Last Sacrifice Chapter Fifteen

I DIDNT LIKE TO SEE Victor Dashkov proven right. But, oh, was he invariably.With Lissas proclamation, the room that had been acquiting its breath suddenly exploded. I wondered if there had ever been a peaceful Council session in Moroi history or if I salutary unbroken coincident solelyy tuning into controversial ones. What followed today reminded me a megabucks of the day the dhampir age decree had passed. Shouting, arguments, people out of their chairs Guardians who normally lined the walls and watched were out among the people, looks of c erstrn on their faces as they prepared for any dis spewes that might go beyond lecture.As quickly as Lissa had been at the center of all(prenominal)thing, the room seemed to forget her. She sat sand down, and Christian install her hand again. She squeezed it tightly, so oft(prenominal) so I wondered if she was cutting off his circulation. She stared straight ahead, soothe reeling. Her mind wasnt focused on all the chaos, provided eve rything her eyes and ears perceived came by dint of to me. Really, the save attention my friends received was when Daniella came over and scolded Adrian for nominating outside his family. He shrugged it off in his usual expression, and she huffed off, realizinglike many of usthat there was really no patch in trying to reason with Adrian.Youd estimate that in a room where everyone was scrambling to push their own familys advantage, every single person would therefore be debate that Lissas nomination was invalid. That wasnt the case, howeverparticularly because not everyone in the room was royal. Just as Id noted earlier, Moroi from all over had come to witness the allayts that would determine their future. And a number of them were watching this Dragomir girl with come to, this princess from a dying line who could allegedly work miracles. They werent ravenously chanting her name, but many were in the thick of the arguments, manifestation she had every right to step up for he r family. Part of me also suspected that approximately of her common supporters simply liked the idea of thwarting the royal agenda. The young duo that had been harassed by Lady Badica werent the scarcely ones there whod been pushed around by their betters.Most surprisingly, there were approximately royals speaking up for Lissa too. They might be stanch to their own families, but not all of them were heartless, selfish connivers. Many had a sense of right and wrongand if Lissa had the law on her side, then she was in the right. Plus, a great deal of royals simply liked and respected her. Ariana was one person who advocated for Lissas nomination, despite the competition it created. Ariana knew the law well and undoubtedly realized the loophole that allowed Lissa to run would fail when election eon came. Still, Ariana stood her ground, which endeared her to me even more. When the real voting did come, I hoped Ariana would win the crown. She was intelligent and fair on the dot w hat the Moroi needed.Of course, Ariana wasnt the only one who knew the law. Others picked up on the loophole and argued the nomination of a prospect that no one could vote for was pointless. Normally, I would have agreed. On and on the debate cultusd while my friends sat quietly in the hurri seates eye. At long last, the payoff was settled the guidance most decisions should be through voting. With Lissa still denied her Council seat, that left eleven members to determine her future. Six of them approved her candidacy, making it official. She could run. I suspected some of those who voted for her didnt truly indispensability her running, but their respect for the law prevailed.Many Moroi didnt care what the Council state. They made it clear they considered this matter far from over, proving what Victor had tell this was termination to rage on for a while, getting worse if she actually passed the tests and made it to the voting stages. For right off, the crowd dispersed, seem ing relievednot only because they precious to escape the yell but also because they wanted to spread this sensational news.Lissa continued labeling little as she and our friends left. Walking past the gawkers, she remained a model of regality and calmness, like shed already been declared queen. But when she eventually escaped it all and was stomach in her room with the others, all those locked-up, frozen feelings exploded.What the hell were you guys thinking? she yelled. What have you done to me? along with Adrian, Christian, and Ed smash, the rest of the conspirators had shown up Tasha, Abe, and my mom. All of them were so comp allowely stunned by this reaction from sweet Lissa that none of them could reply now. Lissa took advantage of their silence.You set me up Youve put me in the middle of a political nightmare Do you think I want this? Do you really think I want to be queen?Abe recovered scratch, naturally. You wont be queen, he