Chapter Twenty One - Thrown From The Ride

As instructed by the doctor, I'd spent Tuesday in the confines of my dormitory alongside Dimitri, whom refused to let me out of his sight for longer than five minutes. He was less smothering than he had been before, thankfully, though was still constantly asking how I was feeling. By Wednesday morning I felt like brand new, no dizziness or faint feeling at all.

The rest of the week past as usual, though I made an effort to call back home to Lissa and Eddie more frequently after the attack. She seemed to be recuperating well enough, though was still a bit shaken from seeing one of her own Guardians in such a tragic state. The whole of St Vlad's had had the Tuesday and Wednesday off from classes as they mourned those who had fallen in the attack, before returning on Thursday for the usual classes.

Dimitri and I had organised a weekend away from St Basil's to spend time with Abe at his safehouse just on the innerskirts of Omsk, both as a way to allow us some father-daughter catching up but also to further discuss protection details for the future. He'd already told me that he would keep his international contacts open and keep in contact with as many Guardian organisations as possible to try and find the Strigoi responsible for the attack, however I knew that wouldn't be his only plan.

I found myself packing some clothes into an overnight duffel bag Friday after dinner, Dimitri having skipped Guarding to pack his own bag and load it into the Academy-issued SUV we were given for the weekend. He'd told Alexei that we would be visiting somebody with information about the Strigoi that were after me, though he didn't explicitly tell them it was Zmey we were visiting - who just so happened to be my father. He feared that if word got out about me being Abe Mazur's daughter, then I'd have more than one target on my back.

"Something seemed off about Lissa today." I called to Dimitri as he cleaned up the master bedroom, while I was stood in the unused bedroom packing. "She seemed... unnaturally upbeat. Not that Lissa isn't always happy, obviously - she just seemed to have a complete 180 from how she was acting yesterday."

"Did you ask her about it?" Dimitri rounded the corner, shrugging on his duster just as I zipped my bag shut.

I shook my head, shouldering the bag as I turned to him. "I didn't want her to think I was babying her. Christian has been doing that enough since the Spirit incident, and I know she'd be upset if she thought I thought there was something wrong."

"Maybe give her a couple days." He suggested as he took my bag for me, carefully not meeting my eyes. I narrowed my own at him as he exited the room without further comment, heading towards the front door to put my duffel into the car with his own.

I followed him out on his heels, planning to question him on why he was acting suspicious, but he was out the door and down the stairs before I had the opportunity to. I sighed, turning back into the room to gather any last bits and pieces.

Twenty minutes later we found ourselves on the road, a Russian radio station playing the 'Russian Pop Top 40' quietly in the background as we drove in silence. I had my legs crossed over one another as my finger tapped anxiously on my knee, lips frequently switching between being pursed and pressed into a tight line as I debated saying something to Dimitri.

We'd been driving without a word for fifteen minutes before he finally broke the silence. "What's on your mind, Malýshka?" He asked curiously, glancing over at me though still keeping a steady focus on the road. "You're quiet."

I shook my head as I continued debating what to say, keeping my own eyes focused on the road in front of me. It was completely dark outside, save for the occasional car that drove past in the opposite direction, and the systematic street lamps lining each side of the road.

"We don't keep secrets from each other, right?" I swallowed hard, not wanting to see his reaction through fear of being made a fool of. Maybe I was being paranoid - maybe I wasn't.

I felt Dimitri's hand on my thigh, and my breath hitched in my throat as I glanced down at it. Instinctively I placed my own atop, turning his over to interlink our fingers while focusing my gaze there. "Of course we don't, Roza." He sounded genuine enough, though if I hadn't known him as well as I did then I probably wouldn't of noticed the slight hesitation in his voice.

"Then why do I feel like you're keeping something from me?" I looked up at him, finally, seeing he was looking towards the road. His face was a perfect mask of neutrality, and I knew all too well that it was his Guardian face - the face he used when he didn't want people to see his real reaction.

I felt a surge of sadness swell up in my stomach as he didn't answer me, slowly retracting my hand from his. "Stop the car." I said quietly and calmly, taking a deep breath. I could feel his confused eyes looking at me, and I looked up to meet his gaze. "Stop the car!"

