I racked my brain, thinking back to that time last fall. He was right. My focus had been on the wrongs he'd committed against Lissa and me personally. I'd forgotten other conversations, his insane explanations of his grand scheme.
"You wanted to stage a revolution - still want to. That's crazy. It's not going to happen," I said.
"It's already happening. Do you think I don't know what's going on out in the world? I still have contacts. People can be bought off - how do you think I was able to send you that message? I know about the unrest - I know about Natasha Ozera's movement to get Moroi to fight with guardians. You stand by her and vilify me, Rosemarie, but I pushed for the very same thing last fall. Yet, somehow, you don't seem to regard her in the same way."
"Tasha Ozera is working on her cause a bit differently than you did," noted Dimitri.
"And that's why she's getting nowhere," Victor retorted. "Tatiana and her council are being held back by centuries of archaic traditions. So long as that sort of power rules us, nothing will change. We will never learn to fight. Non-royal Moroi will never have a voice. Dhampirs like you will continually be sent out to battle."
"It's what we dedicate our lives to," said Dimitri. I could sense the tension building in him. He might show better self-control than me, but I knew he was getting just as frustrated here.
"And it's what you lose your lives for. You're all but enslaved and don't even realize it. And for what? Why do you protect us?"
"Because ... we need you," I faltered. "For our race to survive."
"You don't need to throw yourselves into battle for that. Making children isn't really that difficult."
I ignored his quip. "And because the Moroi... the Moroi and their magic are important. They can do amazing things."
Victor threw his hands up in exasperation. "We used to do amazing things. Humans used to revere us as gods, but over time, we grew lazy. The advent of technology made our magic more and more obsolete. Now, all we do is parlor tricks."
"If you have so many ideas," said Dimitri, with a dangerous glint in his dark eyes, "then do something useful in prison and write a manifesto."
"And what's this have to do with Lissa anyway?" I asked.
"Because Vasilisa is a vehicle for change."
I stared incredulously. "You think she's going to lead your revolution?"
"Well, I'd prefer that I lead it - someday. But, regardless, I think that she's going to be part of it. I've heard about her too. She's a rising star - still young, certainly, but people are taking notice. All royals aren't created equal, you know. The Dragomir symbol is a dragon, the king of the beasts. Likewise, the Dragomir blood has always been powerful - that's why the Strigoi have targeted them so consistently. A Dragomir returning to power is no small thing - particularly one such as her. My impression from the reports is that she must have mastered her magic. If that's so - with her gifts - there's no telling what she could do. People are drawn to her with almost no effort on her part. And when she actually tries to influence them...well, they'll do anything she wants." His eyes were wide as he spoke, wonder and happiness on his face as he imagined Lissa living out his dreams.
"Unbelievable," I said. "First you wanted to hide her away to keep you alive. Now you actually want her out in the world to use her compulsion for your own psycho plans."
"I told you, she's a force for change. And like you being shadow-kissed, she's the only one of her kind that we know about. That makes her dangerous - and very valuable."
Well, that was something. Victor wasn't all-knowing after all. He didn't know about Adrian's spirit use.
"Lissa will never do it," I said. "She's not going to abuse her powers."
"And Victor's not going to say anything about us," said Dimitri, tugging my arm. "He's achieved his goal. He brought you here because he wanted to know about Lissa."
"He didn't find out much," I said.
"You'd be surprised," said Victor. He grinned at Dimitri. "And what makes you so certain I won't enlighten the world about your romantic indiscretions?"
"Because it won't save you from prison. And if you ruin Rose, you'll destroy whatever weak chance you had of Lissa helping you with your warped fantasy." Victor flinched just a little; Dimitri was right. Dimitri stepped forward, pressing close to the bars as I had earlier. I'd thought I had a scary voice, but when he spoke his next words, I realized I wasn't even close. "And it'll all be pointless anyway, because you won't stay alive long enough in prison to stage your grand plans. You aren't the only one with connections."
My breath caught a little. Dimitri brought so many things to my life: love, comfort, and instruction. I got so used to him sometimes that I forgot just how dangerous he could be. As he stood there, tall and threatening while he glared down at Victor, I felt a chill run down my spine. I remembered how when I had first come to the Academy, people had said Dimitri was a god. In this moment, he looked it.
If Victor was frightened by Dimitri's threat, he didn't show it. His jade green eyes glanced between the two of us. "You two are a match made in heaven. Or somewhere."
"See you in court," I said.
Dimitri and I left. On our way out, he said a few words in Russian to the guardian on duty. From their manners, my guess was Dimitri was offering thanks.
We ventured outdoors, walking across a wide, beautiful parklike space to get back to our rooms. The sleet had stopped, and it had left everything - buildings and trees alike - coated in ice. It was like the world was made of glass. Glancing at Dimitri, I saw him staring straight ahead. It was hard to tell while walking, but I could have sworn he was shaking.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"As okay as I can be."
"Do you think he'll tell everyone about us?"
"No."
We walked in silence for a bit. I finally asked the question I'd been dying to know.
"Did you mean it... that if Victor did tell...that you'd..." I couldn't finish. I couldn't bring myself to say the words have him killed.
"I don't have much influence in the upper levels of Moroi royalty, but I have plenty among the guardians who handle the dirty work in our world."
"You didn't answer the question. If you'd really do it."
"I'd do a lot of things to protect you, Roza."
My heart pounded. He only used "Roza" when he was feeling particularly affectionate toward me.