Ch. 23
CPOV
Songs: Pale Blue Eyes by Velvet Underground, Morning Tea by Beware Of Darkness
I sat at the breakfast bar, stirring around my now cold oatmeal. It didn't really look that appetizing to begin with, but now it was reduced to glacial mush. The disappointment from last night was mounting and eating was the last thing on my mind. I thought we would find her. I thought after last night I would be able to hold her in my arms again. But instead, I watched an innocent man die and used my magic to scorch the dead flesh of red-eyed psychopaths…again.
Since we met Eva, I had been on the edge of my seat waiting to get to Lissa. We now had a real shot at bringing her back, and last night could have been that opportunity. Seeing that small glimpse of hope slip right through my fingers was putting me on edge. Unlike the others, I didn't have much of an outlet to release my frustrations—whether it be drowning myself in a bottle of whatever I could get my hands on or punching the stuffing out of a leather bag.
Sometimes sitting in a quiet place was my only resolve; it's one of the reasons I had spent so much time in the church attic back at the academy, but it looked like today I wouldn't be afforded that luxury.
"She really is a pain in the ass, you know that right?" Rose stormed into the kitchen, the swinging doors shuddering behind her furious gust. I kept my eyes down, lazily staring at my bland, brown slush as she rummaged through the cabinets in search of food. Her stomping echoed down the hall and I could hear her coming before her outburst could jolt me. I thought Guardians were supposed to be stealthy, but apparently, she wasn't in the mood to follow protocol.
"Oh, and you're just a ray of sunshine?" She ignored my snarky response and continued on her rampage.
"I mean, of all the Spirit users in the world, you couldn't find one with at least a basic set of social skills," she replied as she stuffed some sort of packaged sugary pastry into her mouth. I couldn't recall a time where I had seen her eat anything other than junk. I wondered if I passed her a piece of fruit if she would shrivel up and die.
"You should give her a chance. The two of you are more alike than you think." I flinched, waiting for her to chuck the rest of her so-called breakfast at me.
Instead, she threw her hands up in the air with an exasperated sigh. "Gah! What is it with everyone and that line today?!"
"Huh?" It seemed like I wasn't the first one to witness her wrath this morning.
"Nothing," she paused as she plopped down in a seat across from me. "Just something Abe said earlier."
"About Eva," I asked curiously.
"No. My mother." Crumbs sprinkled out of her full mouth as she finished off her glazed pastry, and I gave her a disgusted look at her poor manners. "What? I'm hungry," she shook her head at me like a hormonal teenager.
I pushed the bowl of goo away from me, all semblance of an appetite now completely gone, and turned to face her. "Look, you may not like her, but she's here to do us a huge favor. Without her, we can't get Lissa back so I suggest you stop whining and appreciate what she has to offer."
"I'm not whining," she whined. I lifted my eyebrows and gave her a knowing look. "Ugh fine, maybe I am. But she's just so…so…"
"Complicated," I finished for her.
"Bitchy was the word I was looking for actually," she smirked.
"And you'd know all about that wouldn't you." Her fist immediately shot out to my shoulder and pounded into me hard enough to nearly knock me off my stool. "Fuck!" I grounded myself against the counter and readjusted my seat. "Damn, Rose. That hurt."
"Oh, shut up you big baby," she giggled. I rolled my eyes at her teasing and rubbed my arm but couldn't help my smile from seeping out. After a minute, her face turned slightly more serious and matched her new tone. "By the way, I didn't get the chance to tell you thank you for what you did at the ball. You're getting pretty good at that, Sparky," she complimented.
"Yeah well, I had some practice with this badass Dhampir back at St. Vlad's." My somber joke simultaneously lifted our spirits and brought us back down to reality.
"I guess you're right about Eva," she admitted as she tugged at the ends of her long hair. "I wish she wasn't so difficult, but if it means getting Lissa back it's more than worth it." I nodded in agreeance and saw her look down to one of the side plates of bacon next to me. "You gonna eat that?"
I rolled my eyes at her bottomless pit of a stomach and slid the plate over towards her; mainly out of fear of receiving another punch to my side.
\
After Rose calmed down and ate half the contents of the kitchen, she decided to go take a shower and wait for Abe to rear his head. I was hoping Adrian would make his appearance soon as well. It was almost disheartening to admit I could tell when something was up with him now, but I guess that's what happens when you spend every waking moment with the guy for weeks on end.
