FROSTBITE -- CHAPTER 1
For the entire month of December, I trained with Dimitri and things were going great without the threat of Victor and Natalie, Mia was not much of a problem rumors and gossip were a pain in the ass yes, but not life-threatening. Now I have another problem. I found out an hour ago that I would be taking my Qualifier exam today. Dimitri originally thought that he wanted me to go on Monday and I am ashamed to admit that I might have had to use a teensy bit of magic on him to change his mind and take me today instead. I have looked at the timelines and this was the only date that made sense. The Badicas would be attacked today and I was going to be there to help stop it. I did confirm it with death too and I had the exact time too, just after sundown. I just needed to stall Dimitri a bit I wanted to save them, there were children there and I wanted to help. This wouldn't change the timeline in any major way, only saving people.
Lissa had been using her magic a bit more than usual and the darkness never lingered in her long, I made sure to take it, but now I was holding onto it for her and I had been dying for a fight. What better way than to kick ass. I had my first molnija mark on the back of my neck already, which was winning me major awesome points with my fellow novices. I did not even have a promise mark yet and my first Strigoi kill under my belt. Even though I felt very guilty about who that Strigoi was. I was going to meet Arthur Schoenburger, I did some research on him and he sounded really badass so it would have been an honor to meet with him, to be graded by him. I did check in with Lissa before I left but she was happy and she wished me luck. I am not going to lie, I was nervous not about the qualifier, or meeting a legend. But about the battle, I was not sure how many Strigoi would be coming. I also was not sure how many guardians there were. The books weren't that detailed. And boy did I read that part a few times, hoping that I would not be surprised by anything. I needed to keep my magic a secret but also not die out there.
I dived back through the bond to make sure that Lissa was fine. She was telling the truth she was calm and happy but I dove far back into her mind and that was when I sensed a knot of dark uneasy feelings. It wasn't consuming her or anything but it had the same feel as her bouts of depression and anger. I tried pushing further inside her to get a better understanding of the emotions and the bond, I had been learning so much about our bond and every day something surprised me and Lissa about it. I could send short messages through the bond to her but it took a lot of concentration to do it and it left us both with a major headache. That was not unusual for Leglimency but since we did not need eye contact it was not a usual practice of that particular skill either. She could still not sense my emotions or see my thoughts but it was enough just to send some message through in need.
I was getting off track now. I dove back into her head and when I went even farther than I ever had a place I have never been in that was when It happened. Worse than the darkness I had been leeching from her over the month. A sickening sort of feeling seized me, and I jerked out of her head. A small shudder ran through my body. I was just glad I was alone at the time. It seemed that I did not get everything there was some hidden and I needed to check more thoroughly later. But for now, I was juiced up on darkness and did not risk taking more. I hurried off across campus and found Dimitri waiting beside a Honda Pilot. "Sorry I am late, just checked in with Lissa. The massive brick building cast long shadows over us, looming like some great beast in the dusky predawn light. Around us, snow was just beginning to fall. I watched the light, flakes drift gently down. Several landed and promptly melted in Dimitri's dark hair. "Who else is going?" I asked him conversationally as I got into the car with him. Dimitri shrugged. "Just you and me." I grinned at him. "How far away is it?" "Five hours." I nodded and checked my watch it was just after 18:00 and we would be there around 12 or midnight, honestly this was still really weird changing night and day but I had to go with the times right?
Dimitri's aftershave filled the car with a clean sharp scent and it was really pleasant to my senses. I was worried about the attack and hoped that the five hours it took us would not be too late. I did memorize what Rose asked Dimitri and I decided to go with her line of questioning. It would seem odd if I just sat there and waited for the trip to be over. "Don't they usually come to the Academy? I mean I am all for the field trip, but why are we going to them?" "Actually, you're just going to him, not them. Since this is a special case and he's doing us the favor, we're the ones making the trip." "Who is he?" "Arthur Schoenberg." I jerked my gaze from the road to Dimitri, I have to admit that I might have practiced that a bit. Had to keep it authentic.
Lame I know, but I had to act the part, fortune telling and knowing what happens in the future was a pain to have, but I bet it would be far worse if people knew I knew what was going to happen. Especially if I don't stop a particular thing from happening. Knowing it was bad enough. "What?" I exclaimed, glad that I researched the man before this trip. He was one of the greatest Strigoi slayers in living guardian history and I sure as hell hoped that I manage to keep him alive a bit more. He used to be head of the Guardian Council -- he eventually retired and went back to protecting one of the royal families. The Badicas. Even retired I knew he was still lethal. His exploits were part of my curriculum. "Wasn't . . . wasn't there anyone else available?" I almost whispered to him. I could see Dimitri hiding a smile. "You'll be fine. Besides, if Art approves of you, that's a great recommendation to have on your record." Then I better make sure that I impress the man thoroughly. I needed the good to outweigh all the bad that I had on my record from before. "The good in your record outweighs the bad," Dimitri said echoing my thoughts. I smiled. "Thanks, Coach," I teased, making myself comfortable on the seat. "I'm here to help," he replied. His voice was light and relaxed -- rare for him.
