AN: This is a canon divergence AU, set during late Fiery Heart/early Silver Shadows would have happened in canon, and splitting off in Last Sacrifice: Rose doesn't kill Victor, and he and Robert get away. Things progress largely as they do in canon, except Olive is restored by Nina later and closer to Court, meaning Adrian went alone to Court to help investigate. This AU was inspired almost entirely by my ongoing disappointment that Lissa never got to punch Victor Dashkov, and the title comes from the Gang of Youth's song Achilles Come Down.

Lissa struggled into a sitting position, her hand moving to check the back of her head. Warm blood was oozing from the crown of her head, wetting her fingers. She didn't have time to focus on it, though – Sonya could heal her later.

If there was a later.

Rose struggled to her feet beside Lissa. Getting thrown against the wall had seen Rose worse for wear, and even Lissa could tell that she was flagging. Still, Rose planted herself in front of Lissa, bringing her fists up in front of her.

"You're not going to hurt her," snarled Rose.

"Hurt her?" said Victor, cocking his head. "Oh, no, my dear. I have no need to hurt her."

Rose spat at him. There was blood colouring her spittle. "Bullshit. You want to be king, then you need to take out the queen."

"Not quite," said Victor. He nodded at Robert and said, "Everything is possible with spirit. Even a peaceful revolution."

"Peaceful?" scoffed Rose. "Peaceful like using good people as your puppets?" Rose took her eyes off Victor, just for a moment, to glance desperately at Dimitri. He didn't respond, his arms crossed as he started blankly across the room.

"Robert," said Victor. "It's time."

"Rose," said Lissa. She didn't know what Victor was planning with Robert, but she knew it wasn't good, and she couldn't see them pulling off another miraculous escape: not with Dimitri compelled, Christian knocked out, and Eddie still on the other side of the country. She just wanted to see her best friend's face one more time before it ended. "Rose, I love you."

"Liss, I can't -"

Lissa Dragomir woke up from her nightmare to her boyfriend hovering over her, staring down at her in worry. She blinked away the last of her sleep, his face sharpening in her vision. "Morning," she whispered.

He learnt down and kissed her lazily, languidly, before pulling away. She made a face; he had morning breath. "Morning," he echoed.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Just past seven," he said. "You've got the Council meeting soon, remember?"

"Oh, god," said Lissa, bolting out of bed. "I'm going to be late! You should have woken me sooner!"

Adrian's laughter followed her out of the room.

Lissa arrived at the Council Chambers with exactly three minutes to spare. It wasn't the entrance she had wanted to make to her first Council session, but at least she hadn't been late. That would have been completely unacceptable.

"Vasilisa!" exclaimed Victor. She hurried over to him, smiling wide at her uncle. "I was starting to worry."

"Adrian let me sleep in a little too long," said Lissa, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm not too late, am I?"

"Of course not," said Victor. "The only restriction is getting here before the doors close, and you've made that."

"Good," said Lissa, relieved. "I can't believe I slept so late; I could barely sleep last night, I was so nervous about today."

"There's nothing to be nervous about, my dear," said Victor. "Trust me. You'll do wonderfully."

Lissa smiled. "Thank you, Uncle – or should I be calling you Your Majesty in here?"

"You'll call me Your Majesty when the doors close," said Victor. "But I think we can get away with it for the moment, hm?"

"If you say so, Uncle," said Lissa. Behind them, the royal guardians closed the doors, Guardian Belikov ritually locking them. Lissa left Victor to take her seat under the Dragomir banner. The seats were more comfortable than she expected them to be, but she still couldn't sit easy.

Are you out there, Father? she wondered. Are you proud of me?

She looked out at the gallery. Adrian was just taking his seat in the front row, and when he saw her looking, he shot her a thumbs up. She smothered her smile, looking down at the table. She focused on the smooth wood that the council table had been carved from, the way the lacquer gleamed under the lights, the dark spots in the wood – anything to keep Adrian from distracting her.

"I now call to order the latest Council session," said Victor. He stood at the head of the table. Behind him was his throne, carved meticulously with the symbol of the Dashkov at its top, with the other royal families' crests winding their way down the sides of the chair. "The first order of business is our newest member – Princess Dragomir?"

