Ivan passed the book over to Christian who took a deep breath before opening it
TWENTY-TWO
"HEAL YOU?" Heal him? My thoughts echoed hers. "You're the only way," he said patiently. "The only way to cure this disease. I've been watching you for years, waiting until I was certain." Lissa shook her head.
"Then how did he find out about her in the first place?" Tatiana demanded, as she nor anyone on her council ever suspected Lissa's abilities
"I can't…no. I can't do anything like that." "Your healing powers are incredible. No one has any idea just how powerful." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Come now, Vasilisa. I know about the raven—Natalie saw you do it.
"Okay that explains it," Tatiana shook her head. Dimitri and Ivan just shook their heads they really hated being wright in this instance
She'd been following you. And I know how you healed Rose." She realized the pointlessness of denying it. "That…was different. Rose wasn't that hurt. But you…I can't do anything about Sandovsky‟s Syndrome." "Not that hurt?" he laughed. "I'm not talking about her ankle—which was still impressive. I'm talking about the car accident. Because you're right, you know. Rose didn't get "that hurt.‟ She died."
That shocked everyone. No-one knew what to say
"He must be wrong, right?" Janine asked looking around the room worried
"He must, but if he isn't then could that be how the bond was formed between the two girls?" Abe asked looking around the room. Only Yeva nodded and looked at the book
He let the words sink in. "That's…no. She lived," Lissa finally managed. "No. Well, yes, she did. But I read all the reports. There was no way she should have survived—especially with so many injuries. You healed her. You brought her back." He sighed, half wistful and half weary. "I'd suspected you could do this for so long, and I tried so hard to repeat it…to see how much you could control…" Lissa caught on and gasped.
"He's sick," Christian shook his head not understanding how someone would do that
"The animals. It was you." "With Natalie's help." "Why would you do that? How could you?" "Because I had to know. I have only a few more weeks to live, Vasilisa. If you can truly bring back the dead, then you can cure Sandovsky‟s. I had to know before I took you away that you could heal at will and not just in moments of panic."
"But if she can heal him why didn't he just ask her. Why go through all the trouble of kidnapping her?" Janine shook her head worried.
"Perhaps because he would need her to heal him constantly, not just one time." Ivan said worried
"Why take me at all?" A spark of anger flared up in her. "You're my near-uncle. If you wanted me to do this—if you really think I can…" Her voice and feelings showed me she didn't really entirely believe she could heal him. "Then why kidnap me? Why didn't you just ask?" "Because it's not a onetime affair. It took a long time to figure out what you are, but I managed to acquire some of the old histories…scrolls kept out of Moroi museums. When I read about how wielding spirit works—"
"Wielding what?" Tatiana shook her head
"Wielding what?" "Spirit. It's what you've specialized in." "I haven't specialized in anything! You're crazy." "Where else do you think these powers of yours have come from? Spirit is another element, one few people have any more."
"That explains why no-one ever thought that she specialized," Adrian said intrigued with the concept
Lissa's mind was still reeling from the kidnapping and the possible truth that she'd brought me back from the dead. "That doesn't make any sense. Even if it wasn't common, I still would have heard of another element! Or of someone having it." "No one knows about spirit anymore. It's been forgotten. When people do specialize in it, nobody realizes it. They think the person simply hasn't specialized at all." "Look, if you're just trying to make me feel—" She abruptly cut herself off. She was angry and afraid, but behind those emotions, her higher reasoning had been processing what he'd said about spirit users and specializing. It now caught up with her. "Oh my God. Vladimir and Ms. Karp." He gave her a knowing look.
"Well that is a good and terrible thing at the same time," Dimitri said worried. Of those two were the expectation to what will become of Lissa, then she was in for a rough time
"You've known about this all along." "No! I swear. It's just something Rose was looking into…She said they were like me…"
"Looks like she was right," Abe smiled, proud of his daughter
Lissa was starting to change from a little scared to all scared. The news was too shocking. "They are like you. The books even say Vladimir was "Full of spirit.‟ " Victor seemed to find that funny. Seeing that smile made me want to slap him. "I thought…" Lissa still wanted him to be wrong. The idea of not specializing was safer than specializing in some freakish element.
All the moroi's in the room nodded agreeing with the book
"I thought that meant, like, the Holy Spirit." "So does everyone else, but no. It's something else entirely. An element that's within all of us. A master element that can give you indirect control over the others." Apparently my theory about her specializing in all the elements wasn't so far off.
"Okay she was really on the mark with the theories with Lissa and her powers," Christian shook his head amazed at how right Rose was with the few things she had learned
She worked hard to get a grip on this news and her own self-control. "That doesn't answer my question. It doesn't matter if I have this spirit thing or whatever. You didn't have to kidnap me." "Spirit, as you've seen, can heal physical injuries. Unfortunately, it's only good on acute injuries. Onetime things. Rose's ankle.
"That was his fault," Abe glared at the book, he didn't care that Victor was sickly, he hurt his daughter and that made him fair game
The accident wounds. For something chronic—say, a genetic disease like Sandovsky‟s—continual healings are required. Otherwise it will keep coming back. That's what would happen to me. I need you, Vasilisa. I need you to help me fight this and keep it away. So I can live."
