St, Vlad's Academy, Montana | Early Early Monday Morning FH-Time
Rose almost wasn't sure what had just happened. After all their understanding about stopping as soon as they got to St. Vlad's, they'd both lost control in the aftermath of the madness that had passed through her. She didn't care about their understanding anymore even though she knew their current intertwined fingers would have to separate as soon as they emerged from the trees. Right now everything was magical, was golden and bright, and she was floating over the ground instead of walking.
The euphoria wasn't necessarily just due to being able to touch Dimitri, but for once she felt in control. With Dimitri's help, she'd be able to keep away the darkness. No, she wasn't thinking of that. She was just thinking of the last few gorgeous hours that had passed between them.
He would not make apologies for what had happened. Dimitri didn't regret a moment of time spent with Rose, no matter how incredibly inappropriate it could be considered by others. For now, he was content to have her hand in his and know for certain that nothing was going to keep them apart. He could save thinking about how to mix this knowledge with the reality of their lives for another time.
She still wanted to pull him close and extend this time where they didn't have to ignore their feelings for each other. But even through that warm haze, she felt an odd faint wave of nausea pass through her once and then again suddenly stopped walking Her skin prickled just a little. It was strange, almost familiar.
Not knowing what she was doing, Dimitri stopped immediately, looking at her in confusion. He said a silent prayer that this was not the beginning of another mental assault from Lissa wielding too much Spirit.
A pale form was appearing in front of them, and after a moment, Rose recognised Mason. She frowned a little, squeezing Dimitri's hand in reassurance. There was something different about Mason - he didn't just look sad, he was frustrated or...scared? If she could see ghosts, wouldn't it have been helpful to let her understand them too?
That hand squeeze mixed with the odd look on her face had Dimitri even more concerned. "What's wrong?"
"It's Mason," she said softly, still trying to understand what he was trying to tell her. Mason's expression changed, grew more intense, and the odd feeling of nausea increased. Something was going on. She just needed to know what it was.
If she was seeing ghosts it could not mean anything good. "We should go back," he suggested carefully, trying to tug her onward.
Rose shook her head, focusing on Mason. "What? What is it?" she asked, frustrated at her own lack of understanding.
He pointed behind her, his look of frustration matching hers. She looked over her shoulder and didn't see anything. "Please, Mason, tell me." There was something huge going on here. Something that he was scared of.
Dimitri looked back and forth between Rose and ...the empty space she was talking to.
Finally Mason managed to gasp out two words "...they're...coming..."
Rose didn't understand. Until the overwhelming silence of the forest and the increased prickling on her skin and powerful wave of nausea made it clear. "Dimitri!" she said sharply. "There's Strigoi in -"
It was too late, and Dimitri was closer. The pale face and red eyes were distinct as the creature moved quickly toward them. But Dimitri was fast and his stake was in his hand before the Strigoi could swing his arm. It was clear the Strigoi had hoped to catch them unprepared, and while he was strong, he was not a good fighter, allowing Dimitri's stake to sink quickly into its chest.
He turned to face Rose as the Strigoi crumpled to the ground. It seemed they had a new nightmare just beginning.
Her eyes met his, almost reading his thoughts before he turned away again. There were Strigoi. On school grounds. And she'd sensed them somehow in those surges of nausea. She could have told Dimitri there weren't any very close, but she was scanning the woods too, not quite trusting her own sense.
There were more coming in the woods. He looked back at her quickly, there was no time for discussion about how this was going to go. "Rose. Listen to me," Dimitri ordered, knowing this was a message that had to make it to campus. "Run. Run as fast and as hard as you can back to the dorms. Tell the guardians."
Rose nodded, for once not questioning him.
Reaching out, he grabbed for her upper arm, gaze locked on her eyes to make sure she understood his next words as they were imperative to both her survival and that of the others. "Do not stop," he ordered. "No matter what you hear, no matter what you see, you do not stop. Not until you've warned the others. Do not stop unless directly confronted. Do you understand?"
"I will," she managed, nodding again.
"Tell them buria," he said, all his faith rested on her to pass along the message.
Buria. Rose repeated the unfamiliar word to herself to make sure she remembered it. Her hand came up to cover his grip on her arm for just a second as she nodded a third time. Words would take too long, and time was of the utmost important.
The sentiment passed by her hand was endlessly mutual.