Lissa rose to her feet, willing herself not to fall or otherwise embarrass herself. Everybody was looking at her, but she ignored the eyes on her, looking steadily at Victor. "Your Majesty."

"Do you swear to serve the Moroi people?" asked Victor.

"I do," said Lissa steadily.

"Do you swear to uphold and defend our laws?"

"I do."

Victor smiled. "Welcome to the Council, Princess."

Lissa shrank back into her seat gratefully. Across the table, Ariana Szelsky smiled at her reassuringly. It could have gone worse, she thought.

It was a short meeting – Lissa's induction and the return of the Dragomirs was the main agenda for the day. Lissa listened calmly through the rest of the meeting. She had studied most of the issues in the lead up to the family quorum being changed so she could hit the ground running when she finally joined the Council.

Afterwards, she ducked out of the palace before Adrian had a chance to find her. She loved her boyfriend, but his ideas of celebration were probably extravagant. Lissa didn't want a party right now. She wanted to spend the time remembering her father and Andre, the ones who should have been seated at the Council table.

She cut across the lawns and hurried towards the gardens. The Court had a large set of gardens – fitting, for the royal residence. It was mostly quiet at this time of night, and she knew the quietest spots in it. She ducked under weeping willow's curtain of leaves. It was her favourite place in the whole of Court, a little nest away from the eyes of everyone else. She was the Princess Dragomir, and the eyes followed her everywhere – but not here.

She stopped short. There was someone else under her willow. He looked up, pushing his black hair out of his eyes and narrowing them at her.

"Sorry," said Lissa. "I didn't realise -"

"Princess Dragomir," he said. "Didn't expect to see you here. Aren't you meant to be gossiping with the rest of the Council? Deciding how to get more dhampirs killed?"

Lissa flushed, her fists clenching. "I didn't have anything to do with the age law, and you know it, Ozera."

She hadn't spoken to Christian Ozera in years. He had kept to himself in school, and she had left him to it. In all honesty, she was surprised he was at Court – she would have expected him to distance himself from the Moroi world as much as he could, after graduation – and especially after what had happened with his aunt.

"I bet you spent all of your first Council session fighting it, though," said Christian. He widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Oh, wait, the Council was too busy bending over itself welcoming the lost lamb home, wasn't it?"

"Look, I had nothing to do with the age law, and I had nothing to do with your aunt," said Lissa. "Not that I have to share my goals with you, but the King and I are working to repeal the age law, so if you want to go after anyone, it should be Nathan Ivashkov or Reece Taurus, not someone who's on your side."

Christian stared at her for a long moment then looked down. "You're right. Fine. You're not the problem with the system."

"Thank you," huffed Lissa. "Now, are you going to harass me all afternoon, or am I fine to stay?"

"You can stay, but -" Christian paused then continued, "Don't you have that Ivashkov boyfriend? Shouldn't you be with him after your first Council session? Seems like the kind of thing a boyfriend would want to celebrate."

"He does," said Lissa with a sigh. "There's just not much worth celebrating. I haven't done anything yet. I didn't say two words in that session. There's no point in celebrating being a royal if I can't do anything with my status." She smiled wistfully. "When I get the age law repealed, or legalise magical self-defence, then maybe we can throw a party. But until then, it's just celebrating a terrible system."

Christian half-smiled at her. "You know, you might actually be alright, Princess Dragomir."

"Your approval means so much to me," deadpanned Lissa, but she smiled all the same.

When she went back to her and Adrian's apartment, the sun was already starting to crest on the horizon. She hadn't meant to stay out so late. She hadn't meant to talk to Christian for any longer than it took to apologise for disturbing him. And yet…

She pushed the door open, and Adrian jumped. Her eyes widened at the sight: he was by the stove, a pot on and boiling something. The counter was like a disaster zone, with too many mismatching ingredients to possibly be used for just one meal.

"Lissa!" exclaimed Adrian. "Shit, I -" He gestured at the mess. "I meant to make you dinner."

Lissa smiled. It was sweet of him, even if it had ended up a bit of a disaster. "We'll get take out."

"I made you something else," said Adrian. "Something that I didn't fuck up." He scurried to the other side of the room, where there was something waiting for Lissa that hadn't been there when she had left that morning. A sheet covered a canvas, and Adrian pulled it off with a flourish.

