Spirit Bound Chapter Sixteen

I DIDNT HAVE A PRECISE ascertain of how more(prenominal) Strigoi were with Dimitris company. So much of what Id matchn through and through Lissa had been blur red- vistad with confusion and terror. The guardians, sharp we were expected, had simply had to harbour a crush guess about how many to send. Hans had apprehendd overwhelming force would make up for us losing the element of confusion. Hed dispatched as many guardians as he could reasonably clear from the Court. Admittedly, the Court was protect by wards, simply it hushed couldnt be odd entirely undefended.Having the freshly grads in that respect had helped. Most of them had been left behind, eachowing the seas stard guardians to go on our lookup party. That left us with forty or so. It was as unusual as large conclaves of Strigoi banding to crushher. Guardians were usu all in all(a)y sent out in pairs, mayhap groups of three at most, with Moroi families. This large of a force had the potential to get d own about a battle rivaling that of the Academy attack.K straighting that mulcting through the dark wouldnt work, Hans haulped our convoy a little ways from the store the Strigoi were holed up at. The building was situated on a service passageway cutting off from the highway. It was an industrial area, hardly a deserted fashion in the woods, but all the businesses and factories were shut raft this late at night. I stepped out of the SUV, letting the warm leveling wrap virtually me. It was humid, and the moisture in the air felt especially oppressive when I was already sm a nonher(prenominal)ed with fear.Standing beside the road, I felt no malady. Dimitri hadnt affix Strigoi this far, which meant our arrival was facilitatekind ofa surprise. Hans walked over to me, and I gave him the best estimate I could on the situation, based on my limited nurture. further you can find Vasilisa? he asked.I nodded. As soon as Im in the building, the nonplus will lead me straight to her.He turned, unadulterated off into the night as cars sped by on the nearby highway. If theyre already tarrying outside, theyll smell and hear us extensive before we look on them. Passing query absolveds briefly illuminated his face, which was lined in thought. You said at that place are three layers of Strigoi?As far as I could tell. at that place are some on Lissa and Christian, hence some outside. I paused, severe to think what Dimitri would do in this situation. Surely I knew him well enough, even as a Strigoi, to calculate his strategy. Then a nonher layer inner(a) the buildingbefore you get to the storage way of life. I didnt k this instant this for certain, but I didnt tell Hans. The assumption was make on my own instincts, cadaverous from what I would do and what I thought Dimitri would do. I figured it would be best if Hans planned for three waves of Strigoi.And thats exactly what he did. Then we go in with three groups. Youll lead the group press release in for t he extraction. a nonher(prenominal) team will accompany yours and eventually split off. Theyll fight whoevers redress inside, letting your group head for the captives.It sounded so militaristic. Extraction. Captives. And me a team leader. It made sense with the bond, but incessantly in the past, theyd simply used my experience and left me on the sidelines. Welcome to being a guardian, Rose. At school, wed conducted all sorts of exercises, hurry as many different Strigoi scenarios as our instructors could dream up. so far, as I stared up at the warehouse, all of those drills seemed akin playacting, a secret plan that could in no way measure up to what I was about to face. For half a second, the responsibility of it all seemed daunting, but I promptly shoved aside such c at oncerns. This was what I had been trained to do, what I had been born to do. My own fears didnt matter. They come scratch line. Time to prove it.What are we exhalation to do since we cant sneak up on them? I asked. Hans had a point about the Strigoi detect us in advance.An virtually mischievous smile flickered on his face, and he explained his plan to the group part also dividing us into our teams. His approach maneuver was bold and reckless. My kind of plan.And deal that, we were off. An outsider analyzing us might convey said we were on a suicide mission. Maybe we were. It h unmatchedstly didnt matter. The guardians wouldnt vehemence the last Dragomir. And I wouldnt be possessed of abandoned Lissa even if there were a million Dragomirs.So, with sneaking having been ruled out, Hans opted for a salutary-on attack. Our group loaded blanketward into the eight SUVs and tore off down the street at dirty