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Chapter Five - Spirit Savior

The next day, I felt really tired. I hadn't slept well, and my stomach wouldn't settle, I think it was because I had been worrying about Lissa. Alberta was wrong, and she didn't come to see the Novices in my class yesterday. I went to find her after classes were over, but Alberta had told me she was asleep, and had come back to her room really tired. I wondered if there was something wrong, so I went to see her again. I took my morning shower and went for a quick run before I went to Lissa's room. When I got there, she was watching something on TV, and I never had a chance to find out what it was, because she shut it off as soon as I entered the room.

"Dimitri!", she cried and jumped off the bed, she ran over and wrapped her arms around me. "I was wondering when you would come see me again, I have been worried about you."

"Why would you be worried about me, if the Strigoi had attacked here, you would definitely know about it. And besides, I was here to visit you yesterday, and you were gone, I checked with Alberta and she said you had gone to see some of the Novices."

"Oh, right. I went around to a few of the classes and talked to some of the students, I wanted to see how they were doing. Amazingly, only the students you teach knew how dangerous the Strigoi out there right now. I considered telling them, but I was tired, and decided that I should mention it to Alberta first. When I got back to my room, I fell asleep." She let go of me and went back to her bed.

"I wonder what we should do. Should we stay here on campus and just let them attack us, or should we try and find out where they are living? I mean, maybe they are still in the home over in Siberia, it is possible they have been there all along."

Lissa eyed me, "I wonder the same thing. If that poison the Alchemists made works, then we should be able to push them back quite far. And we can attack in daylight, they would be at a disadvantage in many ways. I say, stay on defense until the poison is perfected. Then go on the offensive. But first, would you mind staying here for a while, I'd like some time alone with you."

"I have about three hours until I am due to teach, so I will stay for an hour. I need to see Alberta too."

"Thanks so much Dimitri, it really helps."

She just wanted to lay in bed and talk for the hour, so we did. We found ourselves talking about Rose for a while, and I was hoping it would end. Luckily, the hour went by fast, and I left to see Alberta. I arrived at the Guardians building, and Alberta was on the phone again.

"Good, I told you surrendering would be a bad idea. No Captain Harkin, I understand. You are old, stressed, and likely not to happy you were pulled out of retirement. You can transfer here to St Vladimir's if you wish. Perfect, I will arrange for two of our Guardians to be sent over to replace you. Alright, talk to you in a few days." She put the phone down and smiled at me. "That poison worked wonders. Harkin said the Strigoi were screaming from the pain. They managed to capture one, he said it felt worse then a silver stake, and those are acidic enough to them. Some of Harkin's men were worrying that this was inhumane, but then he reminded them that the Strigoi are monsters to start with."

"So we know that it works, but what do we name it? I mean, we can't just call it "Strigoi Poison", that would be too obvious if they ever found some of it. How about, just calling it "Daylight", I know it sounds kind of stupid, but it pretty much does what sunlight does to them."

"Alright. We will ship it to every home we know of. We will not be using it very much after the war though. We don't want it to become a commonly known substance, then the Strigoi will work ways out to avoid it."

"Good point. Maybe now we should try and attack that home over in Siberia again, after all, if Rose and her army are based anywhere, it is likely there."

She considered for a second, "Good point. Maybe the Guardians in Europe can spare some of their numbers to try an attack. We would need to arm you all with those shotguns though, they would be effective in that house."

I sighed, "If anyone is going to that house, I am going. I will not let someone else do it. We will need Lissa too."

Alberta's smile disappeared, "No. She will stay here, it is too dangerous. The possibility of Saving Rose is not great enough to take her over there."

I looked Alberta straight in the eyes, ".Go. If you won't let her, she will go on her own, and you know it."

Alberta looked angry now, "Fine then. Go to Europe, round up any Guardians you can. Find Rose, kill or rescue her. Then find her Second in Command, this "Sarojev" you told me about. He had to die. Living is not an option for him."

"Understood.", I turned to walk out of the room when Alberta told me one other thing I wasn't expecting.

"You are not teaching today. We need you to patrol the perimeter. Reports came in that Strigoi may be watching at night. We need you to check it out."

I left to go check the perimeter, the warded border around campus. When I reached the edge of the wards, I felt like I was being watched. I looked around and noticed a shape dart behind a nearby tree.

That was when it happened.

I smelled something familiar, although I wasn't sure what it was. Finally I realized what it was, blood. Not just blood, Strigoi blood. My senses overpowered me and I lost control. I ran for the tree, finding one of the Strigoi "Stalkers" hiding there, we engaged in a brief but fierce battle, it ended when I suddenly grabbed them and bit into their neck.

By the time I regained control of my body, I was on my knees, I was covered in blood, and there was a dead Strigoi at my feet. I got up, and realized I had gotten my leg broken in the fight, but I managed to walk back to the campus, I made sure nobody saw me head for Lissa's room.

When I opened the door, she looked terrified, "Dimitri! What happened? You look like you just tore someone apart."

I entered the room and shut the door, "Yea, I pretty much did.", I told her what had happened, then mentioned my broken leg. I wish I hadn't, because her natural self couldn't resist healing it.

"So, what do you think happened? Do you think you are reverting back to your old self?"

"No, Strigoi don't feed from other Strigoi, I think this is something else entirely."

She looked at me, closed her eyes, and a few minutes later re-opened them. "I'm not sure how I know this, but I think I understand it now."

"What is it, why did this happen?"

"How have you been feeling when you aren't around me. Do you feel tired, or restless, sick even?"

"Now that you mention it, I didn't sleep well last night, and my stomach hasn't been the best. I have no clue what it is."

"Uh oh. Dimitri, I think that your body is returning to it's former state. Have you felt any need for blood or any urges to hurt others?"

I was starting to feel scared now, "Yes, I had a bit of an urge yesterday to taste blood, but specifically Rose's blood."

She gasped, "I think that reversing your state from Strigoi to Dhampir was only temporary. I think that the blood in your body is corrupting you. But the Spirit radiating from me is keeping you together."

I sighed, "Well, I guess I should have seen something like this coming. Question is, if your spirit can help me, how can we keep me sane? You can't be with me all the time."

"No, but I may be able to charm something to help you."

I was confused, "What do you mean, charm something?"

She looked at me with a determined look, "I can focus my Spirit into an object, it makes a healing charm. It is possible that could help you. But what could I use. Ah, I know." She opened a drawer on her computer desk and lifted out the chotki she had given Rose for Christmas a few years back.

I was shocked, "I thought Rose had that."

She sighed, "She gave it back before she left to find you, now, I need to concentrate." She sat on her bed with her legs crossed and I watched. She looked at the chotki with intense concentration, and after a few minutes, she handed it to me. "Put it on, tell me if it helps."

I fastened it around my wrist, and as I did, my stomach settled, and my mind felt clearer. "Damn, I guess you were right."

"Would you have preferred it be something worse?"

"No, but this means you were right, and that I am only going to get worse."

She looked into my eyes, "No, you won't. Just come to me every week or so, I will redo the charm. It takes almost no power from me, and in turn produces almost no shadows.'

I smiled, it was nice to know she was right. But now, I had to be careful, I was going to be dependent on Lissa for the rest of my life, and if we turned Rose back, so would she.