said, voice uncharacteristically soothing. T he people arguing about the other part of the law are right no one can actually vote for you. You need family for that.Then whats the point? she exclaimed. She was furious. She had every right to be. But that outrage, that anger it was fueled by something worse than this locating alone. Spirit was coming to claim its price and making her even more upset than she would have been.The point, said Tasha, is everything crazy you just power saw in the Council room. For every argument, for every fourth dimension someone drags out the law books again, we have more time to save Rose and bring forth out who killed Tatiana.Whoever did it must have an interest in the throne, explained Christian. He rested a hand on Lissas shoulder, and she jerked away. Either for themselves or someone they contend. The longer we delay their computer programs, the more time we have to find out who it is.Lissa raked her hands through her long hair in frustration. I tried to pull that coil of fury from her, taking it into myself. I succeeded a little, affluent that she dropped her hands to her side. But she was still pissed off.How am I supposed to look for the murderer when Im tied up doing all those stupid tests? she demanded.You wont be expression, said Abe. We will.Her eyes vastned. That was never part of the plan Im not going to jump through royal hoops when Rose needs me. I want to suffice herIt was about comical. Almost. Neither Lissa nor I could handle sitting around when we thought the other needed our help. We wanted to be out there, actively doing what we could to fix the situation.You are assist her, said Christian. His hand twitched, but he didnt try to touch her again. Its in a different way than you expect, but in the end, its going to help her.The same argument everyone kept using on me. It also made her just as angry as it had made me, and I desperately tugged at the ruffle of instability spirit kept launching through her.Lissa peered around the room, looking accusingly at each face. Who in the world thought of this idea?to a greater extent uncomfortable silence followed.Rose did, said Adrian at last.Lissa spun around and glared at him. She did not She wouldnt do this to meShe did, he said. I talked to her in a dream. It was her idea, and it was a dependable one. I didnt really like how that seemed to come as a surprise to him. Besides, you conformation of put her in a bad situation too. She kept going on about how much the town shes in sucks.Okay, snapped Lissa, ignoring the part about my plight. Supposing thats true, that Rose passes this brilliant idea on to you, then why didnt anyone bother to tell me? Didnt you think a little warning might help? Again, it was just like me complaining about how my jailbreak had been kept a secret from me.Not really, said Adrian. We figured youd react exactly like this and have time to plan a refusal. We benevolent of gambled that if you were caught on the spot, youd accept.That was charitable o f risky, she said.But it worked, came Tashas blunt response. We knew youd come through for us. She winked. And for what its worth, I think youd withdraw a great queen.Lissa gave her a keen look, and I made one more attempt to drag away some of the darkness. I concentrated on those churning emotions, imagining them in me instead of her. I didnt pull it all but managed enough to opt the fight out of her. choler suddenly flared in me, blinding me momentarily, but I was able to push it off to a corner of my mind. She suddenly snarl exhausted. I kind of did too.The first test is tomorrow, she said quietly. If I fail it, Im out. The plan falls apart.Christian made another attempt to put his arm around her, and this time, she let him. You wont.Lissa didnt say anything else, and I could see the relief on everyones faces. No one believed for a second she liked this, but they seemed to think she wasnt going to withdraw her nomination, which was as much as they could hope for.My mother a nd Eddie had said nought this entire time. As was common for guardians, theyd kept to the background, remaining shadows while Moroi business was conducted. With the initial storm sledding over, my mother stepped forward. She nodded toward Eddie. One of us is going to try to stay near you at all times.Why? asked Lissa, startled.Because we inhabit theres someone out there who isnt alarmed to kill to get what they want, said Tasha. She nodded toward Eddie and my mom. These two and Mikhail are really the only guardians we can trust.Are you sure? Abe gave Tasha a sly look. Im surprised you didnt get your special(a) guardian friend on board.What special friend? demanded Christian, instantly picking up on the insinuation.Tasha, to my astonishment, flushed. Just a guy I have it off.Who follows you with puppy-dog eyes, continued Abe. Whats his name? Evan?Ethan, she corrected.My mother, looking exasperated by such ridiculous