None of the council looked nearly as tolerant of me as they had before. “We simply subdued her,” said Master Ortega. “It’s a sign of our prowess that we were able to do so.”
“You’ve subdued an innocent and defenseless woman.” I didn’t know if driving home that point would help, but I figured it couldn’t hurt if they had twisted, chivalrous views of women. “And I know you’ve made mistakes before. I know about Santa Cruz.” I had no idea if this had been the same group whose men had gone after Clarence, but I was gambling the council at least knew about it. “Some of your more zealous members went after an innocent Moroi. You saw the errors of your way then when Marcus Finch told you the truth. It’s not too late to correct this mistake either.”
To my astonishment, Master Ortega actually smiled. “Marcus Finch? You’re holding him up as some kind of hero?”
Not exactly, no. I didn’t even know the guy. But if he was a human that talked these crazy people down, then he must have some kind of integrity.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked. “He was able to see right from wrong.”
Even Master Angeletti chuckled now. “I would never have expected an Alchemist to praise his sense of ‘right and wrong.’ I thought your own views of that were immovable.”
“What are you talking about?” I didn’t mean to get derailed, but these comments were too puzzling.
“Marcus Finch betrayed the Alchemists,” explained Master Angeletti. “You didn’t know? I assumed a rogue Alchemist is the last person you’d use to make your case.”
I was momentarily speechless. Was he saying… was he saying that Marcus Finch used to be an Alchemist? No. He couldn’t be. If he had been, then Stanton would have known who he was.
Master Jameson had apparently heard enough from me. “We appreciate you coming out here and respect your attempt to stand up for what you believe is true. We’re also glad you were able to see just how strong we’ve become. I hope you’ll take this news back to your order. If anything, your attempts here have demonstrated what we’ve long known: our groups need each other. Clearly, the Alchemists have gleaned a lot of knowledge over the years that could be very useful to us-just as our strength could be useful to you. Nonetheless,” he glanced over toward Sonya and scowled, “the point remains now that whatever your intentions, you truly have been deceived. Even if there’s some tiny impossible chance that you’re right, that she truly is a Moroi… we can’t take the chance that she’s still been corrupted. Even if she believes she’s been restored, she may still have been subconsciously influenced.”
Again, I was speechless-but not because I appeared to have lost my case. Master Jameson’s words were nearly identical to what Keith’s father had said, when he’d told me Keith would be taken back to Re-education. Mr. Darnell had echoed the sentiment, that they couldn’t take the risk of even a subtle bit of influence affecting Keith. Extreme actions had been required.
And then Master Jameson said the most shocking thing of all. “Even if she is just a Moroi, it’s no great loss. We’ll come for them eventually anyway, once we’ve defeated the Strigoi.”
I froze at those words. The blonde girl came forward and again forced me to sit down on the first row of the bleachers. I offered no resistance, too shocked at what I’d just heard. What did they mean they’d come for the Moroi? Sonya could just be the beginning, then the rest of my friends, and then Adrian…
Master Angeletti snapped me back to the present. He made a grand gesture toward Chris as he spoke. “By the divine power we have been granted to bring light and purity into this world, you are authorized to destroy this creature. Commence.”
Chris raised the sword, a fanatical gleam in his eyes. A happy gleam, even. He wanted to do this. He wanted to kill. Dimitri and Rose had killed many, many times, but both had told me there was no joy in it. They were glad to do what was right and defend others, but they didn’t take pleasure in bringing death. I’d been taught the existence of vampires was wrong and twisted, but what I was about to witness was the true atrocity. These were the monsters.
I wanted to scream or cry or throw myself in front of Sonya. We were a heartbeat away from the death of a bright, caring person. Then, without warning, the silence of the arena was pierced with gunfire. Chris paused and lifted his head in surprise. I flinched and looked immediately toward the armed escort, wondering if they’d take it upon themselves to become a firing squad. They looked just as surprised as me-well, most of them. Two of them didn’t show much emotion at all-because they were crumpled on the ground.
And that was when Dimitri and Eddie burst into the arena.
CHAPTER 22
SHOTS RANG OUT across the arena, taking down several more armed Warriors. I realized that Dimitri and Eddie weren’t alone-because neither was holding a gun. The shots were coming from the roofs of the compound buildings that surrounded the arena. Chaos broke out as the gathered spectators jumped to their feet to join in the fray. My breath caught as I realized that many of them had their own weapons too. I was shocked to notice that the fallen Warrior on the ground next to me wasn’t bleeding. A small dart hung from his shoulder. The sharpshooters’ “bullets” must have been tranquilizers. Who were they?
I looked back toward the entrance and saw that a few others with the look of guardians had entered the arena and were fighting with some of the Warriors, including Chris. This provided cover for Dimitri and Eddie to free Sonya. A flash of strawberry blonde hair caught my eye near them, and I recognized Angeline’s lithe figure. Dimitri efficiently cut Sonya’s straps then helped lift her toward Eddie. A zealous Warrior came at them, and Angeline quickly knocked him out-as though he were a motivational speaker.
Beside me, one of the masters shouted, “Get the Alchemist girl! Hold her hostage! They’ll negotiate for her!”
The Alchemist girl. Right. That would be me.
In the roar of fighting, hardly anyone heard him-save one. The bleach blonde girl had managed to evade being tranquilized. She leapt toward me. My adrenaline kicked in, and I was suddenly no longer afraid. With reflexes I didn’t know I had, I reached into my purse and pulled out the so-called “potpourri.” I ripped it open and flung it out around me, shouting a Latin incantation that translated roughly to “see no more.” Compared to the scrying spell, this one was astonishingly easy. It required will on my part, certainly, but most of the magic was tied into the physical components and didn’t need the hours of concentration that the other one had. The power surged through me almost instantly, filling me with a thrill I hadn’t expected.
The girl screamed and dropped her gun, clawing at her eyes. Cries of dismay from the masters sitting by me showed they too had been affected. I’d cast a blindness spell, one that would affect those near me for about thirty seconds. Some part of me knew that wielding magic was wrong, but the rest of me felt triumphant at stopping some of these trigger-happy fanatics, if only temporarily. I didn’t waste any of that precious time. I jumped up from where I was sitting and ran across the arena, away from the fighting near the entrance.
“Sydney!”
I don’t know how I managed to hear my name above all that noise. Glancing behind me, I saw Eddie and Angeline carrying Sonya out through the door. They paused, and a pained look crossed Eddie’s face as he glanced around, assessing the situation. I could guess his thoughts. He wanted me to come with them. Most of the gathered Warriors had raced to the center of the arena, trying to stop Sonya’s rescue. They outmatched me by a long shot, creating a wall between my friends and me. Even if I didn’t have to actually fight anyone, it seemed impossible I’d slip by unnoticed-especially since several people were still shouting about “that Alchemist girl.”
Shaking my head adamantly, I motioned for Eddie to go on without me. Indecision warred on his face, and I hoped he wouldn’t attempt to break through the throng to get to me. I pointed at the door, again urging him to go. Sonya was the incapacitated one. I would find my own way out. Not waiting to see what he’d do, I turned and continued the way I’d been going. There was a lot of open space for me to cover, but fewer Warriors to stop me.
Several buildings ringed the arena, some with doors and windows. I moved toward them, though I had nothing
