Rose

Battle preparations began almost immediately.

Lissa called an emergency meeting of all Moroi and dhampirs gathered at Court. Royals and non-royals, guardians and Moroi mingled together in the ensuing haste. The sun had just risen, so many looked sleepy and bleary-eyed.

Dimitri, my mother, Christian and I stood by Lissa's side as she gave the speech, getting everyone up to speed on the imminent threat. Cries of dismay sounded when she told them about the Grand Master, swelling into a panicked chorus with the news of the impending attack.

"I know this is a grave threat," Lissa called out over the noise as the room threatened to dissolve into chaos. "Perhaps the gravest threat we as Moroi have ever had to face. But as we've done before, we will face this threat together. Preparations for attack and defence fortifications commence as of this moment. Everyone at Court will be expected to pitch in."

The crowd began to quiet down, and I could tell Lissa was unconsciously using some of her spirit-induced charm to hold the audience's attention. From up close, I could see her lip tremble slightly, and even without our former bond, I could tell she was terrified. This was, after all, something no Moroi monarch had ever done before.

"Protective magic around Court will be strengthened," Lissa called. "We'll need expert practitioners to come forward and renew existing wards, as well as additional magical measures. The guardians will step up their patrols, and by nightfall we'll have the borders of Court under constant surveillance." She paused for a moment, and spoke again. "We have no way of knowing when the Grand Master and his Strigoi will attack. But the sun has just risen, and any Moroi who wish to leave Court under protection of sunlight – you have leave to do so."

I'd guessed there would be many Moroi who would choose to flee Court while the sun still shone, and judging from the nods of many Moroi in the crowd, I hadn't been wrong.

"For those Moroi who wish to stay, however," Lissa continued, "you are more than welcome, your support and help greatly appreciated. And moreover, for those who wish to actively join the fight against the Strigoi…" She paused again, and her face took on a determined expression. "I invite you to fight at my side."

Gasps sounded from the crowd, and even I couldn't hide my surprise. Lissa was condoning Moroi fighters, a cause she'd always supported, but for the Moroi queen to announce that she would be engaging in direct combat herself? That would reverberate through the Moroi world.

My mom's head whipped around to stare at Lissa, her expression alarmed. "Your Majesty," she murmured in a low voice, "are you sure that's wise? The guardians won't be able to guarantee your safety."

"I'm the queen of the Moroi," Lissa responded through gritted teeth, "and I will lead my people into battle." She hesitated, then spoke again. "And Janine? Call me Lissa."

My mom's expression was almost comical in its surprise. Lissa raised her voice again, speaking once more to the crowd at large.

"Guardian reinforcements are being flown in from around the country as we speak. It's been an honour and a privilege serving as your queen." She ended her speech. There was a momentary silence, and then someone began to clap. Within seconds, tumultuous applause thundered, and Lissa smiled and waved in the face of cheers from her adoring subjects.

She turned aside to me and my three saviours as the crowd began to disperse. "You three are in charge of planning," she said quietly. "Rose, Dimitri, Janine? You're all going to be supervising battle fortifications and guardian patrols. Christian? You're going to deal with recruiting Moroi who want to fight, and making sure they actually can. There's no point in actually sending them into battle if they're just going to get killed."

Christian nodded solemnly. "Of course, Your Majestic Majesty."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "I'll deal with the fallout from this. Now, let's go."

~~Page Break~~

The Moroi Royal Court is an amazing place to be when it's preparing for war.

I spent the entire day (the entire human day) running around, supervising guardian patrols and overseeing defensive measures being implemented. Dimitri organized arriving guardians into squads and teams, to better face off the Strigoi, and my mom – well, she was my mom. She did everything Dimitri and I were doing and more, essentially running the entire guardian force at Court.

I saw guardians performing drills, guardians on active duty, guardians on watch. The local dhampir community was mobilized and active like almost never before. Lissa had been true to her word – guardians were arriving from all over. This was a threat to the whole Moroi and dhampir nation, and the entire nation would rise to counter it.

The Moroi, for a change, were not inactive. Sure, many of them were fleeing the Court, and I saw lots of families piling into cars alongside hastily packed suitcases and peeling out of the compound, no doubt heading for the nearest airport to get as far away from the Court as possible while the sun still shone. But more Moroi than I'd realized had decided to stay and help with the war effort. I saw Moroi shoring up our magical defences, placing wards in place and adding more barriers of magical protection. I even saw some earth users setting up some quicksand booby traps, adding some compulsion spells to ensure that only the undead could activate them.

Humans might be able to stake our wards, but with so many additional layers of magic? It would slow down the invading forces a lot, giving us time to swoop in for the kill. I wouldn't want to be a Strigoi invader anytime soon.

And when Dimitri and I went to visit Christian and see how his recruits were faring…

"Whoa."

I stared, dumbfounded. Christian had stationed his Moroi troops outside on a field, and gotten hold of some dummies as practice Strigoi. At least seventy Moroi were here, using their powers in ways I'd never have imagined. Then again, I'd never seen offensive magic in practice before, so there was plenty I couldn't imagine.

"They weren't all at Court when the news broke," Christian explained, "but when they heard the news, they came at once. These are all Moroi who want to fight, but who haven't been allowed to. Now, they can finally give full rein to their powers." I could see the passion shining in his eyes. My sarcastic friend had finally found his niche.

"You've done good, Ozera," I exclaimed, admiring his work.

"Little dhampir."

My heart stopped. I slowly raised my eyes, and met a pair of green ones.

"Adrian," I breathed.

My ex-boyfriend stood there, hands in pockets, handsome as ever. He wore a neutral expression, and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on here?"

I tried to form words. "I…"

A small smile formed on Adrian's lips. "Relax, little dhampir," he said. "I'm not here to yell at you. I'm here to join the fight." He nodded at Christian. "Let's go, cousin."

Christian clapped Adrian's shoulder, and the pair turned to go.

"Adrian?" I blurted out.

Adrian turned. "Yeah?"

I hesitated. "Could we – talk? After all this is over?"

Adrian gave me one of those infuriating cocky smiles he was so known for. "Sure. There'll be plenty of time for talking later." With that, he turned.

Dimitri and I headed back to see the other guardians. "Well," he said, "sounds like you're out of hot water with Adrian."

I looked at him. "You're not jealous, are you?"

He scoffed. "Roza, don't you know me better than that? I didn't like the way things ended with you and Adrian any more than you did. I'm eager for you to change that."

Gratitude swelled up in me, and without thinking I hugged him. "Thanks, Comrade."

He relaxed against me, and rubbed my arm as he returned my embrace. "Roza."

"This might be it, mightn't it?" I said into his chest. "This could be our last fight."

Dimitri drew me back and held me at arm's length, an eyebrow cocked. "Well, then, it's been a pleasure knowing you." He pretended to cock a hat. "Partner."

I laughed with unexpected delight. I'd teased him for so long over his western novels and his dusters and his love of cowboys, and now he was actually playing along.

"I love you," he told me softly.

"I love you too," I told him. Our lips met in a tender kiss. When we drew back, I knew I wouldn't have to say anything more.

"Let's get ready to kick some Strigoi ass," I told him.