Eventually, I got tired of waiting and decided to go seek him out. He was probably passed out in his room trying to sleep off yet another hangover. I considered grabbing a glass of water to bring to him but figured he brought this torture upon himself and deserved to wallow in it.
When I approached his room, I raised my hand to knock but paused when I heard muffled voices on the other side. I looked down to see the door was cracked open and nudged it further with my knuckles. As I walked into the room I recognized Eva's voice and could tell the two of them were arguing.
"What's going on," I interrupted.
"Nothing. Nothing's going on," Adrian frustratingly replied. His face was red and anxious and he looked like he had been pulling at his disorderly hair.
"He's lying," Eva said dispassionately.
"I told you to stay out of my fucking head!" Adrian pushed passed her and made his way for the door.
"I don't need to get inside your head to see something is wrong," she argued after him. I pushed my hand on the door and slammed it shut before he reached it.
"She's right Adrian. You've been off since we left that shit-show last night." He gritted his teeth at my response and turned his back to me.
"Oh, and what do you care, Ozera," he condescended. "The only thing that matters to you is getting your precious girlfriend back."
"I thought that mattered to all of us?" Normally when someone lashed out at me with that tone, I had no problem firing back, sometimes literally. But I had never seen this side of Adrian. Sure, we had, had an altercation in the past, but it was mainly stemmed from my jealousy and false rumors. He was purposely being antagonistic now and I had no idea why. One thing was for sure...I didn't like it.
He laughed humorlessly at my response. "Don't give me that shit, Christian. I know what you think of me and why I'm really here. Once I've served my purpose you'll just toss me aside like a piece of rubbish. Well, guess what, I'm not some expendable waste."
His eyes were wide and burning with incensed heat. The tone of his voice was starting to piss me off, but instead of retaliating and fueling that rage I tried to reason with him. "Dude, calm down. What's gotten into—"
"I am Adrian fucking Ivashkov," he continued his rampage, his voice rising with each spiteful word. "Grand-nephew to the Queen of our society. And who are you? Some nobody trying to cling to the only person that you think can help others from seeing the truth of who you really are...Strigoi trash left behind by your savage parents."
So much for playing it cool. I launched at him wrapping my arms around his pathetic form as I tackled him to the floor. I sat up and threw my fist at his cocky face, hoping to draw blood. I expected to see a semblance of fear in his eyes after my initial strike, but when he looked at me that flame had accelerated into a full-blown inferno. He shoved me off of him and jumped on top of me, wildly throwing punches at my sides as I tried to protect my body from his tirade. I shoved back, trying to remove his weight, unsuccessfully, and let out a grunt as one of his hits landed on my ribs.
Suddenly, his body flew off me like a retracting spider and when I looked up to see what had caused it, Rose was standing behind him, her fist gripped around the back of his shirt. "Aw, you guys are having a party in here without me? How rude," she wisecracked.
I sat up on my elbows taking a few calming breaths as Adrian yanked out of her grasp. "Doesn't anyone fucking knock around here? Is a deadlock the only thing that will keep you people out?" Rose's face squinched slightly at his fuming tone.
"Yeah, like that would have stopped me," she smirked as she haughtily placed her hands on her hips. "Besides, your shouting was carrying across the entire hotel. What's going on with you two?" She gestured between him and me as I slowly rose from the floor.
"Ask him," I motioned to Adrian and tried not to wince at the pain in my side.
Adrian was frantically pacing in circles between Eva and Rose now, his wild gaze looking past them. "Just leave me alone! Alone is where I belong. Alone in the darkness. Away from it all. Alone. Alone. ALONE!" His voice was alternating between anger, crazed, and desperation.
Rose quickly became concerned and she looked at me for an answer. "What happened to him? Adrian, what's going on?" She reached out her hand to soothe him but he jerked away and skittishly started backing up. He shook his head and began speaking in spouts of Russian and French, none of it making any sense. I looked behind him and could see Eva creeping up quietly. Rose continued trying to settle him as Eva inched closer and closer. Adrian was shouting now his eyes fixed on the ceiling like he was looking for some kind of divine sign, then Eva made her move.
She leaped towards him, in what I thought was an attempt to subdue him, but instead, she slipped a thin silver bracelet onto his wrist. Adrian's eyes shot down to his arm and gazed at the trinket. Suddenly his body seemed to relax and he blinked a few times to melt the distraught expression away. He looked around the room, taking in his surroundings and plopped down into a nearby chair letting out an exasperated sigh. "I need a drink."