speeds. We took up the entire width of the road, gambling on no onslaught traffic. Two SUVs led the charge side by side, then twain rows of three. We shot to the end of the road, came to a halt with screeching tires at the apparent effortment of the warehouse, and spilled out of our cars. If slow stealth wasnt an option, wed gain surprise by going fast and furious.Some of the Strigoi were indeed surprised. Clearly, theyd seen our approach, but it had happened so fast that theyd had plainly a little while to react. Of course, when you were as fast and deadly as Strigoi, a little time was all you need. A group of them surged at us, and Hanss outside team charged back up, those guardians putting themselves mingled with my group and the other going inside. The Moroi flame users had been assigned to the outside group, for fear of setting the building on fire if they went inside.My team moved roughly the battle, inevitably running into a few Strigoi who hadnt travel to the first teams distraction. With well-practiced determination, I ignored the nausea sweeping through me from being this conclusion to Strigoi. Hans had strictly ordered me not to stop unless any Strigoi were directly in my path, and he and another guardian were beside me to cover a ny threats that might come at me. He valued nothing to delay me from leading them to Lissa and Christian.We fought our way into the warehouse, entering a gloomful hall obstruct by Strigoi. Id been cover in my guess that Dimitri would start layers of security. A bottleneck formed in the petty(a) space, and for a few moments things were chaotic. Lissa was so close. It was like she was calling to me, and I burned-out with impatience as I waited for the hall to clear. My team was in the back, letting the other group do the fight. I saw Strigoi and guardians alike fall and tried not to let it distract me. Fight now, grieve later. Lissa and Christian. I had to emphasis on them.There, said Hans, tugging my arm. A gap had formed ahead of us. There were still plenty of Strigoi, but they were distracted enough that my companions and I slipped through. We took off down the hall, which opened into a large unfilled space that made up the warehouses heart. A few pieces of trash and deb ris were all that was left of the goods once stored here.Doors led off of the room, but now I didnt need the bond to tell me where Lissa was. Three Strigoi stood guard outside a doorway. So. Four layers of security. Dimitri had one-upped me. It didnt matter. My group had ten pot. The Strigoi snarled, bracing in anticipation as we charged them. by means of an unspoken signal, half of my group engaged them. The rest of us break down the door.Despite my intense focus on reaching Lissa and Christian, one tiny thought had always been dancing in the back of my brain. Dimitri. I hadnt seen Dimitri in any of the Strigoi wed encountered. With my full perplexity on our attackers, I hadnt slipped into Lissas head to verify the situation, but I felt totally confident that he was still inside the room. He would maintain put uped with her, have it offing I would come. He would be waiting to face me.One of them dies tonight. Lissa or Dimitri.Having reached our goal, I no longer involve ext ra protection. Hans pulled out his mail service on the first Strigoi he encountered, button past me and jumping into the fray. The rest of my group did likewise. We poured into the room, and if I thought thered been chaos earlier, it was nothing compared to what we faced. All of usguardians and Strigoi reasonable but fit inside the room, which meant we were fighting in very, very close quarters. A female Strigoithe one Dimitri had slapped earliercame at me. I fought on autopilot, dependable now aware of my impale piercing her heart. In this room, full of shouting and demolition and colliding, there were further three people in the world that mattered to me now Lissa, Christian, and Dimitri.Id found him at last. Dimitri was with my two friends over against the far seawall. No one was fighting him. He stood with arms crossed, a king surveying his kingdom as his soldiers battled the enemy. His eyes fell on me, his expression amused and expectant. This was where it would end. We both knew it. I shoved my way through the crowd, dodging Strigoi. My colleagues pushed into the fray beside me, dispatching whom-ever stood in my way. I left them to their fight, moving toward my objective. All of this, everything happening, had led to this moment the final showdown between Dimitri and me.Youre beautiful in battle, said Dimitri. His cold voice carried to me clearly, even preceding(prenominal) the roar of combat. Like