~ DIMITRI POV ~
My early surprise for Roza could not have gone better. The way her face lit up when I pulled out the skates made me excited for our future, where we wouldn't have to worry about being discovered and I could love her, and spoil her, as she deserves.
Rose started off on unstable feet from years off the ice, but by the end, she was as graceful as a ballet dancer, gliding smoothly around the ice. I loved being with her like that. It was the first time it was truly just us, where we weren't training or talking about Vasilisa or Guardian protocol. I imagined our life in an alternate universe where she was just a woman and I was just a man madly in love with her. It was possible. I could see it clearly now, especially after today. It was our first proper date and it was perfect.
My shift was about to start. I dressed in usual guardian black with my signature leather duster and new holster at my hip with my stake sitting comfortably within. My hair was still slightly wet from my shower so I left it down hoping it would dry as I made my way down the hall to Guardian Petrov and begin my shift.
"Guardian Belikov," she greeted as I reached her desk.
"Guardian Petrov," I returned with an acknowledging nod.
"How was training with my favourite novice?" she asked, the corner of her mouth raised ever so slightly.
"Rose has improved greatly. I truly believe she will be one of the greatest Guardians our world has ever seen once she has graduated. She nodded, the subtle smile on her lips raised a little higher.
"I'm glad she has you. I can see how much you have helped shape her into the Guardian she always had the potential to be. She has grown and matured in so many ways. Thank you for fighting for her." I was taken back. I knew Rose had a closer relationship with Guardian Petrov that any other novice but at that moment, Alberta truly sounded like a proud mother who wanted to see her daughter become the best possible version of herself.
I couldn't take credit for what Rose had done. She was so strong and dedicated to protecting the princess before we had met. She would have made a great Guardian without me...if she hadn't run away and missed two years of training. "It was all Rose. She has taken on all my directions and-" Just at that moment, I was interrupted as a blur of blazing red burst through the door. Alberta jumped to her feet ready for an attack but relaxed when she realised the intruder was Novice Mason Ashford. He collapsed to his knees panting as if he had just run a mile in a minute.
He made small noises as he tried and failed to speak between breaths. It took me a moment to realise it was not just the exhaustion that made it hard for him to speak. Mason was staring at the wall with blank eyes, whispering one word over and over between each breath that I couldn't make out. Alberta looked to me with a concerned expression. I knelt down beside the boy putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Mr Ashford?" I called cautiously. No response. "Mr Ashford?" I repeated. Again, nothing. I looked at Alberta.
"Something's wrong. I think he's gone into shock." Guardian Petrov stood and walked around the desk.
"Out of my way, Belikov," she ordered. I stood and moved back. Alberta, the woman who had smiled and thanked me moments ago disappeared. Guardian Petrov took over and left me completely shocked as she slapped Novice Ashford across the face with a loud whack.
Mason's head turned on impact and a red handprint had already begun to grow across his cheek.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Sometimes the only thing that can bring you back to reality is pain," she said as she shook her hand. She was right. A moment later, Mason sprung to his feet, eyes wide but able to control his breathing enough to speak.
"The wards are down. Strigoi are coming."
"What? How do you know this?" I asked.
"We found a stake buried in the snow," he said simply.
"We?" asked Alberta.
Mason turned his eyes to me. He looked both sad and defeated. "Rose and I found it. She told me to run and get you both." My heart sank.
"Where is she now?" My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, pounding against my ribs as fear took over my body.
"She's still out there. She has a stake and she's fighting them off. We have to help her!" Mason yelled; eyes frantic.
"We will," said Alberta. "But we have to follow Protocol and lock the school down first."
"Screw that. Rose is out there fighting." Masons attention was solely on me. "She could be dying. She might already be dead." This was my greatest fear come true. Having to choose between love and duty. Leave the woman I love to fight alone and follow the academy protocol or abandon all sense of duty and run to protect her.
"Rose has a stake. We have to hope she is strong enough to survive." Alberta was right. While Rose was my girlfriend, I was also her mentor. I knew how she fought better than anyone. She was strong and fast and fierce. I had to trust in her abilities. She was ready. I knew she would fight till her dying breath, I just hoped that would not be today.
"Are you really just going to leave her out there alone? Rose needs us."
"Help is on the way-" Alberta started but Mason jumped in, frantically running his hands through his thick red hair.
"There's not enough time! Rose needs help now!" Before anyone could stop him, Mason ran out. I moved to follow him. But stopped as the alarm rang. Alberta must have sent the emergency signal after Mason said the wards were down.
Alberta sighed. "I hope he knows what he's doing." Alberta picked up the microphone from her desk. "LOCKDOWN! LOCKDOWN! ALL AVAILABLE GUARDIANS TO THE WARD LINE. BURIA. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. BURIA!" Alberta's voice rang over the speaker all over the academy. Guardian's sprang into action straight away, heading for the field where my Roza was fighting for her life.
"Belikov, secure the Moroi buildings then head to the backfield. Sunrise is hours away, there will be plenty of time to get your hands dirty with Strigoi blood." My heart wanted to follow Rose wherever she went, even if it led me into deaths cold embrace, but I couldn't. I forced myself to remember that I had taught Rose and I knew what she was capable of. I trusted her abilities. She would survive.
