“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.