Last Sacrifice Chapter Seven

THE PROBLEM WAS, OF COURSE, that I concisely lost myself in the darkness.After living in the wilds of Montana, I was used to how comp allowely the night could suck up you once you stepped away from even the tiniest hint of civilization. I was even used to wandering the twists and turns of dark forests. barely the St. Vladimirs terrain had been salubrious(p)- cognise(prenominal). The woods of West Virginia were bleak and foreign, and I had completely lost my bearings. once I was pretty real Id vomit abounding distance between me and the motel, I paused and steped more than or slight. Night insects hummed and sang, and the oppressive summer humidity hung or so me. Peering up done the leafy dirty dogopy of trees, I could cope with a brilliant sky of stars, solely untouched by city lights. Feeling like a true chaoticness survivor, I examine the stars until I spotted the Big Dipper and figured surface which direction was north. The mountains Sydney had driven us b y means of had been to the east, so I for sure didnt wishing to go in that direction. It crackmed reasonable that if I hiked north, Id eventu all(prenominal)y strickle an interstate and either hitchhike or walk my way jeopardize to civilization. It wasnt an airtight plan, merely it wasnt the beat out one Id ever had, not by a farseeing s intent.I wasnt really dressed for hiking, solely as my eyeball adjusted to the darkness, I managed to avoid most trees and other obstacles. Following the tiny driveway out of town would consume been easier scarcely was overly what Dimitri would expect me to do.I fell into a steady, subconscious mind rhythm as I make my way north. I decided it was a straightforward era to check in on Lissa, promptly that I had time on my hands and no guardians trying to arrest me. I slipped into her mind and found her within the depths of the guardians headquarters, sitting in a hallway lined with chairs. Other Moroi sat nearby, including Christian and Tasha.Theyll question you dense, Tasha murmured. Especially you. That was to Christian. Youd be my first choice if roundthing illicitly blew up. That seemed to be everyones opinion. From the troubled look on her face, I could see Tasha had been as surprised by my escape as I had. Even if my friends hadnt filled her in on the whole story yet, she had believably pieced most things unneuroticat the very least, who was substructure it.Christian gave her as ch spikeing a smile as he could manage, like a kid trying to dodge being grounded. Theyll k directly by now that it wasnt caused by magic, he verbalize. The guardians will hasten scoured every inch of those statues. He didnt elaborate, not in public, simply Lissas mind was fiting along the same lines as his. The guardians would know now the explosion hadnt been elemental. And even if my friends were the first suspects, the authorities would train to wonderjust as I hadhow teenagers would get a hold of C4.Lissa nodded he r organisation and rested her hand on Christians. Well be okay.Her thoughts turned to both Dimitri and me, wondering if wed made it out correspond to the plan. She couldnt focus on finding Tatianas killer until she knew we were safe. Like me, the seeout had been a hard choice spill me put me in more danger than keeping me locked up. Her emotions were keyed up, prickly and a bit wilder than I would have liked. So often spirit, I realized. Shes using too much. stick out at school, shed managed it with prescription drug medication and later through self-control. precisely somewhere, as our situations grew increasingly complicated, shed allowed herself to wield more and more. Recently, shed used amazing amounts, and wed accompany to take it for granted. Sooner or later, Lissas reliance on spirit would catch up with her. With us.Princess? A door across from Lissa opened, and a guardian peered out. Were ready for you.The guardian stepped aside, and inside the room, Lissa heard a f amiliar vocalism order, Always a pleasure speaking with you, Hans. We should do it once more sometime. Abe whence appeared, strutting out with his plebeian swagger. He stepped past the guardian in the doorway and gave Lissa and the Ozeras a winning, all-is-right-in-the- foundation grin. Without a word, he strode past them toward the halls exit.Lissa or so smiled notwithstanding reined it in, putting on a sober look as she and her associates entered. The door shut behind them, and she found herself facing three guardians seated at a table. One of them Id seen around plainly had neer met. I echo his last name was Steele. The other two I knew well. One was Hans Croft, who ran the guardians operations at Court. Beside himto my astonishmentwas Alberta, who was in charge of St. Vladimirs guardians and novices.Lovely, growled Hans. A whole entourage. Christian had insisted on being present when Lissa was questioned, and Tasha had insisted on being present with Christian. If Abe h ad known the interrogation time, he probably would have joined the group too, doubtlessly