"Run." Dimitri released her arm at the order and prepared to meet the enemy.
Rose didn't look back as she ran. She knew what Dimitri was doing behind her. He was killing as many Strigoi as possible to give her time to warn the school's guardians. She couldn't worry about him now even though she knew if he died, she would too. The only thing she could think about was running. Somehow the school was under attack, and lives were depending on her.
She burst into the dhampir dorm, nearly bowling Stan over in her haste. He didn't believe her story, Rose could see it in his eyes - this was just another crazy tale from Hathaway, but the minute she blurted out Dimitri's code word buria, he sprang into action. She'd never seen the guardians run drills at St Vlad's, but from the way they organised and dispersed in almost no time at all, they must have practiced.
"What should we do," Rose asked, stepping out of the line of novices to approach Alberta. She was the only senior there, all the others were with their Moroi, and the idea that the older Moroi - that Lissa - had that extra line of protection relieved Rose.
Alberta turned to the girl, her eyes scanning the line of young dhampirs, so eager and all so unaware their world was changing forever. "Stay in the dorm," she said gently. "The campus is under lockdown so go up to your floors. The Strigoi will have a harder time getting up there."
"I can help," Rose replied quickly, not wanting to be relagated to waiting. "You know I can."
Her heart told her to disagree and send Rose away, but then she nodded, reaching under her coat to hand Rose a silver stake. "Take them upstairs and watch them." She shook her head as the novice started to protest. "We need them out of the way here. Go."
Rose fingered the stake, amazed that Alberta had given her one. Pausing for just a moment before she turned to go, she asked, "What does buria mean?"
"Storm," Alberta said softly, her eyes understanding and sad even as she prepared herself mentally for the battle ahead. Some of her people would die tonight. She had to hope their training held out. "It's Russian for 'storm.'" Without another word, she nodded at Hathaway then strode away, giving orders as she went.
Rose led the other novices upstairs and organised them. They were terrified, but it was obvious that they - like her - wanted to fight, wanted to do anything to help. Almost all novices grew up fast, and these understood the seriousness of their situation. The guardians assigned Rose a spot by a small window on the second floor. She knew it was mostly to get her out of the way even though Alberta had given her the stake. But Rose patrolled carefully, finally letting her mind seek Lissa. She was safe in the Moroi dorm, guarded by Eddie with Adrian close by, but she was terrified for Rose and Christian.
Christian? Rose frowned, unsure why he would be out past curfew. Another moment and Lissa supplied the answer - he'd been in the chapel, and now she was helpless to know if he was alright.
She returned to her own body and finally understood what Dimitri had told her at the beginning of the summer about guarding someone she wasn't psychicially linked to. She was worried about Lissa absolutely, but Lissa was as safe as she possibly could be in a campus under attack. Christian - Christian was her responsibility, and she had no idea where he was. He could even be dead by now. Rose reached to touch the small window, trying to decide what to do. He was a Moroi. She had to guard him. They came first.
In moments, Rose was crawling out of the window and dropping down onto the ground. She clutched her stake carefully as she moved from tree to tree through the dark. The Strigoi could see better than her in the blackness, but she had that early warning of nausea that had alerted her to their presence in the woods.
Rose whirled at movement in the dark and nearly staked Christian in the chest. "What are you doing??" she hissed, breathing hard.
"...trying to get back to the dorm," he replied, raising an eyebrow at Rose's appearance. "What's happening? I heard screaming."
"Strigoi on campus," Rose said, amazed she could sound so calm as she said it. For an instant, it felt like one of the weird things Fandom threw, but this wouldn't just go away Monday morning, and the cost was going to be higher than some bumps and bruises. This was real. She waved off Christian's questions. "We need to go back to the chapel. It'll be safe there." She eyed him, worried he'd start a fight about this.
There was no danger of that. The combination of Strigoi and 'on campus' and Christian's memories not only of Spokane but of his parents made him agree to follow Rose's instuctions immediately. "Okay. Are you coming with me?"
Rose nodded, and then a wave of nausea overwhelmed her. "Get down," she shouted, relieved he instantly dropped.
There were two Strigoi upon them, both attacking Rose. It was a smart strategy. Their combined strength could take Rose down then move on to kill Christian at their leisure. Rose was slammed back into a tree, her vision blurring for half a second before she was shoving back, dodging the male Strigoi's attack and moving them away from Christian. She feinted towards the male Strigoi again and, moving as fast as she could, stabbed her stake into the female's heart. It surprised her as much as it surprised Rose.
