CHAPTER 26

A second later I heard a second howl though the courts, then Keichi had jumped out the window turning into the wolf and began howling with the others, I waited 5 seconds as planned before I set off my alarms as Dimitri was running out the door. I shoved knives, guns and ammo into every pocket and crevice that would allow them. I heard the rest of the alarms go off as I jumped out the window into the streets below, I ran east.

"Inside, everyone inside now!" I shouted as I ran "all guardians to the east and southeast" I said into my ear bud, I ran through the trees to the awaiting guardians as more approached. I waited a few more seconds. Before I spoke into the speaker. "J-dog, angel, you close in?" I said.

"I'm hear waiting for your order" angel called thru

"In place ready for your move, sound barrier in place" j-dog called thro

"Ok all the guardians that are here at the wards I want you to start a slow jog forward, it's not a race. The ones that aren't here yet stays put just outside the wards and await my directions." I started forward with the guardians, I had no idea how far out the wolves had smelled or spotted the Strigoi but I knew it was a few miles off since we had been running huge circles way past the wards. j-dog had set up a sort of sound barrier so that sound wouldn't escape it and the noise could be contained, and the Strigoi couldn't hear what's was going on.

"Second ward in place, people are beginning to arrive" a guardian said over though the buds

"Good, tell them to get inside and it is up to the trainers after that" j-dog said to him. It got very quiet and the alarms suddenly dipped off, we were out of the sound barrier now. We jogged on for a little bit more before I had them at a halt.

"Guardians there is a slight hill on most of the eastern half, don't go past it stop there. If you have past it, go back." I said to them all. "Mia Lissa are you there?"

"Yea were here, what you need?" I heard Lissa answer, I had recruited them and some trusted people to give us all the edges in fighting.

"I need the air users to bring a nice breeze from 10miles out east and bring it towards the west at no more than 5mph, don't curve it, make it as wide as you can over as much east possible" I said

"You got it. You want us to stop it near the wards or keep it goin though the court?"

"Bring it though the court" josh answered.

"So, you got the Moroi in it to?" I heard from my left. Dimitri, I nodded at him "you ready for this?" I nodded again,

"all guardians are to hide behind the trees, try to stay as hidden as possible but still be able to see" I said into the ear buds as well as the guardians near me "Mia your turn make it cloudy" josh, angel and I had spent some days training them in nearly total darkness, while there Dhampire eyes were good in dim lights, it never gets dark for a Strigoi, so we were going to even the playing field by making it foggy.

"Clouds rolling in, in 2 mins" she responded. I grabbed Dimitri's hand quietly and leaned against a tree

"Be safe, really. I almost didn't want you on the first wave, but I'm glad you're here" I said to him quietly so the others didn't hear.

"I'm glad I'm here as well". Just then a nice breeze floated by carrying the scent of a ton of Strigoi about 5 miles out walking since they weren't here yet.

"Guardians still at the wards begin a fast walk for about a mile and then stop. They are about 5 miles out walking, ones with me be ready if they decide to speed it up" Dimitri gripped my hand

"I want you to be careful too you hear. I don't want you to get hurt"

"Be calm stay relaxed, you react better when you are calm and under control. Focus you got this, we got this. It's planned out very very well and there should be no problems, everyone is in this together. And hopefully we can make this happen without an incident" angel said though the buds, I knew immediately she was talking about the 3 of us in such a small are fighting, is dangerous beyond the Strigoi attacking. Another breeze flew by, 3miles out.

"Ok guys I'm going out josh is in charge now, they are 3 miles out, and Mia only send waves every 20 to 25minutes at 15mph when I call for the second wave age start the fog." I said releasing Dimitri's hand, giving him a quick peck, and jogging off. After I got past the tree break, I set off in a run to meet them at 2 miles. A second later they were coming at me, I was supposed to be the first obstacles I was calm... until I killed the first one. I hadn't eaten in days and I was starving, I killed and drank a few and continued as reason was leaving me I decided to make a report before I was lost. "Max age so far is 5" I said into the bud. About 3 minutes later I had killed a hefty amount of Strigoi and the bodies were being left in my wake

"First wave contact on the outer group" a guardian said in my ear. I stopped feeding for a bit because it was taking too long. a Strigoi zipped past me and I turned and chased it a few steps before sinking a sighth into its neck and ripping it clean off, blood splattered all over the trees and onto some other Strigoi who I threw a silver knife into their backs piercing the heart. I began fighting moving faster than I ever had before. I smelled so much glorious blood so many piled up bodies, after a little bit of fighting I felt another breeze coming on as well as howls, that meant the sound barrier was down and everyone was in the second wards and angels group was coming to help. I didn't smell many Strigoi meaning the first wave was almost done. Sure enough a few minutes later there were hardly any Strigoi. I hoped into a tree

"The first wave is finished down here" I said into the buds, trying to calm myself and look out, while picking off stragglers with my sighths.