followed by my mother Hans didnt realize hed dodged a house party.Lissa, Christian, and Tasha sat down opposite the guardians. Guardian Petrov, express Lissa, ignoring Hanss disapproval. What are you doing here? Alberta gave Lissa a fiddling smile but otherwise kept in master key guardian mode. I was here for the funeral, and Guardian Croft decided hed like an outside opinion for the investigation.As well as individual familiar with Hathaway and her, uh, associates, added Hans. Hans was the kind of guy who got straight to the point. Usually, his attitude bo on that pointd methat was my normal response to most authority figuresbut I did respect the way he ran operations here. This meeting was intend just for you, princess.We wont adduce a word, said Christian.Lissa nodded and kept her face smooth and polite, even though in that location was a trembling in her voice. I want to help Ive b een so, I dont know. Im so stunned to the highest degree everything thats happened.Im sure, said Hans, voice dry. Where were you when the statues exploded?With the funeral procession, she said. I was part of the escort.Steele had a pile of papers in fore freeing of him. Thats true. thither are plenty of witnesses.Very convenient. What round afterward? asked Hans. Where did you go when the crowd panicked?Back to the Councils building. Thats where all the others were meeting up, and I thought itd be safest. I couldnt see her face but could timber her trying to look cowed. I was afraid when things seize oned way out crazy.We also have witnesses to support that, said Steele.Hans drummed his fingers on the table. Did you have any prior knowledge just about any of this? The explosions? Hathaways breakout?Lissa shook her head. No I had no clue. I didnt even know it was possible to get out of the cells. I thought in that respect was too much security.Hans ignored the dig on his oper ations. Youve got that bond thing, right? You didnt pick up anything through that?I dont read her, explained Lissa. She sees my thoughts but not the other way around.That, said Alberta, speaking up at last, is true.Hans didnt contradict her but still wasnt buying my friends innocence. You realize, if youre caught concealing informationor aiding heryoull face consequences close to as serious as hers. All of you. Royalty doesnt exempt you from treason.Lissa lowered her gaze, as though his threat had panic-struck her. I just cant believe I just cant believe shed do this. She was my friend. I thought I knew her. I didnt hypothecate she could do any of these things I never thought shed murder anyone. If not for the feelings in the bond, I exponent have taken offense. I knew the truth, though. She was playing, trying to distance herself from me. It was smart.Really? Because not long ago, you were swearing up and down that she was innocent, pointed out Hans.Lissa looked back up and widened her eyes. I thought she was But and so then I heard about what she did to those guardians in the escape Her distress wasnt entirely faked this time. She still call for to act like she thought I was guilty, but the news of Merediths condition had reached herwhich truly had shocked her. That made two of us, but at least I now knew Meredith was okay. Hans still looked skeptical at Lissas potpourri of heart but let it go. What about Belikov? You swore he wasnt a Strigoi anymore, but obviously something went wrong in that location as well.Christian stirred beside Lissa. As an advocate for Dimitri, Christian grew as irritated as us at the suspicions and accusations. Lissa verbalize before Christian could say anything.Hes not Strigoi Lissas remorse everyplace me vanished, her old, fierce defense mechanism of Dimitri kicking in. She hadnt expected this line of questioning about him. Shed been preparing herself to defend me and her alibi. Hans seemed pleased at the reaction and watched her closely. hence how do you explain his involvement?It wasnt because he was Strigoi, said Lissa, forcing her control back. Her heart was pounding rapidly. He changed back. Theres no Strigoi left(a).But he attacked a number of guardianson more than one occasion.It looked like Tasha wanted to fail now and defend Dimitri as well, but she visibly bit her lip. It was remarkable. The Ozeras liked to speak their minds, not everlastingly tactfully.It wasnt because he was Strigoi, Lissa repeated. And he didnt kill any of those guardians. Not one. rise did what she did well, I dont know why. She hated Tatiana, I guess. Everyone knew that. But Dimitri Im telling you, being Strigoi had nothing to do with this. He helped her because he used to be her teacher. He thought she was in trouble.That was pretty extreme for a teacher, particularly one whobefore turning Strigoi was known for being level-headed and rational.Yeah, but he wasnt thinking rationally becauseLissa cold shou lder herself off, shortly caught in a severely situation. Hans seemed to have realized quickly in this conversation that if Lissa was touch on with recent eventsand I dont think he