“You know what I am. You know what I do.” Trey nodded. “Our two groups used to be united. Those guys who stopped me on the street even said they thought we should all be working together. The Warriors want Alchemist resources.”

“So, what… you want a trade?” asked Trey, frowning.

“No. I just want to talk to this council of yours. I want to explain why Sonya isn’t… er, why she doesn’t look the way she used to. There’s a Moroi who uses a certain kind of magic who could even show you—”

“No,” said Trey immediately. “None of them would be allowed inside. They’re tolerated, but that’s it. You hybrids wouldn’t be allowed either.” Again, he spoke to Eddie and Angeline. I’d never heard the term hybrids used, but the meaning was clear.

“Okay,” I said. “Only humans. I’m human. Your group wants to work with my group. Let me go with you. Unarmed. I’ll talk to your leaders and—”

“Sydney, no,” protested Eddie. “You can’t go there alone! They tried to decapitate Sonya, for God’s sake. And remember what Clarence said about radicals stalking him?”

“We won’t hurt humans,” said Trey adamantly. “She’d be safe.”

“I believe you,” I told him. “And I know you wouldn’t ever let anything happen to me either. Look, aren’t you curious about why Sonya is the way she is? Can you take the chance your people are making a mistake? You said you tolerate Moroi. She’s one of them. Let me explain. I’m not asking for anything else except a chance to speak.”

“And a guarantee of safety,” added Angeline, who looked almost as outraged as Eddie. He nodded at her words. “You guys are big on the honor stuff, right? You’d have to promise she’d be safe.”

“Honor’s what makes us do what we do,” said Trey. “If we promise she’ll be safe, she will be.”

“Then ask them,” I urged. “Please? Won’t you do this for me? As my friend?”

A pained look crossed Trey’s features at that. He’d hinted before that he owed me for helping end the illicit tattoo ring last month. That would obligate any friend, let alone one instilled with a rigid sense of honor. I knew then, too, that more than honor was on the line here. Trey and I were friends—with more in common than I’d ever realized. We both were part of groups that wanted to control our lives, often in ways we didn’t like. We also had domineering fathers. If Trey and I didn’t have such opposing goals, we might have laughed about all this.

“I’ll ask,” Trey said. Something told me he too was thinking of our similarities. “Because it’s you. But I can’t make any promises.”

“Then ask now,” growled Eddie. “We don’t have time to waste. And I’m guessing Sonya doesn’t either.”

Trey didn’t deny it. I hesitated, suddenly wondering if this was a smart choice. What would happen if we let Trey out of our sight? Would it be better if we really did drag him to Dimitri? And Sonya… how much time did she have left?