Nothing happened.
She tried three more times, and her earlier excitement gave way to spirit-darkened frustration. I pulled some of that from her, needing her to stay focused. On the fourth try, a spark flew off and faded away—but it was what she needed to understand the principle. Before long she could easily make sparks, but they did nothing when they landed on the wood. Up and down: her mood was a rollercoaster of hope and disappointment. Donʹt give up, I wanted to say as I drew off more negativity. Donʹt give up. I also wanted to give her a lesson on kindling, but that was pushing my limits.
Watching her, I was beginning to realize how much I underestimated Lissaʹs intelligence. I knew she was brilliant, but I always imagined her being helpless in these situations. She wasnʹt. She could reason things out. That tiny spark couldnʹt penetrate the wood of the sticks. She needed a bigger flame. She needed something the sparks could ignite. But what? Surely nothing in this waterlogged forest.
Her eyes fell on the map poking out of her bag. She hesitated only a moment before ripping and shredding the paper into a pile on top of the twigs. Supposedly, sheʹd reached the end of the hike and didnʹt need the map. Supposedly. But it was too late now, and Lissa pushed forward with her plan. First, she pulled out some of the bagʹs fluffy lining, adding the bits of fuzz to the paper. Then she took up the flint and steel again.
A spark jumped out and immediately caught a piece of the paper. It flared orange before fading out, leaving a wisp of smoke. She tried again, leaning forward to gently blow on the paper when the spark landed. A tiny flame appeared, caught a neighboring shred, and then faded. Steeling herself up, Lissa tried a final time.
ʺCome on, come on,ʺ she muttered, as though she might compel a fire into existence.
This time, the spark caught and held, turning into a small flame, then a larger flame that soon consumed her kindling. I prayed it would take to the wood, or else she was out of luck. Brighter and larger the flame grew, eating the last of the paper and fuzz . . . and then spreading along the sticks. Lissa blew softly to keep it going, and before long, the campfire was in full blaze.
The fire couldnʹt change the piercing cold, but as far as she was concerned, she had the warmth of the entire sun in her hands. She smiled, and a sense of pride that she hadnʹt felt in a while spread within her. Finally able to relax, she glanced out at the rainy forest and caught the faintest flashes of color in the distance. Channeling spirit, she used her magic to intensify her ability to see auras. Sure enough—hidden far, far out among the trees, she could see two auras filled with strong, steady colors. Their owners stood still, staying quiet and covered. Lissaʹs smile grew. Guardians. Or maybe the air and water users controlling the weather. None of the candidates were alone out here. Ronald Ozera had had no need to worry—but then, he wouldnʹt know that. Only she did. Maybe spirit wasnʹt so useless out here after all.
The rain began to lighten, and the fireʹs warmth continued to soothe her. She couldnʹt read the time from the sky, but somehow, she knew she would have no problem waiting out the day and—
ʺRose?ʺ A voice summoned me out of Lissaʹs wilderness survival. ʺRose, wake up or . . . whatever.ʺ
I blinked, focusing on Sydneyʹs face, which was a few inches from mine. ʺWhat?ʺ I demanded. ʺWhy are you bothering me?ʺ
She flinched and jerked away, momentarily speechless. Pulling away Lissaʹs darkness while joined with her hadnʹt affected me at the time, but now, conscious in my own body, I felt anger and irritation flood me. Itʹs not you, itʹs not Sydney, I told myself. Itʹs spirit. Calm down. I took a deep breath, refusing to let spirit master me. I was stronger than it was. I hoped.
As I fought to push those feelings down, I looked around and remembered I was in Sonya Karpʹs bedroom. All my problems came rushing back. There was a bound Strigoi in the other room, one we were barely keeping constrained and who didnʹt seem like she would give us answers anytime soon.
I looked back at Sydney, who still seemed afraid of me. ʺIʹm sorry . . . I didnʹt mean to snap at you. I was just startled.ʺ She hesitated a few moments and then nodded, accepting my apology. As the fear faded from her face, I could see that something else was bothering her. ʺWhatʹs wrong?ʺ I asked. As long as we were alive and Sonya was still trapped, things couldnʹt be that bad, right?