was certain yetshe would have an airtight alibi. Talking to her, however, had given him the chance to pursue another engender in my escape Dimitris involvement. Dimitri had sacrificed himself to take the fall, even if it meant others not trusting him again. Lissa thought shed made people think his actions were a former teachers protective instinct, but apparently, not everyone was buying that.He wasnt thinking rationally because? prompted Hans, eyes sharp. Before the murder, Hans had believed Dimitri truly had become a dhampir again. Something told me he still believed that but sensed there was something ample dangling before him.Lissa stayed silent. She didnt want people thinking Dimitri was Strigoi. She wanted people to believe in her powers to desexualise the undead. But if Dimitri helping a stud ent didnt seem convincing enough to others, all that mistrust might surface again.Glancing at her interrogators, Lissa suddenly met Albertas eyes. The older guardian said nothing. She wore that neutral, scrutinizing expression that guardians excelled at. She also had an air of acquaintance about her, and Lissa briefly allowed spirit to show her Albertas aura. It had tidy, steady colors and energy, and in Albertas eyes, Lissa swore she could see a message, a knowing glint.Tell them, the message seemed to say. Itll create problemsbut they wont be as bad as your accredited ones. Lissa held that gaze, wondering if she was just projecting her own thoughts onto Alberta. It didnt matter whod come up with the idea. Lissa knew it was right.Dimitri helped Rose because because they were involved.As Id guessed, Alberta wasnt surprised, and she seemed sticking(p) to have the truth out there. Hans and Steele, however, were very surprised. I had only seen Hans shocked a hardly a(prenominal) times.When you say involved, do you mean He paused to structure his words. Do you mean romantically involved?Lissa nodded, feeling horrible. Shed revealed a big secret here, one shed sworn shed keep for me, but I didnt blame her. Not in this situation. LoveI hopedwould defend Dimitris actions.He loved her, said Lissa. She loved him. If he helped her escapeHe did help her escape, interrupted Hans. He attacked guardians and blew up priceless, centuries-old statues brought over from EuropeLissa shrugged. Well, like I said. He wasnt acting rationally. He wanted to help her and probably thought she was innocent. He would have done anything for herand it had nothing to do with Strigoi.Love only justifies so much. Hans clearly wasnt a romantic.Shes downstairsage exclaimed Steele. That part hadnt escaped him.Shes eighteen, corrected Lissa.Hans cut her a look. I can do the math, princess. Unless they managed some beautiful, touching romance in the last few weekswhile he was mostly in isola tion then there were things going on at your school that someone should have reported.Lissa said nothing, but from the corner of her eye, she could see Tasha and Christian. They were trying to keep their expressions neutral, but it was obvious this news wasnt a surprise to them, no doubt confirming Hanss suspicions that illicit things had been going on. I actually hadnt realized Tasha knew about Dimitri and me and felt a smallerr bad. Had she known that part of his rejection of her had been because of me? And if she knew, how many others did? Christian had probably tipped her off, but something told me more people were probably starting to find out as well. After the schools attack, my reaction had likely been a big clue about my feelings for Dimitri. Maybe telling Hans now wasnt so big a deal after all. The secret wouldnt be a secret much lifelong.Alberta cleared her throat, speaking up at last. I think we have more important things to have-to doe with about right now than some romance that may or may not have happened.Steele gave her an incredulous look and slammed his hand against the table. This is pretty serious. Did you know about it?All I know is that were get distracted from the point here, she replied, neatly dodging the question. Alberta was about twenty years older than Steele, and the tough look she gave him said that he was a child wasting her time. I thought we were here to figure out if Miss Hathaway had any accomplices, not dredge up the past. So far, the only person we can say for sure that helped her is Belikov, and he did it out of irrational affection. That makes him a fugitive and a fool, not a Strigoi.Id never thought of my relationship with Dimitri as irrational affection, but Albertas point was taken. Something in Hanss and Steeles faces made me think briefly the whole world would know about us, but that was nothing compared to murder. And if it cleared Dimitri of being a Strigoi, then it meant hed be imprisoned instead of staked if ever captured. Small blessings.Lissas questioning continued a bit longer before the guardians decided she was free and clear of any part in my escape (that they could prove). She did a good occupancy playing surprised and confused the whole time, even