"He could have gone anywhere Rose, how are we supposed to find him in this place?" Lissa's eyes was fixed on the board that showcased the departure times at the airport. I had been asking myself the same question ever since we left Court. We had to be very cautious when we left, making sure no one would see us. Adrian, who had driven us here in his car, had to use spirit to make sure that the guardians at the gate would let us pass.
Yeah, Dimitri could have gone anywhere to get away but I knew exactly where he was heading. I know him too well to think otherwise. I looked at Lissa. Not thirty minuets ago we were practically screaming at each other but after we calmed down she did not hesitate to come help me find Dimitri. I tried to tell her and Adrian that they should stay at Court but they kept insisting that they could not let me go alone. If I'm being honest, I'm glad I'm not here alone in case things don't go well.
I scanned the board myself and when I finally found what I was looking for I smiled and pointed at it and practically yelled, "there, Russia. That's where he―"
No. no, no, no, no, no!
Right there in capitalized lettering read DEPARTED.
Breath Rose, take a deep breath... Good, now another one. I closed my eyes and tried to think. Okay, so his plane left. At least I know where he's going. I can follow him but how will I find him once I get there. I have no idea where his family lives. I can always ask around for anyone who might know where the Belikov family lives. That could take too long thought. I can't call Dimitri, I don't have a phone nor do I know what number to call. There is also the little issue that there probably won't be another flight to Russia until tomorrow.
"What do we do now?" Lissa asked. I opened my eyes to look at both of them.
"I don't know what to do. We're too late." My eyesight was starting to blur as tears weld up in my eyes.
"I can get you to Russia." Adrian chimed in. I tilted my head at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "I can have my families jet take you there."
Adrian made the set up call for the flight on the drive over to his parents private jet. Lissa and I had been bickering on the drive about her staying at Court. I told her that she needed to stay and let me go on my own but she was being stubborn and would not take no for an answer.
"You can't go alone. Not in your condition." She countered.
"My condition? I'm pregnant Lissa, not dying. I can take care of myself."
"Will you two stop arguing already," Adrian gave us pointed looks before focusing on the road again. "We're here." I looked out of the window and could see the jet just up ahead.
"Look Liss, if you go with me it will only put us at risk. I need you to stay safe. Please do this for me." I looked pleasingly at her and after a moment she nodded okay before getting out of the car and following Adrian and I to the jet.
"Here." Adrian said as he handed me a credit card. "You will have enough money on there for anything you need."
After saying my goodbyes and thanking them for their help, I got inside the jet and could not help but feel impatient. I needed to tell Dimitri that he was still going to be a father. I needed to tell him that I was sorry and that I love him. Placing a hand over my swollen belly, I closed my eyes and waited for the jet to take off. I made sure to check on on Lissa and make sure that she and Adrian got back to Court safe and sound, which they did.
Nine hours later I landed in Moscow, Russia. I had fallen asleep a number of times on the flight but my back was aching and I could never get comfortable enough to fully rest properly. Luckily the jet had a couple couches that I was able to sleep on or I would be feeling twenty times worse. After stretching my legs I got out and thanked the pilot, making sure to scan the area carefully. Using the card Adrian had given me, I got myself a room at motel a change of clothes, and some food. I knew that I had a long road ahead of me so I took the rest of the daylight to sleep before I started my search. Tomorrow I was heading to St. Petersburg. I knew that I had to find where Dimitri's family lived. I was certain that's where he was. The problem was that I had no clue as to where in Siberia that was.
When I got to the city I came across a club called the Nightingale. I remembered back in the U.S., the Nightingale was well known among rich Moroi who traveled abroad. With Ivory walls covered in gold scroll-work and molding, I could see why it was so popular. Elaborate chandeliers filled with real candles glittered in the air, lighting up the gold decor so that even in dim lighting, the whole establishment glistened.
I was hesitant at first to check the place out but I was already a three days into my search and I was growing impatient. There were a number of dhampir towns and communes in Russia but hardly any in Siberia, which made me believe most local Moroi would be familiar with Dimitri's birthplace. Unfortunately, my search was coming up short. It seemed like the Moroi who lived in human cities were very good at keeping themselves hidden so the Nightingale was my best chance.
On my third day staking out the club, which was not easy for an eighteen-year-old girl to blend in by the way, I was about to give up. It seemed like the club's only patrons were humans. As I sat across the room in my usual corner, picking at the expensive food in front of me that I always pretended to eat, I watched a group of Moroi. If anyone would know where a town of dhampirs lived, it would be male Moroi. I tried to get them alone to talk to them but their guardians never left their sight. Then one of the dhampir women left the table to walk up to the bar and I had a thought; who better to help be find this place than an actual blood whore?
