Hey guys I'm sorry that I didn't update yesterday; my internet was down. So I apologize for being late and that I don't have another chapter ready for today!

Sorry!

Anyways I'm sorry once and again and thanks for all your wonderful reviews! Keep them up!

-Catherine

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the ones I create). Richelle Mead owns them.

Once my eyes were open I realized that people were looking down at me anxiously.

"Lissa what's going on?" I asked her anxiously.

"I don't know Rose, you just like faded for a second."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I was just lying in bed and then your thoughts and emotions and everything just disappeared." She looked down at me worried.

"I was so worried so then I went to get Adrian to see if he could get into your dreams and he couldn't."

I looked behind Lissa to realize that everyone was there; Olena, Christian, Eddie, Adrian, Karolina, Sonya, Viktoria, Paul and ... Yeva.

"Yeva?" I asked her curiously.

"Yes," she smiled that fake innocence that she always seemed to be around her but I knew better; she was mischievous.

"Could you see me?"

"What?!" Lissa and Adrian half screamed in unison.

"Oh Yeva can see the future," I explained. Knowing glances passed between Adrian and Lissa but before they could say anything I cut them off.

"No, she's not a spirit user. She specialized in air," I exclaimed before Lissa and Adrian could make any accusations.

"Then how ... ?" Adrian was lost for words.

"She just has a gift," I shrugged. "But I'm sure that she could explain it to you if you asked her." Adrian cast a questionable look at Yeva and she nodded.

"It would be my pleasure," she said solemnly. "Anyways to answer your question Rose yes I could still see you," she smiled. "You were still in that golden light; I was never worried."

I smiled. "See guys nothing to be worried about."

"B-but Rose what happened?" Lissa stuttered.

"Well it's no big deal okay? Don't throw a fit or anything if I tell you." Everyone nodded so I continued.

"Anyways once I fell asleep I thought I was dreaming of Dimitri so I asked him but it turns out it wasn't a dream it was him."

Everyone gasped around me.

"Surely there is not a new strigoi power?" Olena said worriedly.

"No, no calm down okay?" Everyone nodded so I continued. "So anyways it wasn't strigoi Dimitri or anything it was his soul. He looked like he did before he was a strigoi and he said that his soul was locked away."

Olena gasped. "My poor Dimka," she cried into Karolina's shoulder.

"Yeah but he said that this is where all souls go when they turn strigoi they all get their own little room type thing and they don't know what is going on in the outside world or anything. It is pretty horrible," I agreed. "But they can still contact people who are shadow-kissed but it totally drains him. It is sort of like Adrian's dream walking I guess."

Olena suddenly looked up. "You mean his soul isn't lost?"

"Nope not lost just locked away," I told her.

"So how do we get it back?" Viktoria said hopefully.

"Well the only way known to free him is to kill the strigoi."

Everyone nodded in agreement – everyone already knew this.

"But well we think that we know this guy that knows how to reverse the strigoi effects," I smiled.

"What?!" screeched Viktoria. "No way really?" she grinned.

"Yeah that's why we came here," I told her.

"To kill him?" asked Olena. "Or save him?"

"Well we are hoping to save him. This is why we have to speak to Oksana, immediately." I let the urgency of the situation fill my tone.

The Belikovs' looked puzzled so I quickly let Yeva fill them in on Oksana's abilities of how to find people.

"Well I see why you wanted to get to Oksana's so badly last night," Olena said patiently while I grimaced.

"So can we go?" pleaded Lissa. I smiled to myself of course Lissa would assume that she could not go unless she had an okay – even if she was now an adult.

Rather than remind her of this I let Olena answer her.

"Absolutely." confirmed Olena.

Once we arrived at Mark and Oksana's I smiled and waved at them, they knew we were coming but had no idea why. I just hoped that they we would decide to help us. In the end only Lissa, Adrian, Yeva, Karolina and I had come to their house as we figured not everyone needed to overwhelm them.

"Hey Oksana, Mark!" I yelled as we approached them.

They smiled and waved us in.

"Hi Rose," Oksana smiled warmly at me and pulled me into a big hug, I then shook Mark's hand.

"It's so nice to see you again," I smiled at them and then I heard Adrian cough behind me.

"This is Adrian and Lissa," I said turning to face two of my best friends. "And of course you know Karolina and Yeva."

"Why don't you all come in and have a nice cup of tea," Oksana suggested. "Then we can discuss why you are here."

