VAMPIRE ACADEMY: GHOSTS (Part Seven)
"We killed them to stop them from killing us and the Moroi. But there was a line when it came to taking them out. And, tonight, I'd crossed it"

Thanks for the reviews everyone! Sorry guys, this one took a bit longer than I had expected. Planning for Christmas and New Years kind of slowed me down. Please keep reviewing, it makes me happy. And a happy author is a faster typing author!

And so here you go, I present to you, part "Seven" of "Ghosts". Yep, last chapter I left you guys hanging. I am so mean, I know. Well, here you go, Fight scene! Enjoy!

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AS THE FOUR STRIGOI STALKED towards us, I had trouble comprehending what was going on. Somehow, they'd penetrated the wards protecting the Royal Court – Human help was my guess. But even then, how had they managed to get – undetected – passed the countless Guardians that patrolled the Courts grounds? Then it came to me. Most of them would be guarding the party. The rest? Killed maybe? I didn't see any blood on them… yet.

Lissa's fear brought me out of my thoughts and crashing back to the situation at hand. Oh god, this was bad. I was one lone Guardian, responsible for protecting three Moroi and Dimitri, who I knew was in no condition to win a fight. I'd have to do this by myself. I fumbled for my stake – but it wasn't there. I looked down at what I was wearing. Crap. A dress – a long dress. How the hell was I going to fight in this? And why oh why didn't I have my stake on me? What kind of Guardian would I be if I didn't carry it at all times? Even to a party. Stupid, Stupid! Lissa's fear was mounting, and by the looks on Adrian and Christian's faces, they shared her fear. I glanced at Dimitri. I couldn't read his expression. It wasn't quite fear, it was… well, I wasn't sure. But whatever it was, it freaked me out. He was pale, and his eyes – I'd never seen him like this before – He was just staring ahead. Like he was in some kind of trance, frozen to the spot.

Okay, I had to take control here. If I had any chance of taking out even one of the Strigoi, I'd need a weapon. My eyes frantically searched my surroundings for something, anything. But there was nothing. I swore to myself. I'd have to use my body as a weapon and hope that— Wait. I suddenly realised, I did have a weapon. Christian. I whipped round to face him, "Christian! I need you to—" he cut me off, knowing what I wanted from him, he stepped forwards, "On it" he said, raising his right arm. Flames shot out from his hand, and hit the first Strigoi, who was now just feet away from us. He lit up like a Christmas tree. Screaming, he dropped to the ground, rolling, trying to put out the flames. Christian dealt him another fiery blow. Kicking off my heals – best case scenario they'd slow me down, worst case, I'd brake my ankles fighting in them – I went for the second one. I landed a kick to his stomach – not easy in this freakin' dress – making him stumble back. I then quickly landed a few punches to his face, dodging his own hits in-between. I was lucky; he was a newly turned Strigoi. Meaning, he wasn't used to his new found powers. And, by the looks of him, he'd been a Moroi before he was turned. Another stroke of luck – he was a sloppy fighter.

Somehow, I managed to knock him to the ground, which gave me a few seconds to see what was going on with the others. Lissa and Adrian stood behind Christian, unable to help in this fight, while Christian himself was still shooting out flames. He'd managed to severely burn the first Strigoi who had attacked us. The other two were backing off slightly, afraid of Christian's fire. My eyes fell on Dimitri. He hadn't moved. He was fixed to the spot, staring at the Strigoi. "Dimitri!" I shouted, "Move! Get back!". My shouts were in vain, he didn't move a muscle. The Strigoi I was fighting jumped to his feet and lunged at me. I wasn't quick enough, and his fist smacked into the side of my head, knocking me backwards. Pain surged though me, and black spots danced in my eyes, but I forced myself past it. Though the bond, I felt Lissa's terror rise. I whipped round to face her, but she was, for the moment, safely behind Christian, so I turned back to face the Strigoi. He came at me again, but I managed dodge his blow, and landed one of my own to his chest. However, it didn't have much impact, as it wasn't as precise as I would have liked. We traded more blows, both of us dodging and taking hits. Suddenly his speed increased, and he lunged at me again, sending a hard kick to my chest. I flew backwards, the wind knocked out of me. As my back hit the ground, more pain shot though me. God, I'd feel that tomorrow – if I lived to see tomorrow.

