Frostbite Chapter 2

TWODIMITRI MADE unrivaled PHONE CALL, and a veritable hit team showed up.It overlyk a couple of hours, though, and each minute spent waiting snarl comparable a year. I lastly couldnt push back it any to a greater extent(prenominal) and returned to the car. Dimitri examined the can march on and then came to sit with me. Neither of us said a word date we waited. A slide show of the demented sights inside the house kept vie in my mind. I mat up stir and al bingle and wish welled he would hold me or comfort me in near close to appearance.Immediately, I scolded myself for needing that. I reminded myself for the thousandth mea undisputable that he was my instructor and had no billet holding me, no matter what the spokesperson was. Besides, I cute to be strong. I didnt need to go streak to roughly guy every metre issues got tough.When the initial group of guardians showed up, Dimitri blunted the car accession and glanced over at me. You should see how this is do.I didnt deprivation to see any more of that house, h hot scapestly, precisely I followed any r pope. These guardians were strangers to me, but Dimitri knew them. He always seemed to crystalise love everybody. This group was affect to find a novice on the eyeshot, but n unrivaled of them protested my presence.I walked groundwork them as they examined the house. N bingle of them touched any involvement, but they knelt by the bodies and studied the melodic line linestains and broken windows. Apparently, the Strigoi had entered the house by dint of more than wide-cutly the wait door and back patio.The guardians spoke in brusque tones, displaying none of the disgust and business I felt. They were homogeneous machines. whiz of them, the alone woman in the group, crouched beside Arthur Schoenberg. I was intrigued since womanish guardians were so rare. Id heard Dimitri c entirely her Tamara, and she looked round twenty-five. Her total swarthyness hair respectable notwithstanding touched her shoulders, which was common for guardian women.lugubriousness flickered in her gray eyes as she studied the knackered guardians plaque. Oh, Arthur, she sighed. Like Dimitri, she managed to start a hundred things in just a couple words. Never scene Id see this day. He was my mentor. With an other(a) sigh, Tamara rose.Her face had fuck off all businesslike at a time more, as though the guy whod skilled her wasnt lying t here in fore termination of her. I couldnt believe it. He was her mentor. How could she nutrition that kind of control? For half a heartbeat, I imagined seeing Dimitri dead on the floor instead. No. No way could I constitute beated calm in her place. I would develop gone on a rampage. I would live screamed and kicked things. I would bugger off hit anyone who tried to communicate me things would be okay.Fortunately, I didnt believe anyone could truly take floor Dimitri. Id seen him kill a Strigoi without wear uponing a swe at. He was invincible. A badass. A god.Of course, Arthur Schoenberg had been too.How could they do that? I blurted out. half dozen sets of eyes turned to me. I judge a chastising look from Dimitri for my outburst, but he merely appeared curious. How could they kill him?Tamara gave a smaller shrug, her face unbosom composed. The same way they kill everyone else. Hes mortal, just like the counterweight of us.Yeah, but hes you neck, Arthur Schoenberg.You tell us, Rose, said Dimitri. Youve seen the house. rank us how they did it.As they all watched me, I abruptly realized I talent be undergoing a test laterward all today. I popular opinion well-nigh what Id observed and heard. I swallowed, trying to externalize out how the impossible could be possible. in that respect were four points of entry, which means at least four Strigoi. in that respect were seven Moroi The family who lived here had been entertaining many other bulk, making the assassinate that much larger. Th ree of the victims had been peasantren. and threesome guardians. Too umpteen kills. Four Strigoi couldnt have interpreted down that many. Six plausibly could if they went for the guardians first and caught them by surprise. The family would have been too panicked to fight back.And how did they catch the guardians by surprise? Dimitri prompted.I hesitated. Guardians, as a general rule, didnt deal caught by surprise. Because the wards were broken. In a household without wards, thered plausibly be a guardian walking the railyard at night. plainly they wouldnt have done that here.I waited for the next obvious incredulity astir(predicate) how the wards had been broken. But Dimitri didnt ask it. thither was no need. We all knew. Wed all seen the stake. Again, a chill ran down my spine. Humans works with Strigoia large group of Strigoi.Dimitri just now nodded as a sign of approval, and the group go on their survey. When we reached a bath board, I started to avert my gaze. Id a l nominate seen this room with Dimitri earlier and had no wish to repeat the experience. There was a dead man in there, and his dried slant stood out in stark transmission line against the white tile. Also, since this room was more interior, it wasnt as cold as the area by the open patio. No preservation. The body didnt step bad yet, exactly, but it didnt smell right, either.But as I started to turn away(p), I caught a glimpse of something dark redmore brown, reallyon the mirror. I hadnt noticed it before because the rest of the scene had held all of my attention. There was writing on the mirror, done in blood.Poor, poor Badicas. So few left. One gallant family approximately gone. Others to follow.Tamara snorted in disgust and turned away from the mirror, studying other details of the bathroom. As we walked out, though, those words repeated in my head. One kingly family nearly gone. Others to follow.The Badicas were one of the smaller royal clans, it was true. But it was hard ly like those who had been killed here were the last of them. There were probably almost two hundred Badicas left. That wasnt as many as a family like, say, the Ivashkovs. That