It was a painting. A girl stood in a red dress, surrounded by purple and yellow. It was a beautiful painting, but…

"Is that me?" asked Lissa in confusion.

"Yeah!" said Adrian.

"But the painting has brown eyes," said Lissa. The work was so impressionistic she was willing to forgive other differences between her and the girl in the painting, but the brown eyes seemed a bit too far from reality.

Adrian waved his hand dismissively. "It just worked better that way. Artistic licence." He looked at her hopefully. "Do you like it?"

"Of course I do," said Lissa, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Adrian."

Lissa loved college. Really, she did. Her political science major was preparing her for her life on the Council, and her creative writing minor was keeping her sane through all her stresses. Still, that didn't mean that lectures couldn't drone on a bit.

God, Foucault was the worst.

She sighed as she rested her head on her hand. Next to her, Serena smirked and whispered, "How do you think the rest of us feel?" She nodded minutely at her partner, Will Kavinsky, who was seated closest to the door, ready for any Strigoi.

Lissa smothered a grin and turned to look at the lecturer again. Her head snapped back. There was a girl there that she had seen before. Not in class – Lissa had gotten familiar with all of her classmates' auras in the first few weeks of semester. This girl was new, and so was her yellow-and-purple aura. But Lissa had seen that aura before somewhere, and recently, too.

She didn't look out of place. She was alternating between watching the lecturer and scribbling down notes, just like everyone else in the room. She was dressed nicely, but not too nicely for a college campus, and she hadn't looked at Lissa once, as far as anyone had noticed. If she had spent too much time studying Lissa, then Serena or Will would have noticed. But Lissa was certain: she'd seen that girl before.

Well. Class had certainly gotten much more interesting.

After her class ended, Lissa had an hour until her elective class on religion and folklore started. She and Serena headed to their preferred café on campus, Will following a safe distance behind. Lissa ordered a hot chocolate for herself and an espresso for Serena – her guardians needed all the help they could get, especially since they were personally interested in Lissa's classes. Then she chose a seat by the window and waited.

The girl turned up, just like Lissa had known she would. Both Serena and Will looked up as the door opened, but their gazes seemed to glide right off her. She ordered herself a latte before settling down on the opposite side of the café, pulling out a book and beginning to read. The book was thick and well-worn, a hardcover with leaves of paper that weren't quite all the same size. The girl ran her fingers over the words, mouthing something to herself. Her aura flared more purple than ever.

"Lissa?" asked Serena. "Everything alright?"

The girl was moving. She had put her book back in her bag, picked it up, and headed to the bathroom. Not anything unusual about it – maybe a little paranoid, since the only half-drunk coffee seemed to indicate she was coming back – but Lissa still got to her feet. "I just need a minute. I'll be in the bathroom for a second, alright?"

"Alright," said Serena, who would no doubt have her eyes glued to the bathroom door the whole time Lissa was gone.

The bathroom was empty when Lissa arrived. All the stalls were vacant and no one was at the washroom. Lissa turned to leave, wondering if spirit was starting to get to her, and ran straight into the girl. Lissa stifled a shriek before saying, "Sorry, I didn't mean -"

"Lissa," said the girl.

Lissa took a step back. "Who are you?"

"My name is Sydney Sage," she said. "I'm here to help. Something's wrong, and I think you might be the only person who can do something about it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Lissa, taking another step back. "My guardians are just outside. They'll know if -"

"I'm not with the Strigoi," said Sydney. "Please, I know this is going to be a lot to believe, but if you'll just hear me out for five minutes -"

"Hear what out?" said Lissa.

"Adrian's favourite food is raspberry slushie," said Sydney. "I know that's not even a food, but try telling him that. His favourite game is Monopoly, his favourite flower morning glories, his favourite song Shine On Your Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd." Lissa stopped. Her thoughts raced ahead of her: She's making this up – but Adrian was listening to Pink Floyd just the other day – "He's only broken one bone, when he was six and tripped down a set of stairs chasing a cat to pet," continued Sydney.

"How do you know all of this?" whispered Lissa. "You're human."

Sydney turned her head slightly, and light caught on her cheek. Silver glinted in the shape of a lily. "I've had some experience with Moroi."

