The Golden Lily

surprise, Eddie and Angeline were also in there, sitting side by side-and holding hands?

“Sydney!” he exclaimed. He immediately released Angeline’s hand and hurried over to me, astonishing me with a hug. “Thank God you’re okay. I hated having to leave you there. That wasn’t part of the plan. I was supposed to have gotten you out with Sonya.”

“Yeah, well, maybe next time, someone can fill me in on the plan,” I said pointedly.

Eddie grimaced. “I’m sorry about that. I really am. We just…”

“I know, I know. Didn’t think I’d go along with it, were afraid something would go wrong, etc., etc.”

“I’m sorry.”

I didn’t entirely forgive him, but I was too tired to push the matter much further. “Just tell me this,” I said, lowering my voice. “Were you just holding hands with Angeline?”

He blushed, which seemed ludicrous after the fierceness I’d seen him pull off back at the compound. “Er, yeah. We were just… talking. I mean, that is… I think we might go out sometime. Not at school, of course, since everyone thinks we’re related. And probably not anything serious. I mean, she’s still a little out there, but she’s not as bad as I used to think. And she was really great in that battle. I feel like maybe I should get my head out of the fantasy with Jill and try some normal dating. If you’ll let me borrow your car.”

I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. “Sure,” I said. “Far be it for me to stop a budding romance.” Should I tell him Jill might not be such a fantasy after all? I didn’t want to meddle. Eddie deserved to be happy, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bad that I’d told Jill he might be interested. I hope I hadn’t made things more complicated.

Adrian returned with a bag of ice. I sat down in an armchair, and he helped position the ice on my ankle after I propped it up on a footstool. I relaxed as the ice began numbing the pain and hoped I hadn’t broken anything.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Clarence asked me. “Finally, you were able to see the vampire hunters for yourselves!”

I wasn’t sure I’d describe the night with that much enthusiasm, but I did have to concede a point to him. “You were right,” I said. “I’m sorry for not believing you sooner.”

He gave me a kind smile. “It’s all right, my dear. I probably wouldn’t have believed a crazy old man either.”

I smiled in return and then thought of something from earlier. “Mr. Donahue… you said when you encountered the hunters before that a human named Marcus Finch intervened on your behalf.”

Clarence nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes. Nice young man, that Marcus. Certainly hope I run into him again someday.”

“Was he an Alchemist?” I asked. Seeing Clarence’s puzzled look, I tapped my cheek. “Did he have a tattoo like mine?”

“Like yours? No, no. It was different. Hard to explain.”

I leaned forward. “But he did have a tattoo on his cheek?”

“Yes. Didn’t you see in the picture?”

“What picture?”

Clarence’s gaze turned inward. “I could’ve sworn I showed you some of my old pictures, back when Lee and Tamara were young… ah, such good days those were.”

I worked hard to stay patient. Clarence’s moments of coherence were sometimes hard to get a hold of. “And Marcus? You have a picture of him too?”

“Of course. A lovely one of the two of us. I’ll find it one day and show you.”

I wanted to ask him if he’d show it to me now, but with his place so crowded, it didn’t seem like the right time.

Dimitri arrived shortly thereafter, along with the last of the guardians who’d been at the compound. Dimitri immediately asked about Sonya, who I’d learned was resting in her bedroom. Adrian had offered to heal her, but Sonya had had enough clarity of mind to refuse him, saying she simply wanted blood and rest and a chance for the drugs to wear off naturally.

Once Dimitri got this report and could rest easy about Sonya, he came straight to me, looking down from his lofty height at where I sat with my ice. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you must have heard by now what happened.”

“That I was sent into a dangerous situation with only half the information I needed?” I asked. “Yeah, I heard all about that.”

“I’m not a fan of lies and half truths,” he said. “I wished there’d been another way. We had so little time, and this just seemed like the best option. No one doubted your ability to reason and make a compelling case. It was the Warriors’ ability to listen and see reason that we didn’t believe in.”

“I can see why you guys didn’t trust me with the plan.” Near me, I saw Adrian flinch at the way I said “you guys.” I hadn’t intentionally meant anything by it but realized now that it sounded very condescending and Alchemist-so Us versus Them. “But I still can’t believe the Alchemists went along with that-that they condoned keeping me out of the loop.”

There were no free chairs left, so Dimitri simply sat down cross-legged. “There’s not much I can tell you about that. Like I said, it was all short notice, and when I spoke with Donna Stanton, she felt it would be safer all around if you didn’t know what was coming. If it makes you feel better, she was very adamant about us keeping you safe once we were there.”

“Maybe,” I said. “It’d be better still if she’d thought about how I might feel when I found out I wasn’t trusted with vital information.”

“She did think about it,” said Dimitri, looking slightly uncomfortable. “She said you wouldn’t mind because you understand the importance of not questioning your superiors’ decisions and that you know what they do is for the best. She said you’re an exemplary Alchemist.”

Don’t question. They know what’s best. We can’t take any chances.

“Of course she did,” I said. I never question anything.

CHAPTER 23

IT TOOK SONYA a few days to recover, thus delaying her return to Pennsylvania. When she was ready to go to the airport, I offered to drive her. The rental car had been found, but Dimitri was using it to clean up after the mission. Within twenty-four hours, the Warriors had vacated their compound, which had turned out to be a rental facility generally used for retreats. They’d left almost no trace of their presence behind, but that hadn’t stopped the guardians from scouring every inch of the abandoned compound.

“Thanks again,” Sonya told me. “I know how busy you must be.”

“It’s no problem. It’s the weekend, and anyway this is what I’m here for-to help you guys.”

She laughed softly to herself. Her recovery in the last couple of days had been remarkable, and she now looked as pretty and bright as usual. She wore her auburn hair down today, letting it fall in fiery waves around the delicate lines of her face. “True, but it seems like you keep having to go above and beyond your job description.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I said earnestly. I’d grown close to Sonya and was sad to see her go. “Back in that arena… well, it was kind of terrifying.”

Some of her amusement faded. “It was. I was out of it most of the time and not really able to process what was going on around me. But I do remember your words. You were pretty amazing, not to mention brave, to face down that crowd and defend me. I know how hard it must have been to be in opposition with your own kind.”

“Those people are not my kind,” I said adamantly. Some part of me wondered exactly who my kind were. “What’s going to happen to your research now?”

“Oh, it’ll continue back East. Dimitri will be returning soon too, and there are other researchers who can help us at Court. Having an objective spirit user like Adrian was extremely useful, and we’ve got plenty of data to keep us busy now, thanks to the blood samples and aura observations. We’ll let Adrian continue with his art and get in touch later if we need him again.”

I still couldn’t shake the guilt over how my refusal to give more blood had indirectly resulted in Sonya’s kidnapping. “Sonya, about my blood-”