"That still doesn't explain why he needed to kidnap her," Tatiana shook her head.
"Perhaps Lissa's depression and cutting has to do with her using her powers?" Ivan shook her head worried for the two girls
"That still doesn't explain why you took me," she argued. "I would have helped you if you'd asked." "They never would have let you do it. The school. The council. Once they got over the shock of finding a spirit user, they'd get hung up on ethics. After all, how does one choose who gets to be healed? They'd say it wasn't fair. That it was like playing God.
"That makes sense," everyone said at the same time before slightly glaring at Tatiana
Or else they'd worry about the toll it'd take on you."
"She then defiantly shouldn't be using her powers," Tatiana shook her head, everyone agreed with that
She flinched, knowing exactly what toll he referred to. Seeing her expression, he nodded. "Yes. I won't lie to you. It will be hard. It will exhaust you—mentally and physically. But I must do it. I am sorry. You'll be provided with feeders and other entertainments for your services." She leapt from the chair. Ben immediately stepped forward and pushed her back into it. "And then what? Are you going to just make me a prisoner here? Your own private nurse?"
"That's horrible. I never thought that he would be able to do anything like that," Tatiana shook her head not believing that Victor would do something like that.
"That also explains why he was so nice to the girls," Karolina shook her head
He made that annoying open-palmed gesture again. "I'm sorry. I have no choice." White-hot anger blasted away the fear inside of her. She spoke in a low voice. "Yes. You don't have the choice, because this is me we're talking about." "It's better for you this way. You know how the others turned out. How Vladimir spent the last of his days stark, raving mad. How Sonya Karp had to be taken away.
"That is horrible." Olena shook her head
"But Vladimir had a bond with Anna, perhaps that is why he stayed sane longer then Miss Karp," Ivan said thinking out loud
The trauma you've experienced since the accident comes from more than just your family's loss. It's from using spirit. The accident woke the spirit in you; your fear over seeing Rose dead made it burst out, allowing you to heal her. It forged your bond. And once it's out, you can't put it back. It's a powerful element—but it's also dangerous. Earth users get their power from the earth, air users from the air. But spirit? Where do you think that comes from?"
"Wild guess, it comes from the spirt," Sonja shook her head
She glared. "It comes from you, from your own essence. To heal another, you must give part of yourself. The more you do that, the more it will destroy you over time. You must be noticing that already. I've seen how much certain things upset you, how fragile you are." "I'm not fragile," snapped Lissa. "And I'm not going to go crazy. I'm going to stop using spirit before things get worse." He smiled. "Stop using it? You might as well stop breathing. Spirit has its own agenda…You'll always have the urge to help and heal. It's part of you. You resisted the animals, but you didn't think twice about helping Rose. You can't even help compulsion—which spirit also gives you special strength in. And that's how it will always be. You can't avoid spirit. Better to stay here, in isolation, away from further sources of stress.
"Well that is rather stressful situation," Adrian rolled his eyes,
"Plus he is forgetting Rose, he has no idea what that girl will do for the ones she love," Yeva shook her head
"What do you mean mom," Olena asked as she saw the look on her mother's face
"You will see," Olena said looking at Dimitri and tilting her head slightly like she was trying to figure something out.
You'd either have become increasingly unstable at the Academy, or they would have put you on some pill that would have made you feel better but stunted your power."
"See there is a solution for her," Tatiana said happy that there was solution for Lissa. Everyone ells were also pleased that Lissa would be okay
A calm core of confidence settled inside her, one very different from what I'd observed over the last couple of years. "I love you, Uncle Victor, but I'm the one who has to deal with that and decide what to do. Not you. You're making me give up my life for yours. That's not fair." "It's a matter of which life means more. I love you too. Very much. But the Moroi are falling apart. Our numbers are dropping as we let the Strigoi prey upon us.
"Well he's not wrong," Christian and Abe said at the same time. Tatiana just glared at the two
We used to actively seek them out. Now Tatiana and the other leaders hide away. They keep you and your peers isolated. In the old days, you were trained to fight alongside your guardians! You were taught to use magic as a weapon.
"Hate to say it but I agree with him on that," Ivan and Christian nodded. hell even Adrian agreed with them, not that he would go and fight with his powers but he was willing to help
Not any longer. We wait. We are victims." As he stared off, both Lissa and I could see how caught up in his passion he was. "I would have changed that if I were king. I would have brought about a revolution the likes of which neither Moroi nor Strigoi have ever seen. I should have been Tatiana's heir. She was ready to name me before they discovered the disease, and then she would not. If I were cured…if I were cured, I could take my rightful place…"
"And does he not think we would as questions about his sudden recovery," Tatiana shook her head.
"He wasn't thinking that far ahead, or he simply thought you were idiots," Adrian chuckled at the look on Tatiana's face
His words triggered something inside of Lissa, a sudden consideration for the state of the Moroi. She'd never contemplated what he'd said, about how different it might be if Moroi and their guardians fought side by side to rid the world of the Strigoi and their evil. It reminded her of Christian and what he'd said about using magic as a weapon too.
