Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters should pray for their good fortune.
Title: Revenge
Summary: Christian is kidnapped by the Strigoi who want to make him pay for his role in killing their leaders. Rose and Dimitri rush to save him before they kill or turn him. Set after the kidnapping in Frostbite, but before the field experience in Shadow Kiss. One-shot
Author's Note: This story came to me a while ago and I have been thinking about writing it. I will try my best to keep in line with the book, though this scene obviously never happened.
Strigoi Meeting (Everyone's POV)
The remaining Strigoi were angry about the deaths of their leaders, more than that though they were angry that a novice had outsmarted and killed them. However, they were really upset and frustrated about the role the magic using Moroi played in the escape and murder. The water user was more a distraction than anything, but the fire user, the Ozera boy, was a threat that needed to be eliminated. Though it was true they wanted to convert him and follow his parents' wishes it was becoming less likely now with him and his Aunt rallying against all the Strigoi. Not only did Christian use magic to harm the guards that had watched over him when he was captive, but his efforts were sparking controversy and action amongst the other Moroi. This had to be stopped before a decision was made to teach the Moroi to fight in any way, fists or magic.
In order to circumvent this coming disaster the remaining Strigoi decided that they needed to make Christian pay to show those considering using magic against them that there were consequences. In order to do this they needed to get to him though, and being behind guarded academy walls made that tricky. So a plan was contrived, and a human recruited that could infiltrate the academy as a feeder and discover Christian's whereabouts. The human would also be tasked with finding a way for the Strigoi to enter the academy in order to get Christian and bring him back to the lair.
The plan was going incredibly well, and the leader wondered why they hadn't thought of this before. Apparently everyone loved to gossip about the Ozera family, and Christian was a social outcast to his peers. This was perfect and would make it all that much easier to get to him and bring him back for the fun to begin. The human had also discovered a tunnel that would lead into the academy that the Strigoi could use to get inside the place and exit as well. Most of the other Strigoi were out stalking Moroi royal families and gathering information with their human helpers, so that left two Strigoi to capture and torture Christian. This was perfect and the plan to use the tunnels to capture Christian was going forth tonight.
Christian's POV
Christian had entered his room for the night and crawled into bed. He had been thinking about the day he spent with his girlfriend Lissa, and a warm fuzzy feeling exploded in his chest. He loved her and her natural want to help everyone around her. He knew that she felt bad about not being able to use her magic, but it was best to be cut off from it until she was able to get information on it. He tried to support her and make her feel better about everything that was going on right now.
He had also hardly seen Rose since the kidnapping and Mason's death. It had been hard on all of them, especially since they all felt they shared some of the blame. Christian tried not to blame himself, but he knew things might have been different if he hadn't insisted on them entering those tunnels and just agreed with Rose's suggestion to go back to the resort. It was really hard seeing Rose and wishing that he had listened to her instead of persuading her otherwise.
He was finally starting to drift asleep, earlier than usual as the sun was still down, when he heard a knock on his door. That was odd at this time and he got up hesitantly looking through his peephole into the hall. He saw nothing there and opened the door to see if something had fell and hit his door. When he did though something collided sharply with the back of his head and he was knocked unconscious.
When he awoke he was bound and gagged to keep from screaming. He couldn't move and was slung over someone's shoulder and he craned his neck to try to figure out where he was. He saw a van near the entrance of the tunnel they were in. He knew he was screwed when he was thrown into the back of the van and he seen who his captors were. Two Strigoi climbed in behind his figure, and though it was still dark with the hints of the sun arising he could still see the red eyes glaring back at him.
He was alone this time and no one knew what had happened to him. It would probably be at least another eight hours before anyone realized he was gone, and by then they would never find him. Things were not looking good.
Rose's POV
Rose and Dimitri were practicing with the stakes, and Rose was getting better at landing solid hits on the manikins when Lissa ran into the gym crying heavily. Dimitri took a protective stance while Rose ran to her friend without hesitation. Something was clearly wrong, and she chastised herself for attempting to block out the psychic link while practicing. Lissa was attempting to talk but couldn't form the words. Finally, they flashed in Rose's mind and she nearly screamed in rage.