She pulled the stake out just as the other Strigoi attacked. He was taller and much stronger than her, and Rose kicked and punched, seeking an opening to stake him too. Instead she found herself being tackled and dragged to the ground. She tried to get her arm free, elbow him in the face like she had Dimitri earlier, but he'd pinned her and was leaning in, his fangs bared. She didn't want to die. But she was going to, and then Christian would die too. Rose drew a breath, starting to yell for Christian to run to the chapel when the Strigoi was suddenly on fire.
He jerked back in shock, and Rose rolled out from under him, staring in amazement as he was consumed by flames. A scream escaped and then he collapsed into nothing but ash.
Oh God, she was alive. The smoke-filled air smelled so sweet, and Rose looked up for a moment to see the stars before she moved to give Christian a hand up. "Wow."
"No shit," he said, completely tense as he stared at the Strigoi he'd killed. "Didn't know I had that much power." He'd killed a Strigoi. Christian turned to Rose, seeing her next decision in her face and wondering if maybe... "Rose. Do you really want to hole up in the chapel?"
She frowned, unsure why he was asking. She needed to get him to safety; he was obviously terrified. "What do you mean?"
"We just took out two Strigoi," Christian said, gesturing to their bodies and willing Rose to get it.
It was a fantastic plan. With his fire and her fighting, they could do serious damage to the attackers. None of the Strigoi would know what hit them. But - she couldn't. Putting a Moroi in danger went against every instinct as well as all of her training. "No," Rose said slowly. "I can't risk your life like that."
"You know what we could do, Rose," he insisted. "I can see it in your face. Killing Strigoi - this is worth risking one Moroi life."
She couldn't take a Moroi into battle, but... there were so many at danger right now, and Rose could remember the flare of joy when she realised her life had been saved. She couldn't give up this opportunity to save as many as she could.
Rose nodded. "You don't need to incinerate them like that. Just set 'em on fire, and I'll finish them. You need to save your power."
Christian grinned fiercely, his whole face alight. "We're going hunting?"
She nodded again, excited by the idea. She was going to fight. "Let's go to the elementary campus."
They were badasses. The first Strigoi they ran into was on fire and staked before it knew they were there. But the scene at the elementary campus was terrifying. Guardians were actively fighting to defend the entrances of the dorms. There were at least twenty Strigoi attacking, more than Rose had ever imagined she'd see fighting together.
She and Christian whirled into the battle, moving from fight to fight, ignoring the looks of the older guardians. Not all of their kills were as easy as the first, but the numbers piled up as they worked to keep the Strigoi out of the dorm.
Watching the dhampir girl and the Moroi boy attack his 'friends,' Nathan realized something. "I know you."
Just the fact that one of the Strigoi was talking to her startled Rose, and she swung out with her stake towards him. No one was really talking in this fight, and she couldn't understand why the blond Strigoi cared if he knew her or not.
Nathan dodged away from her stake, wholly amused that he knew this little fighter girl. "There's something strange about you now, but I still remember. I saw you years ago, before I was awakened." Now, where did he remember her from?
The Strigoi looked like he was her age, but he obviously wasn't, and Rose didn't bother to respond. Instead she spun, kicking out at him and hoping his little gossip session would distract him from the fight.
"Oh, that's it! You were always with that Dragomir girl, the blonde." He foot connected, but Nathan barely budged as he reached for her. "Her parents wanted you to be her guardian, right? Before they were all killed?"
"I am her guardian," she snapped, knocking his arm high as she nearly staked him.
Nathan's interest perked at hearing that as he moved out of her stake's path. "She's still alive then...there were rumors she'd died last year." No, really, this had to be some of the best news he'd heard since this plan had been set. "You have no idea what kind of reward I'd get for taking down the last living Drag-AHHH!"
She hadn't managed to stake him, but the tip of the charmed stake had gouged up his face. So it wouldn't kill him, but it would sure hurt a lot, and Rose smiled viciously, trying to knock him back again.
It felt like fucking acid across his face and that bitch would pay for it! "I'll come back for her, just as soon as I finish you!"
"You'll never even get near her," Rose growled, not impressed with his tauntings. She needed to stake him and move on.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Yuri lurching towards her, but she couldn't avoid him before he smashed into her, destroying her attempt to stake the Strigoi.