I tried to get up, but the pain in my back and stomach refused to let me. As I raised my head, I saw the Strigoi coming at me again. Crap, any second, I knew he'd be on top of me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something lying on the ground – one of my heals. It suddenly hit me: I had a weapon. I grabbed it, knowing I had one shot to use it. Forcing myself past the pain, I sat up, and with both hands, I held the shoe out in front of me – the thin, long heel facing outwards – hoping to god that this would work. If it didn't, I was screwed. The Strigoi, now just feet away from me, dived in for the bite, but I was ready, and with as much power as I could, I drove my hands forward. The Strigoi never saw it coming; I pushed the heel into his chest. His eyes widened and his lips parted. I pushed harder, hoping the heel was long enough to reach though to his heart. Seconds later, his body went limp, and he crashed downwards, landing on top of me. I gave a grunt as I rolled his body off of me. Sitting up, I looked down at the monster. I knew he wasn't dead, I'd not punctured his heart with a Silver stake, but, the shoe – still sticking out of his chest – had been enough to stun him. He'd be out for six or seven minutes. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was alive – for now. I picked myself up, ready to face my next enemy.

Looking around, I saw Christian throw more flames at another Strigoi, and my god, he was doing well. If ever they needed a fire wielding Moroi in battle, Christian should be called upon. But where were the other two? Suddenly Lissa screamed my name. Her fear shot though our bond, and exploded inside of me. I whorled around to face her, expecting the worst, expecting to see a Strigoi coming for her, but she was fine. She stood next to Adrian, safely behind Christian and his magic. Then it hit me. Why hadn't I sensed this right away? Her thoughts came though loud and clear. It wasn't her life she feared for – it was Dimitri's. Fear now rising inside myself, I followed her gaze, and, what I saw made my heart stop, the other two Strigoi were on him – And, shit… he wasn't fighting back.

For a few seconds, I couldn't react. I just stared ahead. Suddenly I was back in my nightmare. One of the very first ones that I'd had. It had been a similar situation to what I was in right now. Dimitri, Lissa and I had been out walking together, when a pack of Strigoi had attacked us. One of them had grabbed Lissa, another two had held me back and another two had gone for Dimitri. For some reason, they weren't interested in hurting me or Lissa, they wanted Dimitri. And only Dimitri. I hadn't been able to save him. I was too late to stop them from ripping his throat out. Breathing hard, I shook myself out of the memory. Staring at the scene before me, it was like I was having a sickening case likeDéjà View. I couldn't stop the images form the dream from flashing in my mind. Lissa screamed my name again, and somehow I managed to snap into action. "Noooooo!!!". Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I heard my own scream leave my lips. It was something between a primal battle scream and a shit-scared shriek. For a few seconds, I was sure everyone including the Strigoi had stopped to stare at me. But I didn't care, my heart thumping ferociously, threatening to explode from my chest, I ran towards the man I loved, the man who meant everything to me, and the man who was seconds away from loosing his life. No. I would not let this happen; I would not loose him. Not again. As I ran, I saw Adrian run towards Dimitri, but Christian pulled him back, and seconds later a flame shot past me; hitting the nearest Strigoi in the back. He ignited, cried out and let go of Dimitri, then fell to the ground, rolling in the grass, trying to put out the flames.

This now left one Strigoi on Dimitri. As I ran towards them, I willed myself to run faster. My eyes locked onto Dimitri, it was like he was just frozen. Had fear got the better of him? I don't think I'd never known him to be afraid. I was just feet away from them when I saw the Strigoi bend down for the killing bite. No, no, no, no, not again. No, this wasn't happening! Not again! I flashed back to the caves. I saw Nathan grab Dimitri and pull him to the ground, then lean in for the bite. Seconds later, I broke out of the memory and I was back in our front yard. Finally, I'd reached Dimitri and the Strigoi. Without breaking a stride, with two hands and as much power as I could muster, I ripped the Strigoi from my boyfriend. I think I saw Dimitri stumble to the ground, but I wasn't completely sure. I knew he was alive, and that what mattered. Right now my attention was focused on my enemy. I shoved him away from me, and he hit the ground, hard – I don't think he'd anticipated my speed. He turned back and looked up and me. The first thing I looked for was any sign of blood around his lips. There was none– which meant he hadn't bitten Dimitri. If I'd of had time to breathe a sigh of relief, I would have done. The Strigoi picked himself up and snarled at me, angry that I'd interrupted his meal. As I looked into his red eyes, his dark features faded, and somehow I was looking into the face of Nathan.