Tatiana shook her head, while Christian smiled happy that Lissa seemed to be agreeing with him
But even if she did appreciate Victor's convictions, neither of us thought it was worth what he wanted her to do. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry for you. But please don't make me do this." "I have to." She looked him straight in the eye. "I won't do it." He inclined his head, and someone stepped forward from the corner. Another Moroi. No one I knew. Walking around behind Lissa, he untied her hands. "This is Kenneth." Victor held his hands out toward her free ones. "Please, Vasilisa. Take my hands. Send the magic through me just as you did with Rose." She shook her head. "No." His voice was less kindly when he spoke again. "Please. One way or another, you will heal me. I'd rather it be on your terms, not ours."
"He wouldn't torcher her would he?" Olena said worried for Lissa
"Well I never thought he would be able to kidnap her but he's surprising is all, so anything I possible," Tatiana said not liking the idea that Victor could do something like that.
She shook her head again. He made a slight gesture toward Kenneth. And that's when the pain started. Lissa screamed. I screamed. In the SUV, Dimitri's grip on the wheel jerked in surprise, making us veer. Casting me an alarmed look, he started to pull over. "No, no! Keep going!" I pressed my palms to my temples. "We have to get there!" From behind my seat, Alberta reached forward and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Rose, what's happening?" I blinked back tears. "They're torturing her…with air.
That got the book a lot of glares. No-one liked the idea of the two girls being tortured like that
This guy…Kenneth…he's making it press against her…into her head. The pressure's insane. It feels like my—her—skull's gonna explode." I started sobbing. Dimitri looked at me out of the corner of his eye and pressed the gas pedal down harder.
'Aww he does love her,' Ivan thought as he looked at his friend who looked worried as well.
Kenneth didn't stop with just the physical force of air. He also used it to affect her breathing. Sometimes he'd smother her with it; other times he'd take it all away and leave her gasping. After enduring all that firsthand—and it was bad enough secondhand—I felt pretty confident I would have done anything they wanted. And finally, she did.
"Thank goodness for that," everyone let out a breath of relieve. They hated the idea that Lissa would heal him but they were happy she wasn't being torched as well
Hurting and bleary-eyed, Lissa took Victor's hands. I'd never been in her head when she worked magic and didn't know what to expect. At first, I felt nothing. Just a sense of concentration. Then…it was like…I don't even know how to describe it. Color and light and music and life and joy and love…so many wonderful things, all the lovely things that make up the world and make it worth living in. Lissa summoned up all of those things, as many as she could, and sent them into Victor. The magic flowed through both of us, brilliant and sweet. It was alive.
"It's her life," Olena shook her head shocked that anyone would want to steel someone else's life for their self's
It was her life. And as wonderful as it all felt, she was growing weaker and weaker. But as all of those elements—bound by the mysterious spirit element—flowed into Victor, he grew stronger and stronger. The change was startling. His skin smoothed, no longer wrinkled and pocked. The gray thinning hair filled out, turning dark and lustrous once more. The green eyes—still jade like—sparkled again, turning alert and lively. He'd become the Victor she remembered from her childhood.
"That is amazing," everyone said shocked. Most hated Victor now but they couldn't deny that Lissa's effect on him was amazing
Exhausted, Lissa passed out. In the SUV, I tried to relate what was happening. Dimitri's face grew darker and darker, and he spat out a string of Russian swear words he still hadn't taught me the meanings of.
"Why do I get the feeling she is going to learn what they are on her own?" Dimitri smiled while shaking his head
"Well she seems to figure everything ells out as well. S that is a natural conclusion," Olena smiled
When we were a quarter mile from the cabin, Alberta made a call on her cell phone, and our whole convoy pulled over. All of the guardians—more than a dozen-got out and stood huddled, planning strategy. Someone went ahead to scout and returned with a report on the number of people inside and outside of the cabin. When the group seemed ready to disperse, I started to get out of the car. Dimitri stopped me. "No, Roza. You stay here."
Abe and Janine glared at him again for the use of Roza, they really hated the name now because it reminded them about what had happened in the previous chapter. While the Belikov and Ivan were very happy that Dimitri was still calling Rose that.
"The hell with that. I have to go help her." He cupped my chin with his hands, fixing me with his eyes.
Abe and Janine glared at Dimitri who just remembered who he was dealing with. He had forgot that Abe was known as Zmey and Janine was a well know guardian.
"You have helped her. Your job is done. You did it well. But this isn't any place for you. She and I both need you to stay safe."
"You are way too sweet," Karolina smiled at her brother
Only the realization that arguing would delay the rescue kept me quiet. Swallowing back any protests, I nodded. He nodded back and joined the others. All of them slipped off into the woods, blending with the trees. Sighing, I kicked the passenger seat back and lay down. I was so tired. Even though the sun poured through the windshield, it was night for me. I'd been up for most of it, and a lot had happened in that time. Between the adrenaline of my own role and sharing Lissa's pain, I could have passed out just like she had. Except that she was awake now.
