Introduction
IMPORTANT!: If you have not read "New Beginnings" yet, do that now, this is the sequel.
It has been two months since the end of New Beginnings.
Rose and her army have been attacking Moroi families relentlessly.
Suffering defeat after defeat, there are very few places anyone considers "safe" anymore. St. Vladimir's is one of them. Dimitri, Alberta, and every other guardian at St. Vlad's has been waiting, wondering when Rose would attack. But she has special plans for them....
Prologue - Dimitri POV
I awoke in a cold sweat, and as I sat up, I grasped my head in my hands as more memories came flooding back. I had begun remembering things when I came back to St. Vladimir's, and I really wish I wasn't. Every time I remembered something, it reminded me of a horrible act I had done while I was a Strigoi, and I wish I could permenantly forget them all. On top of this, I was constantly getting "gifts" from Rose. They were usually pictures or something to show me her most recent massacre. She and her army had been moving with shocking speed, killing one royal family after another. There were several families now on the edge of extinction. The only reason the remaining Royals refused to band together was that they wanted to slow the Strigoi down, and make them travel further to get to them. I have to say that this was the smartest decision I've ever seen the Royal families made. There were several truly "safe" places left now. They included two former Courts over in Europe, an old underground Military Base purchased by some Royals in Germany, a mansion in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and here, at St. Vladimir's. I wish I could just leave this world and live by myself somewhere, but that would never happen, I would just get hunted down and killed. I heard that the Alchemists were working on a few new potions to try and help us even the overwhelming odds. I looked at the clock and noticed it was around 7 P.M, since the school ran on nocternal schedual, it was early morning. I decided I had better get up and go see Alberta, since I needed to get my watch times for the month. I got out of bed, got dressed, and headed for the Guardians building. As students were leaving their dorms heading for the cafeteria, I noticed the uneasy feeling in the air, they knew that they might be attacked at any minute. I entered the building and saw that Alberta wasn't there, but a few other guardians were sitting in the corner, talking. I took a seat and waited about twenty mintues before Alberta showed up.
"Dimitri. Wasn't expecting you this early, please, come into the office." We entered the office and she closed the door behind us. Taking a seat behind her desk, she eyed me as I said, "I came to get my watch times for this month." She sighed, "Sorry, but I have to remove you from watch. We need a new combat instructor for the Novices. He was captured during a trip to Missoula the other day, we're keeping it quiet for now. We also have reports that the mansion in the Rockies has stopped reporting, so we have sent a small team to investigate." Every home containing Royal Moroi had to report to the Guardians at other homes. This way, we knew if there was any new attacks. Alberta and several other guardians on campus were the interm Guardian Council, and there was nobody serving as a Moroi Queen, since there wasn't one needed. And they would just cause problems.
"We have also recieved word that the Alchemists have almost perfected a very potent poison for use against the Strigoi, but they are having supply problems.", Alberta appeared to have hope for us, but she knew we needed a miracle, and we needed it soon." I sighed and looked at her, "Don't worry, we'll pull through, Rose will make a mistake eventually, and we will get her then, without her, the Strigoi will become bogged down in power struggles." She got up and rubbed her eyes, "Well, let's hope she makes a mistake, because we need her back here with us, and we need her knowledge of that army." I looked her in the eyes, "No. We really don't want her to keep her memory, if she does, she may try this all over again. Don't forget, as a Strigoi, you give in to your base insticts, she always resented Lissa at heart, if she has any memory of of her Strigoi existence, she may revert back to that emotional state. If that happens, she will run, and probably get herself killed." She looked at me and gave me a hopeful look, "I hope she forgets it all then, I just want her back." I started walking out of the room and turned to her to say one last thing, "Push the Alchemists to perfect that damn potion, we need an advantage. If we don't get a miracle soon, we are all dead. In every sense of the word."