Staring into the face of Nathan brought back everything he had done to me. His taunts about killing Lissa, threatening to turn and then kill me at Galena's, but most of all what he'd done inside those caves: ripping Dimitri from my life and turning him into a monster. Something inside of me just snapped. I'd never felt anything like it before – I couldn't tell you what it was exactly, or where it had come from – rage, hate and darkness consumed my mind and boiled inside of me. It was a lot like when I'd taken Spirit's darkness from Lissa. Except this time, it felt much more consuming, much more primal. I kicked out at the Strigoi, hitting him squarely between the legs. He yelled in pain and sank to his knees. My mind began to buzz, and I felt the sounds of my surroundings fade out. It was like I was watching a movie with the volume on mute. Some part of me realised that I didn't really know what I was doing. All I could see was that scene in the caves. It was like it was on repeat. Nathan. Dimitri. Nathan. Dimitri. Then, all reason began to fade, and I felt myself punching and kicking out at Nathan, my moves working at a rapid pace. After a while I felt liquid cover my hands. I knew it was blood. I told myself I should stop, but I couldn't. The darkness that swelled inside of me wouldn't let go. He's going to pay for what he did! I'm going to kill him! As I continued my assault on the Strigoi, I was sure I heard bones break, but I didn't care. He wasn't going to take Dimitri from me again. I wouldn't let him.

Suddenly the volume of my surrounds came rushing back. I heard someone yell my name, but I was too focused on hurting Nathan to make out who it was. I continued to punch out at him, one fist after the other connected with his face, blood splattering everywhere. Then I felt someone's hands pull me back. I was just about to turn round and take a swing at them when I saw who it was. Alberta. How was she here? And, what was she doing? Didn't she understand that I had to kill Nathan? "Rose!" she shouted, pulling me off the Strigoi – who had fallen to the ground and was now barely moving. "Rose! Enough! Enough!" she barked, pushing me out of the way and reaching for her silver stake. As I watched her drive it though his heart, Nathan's blond features shifted into that of the dark haired Strigoi I'd ripped away from Dimitri. Realization hit me, but before I could form any more thoughts, Alberta turned back to me, catching my arm, forcing me to look at her. "What were you doing?!" she snapped, gripping my arm tightly – a little too tight. "My job!" I hissed back at her. Anger flashed in her eyes, "Your Job?!" she repeated. She was livid. "Your job is to slay Strigoi! Not beat them into a bloody pulp before hand!". I swallowed. I'd never seen her so angry. "You know better than this!" she finished. She let go of my arm, shot me daggers and then walked away.

As I watched her go, I acknowledged the scene before me. Guardians were everywhere. A few of them were finishing off the other three Strigoi, while others were checking the surroundings, looking for any more that may be lurking in the shadows. I turned back to the Strigoi that I'd fought, only now realising what I had done. My eyes widened in shock, and I choked on my own breath. His upper body was covered with blood, and oh god, his face. His face was unrecognisable. He was a broken and bloody mess. The damage I'd done made me want to vomit. I tore my eyes from him, unable to look at him any longer. It was then that I felt a painful stinging creeping over my hands. I looked down to see that they were covered in blood: a mixture of the Strigoi's and my own. As the stinging began to intensify, I realised what was causing it: almost all of my knuckles had split. "Shit…" I muttered to myself, wincing from the pain.