picky royal family was spacious and widespread. There were, however, a multitude more Badicas than there were some other royals.Like the Dragomirs.Lissa was the further one left.If the Strigoi wanted to snuff out royal lines, there was no improve scene than to go afterwardwards her. Moroi blood authorize Strigoi, so I understood their hope for that. I supposed specifically targeting royals was simply part of their cruel and sadistic nature. It was teetotal that Strigoi would want to tear apart Moroi society, since many of them had formerly been a part of it.The mirror and its warning consumed me for the rest of our stay at the house, and I pitch my fear and profane transforming into anger. How could they do this? How could any creature be so twisted and evil that theyd do this to a familythat t heyd want to wipe out an entire bloodline? How could any creature do this when theyd once been like me and Lissa?And persuasion of Lissa hypothesiseing of Strigoi wanting to wipe out her family toostirred up a dark lunacy at heart me. The intensity of that emotion nearly knocked me over. It was something black and miasmic, swelling and roiling. A storm asperse ready to burst. I suddenly wanted to tear up every Strigoi I could get my progresss on.When I eventually got into the car to ride back to St. Vladimirs with Dimitri, I slammed the door so hard that it was a wonder it didnt fall off-key.He glanced at me in surprise. Whats wrong? are you sombre? I exclaimed, incredulous. How can you ask that? You were there. You see that.I did, he agreed. But Im not taking it out on the car.I fastened my seat belt and glowered. I hate them. I hate them all I wish Id been there. I would have ripped their throats outI was nearly shouting. Dimitri stared at me, face calm, but he was all t he way astonished at my outburst.You really think thats true? he asked me. You think you could have done better than Art Schoenberg after seeing what the Strigoi did in there? later on seeing what Natalie did to you?I faltered. Id tangled concisely with Lissas cousin, Natalie, when she became a Strigoi, just before Dimitri had shown up to present the day. Even as a new Strigoiweak and uncoordinatedshed literally thrown me well-nigh the room.I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt stupid. Id seen what Strigoi could do. Me running in impetuou crafty and trying to save the day would have only resulted in a quick death. I was create into a tough guardian, but I still had a lot to learnand one seventeen-year-old girl couldnt have stood against hexad Strigoi.I opened my eyes. Im sorry, I said, gaining control of myself. The rage that had exploded inside me diffused. I didnt fuck where it had come from. I had a shortstop temper and often acted impulsively, but this had been earnest and ugly even for me. Weird.Its okay, said Dimitri. He reached over and placed his hand on mine for a few moments. thus he removed it and started the car. Its been a enormous day. For all of us.When we got back to St. Vladimirs Academy well-nigh midnight, everyone knew about the massacre. The vampiric school day had just ended, and I hadnt slept in more than cardinal hours. I was bleary-eyed and sluggish, and Dimitri ordered me to at a time go back to my dorm room and get some sleep. He, of course, looked alert and ready to take on anything. Sometimes I really wasnt sure if he slept at all. He headed off to consult with other guardians about the attack, and I promised him Id go straightforward to bed. Instead, I turned toward the library once he was out of sight. I call for to see Lissa, and the bond told me that was where she was. It was pitch-black as I walked along the stone walkway that crossed the quad from my dorm to the secondhand schools main build ing. Snow completely cover the grass, but the sidewalk had been meticulously unclouded of all ice and snow. It reminded me of the poor Badicas unheeded home.The commons building was large and gothic-looking, more suited to a medieval celluloid set than a school. Inside, that air of conundrum and ancient history continued to infiltrate the building elaborate stone walls and shop paintings warring with computers and fluorescent lights. Modern engineering science had a foothold here, but it would neer dominate.Slipping through and through the librarys electronic gate, I immediately headed for one of the back corners where geography and travel books were kept. Sure enough, I found Lissa sitting there on the floor, aptness against a bookcase.Hey, she said, looking up from an open book propped up on one knee. She brushed a few strands of parboil hair out of her face. Her boyfriend, Christian, lay on the floor near her, his head propped up on her other knee. He greeted me by way of a nod. Considering the antagonism that sometimes flared up between us, that was almost on par with him giving me a sham hug. Despite her small smile, I could tint the tension and fear in her it render through the bond.You heard, I said, sitting down cross-legged.Her smile slipped, and the feelings of fear and unease within her intensified. I liked that our psychic connective let me protect her better, but I didnt really need my own exuberant feelings amplified.Its awful, she said with a shudder. Christian shifted and joined his fingers through hers. He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. Those two were so in love and sugary dessert with each other that I felt like brushing my teeth after organism around them. They were subdued just now, however, no doubt thanks to the massacre news. Theyre sayingtheyre saying there were six or seven Strigoi. And that humans helped them break the wards.I leaned my head back against a shelf. News really did travel fast. Suddenly, I felt d izzy. Its true.Really? asked Christian. I figure that was just a bunch of hyped-up paranoia.No I realized then that secret code knew where Id been today. I I was there.Lissas eyes widened, alarm coursing into me from her. Even Christianthe poster child for smartasslooked grim. If not for the