Christian was kidnapped by Strigoi, probably the ones that had been seen around the campus and the guardians had finally located the general area they hid in the other day. There lair may have been known, but no clearance had been made to scope it out yet and destroy them. Well clearance or not, Rose wanted to rescue Christian and make Lissa feel better.
"Christian has been kidnapped by Strigoi." Rose said angrily so Dimitri would know what was going on. Her anger spiked and though she was still upset about what happened to Mason, that was dulled by the sheer rage she was now directing at the Strigoi.
Dimitri's eyes widened in shock. "When did this happen?" His voice sounded calm but Rose knew him enough to sense the worry and agitation in it.
Lissa finally managed to speak and tried to stop her tears. "This morning. The Strigoi came in and knocked out the Moroi guarding the desk in his dorm. None of the other guardians saw them and by the time the desk attendant woke up they were long gone. No one knows how they got in or out, but the new human feeder is gone too, and it is suspected that the human helped them." By the end of her story she was crying harshly again and clinging to Rose.
Another spike of anger shot through Rose at the thought of another human helping the Strigoi, even worse at the thought that it was a feeder. This meant that no humans were safe and Rose worried intensely about Lissa and something happening to her.
"I will talk to headmistress Kirova and see what we can do. Don't worry Princess." Dimitri tried to sound reassuring.
Rose wasn't hearing it though, and knew that Kirova would not send out a rescue mission for Christian. "No. I want to do something now before it is too late. Going to Kirova won't help." Rose was angry and though she knew she was being rash, she also knew that Kirova would do nothing helpful and would probably lock down the academy.
Dimitri clenched his teeth in annoyance and stared her down. "So you want to rush in and get yourself killed. You remember what happened last time you dealt with Strigoi?" His tone was condescending causing Rose to feel more outraged.
Rose stood in front of Dimitri and returned the intense stare. "That is exactly why I know we need to do something now! You said before it is better to beg for forgiveness later than ask permission now, well this is one of those situations. I am going to find and protect Christian." Rose felt admiration from Lissa through the bond and she was glad to finally be able to help her friend.
Dimitri looked puzzled like he had no idea what to do. It was clear he was conflicted about his duty and his desire to protect Rose. Eventually though he conceded, probably afraid of her running off without him again, which if she had to she would do. "This will not be easy Rose, and we should get some help. I will see if any of the other guardians want to help."
Rose practically cheered, but at the same time she was afraid that the other guardians would bust them before they could save Christian. "What if they turn against us and tell Kirova, then what will we do?" Rose was trying to get him to see her point and not jeopardize their chances.
Dimitri smiled and said "They won't. We will leave tomorrow." He turned to walk off but Rose was shocked.
It might be too late by tomorrow and Rose was not willing to wait that long. "Tomorrow! That's too far away, we need to go now!" Rose screamed back at him.
"No Rose, we need to try to find out where these Strigoi might be hiding, and then we can go and find them. We will need at least until tomorrow morning to gather more guardians and the information we need." Dimitri was not going to budge on this one, and as much as Rose hated to admit it, he was right and she needed to wait for him.
Christian's POV
Christian was chained to a wall in a plain blank room. His hands were both chained and he could barely move, but he could sit on the cold floor. His hands were in his lap and he stared at them blankly. He sat atop some hay on the ground, which he guessed was what he was going to be given to go to the bathroom because when he mentioned it earlier the Strigoi had let out a cruel laugh. It disgusted him, but he didn't know how much longer he would be able to contain his bladder.
He was at the mercy of his captors, who had not visited since they locked him away in here. The florescent light shown down on him making his situation seem bleak as he pondered how these merciless creatures would kill him. They would probably drink all his blood and he would die that way. He knew they were driven by instinct, and he had a feeling they wouldn't be holding back.