Nathan saw his opening to flee, face still burning from her stake. Maybe he had enough time to catch up with that little blonde Princess before the sun rose. He struck off to find out, leaving the dhampir and her fiery friend behind.
Rose staked the Strigoi coming for Yuri before turning back to the blond one. He was gone. She had to find Lissa. "Christian!" she yelled, still fighting. "He's going after Lissa! We need to go!"
"He was fucking with you," Christian shot back, ever one to argue even in the middle of a fight. "She's surrounded by guardians."
"But!" Rose frowned as she staked the Strigoi Christian lit up. They had to go after Lissa. That jackass couldn't be allowed a straight line to her because Rose had told him where she was.
"We're needed here, Rose," he argued. "And - behind you!" Christian concentrated as he fired up the Strigoi who'd been trying to sneak up on Rose.
Still not entirely sure, Rose allowed herself to be convinced to stay at the elementary dorm instead of running after Lissa. She sank deep into a battle rage, focusing solely on killing one Strigoi after another, making sure none could escape to Lissa's dorm. Just staking them, that was all that mattered.
Until she turned, and there were no more. Her whole body hurt even through the adrenaline, and Rose couldn't remember ever being so tired. She glanced at Christian who was standing next to her, nearly gasping for breath. The magic he'd been using took a physical toll, and even through the exhaustion, Rose was surprised by how powerful he was.
"We need to find another one," she said, looking over the bodies to search for movement in the dark.
"There are no others," Dimitri said with some relief, making his way over to where Christian and Rose stood. The fact that she was alive warmed his heart, sending a fresh wave of adrenaline through him. She'd both survived and done more than anyone could've expected with Christian's help.
Rose's heart leaped as she saw Dimitri emerge out of the dark. All the fear she'd been repressing was relieved, and Rose wanted to throw herself into his arms, holding him close and making sure he wasn't hurt. She met his gaze for just a moment, letting him see all her love and relief. "Where'd they go?"
"They're either dead or have run away," he told her, then glanced between Rose and Christian, feeling so much pride it was overwhelming. "What you two did-"
She twisted her lips, feeling like she knew what he was going to say next. "Was stupid?" she suggested before she had to hear him say it.
Dimitri shook his head. "One of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Half of those are yours." He gestured to the grounds, littered with bodies.
The praise was almost shocking, and Rose turned to look back towards the dorm. They had killed a lot of Strigoi, and as much as she hated the death, she couldn't deny that she liked what they'd just done. It was her job. She'd done her job and protected those in her care from the monsters.
Then her stomach turned again, not because of Strigoi this time. The bodies on the ground - "Those aren't just Strigoi bodies," she said, looking back at Dimitri.
It was a tremendous loss. "I know," he nodded. "We lost a lot of people, in all senses of the word."
Christian was frowning now, looking to Dimitri for clarification. "What do you mean?"
Dimitri honestly thought they would've known and was sorry he was the one to break the terrible news. "The Strigoi killed some Moroi and dhampirs. And some...some they carried away." Christian should remember there was nothing Strigoi liked better than savoring their food, sickening as it was.
Rose swallowed at the news. She'd known - she could see there were people killed, but to be captured by the Strigoi to be used as, as a snack or worse, turned into Strigoi themselves, that was horrific. She glanced over at Christian, seeing him dead white but not about to break down or anything. "How many?" she asked quietly. It didn't matter. One was too many.
"There's no telling yet," Dimitri replied with a shake of his head. It was obviously too many. "You two should get back to the dorms. You did well, but the cleanup is not your responsibility." He felt they didn't need to be around to see it, either.
Anyone who was watching Rose right now would see her version of the blank guardian mask fail completely as she watched Dimitri, all her emotions and admiration and utter trust were on display in her eyes. "I can help," she said quickly. "I'll take Christian back to the Moroi dorm and make sure Lissa is okay then come back." She knew Lissa was okay if terrified, but she wanted to see for herself.
Seeing that look in her eyes, all Dimitri wanted was to fold Rose into his arms and just sleep. As much as there was to be done, he couldn't give her a pass. "Get some rest," he told her. "We may need the seniors help later."