"Thank goodness for that," Alberta let out a breath of relieve
Slowly, her perceptions dominated mine once more. She lay on a couch in the cabin. One of Victor's henchmen must have carried her there after she'd fainted. Victor himself—alive and well now, thanks to his abuse of her—stood in the kitchen with the others as they all spoke in low voices about their plans. Only one stood near Lissa, keeping watch.
"He was not very smart, she could just compel him and then she's out of there," Adrian shook his head
"He probably thought she would be out longer," Dimitri said worried
He'd be easy to take down when Dimitri and the Badass Team burst inside. Lissa studied the lone guardian and then glanced at a window beside the couch. Still dizzy from the healing, she managed to sit up. The guardian turned around, watching her warily. She met his eyes and smiled. "You're going to stay quiet no matter what I do," she told him. "You aren't going to call for help or tell anyone when I leave. Okay?" The thrall of compulsion slid over him. He nodded in agreement.
"See, she is getting good at his," Adrian said impressed.
"And that could have been another reason why you needed to take Rose along, she could have told you that Lissa was planning on escaping," Abe said glaring at Dimitri
"But that would have placed her in more danger," Dimitri said and he saw the glare on Abe's face slightly dissipate
Moving toward the window, she unlocked it and slid the glass up. As she did, a tumble of considerations played through her mind. She was weak. She didn't know how far from the Academy—from anything, really—she was. She had no clue how far she could get before someone noticed. But she also knew she might not get another chance at escape. She had no intention of spending the rest of her life in this cabin in the woods.
"Good thing Rose taught her to fight and how to run." Ivan said happy that Lissa had picked up a few things from Rose
At any other time, I would have cheered on her boldness, but not this time. Not when all those guardians were about to save her. She needed to stay put. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear my advice. Lissa climbed out the window, and I swore out loud. "What? What'd you see?" asked a voice behind me. I jerked up from my reclining position in the car, banging my head on the ceiling. Glancing behind me, I found Christian peering up from the cargo space behind the farthest backseats.
"You two were really too alike," Adrian smiled shaking his head as he chuckled. Christian just glared at him.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "What's it look like? I'm a stowaway." "Don't you have a concussion or something?" He shrugged like it didn't matter. What a great pair he and Lissa were. Neither afraid to take on crazy feats while seriously injured.
"Rose is just like that," Victoria chuckled
Still, if Kirova had made me stay behind, I would have been right beside him in the back. "What's happening?" he asked. "Did you see something new? Hastily, I told him. I also got out of the car as I spoke. He followed. "She doesn't know our guys are already coming for her. I'm going to go get her before she kills herself with exhaustion." "What about the guardians? The schools, I mean. Are you going to tell them she's gone?" I shook my head. "They're probably already busting down the cabin's door. I'm going after her."
"And why do I get the feeling that Christian is going to go along with her," Sonja chuckled shaking her head.
"Either he going along, or Rose is going to drag him along," Alberta smiled
She was somewhere off to the right side of the cabin. I could head in that direction but wouldn't be able to get very precise until I was much closer to her. Still, it didn't matter. I had to find her. Seeing Christian's face, I couldn't resist giving him a dry smile. "And yeah, I know. You're going with me."
"See," Alberta smirked. Christian closed the book and held it up
"Past it here," Ivan said when he saw that no-one wanted to take the book. Abe and Janine knew if they got the book and they read something they didn't like, they would harm the book. Alberta wanted to be ready protect Dimitri because she had a sneaky suspicion that things between him and Rose was just going to get worst. And Abe and Janine weren't going to be able to hold themselves back if things got more heated. Adrian just wanted to sit back and watch the show. The Belikov girls were also ready to jump in front of Dimitri to protect him
~~~~
Let's hope you survives the books," Ivan smiled at Dimitri who just glared at him
TWENTY-THREE
I‟D NEVER HAD SO MUCH trouble staying out of Lissa's head before, but then, we'd never been through anything like this together either. The strength of her thoughts and feelings kept trying to pull me in as I hurried through the forest.
"That could also be because Rose is tired, her mental defenses would be weaker." Abe said worried, he was not fond of the situation Rose was in. it would be too easy for her to get hurt
Running through the brush and woods, Christian and I moved farther and farther from the cabin. Man, how I wished Lissa had stayed back there. I would have loved to see the raid through her eyes. But that was behind us now, and as I ran, Dimitri's push on laps and stamina paid off.
"But that run must have been hell for Christian," Abe said looking at the young boy.
She wasn't moving very quickly, and I could feel the distance closing between us, giving me a more precise idea of her location. Likewise, Christian couldn't keep up with me.