talk, promptly put an end to it which was just as well since C hristian looked like he had a hardly a(prenominal) things to say. Leave her alone, she warned Abe. We dont have time for it. Ethans a good guy, but the hardly a(prenominal)er people who know about this, the better. Since Mikhail has a permanent post, Eddie and I will do security.I agreed with all of what shed just said, but it struck me that to get my mother on board, someone belike Abehad filled her in on all the illicit activity that had occurred recently. He was either really convincing or she loved me a lot. Grudgingly, I suspected both were true. When Moroi were at Court, their guardians didnt need to keep an eye on them everywhere, meaning my mom would most likely be free of her assignment while Lord Szelsky stayed here. Eddie didnt have an assignment yet, which also gave him flexibility. Lissa started to say something else when a sharp jolt in my own reality snapped me away from her.Sorry, said Sydney. Her slamming on the brakes was what had brought me back. That jerk cut me off.It wasnt Sydneys fault, but I felt irritated at the interruption and wanted to yell at her. With a deep breath, I reminded myself that I was simply feeling spirits side effects and that I couldnt allow it to make me act irrationally. It would fade, like always, yet some part of me knew I couldnt keep taking that darkness from Lissa forever. I wouldnt always be able to control it. this instant that I was back to myself, I looked out the windows, taking in our new surroundings. We werent in the mountains anymore. Wed reached an urban area, and while the traffic was hardly heavy (seeing as it was still the middle of the human night), there were definitely more cars on the road than wed seen in a while.Where are we? I asked.Outskirts of Lexington, Sydney said. She pulled over to a nearby mess up station, both to refill and so we could plug Donovans address into her GPS. His place was about five miles away.Not a great part of town, from what I hear, Dimitri said. Donovan runs a t attoo parlor thats only open at night. A couple of other Strigoi work with him. They get partiers, drunk kids the kind of people that can easily disappear. The kind Strigoi love.Seems like the patrol would eventually notice that every time someone went for a tattoo, they disappeared, I pointed out.Dimitri gave a harsh laugh. Well, the funny thing is that they dont kill everyone who comes in. They actually ready tattoos to some of them and let them go. They smuggle drugs through the place too.I regarded him curiously, as Sydney slipped back into the car. You sure know a lot.I made it my business to know a lot, and Strigoi have to keep a roof over their heads too. I actually met Donovan once and got most of this straight from the source. I just didnt know where exactly he worked out of until now.Okay, so, weve got the info on him. What do we do with it?Lure him out. Send in a customer with a message from me needing to meet him. Im not the kind of person he can ignorewell, that he u sed to notnever mind. Once hes out, we get him to a place we choose.I nodded. I can do that.No, said Dimitri. You cant.Why not? I asked, wondering if he thought it was too dangerous for me.Because theyll know youre a dhampir the instant they see you. Theyll in all likelihood smell it first. No Strigoi would have a dhampir working for himonly humans.There was an uncomfortable silence in the car.No said Sydney. I am not doing thatDimitri shook his head. I dont like it either, but we dont have a lot of options. If he thinks you work for me, he wont hurt you.Yeah? And what happens if he doesnt believe me? she demanded.I dont think he can take the chance. Hell probably go with you to check things out, with the idea that if youre lying, theyll just kill you then. This didnt seem to make her feel any better. She groaned. You cant send her in, I said. Theyll know shes an Alchemist. One of those wouldnt work for Strigoi either.Surprisingly, Dimitri hadnt considered that. We grew quiet again , and it was Sydney who unexpectedly came up with a solution.When I was inside the gas station, she said slowly, they had, like, one rack of makeup. We could probably cover most of my tattoo up with powder.And we did. The only compact the station sold wasnt a great match for her skin tone, but we caked enough of it on to obscure the golden lily on her cheek. Brushing her hair forward helped a little. Satisfied wed done all we could, we headed off to Donovans.It was indeed in a plus part of town. A few blocks away from the tattoo parlor, we spotted what looked like a nightclub, but otherwise, the neighborhood appeared deserted. I wasnt fooled, though. This was no place youd want to notch around alone at night. It screamed mugging. Or worse.We checked out the area until Dimitri found a spot he felt good about. It was a back alley two buildings away from the parlor. A gnarled wired fence