Dimitri POV
"So, to summarize," I began, leaning back in my chair and examining the papers Hans handed me, "My task is to identify who is part of the rogue guardians' group, determine what technologies and weapons they possess, and learn as much as possible about their attack plan?"
For several days, we had been gathering information about a group of guardians who had rebelled against Lissa and the entire guardian system. They were planning to attack the Court with the intent to harm as many people as possible, including the Queen, in protest. We weren't going to let that happen, so we focused all our forces on defending the Court's grounds and Lissa.
"Yes," the head of all the guards replied, "And you are to keep everything top secret."
I nodded. It was quite obvious.
"You can't say anything to anyone. Not even to Hathaway."
I paused for a moment and looked at my boss, whose expression showed he was deadly serious. I didn't like the idea of not telling my girlfriend about this mission, especially since I would have to leave for a few days. Concealing anything from her felt wrong to me.
"You know there's no more loyal guardian in the royal guard than Rose. Telling her won't jeopardize the mission."
"Belikov, we are being watched at every turn. I realize Hathaway would never betray the crown, but she might unknowingly betray our plans through her actions. Remember, we don't know who we can trust or who is watching us. Only you and I know about this mission, and I want it to stay that way. Is that understood?"
I hesitated for a moment. I understood Hans's reasoning, but I still didn't like the idea of concealing something from Rose. Besides, I knew I would have to lie to her about my whereabouts if I disappeared for a few days. I sighed.
"Understood."
Hans escorted me to the door, wishing me good luck. I left, planning in my head what I should do. Hans chose me because I had one of the highest military ranks among the guardians, and he was convinced of my loyalty to the crown. He was right about that; after all, I had sworn to Lissa that I would be devoted to her for the rest of my life. It was also no secret that I would sooner lose my life than allow my friends to be harmed. That's why I was chosen for the scouting mission.
Rose wasn't too surprised when I told her I had been sent on a mission for a few days. Sometimes we were both called to different parts of the country, especially when someone was brought back from being Strigoi. So, I told her I was leaving for another state to take care of such a case. She was a little disappointed that I was leaving at such a vulnerable time, but with an affectionate kiss, she wished me good luck and a speedy return. I hoped her wishes would come true.
Even with my experience, the mission proved quite difficult. Hans had tracked down the guards' hideout a few hours before informing me, and I was to gather information on who was staying there, what weapons they had, and if I was lucky, what they planned to do.
I spent the entire first day observing the guards from afar—who was leaving the building, where and when, which entrances they used, and what vehicles they were driving. I meticulously noted everything on my phone and prepared to enter. It was only on the second day, after I knew the layout of all the rooms, that I decided to go inside.
I managed to slip under cover of darkness through a window that, according to my observations, was unprotected. I searched room after room, picking up clues and focusing on not getting caught. From hiding, I watched the rogue guardians, noting the names I heard and the information exchanged between them.
After a couple of hours, I stumbled upon a weapons and shotguns lay on the floor, stacked on a white sheet, and in the corner, I noticed a set of hand bombs, grenades, and improvised explosives. My heart began to race, imagining all this being used against us. I set about removing the magazines and emptying the cartridges, which I put in my pockets. I hoped this would at least somewhat sabotage their attack. I hesitated over dismantling the bombs, but I was afraid I didn't have enough time. Instead, I found a heavy metal chain and used it to tie up the box of explosives.
I thought I heard a commotion coming from the direction of my entrance. I made my way to one of the main rooms and, taking advantage of the momentary distraction, took cover before one of the rogue guards noticed me. They seemed unaware that several guardians loyal to the crown had just started to sneak into the building. My heart beat harder in my chest at this sight. The guardians began to enter through all the windows and entrances. I moved restlessly, almost giving away my location, when I recognized Rose among the approaching guards, moving silently with the others.
They must have been summoned to catch the rogue guards. I had no idea whether Hans had warned them about my task or not. I tried to catch eye contact with any of them, but they were too busy maneuvering unnoticed among the enemies to notice me.
I watched in stillness as our guardians began mounting improvised explosives at key exit points. They were not lethal obstacles, but they were enough to discourage fugitives from using these escape routes.
I wanted to lean out and let my colleagues know my location, but I couldn't risk communicating with them without revealing my position and exposing them to detection. I was aware I was within range of the explosives, but I couldn't leave my hiding place unnoticed. I wasn't going to draw attention to myself, especially now that the guardians had entered the warehouse.