Alchemists had gold tattoos, thought Lissa. She didn't know everything about the Alchemists, though, so instead she said, "But you know about Adrian, not just the Moroi. How do you know so much about my boyfriend?"

Sydney's face tightened, just a little, almost imperceptibly. "That's what I need to talk to you about, Lissa – Y – Princess Dragomir."

"My guardian is going to come in here eventually," warned Lissa.

"We think that there's some kind of mass compulsion," said Sydney. "I was assigned to protect -" she hesitated " – someone for the Moroi, with the help of a few guardians. One morning, they woke up, and they didn't know why they were there, they didn't remember anything that had happened over the past few months, they didn't know me. I managed to get their memories back, but as far as any of us can tell, it's affected every Moroi and dhampir out there."

"I can't be compelled like that," said Lissa. "I'm a spirit user. I'm naturally resistant to compulsion."

"Do you have a tattoo?" asked Sydney. She did. She had a dragon tattooed on to her shoulder, the symbol of her family. Sydney saw the confirmation in her eyes and pushed on. "Does Adrian?"

"Yes," whispered Lissa.

"Sometimes, a tattoo can be used to reinforce compulsion," said Sydney. She tapped the silver lily on her cheek and said, "Trust me. I'm very familiar with it."

"I don't have any reason to believe this," said Lissa. "What you're saying is insane – compulsion over every Moroi and dhampir out there? The amount of power that would take to maintain would drive anyone mad."

"You're right," said Sydney, grimly. "It would drive someone insane. It just won't always be the spirit user." She fished a phone out of her pocket. "Look," she said, switching the screen on and holding it out to Lissa. The phone was already open to a camera roll of photos and Lissa swiped through it. There was Adrian, with his arm wrapped around a young girl Lissa didn't know, kissing the top of her brown curls. One of Eddie Castile – Lissa hadn't seen Eddie since she graduated – with Sydney and the girl, laughing.

Lissa stopped on the third photo. It was one of her, dressed as a fairy, arm in arm with another girl that Lissa had never met. The other girl had dark hair and tanned skin, and her face was turned away from the camera because she was saying something to Lissa. Lissa was laughing, her head thrown back. They were in matching costumes, both wearing fairy wings and both with liberal amounts of glitter scattered through their hair and over their skin.

"That was at Halloween last year," said Sydney. "Rose sent the photo to Dimitri, and he shared it with Eddie, Jill and I."

"I don't - " Lissa broke off. She didn't understand any of this.

"We can fix this," said Sydney. "But we need your help."

Lissa swallowed hard and looked back up at Sydney. "My guardians won't let me go anywhere."

"That's where I come in," said Sydney. She rummaged through her bag and took out a piece of cloth tied around something that smelled of herbs, hanging from a long black cord. She handed it to Lissa and said, "Wear this around your neck and they won't see you leave."

Lissa took it dubiously. "I don't see how a bunch of herbs is going to make me invisible."

"You've got your tricks, I've got mine," said Sydney. "Trust me. You don't want to be using anymore spirit." Lissa slid the black cord over her neck. She couldn't see any difference, but Sydney nodded in approval.

This is a bad idea, thought Lissa. You've never met this person in your life. She's been stalking you, and now she's taking you away from the guardians. She could be leading you into a trap.

But Lissa had so many questions, and not a single one of them could be explained by anyone other than Sydney Sage. So when Sydney left the café, Lissa followed.

When she was in the car with Sydney, Lissa waited until they had pulled out of the parking lot before she finally asked the obvious question. "How did you do that? Serena and Will didn't even see me."

"Magic," said Sydney. "It's not common, and it's not intrinsic to us like it is for Moroi, but some humans can use magic, too. It's the only reason I was able to get the others' memories straightened up."

"Who are the others?" asked Lissa.

"Eddie Castile," said Sydney. "You know him, right? That didn't get taken from you?"

"We both went to Saint Vladimir's, yeah," said Lissa. "Who else?"

"Jill," said Sydney, looking at Lissa out of the corner of her eye. "Jill Mastrano. There's more to it, but that's definitely been taken from your memories. And Neil Raymond and Angeline Dawes, who are our other two guardians."