Ten minutes later, I sat next to Dimitri on our front door step, watching Guardians and other Court officials surveying the scene and discussing the night's events. Some were huddled in groups, while others were still focusing on the surrounding area. Our entire street right now reminded me of a crime scene. Lissa and Christian stood with Alberta, giving their account of what had happened, while Adrian had been called over by a group of Guardians who stood with a couple of Court officials. I recognized some of the Guardians as those who guarded the Queen. I had yet to be called to give my account. And, from the disapproving looks Alberta threw my way every so often, I wasn't sure if they wanted my report. In my head, I'd gone though the events; from the moment I'd seen the Strigoi approaching to when Alberta had killed the one I was fighting. I still don't know what had come over me. I knew I'd lost it, I remembered feeling a twisted sense of darkness consuming me, but I couldn't remember why. Nathan. Something to do with Nathan? I'd seen him. I know I had. He'd stood there, right in front if me. But he was dead, I reasoned. Dimitri had killed him. Had I seen his ghost? No, surely not. We were behind magical wards, right? Or were we? The Strigoi had got in, hadn't they? Which could only mean the wards had been broken somehow. And, what about the damage I'd done to that Strigoi? Where the hell had that kind of strength and power came from?

Dimitri shifted a little, which brought me out of my thoughts. I turned to face him. He still looked a little pale, obviously shaken up by the whole thing. In fact he looked as freaked out as I felt. There was a time, not so long ago, when he'd of been standing with Alberta and the Guardians, taking reports, working out how the Strigoi had got in and talking about what needed to be done next. Those days were long gone. Now, he may as well be one of the Moroi, waiting for answers, and relying on others to fight back. It hurt to think of him like this. And, I wished there was some way that I could restore him to what he used to be. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him quietly. He turned to look at me, and gave me a slight nod. Liar. He wasn't okay. He was far from okay. I sighed, deciding not too press it right now.

Not really knowing what to say next, I found myself watching the Court officials dealing with the aftermath of the attack. My eyes travelled over to where I'd fought the Strigoi. He was now covered with a plastic sheet, awaiting removal. His broken and bloodied face flashed in my mind. Once again, the sight made me feel sick. Yes, Strigoi were evil. We killed them to stop them from killing us and the Moroi. But there was a line when it came to taking them out. And, tonight, I'd crossed it. I swallowed, trying not to think about it. I tried pushing the images to the back of my mind, but they wouldn't budge. Just then Alberta called out my name. I looked up to see her beckoning me over to her. "I'll be right back" I told Dimitri softly.

"Rose" said Alberta, in a way of greeting, as I approached her, Lissa and Christian. Her tone was a little stiff– apparently her anger hadn't deflated much. Great. "Hey…" I mumbled in response. "Are you okay?" asked Lissa. "Yeah" I lied, "I'm fine". I really, really wasn't. But I wasn't about to let anyone else know that. I was just about to ask Alberta if they'd been any news on how the Strigoi might have got in, when Adrian arrived. "Did you tell her?" he asked the group. "Tell me what?" I said, glancing at each of them in turn. Alberta, Christian and Lissa all wore the same expression: Hesitance. It was clear that I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear. Alberta let out a short breath before turning to me, "The Strigoi, Rose. It seems they – somehow, we're not too clear on this yet – breached the wards of the Court, and targeted you house specifically". What? Why? Then, I realised. Lissa. They knew she was here, and they'd come for the last of the Dragomir's. "Rose, the Strigoi, they come for—", I cut her off, "It's okay, Liss. Look around you. There's Guardians everywhere. You're safe" I told her. Well, as safe as anyone could be, I guess. I looked up at Adrian and Christian, "All of you are" I added. "Rose, they didn't come for Lissa. Or us" said Christian. "W—what?" I stuttered. "They barely even glanced at us" he carried on. "Rose" said Lissa, "They came for Dimitri".