Rose nodded, accepting the decision. At Fandom, she'd have insisted, but this wasn't Fandom, and she was still just a novice here. "You get some rest too, Dimitri," she said, knowing he probably wouldn't then nodded to Christian. "Come on, let's go find Lissa."
[NFI, OOC Totally Welcome, Warnings for violence and character death.]
[Shadow Kiss: Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 ]
The euphoria wasn't necessarily just due to being able to touch Dimitri, but for once she felt in control. With Dimitri's help, she'd be able to keep away the darkness. No, she wasn't thinking of that. She was just thinking of the last few gorgeous hours that had passed between them.
He would not make apologies for what had happened. Dimitri didn't regret a moment of time spent with Rose, no matter how incredibly inappropriate it could be considered by others. For now, he was content to have her hand in his and know for certain that nothing was going to keep them apart. He could save thinking about how to mix this knowledge with the reality of their lives for another time.
She still wanted to pull him close and extend this time where they didn't have to ignore their feelings for each other. But even through that warm haze, she felt an odd faint wave of nausea pass through her once and then again suddenly stopped walking Her skin prickled just a little. It was strange, almost familiar.
Not knowing what she was doing, Dimitri stopped immediately, looking at her in confusion. He said a silent prayer that this was not the beginning of another mental assault from Lissa wielding too much Spirit.
A pale form was appearing in front of them, and after a moment, Rose recognised Mason. She frowned a little, squeezing Dimitri's hand in reassurance. There was something different about Mason - he didn't just look sad, he was frustrated or...scared? If she could see ghosts, wouldn't it have been helpful to let her understand them too?
That hand squeeze mixed with the odd look on her face had Dimitri even more concerned. "What's wrong?"
"It's Mason," she said softly, still trying to understand what he was trying to tell her. Mason's expression changed, grew more intense, and the odd feeling of nausea increased. Something was going on. She just needed to know what it was.
If she was seeing ghosts it could not mean anything good. "We should go back," he suggested carefully, trying to tug her onward.
Rose shook her head, focusing on Mason. "What? What is it?" she asked, frustrated at her own lack of understanding.
He pointed behind her, his look of frustration matching hers. She looked over her shoulder and didn't see anything. "Please, Mason, tell me." There was something huge going on here. Something that he was scared of.
Dimitri looked back and forth between Rose and ...the empty space she was talking to.
Finally Mason managed to gasp out two words "...they're...coming..."
Rose didn't understand. Until the overwhelming silence of the forest and the increased prickling on her skin and powerful wave of nausea made it clear. "Dimitri!" she said sharply. "There's Strigoi in -"
It was too late, and Dimitri was closer. The pale face and red eyes were distinct as the creature moved quickly toward them. But Dimitri was fast and his stake was in his hand before the Strigoi could swing his arm. It was clear the Strigoi had hoped to catch them unprepared, and while he was strong, he was not a good fighter, allowing Dimitri's stake to sink quickly into its chest.
He turned to face Rose as the Strigoi crumpled to the ground. It seemed they had a new nightmare just beginning.
Her eyes met his, almost reading his thoughts before he turned away again. There were Strigoi. On school grounds. And she'd sensed them somehow in those surges of nausea. She could have told Dimitri there weren't any very close, but she was scanning the woods too, not quite trusting her own sense.
There were more coming in the woods. He looked back at her quickly, there was no time for discussion about how this was going to go. "Rose. Listen to me," Dimitri ordered, knowing this was a message that had to make it to campus. "Run. Run as fast and as hard as you can back to the dorms. Tell the guardians."
Rose nodded, for once not questioning him.
Reaching out, he grabbed for her upper arm, gaze locked on her eyes to make sure she understood his next words as they were imperative to both her survival and that of the others. "Do not stop," he ordered. "No matter what you hear, no matter what you see, you do not stop. Not until you've warned the others. Do not stop unless directly confronted. Do you understand?"
"I will," she managed, nodding again.
"Tell them buria," he said, all his faith rested on her to pass along the message.
Buria. Rose repeated the unfamiliar word to herself to make sure she remembered it. Her hand came up to cover his grip on her arm for just a second as she nodded a third time. Words would take too long, and time was of the utmost important.
The sentiment passed by her hand was endlessly mutual.
"Run." Dimitri released her arm at the order and prepared to meet the enemy.
Rose didn't look back as she ran. She knew what Dimitri was doing behind her. He was killing as many Strigoi as possible to give her time to warn the school's guardians. She couldn't worry about him now even though she knew if he died, she would too. The only thing she could think about was running. Somehow the school was under attack, and lives were depending on her.
