Shadow Kiss Chapter 25

Twenty-fiveDEAD OR TAKEN AWAY.It wasnt lavish that the Strigoi had come and attacked us, that theyd kil lead Moroi and dhampirs alike. Theyd also carried next to off. It was something Strigoi were known to do. Even they had limits on how often blood they could drink at at a date. So theyd often take prisoners to keep as snacks for later. Or some clocks a powerful Strigoi who didnt compliments to do the dirty work would send his or her minions off to bring substantiate the prey. Every once in a while, theyd pull down purposely take seat captives to turn into more Strigoi. Whatever the reason, it meant that some of our people might still be vital.Students, Moroi and dhampir, were gathered up once certain constructs had been declared Strigoi-free. bad Moroi were herded inside with us, leaving the guardians to assess the damage. I valued desperately to be with them, to help and do my intermit, just they made it clear my part was over. There was nothing I could do at that point save wait and worry with the new(prenominal)s. It still seemed unreal. Strigoi attacking our take. How could it concur happened? The Academy was safe. Wed al way of lifes been taught that. It had to be safe. It was why our prepare years were so long and why Moroi families endured being separated for most of the year. It was worth it for children to have a safe place to go.That was no longer true.It took and a couple hours for them to get a possibility count, exclusively waiting while those reports trickled in mat like days. And the numbersthe numbers were harsh. Fifteen Moroi had been killed. 12 guardians had been killed. A convocation of xiii, both Moroi and dhampirs, had been taken away. The guardians estimated that there had been close to fifty Strigoi, which was beyond mind-boggling. Theyd found twenty-eight Strigoi bodies. The rest appeared to have escaped, many taking victims with them.For that size of a Strigoi party, our casualty count was still start than one might have expected. A few things were credited for saving us. iodin was the early warning. The Strigoi had and penetrated the checks inner grounds when Id warned Stan. The school had gone into lockdown quickly, and the fact that most everyone was already inside for curfew had helped. Most of the Moroi victims knackered or taken were those who had been aside in the open when the Strigoi came.The Strigoi had never made it into the elementary dorms, which Dimitri said was more often than not thanks to me and Christian. They had managed to breach one of the Moroi dorms, however the one that Lissa lived in. My stomach had dropped when I heard that. And even though I could feel that she was fine by dint of the bond, all I could see was that smirking blond Strigoi, telling me he was passage to finish the Dragomirs off. I didnt know what had happened to him the attacking Strigoi group hadnt gotten utmost into her dorm, thankfully, but there had been casualties.One of the m was Eddie.What? I exclaimed when Adrian told me.We were eating in the cafeteria. I wasnt sure which meal it was since the campus had reverted to a sidereal day schedule that threw my awareness of timing off. The cafeteria was nearly silent, all conversations in low whispers. Meals were the only reason students could sacrifice their dorms. There was going away to be a guardian meeting later on that I was actually invited to, but for now, I was confined with the rest of my friends.He was with you guys, I said. I foc employ on Lissa, almost accusingly. I truism him with you. Through your eyes.She looked up at me over the tray of food she had no interest in eating, her face unbalanced and full of grief. When the Strigoi got in downstairs, he and some other novices went down to help.They didnt find his body, said Adrian. There was no smirk on his face, no humor anywhere. He was one of the ones they took.Christian sighed and leaned ass in his chair. Hes as good as dead, then.The c afeteria disappeared. I stopped seeing any of them. every last(predicate) I could see in that result was that room back in Spokane, that room where wed been held. Theyd tortured Eddie and nearly killed him. That experience had changed him forever, affecting the way he now conducted himself as a guardian. Hed grown extremely dedicated as a result, but it had cost him some of the light and laughter he used to have.And now it was happening again. Eddie captured. Hed worked so badly to protect Lissa and others, risking his own life in the attack. Id been nowhere near the Moroi dorm when it had happened, but I felt responsible like I should have gained over him. Surely I owed it to stonemason. Mason. Mason who had died on my watch and whose ghost I hadnt seen since hed warned me earlier. I hadnt been able to save him, and now Id lost his best friend too.I shot up from my chair and shoved my tray away. That dark fury Id been fighting blazed through me. If Strigoi had been near, I co uld have burnt them up with it, with come forward any indispensableness of Christians magic.Whats wrong? asked Lissa.I stared at her in disbelief. Whats wrong? Whats wrong? Do you seriously have to ask that? In the silent cafeteria, my interpreter rang kayoed. People stared.Rose, you know what she means, said Adrian, voice un usually calm. Were all upset. Sit back down. Its going to be alright.For a moment, I almost listened to him. Then, I shook it off. He was trying to use compulsion to chill me out. I glared at him.It is not going to be okay not unless we do something about this.Theres nothing to be done, said Christian. Beside him, Lissa was silent, still accidental injury from when Id snapped at her.Well see about that, I said.Rose, wait, she called. She was worried about me and scared, too. It was tiny and