He was usually wound up tightly, ready for any attack. I felt the same actually it was great to get away from the Academy, away from the responsibility and pressure of being responsible for someone's life. I did not want to make fun of his music, it was not that bad, I was actually born in the 80s originally and as Jasmine Potter the 80s again just 3 years earlier, I had been in the 40s and had to get used to the music there and then I was born in the 90s as Jacqueline Gilbert. So music --well it could have been way worse.
Arthur and the family he protected lived in a small town along I-90, not far from Billings. The general Moroi opinion was split on places to live. Some argued that big cities were the best they allowed vampires to be lost in the crowds; nocturnal activities didn't raise so much attention. Other Moroi like this family opted for less populated towns, believing that if there were fewer people to notice you then you were less likely to be noticed. I did convince Dimitri to stop for food at a twenty-four-hour diner along the way and between that and stopping to buy gas, it was around noon when we arrived. I knew I was stalling a bit, but the Strigoi was going to attack around 1 Am according to death and we still had a little bit of time for the chit-chat.
The house was built in a rambler style, all one level with gray-stained wood siding and big bay windows -- tinted to block sunlight, of course, it looked new and expensive, and even out in the middle of nowhere, it was about what I'd expected for members of a royal family. "Come on Rose," Dimitri opened his door and pointed to the gray house. "Arthur's waiting." I took a deep breath and got out of the car. My eyes traveled as far as I could see, looking for signs of the wards being tampered with, but all was well for now. "Belikov!" A tall and well-muscled man was standing in the doorway, waving us in, "Get in out of the cold."
His voice was soft and kind, something I didn't expect from the world-renowned Strigoi killer. We walked into a small room and cleaned our shoes and then followed Arthur into the dining room. He gestured for us to sit and I automatically obeyed. The man was not only a legend but he held the power to pass or fail me on the Qualifier. His face and arms were lined with scars from the many battles he had been in. It made me wonder if I would ever make it long enough to have that many, I had my fair share of fights and I've only been in this world for 3 months.
"I've heard impressive tales, Miss Hathaway," Arthur leaned forward and stared at me, "all about you. You've gotten quite the reputation." "Can't always believe hearsay." I smiled at him. "It's always exaggerated."
"Modesty," He laughed. "I like that, it is a great trait to have in a guardian. But tell me, Rose, did you really escape the Academy's best guardians for a full year with the Princess without being detected?"
"Yes sir, but they got lucky and found us."
"And did you take down six fully trained guardians, while injured, trying to free the Princess?" Art asked again.
“7.” Dimitri corrected.
Arthur had a glint in his eyes and I could tell this was part of his test.
"Yes, I did, but Dimitri stopped me before I could get to the other five," I told him cheekily and Arthur laughed.
"That's what I liked to hear child. But still, you always have to know when to fight and when not to."
Our conversation was interrupted by a horde of little footsteps. Three small adorable children came running into the room and stopped when they saw the three of us sitting around the table. They were the reason I came here, the reason I risked changing something at the cost of my own life maybe, I really hoped not but I would risk it for them. Children should not suffer such a fate; it was not right.
"What are you three up to?" Art asked them smiling.
"We heard talking," The little girl said as she stared from me to Dimitri. "Are you guardians? Will you be coming to live with us too?"
"Rose is a student at the Academy. She is training to be a guardian. This is her instructor Guardian Belikov. She is taking an important test right now." Art told them.
They were staring at me and Dimitri wide-eyed and I crossed my eyes and poked out my tongue making them break out in a fit of giggles.
"Go on upstairs, you three," Arthur told them kindly. "If you give us a little more time maybe they can play with you a bit." They ran off and my smile fell, nausea rolled in my stomach. The Strigoi was here, right on time. "Are you okay, Rose," Arthur said as he watched my face. I jumped up. "Get everyone to safety." I hissed at Dimitri as I saw headlights in the distance.
"Strigoi." I told him.
"Are you sure?" Dimitri asked quickly as he followed Arthur to stand at another window.
"Yes, they're getting close," I told them worried, trying to figure out how many there were.