"Perhaps I could start training with Dimitri. I'm sure if I asked he would help me," Christian whispered tapping his chin. Adrian looked at him and smiled
I started to slow for him but soon realized the foolishness of that. So did he. "Go," he gasped out, waving me on. When I reached a point close enough to her that I thought she could hear me, I called out her name, hoping to get her to turn around. Instead, what answered me was a set of howls
"They really can't get a break can they?" Olena shook her head
—a soft canine baying. Psi-hounds. Of course. Victor had said he hunted with them; he could control those beasts. I suddenly understood why no one at school recalled sending psi-hounds after Lissa and me in Chicago. The Academy hadn't arranged that; Victor had.
"Well that should have been a dead giveaway," Alberta shook her head. So many of the things in the book made sense now, but why had they not seen if before
A minute later, I reached a clearing where Lissa cringed, back against a tree. From her looks and bond feelings, she should have fainted long ago. Only the barest scraps of willpower kept her hanging on. Wide-eyed and pale, she stared in horror at the four psi-hounds cornering her. Noticing the full sunlight, it occurred to me that she and Christian had another obstacle to contend with out here. "Hey," I yelled at the hounds, trying to draw them toward me.
All the guardians nodded approving of how Rose acted, even if they hated the idea of her placing herself in danger.
Victor must have sent them to trap her, but I hoped they'd sense and respond to another threat—especially a dhampir.
"They are animals so they should act accordingly," Janine and Alberta said at the same time
Psi-hounds didn't like us any better than other animals did. Sure enough, they turned on me, teeth bared and drool coming out of their mouths. They resembled wolves, only with brown fur and eyes that glowed like orange fire. He'd probably ordered them not to harm her, but they had no such instructions regarding me. Wolves. Just like in science class. What had Ms. Meissner said? A lot of confrontations were all about willpower? Bearing this mind, I tried to project an alpha attitude, but I don't think they fell for it.
"Well she was also probably about to pass out so that was natural," Dimitri nodded
"And they aren't wolves," Ivan added
Any one of them outweighed me. Oh yeah—they also outnumbered me. No, they didn't have anything to be scared of. Trying to pretend this was just a free-for-all match with Dimitri, I picked up a branch from the ground that had about the same heft and weight as a baseball bat.
Everyone chuckled at that
I'd just positioned it in my hands when two of the hounds jumped me. Claws and teeth bit into me, but I held my own surprisingly well as I tried to remember everything I'd learned in the last two months about fighting bigger and stronger opponents. I didn't like hurting them. They reminded me too much of dogs.
"And that is why he drilled in the thought not to hesitate," Alberta and Janine said at the same time. They just hoped that both girls would make it out alive
But it was me or them, and survival instincts won out. One of them I managed to beat to the ground, dead or unconscious I didn't know. The other was still on me, still coming on fast and furious. His companions looked ready to join him, but then a new competitor burst on the scene—sort of. Christian.
"Good, but what would be able to do," Adrian asked looking at Christian skeptically
"Get out of here," I yelled at him, shaking off my hound as its claws ripped into the bare skin of my leg, nearly toppling me over. I was still wearing the dress, though I'd shed the heels a while ago. But Christian, like any lovesick guy, didn't listen. He picked up a branch as well and swung it at one of the hounds. Flames burst from the wood.
"Okay that would help," everyone said at the same time
The hound backed up, still compelled to follow Victor's orders, though also clearly afraid of the fire. Its companion, the fourth hound, circled away from the torch and came up behind Christian. Smart little bastard.
"Not good," everyone said at the same time
It sprang at Christian, hitting him back first. The branch flew from his hands, the fire immediately going out. Both hounds then leapt onto his fallen form. I finished my hound—again feeling sick over what I had to do to subdue it—and moved toward the other two, wondering if I had the strength to take on these last ones. But I didn't have to.
"Thank goodness for that," Alberta and Dimitri said at the same time. Everyone relaxed in their seats happy that the kids would be save
Rescue appeared in the form of Alberta, emerging through some trees. With a gun in hand, she shot the hounds without hesitation. Boring as hell perhaps—and completely useless against Strigoi—but against other things? Guns were tried and true.
"Thank you," Abe and Janine said at the same time, nodding at Alberta who just smiled back at them
The hounds stopped moving and slumped next to Christian's body. And Christian's body… All three of us made our way over to it—Lissa and I practically crawling. When I saw it, I had to look away. My stomach lurched, and it took a lot of effort not to throw up. He wasn't dead yet, but I didn't think he had much longer.
"Sorry bud," Adrian patted Christian's back with sympathy
Lissa's eyes, wide and distraught, drank him in. Tentatively, she reached out toward him and then dropped her hand. "I can't," she managed in a small voice. "I don't have the strength left." Alberta, leathery face both hard and compassionate, gently tugged her arm. "Come on, Princess. We need to get out of here. We'll send help." Turning back to Christian, I forced myself to look at him and let myself feel how much Lissa cared about him. "Liss," I said hesitantly. She looked over at me, like she'd forgotten I was even there. Wordlessly, I brushed my hair away from my neck and tilted it toward her.