essentialering a few tears over how she could have so misjudged me. She spun a little bit of compulsion into her act toonot enough to brainwash anyone, but enough that Steeles earlier outrage transformed to sympathy. Hans was harder to read, but as my group left, he reminded Tasha and Christian that he would be speaking with each of them later, preferably without an entourage.For now, the next person in the hot seat was waiting in the hall Eddie. Lissa gave him the same smile shed give any friend. There was no indication that they were both part of a conspiracy. Eddie nodded in return as he was called to the room for his interrogation. Lissa was nauseated for him, but I knew his guardian self-control would make sure he stuck to t he story. He probably wouldnt pull off the tears Lissa had, but hed likely act just as shocked by my treason as she had.Tasha left Christian and Lissa once they were outside, first warning them to be careful. Youve gotten out of this so far, but I dont think the guardians have completely cleared you. Especially Hans.Hey, I can take care of myself, said Christian.Tasha trilled her eyes. Yes. I see what happens when youre left to your own devices.Hey, dont get all pissy because we didnt tell you, he exclaimed. We didnt have time, and there were only so many people we could get involved. Besides, youve done your share of crazy plans before.True, Tasha admitted. She was hardly a role model for playing by the rules. Its just that everythings gotten that much more complicated. Rose is on the run. And now Dimitri She sighed, and I didnt bespeak her to finish to guess her thoughts. There was a profound look of sadness in her eyes, one that made me feel guilty. Just like the rest of us, Tasha had wanted Dimitris reputation restored. By spillage the queens accused assassin, hed seriously damaged any chance at acceptance. I really wished he hadnt gotten involved and hoped my current escape plan paid off.Thisll all work out, said Christian. Youll see. He didnt look so confident as he spoke, and Tasha gave him a small, amused smile. Just be careful. Please. I dont want to see you in a cell, too. I dont have time for jail visits with everything else going on. Her amusement faded, and her outspoken activist mode kicked in. Our familys being ridiculous, you know. Can you believe theyre actually parleying about running Esmond for us? better God. Weve already had one tragedy after another around here. At the very least, we should try to bring through something out of this mess.I dont think I know Esmond, said Christian.Moron, she said matter-of-factly. Him, I mean. Not you. Someones got to talk sense into our family before they embarrass themselves.Christian grinned. A nd let me guess youre just the one to do it?Of course, she said, a mischievous gleam in her eye. Ive already drawn up a list of ideal candidates. Our family just needs some persuasion to see how ideal they are. Id feel bad for them if they werent still being assholes to us, Christian remarked, watching his aunt walk away. The stigma of his parents turning Strigoi still lingered after all these years. Tasha accepted it more gracefullydespite her complainingif only to be able to participate in the Ozera familys larger decisions. Christian made no such attempts at civility. It was terrible enough to be treated as less than other Moroi, to be denied guardians and other things royals were entitled to. But from his own family? It was especially harsh. He refused to pretend it was acceptable.Theyll come around eventually, said Lissa, sounding more optimistic than she felt.Any response of Christians was swallowed when a new companion fell into step with them my father. His abrupt appearance startled both of my friends, but I wasnt surprised. He probably knew about Lissas interrogation and had been skulking outside the building, waiting to talk to her.Its nice out, said Abe amiably, looking around at the trees and flowers as though the three of them were on a nature walk through Court. But its going to be scorching when the sun comes up.The darkness that was giving me so much trouble in the woods of West Virginia made for pleasant, midday conditions for those on a vampiric schedule. Lissa gave Abe a sidelong glance. With eyes well-tuned to low light, she had no difficulty taking in the brilliant teal dress shirt under his beige sports jacket. A blind person could have probably seen him in that color.Lissa scoffed at Abes faked casualness. It was a habit of his, opening with small talk before moving on to more sinister topics. Youre not here to talk about the weather.Trying to be civilized, thats all. He fell silent as a couple of Moroi girls passed them. Once they were well out of ear-shot, he asked in a low voice, I assume everything went well at your little meeting?Fine, she said, not bothering to fill him in about irrational affection. She knew all hed care about was that none of their associates had been implicated.The guardians have Eddie now, said Christian. And want me