Sydney stepped back and crossed her arms. ʺVictor Dashkov and his brother are here.ʺ
EIGHTEEN
I SPRANG UP FROM THE bed, relieved that I didnʹt fall over. My head still hurt, but I no longer felt dizzy, which hopefully meant I really had evaded a concussion. Glancing at an alarm clock as I left Sonyaʹs bedroom, I saw that Iʹd been in Lissaʹs head for a few hours. Her test had been far more extensive than Iʹd realized.
In the living room, I found an almost comical sight. Victor and Robert stood there, in the flesh, taking in the surrounding details. Even Robert seemed to be with us mentally this time. Only, whereas Victor was studying everything in his calculating way, Robertʹs attention was fixed on Sonya. His eyes bugged out in astonishment. Dimitri, meanwhile, hadnʹt altered his position near Sonya or put away the stake at her throat. It was clear from his stance and watchful gaze, however, that he regarded the brothers as a new threat and was trying—impossibly—to stay on guard against everything. He seemed relieved to see me and have some backup.
Sonya had gone perfectly still within her chains, which I didnʹt like at all. It made me think she was planning something. Her red eyes narrowed.
The whole situation was tense and dangerous, but a tiny part of me felt smug satisfaction as I studied Victor more closely. The dream meetings had been deceptive. Just as I could shift my appearance in dreams, Victor had made himself look stronger and healthier in those visits than he actually was in real life. Age, disease, and life on the run were taking their toll. Dark shadows lined his eyes, and his graying hair seemed thinner than it had a month ago. He looked haggard and tired, but I knew he was still dangerous.
ʺSo,ʺ I said, hands on hips. ʺYou managed to find us.ʺ
ʺThereʹs one lake in this town,ʺ said Victor. ʺOne blue house. Maybe you had trouble with those directions, but for the rest of us, it wasnʹt that difficult.ʺ
ʺWell, if youʹre so smart, whatʹs your plan now?ʺ I asked. I was trying to stall as I frantically thought about what my plan was. Iʹd wanted to capture Victor and Robert but didnʹt know how. Since we had to split our attention between them and Sonya, Dimitri and I couldnʹt team up. I wished we had leftover chain. Aside from physically subduing the brothers, we would also specifically need to restrain their hands to reduce their ability to use magic.
ʺSince youʹre so smart,ʺ countered Victor, ʺI assumed youʹd have already obtained the needed information.ʺ
I gestured toward Sonya. ʺSheʹs not exactly forthcoming.ʺ
Victorʹs eyes fell on her. ʺSonya Karp. Youʹve changed since I last saw you.ʺ
ʺIʹm going to kill you all,ʺ Sonya snarled. ʺAnd consume you one by one. Normally, Iʹd start with the human and work up to the Moroi, but . . .ʺ She glanced at Dimitri and me, her face full of rage. ʺI think Iʹll save you two for last and drag out your suffering.ʺ She paused and almost comically added, ʺYouʹve annoyed me the most.ʺ
ʺDo all Strigoi go through some boot camp and learn all the same threats? Itʹs a wonder you donʹt cackle too.ʺ I turned back to Victor. ʺSee? Not that easy. Weʹve tried everything. Beating it out, torturing it out. Sydney went through the names of all her relatives. No reaction.ʺ
Victor studied Sydney in detail for the first time. ʺSo. Your pet Alchemist.ʺ
Sydney didnʹt move. I knew she had to be scared of facing someone who was both a vampire and a dangerous criminal. I had to give her points for meeting his stare unflinchingly.
ʺYoung,ʺ Victor mused. ʺBut of course she would be. I imagine itʹs the only way you could manipulate her into this little escapade.ʺ
ʺIʹm here by choice,ʺ replied Sydney. Her expression stayed calm and confident. ʺNo one ma
nipulated me.ʺ Abeʹs blackmail wasnʹt really relevant at the moment.
ʺLook, if you wanted to keep torturing me with your not-funny comments, you could have just kept invading my dreams,ʺ I snapped. ʺIf you donʹt have anything useful to offer, then get out of here and let us wait until hunger weakens Sonya.ʺ And by get out of here, I meant: foolishly think youʹre going to leave so that I can knock your heads together and drag you back to the guardians.