She burst into the dhampir dorm, nearly bowling Stan over in her haste. He didn't believe her story, Rose could see it in his eyes - this was just another crazy tale from Hathaway, but the minute she blurted out Dimitri's code word buria, he sprang into action. She'd never seen the guardians run drills at St Vlad's, but from the way they organised and dispersed in almost no time at all, they must have practiced.
"What should we do," Rose asked, stepping out of the line of novices to approach Alberta. She was the only senior there, all the others were with their Moroi, and the idea that the older Moroi - that Lissa - had that extra line of protection relieved Rose.
Alberta turned to the girl, her eyes scanning the line of young dhampirs, so eager and all so unaware their world was changing forever. "Stay in the dorm," she said gently. "The campus is under lockdown so go up to your floors. The Strigoi will have a harder time getting up there."
"I can help," Rose replied quickly, not wanting to be relagated to waiting. "You know I can."
Her heart told her to disagree and send Rose away, but then she nodded, reaching under her coat to hand Rose a silver stake. "Take them upstairs and watch them." She shook her head as the novice started to protest. "We need them out of the way here. Go."
Rose fingered the stake, amazed that Alberta had given her one. Pausing for just a moment before she turned to go, she asked, "What does buria mean?"
"Storm," Alberta said softly, her eyes understanding and sad even as she prepared herself mentally for the battle ahead. Some of her people would die tonight. She had to hope their training held out. "It's Russian for 'storm.'" Without another word, she nodded at Hathaway then strode away, giving orders as she went.
Rose led the other novices upstairs and organised them. They were terrified, but it was obvious that they - like her - wanted to fight, wanted to do anything to help. Almost all novices grew up fast, and these understood the seriousness of their situation. The guardians assigned Rose a spot by a small window on the second floor. She knew it was mostly to get her out of the way even though Alberta had given her the stake. But Rose patrolled carefully, finally letting her mind seek Lissa. She was safe in the Moroi dorm, guarded by Eddie with Adrian close by, but she was terrified for Rose and Christian.
Christian? Rose frowned, unsure why he would be out past curfew. Another moment and Lissa supplied the answer - he'd been in the chapel, and now she was helpless to know if he was alright.
She returned to her own body and finally understood what Dimitri had told her at the beginning of the summer about guarding someone she wasn't psychicially linked to. She was worried about Lissa absolutely, but Lissa was as safe as she possibly could be in a campus under attack. Christian - Christian was her responsibility, and she had no idea where he was. He could even be dead by now. Rose reached to touch the small window, trying to decide what to do. He was a Moroi. She had to guard him. They came first.
In moments, Rose was crawling out of the window and dropping down onto the ground. She clutched her stake carefully as she moved from tree to tree through the dark. The Strigoi could see better than her in the blackness, but she had that early warning of nausea that had alerted her to their presence in the woods.
Rose whirled at movement in the dark and nearly staked Christian in the chest. "What are you doing??" she hissed, breathing hard.
"...trying to get back to the dorm," he replied, raising an eyebrow at Rose's appearance. "What's happening? I heard screaming."
"Strigoi on campus," Rose said, amazed she could sound so calm as she said it. For an instant, it felt like one of the weird things Fandom threw, but this wouldn't just go away Monday morning, and the cost was going to be higher than some bumps and bruises. This was real. She waved off Christian's questions. "We need to go back to the chapel. It'll be safe there." She eyed him, worried he'd start a fight about this.
There was no danger of that. The combination of Strigoi and 'on campus' and Christian's memories not only of Spokane but of his parents made him agree to follow Rose's instuctions immediately. "Okay. Are you coming with me?"
Rose nodded, and then a wave of nausea overwhelmed her. "Get down," she shouted, relieved he instantly dropped.
There were two Strigoi upon them, both attacking Rose. It was a smart strategy. Their combined strength could take Rose down then move on to kill Christian at their leisure. Rose was slammed back into a tree, her vision blurring for half a second before she was shoving back, dodging the male Strigoi's attack and moving them away from Christian. She feinted towards the male Strigoi again and, moving as fast as she could, stabbed her stake into the female's heart. It surprised her as much as it surprised Rose.