Rose rushed over to his seat and knelt down beside him. "Adrian, are you okay?"
"Hey Little Dhampir. Just peachy, especially now that you're here," he attempted to wiggle his eyebrows, but I could see the exhaustion weighing him down.
"The darkness was taking over your aura. I've never seen it grow that quickly before," Eva explained with a sense of uneasiness to her tone.
Adrian looked over to the silver bracelet again and fiddled with the charm. "Nice trick, Red."
"Have you been using too much magic? Is that what happened at the ball?" I could tell Rose was still worried, but grateful he was back to his normal self.
"No, it wasn't that."
"Then what," Eva probed.
Adrian looked down at his lap, seemingly unsure how to respond. "It's Lissa. I—I saw her," he finally spat out.
My heart dropped, all the blood from my face falling with it. A thousand questions started to race through my mind. He saw her? When? Why didn't he tell us? Where was she now?
"She approached me at the ball. She wanted me to do something for her." He looked up from his lap, his gaze finally meeting mine. "She wanted me to bring her...you."
Eva and Rose's faces turned towards me, waiting for my reaction but nothing came. I was frozen. Stunned still. His words felt like a batch of wet concrete pouring down on me. He began telling us about their conversation, her mannerisms, what she was like, and all I could do was stand there motionless, taking it all in.
"She was able to enter my mind. It was like a Spirit dream, only much stronger. Her magic is growing into something I've never seen or even heard of. When I left the room, I felt fine, but the more I pushed against her request and refused, the more the darkness grew. It was like a compulsion but instead of erasing or altering my memory, my actions were what guided the magic. I lost control and couldn't fight it anymore."
He looked over at me again, this time with regret. "Chris, man I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of that stuff I said. I swear I don't think any of that about your—"
I held my hand up, halting his apology. He gulped, wary of my response. "It's forgotten. I know you didn't mean it. And it's not like it's the first time I've heard it."
He nodded, still somewhat ashamed of his actions but I couldn't offer any other assurance right now. Not when all I could think about was Lissa. "So what do we do? How do we find her?"
Shock snapped across Adrian's face and he practically leaped out of his chair. "What? You can't seriously be considering going to her? It's suicide!"
"No—well not yet at least—but she's always a step ahead of us. Now that we have some small piece of information about what she wants without her knowing, maybe we can use it against her."
He seemed to think this over for a second before responding. "I don't know, she didn't exactly give me an address."
"Can't we use the bond? Rose, you used to find her all the time when she was in trouble." She looked at me with the same shame that Adrian had just worn at my request.
"I can't. She's too powerful. When I'm inside her head, she uses it against me to get information out. It would only lead her to us." She rubbed her arms, trying to banish away some imaginary chill in the room.
"I can help with that."
We simultaneously whipped to Eva. I had almost forgotten she was there. "You can?" My voice was unsure. I had been given so much false hope over the last couple of days, I wasn't sure how much more of it I could take. But it appeared she mistook my uneasiness as doubt in her abilities.
She glared at me with her arms crossed over her chest, her red curls mirroring flames under her fiery stare. "Yes. I can."
RPOV
Songs: Where is my mind by Maxence Cyrin, The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning by Smashing Pumpkins, Far From Home by Mr. Little Jeans
We were all gathered in one of the hotel's parlor rooms, the crackling sound of a freshly made fire becoming the background music to the back and forth arguments of our newfound idea.
"It's risky. There must be a better way," Abe reproached, shaking his head in disapproval.
"Well I don't see you coming up with any other options," Christian's snarky tone emanated. "It's the best chance we have at finding her."
Eddie stood up from one of the sofa's to join their dispute. "What if she finds out about Eva? She's the best shot of getting Lissa restored and we'll be giving away our greatest weapon."
There was truth in everything that was being said, but my worries were stemmed from something entirely different. I wanted to find Lissa just as badly as Christian but was still hesitant to enter her mind.
Each time I saw her as that monster, it was like a little piece of her old self died. Each menacing hiss that rolled off her tongue, each cruel red-eyed stare, her complete lack of empathy and a mind left with only cruel thoughts; all details that were pulling the Lissa I knew further and further away from me.