ʺWe can help,ʺ said Victor. He touched his brother lightly on the arm. Robert flinched, jerking his eyes from Sonya to Victor. ʺYour methods were destined to fail. If you want answers, thereʹs only one way to—ʺ
Sonya made her move. Dimitri was still right next to her, but heʹd also been keeping an eye on the rest of us. And of course, Iʹd been completely focused on the Victor drama as well. It was probably the best opening Sonya could have hoped for.
With crazy Strigoi strength, she bucked up from the chair. The chain was wrapped around her over and over, but her quick movement and strength were enough to snap the chain in two places. The rest still encircled her, but I knew perfectly well even one opening was enough for her to eventually bust out. Distracted or not, Dimitri was on her in a flash, and a second later, so was I. She was flailing in the chair, using every bit of her strength and speed to shake off the chains. If she got loose, I knew sheʹd put up another fierce fight. Dimitri and I met eyes briefly, and I knew we were thinking the same things. First, how were we going to re-restrain her? The chain could probably be rebound, but weʹd need to unwind it and start over, which would be next to impossible. We also both knew he and I might not be able to take her down a second time, and now we had innocents around. They couldnʹt fight, but Sonya might be able to use them to her advantage somehow.
All we could do was try to keep her down. Holding her against a flat surface like the floor would have been much easier than the unwieldy recliner. It shook as she fought against us, and we struggled to get a good position on the chair. Dimitri had his stake—Iʹd set mine down earlier—and he raked it against her skin, giving us some advantage in the struggle. She screamed in rage, and I clung to the hope we might tire her out. Probably not. Weʹd break first. My aching head was proof enough that I wasnʹt in peak condition.
I saw a flash of movement in my periphery, setting off new alarms. Robert Doru was heading toward us—and he had a silver stake in his hand. The sight was so bizarre and unexpected that I was slow to alert Dimitri. When my sluggish mind suddenly kicked back to life, it was too late.
ʺNo!ʺ I shrieked, seeing Robert raise the stake. ʺDonʹt kill her!ʺ
Dimitri turned and saw Robert then, but there was nothing he could do. Dimitri and I had created the perfect opportunity. We were holding Sonya still, and with her chest vulnerable, Robert had a clean shot. Frantically, I wondered what to do. If I stopped him, Iʹd release Sonya. If I didnʹt stop him, he might kill our only chance at finding out who—
Too late. The stake plunged down with a force that astonished me. Lissa had had a very difficult time staking Dimitri, and Iʹd assumed the same would be true for someone like Robert, who was older and seemed so fragile. But, no. He still had to use two hands, but the stake went firmly into Sonyaʹs chest, piercing her heart.
Sonya let out an intense scream. A brilliant, blinding white light suddenly filled the room, just as an unseen force blasted me away. I hit a wall, my brain barely registering the pain. The small house shook, and with one hand, I tried to grab something and brace myself. I squeezed my eyes shut but could still see starbursts. Time slowed. My heartbeat slowed.
Then—it all stopped. Everything. The light. The tremors. I breathed normally. All was quiet and still, as though Iʹd imagined what had just happened.
I blinked, trying to bring my eyes back into focus and assess the situation. I did my best to scramble clumsily to my feet and saw Dimitri was doing the same. He looked like heʹd also been knocked over but had caught the wall for support, rather than smashing into it. Robert was lying flat out on the floor, and Victor rushed over to help him. Sydney just stood frozen.
And Sonya?
ʺUnbelievable,ʺ I whispered.
Sonya was still in the armchair, and from the way she was sitting back, it was obvious that sheʹd been blasted by the same force that had hit the rest of us. The chains were still around her, but sheʹd stopped struggling. On her lap was the silver stake Robert had held only moments ago. Sonya managed to wiggle a hand out of the chain, just enough for her fingers to brush against the stakeʹs surface. Her eyes widened with wonder—eyes that were a rich, azure blue.
Robert had brought Sonya Karp back to life. She was no longer Strigoi.
When Lissa had saved Dimitri, Iʹd felt the magicʹs power through the bond, giving me the full and overwhelming experience of it all. Witnessing it now, without the firsthand knowledge provided from Lissa, was still just as incredible. Victor was preoccupied with Robert, but the rest of us couldnʹt stop staring at Sonya in amazement. I kept looking for anything—anything—that might give the slightest hint of her previous existence.