I got to the bar and stood next to the woman, acting like I was waiting for the bartender. She was blond and wore a long dress covered in silver sequins. With the bartender distracted I leaned towards her.
"Do you speak English?" I asked.
She looked surprised as she gave me a once over, recognizing me as a dhampir. "Yes," she said warily.
"I'm looking for a town… a town where lots of dhampirs live, out in Siberia. Do you know what I'm talking about? I need to find it." Again she studied me, and I couldn't read her expression but her eyes lingered on my belly for longer than necessary.
"Got knocked up, didn't you." she said bluntly. I was hoping she would not notice. "Too bad for you." She turned away, her gaze back on the bartender.
"I have to find it. There's a man―"
"He's not worth it," she cut me off. The dhampir woman looked back at me. No doubt she thought I that I was just another dhampir girl who fooled around with a Moroi. If only she knew how different I was from from them.
"All Moroi men are the same. You're lucky if you ever see him again. It's too bad. You're so young." Her face might have been impassive, but there was sadness in her voice.
"I need to find this place. His family is there." I thought if I mentioned them then she might help me.
"You should still stay away from that place." She said, ignoring my words.
"You know where it is!" I exclaimed. "Please. You have to tell me. I have to get there!"
"Is there a problem?" Both she and I turned and looked into the fierce face of one of the guardians. He was staring me down and to be honest, it was pretty intimidating.
"No, no problem here. I was just leaving." I said with a straight face before I left the bar and walked out of the club.
As I walked through the crowds I thought that the guardian had followed me out, I could hear soft footsteps trailing behind me. I picked up my pace and darted around a few corners, one of which led me into a dark alley; the perfect ambush spot if I was going to get the drop on him instead of the ladder.
As soon as I stepped out of my shoes I hear the footsteps again, his shadow appearing on the ground in front of me. They stopped and I made my move.
"Okay," I exclaimed. "I only wanted to ask her some questions, so just back off or else―"
I froze. Instead of the guardian from the club, a human stood in front of me. A girl who looked no older than myself. She was about my height, with cropped dark blond hair and a navy blue trench coat that looked expensive. Underneath it, I could see nice dress pants and leather boots that looked as pricey as the coat. More startling still was that I recognized her. I'd seen her twice at the Nightingale, talking to the Moroi men. I didn't think much of her than but clearly I had been wrong to dismiss her.
"It's you, isn't it?" she asked in an American accent that shocked me. "You're the one who's been leaving Strigoi bodies around the city. I saw you back in the club tonight and knew it had to be you."
"I―" I didn't know how to respond. A human talking casually about Strigoi was unheard of.
"Look, you can't just do that, okay? Do you know what a pain in the ass it is for me to deal with? This internship is bad enough without you making a mess of it. The police found the body you left in the park, you know. You cannot even imagine how many strings I had to pull to cover that up."
"Who… who are you?" I asked. I remember the strigoi she was talking about. I had just come back from grabbing me a bite to ear from McDonalds and was heading back to my hotel room. I didn't realize I did anything wrong. What was I supposed to do? Drag him back to my room?
"Sydney," the girl said wearily. "My name's Sydney. I'm the Alchemist assigned here."
"The what?"
She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes at me. "Of course. That explains everything."
"No, not really," I said, starting to get irritated with her. "In fact, I think you're the one who has a lot of explaining to do."
"Are you some kind of test they sent here for me? Oh, man. That's it." I was getting angry now. I didn't like being chastised. I certainly didn't like being chastised by a human who made it sound like me killing Strigoi was a bad thing.
"Look, I don't know who you are or how you know about any of this, but I'm not going to stand here and―" Nausea rolled over me and no, it was not morning sickness. My hand immediately went for my silver stake I kept in my coat pocket. Sydney still wore that annoyed expression, but it was mingled with confusion now at the abrupt change in my posture. She was observant, I'd give her that.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"You're going to have another body to deal with," I said, just as the Strigoi attacked her.
Hey everyone! I was really trying to get this chapter out on the 1st but I kept having to rewrite it so I made sure to give twice the words as my usual chapters! I needed to find a way to separate Lissa and Adrian from Rose so that she does on the trip herself (I even wrote a draft where they went along with her but I did not like how it turned out. It made things too complicated.) Like I said before, I want to intertwine the books as much as I can. This chapter pretty much does that. I also needed to introduce Sydney to Rose for reasons that will play out later and this was the only way to do it. I hope you all like it. I know some of you really wanted Rose to make it in time but everything is happening for a reason. I promise!