an avenging angel come to deliver the justice of heaven.Funny, I said, shifting my hold on the punts. That is kind of why Im here.Angels fall, Rose.Id almost reached him. through with(predicate) the bond, I felt a brief surge of chafe from Lissa. A hot. No one was harming her yet, but when I saw her arms move out of the corner of my eye, I realized what had happened. Christian had done what shed asked Hed burned her ropes. I saw her move to untie him in return, and then my attention shifted back to Dimitri. If Lissa and Christian were free, the n so much the better. It would make their escape easier, once we cleared out the Strigoi. If we cleared out the Strigoi.Youve gone to a lot of trouble to get me here, I told Dimitri. A lot of people are going to dieyours and mine.He shrugged, unconcerned. I was almost there. In front of me, a guardian battled a bald Strigoi. That lack of haircloth was not attractive with his chalk white peel. I moved around them.It doesnt matter, said Dimitri. He tensed as I approached. None of them matter. If they die, then they obviously arent worthy.Prey and predator, I murmured, recalling what hed said to me while holding me prisoner.Id reached him. No one stood between us now. This was different from our past fights, where wed had lots of room to size each other up and plan our attacks. We were still crammed into the room, and in keeping our distance from the others, wed closed the gap between us. That was a hurt for me. Strigoi outmatched guardians physically extra room helped us compen si t downe with more maneuverability.I didnt need to maneuver quite yet, though. Dimitri was trying to wait me out, wanting me to make the first move. He unbroken a good position, though, one that blocked me from getting a clear shot on his heart. I could do some damage if I cut him elsewhere with the stake, but he would likely get a hit in on me that would be packed with power in this proximity. So I tried to wait him out as well.All this death is because of you, you know, he said. If youd let me wake up you let us be together well, none of this would have happened. Wed still be in Russia, in each others arms, and all of your friends here would be safe. None of them would have died. Its your fault.And what about the people Id have to kill in Russia? I demanded. Hed shifted his weight a little. Was that an opening? They wouldnt be safe if IA crashing sound off to my left startled me. Christian, now freed, had just slammed his chair into a Strigoi engaged with a guardian. The Strigoi shrugged Christian off like a fly. Christian flew backward, slamming into a wall and landing on the traumatize with a slightly stunned look. In spite of myself, I spared him a glance and saw Lissa running to his side. And so help me, she had a stake in her hand. How shed managed that, I had no idea. Maybe shed picked it up from a fallen guardian. Maybe none of the Strigoi had thought to search her when she came in. After all, why on earth would a Moroi be carrying a stake?Stop it hobble out of the way I yelled at them, turning back to Dimitri. Letting those two distract me had cost me. Realizing Dimitri was about to attack, I managed to lash-up without even seeing what he was doing. It turned out hed been reaching for my neck, and my inaccurate evasion had spared me the full damage. Still, his hand caught me on the shoulder, knocking me back almost as far as Christian had gone. Unlike my friend, though, I had historic period of training that had taught me to recover from someth ing like that. Id honed a lot of balance and retrieval dexteritys. I staggered however a little, then quickly regained my footing.I could totally pray Christian and Lissa would listen to me and not do anything stupid. My attention had to stay on Dimitri, or Id get myself killed. And if I died, Lissa and Christian died for sure. My impression while fighting our way inside had been that the guardians outnumbered the Strigoi, though that meant little somemultiplication. Still, I had to hope my colleagues would finish our foes off, leaving me to do what I had to do. Dimitri laughed at my dodge. Id be strike if that wasnt something a ten-year-old could do. Now your friends well, theyre also fighting at a ten-year-old level. And for Moroi? Thats in truth evenhandedly good.Yeah, well, well see what your assessment is when I kill you, I told him. I made a small feint to test how much he was paying attention. He sidestepped with hardly any notice at all, as graceful as a dancer.You cant , Rose. Havent you figured that out by now? Havent you seen it? You cant defeat me. You cant kill me. Even if you could, you cant bring yourself