My mind was spinning with plans for Jill, so that news drew me up short. “About Declan? What’d he say?”
“He’s afraid to be around Declan. I mean, not afraid of Declan himself, but afraid that someone will string the truth about Declan’s history together.”
“But he’s his father,” I said lamely. “He has to be with him.”
Adrian sighed. “That’s what I told him! But Neil keeps arguing that some spirit user might see they’re related or that even a layperson might notice plain old physical resemblance and start asking questions. He says we can’t show any sign that they have a connection or inspire anyone to do a genetic test—and he insists that that involves him keeping his distance. He offered to do everything in his power to help Declan otherwise. I swear, I think he’d rob a bank if he needed to.”
My head reeled. “We’ll talk him out of it. He’s probably just in shock. Once he hears reason, he’ll understand.”
We disconnected, and I hoped my words were true. It made my heart ache that Neil would want to make such a sacrifice, even if—logically—I could understand what might make him think that way. But still. How could he deprive Declan of a father when he already had lost a mother? And what would become of Declan then?
Those were troubling questions for later. For now, I had to get things in motion with the Alchemists. I had Eddie drive me to the other side of Palm Springs, to a pay phone at a remote gas station. Tracking cell phones wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t beyond the Alchemists, and I wouldn’t take any chances. Picking up the phone, I steeled myself to dial a number I hadn’t called in a very long time but still had memorized. I just hoped I’d get an answer.
“Stanton here,” came the familiar voice.
“Hello, Stanton. This is Sydney Ivashkov.”
Silence met me, possibly from astonishment or initiating a track on the call. Maybe both.
“Hello, Sydney,” she said at last. “Isn’t this a pleasant surprise? I can’t say I expected to hear from you.”
“The pleasure’s all yours, and I’m not repeating any of this, so listen closely. The Moroi need Alchemist backup to rescue Jill Dragomir from the Warriors of Light. I’m sure you’ve heard this from Queen Vasilisa.”
“Yes,” she replied. “And I’m sure you’ve heard that our superiors have chosen not to participate, seeing as there’s only been circumstantial proof the Warriors took the girl.”
“Well, we’ve got evidence now, so you’re going to convince them to participate,” I said. “And if you do, I’ll give you the names of four Alchemists who are selling charmed Moroi blood to the Warriors to make more of those strength-enhancing tattoos. In fact, I’ll give you two of those names now: Edward Hill and Callie DiMaggio. Go investigate them. You’ve got one hour, at which point I’ll call again—from another number, so don’t bother staking out this one—and then you’re going to tell me about how you’ll be sending that backup to St. George, Utah, within the next twenty-four hours to help the Moroi rescue Jill. If she’s rescued safely, I’ll give you the other names. Talk to you then.”
I hung up, and Eddie regarded me with awe. “That was pretty badass. But do you actually think it’ll work?”
I followed him back to the car, hoping my gamble would pay off. We drove to a different part of town, to a restaurant called Pies and Stuff that Adrian and I used to frequent. Eddie and I waited there, neither of us speaking much as we munched on pie, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I knew Eddie was consumed by Jill and the three days. I was too. But I was also worried about Declan and Neil. I would’ve loved to go to Clarence’s to check on the baby, but as long as the Alchemists were keeping watch there, I couldn’t risk it.
When the hour deadline was up, I bought a souvenir for Adrian, for old times’ sake, and then prepared to call Stanton again. Part of the reason I’d chosen Pies and Stuff was because they had a pay phone in their parking lot. “What’d you decide?” I asked when Stanton answered.
“We’ll help you,” she said grimly. “Your story checks out about those two. I’ve got a group going to St. George right now.”
“Wow,” I said, impressed in spite of myself. “You move fast. Do you know where to go in St. George?”
“We know about a Warrior camp there. We’re going to scout it out and assess if it matches what you know.”
“I’ve got records all about it that I can have sent to you,” I told her. “The guardians—”
“Are also en route,” she finished. “We’ve been in touch with them and will be coordinating our efforts to strike together to get the girl out. I expect it all to happen within the next day. I assume that’s good enough for you.”
“That’s good enough for you to get the last two names,” I replied. It was hard to keep my cool, considering how relieved I was to hear action was being taken for Jill. The fact that this was all finally happening—and so quickly—was exhilarating. “But if you want the rest of the information I have, you’re going to have to work for it.”
There was a long pause. Then: “What information would that be, exactly?”
“I have proof of other Warrior and Alchemist interactions, deals you probably don’t know about. Deals I hope you don’t know about.” Stanton was a stickler for the rules, but I wanted to believe she was one of the better Alchemists. “I’ll give you all that information too. And I’ll make sure the Moroi don’t know the dirt. You force them to put an awful lot of faith in your help . . . but I have a feeling they might not be so cooperative if they knew you’ve got people in the group working with the enemy.”
“What do you want?” was all she asked. That told me a couple of things, most importantly that she knew it was very possible there were traitors in her midst.
“Amnesty for everyone we released from re-education. And an end to re-education, period.”
There was a sharp intake of breath. “Impossible.”
“What’s the point of re-education, Stanton?” I demanded. “Half the time it doesn’t work. There were people who’d been in there for ages. And even if it seems to work, you never really trust those people anyway. Like Keith. You’re always watching. If you want to help protect humans from evil—the real evil, Strigoi—then there must be a better use of your resources.”