Everything happened too quickly.I heard a commotion in the main hall and ran in that direction. I didn't have a chance to discern what was going on; all I saw was a group of rogue guardians gathered together, aiming their guns at our guards, who stood at the front door with their guns ready. I noticed Rose holding a gun in one hand and a detonator in the other. Our guardians told them to put the guns down and stay put. Someone tried to shoot, but then they realized that their magazines were empty, so they started running away.
Then I heard a distinctive screech that preceded the explosion of an improvised explosive. One of them was located right next to the exit I had passed through, so I dashed ahead, trying to get as far as possible from the bomb. I thought I heard Rose's scream, filled with terror.
Then everything exploded.
The force of the impact sent me crashing into the nearest wall, forcing the air from my lungs. I hit my head hard against the wall and fell to the floor, feeling my ribs break. I couldn't hear anything except the ringing in my ears, and my vision was blurry with black spots. I was too disoriented to do anything. All I knew was that my head was hurting, and my skin was burning.
Rose's face was the first thing to emerge from the mist. She was moving as if in slow motion, and I couldn't make out exactly what she was saying to me, but she looked so beautiful. Even with the terror in her eyes and her worry-stricken expression, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She grabbed my face in her hands and started to say something to me, but I didn't understand her.
"..Hurt? Help!" I finally heard her voice. Immediately, other guardians appeared and began to tend to my wounds. Rose continued to stroke my face, madness in her eyes, and searched for my injuries.
"Roza, everything will be fine," I wheezed, struggling to get my voice out. Tears flowed from her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were here. You weren't supposed to be here," she began to explain, and I heard a note of hysteria in her voice. I hissed when one of the guardians started tending to the blood on one of my cuts. Rose seized a piece of gauze and began to attend to the wound on my forehead. I didn't know if it was a burn or bleeding. My head was spinning too much and there were too many people surrounding me for me to focus on such details. So I focused on Rose.
"You couldn't have known, Roza" I croaked. "Don't worry," I hissed again when another burn was tended to. Despite my blurry vision, I saw Rose's face twist into a grimace of pain. I found her hand and squeezed it, and she raised my hand to kiss it. "Hans sent me here on a reconnaissance mission."
"Hans?" She asked in surprise, pressing the gauze to my wound. She looked at another guardian, but I didn't see his reaction. I heard screaming from somewhere nearby.
"It was you who disarmed their guns, right, Belikov?" one of the guardians asked me. I felt myself drifting off into unconsciousness, so I only murmured affirmatively. I felt Rose's gentle fingers on my face and opened my eyes again.
"Hold on, Dimitri, please," her voice was breaking. I smiled at her and wanted to tell her that I loved her, but I lost consciousness before I could.
...
I woke up in a hospital bed. Rose was curled up in a hospital chair, sleeping, holding my hand in hers. I tried to gently remove it from her embrace, but she woke up as soon as I moved.
"Dimitri? Oh, good, you're up," she rose quickly and sat on my bed, placing her hand on my cheek and kissing my forehead. I smiled softly.
"Was I unconscious for a long time?"
She shook her head gently. "A few hours."
"Was the mission successful?"
A grimace twisted her face, and she tightened her hands on mine.
"Yes, but... I'm so sorry. I would never have detonated those explosives if I had known you were inside."
"Roza, honey, you have nothing to apologize for," I lifted her hands to my lips and kissed her knuckles, "You couldn't have known I was there. Hans told me not to tell anyone and to gather intelligence."
"Yes, he got an earful from me about that. I yelled at him as soon as we got back. Everyone in the Court heard me ranting about how he could let this happen and not inform us that one of us was inside."
"Don't worry about it," I assured her again, and she tenderly stroked my hair.
"You will come out of the hospital tomorrow. You have a few shrapnel wounds, a slight burn on your hands, and the worst is two broken ribs. At least you will have some time off to recover."
"That's something," I smiled. There was a silence between us, not an uncomfortable one, but it allowed me to collect my thoughts. "I should have told you, Hans' order or not. He was afraid that you would give away something about my whereabouts, and we were being watched. But he was wrong. It was because of the lack of communication that we were in more danger."
"It's good that you came to this conclusion yourself. I was going to make you promise never to conceal from me again when you're going on a dangerous mission."
"I will never conceal from you again when I am going on a dangerous mission," I vowed. Rose rolled her eyes softly and moved closer to me, so that our lips were just an inch apart.
"Good," she whispered and joined our lips in a tender kiss.