stood on one side while a low brick building flanked the other. Dimitri instructed Sydney on how to lead the Strigoi to us. She took it all in, nodding along, but I could see the fear in her eyes.You want to look awed, he told her. Humans who serve Strigoi worship them theyre dying(predicate) to please. Since theyre around Strigoi so much, they arent as startled or terrified. Still a little afraid, of course, but not as much as you look now.She swallowed. I cant really help it.I felt bad for her. She strongly believed all vampires were evil, and we were sending her into a nest of the worst kind, putting her at great risk. I knew also that shed only ever seen one live Strigoi, and despite Dimitris coaching, seeing more could completely shell shock her. If she froze in front of Donovan, everything could fall apart. On impulse, I gave her a hug. To my surprise, she didnt resist.You can do this, I said. Youre strongand theyre too afraid of Dimitri. Okay?After a few deep breaths, Sydney nodded. We gave her a few more encouraging words, and then she turned the corner of the building , heading toward the street, and disappeared from our sight. I glanced at Dimitri.We may have just sent her to her death.His face was grim. I knowbut we cant do anything now. Youd better get into position.With his help, I managed to make it onto the roof of the low building. There was nothing intimate in the way he hoisted me up, but I couldnt help but have the same electric feeling all contact with him caused or note how easily we worked together. Once I was hard positioned, Dimitri headed for the opposite side of the building Sydney had gone around. He lurked just around the corner, and then there was nothing to do but wait.It was agonizingand not just because we were on the verge of a fight. I kept thinking about Sydney, what wed asked her to do. My job was to protect the innocent from evilnot thrust them into the middle of it. What if our plan failed? Several minutes passed, and I finally heard footsteps and muttered voices at the same time a familiar wave of nausea moved throu gh me. Wed pulled the Strigoi out. triplet of them walked around the buildings corner, Sydney in the lead. They came to a halt, and I spotted Donovan. He was the tallesta former Moroiwith dark hair and a beard that reminded me of Abes. Dimitri had given me his description so I wouldnt (hopefully) kill him. Donovans henchmen hovered behind him, all of them alert and on guard. I tensed, my stake gripped tightly in my right hand.Belikov? demanded Donovan, voice harsh. Where are you?Im here, came Dimitris responsein that cold, terrible Strigoi voice. He appeared from around the buildings opposite corner, keeping to the shadows.Donovan relaxed slightly, recognizing Dimitribut even in darkness, Dimitris true appearance materialized. Donovan went rigidsuddenly seeing a little terror, even if it was one that confused him and defied what he knew. At the exact same moment, one of his guys jerked his head around. Dhampirs he exclaimed. It wasnt Dimitris features that tipped him off. It was o ur scent, and I breathed a silent collection of thanks that it had taken them this long to notice.Then, I leapt off the roof. It wasnt an easy distance to jumpbut not one that would kill me. Plus, my fall was broken by a Strigoi.I landed on one of Donovans guys, knocking him to the ground. I aimed my stake at his heart, but his reflexes were quick. With my lighter weight, I was easy to shove off. Id expected it and managed to keep my footing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sydney dropping low and hurrying off out of here, per our instructions. We wanted her away from the crossfire and had told her to go to the car, readying herself to take off if things went bad.Of course, with Strigoi, things were always bad. Donovan and his other guy had both gone for Dimitri, assessing him as the greater threat. My opponent, judging from his fanged smile, didnt seem to regard me as a threat at all. He lunged toward me, and I dodged away, but not before snaking out a blush that took him in t he knee. My hit didnt seem to hurt him, but it did breach his balance. I made another strike at staking and was thrown off again, hitting the ground hard. My bare legs scraped against the rough cement, tearing skin. Because my jeans had grown too dismal and torn, Id been forced to wear a pair of shorts from the backpack Sydney had brought me. I ignored the infliction, shooting right back up with speed the Strigoi didnt expect. My stake found his heart. The hit wasnt as hard as I would have liked, but it was enough to throw him off, then allowing me to drive the stake in further and consume him. Not even waiting to see him fall, I jerked my stake out and turned toward the others.I hadnt hesitated once in the battle Id just fought, but now, I paused at what I saw. Dimitris face. It was terrifying. Ferocious. Hed had a similar look