Queen Thorn (complete)

Chapter 51

"Thank you, I understand. Now, can you tell us what happened during your first meeting with Ms. Ozera?"

"As Dimitri was introducing the two of us she looked at me as if I were evil incarnate. That is when I saw the obsession that she has for him. That is when I saw it in her eyes, the fact that she would do anything to get him to be with her. Even mass murder apparently."

"Can you tell us about the first time that she tried to compel you to kill yourself?"

"Yes."

"Please do so."

"Well, we were at the ski lodge in Idaho. It was only a few days after I had met her actually. I was on the top of a ski slope, about to take my turn down, when she walked up to me..."

"Where was the then Guardian Belikov?"

"On shift walking the perimeter."

"Thank you, please continue."

"As I was saying, she walked up to me looked into my eyes and tried to compel me..."

"Why did she not succeed?"

"Because I am shadow kissed."

"So, what you are saying is that a shadow kissed person cannot be compelled. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Please continue."

"She looked into my eyes as she tried to compel me but since I cannot be compelled it didn't work. But because I wanted to know what she had to say, I pretended that it had worked."

"And what did she say?"

"She said that I was endangering Dimitri, Lissa and Christian's lives, standing in our society and reputations just by being around them. She said that if I took myself out of the picture, that they would be able to recover their status and standing in the moroi world. That just being my mentor was endangering Dimitri's job, status as a guardian, life, reputation and putting his dream of being a father at risk. That no one would want him as their guardian once they found out that he had been around me. That they would associate him with my terrible reputation. Even though my reputation of being flirty, easy, slutty and a blood whore was made up by a royal moroi whom I refused to sleep with. And I felt, even then, like she actually knew that that reputation was all a bunch of... hog wash. After that she promised to help them recover their status, standing and look after them just as soon as I jumped off the cliff."

Again, with the gasps, as people turned to look at Tasha.

"Is that the only time that the defendant tried to compel you?"

"No, it most certainly was not."

"How many more times did the accused try to compel you?"

"Once more shortly after we returned to St. Vladimir's Academy and the third time was shortly after Dimitri was restored."

"And even though she knew that it had not worked on the two previous attempts, she still tried for a third time?"

"Yes, she did."

"Would you please tell us what she said on the second occasion?"

"Of course, she tried to get me to hang myself in the gym. She wanted me to leave a suicide note saying that, I'd killed myself because I was in love with Dimitri. And that I knew that he did not and never would feel the same way about me because he was in love with her. She told me that my death was the only way for Dimitri to be able to move on and repair his reputation and standing in our world."