did not escape my notice, but I didn't let it faze me. I took the key from her hands. "I do."

"Good. Find your room and report for duty before nightfall." With that, she dismissed me, and I was happy I could finally leave. I really did not enjoy sitting in that office. Too many memories, and never good ones.

She'd been right about one thing, though. I remembered very well where to find the guardians' quarters. There was a staff wing in the same building that I'd lived in when I was a novice, but the proximity to my own former accommodations was not the reason I knew how to find it. I'd been in a guardian's room before, and Kirova knew it. A fact that became even more evident when I stood in front of the door that must have led to my new room. I double checked the numbers on the door and those on the tag hanging from my key again but, nope, they definitely matched. That bitch.

It was that very door that I had knocked on eleven years ago, when Victor Dashkov's compulsion charm had made me seek out my mentor for something entirely different than combat training. Well, maybe not that different. Kirova truly was even more of a sadist than I'd given her credit for. Did she expect me to come crawling back and ask for a different room? I wouldn't. Probably it didn't matter, anyway. The rooms would likely all look identical. After standing in the corridor for several minutes, I eventually unlocked the door. It was exactly the same as I remembered it – minus the Western novels on the shelves, of course. A small and modest room, but not the worst place I'd lived by a long shot. There was a door that I assumed must have led to a bathroom, which was a relief, and I spotted an old and dusty looking coffeemaker on a counter by the entrance. I'd always thought I'd somehow manage to stay away from the stuff, but it had only taken a few weeks of working as a guardian to develop a caffeine addiction.

After surveying my new home for the foreseeable future, I considered just throwing my suitcase on the twin bed in the corner and leaving it for later. Remembering I would have to immediately report for duty as soon as I left, though, made me change my mind. I was in no hurry to do so, and there was still plenty of time before sundown. Unpacking my sparse belongings, however, did not take up nearly as much time as I'd hoped. There was no delaying it any longer.

I momentarily cursed Kirova's pointed unhelpfulness since, really, I had no idea where to go from here. An unpleasant but possibly convenient memory popped up in my mind, though. When I'd had to face a disciplinary committee during my field experience, that had been in one of the guardians' meeting rooms. I figured their offices must have been in the general vicinity of that. Upon entering the building, I realised that the first door I found was labelled Captain of the School Guard. Well. That was easy.

I knocked on the door and opened it, expecting to find Alberta, but that wasn't who sat behind the desk. He was as breathtaking as ever, even hunched over some paperwork in an office, and when he looked up, I could feel my chest tighten. His eyes widened, his mouth fell open, and it was clear that he was just as shocked to see me.

"Roza?"