selfish, but she didnt want me to leave her. She was used to me being there for her. I made her feel safe. But I couldnt stay, not rightfulness now.I stormed out of the commons and into the bright light outside. The guardians meeting wasnt for another couple hours, but that didnt matter. I needed to talk to someone now. I sprinted to the guardians building. Someone else was walking into it as I was, and I bumped her in my haste.Rose?My fury turned to surprise. Mom?My famous guardian mother, Janine Hathaway, stood there by the door. She looked the comparable as she had when Id seen her at New Years, her curly red hair still worn short and her face brave from the sun. Her brown eyes seemed grimmer than last time, however, which was saying something.What are you doing here? I asked.As Id told Deirdre, my mother and I had had a troubled relationship for most of my life, largely because of the distance that inevitably came with having a parent who was a guardian. Id resented her for years and we still werent super close, but shed been there for me after Masons death, and I estimate we both tentatively hoped things might improve in coming years. S hed left after New Years, and last Id heard, shed gone back to Europe with the Szelsky she guarded.She opened the door, and I followed her through. Her manner was brusque and businesslike, as always. Replenishing the numbers. Theyve called in extras to reinforce campus.Replenishing the numbers. Replacing the guardians who had been killed. All the bodies had been cleared away Strigoi, Moroi, and dhampir alike but the hole left behind by those who were gone was unembellished to all. I could still see them when I closed my eyes. But with her here, I realized I had an opportunity. I grabbed hold of her arm, which startled her.We have to go after them, I said. Rescue the ones who were taken.She regarded me carefully, a small make a face the only sign of her feelings. We dont do that kind of thing. You know that. We have to protect those who are here.What about those thirteen? Shouldnt we protect them? And you went on a rescue mission once.She shook her head. That was different. We had a trail. We wouldnt know where to find this group if we wanted to.I knew she was right. The Strigoi wouldnt have left an easy path to follow. And yet suddenly, I had an idea.They put the wards back up, right? I asked.Yes, almost immediately. Were still not sure how they were broken. There were no stakes used to pierce them.I started to tell her my theory about that, but she wasnt up to speed with my ghostly shenanigans. Do you know where Dimitri is?She gestured toward groups of guardians hurrying all around. Im sure hes busy here somewhere. Everyone is. And now I need to go check in. I know you were invited to the meeting, but thats not for a while yet you should stay out of the way.I will but I need to see Dimitri first. Its important it might play a role in what happens at the meeting.What is it? she asked suspiciously.I force outt explain yetIts complicated. Itd take too much time. do me find him, and well tell you later.My mother didnt seem happy about this. After all, Jani ne Hathaway wasnt someone people usually said no to. But she nonetheless helped me find Dimitri. After the events over winter break, I think shed come to regard me as more than a hapless teenager. We found Dimitri with some other guardians, analyse a role of campus and planning how to distribute the newly arrived guardians. There were enough people gathered around the map that he was able to slip away.Whats going on? he asked as he and I stood off to the side of the room. Even in the middle of this crisis, in the midst of worrying so much about others, I could tell that there was part of him that worried just about me. Are you okay?I think we should launch a rescue mission, I said.You know we dont usually do that. Yeah, yeah. And I know we dont know where they are except, I might.He frowned. How?I told him how it had been Mason whod warned us last night. Dimitri and I had had no time to talk alone since then, so wed never rattling debriefed on the events of the attack. We al so hadnt really had a chance to talk about what had happened in the cabin. It made me feel weird because really, that was all I wanted to think about, but I couldnt. Not with so much else going on. So I unbroken trying to shove those memories of sex away, only to have them keep popping up and matt-up my emotions further.Hoping I seemed cool and competent, I continued explaining my ideas. Masons locked out now because the wards are back up, but someways I think he knows where the Strigoi are. I think he could show us where they are. Dimitris face told me he had his doubts about this. Come on You have to believe me after what happened.Im still having a hard time with that, he admitted. But okay. Suppose this is true. You think he can just lead us? You can ask him and hell do it?Yeah, I said. I think I can. Ive been fighting him all this time, but I think if I actually try to work with him, hell help. I think thats what hes always wanted. He knew the wards were easy and that the St rigoi had been lying in wait. The Strigoi cant be too far away from us they had to have stopped for daylight and hidden out somewhere. We might be able to get to them before the captives die. And once we get close enough, I can actually find them. I then explained the nauseous feeling Id gotten when Strigoi were around. Dimitri didnt challenge this. I think too many weird things were going on for him to even question it.But Mason isnt here. You said he cant get through the wards. How will you get him to help us? he asked.Id been thought about this. Take me to the anterior gates.After a quick word to Alberta about investigating something, Dimitri led