"How can you tell when they are nearby?" Arthur asked with narrowed eyes as he opened a drawer and grabbed a handful of stakes.
"I sense them; they make me feel ill," I said evasively hoping he would not think that I was involved in this attack. I reached forward to grab a stake. "No Rose, we will check the perimeter and you will stay here." "If she is ever to learn how to be a guardian she needs to learn how to check the perimeter herself. Arthur objected. "I'll put the family on alert and she can walk with me." Art told Dimitri and I was grateful to him. Maybe I could figure out how many from outside.
I smiled at him gratefully for not sidelining me. With the two of us, we were five guardians and we would be going up against 7 maybe 8 Strigoi and some humans but I was not sure, I could only guess based on the after-effects of the battle and that was just speculation. The Badicas and their guests were carted off to a panic room in the attic.
"Stay close child," Arthur ordered as we walked out of the front door and into the cold evening. "If you're right, then you have a very precious gift." Art told me.
"Only if precious means possibly vomiting on Strigoi." I blurted out and then slapped my hand over my mouth and watched his reaction wide-eyed. "Whatever works," Arthur chuckled quietly as he handed me two stakes. "But these might come in handy, I assume you know how to use them since you have a kill under your belt, he nodded at my neck. I nodded my head and took the stakes from him. I don't think Dimitri would have given me a stake, I would have been carted with the family if it was up to him. We didn't have to walk far before I could feel the nausea increase. Then I saw the ghosts, it was faint and shimmering and they were getting restless. I would have been grateful for their warning if it didn't come with the blinding headache that accompanied them. "They're getting closer," I whispered to Arthur.
"Yes," Arthur pointed toward a small clearing that could barely be seen in darkness. "They're here. Get inside child. There are too many." Art said worried. But I needed to make him realize that they weren't all Strigoi.
"No wait, look some of them are human, they are not all Strigoi."
"That's .... you are right," I could hear the shock in his voice at the revelation. "You're right follow me." I looked up to the roof of the house where a Strigoi could easily jump and Arthur followed my line of sight with worry in his eyes. There was no way to escape, the road was too bad to travel anything faster than a crawl. Sunrise was still 5 hours away and we were outnumbered. As he picked up his radio to call in, I followed him quietly back inside the house where we met with the other guardians. My eyes landed on Dimitri as all five of us stood around the table. He had a grim look on his face and even though he probably thought I didn't notice he would glance at me every few seconds, as though he was making sure that I was alright. My head throbbed in pain and I was not sure how long I could hold up the intense pressure that the darkness had me under. "There is a group of seven or more Strigoi surrounding the house as we speak," Arthur said making the other two guardians look at him in fear. "But they are not alone. Humans are with them and they are working with them." No one spoke as the realization settled in.
The power went out leaving us in darkness for a moment before the red-tinted emergency light came on. The tension was mounting with all of us and I could hear shuffling of feet and the children's whimpers. I grabbed my head suddenly and Dimitri made to grab me but paused. "The wards are broken." I gasped out and when I opened my eyes everyone stared at me in horror for a full second before they moved. "This way, we will hold them off from here." The five of us stood in a loose circle back to back as we waited in silence. Dimitri's hand found mine and he squeezed it tightly. The glass patio doors shattered, sending a spray of sharp glass into the room, I had a difficult time keeping the darkness at bay and the ghosts were more of a hinderness now, something else I would need to control. "Use the darkness to power you, command the ghosts to follow where you want them. You have the power use it." I jerked back, this was the first time Death spoke to me, while I was awake, normally he never interfered but now, I appreciated it.
Dimitri saw me jerk back and he was terrified for me. I could see it in his eyes the thought of him losing me was a reality today and he looked like he wanted to spill his guts. I avoided his eyes I cannot think about him now. I needed to focus, to listen to the advice I just received. A tall Strigoi stepped calmly into the room and looked at our small group with an evil smirk on his face that bared his fangs. I let go of Dimitri's hand and focused on the dark fog that swam around us. The ice-cold hands of the dead grabbed at mine and I squeezed them back and then willed them to attack the Strigoi instead. A stake flew past from one of the guardians and the fight began. Two smaller Strigoi came in and joined in the fight. The ghosts helped me as I took down one of them. But in doing so a female jumped at me clawing at my face and that is when I used the darkness and she gasped my eyes felt like they were on fire but I only had eyes for the Strigoi. The female punched me and I saw stars again but I recovered quickly and used black fire to push her off me before I staked her. There were more than we anticipated and I managed to take two more down with the help of the ghosts and the fire. But I needed more, darkness. Something I never thought would come out of my mouth. I burned out the supply I had from Lissa and now only the ghosts were left.