"Well, okay." I shrugged. I didn't want to waste any time with such formal things but I agreed out of courtesy. We all went inside and sat on their nice brown leather sofa and filled up their chairs while Oksana made tea.

"Mark," I said quietly to him. "Has anyone ever visited you in your dreams before?" I asked him curiously.

"Well of course Oksana has!" he said matter-of-factly "but that's not what you were referring to, was it?"

"Not exactly, no." I then recounted the story of what happened last night and like the rest he was lost for words although he still had a very strong opinion about this.

"Rose, you have to learn to block him out." He said quietly.

"What?!" I yelled at him. "No way will I do that Mark! Not after I've found him again!"

"But you have to Rose, what if this is like the ghosts? It could be bad for your health."

"But it's not bad! He doesn't hurt me and I have no headache and everything!" I countered.

Mark shrugged but I knew that he was still in disagreement with me. "I guess I can't argue with that but be careful," he warned.

I turned away from him furious. How could Mark have suggested that? It was unmentionable. Finally once Oksana had finished with the tea she sat down and joined us. I didn't tell her about what happened the night before I would tell her later or I thought that she already knew; after all she could pick information out of people's heads.

"Well Oksana, we've came here to ask a big favour. Actually it's something that you told me about a few months ago," Oksana listened patiently and nodded knowing what the exact thing she had told me was.

"Well you see I think I've found out a way to find where Victor is." I told her. The Russians didn't know much about what was happening in North America so I quickly told her about how Victor had escaped once I saw her astonished face. After all last she heard he was in prison.

"And what is that?" Oksana asked.

"Well, I'm not forcing you to do this okay? I just want to try everything that I can."

"It's okay Rose I know that I definitely wasn't as close to Dimka as you were but I still miss him," Oksana reassured me.

"Okay then, well you know how you can find people with your mind if you are familiar with them?" I asked her.

"Yes but I am still learning how to do it," she said warily.

"Well than this will be the ultimate test! You see I need you to get into Lissa's head and then through her to Victor since she is familiar with him," I pleaded.

"Rose I don't know if I can do that; I mean getting inside ones head is one thing but doing that as well," she breathed a heavy breath but then saw the look in my eyes. "Okay we can try Rose but don't get your hopes up."

"That's all I ever asked for." I smiled at her.

"Should we do it now or when will you be ready?"

"Now is as good as any other day," she smiled.

"Okay," I sighed. "Lissa!" She turned her head from where she was talking with Marc, Adrian, Karolina and Yeva and she came to sit by me.

"Yeah Rose?"

"We are going to do it, now." Lissa knew immediately what I was talking about and she smiled.

"Okay," her eyes lit up and turned to Oksana. "Just tell me what to do."

While Oksana and Lissa talked about the best strategy to do this I called over Marc, Adrian, Yeva and Karolina; I figured that Marc and Adrian would like to see this and I didn't want to exclude Karolina or Yeva.

"So, are they going to try?" Karolina asked excitedly.

I nodded and I saw the light go up in Yeva's eyes as well as Karolina's. Marc as he had heard what was going on through the bond needed no explanation as well as Adrian who had already known what was going on.

"They are going to try," I confirmed with my voice. "But they are talking about the easiest way on how to do this now."

"I would like to help," Adrian said boldly.

"Please Adrian you wouldn't be any help," I told him smirking.

"Why not I am a spirit user!" he defended.

"That might be true but you also had a few too many glasses of wine last night and you don't know Victor like Lissa does. If anyone has a chance of helping Oksana reach Victor its Lissa," I proclaimed.

"Fine," Adrian sighed defeated. "But I'm helping next time."

"Oh don't worry I'll let you," I grinned over at him.

"Adrian there is something I was meaning to ask you," I told him.

"Yes my little dhampir of course I will take you on a date," he said sarcastically.

"You know that's not what I meant," I punched him playfully on the arm.

"You would rather share my bed? Well I'm sure I would have enough room."

"Yeah sure just call me when the world ends," I joked. "Actually I wanted to ask you about your dream walking."

"Oh," Adrian seemed to be taken by surprise. "Well ask away."

"Does it take a lot of energy to dream walk?"

"No not really." He shrugged. "As much energy as any other spirit power it just depends on how long the dream is and how powerful it is."

"Oh," I sighed defeated. His power wasn't as much liked Dimitri's as I thought.