She pulled the stake out just as the other Strigoi attacked. He was taller and much stronger than her, and Rose kicked and punched, seeking an opening to stake him too. Instead she found herself being tackled and dragged to the ground. She tried to get her arm free, elbow him in the face like she had Dimitri earlier, but he'd pinned her and was leaning in, his fangs bared. She didn't want to die. But she was going to, and then Christian would die too. Rose drew a breath, starting to yell for Christian to run to the chapel when the Strigoi was suddenly on fire.
He jerked back in shock, and Rose rolled out from under him, staring in amazement as he was consumed by flames. A scream escaped and then he collapsed into nothing but ash.
Oh God, she was alive. The smoke-filled air smelled so sweet, and Rose looked up for a moment to see the stars before she moved to give Christian a hand up. "Wow."
"No shit," he said, completely tense as he stared at the Strigoi he'd killed. "Didn't know I had that much power." He'd killed a Strigoi. Christian turned to Rose, seeing her next decision in her face and wondering if maybe... "Rose. Do you really want to hole up in the chapel?"
She frowned, unsure why he was asking. She needed to get him to safety; he was obviously terrified. "What do you mean?"
"We just took out two Strigoi," Christian said, gesturing to their bodies and willing Rose to get it.
It was a fantastic plan. With his fire and her fighting, they could do serious damage to the attackers. None of the Strigoi would know what hit them. But - she couldn't. Putting a Moroi in danger went against every instinct as well as all of her training. "No," Rose said slowly. "I can't risk your life like that."
"You know what we could do, Rose," he insisted. "I can see it in your face. Killing Strigoi - this is worth risking one Moroi life."
She couldn't take a Moroi into battle, but... there were so many at danger right now, and Rose could remember the flare of joy when she realised her life had been saved. She couldn't give up this opportunity to save as many as she could.
Rose nodded. "You don't need to incinerate them like that. Just set 'em on fire, and I'll finish them. You need to save your power."
Christian grinned fiercely, his whole face alight. "We're going hunting?"
She nodded again, excited by the idea. She was going to fight. "Let's go to the elementary campus."
They were badasses. The first Strigoi they ran into was on fire and staked before it knew they were there. But the scene at the elementary campus was terrifying. Guardians were actively fighting to defend the entrances of the dorms. There were at least twenty Strigoi attacking, more than Rose had ever imagined she'd see fighting together.
She and Christian whirled into the battle, moving from fight to fight, ignoring the looks of the older guardians. Not all of their kills were as easy as the first, but the numbers piled up as they worked to keep the Strigoi out of the dorm.
Watching the dhampir girl and the Moroi boy attack his 'friends,' Nathan realized something. "I know you."
Just the fact that one of the Strigoi was talking to her startled Rose, and she swung out with her stake towards him. No one was really talking in this fight, and she couldn't understand why the blond Strigoi cared if he knew her or not.
Nathan dodged away from her stake, wholly amused that he knew this little fighter girl. "There's something strange about you now, but I still remember. I saw you years ago, before I was awakened." Now, where did he remember her from?
The Strigoi looked like he was her age, but he obviously wasn't, and Rose didn't bother to respond. Instead she spun, kicking out at him and hoping his little gossip session would distract him from the fight.
"Oh, that's it! You were always with that Dragomir girl, the blonde." He foot connected, but Nathan barely budged as he reached for her. "Her parents wanted you to be her guardian, right? Before they were all killed?"
"I am her guardian," she snapped, knocking his arm high as she nearly staked him.
Nathan's interest perked at hearing that as he moved out of her stake's path. "She's still alive then...there were rumors she'd died last year." No, really, this had to be some of the best news he'd heard since this plan had been set. "You have no idea what kind of reward I'd get for taking down the last living Drag-AHHH!"
She hadn't managed to stake him, but the tip of the charmed stake had gouged up his face. So it wouldn't kill him, but it would sure hurt a lot, and Rose smiled viciously, trying to knock him back again.
It felt like fucking acid across his face and that bitch would pay for it! "I'll come back for her, just as soon as I finish you!"
"You'll never even get near her," Rose growled, not impressed with his tauntings. She needed to stake him and move on.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Yuri lurching towards her, but she couldn't avoid him before he smashed into her, destroying her attempt to stake the Strigoi.
Nathan saw his opening to flee, face still burning from her stake. Maybe he had enough time to catch up with that little blonde Princess before the sun rose. He struck off to find out, leaving the dhampir and her fiery friend behind.