later, but I think thatll be it for all of us.Lissa sighed. Honestly, I have a feeling the interrogation was the easy part, compared to whats coming. She meant figuring out who had really killed Tatiana.One step at a time, murmured Abe. No point in letting the larger picture overwhelm us. Well just start at the beginning.Thats the problem, said Lissa, kicking irritably at a branch lying across the pave path in front of her. I have no idea where to start. Whoever killed Tatiana did a good job covering their tracks and shifting it all to Rose.One step at a time, repeated Abe.He spoke in that sly tone of his that annoyed me sometimes, but to Lissa today, it was grating. Until now, all of her energy had been focused on get me out of jail and somewhere safe. That was the goal that had driven her and kept her going in my escapes aftermath. forthwith, after some of the intensity had faded, the pressure of it all was beginning to crash down on her. Christian put an arm around her shoulders, sensing her dismay. He turned to Abe, unusually serious. Do you have any ideas? Christian asked Abe. We certainly dont have any real evidence.We have reasonable assumptions, Abe replied. Like that whoever killed Tatiana would have had access to her private rooms. Thats not a long list.Its not short either. Lissa ticked off people on her fingers. The royal guards, her friends and family and thats assuming no one altered the guardians records of her visitors. And for all we know, some visits were never logged at all. She probably had secret business meetings all the time.Unlikely shed have business meetings in her bedroom, in her nightgown, mused Abe. Of course, it depends on the type of business, I suppose.Lissa stumbled, realization stupefy her. Ambrose.Who?Hes a dhampir really good-looking He and Tatiana were, um Involved? said Christian with a smile, echoing the interrogation.Now Abe came to a stop. Lissa did the same, and his dark eyes met hers. Ive seen him. Sort of a pool boy type.Hed have access to her bedroom, said Lissa. But I just cantI dont know. I cant see him doing this.Appearances are deceiving, said Abe. He was abominably interested in Rose back in the courtroom.More surprise for Lissa. What are you talking about?Abe stroked his chin in an evil-villain sort of way. He spoke to her or gave her some signal. Im not really sure, but there was some kind of interaction between them.Clever, watchful Abe. Hed noticed Ambrose giving me the note but hadnt fully realized what had happened.We should talk to him then, said Christian.Lissa nodded. Conflicting feelings churned inside of her. She was excited by a egest but upset that it meant ki nd, gentle Ambrose might be a suspect.Ill take care of it, said Abe breezily.I felt her gaze fall heavily on him. I couldnt see her expression, but I did see Abe take an involuntary step back, the faintest glimmer of surprise in his eyes. Even Christian flinched. And Im going to be there when you do, she said, steel in her voice. Do not attempt some crazy torture-style interrogation without me.You want to be there for the torture? asked Abe, recovering.There wont be any. Well talk to Ambrose like civilized people, understand? She stared hard at him again, and Abe finally shrugged in acquiescence, as though being overpowered by a woman half(a) his age was no big deal.Fine. Well do it together.Lissa was a little suspicious at his willingness, and he must have picked up on that.We will, he said, continuing walking. This is a good timewell, as good as any timefor an investigation. Courts going to get chaotic as the monarch elections get under way. Everyone here will be busy, and new pe ople will start pouring in.A breeze, rotund with humidity, ruffled Lissas hair. The promise of heat was on it, and she knew Abe would be right about sunrise. It would be worth going to bed early.When will the elections happen? she asked. As soon as they put dear Tatiana to rest. These things move fast. We need our government restored. Shell be buried tomorrow at the church with a ceremony and service, but therell be no repeat of the procession. Theyre still too uneasy.I felt kind of bad that she hadnt received a full queenly funeral in the end, but then, if it meant her true murderer was found, maybe she would have preferred it that way.Once the burial happens and elections begin, Abe continued, any family who wants to put out a candidate for the crown will do soand of course theyll want to. Youve never seen a monarchial election, have you? Its quite a spectacle. Of course, before the voting occurs, all the candidates will have to be tested.There was something ominous in the way he said tested, but Lissas thoughts were elsewhere. Tatiana had been the only queen shed ever known, and the full impact of a regime change was staggering. A new king or queen can affect everythingfor better or worse. I hope its someone good. One of the Ozeras, maybe. One of Tashas people. She glanced hopefully at Christian, who could only shrug. Or Ariana Szelsky. I like