His captors appeared some time later with cruel looks on their faces. Christian tried not to cower away from them, especially when they walked up and examined his neck. One of them spoke. "Well Mr. Ozera you caused quite a bit of trouble for our late leaders and we are going to make you pay for it." The tone was dark and he shivered. That Strigoi walked up and though Christian tried to resist the Strigoi used compulsion on him. "Instead of pleasure from the bites that we give you, you will feel immense pain. You will scream in agony as we suck out your precious life source for days on end." Christian tried to resist but it was so hard, and the teeth sank into his neck ripping through his flesh and draining out blood. He screamed when the pain from the compulsion effects hit him and tried to pull away but the other Strigoi held him down as the first one drank. When that one finished the other released him and took his turn, which was just as painful as the first one.
When they were done Christian weekly looked up at them and watched as the blood dripped down their faces. They gave him sick smiles before leaving with the promise of returning to take more of his blood and cause him pain. He was too weak from the lack of food, especially blood from the feeders, and the blood loss he had just undergone. He passed out shortly after they left.
Rose's POV
It seemed like it took forever for the next day to arrive, but when it did Rose was ready. They were going to meet by the gate and Lissa was going to use compulsion to help them get out. Dimitri had managed to round up two extra guardians to go with them, neither of which Rose knew.
Rose was surprised that Dimitri was still willing to go on this adventure with her, but then she realized that it must mean that he also cared about Lissa and Christian. It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one willing to risk it all in order to save them, and she was glad that he was on her side in this situation.
Lissa's compulsion was extremely effective, even though it was weakened from the pills, and they cleared the gate without incident. However, Lissa did have one parting request before they parted ways. "Please, if you find him, and it's too late, don't hesitate to kill him. It's what he would have wanted." She looked down as she said it and Rose knew how painful it was to say that, could feel the grief through the bond. Rose was also worried about the possibility that Christian may have been forcefully turned Strigoi, and if so the thought of killing him made her feel uneasy and nervous. It would be hard like it was with Natalie and she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to do it.
They all entered a car after leaving the gate and the Strigoi's hideout was rumored to be in the woods a few hours away. They had no idea how they would find it, but they agreed that searching the surrounding area would be their best hope. Rose was nervous knowing that even if they managed to find the hideout that there was no guarantee that those were the Strigoi who had taken Christian. She was panicked at the thought of never finding him, or being too late to save him. It was true that they had never gotten along, but they had their moments, and his demise would practically kill Lissa.
Once they reached the surrounding area, they split off into pairs to search for Strigoi and the hideout. Rose and Dimitri stuck together and poked around throughout the forest carefully examining their surroundings for possible attackers. It was still daylight, but with the humans teaming up with the Strigoi now no hour of the day was safe.
Unfortunately, none of them were successful in locating the Strigoi on the first day, so they stayed inside a cabin in the area hoping to have better luck the next day. One guardian would stay watch throughout the night in case of a surprise attack, and Rose even had a small turn though it coincided with Dimitri's. She wanted to ask why he was so willing to help, risk his job even, but she could see it all on his face. There was determination, and fear, all for someone he cared about, and Rose began to wonder if they would all be like one happy family one day after all.
Christian's POV
Christian was beginning to get weaker throughout the day and was wondering how much longer he would be able to hold on. The Strigoi, who had yet to reveal their names, would come every so often and drink more of his blood, while using compulsion to ensure that it remained painful. He hated it, and the one time they had both drank from him at the same time had been so bad he blacked out. He felt fuzzy most of the time now, and could barely process what was transpiring on around him. Their taunts were lost on his inability to focus, and he really wanted a drink of water to ease the pain in his throat.
There were times he considered lighting them on fire, but he realized that he didn't have the energy to waste on that and that the punishments would probably just get worse if he did. Fortunately, they had only drunk his blood and used compulsion, nothing more than that, and he didn't want to provoke them.