My heart began to beat rapidly. What? No. I didn't hear that right. Surely, surely, Lissa didn't say that the Strigoi had come for the man I loved? Because, well, that didn't make any kind of sense! I turned to look at Dimitri. He wasn't looking in my direction; he was staring straight head, lost in his own thoughts. I turned back to the group and somehow found my voice, "No, that's… So, you're telling me, four Strigoi 'barely glanced' at three Moroi, three Royal Moroi, including the last Dragomir, and went straight for a Dhampir?". They all nodded at me. "That doesn't make any sense!". My tone came out a more panicked then I would have liked. "Indeed" agreed Alberta. She wore her hard Guardian-at-work face. I felt my heart begin to pound harder in my chest. If what they said was true, then I'd come a hell of a lot closer to loosing Dimitri tonight than I'd first thought. I swallowed, trying very hard not to freak out. "You're sure?" I said, turning to my friends, "You're sure they came for him?". Christian shook his head, "They weren't interested in us, Rose". Why? Why would they come after him? He wasn't exactly threat… was he? I thought about it for a moment… maybe he was. After we'd killed Galena, it hadn't been long before Dimitri had taken her place, quickly rising though the ranks to power. Even though he'd only been one of them for a couple of months, he'd found followers. A lot of them. Maybe, oh god, maybe they wanted their leader back? No. It didn't work like that, did it? If one Strigoi fell, another one would just take its place, right? There was no loyalty between them. Then, another thought struck me. Nathan had once let slip that he'd turned Dimitri for his skills and knowledge of the Moroi. What if the Strigoi didn't want Dimitri back, what if they wanted him dead? What if they felt he'd learned too much about them? I couldn't decide which scenario was worse.

"Rose? Are you okay? Rose?" Lissa's voice brought me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I suddenly realised her hands were on my shoulders, and she looked worried. In fact, they all looked worried. "Yeah" I said, swallowing back my worries. "I'm fine". Once again those two words so easily leaving my lips. "And, what about Belikov?" asked Alberta. I glanced towards Dimitri. He hadn't moved. "Um… He's a little…" I trailed off, not really knowing what to tell her. "May I?" she asked me, nodding towards him. "Er…" I stuttered, not sure why she was asking my permission. "Sure…" I finally replied, with a shrug. And without another word, she walked over to the doorstep and sat down besides him. Just then a couple of Guardians approached us and asked to speak with Adrian and Christian. The guys agreed and were led over to another group of Guardians. After a few moments, Lissa turned to me, "Are you really okay? Rose, you look a little pale…". Her tone was sympathetic and concerned. I ran a hand though my hair, which, I then realized was a mess. God, my dress torn, covered in mud– and blood, what must I look like? I turned to my best friend, putting on my I-can-take-anything face, "Yeah" I said, with an exhaled breath, "I told you, I'm fine". Lissa's thoughts came though loud and clear, she didn't believe that. However, she didn't pull me up on it. Maybe she realised I didn't need a confrontation right now. Whatever, she let it go. For now. I turned back to Dimitri and Alberta. I couldn't hear what Alberta was saying to him, but whatever it was; it looked to be having a positive effect. He didn't look quite as freaked out.

An hour later, the scene out on our front lawn started to come to a close. The dead Strigoi were taken away, Guardians and officials began to disperse, we were told the wards had now been restored, and we were finally aloud to head inside the house. Court officials had wanted Lissa, Adrian and Christian to move into the guest housing, deep inside the Court, for the foreseeable future, so that they were secure and well protected. I thought it was a pretty good idea too, but they'd all told me that there was no way they were leaving me and Dimitri. The Strigoi had come for him, not them. There were a few arguments about their refusal to leave the house, but the three of them remained firm. They weren't going anywhere. In the end, it was agreed that Guardians would be posted outside our house, for the Moroi's protection.

"So, anyone else, want?" said Adrian holding up a bottle of whisky. We all glanced at him, but said nothing. "Okay," he carried on, "More for me, then". He unscrewed the bottle top, threw it down on the counter and then sank into the chair opposite the couch. Good god, the man could drink. I was pretty damn sure he was drinking a hell of a lot more these days, and it worried me a little. I should really have a conversation with him about that. The five of us had gathered in the lounge, none of us really felt like going to bed after what we'd been through tonight. Lissa sat on one end of the couch, curled up to Christian who sat next to her. He had his right arm around her shoulder and his left hand clasped in hers. I sat on the other end, wrapped in Dimitri's arms. He still seemed a little freaked out by what had happened (hell, so were we all), but whatever Alberta had said to him, sure as hell brought him out of his trance-like state. There hadn't been much conversation between the five of us; our minds were still very much on the attack. I shifted so that I was a little closer to Dimitri. After a moment, he tightened his hold on me a little, in a gesture of comfort. He could read me, he knew something was up, and like the others, he'd witnessed my violence against the Strigoi. He hadn't said anything about it yet. I knew he wouldn't bring it up in front of the others. But I knew he'd ask me about it later. There were a few things I wanted to talk to him about too, like what the hell happened to him out there.