That shocked everyone, Christian the most. Everyone knew that Rose didn't like him and they never thought that she would do that for Christian
She stared for a moment, blank-faced; then understanding shone in her eyes. Those fangs that lurked behind her pretty smile bit into my neck, and a small moan escaped my lips. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it, that sweet, wonderful pain followed by glorious wonder. Bliss settled over me. Dizzying. Joyful. Like being in a dream. I don't entirely remember how long Lissa drank from me. Probably not that long. She would never even consider drinking the quantities that would kill a person and make her a Strigoi. She finished,
Abe and Janine relaxed again. Dimitri just sat back in his seat. He didn't know how to feel, he was proud of Rose for doing that for her best friend, but the idea of someone drinking from Rose still bothered him a lot
and Alberta caught me as I started to sway. Dizzily, I watched as Lissa leaned over Christian and rested her hands on him. In the distance, I heard the other guardians crashing through the forest. No glowing or fireworks surrounded the healing. It all took place invisibly, occurring between Lissa and Christian. Even though the bites endorphins had numbed my connection to her, I remembered Victor's healing and the wonderful colors and music she must be bringing forth. A miracle unfolded before my eyes, and Alberta gasped. Christian's wounds closed. The blood dried up. Color—as much as a Moroi ever had, at least—returned to his cheeks. His eyelids fluttered, and his eyes regained their life again. Focusing on Lissa, he smiled.
"Well that is good," Tatiana said not really sure how she felt, she didn't want any of his kind to die, but she was not fond of the boy and she had a feeling he would be getting in her way
It was like watching a Disney movie. I must have keeled over after that, because I don't remember anything else. Eventually, I woke up in the Academy's clinic, where they forced fluids and sugar into me for two days.
"Makes sense," Everyone nodded
Lissa stayed by my side almost the entire time, and slowly, the events of the kidnapping unfolded. We had to tell Kirova and a few choice others about Lissa's powers, how she'd healed Victor and Christian and, well, me. The news was shocking, but the administrators agreed to keep it secret from the rest of the school.
"Smart," Alberta said happy that Lissa would get help and that the entire school wouldn't know
No one even considered taking Lissa away like they had Ms. Karp. Mostly all the other students knew was that Victor Dashkov had kidnapped Lissa Dragomir. They didn't know why. Some of his guardians had died when Dimitri's band attacked—a damned shame, when guardian numbers were so low already.
The guardians sighed sadly.
Victor was now being held under 24/7 guard at the school, waiting for a royal regiment of guardians to carry him away. The Moroi rulers might be a mostly symbolic government within another country's larger government, but they had systems of justice, and I'd heard about Moroi prisons. Not any place I'd want to be. As for Natalie…that was trickier. She was still a minor, but she'd conspired with her father.
"She did the same amount of damage as he, why should she be let of easy," Abe asked shaking his head.
She'd brought in the dead animals and kept an eye on Lissa's behavior—even before we left. Being an earth user like Victor, she'd also been the one to rot the bench that broke my ankle. After she'd seen me hold Lissa back from the dove, she and Victor realized that they needed to injure me to get to her—it was their only chance to get her to heal again. Natalie had simply waited for a good opportunity. She wasn't locked up or anything yet,
"This is not good, who know what their back up plan was," Alberta said worried. She hated the idea that the girls were still in trouble
and the Academy didn't know what to do with her until a royal command came. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was so awkward and self-conscious. Anyone could have manipulated her, let alone her father, whom she loved and from whom she so desperately wanted attention. She would have done anything.
"That is what bothering me," Dimitri said worried.
Rumor said she'd stood screaming outside the detention center, begging them to let her see him. They'd refused and hauled her away. Meanwhile, Lissa and I slipped back into our friendship like nothing had happened.
"All's back to normal for those girls," Alberta said happy that the girls were best friends again
In the rest of her world, a lot had happened. After all that excitement and drama, she seemed to gain a new sense of what mattered to her. She broke up with Aaron. I'm sure she did it very nicely, but it still had to be hard on him. She'd dropped him twice now. The fact that his last girlfriend had cheated on him probably wasn't helping his confidence any.
"Poor guy," Christian and Adrian chuckled
And without any more hesitation, Lissa started dating Christian,
Tatiana glared at Christian
not caring about the consequences to her reputation. Seeing them out in public, holding hands, made me do a double take. He didn't seem able to believe it himself. The rest of our classmates were almost too stunned to even comprehend it yet. They could barely process acknowledging his existence, let alone him being with someone like her.
"That is going to be fun to watch," Christian smiled excited about the future and couldn't wait for Lissa to come back to the school
My own romantic state was less rosy than hers—if you could even call it a romantic state. Dimitri hadn't visited me during my recovery, and our practices were indefinitely suspended. It wasn't until the fourth day after Lissa's kidnapping that I ran into him in the gym.
Everyone sat forward eager to see what Dimitri would do, as this was the only chance he had of saving his live
We were alone. I had come back for my gym bag and froze when I saw him, unable to speak. He started to walk past and then stopped. "Rose…" he began after several uncomfortable moments. "You need to report what happened. With us."
Abe and Janine nodded while everyone ells were just shocked. Tatiana just looked bored
I'd been waiting a long time to talk to him, but this wasn't the conversation I'd imagined. "I can't do that. They'll fire you. Or worse." "They should fire me. What I did was wrong." "You couldn't help it. It was the spell…" "It doesn't matter. It was wrong. And stupid."