Rose staked the Strigoi coming for Yuri before turning back to the blond one. He was gone. She had to find Lissa. "Christian!" she yelled, still fighting. "He's going after Lissa! We need to go!"
"He was fucking with you," Christian shot back, ever one to argue even in the middle of a fight. "She's surrounded by guardians."
"But!" Rose frowned as she staked the Strigoi Christian lit up. They had to go after Lissa. That jackass couldn't be allowed a straight line to her because Rose had told him where she was.
"We're needed here, Rose," he argued. "And - behind you!" Christian concentrated as he fired up the Strigoi who'd been trying to sneak up on Rose.
Still not entirely sure, Rose allowed herself to be convinced to stay at the elementary dorm instead of running after Lissa. She sank deep into a battle rage, focusing solely on killing one Strigoi after another, making sure none could escape to Lissa's dorm. Just staking them, that was all that mattered.
Until she turned, and there were no more. Her whole body hurt even through the adrenaline, and Rose couldn't remember ever being so tired. She glanced at Christian who was standing next to her, nearly gasping for breath. The magic he'd been using took a physical toll, and even through the exhaustion, Rose was surprised by how powerful he was.
"We need to find another one," she said, looking over the bodies to search for movement in the dark.
"There are no others," Dimitri said with some relief, making his way over to where Christian and Rose stood. The fact that she was alive warmed his heart, sending a fresh wave of adrenaline through him. She'd both survived and done more than anyone could've expected with Christian's help.
Rose's heart leaped as she saw Dimitri emerge out of the dark. All the fear she'd been repressing was relieved, and Rose wanted to throw herself into his arms, holding him close and making sure he wasn't hurt. She met his gaze for just a moment, letting him see all her love and relief. "Where'd they go?"
"They're either dead or have run away," he told her, then glanced between Rose and Christian, feeling so much pride it was overwhelming. "What you two did-"
She twisted her lips, feeling like she knew what he was going to say next. "Was stupid?" she suggested before she had to hear him say it.
Dimitri shook his head. "One of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Half of those are yours." He gestured to the grounds, littered with bodies.
The praise was almost shocking, and Rose turned to look back towards the dorm. They had killed a lot of Strigoi, and as much as she hated the death, she couldn't deny that she liked what they'd just done. It was her job. She'd done her job and protected those in her care from the monsters.
Then her stomach turned again, not because of Strigoi this time. The bodies on the ground - "Those aren't just Strigoi bodies," she said, looking back at Dimitri.
It was a tremendous loss. "I know," he nodded. "We lost a lot of people, in all senses of the word."
Christian was frowning now, looking to Dimitri for clarification. "What do you mean?"
Dimitri honestly thought they would've known and was sorry he was the one to break the terrible news. "The Strigoi killed some Moroi and dhampirs. And some...some they carried away." Christian should remember there was nothing Strigoi liked better than savoring their food, sickening as it was.
Rose swallowed at the news. She'd known - she could see there were people killed, but to be captured by the Strigoi to be used as, as a snack or worse, turned into Strigoi themselves, that was horrific. She glanced over at Christian, seeing him dead white but not about to break down or anything. "How many?" she asked quietly. It didn't matter. One was too many.
"There's no telling yet," Dimitri replied with a shake of his head. It was obviously too many. "You two should get back to the dorms. You did well, but the cleanup is not your responsibility." He felt they didn't need to be around to see it, either.
Anyone who was watching Rose right now would see her version of the blank guardian mask fail completely as she watched Dimitri, all her emotions and admiration and utter trust were on display in her eyes. "I can help," she said quickly. "I'll take Christian back to the Moroi dorm and make sure Lissa is okay then come back." She knew Lissa was okay if terrified, but she wanted to see for herself.
Seeing that look in her eyes, all Dimitri wanted was to fold Rose into his arms and just sleep. As much as there was to be done, he couldn't give her a pass. "Get some rest," he told her. "We may need the seniors help later."
Rose nodded, accepting the decision. At Fandom, she'd have insisted, but this wasn't Fandom, and she was still just a novice here. "You get some rest too, Dimitri," she said, knowing he probably wouldn't then nodded to Christian. "Come on, let's go find Lissa."
[NFI, OOC Totally Welcome, Warnings for violence and character death.]
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