What had happened out there tonight? Lissa's words rang though me, Rose, they came for Dimitri. Fear shot though me again, I'd heard those words before. But where? Oh god, the nightmare, I suddenly realised. Lissa had said those words in the nightmare that had almost mirrored the attack. The Strigoi had come for Dimitri, and I couldn't stop them from taking his life. Images of that dream suddenly flashed in my mind. I saw Dimitri's struggles as he tried to fight back from his attackers. I saw their fangs sink into his neck. I saw the light leave his eyes. Oh god, what if the dream… what if the dream wasn't a dream, what if— "Rose?". The sound of my name broke me out of my thoughts. It was Lissa's voice. I suddenly realised everyone was looking at me. I got the feeling it wasn't the first time she'd said my name. "Sorry, what?" I stuttered. "Are you okay?" asked Dimitri. I looked up at him, No, I wanted to say, No, I'm not. But I didn't say that, forcing a smile, I said, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay". It was a lie, and I knew he knew that. Not wanting this conversation to go any further, I decided I need to get out of there. Theories and fears swirling inside my head, I just couldn't deal right now. I jumped up, and as I did, four pairs of eyes followed me. "You know what? I, uh, I'm a little sore from the fight. I'm going to head for the shower" I told them. And without another word, not waiting for a response, I turned and bolted out of the door.

I was just feet from the stairs when Lissa came after me, "Rose!". I reluctantly turned back to face her. "You should have told me. Let me heal you" she said softly. "No, Liss. Don't waste your magic on me". "It's not a waste…" she said sadly, a little hurt. "Please, you're my friend, let me help you". I felt her emotions as she stood looking at me. She wanted to help me. She needed to help me. She felt like I'd been through so much tonight, she felt like I'd fought for her as well as for Dimitri. I sighed. "How about you get to work on one of those rings tomorrow?" I asked. She nodded, "Yeah. Okay, I'll do that". I gave her a smile. "But for now," she said, taking my hands in hers, "At least let me heal your hands. They must hurt". And before I stop her, I felt the warmth of her magic flowing though me. It was pure bliss. Golden joy. It felt like everything was right in the world. It was wonderful. She was right, my hands did hurt. My knuckles stung like hell, but I'd forced myself past the pain. It took just moments for the pain to stop. I looked down at my hands, the cuts had closed, and all that remained was the dried blood – as well as the dirt. No, I didn't want this; I didn't want her to heal me. I'd done something terrible tonight, and I felt like I deserved the pain.

I pulled my hands from her grip, before she could use any more of her magic. "Thanks…" I muttered. She looked a little shocked at my pulling away, but before she could say anything, we both noticed Dimitri standing beside her. Neither of us had seen him approach, we'd both been too focused on the magic. "Rose—" I cut him off, "Fine! I'm fine!" I told him. My tone came out a little high, a little too high. Crap. I'd bailed from the room to be on my own. I know they were both worried, but I just could deal with their concerns right now. Looking at Dimitri's taken back expression, I suddenly got the feeling that I'd jumped the gun a little. Maybe he'd come after me to ask me something other than if I was okay? I muttered something about falling asleep and drowning in the shower if I didn't go now, and then bolted up the stairs, leaving the two of them, presumably staring after me. As reached the top and round the corner, I heard Lissa's worried voice, "Should one of us go after her?". "No" Dimitri told her softly, "Not right now. I think she just needs sometime to herself". Good call, Dimitri. I was grateful to him for that.


End of Part Seven! I'm currently working on Part Eight. There's some very emotional stuff coming your way! Stay tuned!