~ MASON POV ~
I charged through the thick snow towards the ward line where I had left Rose. I wanted to stay, to fight the monsters by her side, but she was right. Someone had to go alert the guardians and she was the one with the weapon.
My first instinct when I ran in and saw Guardian Belikov was to punch him in the face. He's lucky I was too focused on the situation at hand. I knew it would be unfair for me to react like that. I was jealous. He had everything I wanted since I was in sixth grade. But it wasn't his fault he was the one Rose chose. She loved him. I knew that with absolute certainty. And I believed Guardian Belikov to be a good man who loved and treated her the way she deserved to be.
I sprinted faster than I ever had in my life. The pain from Guardian Petrov's sharp slap still stung my cheek and while the cold crisp air did help a little, I had no doubt there would be a massive red mark there for a couple of days.
I spotted dark shapes clashing in the distance. The guardians had already arrived and were in the midst of the battle against the swarm of Strigoi. I spotted a shiny object glittering in the distance and sprang for it. Just as I hoped, my hand found the cold silver of an abandoned stake. Next to it, the snow was stained a bright crimson and my stomach sank. I whispered a silent farewell to the fallen Guardian and took off once again in search of the woman who held my heart in her hands. I had to protect her. No matter what happened, I still loved her and if she died tonight, surely, I would too.
I found Rose near the bench where I confessed my feelings, fighting against a large male Strigoi that towered over her like a large oak tree. He had to be at least six-three. I was about to jump in and help her take him down but before I could take a step, Rose surged, burying her stake deep into his chest. He stilled then fell to the snow with a soft thud. Rose turned, our eyes locked, and I nodded answering her silent question. She nodded back then turned to the next approaching foe.
Only then did I notice the ring of Strigoi bodied littering the field where Rose had stood. "She killed them all?"
I watched Rose move, as graceful as a dancer. Dodging right and striking left. She fought with an ease I had never seen. It was like a dance between two partners. A deadly dance where only one would walk away alive. She fought and fought until eventually she found an opening and thrust her stake directly into the monster's heart. The female collapsed to join the rest of her dead companions.
My eyes fluttered, pulling me back to the rest of the world. We were in the middle of a battle. This was not the time to be gawking at Rose. I leapt into the battle finding my first opponent, a young-looking Strigoi girl with glowing red eyes. She hissed when she saw me, stake in hand, ready for a fight. She took me in and sneered.
"Is this the best they can do?" She tittered. "A novice boy. I should be offended."
"And I should be kicking your ass right now, but we can't always get what we want."
She scoffed. "So eager to die, little lamb? So be it. I promise it will not be painless."
"That's enough chit chat." I lunged stake first, but she was fast, so, so Fast. Faster than the guardians and novices we trained against. I missed, striking the air. She swiped with her hand for my head and I had barely enough time to raise my arm, blocking her nails from slicing into my face. He sharp needle-like nails ran down my arm, tearing deeply through my skin, sending a thick wave of hot sticky blood down my arm before falling to the fresh pristine snow beneath my feet.
She grinned, pulling her hand back and licked my fresh blood from her nails, moaning at the taste. My stomach turned. I felt sick. Then, I spotted it. I saw the opening just before she did as she was too distracted with my blood. Before she could move, my stake dove into her chest striking home. Her eyes widened in horror as she stilled with my stake still inside her chest. I yanked it out and she crumpled to the earth like an autumn leaf. My first Strigoi kill. My first Molnija mark.
I didn't have time to celebrate. More Strigoi were coming and I would fight till my dying breath.
XXX
The battle raged on as the sky began to turn a murky grey. The sun was still hours away from appearing, but the grey hue gave the Guardians some relief. Bodies fell like snowflakes drifting down to the solid ground. Friend or foe? I didn't know. All I could do was focus on my next opponent as I struck and slashed my way through each Strigoi who came close to me.
In my peripheral vision, I saw Rose fighting for her life, using every technique Guardian Belikov had taught her behind the scenes in their private sessions. I didn't want to think about what else had happened behind the closed doors of the Gym. It wasn't my place. He had won her heart, fair and square. I could live with that. Rose fought and fought never faltering but I could see the long battle was beginning to take its toll on her. She was still a killing machine, but her moments had begun to slow as the battle drew on.
My arm still stung from the open wound I hadn't had time to examine yet. I didn't have time to worry about those scratches. They were deep but not life-threatening. I simply tied the torn sleeve of my shirt tightly around the wound and continued on.
The snow had changed from pure platinum to a discoloured slush, stained with mud and the blood of Strigoi and Guardian's alike. My bare fingers felt numb from the cold, but the rest of my body was boiling hot. Adrenaline ran through me setting my blood on fire as I moved with a speed, I did not know I had. It was as if my body had taken over and acted on instinct, recalling every guardian lesson since I was in kindergarten and honing all my skill into each and every kill.