"When they begin to straggle book it back hear and leave the remaining to the others outer group" josh called at them. I hoped down quickly to collect the knives I had thrown. I heard the familiar loud thuds and crashing. Keichi was hear. I began to listen towards the courts as well as out towards the way they came. I saw a Strigoi running the wrong way, away I was going to let him go but I decided to kill him since he could be carrying information. I jumped down right in front of him, he tried to dodge out of my way staying silent I shot at his stomage and doubled over spitting out an ear bud. I crushed it beneath my shoe and brought him up to my mouth to sip the life from him as I waited. The second wave was coming in fast, not even bothering to be quiet. Keichi bounded off before me lighting them on fire as I ran to intercept them farther north. I began slashing and biting wildly and enjoying the better batch I ran backwards to yell into my bud "second wave, 4mins, max so far 15." I ran forward onto 6 Strigoi and decided to try something new. I tossed about 5 feet of sighth at them and started swinging it in a circle above my head as I crouched low, sure enough I killed almost all 6 of them except one who had moved but was bleeding everywhere I jumped to him ach snapped his neck and fed from it. I continued to kill and feed and make up new ways to kill them when I noticed it was getting foggy all around me. I continued as my eyes grew brighter and brighter to see through the fog, some of the Strigoi were already confused and accidentally killed the one another. A few minutes later my bud crackled

"First ward has been broken, be aware angel it's on you"

"Gotcha". She called back. I continued to fight and be enveloped by the smell trying to keep my head so I didn't wander away and into another killer's territory. About 20 minutes later there were no more. I decided to retreat a little bit so I had better movement since there were a lot of bodies everywhere around here, I fed on a few while casually walking back. All of the sudden I was hit hard by a Strigoi going full speed, the third wave? There's no way they could have come so quietly and quickly. I began fighting harder and taking to many random ages, 30, 29, 40, 52, 35, 41, 46, they were sending in the more experienced ones and the guardians' limits all at once.

"Ages 30 to 50, skip wave 4 and go straight to the fifth wave people, go with the 4th wave people" I said into the bud between breaths. I had killed around 100 before the completely stopped coming, not a single one came, not even stragglers. "I have absolute zero here I think they skipped a wave as well, if your killing age is under 50 go back if it's over 60 come in and get ready" I said not liking how still it had gotten

"Are you sure you want to do that?" josh questioned

"Yes and hurry, Mia send me a breeze fast" I ordered into the bud crouching and moving around listening for more. The wind came carrying nothing

"Nothing came on that one blow again" angel said. Another wind came very strong from the east, nothing again.

"Nothing again, don't send another. Guardians move back closer to the city but don't get onto the courts" about 10 mins past and nothing still

"We are not getting anything" the guardians called.

"Wait, Rozzette what's going on" josh asked me. I was about to answer when they came through the woods slowly daring me to continue, 3 of them launched at me and began to fight bite kick and claw at me, I fought very hard and very fast, I wasn't able to keep them away, they were coming for me, one after another, I was being pushed back and back I tried to get a warning out to the others but it was too hard I had about the taste of an 80yr old and somewhere around 88 or 89.

"89 max, danger" I managed after a body landed on me I pushed it off and barley ducked another. Keichi was tossing them and setting them afire in waves and bouncing around trying to make it harder for them to catch him. About 20 minutes later I was near the guardians and could hear them fighting behind me. I decided to take a huge risk in power depletion. I climbed into a tree and gathered some strength and felt myself heat up I felt I was growing lighter I felt the energy within me. I jumped from the tree and landed on the ground still in concentration and erupted a brilliant white light bright as the sun from my entire body, I opened my eyes I bit to see some Strigoi burning others turning to ash, I was very depleted and tired, but that only gave us a few seconds, I looked behind me and saw some of the guardians frozen still looking at me. One of which was Dimitri, I was so glad that he was ok he was still alive and ok, a few cuts and bruises but alive. The Strigoi came on again and I was fighting with half power and totally worn out since I couldn't sink my teeth into any of them long enough to feed properly. After another 10 mins they began to dwindle away and soon they stopped.

"Guardians head back to the courts 5th wave is nearly gone here come the eldest ones." I said