"But," he continued. "It is sometimes harder the farther away I am from the person's dream I am getting into and how much I know them."

Well that would make sense, I thought. First of all why it drained Dimitri so much – he could be in a different universe for all I knew. But the second one well Dimitri and I knew each other so well I couldn't understand why it would be hard for him to come into my dreams but it explained why he could see me so clearly compared to all the other shadow kissed blurs as he had described them. It also explained why he could see Marc but not as well as he could see me.

"Alright we are going to try," Lissa announced. I tensed myself; soon I would find out where Victor was' I hoped and what he wanted from me.

"Oh by the way Oksana," that last thought had reminded me of something important. "While you are in his head try to find out what he wants."

She nodded, "I will try my best Rose."

Then I tuned into Lissa so that I could see what exactly she was seeing. I wasn't sure what to expect after all would she see what Oksana was seeing or would she only be thinking of Victor repeatedly. I couldn't be sure since I had been talking to Adrian the whole time that they had planned out what they were going to do. I closed my eyes and then suddenly I wasn't in my mind, or Lissa's; I was in Victor's.

"Robert," Victor snapped. "Hurry up and tell me."

"I'm sorry brother I'm just so tired," whimpered a skinny man kneeling before him. I was shocked after everything that I had heard about him I had not expected Robert to be a prisoner. He was short for a moroi – probably only 6'0 or 5'11 and was all skin and bones and much skinnier than any healthy moroi could ever be. His joints pointed out in distorted places but I could tell that if he was healthier that he could be very handsome. He was much older than I had expected – probably in his late fifties or early sixties with a large patch of white hair on his head with bright blue eyes. He had bags under his eyes from sleep deprivation but he also had small wrinkles from smiling too much; I could tell that he had a happy life until recently.

"Fine," Robert sighed wearily. "Just hold on a second." Robert closed his eyes and he almost looked peaceful that is until he started screaming.

""I see you!" He screamed. "Don't hide from me!" It reminded me of how I had become crazy when I first saw the ghosts – but he wasn't screaming for them to go away; he was screaming for them to show themselves.

He slowly opened his eyes and slipped out of his slumber.

"Okay," Robert sighed wearily. "Th-"

But I never got to figure out what the end of Robert's statement was because suddenly I was whisked back into Lissa's head and then I quickly returned to my own.

"Wow," I said in shock. "That really was something." I looked over at Marc to see what he had thought of Robert's screaming act and I saw that he had a mask of horror on his face as well.

"Surely you don't think ..." I let my sentence trail off to see how Marc would end it.

"No," he said firmly. "He is just crazy, or maybe he has this new spirit ability or something. I don't know but no it is not what you are thinking." I sighed in relief.

"Thank God," I said thankfully.

"Anyways," I turned to Oksana. "What did you find out?"

"Well obviously the experiment was successful," Oksana declared. Okay yes that was obvious I thought in my head. She was sure getting to be annoying with her all wise and powerful manners.

"But I know where he is and I know what he wants too."

"Well?" I said impatiently.

"He is in San Diego being disguised among humans. He has bought himself a condo under a false name where he stays with Robert."

"Okay and what does he want?"

"He wants to rule the moroi world. He knows that Tatiana will never proclaim him king so he wants someone that will or at least follow his orders. He wants Lissa."

"No!" I screamed. That was something that I could not give up even if it meant that I could not bring Dimitri back. At least I still had Dimitri in my dreams but I could not give up Lissa to my most evil enemy – even out of the strigoi in my opinion.

"Rose I have to," Lissa said patiently.

"No Lissa." I said firmly.

"But Rose in order to get Dimitri back I have to do this."

"No you don't Lissa." I turned to Oksana. "You said they were alone?"

"Yes they have no guards. The queen has had everyone banned from contacting him unless to capture him."

I nodded.

"You see? We are just going to have to go and get Robert ourselves," I grinned mischievously.

"And what if he won't come with us?" Adrian perked up. "I know that you're a real charmer and all that Rose but do you really think that he will just come willingly to us? And leave his brother?"

"No Adrian I don't think, I know." I said thinking back to how Robert was being kept as a slave; surely against his will. I knew that he must be weak after all Victor wasn't very strong – he had always had guardians to take care of him before and I knew that I could easily take him down in a fight. I just hoped that he had no tricks up his sleeve.