As I stared into the fire, clinging to its warmth I thought back to the night at Dimitri's house when all of my friends sat around a similar burning blaze sharing stories about how Lissa had touched our lives. I let those memories wrap around me and remind me of the person we were fighting to restore. I kept my back to the room and closed my eyes to drone out the other voices until someone deftly approached behind me.
"What do you want to do, Rose?" Dimitri's low voice spoke quietly but somehow rose above all the others in the room. His hand lightly rested on my shoulder in a comforting gesture and I inhaled the mix of soot and pine as I reveled in that feeling his touch brought me.
I opened my eyes and stared into the fire again for one last boost of confidence before turning to face them. "Christian's right. We should do it."
Dimitri stood beside me in support. I could tell he was still a little skeptical of the idea and worried about what could happen, but he respected me enough to make my own decision and disregarded any objections.
"So, how does it work?" I moved to sit in front of Eva and she adjusted uncomfortably in her seat.
"It's like your Spirit ring, but I'll use slightly less magic so you can break the barrier. I'll start out light and slowly add more as you take the ring off. Once you are inside I can gage how much to use so she can't detect you or get inside your head."
"And is there some kind of fail-safe," Adrian jumped in. "You know, in case it's not working or something goes wrong?"
"It will work," Eva bit back. "But if something happens just put the ring back on her finger and the connection will be cut off." Everyone looked around at each other silently before setting their gazes on the two of us.
"Alright let's get this over with. Besides, what's the worst that could happen right," I attempted to lighten the mood, mirroring something I had told Abe when he invited us to attend the ball. Eva raised an eyebrow and held in whatever reply that was itching to break free.
She held out her hands, palms up, and when I placed mine on top of hers her shoulders stiffened, like my touch was physically harming to her. I was starting to think that her dislike towards me might be stemmed from something other than my attempt to maul her when we first met.
Her brow knitted in concentration and I could feel the tiniest bit of Spirit magic trickling in. It was warm and light combined with a fluttering feeling that reminded me of the excitement you felt before a first kiss or chowing down on a particularly tasty meal.
"Dimitri," she motioned to my hand with her head and he knelt down beside me. "Start taking it off of her but go slow." I bit my lip to hold back on that ripe opening she had just given me and reminded myself to take this seriously. "Rose, once it's off your finger try to tap inside her mind." He nodded in response and moved his hand to mine. He hovered over it for a moment and looked at me with his soft brown eyes, silently questioning if it was alright. I mimicked his nod and swallowed, anticipating his touch. Dimitri gently placed his calloused fingers on mine and slowly began tugging at my ring, one finger softly tracing the path along my skin behind it. The sensation caused that fluttering to intensify and my breaths became heavy with my rising pulse.
I looked away from his touch and concentrated on searching for Lissa. Eva's eyes were closed and her head was down as she put more effort into her magic. I felt the cool surface of the ring brush my fingertip and knew it was now or never. As soon as it left my finger completely, my shoulders jolted in place and my vision snapped into another scene.
Her footsteps were fast paced and determined. I could see flashes of burgundy heels and black tights. It was almost like a camera lens opening and closing, black shutters snapping shut in between scenes. She looked to her right and left and I could see the same bulky Strigoi from her meeting with Grigory, Nikolai I think was his name, and a few others of her entourage.
Eva pushed a little more magic in and my vision sharpened as they continued down some carpeted steps. "I can see them," I voiced to the others. "They're in some kind of mansion or something."
Lissa's perfectly manicured hands pushed through a pair of heavy-set double doors and I shuddered at the memory of that crystal bottle of nail polish as the others followed behind her. I couldn't feel her as strongly as before but could tell she was annoyed. They all convened around a desk in the center of an ornate office and started to bicker.
"We aren't moving fast enough. We need more progress." Lissa kept her gaze down at some of the papers strewn across the desk while a man's irritating voice spoke out.
"Last night was just the first step," she calmly replied. "Seeds have been planted". She turned her back from the desk and looked at an adjacent wall covered in an array of classic paintings. One in particular peaked my interest and she made her way towards it. I had seen it before. The Lady of Shalott. It was one of Lissa's mother's favorite paintings. The story behind it was tragic, to say the least, but Rhea somehow still found beauty in it.