The road we had been driving down was a dirt track lined with trees either side, so he pulled up to the side as best he could so he wouldn't be blocking any other passing cars. Almost as soon as he hit the breaks, I'd unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed out of the car. I didn't care that it was lightly snowing outside, that it was below freezing, or that all I was wearing was a light sweater and a pair of jeans. I shut the door behind me, running my hands through my hair as I heard him follow suit. He appeared next to me, a hand outstretched. "Don't-"

"Roza, listen to me-"

"What are you keeping from me?" I demanded, wrapping my arms around my torso as the cold hit me. There was enough light reflecting from the moon that I didn't have to squint to see his face, being able to clearly see the pain and guilt on his face.

I watched as he took in a deep breath, looking down at his feet before speaking. "Your father and I are taking you into hiding." I felt myself automatically recoil in surprise at his words, flinching away. He looked up at me. "It's too dangerous for you to be in the public Moroi eye at St Basil's - the only way we can guarantee your safety is if nobody knows where you are."

"And you didn't think to consult me about this?" I placed my hand on my chest gesturingly, an offended tone in my voice. "You didn't think that I ought to have a say in my own safety?"

"Of course I did!" He said breathlessly, stepping forwards and cupping my face tightly as he forced me to look into his eyes. They were full of regret, and love, and apology. "I knew that you would be mad at me when you found out, but I also knew that you were too stubborn to accept help when you needed it most."

"Of course I'd be mad!" I said incredulously, wrapping my hands around his wrists and pulling his hands away from my face. I kept my grip on him, though, showing I wasn't completely against him in that moment. "You went behind my back. You lied to me - you got my father involved."

"Would you of willingly come with me if I told you the truth? If I'd told you that I was taking you away and forcing you to hide at your father's house for an indefinite amount of time until the Strigoi threatening your life were found and dealt with, would you of complied?" My face dropped and I turned away from his gaze, before hearing him release a single laugh. "Exactly."

I opened my mouth to scold him again, but was cut off as I felt a chill run down my spine. I closed my mouth and dropped Dimitri's hands, straightening up as I looked around subtly. "Do you feel that?"

"Something's not right." Dimitri said immediately, his hand going instinctively into the inside pocket of his duster. He grabbed one of his silver stakes and naturally gave it to me, before retrieving his second one and holding it firmly in his right hand.

Cautiously I crept inwards further into the trees, following the sense of danger I felt in my stomach. Dimitri was right next to me in a defensive stance. My whole body tensed up and my breath hitched in my throat as an overwhelming knot built up in my stomach. "Strigoi." I whispered as I let out a breath, turning to look at Dimitri.

We were in a slight clearing surrounded by tall trees that seemed to stretch to the heavens, darkness beyond the first row. I watched Dimitri adjust his grip on his stake at my word, believing me in an instant. Although Dhampir had extreme senses and could tell when danger was near, sometimes it was just trivial things like a rogue animal in the road or an argument brewing. But ever since Lissa brought me back in the crash, it was like that sense was heightened, and I could tell exactly when Strigoi were near - and this was no exception.

Rustling sounds alerted me instantly from the bushes, and I abruptly turned to face the source of the noise. Three Strigoi emerged side by side just as more sounds could be heard from behind me. I heard the near silent whoosh of Dimitri's duster as he must have spun around to face the noise - I could only imagine that it was more Strigoi.

I stood up straighter and raised my stake in front of my body to protect myself, glancing between the two slowly approaching creatures in front of me. "How many on your side?" I asked quietly in an urgent tone.

"Two. Female Dhampir and Male Human. You?"

"Three - two Male Dhampir's and a Female Moroi." One of the former Dhampir's jumped forwards menacingly with a hiss, baring his fangs towards me. I flinched backwards and held my stake protectively as he advanced forwards, coming straight for me. And just like that - the dance had begun.

He tried to grab either of my arms in an attempt to inhibit my attacks, but I quickly threw him off and used the hilt of the stake to knock him backwards as I thrust it into his throat. He stumbled backwards, sending a quick kick to my dominant leg. I noticed it just in time, jumping over and using the back of my ankle to tug his forwards. He fell onto one knee, like a proposal type stance, and I stepped up onto it with my left foot before aiming a kick to his face.

He flew backwards with a loud thud, and I instantly launched myself forwards as I followed his momentum down to the ground. With my knee on his stomach to force him down, I buried the silver stake deep into his chest, watching as he flailed momentarily at the impact before going limp on the ground.

