Dimitri
Finding recruits for Rose's strike team proved easier than I'd expected – many guardians were eager to land a blow on the Strigoi and prove once and for all that the Moroi and dhampirs weren't afraid to fight back.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when Eddie Castile was one of the first to sign up. He was loyal, dedicated and keen to prove himself. Still, though, I cautioned him – he hadn't had the best history with Strigoi.
"Are you sure about this, Eddie? With what happened in Spokane, and then after you were taken by Strigoi after that attack – "
Eddie nodded determinedly. "I have to prove myself and show that I'm worthy of being a guardian. I'm going to go to Pittsburgh."
I had to admire Eddie's bravery, but my heart panged at the thought of one going into battle so young.
Some of the Moroi, Christian included, had been all too willing to charge into battle alongside us, but on that front the Council was united: no Moroi were to join the guardians, at least not this time.
At last, the day came, and guardians bundled into vans to head to Pittsburgh, about an hour's drive from Court. I was in the van at the head of the group, alongside Rose, who was busy planning battle strategies. I'd barely gotten any proper time alone with her these past few days, she'd been so busy studying maps of the area.
"Now, if we attack from this angle, there's the possibility of an escape route here and here," she muttered to herself, pointing to dots on the map of suburban Pittsburgh we'd managed to obtain. "How should we do this…?"
I didn't want to interrupt her, but I wanted to tell her so much that I loved her. I knew how much this meant to her: being given the responsibility to undertake such a historic mission was an amazing opportunity, and a great deal of pressure was on her shoulders. So, I sat in silence and merely squeezed her hand as she made further contingency plans. She barely noticed.
At last, we arrived in Pittsburgh. It was afternoon, which meant we'd be able to attack in sunlight, worsening the Strigoi's chances. But worse than expected traffic conditions meant that we'd arrived in Pittsburgh one hour later than anticipated, which meant we'd lost one hour of daylight – in fall, that was already a large risk to take.
Rose and I soon identified the house where the Strigoi were living. It somehow managed to be large but innocuous, with three storeys and an old-fashioned building structure that wouldn't have looked out of place in the 1910s. It seemed all Strigoi had a penchant for old architecture.
"You're sure this is it?" Rose asked me as we approached the building. Scouts had already explored the parameters and confirmed that the grounds were secure.
I nodded. "Positive."
Our footsteps slowed as we approached the house. We didn't plan on alerting the Strigoi to our presence. Slowly, the guardians approached, with Rose and me at the head.
At Rose's signal, a pair of guardians kicked down the front door, and we all surged into the house.
To our credit, the Strigoi were indeed caught off guard. The front door opened straight into the living room, where three or four Strigoi were sitting. Whatever it was they had been doing, I never found out. They snarled in surprise and hurled themselves into the battle – and were met with the silver stakes of our guardians.
Strigoi began to appear from adjoining rooms. I glimpsed a nearby staircase, and heard the thumping of feet upstairs. But I couldn't concentrate on that. I threw myself at a red-haired Strigoi woman. She was short in stature, suggesting that she'd been human before being turned. She spat at me, her red eyes gleaming with hatred, and sprang at me. Her mistake. I ducked to one side, and my stake flashed out, catching her chest. She howled with pain as she went down, and with no hesitation I knelt down and finished her off.
I was merciless. These monsters were twisted and evil, and they had no place in this world. My silver stake struck again and again, and I lost myself in the melee. Strigoi after Strigoi fell at my hands. I cut through them like they were butter.
As another Strigoi dropped, though, I looked around. The battle should have been over by now. Why, then, were there even more Strigoi coming down the stairs?
Rose and I had given strict instructions to the guardians on our strike team to leave the house immediately if they were injured, to retreat to the safety of the sunlight. As I glanced over to the doorway, I saw guardians stumbling out, pressing hands to bleeding wounds on their side. The Strigoi couldn't follow them into the sun, but as I looked, I saw that the daylight was fading. We would lose that advantage soon.
Eddie was fighting near me. He'd sustained cuts all over his face, and his shirt was ripped – blood seeped through. The Strigoi he was fighting showed no signs of tiring, though. I leapt forward and plunged my stake into the Strigoi's back, providing enough of a distraction for Eddie to kill the monster.
As the body dropped to the ground, I yelled to Eddie. "Get out of here! Go!"
Eddie shook his head obstinately. "They need me here!"
"You're going to get yourself killed!" I yelled back. "Get out!"
Eddie still wore that stubborn expression, and I thought for a moment he was going to refuse. Then, he pushed past a fighting guardian and Strigoi and disappeared into the daylight outside.
Rose was fighting across the room. As she felled her Strigoi, her eyes met mine. I knew she could tell what I was thinking – it must've been in my expression. She nodded slightly, then raised her voice. "Guardians, retreat!"
At her voice, the guardians still in the house began to fight their way towards the door. The Strigoi surged in front of them ravenously. Rose's order had been all but an admission of defeat, and with energy renewed, they came to follow us.
I planted myself near the door and engaged in combat with the Strigoi blocking the way. Rose stationed herself on the other side. Together, we provided a path for escaping guardians to get out.
As the last one slipped through, I realized that Rose and I were the last ones left. "Rose, let's go!" I roared. With a last staking, I ducked out through the door.
Rose made to follow, but a hand flashed out and grabbed her hair. She shrieked in pain, and was tugged backwards into the shadows of the house. Her stake fell out of her hands and rolled away.
"No!" I cried, and started forward. I was instantly met by a Strigoi, though, and began to grapple desperately.
Rose was struggling with the Strigoi man who held her. "Let me go!" she shouted.
The Strigoi was blond, with the chalk-white skin and red-ringed eyes. His height told me he had probably once been Moroi. "You're Rose Hathaway, aren't you? Yes, I'd know that face anywhere…don't you remember me from the St. Vladimir's attack?"
Rose responded by spitting in his face.
"Rude," the Strigoi chuckled.
"If you're going to kill me, shut up and do it!" she snarled.
"I have no intentions of killing you, or even awakening you," he replied, "or at least, not yet. There's someone very powerful who's ordered us to capture you alive and un-awakened…never thought you'd be stupid enough to deliver yourself right into our hands, though…"
"Rose!" I cried again, but now Strigoi were bursting forward, and blocking me from Rose – she and the Strigoi holding her were lost from view.
"Dimitri, get back!" Hands tugged me backwards, and one of the Strigoi was pulled forward into the dying sunlight. He screamed in pain, but was silenced quickly by a silver stake.
"Let go of me!" I struggled madly, trying to get to Rose. "She's – been – captured – "
"The daylight is fading! We have to get out of here before the Strigoi can follow!"
"No! Rose…"
A face appeared suddenly before me: Alberta, from St. Vladimir's. "I'm so sorry about this, Dimitri," she said, looking truly sorry. Then her fist connected with my face and I knew no more.