"And by the moon the reaper weary, piling sheaves in uplands airy," she murmured the somber sonnet to herself as the others continued to squabble. The memories of that painting sent a forlorn twinge into my chest and Lissa began to gradually lift her hand towards the beautiful dame sitting in the wooden boat.
"What's happening," someone in the parlor asked, disrupting my attention.
"They're arguing," I irritably replied. Lissa simultaneously dropped her hand, her interest in the painting subsiding. It was most likely a coincidence, but the sudden disinterest stuck me as strange. I bleakly wondered what her initial draw to the painting was. Could it have been the memory of her mother as well?
I quickly banished that thought as she tilted her head, wondering what the lonely dame would taste like. I could feel Eva pour a little more Spirit into me as my fleeting hopes dwindled. Lissa moved her focus to the intricate details of the painted cloth and suddenly, I could sense a bit of...melancholy. Did Strigoi feel sad?
"If you weren't so concerned with your little pet, we would be miles ahead by now," that same irritating voice called out to her. Lissa whipped her head around, letting out a threatening hiss. When her sites landed on the owner of the insult, I took a sharp inhale that stung my throat.
His pale hair seemed to blend into his white skin and his red almond eyes sat almost too close together above his perfect nose. A menacing smile grew on his lips, splitting his face in two and I instantly knew. I had seen that smile before—coated in her blood. It was him. The Strigoi that stole her from me.
"He's there," I told the others. "The one that turned her. He's in the room."
"Shut your mouth, Nathan. She's the only one who can truly protect me. If you want the Order's plan to succeed, I. Need. Her." My revulsion at seeing her attacker was quickly redirected as Lissa's sinister voice seeped out.
"And the others," that bastard Nathan questioned. "Those Dhampir rats nearly wrecked our plans."
"Adrian and Rose are the priority and Christian is the key to getting them here. The rest you can do with as you wish." Lissa wafted her hand noncommittally as if their lives were meaningless.
"Don't toy with me, Princess. I know you have other plans for the Ozera boy. Maybe I should make him my little pet to put you back in your place." Nathan twirled his fingers in the air and licked his fangs.
Without warning, Nikolai darted across the room and landed his huge form on top of Nathan. The blonde Strigoi clawed at the giant's elbow pinning his neck, his back and head crushed against the desk. "Tsk tsk tsk Nathan. When will you learn," Lissa cooed. "My place is, and always will be that crushing feeling against your throat."
Lissa smiled and giggled at the show before her. As much as it pleased me to see Nathan suffer, a small tear rolled down my cheek before I could muster the strength to stop it. Seeing my sweet, once selfless best friend turn into a malicious, unfeeling beast was quickly weighing on me and I wasn't sure how much more I could take.
As the droplet fell from my face, I felt Eva's hand suddenly let go. Panic threatened to rear its head, but before I could react, her hand was instantly replaced with a larger, rougher one in its place. Soothing warmth spread up my arm and into my chest. My breathing steadied and my limbs pulsed with a sweet burn.
Lissa's laughing began to fade and her vengeful smile slowly retreated. Dimitri gave my hand a tight squeeze and as I squeezed back relief and comfort washed over me. Lissa backed away from the table and clutched her chest. She looked around at the others in the room with uncertainty before shouting at them to get out. "Leave, all of you!" She waved Nikolai away from Nathan, and he too exited the room.
"What's happening," she said to herself and I let out an astonished gasp.
Just then, a cool, slick feeling brushed over my finger and I was pulled back into the parlor. I looked up to see Dimitri and Eva still holding on to me. Upon realizing I was no longer with Lissa, Eva dropped her hand, but Dimitri's remained for a moment longer.
"Are you okay," Eddie asked.
"What happened," chimed in Chris.
I looked at Eva, still in a state of stupor hoping she could shed some light. She just nodded at me with a similar look letting me know what I was about to say wasn't entirely as crazy as I thought it was. "I think," I started. "I think she can feel."
The room went silent. I expected someone to speak up, but they all seemed to have simultaneously gone mute. They just stared at me blankly like stupefied statues.
Then the questions came.
"Wh-what?"
"How?"
"Like physical touch?"
"No, like emotions you idiot."
"Are you sure?"
"How is that even possible?"
"What did she do?"
I was starting to get whiplash as I looked to each of them to answer before another question blurted out. "Blagh! One at a time!" I threw my hands up and waved at them to stop.
"Tell us from the beginning, what exactly happened," Abe calmly directed.