"You know that you had no control over the charm right," Victoria said shaking her head at her bother. She couldn't believe that he was being so stupid
Wrong? Stupid? I bit my lip, and tears threatened to fill my eyes. I quickly tried to regain my composure. "Look, it's not a big deal." "It is a big deal! I took advantage of you." "No," I said evenly. "You didn't." There must have been something telling in my voice because he met my eyes with a deep and serious intensity. "Rose, I'm seven years older than you. In ten years, that won't mean so much, but for now, it's huge. I'm an adult. You're a child."
"And he's an idiot," Karolina shook her head. Abe and Janine were agreeing with book Dimitri. While Dimitri just sat there and let everything sink in, he knew his book counterpart was doing the right thing but why did it hurt so much. It took all of Ivan's will power not to close the book and hit Dimitri with it again
Ouch. I flinched. Easier if he'd just punched me. "You didn't seem to think I was a child when you were all over me." Now he flinched. "Just because your body…well, that doesn't make you an adult. We're in two very different places. I've been out in the world. I've been on my own. I've killed, Rose—people, not animals. And you…you're just starting out. Your life is about homework and clothes and dances."
"Really do you have to be so mean to her?" Sonja shook her head. She hated it when her brother got like that
"That's all you think I care about?" "No, of course not. Not entirely. But it's all part of your world. You're still growing up and figuring out who you are and what's important. You need to keep doing that. You need to be with boys your own age." I didn't want boys my own age.
"Who does," Victoria mumbled but everyone heard her
"Don't even think about it," Dimitri and Olena said at the same time looking at Victoria
But I didn't say that. I didn't say anything. "Even if you choose not to tell, you need to understand that it was a mistake. And it isn't ever going to happen again," he added. "Because you're too old for me? Because it isn't responsible?" His face was perfectly blank. "No. Because I'm just not interested in you in that way."
"That is so a lie," all of Dimitri's sister said at the same time. Abe and Janine were happy that Dimitri had done that in the book and relaxed back into their seats
I stared. The message—the rejection—came through loud and clear. Everything from that night, everything I'd believed so beautiful and full of meaning, turned to dust before my eyes. "It only happened because of the spell. Do you understand?" Humiliated and angry, I refused to make a fool of myself by arguing or begging.
Ivan hit Dimitri over the head with his hand.
"What was that for," Dimitri asked rubbing his head
"Oh you know," Ivan said not taking his eyes of the book. He and his friend are seriously going to have a talk about what his book counterpart just did
I just shrugged. "Yeah. Understood." I spent the rest of the day sulking, ignoring both Lissa and Mason's attempts to draw me out of my room. It was ironic that I should want to stay inside. Kirova had been impressed enough by my performance with the rescue to end my house arrest.
"Wow she does have a heart," Christian and Victoria said impressed.
"From time to time," Alberta nodded
Before school the next day, I made my way to where Victor was being held. The Academy had honest-to-goodness cells, complete with bars, and two guardians stood watch in the hallway nearby.
"Why?" Christian asked looking at Alberta
"No idea," Alberta answered
It took a little bit of finagling on my part to get them to let me inside to talk to him. Even Natalie wasn't allowed in. But one of the guardians had ridden with me in the SUV and watched me undergo Lissa's torture. I told him I needed to ask Victor about what he'd done to Lissa. It was a lie, but the guardians bought it and felt sorry for me.
"See now she can you, you suck," Victoria said glaring at her older brother
They allowed me five minutes to speak, backing up a discrete distance down the hall where they could see but not hear. Standing outside Victor's cell, I couldn't believe I'd once felt sorry for him. Seeing his new and healthy body enraged me. He sat cross-legged on a narrow bed, reading. When he heard me approach, he looked up. "Why Rose, what a nice surprise. Your ingenuity never fails to impress me. I didn't think they'd allow me any visitors."
"Can she please punch him," Abe and Ivan begged at the same time
I crossed my arms, trying to put on a look of total guardian fierceness. "I want you to break the spell. Finish it off." "What do you mean?" "The spell you did on me and Dimitri." "That spell is done. It burned itself out." I shook my head. "No. I keep thinking about him. I keep wanting to…" He smiled knowingly when I didn't finish. "My dear, that was already there, long before I set that up."
"We already knew that," Janine shook her head
"It wasn't like this. Not this bad." "Maybe not consciously. But everything else…the attraction—physical and mental—was already in you. And in him.
Abe and Janine glared at Dimitri who just looked away
It wouldn't have worked otherwise. The spell didn't really add anything new—it just removed inhibitions and strengthened the feelings you already had for each other." "You're lying. He said he didn't feel that way about me." "He's lying. I tell you, the spell wouldn't have worked otherwise, and honestly, he should have known better. He had no right to let himself feel that way. You can be forgiven for a schoolgirl's crush. But him? He should have demonstrated more control in hiding his feelings. Natalie saw it and told me.
