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me do a double take.
 You were there, I said in disbelief.  In the alley, and and it was you! You re the one who
grabbed me! It came back to me now, my assailant s surprise and hesitation.
Trey s face confirmed as much.  I knew you were friends with them. I can tell by looking at
all of you, although I didn t figure you two out right away. That was to Eddie and Angeline.
Trey turned back to me.  I recognized your tattoo the first time we met. I just ignored it because
I didn t think you were involved in anything that I was. I thought you only hung out with
harmless vampires, so I didn t expect you to be there that night. I never wanted you to get
hurt. I still don t, which is why you need to let this go.
 I m tired of this, said Eddie. It was a wonder he d been patient this long.  We need to
bust down the doors of that place and 
 Wait, wait. An idea was forming in my head and it was another crazy one.  Trey, you
said Eddie couldn t just walk into that place. But could I?
 What are you talking about? asked Trey, a mix of suspicion and confusion on his face
 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?
 Now, I reiterated to Trey.  You have to get in touch with them now. Don t go to class. It
was probably the first and only time I d say those words.
 I swear, said Trey.  I ll call them now.
The bell rang, ending our meeting. Although, if we d had the chance to save Sonya at that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]