Chapter 6
Rose
The small burst of energy that filled my body after Lissa had healed my leg was starting to wear off, as exhaustion finally began to set in. My legs became heavier and heavier with each step I took, until I had to resort to dragging my feet along the ground. Lissa was still leaning on my shoulder, recovering from the spirit she'd poured into the girl. I wasn't sure how much longer we would last before my legs buckled under our combined weight.
"You two look like you've just crawled from your graves," I glanced up, only then realising how much I was focussing on the uneven cobblestoned path.
"Christian!" I cried, half in surprise and half in desperation. Immediately I peeled Lissa from my shoulder and transferred her to Christian's. She seemed to spark up as Christian pulled her into a warm embrace.
"You look exhausted Liss," I rolled my eyes and retreated as quickly as possible, not wanting to stick around for the gooey love fest.
A cool breeze whispered its way around me, tangling my hair even more than what it already was. I couldn't help the shiver that followed. Being on a human schedule for the past few days meant I'd spent most of my time in the sun, embracing its glorious rays of warmth as I trained with Dimitri. I'd forgotten how cool the nights were getting, mentally I made a note to grab a jacket on my way out.
I followed the edge of the wards as I made my way back to my dorm, observing the endless forest that extended around the academy. Another breeze, this time stronger and cooler than the last, blew past me, nipping at my exposed skin. It was unusually cold for early October, but I shrugged it off, too tired to care about the weather forecast. Out of boredom, I kicked a rock through the ward and watched it bounce its way along the forest floor, catching on the raised roots and fallen branches, until it came to a complete stop in a small hole.
Satisfied with my small achievement, I scavenged the ground to find another rock, this time slightly bigger, and kicked it has hard as I could. Some part of me realised that the darkness I'd taken from Lissa was starting to take its hold over me, but my exhaustion made my thoughts to foggy to care. I tried to follow the rocks path into the maze of trees and bushes, but lost it in the darkness. I squinted to see if I could find it, curiosity over where it landed filling my mind. I was just about to give up hope when my eyes spotted something I wasn't expecting. I jumped as far away from the ward as possible, shivering once more, but this time it wasn't because of the cold. I looked up once more, and sure enough, there were two red rimmed eyes staring back at me, illuminated by a sliver of moonlight that had broken its way through the trees.
Adrenalin surged through my veins as I prepared to run away from the danger, knowing my body couldn't handle another strigoi attack. I tried to make my legs move but failed as fear encompassed me, clouding my judgement. I could only do one thing, stand frozen and stare.
"Rose?" My concentration faltered as I heard a familiar voice, turning my head, I realised Dimitri had found me. Quickly, I glanced back into the darkness, but the eyes were gone.
"Roza, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"Dimitri! There's….there's eyes," I said, my voice slowly fading as my eyes scanned hopelessly looking for them.
"Roza, you need to rest, we've both had a big couple of days," I nodded, somehow comforted by the fact Dimitri was there.
"But Dimitri, there was a strigoi!" I tried to keep the fear out of my voice, but fatigued state made it come out as a desperate plea.
"Rose, I can't see anything. The guards are there for a reason, and no reports have come in about a strigoi near the campus. I think your mind is beginning to play tricks on you. Sometimes its hard to comprehend what we've been through when we're too tired to even stand." It was then I noticed how much of my weight Dimitri was supporting, I tried to stand on my own, but he only pulled me in closer. Sweeping my aching feet from the ground, he carried me like a baby, lulling me into a much needed sleep.