"That's a lot of guardians," said Lissa. "You said that you were protecting someone. Who?"

"Jill," said Sydney. "God, I shouldn't have to be the one to tell you this. Jill's an illegitimate child, but one with enough royal blood to be considered part of one of the royal families, and we had to keep her away from the rest of the Moroi population because without her, her family wouldn't make quorum, and she was being targeted for it."

There was only one royal family who was struggling to make quorum. "No," said Lissa. That was too far over the line. That was a lie. "You're lying to me. Let me out, let me go!" Lissa threw all the compulsion she had into the command, but Sydney didn't even blink.

"Sorry," said Sydney. "I can't be compelled anymore. You'll still want to see this, Your Highness."

"My father would never have cheated on my mother," seethed Lissa. "I don't know what the fuck you're trying to do – you're not even a real Alchemist, are you? Alchemist lilies are gold!"

Sydney smiled, very faintly. "You're right. I'm not a real Alchemist. I haven't been one for a while. But I'm not a real Alchemist anymore because I love your sister like she's my own, and I would do anything to keep her safe." Sydney took a left turn into a suburban neighbourhood. The houses were run-down and the yards weren't well-maintained. Lissa stared out the window, watching the beat-up cars pass them. "We can't all afford luxury on the run, Your Highness," said Sydney.

Sydney pulled into a small house on the end of the street. The front door opened and Eddie Castile appeared. Lissa unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. She couldn't believe Eddie was in on this, whatever this was. He had always been a good guy at school, kind and funny and clever. She never would have believed Eddie would do anything to hurt her.

"Eddie?" she said, tentatively.

He smiled. "Hey, Liss."

"She doesn't believe me," said Sydney, getting out of the car herself. "She's in denial over Jill."

Eddie's smile dropped. "What happened to Mason Ashford?" he asked.

"What? Eddie, didn't he die in the attack?" said Lissa.

"He died in Spokane," said Eddie. "What about sophomore and junior years? Where were you?"

"At school," said Lissa, even as she tried to remember her sophomore year. The details seemed fuzzy – she had been repeating Elemental Basics, right? And she'd been dating Aaron – but hadn't she broken up with Aaron by then?

"Were you?" said Eddie.

"Where else would I have been?" whispered Lissa.

Another face appeared at the door, a dhampir girl a few years younger than Lissa, with strawberry blonde hair and a serious expression. "Eddie, Jill needs you."

Eddie didn't pause to explain, and neither did Sydney. Eddie turned on his heel and half-jogged back into the house, while Sydney ushered Lissa inside. "It might be daylight, but that doesn't mean it's safe," said Sydney. "Seriously, we're not going to hurt you."

Lissa followed Eddie down the short hallway into a bedroom. Eddie was crouching by a girl in the corner, her brown curls wild and askew. She was wrapped in his arms, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head, murmuring comforting nonsense. The girl startled as Lissa entered, trying to back up further into the corner, but there was nowhere to go.

"Jill," said Sydney, softly. "We've got Lissa. We can fix this." This was her supposed sister? Lissa wondered, staring in amazement.

Jill shook her head, her movements jerky and sudden. "There's no fixing this," said Jill. "It's over, it's over, he's won."

"This isn't you, Jill," said Eddie. "Remember? It's not you." He looked back up at Sydney and asked, "Have you found anything yet?"

Sydney shook her head. "Bonds and spirit use aren't understood by Moroi, let alone witches." Eddie swore under his breath and kissed Jill's forehead again.

Lissa knelt beside Jill, reaching out to touch the girl's arm gently. She knew better than anyone that spirit didn't cure mental illness, but she wanted to, she wanted to help the helpless, desperate girl and give her some hope. Lissa's magic shimmered, going from her hand to Jill, and Jill went still.

"Jill?" said Eddie, cautiously.

Jill looked up, her face still wet with tears. "Lissa?" she whispered.

"Hi," said Lissa.

"What just happened?" asked Sydney.

"I think – I think I just healed her," said Lissa, studying Jill's face. Eddie's arms tightened around Jill, and Jill reached up to wrap her hand around Eddie's, smiling.

"The darkness is gone," said Jill. "I can still feel him, but the darkness is gone."

"Holy shit," said Angeline, from the doorway.

