Saints and Sinners

Ten:

Ten:

He had not one, but two personal drivers it turned out. Alina was surprised to see Matthias there, waiting for her. "Hello, Lina," said Matthias to her with a smile, "morning, Aleksander."

Aleksander smiled at him. "Good morning, Matthias. Miss Starkov has an appointment that she is supposed to go to at the University. It is very important that she be taken there, and then be taken back here. No stops in between. Is that clear?"

Matthias nodded. "That's clear, sir. I will take care of Lina. She's one of my Nina's dearest friends."

Aleksander hmmd, and then he glanced back at Alina. "I expect promises made to me honored, Miss Starkov. Enjoy your outing."

Alina frowned, and she slipped into the back seat of the car. Matthias smiled at her and then he got into the front. Matthias Helvar had blond hair in a buzz cut, blue eyes, and stood at about six foot four. If you believed the stories Nina told about him, he was former Fjerdian intelligence who had killed his former commanding officer and fled to Ravka for his safety. How he had worked for Aleksander, Alina didn't know. In fact, Alina hadn't known that all of her friends worked for the fixer. But so it had happened.

As they drove to the University, Matthias glanced at her in the rearview window. "You must be thrilled, Lina. Nina said you'd been feeling sad about not having a soulmate. Aleksander's a good man. He'll make you happy."

Alina was sure Matthias was trying to be positive about the whole thing, but Alina couldn't believe him. "A good man?" Alina said. "Matthias, I think you and me have very definitions of what the word 'good' means. I know the work he does. I was 'blessed' with my soulmate the minute that he was stabbing into someone."

"Who was a bad man," Matthias told her, "Did you even ask Aleksander why he killed that man?"

"It doesn't matter why; it only matters that he did it. Good people don't kill."

"That's a naïve way of looking at things."

"What makes you say that?"

"The man that Aleksander killed had been luring children to work for him. Someone that works for Aleksander came and told him. His brother had been caught selling drugs, and he had to be sent to rehab for withdrawal symptoms he was having because he'd become addicted himself. Sometimes, Lina, there are those who do not respect life. When you come across someone like that, there's only so many chances that can be given. Aleksander gave the man the chance to stop his business. He did not. So, Aleksander put a stop to him. One less child hurt because of a careless soul."

Alina was quiet for the rest of the drive to the University.

Matthias got a text then, and turned beat red.

Alina grinned. "Is that Nina?"

Matthias smiled. "Yes."

"I think she's on campus for the day. Look, the meeting with my advisor is going to take a while. I promise that I'll come back like a good girl. Why don't you go meet up with her for a little bit?"

Matthias frowned. "Are you sure?"

Alina nodded. "I'm in my last year at school. I don't really have much to do as far as classes. None of them are scheduled for today anyway. I think Aleksander gave you my number, right?"

Matthias nodded. "Yes, he did."

"Good. And I've got yours. I'll text you when I'm ready to leave."

Matthias sighed. "Okay. Only because I know you, Lina. You wouldn't do anything foolish."

"Alright, tell Nina that I said hi."

He smiled. "I will."

Alina got out of the black, armored SUV. Aleksander had had a selection of purses for her, and a wallet, complete with IDs and credit cards that all had Alina Morozova written on them. She wouldn't be using any of it.

She made her way to the Law building and found Professor Botkin's office. Technically, he was Professor Botkin Yul-Erdene, but he always had his students just call him Botkin. Alina knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Professor Botkin asked.

"It's Alina Starkov, Professor," she said.

There was a pause, and she heard him muttering in Shu which made her smile. It was one of the things they'd connected over when she'd first been his student, that everyone viewed them as outsiders. Alina's mother had been from the Shu Han, and her father had been a soldier from Ravka. The two of them had fallen in love when he'd been stationed by the border between the two countries. Her father had been shot in a missile strike from Fjerda, and her mom had died shortly after the next winter, which was how Alina had wound up at the orphanage.

Professor Botkin opened the door. He had golden eyes, grey hair, and he had the stance of someone with elite military training. He never slouched, and frequently reprimanded students for bad posture. "Miss Starkov...you have caused quite the stir amongst the University these past twenty-four hours."

Alina let out a groan. "You know?"

Professor Botkin chuckled. "Did you really think Aleksander Morozova's soulmate would go unnoticed?"

He held up the Os Alta Daily News, which had a picture of a grim-faced Aleksander standing in front of The Fold law firm sign. Next to him was a picture of Alina and Mal at graduation, which she remembered irritably, Aleksander had taken for them on his phone at the time and sent. Had he known even then? Before the tattoo? He claimed he had only gotten his a few days ago, but her arrival had been so prepared for she didn't know that he believed him.

Alina winced. "I can't believe they reported on that."

"It's big news, Miss Starkov. Aleksander Morozova is one of Ravkaa's top defense attorneys. He's worked for the President of Ravka, for Saints Sake! Of course they were going to report on this."

She sighed. "So, I take it that means I am stuck with my internship at The Fold, huh?"

Professor Botkin gave her a sad look. "For what it's worth girl, Morozova is the best in his field. You could do worse than work for someone like him. He does have a charity, you know, if the law part of it makes you uncomfortable."

"That's the problem, Professor. There's no one worse than him."

Then, grim faced, she turned and left.