I could not use my magic, because the guardians would see. I had just taken down my 5th Strigoi when a floorboard creaked behind me and I spun around in a crouch, ready to defend myself. It was a Moroi woman who stupidly came out of the panic room and walked right into the center of the danger. Then she let out an earth-piercing shriek when she saw the Strigoi bodies on the floor. She had just given away our position and I felt like slapping the bitch. "Where is the room?" I asked her quietly and grabbed her arm, intending to get her back to safety. "Why did you leave?" "They are on the roof," She cried out in fear, "We're all going to die, they are going to break through." She cried out in fear and I hesitated. "Take me there," I ordered her fiercely. The other guardians were too busy with the fight down here to be able to make it up there in time, but I was free. She shook as she went to the pantry where she walked in and pulled the cord to reveal a small wooden step ladder that descended from the ceiling. I let her go first just in case we had been followed but it was all quiet in the kitchen when I pulled the attic door up behind me.
The Moroi sat clustered together, children in the middle with their backs against the solid roof. The woman was right, I could hear the heavy footsteps on the shingles above our heads. If they heard us in here with their strength it wouldn't take a second to break through the roof. And that is exactly what happened. A footstep sounded loudly over the heads of the Moroi and the woman who led me back into the attic cried out in fear. The footsteps grew louder two sets one of them weighed far less than the other. The skylight imploded with the sheer force of the Strigoi punch and I quietly leaped to my feet as I gestured for the Moroi families to get behind me. Before all of them could get behind me the smaller Strigoi jumped down into the attic. He had to have been in his mid-teens. His face was covered in dirt and his clothes were tattered. There was a hunger in his eyes and I swiped the stake over my arm to make myself bleed, an open wound would keep his attention on me and it did, the Moroi scrambled behind me and I directed the ghosts to stand guard. The bloodlust won and the teen attacked me, he must be new because he could not control it. I used his momentum to flip and straddle him and quickly staked him. That left the other one. Since he could not get to the Moroi thanks to the ghosts, he grabbed me and flung me out of the attic and off the roof. I could only use a slight bit of my flying power to slow the fall but it was enough to only sprain my ankle.
I hobbled out of sight and then flew up, and jumped down to stake the Strigoi struggling to bat the ghosts away from the screaming Moroi. He was distracted and it was much more difficult to stake someone from behind but he fell on the ground and I sank down on the floor, dispelling the ghosts and just leaning against the wall. I killed Seven Strigoi and I did not think I could take one more. But I had to, I heard fighting in the yard. Just how many were there? I hoped Dimitri was ok I jumped up through the skyline again and stood on the roof to see what was going on. Arthur was fighting outside and one of them was sneaking up to him. I was in pain, my head was pounding and my ankle was already swelling up. Using some of my flight but more of the trellis that was on the side of the patio I swung down to the ground and ran on my sore foot gritting my teeth in pain as I headed towards the struggling man, fighting two at the same time. Just before the female took a bite from him I had to stake her through the back again. I was on borrowed time now because I was fighting to stay conscience through the headache and pain, trying to keep the ghosts away and fighting. "Rose," Arthur's voice sounded like a whisper and it seemed that I staked its girlfriend and the Strigoi took a bite out of me before Arthur staked him. I just sunk down on the snow-covered ground feeling the cold but not planning to get up soon.
I was staring up at the sky the steadily lightening sky, it was sunrise and if there was any more Strigoi they would be inside, the Moroi would be safe I hoped. I killed 8 Strigoi and hopefully that would be enough. Dimitri was there again picking me up again and saying my name in Russian again. What was it with all the men in my life always carrying me around? "'m f'ne," I slurred." "We have to get back in Roza, we'll be leaving as soon as help arrives. And you're hurt." "Oh Miss Hathaway," An older Moroi woman ran up to me and pulled me into a weird hug, it was weird because Dimitri was still holding me and it was something like her putting one hand over my stomach and the other on my arm sort of hug. "Thank you for saving us, although we had no idea how you kept the Strigoi from us, I saw you direct something in front of us. He couldn't get to us. I don't understand . . ." Dimitri looked at me puzzled but I just smiled. "I have no idea what was wrong with him." I denied but I made sure not to look at Dimitri, he was already suspicious, and I did not want to go through the ghost thing with him. I was placed on the couch and we were doing a tally, the Strigoi were removed and the alchemists came. 18 Strigoi and 4 humans. I breathed out a huge breath of relief. I made it, I was still alive.