"Language," chastised Sydney without so much as looking over her shoulder. "Are you sure, Jill?"

"Yeah," said Jill. Her face was regaining some colour. Without the tears and the fear, Lissa could see she was even very lightly tanned – she couldn't remember the last time she had seen a Moroi who spent enough time in the sun to tan. Jill got to her feet, pulling Eddie with her, and kissed him soundly.

"Oi, lovebirds!" said Angeline. "Haven't we got something more important to be doing?"

"Angeline," chastised Sydney again, though there amusement in her voice.

Jill pulled away, looking very pleased with herself. "Nothing's more important than kissing Eddie, but I guess we can work on other things, too."

"Their first kiss was after staking a Strigoi," said Angeline, to Lissa. "Nothing makes them more annoying than mortal danger."

"Sydney claimed that you were my sister," said Lissa.

Jill sighed. "I never thought I'd have to do this again – but, yes. My name is Jill Mastrano Dragomir, and I'm your sister." Lissa stepped forward, inspecting Jill. Their hair was nothing alike, Jill's brown and curly to Lissa's blonde and straight, and the shape of their faces were different – but Jill's eyes were Dragomir green, a pale green that Lissa had seen in her mirror a million times before.

"I need to hear everything," decided Lissa. "Your whole story. Then I can decide whether I trust you."

"Fair enough," said Sydney. "I wouldn't believe this without proof, either."

They went to the kitchen, because Jill's messy bedroom was no place to have a serious discussion. Angeline got herself a bag of chips from the cupboard and sat on the counter, while Sydney and Lissa sat at the table. Jill and Eddie hadn't let go of each other and sat next to each other, their chairs dragged close together so that their shoulders brushed.

"Start from the beginning," said Lissa.

Jill snorted and muttered, "Easier said than done."

Sydney quelled Jill with a look and said, "It was a month ago now. Jill and the rest of us were all at Amberwood Preparatory School in Palm Springs – that's where she's been hidden."

"Smart," murmured Lissa. She couldn't think of a place less welcoming for vampires, Moroi or Strigoi – except for maybe the Sahara Desert. It certainly explained Jill's tan.

"We weren't the only ones there," said Sydney. "Adrian was also sent to Palm Springs, because he and Jill are bonded."

Lissa stared at Jill. "Like – like Vladimir and Anna?"

"At least you remember that much," muttered Eddie.

Sydney nodded. "Adrian was summoned back to Court. There was a Strigoi restored nearby, and they wanted all spirit users at Court to investigate." Olive Sinclair, remembered Lissa. The first Strigoi to ever be restored. It had been a miracle, one made by Robert Doru. "Back in Palm Springs, Eddie, Angeline and Neil all woke up with no memory of why they were in Palm Springs. None of them even knew each other, or that Jill was a princess. If I hadn't been able to get hold of a memory charm, they would have stayed that way."

"Even when Sydney was able to give our memories back, I could still tell what we were supposed to be 'remembering'," said Jill. "I could see it through the bond with Adrian. He thought that you were just about to get your place on the Council, and that you and he were dating." Jill's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Why is that such a problem?" demanded Lissa hotly.

"Because you were seeing someone else," said Eddie. "So was Adrian. You were friends before, nothing more."

"You're saying that my entire relationship was manufactured," said Lissa, flatly. "That it's just compulsion binding me to my boyfriend." All four exchanged uncomfortable glances. It was clear that that was exactly what they thought. Lissa pursed her lips and said, "Finish your story."

"We got attacked by guardians the next day," said Eddie. "We barely got away. They were coming for Jill. We thought at the time that they were rebels, but we're not so sure now."

"You have a bondmate," explained Sydney. "Her name is Rose Hathaway. She was your best friend and guardian, and as far as we can tell, no one has seen her since the change."

"What are you saying?" asked Lissa, slowly.

"We think that the spell was cast so that you and Adrian -" Sydney paused then said, "Do you know mobile phone towers? They spread reception for mobile phones in the area, allowing you to get reception. We think that – well, we think you're the phone towers, and they've harnessed your spirit abilities to transmit the new memories."

"What has this got to do with Jill and – and Rose?" asked Lissa.