when hed defended me at my arrestthat badass warrior god expression that said he could take on hell itself. The way he looked now well, it took that f ierceness to a whole new level. This was personal, I realized. Fighting these Strigoi wasnt just about finding Sonya and helping Lissa. This was about redemption, an attempt to drop his past by destroying the evil directly in his path.I moved to join him, just as he staked the second henchman. There was power in that strike, much more power than Dimitri needed as he shoved the Strigoi against the brick wall and pierced his heart. It was impossible, but I could imagine that stake going straight through the body and into the wall. Dimitri put more attention and effort into that kill than he should have. He should have responded like I had and immediately turned to the next threat, once the Strigoi was dead. Instead, Dimitri was so fixated on his victim that he didnt notice Donovan taking advantage of the situation. Fortunately for Dimitri, I had his back.I slammed my body into Donovans, shoving him away from Dimitri. As I did, I saw Dimitri pull out his stake and then slam the body a gainst the wall again. Meanwhile, Id successfully drawn Donovans attention and was now having a difficult time eluding him without killing him.Dimitri I yelled. Come help me. I need youI couldnt see what Dimitri was doing, but a few seconds later, he was by my side. With what almost sounded like a roar, he leapt at Donovan, stake out, and knocked the Strigoi to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief and moved in to help with the restraint. Then, I saw Dimitri line up his stake with Donovans heart.No I dropped to the ground, trying to both hold Donovan and push away Dimitris arm. We need him Dont kill himFrom the look on Dimitris face, it was ill-defined if he even heard me. There was death in his eyes. He wanted to kill Donovan. The desire had suddenly taken precedence.Still trying to hold Donovan with one arm, I smacked Dimitri in the face with my other handgoing for the side I hadnt punched the other night. I dont think he felt the pain in his adrenaline rage, but the hit got hi s attention. Dont kill him I repeated.The command made it through to Dimitri. Our struggle, unfortunately, gave Donovan maneuvering room. He started to break free of us, but then, as one, Dimitri and I threw ourselves into holding Donovan. I was reminded of the time Id questioned Strigoi in Russia. It had taken a whole group of dhampirs to restrain one Strigoi, but Dimitri seemed to have unnatural strength.When we were interrogating, we used toMy words were interrupted when Dimitri decided to utilize his own method of interrogation. He gripped Donovan by the shoulders and shook him hard, causing the Strigoi to keep hitting his head against the cement.Where is Sonya Karp? roared Dimitri.I dont began Donovan. But Dimitri had no patience for Strigoi evasion.Where is she? I know you know herIWhere is she?I saw something on Donovans face that Id never seen in a Strigoi before fear. Id thought it was an emotion they simply didnt possess. Or, if they did, it was only in the battles they fo ught with one another. They wouldnt waste time with fear around lowly dhampirs.But oh, Donovan was scared of Dimitri. And to be honest, I was too.Those red-ringed eyes were widewide, desperate, and terrified. When Donovan blurted out his next words, something told me they were true. His fear wasnt giving him a chance to lie. He was too shocked and unprepared by all of this.genus Paris, he gasped out. Shes in ParisChrist, I exclaimed. We cannot road trip to Paris. Donovan shook his head (in as much as he could with Dimitri shaking him in return). Its a small townan instant away. Theres this tiny lake. Hardly anyone on it. Blue house.Vague directions. We needed more. Do you have an addrDimitri apparently didnt share my need for more information. Before I could goal speaking, his stake was outand in Donovans heart. The Strigoi made a horrible, blood-curdling scream that faded as death took him. I winced. How long until someone heard all this and called the police?Dimitri pulled his s take outand then stabbed Donovan again. And again. I stared in disbelief and horror, frozen for a few moments. Then, I grabbed Dimitris arm and began shaking him, though I felt like I would have had more effect shaking the building behind me.Hes dead, Dimitri Hes dead Stop this. Please.Dimitris face still wore that terrible, terrible expressionrage, now marked with a bit of desperation. Desperation that told him if he could only obliterate Donovan, then maybe he could obliterate everything else bad in his life.I didnt know what to do. We had to get out of here. We had to get Sydney to disintegrate the bodies. Time was ticking, and I just kept repeating myself.Hes dead Let it go. Please. Hes dead.Then, somewhere, somehow, I broke through to Dimitri. His motions slowed and