Along with Rose, Dimitri, and Neil, there were three other guardians in the room, creating an almost comical scene, considering how docile Olive looked at the moment. In fact, Dimitri was making this very argument to one of the unknown guardians, telling him, “There’s no Strigoi part of her left, trust me. You don’t need this much security. She’s safe.”

The other guardian didn’t seem certain. “We have our orders.”

Dimitri raked a hand through his chin‑length hair in frustration, knowing better than anyone else that restored Strigoi possessed no more of that undead state. Everyone technically knew it, but fear still ran high in some people. Seeing me, he let his argument go and gave me a smile that was genuine. He and I had recently had to spend a lot of time together, and although it was hard to shake that he was the one Rose had left me for, I couldn’t help but feel a grudging respect for him.

“Adrian,” he said. “I’m glad you could be here. We’re hoping that acting so quickly might get us somewhere the experiments didn’t.”

He kept talking, but my attention was all on Olive. I summoned spirit to view her aura, which was a mix of what I’d expect from a dhampir and what I would not expect: the brilliant flares of gold seen in a spirit user. Even as I watched, that gold was fading ever so slightly. I drew on more spirit and heard Nina catch her breath. She might be too drained to produce much of her own, but it would be obvious to her how much I was using. I focused on Olive again, trying to look past her aura, more deeply into her very essence. I’d never done it before, and it was much more difficult than I’d expected. I didn’t even know if it would accomplish anything. I was simply playing a hunch.

I gritted my teeth and concentrated harder. There–it was hard to see. In fact, it was more of a sense than actual vision. But every part of Olive was infused with that same golden glow. I couldn’t see at a cellular level or anything, but I suddenly knew that all of her being was wrapped in spirit. And like the aura, it was fading with each breath she took. There was still plenty there, but connecting what I saw now with how long ago she’d been saved, I had a feeling it would all dissipate within hours. I blinked, and the spirit burning within me went out. Olive looked normal again.

The room was silent. I dragged my eyes from her and looked at everyone else. They were all staring back expectantly. I swallowed, and for the briefest of moments, my earlier anxiety swelled inside my chest. The magnitude of what I faced slammed into me. We were on the verge of one of the biggest breakthroughs in our race’s history, and everyone was looking to me to figure it out. Me! What were they thinking? I was no genius like Sydney. I was just a slacker guy who fought the temptation of his liquor cabinet every day and couldn’t finish The Great Gatsby. Who was I to do this?

An image of Sydney’s face appeared in my mind’s eye, calm and lovely. I believe in you.

My anxiety faded. I took a deep breath and met the gazes of all those watching me in the room. Who was I to do this?

I was Adrian Ivashkov. And I was about to kick some ass.

“If you want any chance of learning how to save others, you need to do exactly as I say. And you need to it now.”

CHAPTER 8

SYDNEY

ADRIAN’S TRIP SHOULDN’T HAVE BOTHERED ME as much as it did. After all, it wasn’t like I would’ve gotten to spend much time with him anyway this weekend. But the thought of the physical distance between us hit me acutely. Even when we weren’t together, I always had a sense of him being nearby–even if “nearby” meant across town at Carlton. In Palm Springs, I felt in control, like I could measure the steps between us or imagine strands of light connecting us no matter where we were. But Texas was out of my reach, out of my control. Adrian had left our safe haven–such as it was–and was out in the world, adrift.

At least I hadn’t had to lie to Zoe about canceling our outing together. Neil had needed a ride to the airport, and figuring out how to prevent Strigoi turning was a huge priority among the Alchemists, one we certainly wanted to help the Moroi with. When Zoe asked why Neil couldn’t have just taken a taxi, I gave her the same excuse I’d given him and Adrian: that I needed to see them off in person. Since Zoe believed most Moroi and dhampirs were sketchy and unreliable, this story worked.

It also gave me a little free time to stop at a New Age store on the way back and procure a few potential rocks and crystals to attempt elemental binding in. Although I had a lot of theoretical ideas about what might replace the boleite, I wasn’t having much luck with anything yet. There was still time before Marcus surfaced, but I worried I wouldn’t be able to deliver on my promises to him if I couldn’t figure this out.

I stopped by Ms. Terwilliger’s classroom with my purchases and found her grading tests at her desk. She gave me a brief glance and returned to her paperwork, not even needing to ask why I was there. I shut the door–after first putting on the KNOCK, PLEASE sign she’d made–and set to work.

Earth and fire were my two best elements so far, but for these trials, I stuck to the former. It was easier to brush dirt off my hands if anyone showed up than it was to cover up the smell of smoke. I worked on my first stone, zircon, and although I felt the transfer of magic into it, something seemed a little off. I took it to Ms. Terwilliger for confirmation since she was more adept than I was at sensing magic within objects and people. She held up the zircon to the light and studied it for several long moments before shaking her head.

“There’s some in there, but not nearly as much as I sensed you summoning over there. It didn’t all make it in.” She handed the stone back. “It might be sufficient for your needs, but I’m guessing you’d probably want as much as you can get.”

I nodded. I hadn’t explained my purpose, and she hadn’t asked. She mostly seemed content that I was independently studying the arts. I returned to my workstation and continued on with the last two stones, achieving equally disappointing results. One didn’t absorb magic at all. The other held it briefly, and then the magic bled out. I slouched back in the desk, defeated.

“I’m running out of easily accessible options,” I said, more to myself than her. “A halide like boleite’s my best bet, but it isn’t really lying around. I’m going to have to start ordering from rock dealers on the internet.”

Ms. Terwilliger didn’t have a chance to respond to my geological ramblings because someone knocked on the door. I slipped the rocks into my pocket and tried to look studious as she called a welcome. I figured Zoe had tracked me down, but surprisingly, Angeline walked in.

“Did you know,” she said, “that it’s a lot harder to put organs back in the body than it is to get them out?”

I closed my eyes and silently counted to five before opening them again. “Please tell me you haven’t eviscerated someone.”

She shook her head. “No, no. I left my biology homework in Miss Wentworth’s room, but when I went back to get it, she’d already left and locked the door. But it’s due tomorrow, and I’m already in trouble in there, so I had  to get it. So, I went around outside, and her window lock wasn’t that hard to open, and I–”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “You broke into a classroom?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the problem.”

Behind me, I heard a choking laugh from Ms. Terwilliger’s desk.

“Go on,” I said wearily.

“Well, when I climbed through, I didn’t realize there was a bunch of stuff in the way, and I crashed into those plastic models of the human body she has. You know, the life‑size ones with all the parts inside? And bam!” Angeline held up her arms for effect. “Organs everywhere.” She paused and looked at me expectantly. “So what are we going to do? I can’t get in trouble with her.”