"Have you been having any side effects from spirit use lately?" asked Sydney. "Has Adrian?"

Lissa thought back. She hadn't felt any darkness, but she hadn't been using enough spirit lately to feel it – had she? She had made some plants sprout flowers the other day, and when Adrian had gotten a paper cut she had healed him, and she had been practicing dream walking…

Okay, maybe she had used spirit a little too much to be feeling so few effects.

"It's because the darkness has been pushed out of you on to your bondmates," said Sydney, gently. "From Adrian to Jill and from you to Rose. We think that's why they wanted Jill, and why they've taken Rose – to keep them under observation."

"What do these people want?" asked Lissa. "You keep saying that they've changed our memories, but from what?"

Again, there was a round of uncomfortable looks. It was Eddie who eventually responded. "It was Victor Dashkov and his half-brother," he said eventually. "He used it to make himself king."

"What?" said Lissa. "Why wouldn't he have been king? He's the most obvious choice after Tatiana died, unless you're saying he actually murdered and then changed our memories."

"No," said Eddie. "Tatiana really did die last year. She really was assassinated by Tasha Ozera. But Dashkov was never an option in the elections, because he was never in the running."

"If he wanted to be king so badly, then why didn't he just run in the elections, fair and square?" asked Lissa.

"Because he couldn't," said Eddie. His voice was so gentle that it made Lissa's hackles rise, knowing that there was bad news coming. "He was stripped of his titles and royal status for kidnapping and torturing you into healing him."

Lissa froze. "My uncle would never do that to me."

"Lissa, I'm sorry, but -"

"No," interrupted Lissa, cutting Eddie off. "You're lying. My uncle would never do that. He wouldn't even have to! I'd heal him, no questions asked. What you're saying makes no sense. You're lying." She stared around at the others. "You're all lying."

Angeline rolled her eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake -"

"Lissa, please -" started Sydney.

It was Jill, though, that got Lissa's attention. "Look at my aura." Lissa looked, letting her aura vision flare into life. Jill's aura was a warm blue, mixed in with greens and purples, with a shadow outlining it. "You can see that my aura is connected to something, right? Follow that link."

Lissa followed it. She grasped the link and pulled at it, looking for the other end. A second aura flared, gold and purple and pieces of black scattered through it. Lissa knew that aura. She was seeing a shadow of Adrian Ivashkov in Jill's aura. Lissa gasped, and dropped the link.

"I'm Adrian's bondmate," said Jill. "I'm your sister. I'm not lying about those things, and you can tell that. We're not lying about anything else, either."

Lissa didn't know what to think. Jill's paternity and bond were undeniable – but everything else was so far out of the realm of possibility that they couldn't possibly be true. Her uncle would never hurt her. She had never met anyone named Rose. And she knew her own feelings.

"Take me back," said Lissa.

Sydney hesitated, and Angeline opened her mouth to protest, but Eddie said, "I should be the one to take you back. It'll be dark by the time you get to campus." He glanced at Sydney and said, "Neil should be back any minute. You and Angeline can handle things till then, right?"

"I'm right here," muttered Jill, as Sydney nodded.

Eddie stood up, catching the keys when Sydney tossed them to him. "Come on, Lissa."

The drive back to Leigh was quiet. When they pulled into the slip lane that led on to campus, Eddie said, "I know everything sounds insane. Seriously, I do. I've been there, remember? I had Jill and Sydney telling me all these things that morning that I had no memory of. But I swear, Lissa, it's all true."

Lissa blinked back tears stinging at her eyes. "I don't believe you."

"Please, just -" Eddie sighed. "Look into Rose. She was at Spokane, too, when Mason died, and I always said I'd take care of her, you know? And now she's missing, and there's not a goddamn thing I can do about it."

There was a surprising amount of self-loathing in his voice. Lissa couldn't do anything but nod.

Eddie watched from a distance as Lissa made her way back to the café. Serena was still there, but Will had gone – was looking for her, presumably. Serena was pacing furiously, but the moment she saw Lissa, she ran to Lissa's side, checking her over carefully.

"Where were you?" demanded Serena.

"I… just needed some time to myself," said Lissa. "I'm sorry I scared you."

When Lissa turned to look, Eddie and the car were gone.

She didn't say anything to anyone.