finally stopped. The hand holding the stake dropping weakly to his side as he stared at what was left of Donovanwhich wasnt pretty. The rage on Dimitris face completely gave way to desperation and then that gave wa y to despair.I tugged gently on his arm. Its over. Youve done enough.Its never enough, Roza, he whispered. The grief in his voice killed me. Itll never be enough.It is for now, I said. I pulled him to me. Unresisting, he let go of his stake and buried his face against my shoulder. I dropped my stake as well and embraced him, drawing him closer. He wrapped his build up around me in return, seeking the contact of another living being, the contact Id long known he needed.Youre the only one. He clung more tightly to me. The only one who understands. The only one who saw how I was. I could never explain it to anyone youre the only one. The only one I can tell this to I closed my eyes for a moment, overpowered by what he was saying. He might have sworn allegiance to Lissa, but that didnt mean hed fully revealed his heart to her. For so long, he and I had been in perfect sync, always understanding each other. That was still the case, no matter if we were together, no matter if I was with Adrian. Dimitri had always kept his heart and feelings guarded until meeting me. I thought hed locked them back up, but apparently, he still trusted me enough to reveal what was killing him inside.I undefended my eyes and met his dark, earnest gaze. Its okay, I said. Its okay now. Im here. Ill always be here for you.I dream about them, you know. All the innocents I killed. His eyes drifted back to Donovans body. I keep thinking maybe if I destroy enough Strigoi, the nightmares will go away. That Ill be certain Im not one of them. I touched his chin, act his face back toward mine and away from Donovan. No. You have to destroy Strigoi because theyre evil. Because thats what we do. If you want the nightmares to go away, you have to live. Thats the only way. We could have died just now. We didnt. Maybe well die tomorrow. I dont know. What matters is that were alive now.I was rambling at this point. I had never seen Dimitri so low, not since his restoration. Hed claimed being Strigoi had killed so many of his emotions. It hadnt. They were there, I realized. Everything he had been was still inside, only coming out in burstslike this moment of rage and despair. Or when hed defended me from the arresting guardians. The old Dimitri wasnt gone. He was just locked away, and I didnt know how to let him out. This wasnt what I did. He was always the one with words of wisdom and insight. Not me. Still, he was listening now. I had his attention. What could I say? What could get through to him? hark back what you said earlier? I asked. Back in Rubysville? Living is in the details. Youve got to appreciate the details. Thats the only way to defeat what the Strigoi did to you. The only way to bring back who you really are. You said it yourself you escaped with me to feel the world again. Its beauty.Dimitri started to turn toward Donovan again, but I wouldnt let him. Theres nothing beautiful here. Only death.Thats only true if you let them make it true, I said desperately, sti ll feeling the press of time. Find one thing. One thing thats beautiful. Anything. Anything that shows youre not one of them.His eyes were back on me, studying my face silently. Panic raced through me. It wasnt working. I couldnt do this. We were going to have to get out of here, regardless of whatever state he was in. I knew hed leave, too. If Id learned anything, it was that Dimitris warrior instincts were still working. If I said danger was coming, he would respond instantly, no matter the self-torment he felt. I didnt want that, though. I didnt want him to leave in despair. I wanted him to leave here one step closer to being the man I knew he could be. I wanted him to have one less nightmare.It was beyond my abilities, though. I was no therapist. I was about to tell him we had to get out there, about to make his soldier reflexes kick in, when he suddenly spoke. His voice was barely a whisper. Your hair.What? For a second, I wondered if it was on fire or something. I touched a st ray lock. No, nothing wrong except that it was a mess. Id bound it up for battle to prevent the Strigoi from using it as a handhold, like Angeline had. Much of it had come undone in the struggle, though.Your hair, repeated Dimitri. His eyes were wide, almost awestruck. Your hair is beautiful.I didnt think so, not in its current state. Of course, considering we were in a dark alley filled with bodies, the choices were kind of limited. You see? Youre not one of them. Strigoi dont see beauty. Only death. You found something beautiful. One thing thats beautiful.Hesitantly, nervously, he ran his fingers along the strands Id touched earlier. But is it enough?It is for now. I touch a kiss to his forehead and helped him stand. It is for now.