"You two were seriously that obvious," Adrian chuckled amazed that the entire school didn't know at that point
After just a few observations of my own, it was obvious to me too. It gave me the perfect chance to distract you both. I keyed the necklace's charm for each of you, and you two did the rest." "You're a sick bastard, doing that to me and him. And to Lissa." "I have no regrets about what I did with her," he declared, leaning against the wall. "I'd do it again if I could. Believe what you want, I love my people. What I wanted to do was in their best interest. Now? Hard to say. They have no leader, no real leader.
Tatiana glared at the book
There's no one worthy, really." He cocked his head toward me, considering. "Vasilisa actually might have been such a one—if she could ever have found it within herself to believe in something and overcome the influence of spirit.
"Well that does feel like foreshadowing," Ivan said looking at Dimitri who nodded
It's ironic, really. Spirit can shape someone into a leader and also crush her ability to remain one. The fear, depression, and uncertainty take over, and keep her true strength buried deep within her. Still, she has the blood of the Dragomir's, which is no small thing. And of course, she has you, her shadow-kissed guardian. Who knows? She may surprise us yet."
"Can he please explain what that means?" Abe said worried. He hated the idea that Rose had died when she was 16 and thankfully came back. Why couldn't it end there?
" „Shadow-kissed‟?" There it was again, the same thing Ms. Karp had called me. "You've been kissed by shadows. You've crossed into Death, into the other side, and returned. Do you think something like that doesn't leave a mark on the soul? You have a greater sense of life and the world—far greater than even I have—even if you don't realize it. You should have stayed dead. Vasilisa brushed Death to bring you back and bound you to her forever. You were actually in its embrace, and some part of you will always remember that, always fight to cling to life and experience all it has. That's why you're so reckless in the things you do. You don't hold back your feelings, your passion, your anger. It makes you remarkable. It makes you dangerous."
"Okay that explains a lot actually," Alberta said thinking about how Rose had changed after the accident. It also explained a lot of things from the book as well
I didn't know what to say to that. I was speechless, which he seemed to like. "It's what created your bond, too. Her feelings always press out of her, onto others. Most people can't pick up on them unless she's actually directing her thoughts toward them with compulsion. You, however, have a mind sensitive to extrasensory forces—hers in particular." He sighed, almost happily, and I remembered reading that Vladimir had saved Anna from death. That must have made their bond, too. "Yes, this ridiculous Academy has no idea what they have in either you or her.
"Well we do now," Alberta said looking at the book
"Why is he telling her so much?" Christian asked not understanding why Victor was spilling all of his secrets
"Perhaps he had given up," Tatiana answered
If not for the fact that I needed to kill you, I would have made you part of my royal guard when you were older." "You never would've had a royal guard. Don't you think people would have been weirded out by you suddenly recovering like that? Even if no one found out about Lissa, Tatiana never would have made you king." "You may be right, but it doesn't matter. There are other ways of taking power. Sometimes it's necessary to go outside the established channels.
"Don't like that," Dimitri shook his head, he was wondering why it sounded like Victor was stalling for something
Do you think Kenneth is the only Moroi who follows me? The greatest and most powerful revolutions often start very quietly, hidden in the shadows." He eyed me. "Remember that." Odd sounds came from the detention center's entrance, and I glanced toward where I'd come in.
"Not good," everyone said at the same time
The guardians who had let me in were gone. From around the corner, I heard a few grunts and thumps. I frowned and craned my head to get a better look. Victor stood up. "Finally."
"They did have a backup plan," Alberta said shocked
Fear spiked down my spine—at least until I saw Natalie round the corner.
"Okay what type of plan is that," Adrian shook his head,
Mixed sympathy and anger flitted through me, but I forced a kind smile. She probably wouldn't see her father again once they took him. Villain or no, they should be allowed to say goodbye. "Hey," I said, watching her stride toward me. There was an unusual purpose in her movements that some part of me whispered wasn't right. "I didn't think they'd let you in." Of course, they weren't supposed to have let me in either. She walked right up to me and—no exaggeration—launched me against the far wall.
"How?" Christian and Adrian asked at the same time
"She wouldn't, would she?" Janine asked shocked
"I get a feeling she did," Dimitri said terrified of the idea that Natalie would do that to herself, and to make matters worse Rose was in there with her
My body hit it hard, and black star-bursts danced across my vision. "What?…" I put a hand to my forehead and tried to get up. Unconcerned about me now, Natalie unlocked Victor's cell with a set of keys I'd seen on one of the guardian's belts. Staggering to my feet, I approached her. "What are you doing?" She glanced up at me, and that's when I saw it. The faint ring of red around her pupils.
Adrian and Christian were shocked. No-one said anything, no-one knew what to say
Skin too pale, even for a Moroi. Blood smudged around her mouth. And most telling of all, the look in her eyes. A look so cold and so evil, my heart nearly came to a standstill. It was a look that said she no longer walked among the living—a look that said she was now one of the Strigoi.
"Okay that is just horrible," Ivan said handing the book over to Dimitri who looked about ready to snatch it out of his hands