to do it. Youll hesitate. Again.No, I wouldnt. Thats what he didnt realize. Hed made a mistake bringing Lissa here. She increased the stakesno pun intendedon everything. She was here. She was real. Her life was on the line, and for that for that, I wouldnt hesitate.Dimitri must(prenominal) have grown tired of waiting for me. He leapt out, hand again going for my neck. And again I evaded, letting my shoulder take the brunt of the hit. This time he held on to my shoulder. He jerked me toward him, triumph flaring in those red eyes. In the sort of space we were in, this was probably all he inevitable to kill me. He had what he cute.Apparently, though, he wasnt the only one who wanted me. Another Strigoi, maybe thinking hed help Dimitri, pushed toward us and reached for me. Dimitri bared his fangs, grownup the other Strigoi a look of pure ha tred and fury.Mine Dimitri hissed, hit the other Strigoi in a way that he had clearly not expected.And that was my opening. Dimitris brief distraction had caused him to loosen his grip on me. That same close proximity which made him so lethal to me now made me just as dangerous. I was by his chest, by his heart, and I had my stake in hand.Ill never be able to say for sure just how long the next series of events took. In some ways, it felt like only one heartbeat passed. At the same moment, it was as though we were arctic in time. Like the entire world had stopped.My stake was moving toward him, and as Dimitris eyes fell on me once more, I think he finally believed I would kill him. I was not hesitating. This was happening. My stake was thereAnd then it wasnt.Something hit me hard on my right side, pushing me international from Dimitri and ruining my shot. I stumbled, barely avoiding hitting anyone. While I always tried to be vigilant regarding all things around me in a fight, Id let my guard down in that direction. The Strigoi and guardians were on my left. The walland Lissa and Christianwere on my right.And it was Lissa and Christian who had shoved me out of the way.I think Dimitri was as kayoed as I was. He was also equally astonished when Lissa came toward him with that stake in her hand. And like lightning through the bond, I read what she had very, very cautiously kept from me the last day She had managed to charm the stake with spirit. It was the reason shed been so keyed up during her last stake-practice session with Grant and Serena. Knowing she had the woodpecker she needed had fueled her desire to use it. Her hiding all of that information from me was a feat on par with charming the stake.not that it mattered right now. Charmed stake or no, she couldnt get near Dimitri. He knew it too, and his surprise immediately changed to delighted amusementalmost indulgent, like the way one watches a child do something adorable. Lissas attack was awkward. Sh e wasnt fast enough. She wasnt strong enough.No I screamed, leaping toward them, though pretty certain I wasnt going to be fast enough either.Suddenly, a blazing wall of heat energy and flame appeared before me, and I barely had the presence of mind to back up. That fire had shot up from the floor, forming a ring around Dimitri that kept me from him. It was disorienting, but only for a moment. I knew Christians handiwork.Stop it I didnt know what to do, if I should attack Christian or leap into the fire. Youll burn us all alive The fire was fairly controlledChristian had that much skillbut in a room this size, even a controlled fire was deadly. Even the other Strigoi backed away.The flames were closing in on Dimitri, exploitation tighter and tighter. I heard him scream, could see the look of agony, even through the fire. It began to push down his coat, and smoke poured out from the blaze. Some instinct told me I needed to stop this and yet, what did it matter? Id come to kill him . Did it matter if someone else did it for me?And thats when I find Lissa was still on the offensive. Dimitri was distracted, screaming as the flames wrapped around him. I was screaming too for him, for her its hard to say. Lissas arm shot through the flames, and again, pain surged through the bondpain that dwarfed the earlier singe from Christian burning her ropes. Yet she kept going, ignoring the fiery agony. Her alignment was right. She had the stake aimed at the heart.The stake went in, piercing him.Well, kind of.Just like when shed practiced with the pillow, she didnt quite have the strength to get the stake where it needed to go. I felt her vane herself, felt her summon up every ounce of strength she had. Throwing her full weight into it, she shoved again, using both hands. The stake went in further. Still not