her. Not that it matters who I want, she added bitterly. Seeing as I cant vote. The Councils votes determined the elections winner, so again, she was locked out of the Moroi oarlockal process.A lot of work will go into the nominations, Abe explained, avoiding her last comment. Each family will want someone to further their interests but who also has a chance of getting votes fromOomphI was thrust harshly out of the calculating world of Moroi politics and back into the wilds of West Virginiavery painfully so. Something solid and fierce slammed me against the hard-packed earth, leaves and branches cutting my face and hands. squiffy hands held me down, and Dimitris voice spoke in my ear.You should have just hidden in town, he said, a little amused. His weight and position allowed me no room to move. It would have been the last place I looked. Instead, I knew exactly where youd go.Whatever. Dont act so smart, I said through gritted teeth, trying to break out of his hold. blamed it. He was smart. And once again, the closeness of him was disorienting. Earlier, it had seemed to affect him too, but hed apparently learned his lesson. You made a gilded guess, thats all.I dont need luck, Roza. Ill always find you. So, really its up to you how difficult you want this situation to be. There was an almost conversational tone to his voice, made all the more ridiculous by the situation we were in. We can do this over and over, or you can do the reasonable thing and just stay put with Sydney and me.Its not reasonable Its wasteful.He was sweating, from the heat and undoubtedly because hed had to run pretty hard to catch up with me. Adrian wore a cologne that always made me heady, but the natural scent of Dimitris warm skin was rash too. It was amazing to me that I could keep noticing these little thingsand be attracted to themeven when I was legitimately mad at him for keeping me captive. Maybe anger was a turn-on for me.How many times do I have to explain the logic behind what were doing? he asked in exasperation. Until you give up. I pushed back against him, trying again to get loose, but all it did was put us closer together. I had a feeling the petting trick wouldnt work this time.He jerked me to my feet, keeping my arms and hands pinned behind my back. I had a little more room to maneuver than I had on the ground, but not quite enough to break free. Slowly, he began trying to make me walk back toward the direction Id come from.I am not letting you and Sydney risk getting in trouble with me. Ill take care of myself, so just let me go I said, literally dragging my feet. Seeing a tall, skinny tree, I stuck one leg out and hooked myself onto the trunk, completely bringing us to a halt.Dimitri groaned and shifted his grip to get me away from the tree. It almost gave me an escape opportunity, but I didnt even manage two steps before he had a hold of me again.Rose, he said wearily. You cant win.Hows your face feeling? I asked. I couldnt see any tag in the poor lighting but knew the punch Id given him would leave a mark tomorrow. It was a shame to damage his face like that, but hed heal, and maybe it would teach him a lesson about messing with Rose Hathaway.Or not. He began dragging me again. Im seconds away from just tossing you over my shoulder, he warned.Id like to see you try.How do you think Lissa would feel if you got killed? His grip tightened, and while I had a feeling hed make good on his over-the-shoulder threat, I also suspected he wanted to shake me. He was that upset. Can you imagine what it would do to her if she lost you?For a moment, I was out of snappy retorts. I didnt want to die, but risking my life was exactly that risking my life. No one elses. Still, I knew he was right. Lissa would be devastated if anything happened to me. And yet it was a risk I had to take. hurl a little faith, comrade. I wont get killed, I said stubbornly. Ill stay alive.Not the answer hed wanted. He shifted his hold. There are other ways to help her than whatever insanity youre thinking of.I suddenly went limp. Dimitri stumbled, caught by surprise at my sudden lack of resistance. Whats wrong? he asked, both puzzled and suspicious.I stared off into the night, my eyes not really focused on anything. Instead, I was seeing Lissa and Abe back at Court, remembering Lissas feeling of powerlessness and longing for her vote. Tatianas note came back to me, and for a moment, I could hear her voice in my head. She is not the last Dragomir. Another lives.Youre right, I said at last.Right about ? Dimitri was at a total loss. It was a common reaction for peopl e when I agreed to something reasonable.Rushing back to Court wont help Lissa.Silence. I couldnt fully make out his expression, but it was probably filled with shock.Ill go back to the motel with you, and I wont go running off to Court. Another Dragomir. Another Dragomir needing to be found. I took a deep breath. But Im not going to sit around and do nothing. I am going to do something for Lissaand you and Sydney are going to help me.