"It's not the guardians I'm worried about,' she replied. She used that blase tone of hers, but I could see a glint of legitimate fear in her eyes--and I wondered who she was referring to. The Alchemists? Or someone else?
"Sydney,' I said hesitantly, despite knowing Mikhail and I needed to get out of there. "What did Abe really do for you? There has to be more than just the transfer.'
Sydney gave me a small, sad smile. "It doesn't matter, Rose. I'll deal with whatever comes. Just go now, okay? Go help your friends.'
I wanted to say more ... to find out more. But Mikhail's expression told me he agreed with her, and so, with brief farewells, he and I left. When we got back to where the others were waiting in the parking lot, I saw the situation hadn't changed much. Dimitri was pacing, no doubt restless at being out of the action. Jill still stood near Sonya, as though seeking protection from the older woman, and Adrian stayed away from all of them, barely sparing a glance when Mikhail's car pulled up.
When we told the group what we'd learned, however, that got a reaction from Adrian.
"Impossible. I can't believe that.' He stamped out a cigarette. "Your Alchemist pals are wrong.'
I could hardly believe it either, yet I had no reason to think Ian would lie. And honestly, if Adrian was having a hard time with this, there was no telling what he would have thought if we'd told him who our previous suspect was. I stared off into the night, trying to come to terms with who had murdered Tatiana and framed me. It was hard even for me to believe. Betrayal was harsh.
"The motives are there ...' I said reluctantly. Once Ian had described whom he'd seen, a dozen reasons for the murder clicked into place. "And they arepolitical. Ambrose was right.' "Ian's ID is hard evidence,' said Dimitri, as shocked as the rest of us. "But there are a lot of other holes, a lot of pieces that don't fit into it.'
"Yeah.' One in particular had been bothering me. "Like why I was set up for the fall.'
No one had an answer for that. "We need to get back to Court,' Mikhail said at last. "Or I'm going to be missed.'
I cast Jill what I hoped was an encouraging smile. "And you've got to make your debut.'
"I don't know which is crazier,' said Adrian. "The killer's identity or Jailbait being a Dragomir.' His words to me were cold, but the look he gave her was gentle. Crazy as the news was, Adrian hadn't had that hard of a time believing Jill's parentage. He was jaded enough to believe in Eric's infidelity, and those telltale eyes sealed the deal. I think hearing what Ian had told us was hurting Adrian more than he was letting on. Finding out the person responsible for his aunt's murder was someone he knew had to intensify the pain. Finding out about me and Dimitri couldn't help matters either.
Much to Mikhail's dismay, Sonya offered to stay behind while the rest of us went to Court. We couldn't bring both cars, and his only held five. She considered herself the least useful in this endeavor. With much hugging, kissing, and tears, she promised Mikhail they'd see each other again, once this mess was sorted out. I hoped she was right.
My charm would obscure my face enough to get me through the gate. But Jill was a trickier problem. Her kidnapping was hot Moroi news, and if she was recognized by any of the gate guardians, we would be stopped then and there. We were gambling that the guards would be too harried to notice her like they would Dimitri and me. That meant Dimitri took priority for disguising--requiring Adrian's help. Adrian wasn't quite as adept with illusion as Sonya was, but he understood enough of it to make Dimitri's appearance altered to the eyes of others. It was similar to how he'd used spirit during my jail escape. The question was whether or not Adrian would actually do it for us. He hadn't said a word to anyone about what he'd seen between me and Dimitri, but the others must have felt the sudden rise in tension.
"We have to help Lissa,' I told him, when he didn't respond to the request. "Time's running out. Please. Please help us.' I wasn't above groveling, if that was what he needed.
Fortunately, it wasn't. Adrian took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a brief moment. I was certain he wished he had something stronger than cigarettes. At last, he nodded. "Let's go.'
We left Sonya with the keys to the second car, and she stood there with shining eyes, watching as we drove off. Dimitri, Mikhail, and I spent most of the journey analyzing the our data collection. The woman Ian had described couldn't have done everything we'd been pinning on the murderer.
I was sitting in the backseat with Adrian and Jill, leaning forward and checking things off on my fingers. "Motive? Yes. Ability? Yes. Paying off Joe? Yes. Access to Tatiana's chambers ...' I frowned, suddenly thinking of what I'd overheard while with Lissa. "Yes.'
This earned me a surprised glance from Dimitri. "Really? That was one piece I couldn't figure out.' "Pretty sure I know how she did it,' I said. "But the anonymous letter to Tatiana doesn't make sense. Not to mention obscuring Lissa's family--or trying to kill her.' Or trying to frame me.
"We might be dealing with more than one person,' said Dimitri.
"Like a conspiracy?' I asked, startled.
He shook his head. "No, I mean, someone else had a grudge against the queen. But not someone who'd go as far as to kill her. Two people, two agendas. Probably not even aware of each other. We're mixing up the evidence.'
I fell silent, turning over his words. It made sense, and I picked up on the nuance that by someone, he meant Daniella. We'd been right about reasons she'd dislike Tatiana-- the trainings, the age law not being hardcore enough, encouraging spirit ... But that hadn't been enough for murder. An angry letter, bribery for her son's safety? Those were the kinds of actions Lady Daniella Ivashkov took. Not staking.
In the ensuing silence, I heard soft words between Jill and Adrian, who'd been having a conversation while the rest of us plotted strategy.
"What do I do?' Jill asked him in a small voice.
His answer was swift and sure. "Act like you deserve to be there. Don't let them intimidate you.'
"What about Lissa? What's she going to think of me?'
Adrian hesitated only a moment. "Doesn't matter. Just act the way I told you.'
My stomach sank, listening to him give her such earnest, kind advice. Rowdy, smug, and flippant ... he was all those things. But his heart was good. The heart I'd just broken. I knew I was right about his potential. Adrian was great. He could do great things. I just hoped I hadn't set him back. At least I hadn't had to tell him his mother was a murderer ... but still.
All of us grew quiet when we reached the gate. The line of cars was still there, and we became more and more nervous as we crept forward. A flip to Lissa's mind told me we weren't missing anything in the Council. The chaotic situation was pretty much the same as before, though the exasperated look on Nathan's face made me think he'd call a close to proceedings soon and continue tomorrow. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.