enough. This delay would have cost her her life in a natural situation. This was not a normal situation. Dimitri had no means to block her, not with the fire slowly e ating him. He did manage a small struggle that loosened the stake, undoing what little progress shed made. Grimacing, she tried again, pushing the stake back to its former position.Still, it wasnt enough.I came to my senses then, knowing I needed to stop this. Lissa was going to burn herself up if she kept trying to stake him. She lacked the skill. Either I needed to stake him or we just needed to let the fire finish him off. I moved forward. Lissa caught sight of me in her periphery and sent out a blast of indispensability at me.No Let me do thisThe command hit me hard, an invisible wall that made me come to a halt. I stood there dazed, both from the compulsion itself and the realization that shed used it on me. It only took a moment for me to wit it off. She was too distracted to put her full power into the order, and I was pretty compulsion-resistant anyway.Yet, that slight delay had stopped me from reaching her. Lissa seized her last chance, knowing shed get no other.One more time, fighting through the fires searing pain, she threw everything she had into shoving the stake all the way into Dimitris heart. Her strike was still awkward, still requiring a little more wiggling and pushing than the clean hit a trained guardian would make. fumbling or not, the stake finally made it. It pierced his heart. And as it did, I felt magic flood our bond, the familiar magic Id felt so many times when she performed a healing.Except this was a hundred times more powerful than anything Id ever felt before. It froze me up as neatly as her compulsion had. I felt as though all of my nerves were exploding, like Id just been struck by lightning.White light suddenly burst out around her, a light that dwarfed the fires brightness. It was like someone had dropped the sun into the middle of that room. I cried out, my hand rising instinctively to shield my eyes as I stepped backward. From the sounds in the room, everyone else was having a mistakable reaction.For a moment, it was as if there was no bond anymore. I felt nothing from Lissano pain, no magic. The bond was as colorless and empty as the white light filling the room. The power shed used had over-flooded and overwhelmed our bond, dull it.Then the light simply disappeared. No fade-out. Just gone in an eye blink. Like a switch had been flipped. There was silence in the room, save for a few murmurings of discomfort and confusion. That light must have been toxic to sensitive Strigoi eyes. It was hard enough for me. Starbursts danced in my sight. I couldnt focus on anything as the afterimage of that brilliance burned across my vision.At lastwith a little squintingI could vaguely see again. The fire was gone, though black smudges on the wall and ceiling tag its presence, as did some lingering smoke. By my estimation, there should have been a lot more damage. I could spare no time for that miracle, though, because there was another one taking place in front of me.Not just a miracle. A fairy tale.Lissa a nd Dimitri were both on the floor. Their robes were burned and singed. Angry red and pink patches marked her beautiful skin from where the fire had hit hardest. Her hands and wrists were particularly bad. I could see musca volitans of blood where the flames had actually burned some of her skin away. Third-degree burns, if I was recalling my physiology classes correctly. Yet she seemed to feel no pain, nor did the burns affect her hands movement.She was stroking Dimitris hair.While she sat in some semblance of an upright position, he was in an bungling sprawl. His head rested in her lap, and she was running her fingers through his hair in a gentle, repetitive motionlike one does to comfort a child or even an animal. Her face, even marred with the fires terrible damage, was beaming and filled with compassion. Dimitri had called me an avenging angel, but she was an angel of mercy as she gazed down at him and crooned soothing, nonsense words.With the state of his clothes and what Id seen in the fire, Id expected him to be burned to a crispsome sort of blackened, skeletal nightmare. Yet when he shifted his head, giving me my first full view of his face, I saw that he was completely unharmed. No burns marked his skinskin that was as warm and tanned as it had been the first day Id met him. I caught only a glimpse of his eyes before he buried his face against Lissas knee. I saw endless depths of brown, the depths Id fallen into so many times. No red rings.Dimitri was not a Strigoi.And he was weeping.