I could hear Dimitri grunting and fighting behind me as I quickly got to my feet, turning to see the female heading towards me with an animalistic growl. She seemed to be a lot less polished as the person before her had been, which was understandable since she was just a Moroi. She threw a fist right towards my face which I narrowly avoided my throwing her arm to the side, swiftly grabbing it with my less dominant hand that didn't hold the stake and pulling it close to my side.

From this position she was under my control, and I lifted my dominant leg up and used my shin to kick several successive shots to the side of her ribs. The last kick was particularly powerful as I let go of her arm, sending her spinning backwards onto the ground. I would have gone after her to stake her, but I was quickly knocked on my ass, presumably by the other male.

He swiped my legs out from underneath me and I landed with a loud curse, forcing myself to act quickly as I rolled over and threw myself onto my feet. Just a second too late he jumped down as if to straddle me, and as I stood I could see the molnija on the back of his neck - a former Guardian. He had six in total, and I couldn't help but think of how badly he must have fought not to get in the position he was in now. Somehow that made me feel better about ending his life, since I knew I would be pulling him out of his misery.

He swiftly got to his feet, sending his knee into my groin area as he stood. I wasn't able to avoid the full force, instead having it impacted onto my inner thigh. I groaned in pain as I stumbled backwards, focusing my gaze on him. He was quick, much quicker than the previous two had been, and managed to launch two quick attacks to the side of my head. One narrowly missed, but the other knocked me backwards as he hit my jaw, and I immediately felt the pain as if it was dislocated.

He sent another straight attack for the centre of my face, but I leaned back and avoided it completely. I was able to get in a sharp kick to his shin, sending him falling backwards. I acted instantly, heading towards him for the kill. Unfortunately for me he was too quick, lifting his legs up and kicking up towards me with all his might. He connected with the centre of my torso, sending my flying backwards until I hit a tree with a sharp scream.

My back hit first, and then my head, and I felt myself shrink down onto the ground with a cry of pain. Everything was dizzy, but I could see somebody advancing on me. The blonde hair suggested it was the female from before, and I knew I had to try my best to get her down and gone for good.

She flew straight for me before I had the chance to get back on my feet, and I used her power against her as I threw us both to the side. We roughly rolled over a couple times before I finally had the upper hand, straddling her on top and managing to thrust the stake into her heart. I let out a loud groan of pain and relief as I watched the life drain from her eyes, forcing myself to roll off her body and stand again.

I could see Dimitri clearly fighting with the male who had sent me into the tree before, one other Strigoi left standing. It was a female former Dhampir, meaning Dimitri must have already killed the former human. She had been about to jump for him while he was preoccupied with the male, but swiftly saw me and diverted her attention.

A wicked gleam flashed across her face as she took me in, licking her lips menacingly as she came for me. She ran full speed and spun around, using her momentum to land a damaging kick right across my ribs. I flew backwards at the force as I shouted out in pain, attempting to avoid the second quick kick she launched using her other leg but failing to avoid it.

I could feel my entire body weakening as I took in her sickening grin, and a part of me just wanted to collapse and give in. The sadistic part of me thought that, if I died, then the Strigoi that were after me would have nothing to look for, and everyone would be safe. But the better part of me told me I had to keep on fighting to the very grisly end.

She came for me again and interlocked her hands, using her elbows to try and catch either of my shoulders in a damaging blow. I was fast enough to intercept it, throwing her arms to the side as I leaned away. I used this new position to kick her right in the stomach, sending her struggling backwards. I threw my head upwards as well as I stood up straight, throwing her own head back as I connected with her chin.

I was panting as I stepped towards her before she could regain herself, launching several rapid fire attacks to her upper body. She managed to successfully counteract most of them, much to my annoyance, and I found myself literally growling in frustration as we fought.

During a moment's loss of concentration, the Strigoi managed to wrap her hands around the back of my neck, and I screamed out in fear. This was a dangerous position, and I knew she could easily snap my neck if I gave her the opportunity to. I threw my hands forwards to push her away as best I could, giving her less control to injure my neck. Instead she pulled my head down and lifted her knee up, hitting me several times before throwing me as far away as she could.

I landed on my front with a sputter of blood, the stake flying out of my hands as I tried to catch my fall. I coughed out in pain, feeling my entire body retracting into itself as every inch of me ached. I heard the Strigoi advancing behind me, and I quickly flipped myself onto my back so I could see her coming, though I had no idea on how I would defend myself with how weak I felt.