I should tell someone, she thought, over and over again. There was a witch that could just waltz in under the guardians' noses, and God only knew what she wanted. It was a security risk, one that they couldn't risk.

"You're acting strange," said Christian, one afternoon. He propped himself on his arm, staring at her accusingly. They were back under the willow, their shared place of quiet, with Lissa nestled in its roots and Christian lazing on the grass beside her.

"No, I'm not," said Lissa, automatically.

"Yes, you are," said Christian. "You're thinking too much. Even I can tell it's a bad sign."

Lissa narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you saying that I'm empty-headed most of the time?"

"That's not what I'm saying and you damn well know it," said Christian. "Spill it, Dragomir."

Lissa hesitated, then without even deciding to, the whole story came pouring out. "I met these people at Leigh the other day…"

Christian listened from beginning to end. He didn't interrupt to ask questions, like Adrian might have, just let her clarify herself as the story went on. When she finished, he blew out a long stream of air and said, "That is definitely not why I thought you went missing."

"Why did you think I went missing?" asked Lissa. He made it sound like there was some kind of conspiracy going on.

Christian shrugged. "Don't know. Just knew that you weren't being honest about the whole 'needing space' thing." He thought for a moment then said, "So Adrian doesn't know anything, huh?"

"I haven't told him everything, but I've asked about Palm Springs and he said he'd never been, and I've mentioned the name Jill Mastrano to him and he doesn't even blink," said Lissa. "Trust me, he isn't that good a liar. He doesn't know anything."

"But you know they're bonded because you followed the bond in their auras," mused Christian. "Have you tried doing that yourself?"

Lissa blinked. "What?"

"Well, they said you're bonded with someone, right?" said Christian. "If you can follow a bond between two other people's auras, why not your own?"

Lissa nodded slowly. "It… might work." She held her arm up and summoned her aura, the shimmering gold surrounding her arm. She could see the link, and she closed her eyes as she tried to follow it back to its source. All she could feel was darkness. What if there was nothing at the other end? What if there was, and she couldn't make contact? She still hadn't managed dream-walking. No, she thought, pushing the doubts away. I'm doing this. She pressed further, focusing on the image of the dark-haired fairy making Lissa laugh.

Lissa?

Lissa jumped. Christian said something, but she wasn't listening. Rose? Is that you?

Holy shit, Lissa! Are you okay? How are you doing this?

I'm… okay, thought Lissa. I followed the link between our auras to you. Are you okay?

I've been better, said Rose. There was a pause, then, You still don't remember me, do you?

You know about that?

Are you kidding? Your head is a far more pleasant place to be than my own recently. I've been watching. I know your memories have been fucked with. Like everyone's. There was a clear note of misery in her voice, impotent fury mixed with hopelessness.

I'm sorry.

It's not your fault.

Who's is it? asked Lissa, half-dreading the answer.

Hang on, let me try something, thought Rose. Before Lissa could ask what, she was assaulted with a series of images and memories: a pressure bearing down on Lissa's skull as Victor watched on impassively; Natalie – poor Natalie, who'd been killed by a Strigoi in their senior year – as a Strigoi herself with blood drying on her lips; Christian being thrown against the wall, the fire in his hands winking out, as Victor Dashkov swept into the throne room with Robert Doru on his heels.

Lissa gasped, her hands flying to her head. She clutched at her temples, doubling over. At once, Christian was at her side, his hands gentle on her shoulders. "Are you okay? Lissa, can you hear me?"

Sorry, said Rose. Is that Christian? Figures you'd find him again, in your own little quiet place.

You know him?

Yeah, said Rose. I know that was a lot to take in, Liss. I didn't realise it'd hurt.

It's okay, said Lissa. If you hadn't shown me, I don't think I would have…

Her own uncle. The man who had taken her in after her family's death. The man who had fought to give her back her rightful place on the Council – or had he even done that? Was that a lie, too? She already had quorum through Jill, back before the memory change, if Jill and the others were telling the truth.

Her uncle.

Yeah, thought Rose, heavy with sympathy. I know.

Do you think I'll ever get my memories back? asked Lissa. Do you think any of us will?

I don't know, said Rose. I hope so.

Rose?

Yeah?

I'm going to find you.