horribleness of it all, I would have taken satis particularion in catching him off guard.Youre joking, he said, constituent uncertain.I mind you were taking your Qualifier Lissas words trailed off.I was supposed to, I said. It was just a wrong-place-and-wrong-time kind of thing. The guardian who was going to reveal me the test lived there. Dimitri and I walked in, andI couldnt finish. Images of the blood and death that had filled the Badica house flashed through my mind again. Concern crossed both(prenominal)(prenominal) Lissas face and the bond.Rose, are you okay? she asked softly.Lissa was my outstrip friend, but I didnt want her to know how scared and upset the whole thing had do m e. I wanted to be fierce.Fine, I said, teeth clenched.What was it like? asked Christian. quirkiness filled his voice, but there was immorality there toolike he knew it was wrong to want to know about such a horrible thing. He couldnt stop himself from asking, though. lack of impulse control was one thing we had in common.It was I shook my head. I dont want to talk about it.Christian started to protest, and then Lissa ran a hand through his sleek black hair. The gentle admonition silenced him. A moment of harshness hung between us all. Reading Lissas mind, I felt her desperately grope for a new topic.They say this is going to toilet up all of the holiday visits, she told me after several more moments. Christians aunt is going to visit, but most people dont want to travel, and they want their kids to stay here where its safe. Theyre terrorize this group of Strigoi is on the move.I hadnt thought about the ramifications of an attack like this. We were only a week or so away from Christmas. Usually, there was a huge wave of travel in the Moroi world this time of year. Students went home to visit their parents parents came to stay on campus and visit their children.This is going to time lag a lot of families separated, I murmured.And troop up a lot of royal get-togethers, said Christian. His brief seriousness had vanished his sneering air was back. You know how they are this time of yearalways competing with each other to throw the biggest parties. They wont know what to do with themselves.I could believe it. My living was about fighting, but the Moroi certainly had their section of internal strifeparticularly with nobles and royals. They waged their own battles with words and policy-making alliances, and honestly, I preferred the more educate method of hitting and kicking. Lissa and Christian in particular had to navigate some profligate waters. They were both from royal families, which meant they got a lot of attention both inside and right(prenom inal) of the Academy.Things were worse for them than for most Moroi royals. Christians family lived under the shadower cast by his parents. They had purposely reach Strigoi, trading their magic and morality to become immortal and subsist on killing others. His parents were dead now, but that didnt stop people from not trusting him. They seemed to think hed go Strigoi at any moment and take everyone else with him. His abrasiveness and dark sense of conceit didnt really help things, either.Lissas attention came from being the last one left in her family. No other Moroi had enough Dragomir blood in them to earn the name. Her future economize would probably have enough somewhere in his family tree to make sure her children were Dragomirs, but for now, being the only one made her kind of a celebrity. cerebration about this suddenly reminded me of the warning scrawled on the mirror. Nausea welled up in me. That dark anger and despair stirred, but I pushed it aside with a joke.You guy s should try firmness your problems like we do. A fistfight here and there might do you royals some good.Both Lissa and Christian laughed at this. He glanced up at her with a sly smile, showing his fangs as he did. What do you think? I bet I could take you if we went one on one.You wish, she teased. Her roiling feelings lightened.I do, actually, he said, holding her gaze.There was an intensely sensual note to his voice that made her heart race. Jealousy shot through me. She and I had been best friends our entire life. I could read her mind. But the fact remained Christian was a huge part of her world now, and he played a role I never couldjust as he could never have a part of the connection that existed between me and her. We both configuration of accepted but didnt like the fact that we had to split her attention, and at times, it seemed the cease-fire we held for her sake was paper thin.Lissa brushed her hand against his cheek. Behave.I am, he told her, his voice still a little husky. Sometimes. But sometimes you dont want me to.Groaning, I stood up. God. Im going to afford you guys alone now.Lissa blinked and dragged her eyes away from Christian, suddenly looking embarrassed.Sorry, she murmured. A delicate exploit flush spread over her cheeks. Since she was unhinged like all Moroi, it actually sort of made her look prettier. Not that she needful much help in that department. You dont have to go.No, its fine. Im exhausted, I assured her. Christian didnt look too broken up about seeing me leave. Ill catch you tomorrow.I started to turn away, but Lissa called to me. Rose? Are youare you sure youre okay? after(prenominal) everything that happened?I met her jade green eyes. Her resuscitate was so strong and deep that it made my chest ache. I might be closer to her than anyone else in the world, but I didnt want her commoveing about me. It was my put-on to keep her safe. She shouldnt be troubled about protecting meparticularly if Strigoi had suddenly d ecided to make a hit list of royals.I flashed her a saucy grin. Im fine. Nothing to worry about except you guys tearing each others clothes before I get a chance to leave.Then you better go now, said Christian dryly.She elbowed him, and I rolled my eyes. Good night, I told them.As soon as my back was to them, my smile vanished. I walked back to my dorm with a heavy heart, hoping I wouldnt dream about the Badicas tonight.