She leaned over me, taking in my pitiful form as I coughed out more blood to the side, collapsing back against the floor. She smirked at me, and I shook my head with an incredulous, humourless laugh. She leaned down over me, and I leaned as far away as the ground would let me.

"Rose Hathaway," she cooed with a menacing Russian accent that completely matched her harsh features, and blood thirsty look in her eyes. "We've been looking for you. Looks like you've caused quite the scandal back in America. Aren't you supposed to be in St Vladimir's?"

"Wouldn't that be easier for you?" I spat the blood in her face, reveling as I watched her expression merge into an ugly, repulsed face as she wiped the blood off. "Why does it matter? You've got me now. Just kill me."

She laughed with a high pitched squeal, the type of laugh you'd expect a young child to have. "Oh no - she wants you alive. At least for now." She grinned deviously as she straightened up as she stood, looking down at me with a calculating expression. "Your Guardian, on the other hand, is useless to us." She glanced over her shoulder, and I couldn't help but follow her actions.

I could see Dimitri slowly winning the battle with the Strigoi he was fighting against, though it was clear the fight was taking it's toll on him. Even from here I could see his moves were sloppy, and his breathing was rapid.

The female Strigoi turned back to me, and I bit back my tongue to say something disgusting directed at her. "Who is she?" I growled instead, needing answers even if I was about to die. "Why do you want me?"

"I'm afraid that's not my place to say. Just be thankful that I won't be killing you right now." I heard a loud grunt, and the slicing of metal, a tell tale sign that Dimitri had just killed the male. The female must have heard it too, because she smiled angelically and looked down at me. "Looks like it's time for him to die." She was just about to turn away, but instead changed her mind, looking back at me.

In an instant she'd lifted her leg up and thrust it down to crush the bones in my lower leg, and I screamed out in pain, my entire body bucking and recoiling as I heard and felt the bones cracking. Almost just as quick as she applied the pressure, it was gone, Dimitri having barreled out of nowhere and knocking her off me at the sound of my screams.

I held back the tears as I looked down at my leg, seeing the blood seeping through my jeans and the cuts in the fabric. It was the worst physical pain I'd ever felt, and that was saying something considering I'd been brought back from the brink of death.

I looked over to see the Strigoi and Dimitri circling each other, before she quickly acted. She was clever, having calculated his moves from earlier in the fight. Instantly she began attacking his dominant side, after a few lethal attacks managing to swipe the stake clean out of his hand. I gasped at the action in the same moment Dimitri registered what had happened, his main weapon being literally taken right out of his grip.

I felt so helpless on the floor as I watched the female grin sadistically, and Dimitri look at me with sadness in his eyes. He wasn't focused on the Strigoi, whereas I was, and I saw her step forwards to attack him. "No!" I screamed.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as the adrenaline coursed through my veins. I threw myself forwards and onto my feet, barely even acknowledging the searing pain launching from my leg into my entire body. I grabbed the stake I'd dropped before and launched myself towards the side of the Strigoi, throwing her away from Dimitri before she could manage to get her hands on him.

I screamed as I threw her to the side, blindly thrusting the stake forwards towards her. Blood spluttered onto my sweater and face as I jammed it into her throat. Her body weight was bigger than mine and she'd forced us over so that I was on the bottom. I coughed past the blood and pulled out the stake, quickly thrusting it again into her heart.

I let out a whimper of relief as tears brimmed at my eyes, throwing the Strigoi off me and onto the floor besides me. My entire body felt numb despite the numerous injuries I knew I'd sustained. I could feel the throbbing all over my being, though it didn't hurt as I closed my eyes, letting myself relax into the floor.

"Roza!" Dimitri's urgent cries stopped me from completely succumbing to the darkness, and I opened my eyes to see him leaning over me. The edges of my vision were hazy and dark, surrounding him in a halo of confusion. I felt his arms wrap under my back and knees as he pulled me up into his embrace, whispering words into my ear as my head slumped back. "Stay with me, Roza. Roza, keep your eyes open."

"I'm so tired, Comrade." I slurred lazily as my body ragdolled against his, my head leaning against his chest. He shook me gently, forcing my eyes open.

"You can sleep when we get to Zmey's, okay? You're going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."