"I know you," said a voice from behind me. I quickly found an opening and drove my stake into the Strigoi I had been fighting. He fell and I turned in the direction of the speaker to see a Strigoi who looked to be my own age, staring intently at Rose as if trying to figure out where he knew her from. He had shoulder-length blond hair and red menacing eyes.
Rose didn't answer, she just lashed out at him with her stake, but he dodged what would have been a killing blow.
"There's something strange about you now, but I still remember. I saw you years ago before I was awakened." There were no other Strigoi around me and the Guardians were preoccupied fighting what was left of the army. This Strigoi was too distracted talking with Rose. This was my chance. I slowly snuck up behind him, hoping his talking would distract him from my position. "You were always with that Dragomir girl, the blonde." Rose swung her leg into his side and quickly jerked her leg back before he could grab her. He barely budged. "Her parents wanted you to be her guardian, right? Before they were all killed?"
"I am her guardian," Rose exclaimed, swiping her stake across his face, drawing a thin line of blood. He didn't scream or flinch even though the swipe of the silver must have hurt. He just huffed a laugh and smiled at Rose wickedly.
"She's still alive, then...There were rumours that she'd died last year..." He said, running his finger across the slice Rose had cut and licked the blood from his finger. I was close now, so, so close. "You have no idea what kind of reward I'd get to take down the last living Dragomir." I was close enough that he should be able to sense me. I readied my stake to plunge into his back and strike his heart.
"You won't get the chance," I said and I struck. I hit nothing but air. He knew, the whole time he knew I was approaching and he was just waiting for me to get close enough. He was so fast, faster than a new Strigoi should be. In an instant, my stake fell from my hand and he was behind me.
"MASON!" Rose yelled, fear and pain on her face as she saw the Strigoi holding me. Her voice, full of terror, was the last thing I heard. No more fighting…The world turned silent.
~ ROSE POV ~
I head the sickening snap…and watched Mason fall.
Anger and adrenaline rushed through me. I saw nothing and no one, only my next target. They killed Mason, and they would pay with their lives.
I lost track of time. Only the Strigoi I was currently fighting at any given moment mattered. And as soon as that one was gone, I was on to the next.
Until there wasn't a next one.
After several moments, I sank to the bloodied snow and crawled over to Mason's body. I released my stake from my tight grip and lay my head on his chest, hoping desperately that I would hear a faint heartbeat that would tell me Mason was alive. Instead, all I heard…was silence.
~ DIMITRI POV ~
The battle was over, and we had won. Against all odds, we had beaten the Strigoi. All that was left to do was count the bodies of our friends and foe and rest. But I couldn't. Not until I found her and made sure her body wasn't among those of the fallen.
My blood roared as I frantically ran through the snowy field. The sun began to peek over the trees which was a relief. The sun would finish any Strigoi that had managed to escape and disintegrate the monster's bodies without the Alchemists assistance. I ran and ran, my mind already beginning to imagine the worst possibility. I felt my breath leave my body as I saw my Roza. A ring of bodies was spiralled around her in a horrible pattern. Did she kill them all? The stake I had given her lay covered in dark blood a few feet from where she knelt before her friend.
Other has joined me, watching in silence as Rose shuddered and sobbed over Mason's body with her head laying on his chest over the spot where his heart lay as if she were waiting for it to resume beating. But even from here, I could see the odd angle of his neck. There was no coming back from that. Not even with the help of a spirit user. It was too late.
Slowly, I walked over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Rose stiffened, her fingers reaching for her stake but her eyes found mine and she relaxed slightly.
"He's gone," she whispered. Her voice sounded so broken; her eyes filled with such sorrow that seemed to suck the life from her. For the first time in my life, I was helpless. Rose was alive, but would she ever truly recover?
"It's okay," he said. "Everything's going to be okay," I said even though I knew everything was definitely not okay. She shook her head and turned back to Mason.
"I can't leave him alone. I have to protect him," she whispered softly, more tears falling down her face.
I knelt beside her, taking her hand in mine. "You have," I whispered.
The tension in Rose's shoulders fell and she collapsed into my waiting arms, her hand clutching my shift tightly in her fist while she cried into my chest. I slowly smoothed her hair back away from her face. She leaned into me and I continued stroking her hair, murmuring grateful prayers in Russian, thanking the universe that she was alive and in my arms.
Janine had followed me and knelt beside her daughter, brushing a few strands of her hair. Janine met my eyes and I knew she saw beyond the mentor/student relationship that most would see. If she knew, she didn't say anything about it. She squeezed Rose's shoulder and stood.
"Get her out of here, Belikov." I nodded.
"Come on, Roza. It's time to go." I slowly raised to my feet with Rose and we slowly walked off to the infirmary. Rose looked fine physically, but she needed to get checked out and it would be better for her to be far away when the Guardians counted the bodies.
As we walked, I felt her turn her head and look back once at her friend. Her gaze lingered and I felt her mumble something silently before she turned back and walked with me silently all the way to the infirmary.
I'm sorry. Please don't hate me. I'm still not entirely over Mason's death and it was really hard to write. Hope you liked the chapter. I have been writing and writing so should have another chapter ready soon. Let me know what you thought. Thank you for reading. Please Review.