Rose's POV
The next day the guardian's split up much as they had before, but this time they all decided to meet and search a specific area together. It had looked suspicious yesterday, but it hadn't been discovered until nearly dark, which meant the Strigoi would be able to attack if they investigated at that time.
After a short look around they all met up and searched the area, with Dimitri discovering an entrance to an underground bunker. This was it they had all realized, and made plans while readying their stakes. Rose balked when she found out her job was to find Christian while the others would handle the fighting, but realized that arguing would only delay the rescue.
Dimitri slowly opened the door and they crept inside each covering a separate direction. However, the moment the door opened Rose heard a hiss and her heart leapt into her throat. A Strigoi lunged at her and was only deflected by Dimitri's quick reflexes as he continued to fight it off while the other two guardians' attacked the other Strigoi.
Rose realized that this would be her chance to break off and search the bunker for Christian. She ran off quickly throwing open the doors to the other rooms with her stake ready for the kill. She didn't find him until she reached the last door, and was shocked at what she found. He was slumped on the floor with chains around his wrists, and feces around him. He looked weak and paler than usual with blood dripping down his neck. This caught her off guard and the moment of shock and surprise was all it took for a Strigoi who had broken free of the fighting to knock her into the wall near Christian.
As she recovered and prepared to fight she noticed that Dimitri had intervened and was protecting her and Christian with a stony glare on his face as he stared down the Strigoi. Rose thought quickly and noted that Christian seemed more alert now, possibly even enough to be able to get up and try to escape if she managed to free him. Her heart leapt into her throat as she forced herself to stand up and run to him.
However, when she reached him she saw him concentrate, and loud screams were heard from behind her. She jumped in surprise as she turned around to see the Strigoi on fire and screaming. She stood frozen for a second before another guardian leapt up from behind and stabbed it through the heart from behind. It took her a moment to realize that the other guardians, Dimitri's friends, whose names she had recently learned to be Jacob and Darrel, had killed the two Strigoi and were checking to see if more were coming.
Dimitri grabbed the keys off the now dead Strigoi's belt and unlocked the chains from around Christian's wrists. He was extremely weak from the blood loss and magic use now and it was surprising he was coherent at all. Dimitri picked him up gently and carried him out of the room. It took Rose a second to realize how fast everything had transpired and ended, and she had to shake herself out of her daze and run after Dimitri.
Christian's POV
Christian awoke weakly back at the clinic in the academy and asked what had happened. It took a few minutes for the events to come back to him, but he felt humiliated to have been seen in such a state. However, Lissa didn't seem to care that he was abused in such a way, and hugged him tightly, hardly ever leaving his side. She had even skipped classes the next day to stay with him.
Rose and Dimitri had also been supportive, and stayed with him the first day he awoke while fluids were pumped into him to help him feel better. They left however right before a wheelchair was rolled up so he could be taken to a feeder and regain some strength. He relished the chance to get some blood and for the second time in such a short while he was ravenous. He drank blood from two separate feeders who enjoyed the high so much they would be feeling the effects for hours to come he presumed. Once he settled back into his bed to rest again he sighed happily as Lissa sat next to him and held his hand.
Rose's POV
Even though Kirova had chewed them all out none of them had regretted their actions. She had even gone as far as saying the only reason Rose wasn't expelled was because she had saved a royal from certain death. Rose didn't really care what she said, and had told her that if Christian had died or been forced to become Strigoi she would have lost her job for bad security. That had gotten her kicked out of Kirova's office, but that was nothing new to her.
Dimitri had congratulated her on her bravery, and practice with him was great that day. She had felt closer to him, and she was glad to have him as her teacher and crush.
After practice she had visited Christian, who in a tender moment rarely seen, had thanked her and even gave her a hug for rescuing him. She told him not to worry, and to get better soon. After that she practically skipped back to her dorm, ready for whatever came next, but still dealing with her grief over Mason as best she could.
Well that's a rap, and I wanted to tie it into the book as best I could even though this scene clearly never happened. This is just a one shot, but I want to write more for Vampire Academy so reviews are highly appreciated. Thanks for reading.