I explained her interest in the painting and the combination of feelings that mirrored my own all the way to the end when she could feel the comfort I received, leaving out the full details of how much that gesture really affected me. I promptly ignored the suspicious smirk Eva gave me. I wasn't sure how much she could see or feel at the moment it happened, but I didn't really want to find out. "I think it had something to do with the bond not being so open on her side. She was getting a taste of what she can do to me, but reversed."
"Do you think it's something you can control," Adrian asked.
I finally looked to Eva, hoping she could shed some light, but she just ducked further back into her seat with her arms crossed. "I don't know," I doubtfully responded. "But one thing's for sure. I know where they are."
This piqued Christian's interest and he moved closer to the couch, silently begging me to tell him more with his pleading crystal blue eyes. "That painting was Lissa's mother's. She used to have it in their house back in Montana but moved it to the Dragomir family home in Paris after Lissa and I accidentally put a chip in the frame when we knocked it off the wall. The one she was looking at tonight had the same tiny chip in the right corner. I guess her mom never got around to fixing it." I don't know why I didn't think of it before. She had gone to a similar place back in Russia, but I guess some selfish part of me hoped that she hadn't tainted yet another legacy home with vile Strigoi dealings.
"Abe, do you think you can find the address," Christian turned to him with excitement. Zmey pulled his phone out and made his way into the other room to place a call. After about an hour of more questions from my friends, Abe reappeared and told us his contact was working out the details and would be in touch with him first thing in the morning. Since it seemed like none of us really got any sleep the previous night, we decided to make our way to our rooms and try to rest up.
I laid down trying to fall asleep but just as this morning, the bed was too soft. I couldn't stop thinking about how I saw the tiniest flashes of the old Lissa tonight. It was like she was trapped somewhere inside that monster, waiting to break free. She felt my reminiscence, my sadness, my reassurance, and contentment. When Dimitri's hand reached out to mine, that glowing warmth in my chest started to melt her cold heart and I could almost feel her coming back to me.
I thought back to that visit at Mark and Oksana's and realization suddenly struck me. What Mark said to me outside was right. I had been fighting my feelings this whole time, pushing Dimitri away from me—afraid that by letting him in again I would be betraying Lissa's memory—when in actuality his trust and comfort were helping the both of us more than anything imaginable.
His love had saved me from the darkness that day in the cabin, and his friendship now was saving the both of us all over again.
Before I knew what was happening I was out of my bed and walking down the hotel's dark hallway. I wasn't sure where I was going as my thoughts continued to spiral until I found myself standing in front of Dimitri's door.
I tested the handle, surprised to find it unlocked and carefully pushed the door open. His room was dark but my heightened vision allowed me to see everything inside. It was slightly smaller than mine but had a huge window lining the far wall that seemed to engulf the room. Everything was perfectly in place, no clothes lazily strewn across the furniture or any other sign that there was someone staying here. I briefly wondered if I had the right room until I detected the faintest hint of his aftershave. I quietly shut the door and stepped in to look around for him. I finally laid eyes on the bed to see Dimitri laying there but like me, he wasn't asleep. He slowly sat up, letting the sheets fall down his bare torso.
I stood in place across the room, unsure what to say. He looked at me for another moment with that same tenderness and passion that never really left him. Without a word, his right hand moved to grab the edge of his sheet and lifted a portion of it up in invitation. As always, he knew just what I needed without us even having to speak. I silently walked over to the bed and climbed in under his arm. He dropped the sheet over me and began turning away to face the opposite direction like we slept in Baia; but I caught his arm and pulled him back to me, my fingertips lighting up under his touch. Without resistance or hesitation, he let me wrap his arm around me then pulled my back flush against his chest.
I indulgently inhaled the scent from his pillow and let out a soft sigh as my eyes fluttered shut. Dimitri tucked his face into my hair and I let the steady beat of his heart against my back send me into a deep sleep.
A/N: I am so happy an opportunity arose to finally use Far From Home by Mr. Little Jeans. I listened to that song so many times while reading Blood Promise and it kills me. So Romitri!
I know things have been moving a little more slowly these past few chapters, but with all the POVs that tends to happen. Lots of big things coming up that will kick the pace into high gear.
Fun fact: there are actually several famous portraits of The Lady of Shalott derived from Tennyson's poem, but the one Lissa/Rose were looking at is by John William Waterson. In case any of you were curious ;).