me outside, and we walked the long way to the entrance to the school. Neither of us said anything as we walked. Even in the midst of all this, I still kept thinking of the cabin, of being in his arms. In some ways, it was part of what helped me cope with all the rest of this horror. I had a feeling it was on his mind too.The entrance to the school consisted of a long stretch of iron fence that lay right on top of the wards. A road that wound from the main highway twenty miles away came up to the gate, which was almost always kept closed. Guardians had a small booth here, and the area was monitored at all times of the day.They were surprised by our request, but Dimitri insisted it would just be for a moment. They slid the heavy gate open, revealing a space only giving enough for one person to get through at a time. Dimitri and I stepped outside. A vexation almost immediately built up behind my eyes, and I started to see faces and shapes. It was just like at the airport. When I was outside of wards, I could see all sorts of spirits. But I understood it now and no longer feared it. I needed to control it.Go away, I said to the gray, looming forms around me. I dont have time for you. Go. I put as much force as I could into my will and my voice, and to my astonishment, the ghosts faded. A faint hum remained with me , reminding me they were still out there, and I knew if I let down my guard even a moment, it would all hit me again. Dimitri was eyeing me with concern.Youre okay?I nodded and peered around. There was one ghost I wanted to see.Mason, I said. I need you. Nothing. I summoned back up the command Id used on the other ghosts just a moment ago. Mason. Please. Come here.I saw nothing except the road in front of us winding off into the winter-dead hills. Dimitri was giving me that look from last night, the one that said he was deeply concerned for my mental health. And actually, I was worried at that moment too. Last nights warning had been the utmost proof for me that Mason was real. But now A minute later, his shape materialized before me, looking a little paler than before. For the first time since all this had begun, I was happy to see him. He, of course, looked sad. Same old same old.Finally. You were making me look bad. He simply stared, and I immediately felt bad for joking. Im sor ry. I need your help again. We have to find them. We have to save Eddie.He nodded.Can you show me where they are?He nodded again and turned, pointing off in a direction that was almost directly behind me.They came in through the back of campus?He nodded yet again, and like that, I knew what had happened. I knew how the Strigoi had gotten in, but there was no time to dwell on that just now. I turned to Dimitri. We need a map, I said.He walked back through the gate and spoke a few words to one of the guardians on duty. A moment later, he returned with a map and unfolded it. It showed the layout of campus, as well as the surrounding roads and terrain. I took it from him and held it out to Mason, trying to keep it flat in the whipping wind.The only true road out from the school was right in front of us. The rest of the campus was surrounded by forests and steep cliffs. I pointed to a cutaneous senses at the back of the schools grounds. This is where they came in, isnt it? Where the war ds first broke?Mason nodded. He held out his finger and without touching the map, traced a route through the woods that flanked the edge of a small mountain. Following it long enough in the end led to a small dirt road that joined an interstate many miles away. I followed where he pointed and suddenly had my doubts about using him as a guide.No, thats not right, I said. It cant be. This stretch of woods by the mountain has no roads. Theyd have to go on foot, and itd take too long to walk from the school to this other road. They wouldnt have had enough time. Theyd be caught in daylight.Mason shook his head to disagree with me, plainly and again traced the route back and forth. In particular, he kept pointing to a spot not far beyond the Academys grounds. At least, it wasnt far away on the map. The map wasnt particularly detailed, and I guessed the spot was in all probability a few miles away. He held his finger there, looked at me, and then looked back down.They cant be there n ow, I argued. Its outside. They might have come in through the back, but they had to have left through the front gotten in some kind of vehicle and took off.Mason shook his head.I looked up at Dimitri, frustrated. I felt like the clock was ticking on us, and Masons weird assertion that the Strigoi were a few miles away, alfresco in the daytime, was stirring up my irritable nature. I sincerely doubted theyd gotten out tents and were camping.Is there any building or anything out there? I demanded, pointing at the spot Mason had indicated. He says they were going out to that road. But they couldnt have walked there before the sun came up, and he claims theyre there.Dimitris eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Not that I know of. He took the map from me and brought it to the other guardians to check with them. While they talked, I glanced back at Mason.You bring out be right about this, I warned him.He nodded.Have youhave you seen them? The Strigoi and their captives?He nodded.Is Eddie still alive?He nodded, and Dimitri walked over.Rose There was a strange sound to Dimitris voice as he brought the map back, like he couldnt entirely believe what he was saying. Stephen says there are caves right at the brutal of the mountain here.I met Dimitris eyes, no doubt looking just as astonished as he did. Are they big enough Big enough for the Strigoi to hide out in until nighttime? Dimitri nodded. They are. And theyre only five miles away.