There was none. Her skin bore the typical Moroi paleness, but it was still filled with the warmth of life, with the faintest tinge of color—not like the Strigoi, who were completely devoid of pigment. Her eyes were bloodshot, but that was from her rapidly forming tears. There was no red ring around her irises. And the look in those eyes . . . there was no cruelty or malice. They were not the eyes of someone who had just threatened to kill us all. Her eyes were all shock and fear and confusion. I couldnʹt tear my gaze from her.
A miracle. Another miracle. Even after seeing Lissa restore Dimitri, some secret part of me had believed I would never witness anything like it again. That was how miracles worked. Once in a lifetime. Thereʹd been a lot of talk about using spirit to save Strigoi everywhere, talk that had faded when other drama—such as the murder of a queen—took precedence at Court. The shortage of spirit users had also made the idea unpopular, and besides, everyone knew the difficulties involved with a Moroi staking a Strigoi. If trained guardians died fighting Strigoi, how could a Moroi stake one? Well, here was the answer: a subdued Strigoi. A Moroi could manage staking one with two hands, especially with guardian backup. The possibilities made me reel. Robertʹs magic was strong, but he was old and frail. Yet, if he had still done this, could any spirit user? Heʹd almost made it look easy. Could Adrian do it? Could Lissa do it again?
A miracle. Sonya Karp was a living, breathing miracle.
And suddenly, she began screaming.
It started off as kind of a low wail and rapidly grew in volume. The noise snapped me to attention, but I didnʹt exactly know how to respond. Dimitri did. His stake fell from his hand, and he rushed to Sonyaʹs side, where he began trying to free her from the chains. She floundered at his touch, but her efforts no longer packed the supernatural strength of an undead monster seeking revenge. These were the motions of someone desperately, terribly afraid.
Iʹd wrapped those chains pretty securely, but Dimitri had them off in seconds. Once Sonya was free, he sat in the chair and pulled her to him, letting her bury her face against his chest and sob. I swallowed. Dimitri had also wept when he had been changed back. An odd image of newborn babies flashed through my mind. Was crying the natural reaction for anyone being born—or, in this case, reborn—into the world?
A sudden movement grabbed my attention. Sydneyʹs eyes were wide, and she was actually moving toward Dimitri—to stop him. ʺWhat are you doing?ʺ she cried. ʺDonʹt release her!ʺ
Dimitri ignored Sydney, and I caught hold of her, pulling her back. ʺItʹs okay, itʹs okay,ʺ I said. Sydney was the most stable factor in this whole operation. I couldnʹt have her freaking out. ʺSheʹs not Strigoi. Look. Look at her. Sheʹs Moroi.ʺ
Sydney slowly shook her head. ʺShe canʹt be. I just saw her.ʺ
ʺItʹs what happened to Dimitri. Exactly the same. You donʹt think heʹs a Strigoi, do you? You trust him.ʺ I released my hold on her, and she sta
yed put, her face wary.
Looking down at the brothers, I realized theirs might be a more serious situation than I had realized. Robert, while not a Strigoi, looked pale enough to be one. His eyes were vacant, drool escaping his partially open mouth. I reassessed my earlier observation about Robert making Strigoi restoration look easy. Heʹd staked her like a pro, but obviously, there were a few side effects. Victor was trying to support his brother and murmured soothing and encouraging words. And on Victorʹs face . . . well, there was a look of compassion and fear that Iʹd never seen before. My brain didnʹt entirely know how to reconcile it with my well-defined and villainous image of him. He seemed like a real person.
Victor glanced up at me, his lips twisting into a bitter smile. ʺWhat, no witty quips now? You should be happy. Weʹve given you what you wanted. You need answers from Sonya Karp?ʺ He nodded toward her. ʺGo get them. Theyʹve certainly come at a high price.ʺ
ʺNo!ʺ exclaimed Dimitri. He still held Sonya against him, but his gentle expression turned hard at Victorʹs words. ʺAre you crazy? Didnʹt you see what just happened?ʺ
Victor arched an eyebrow. ʺYes. I noticed.ʺ
ʺSheʹs in no condition to answer anything! Sheʹs in shock. Leave her alone.ʺ
ʺDonʹt act like sheʹs the one whoʹs suffering here,ʺ snapped Victor. Turning back to Robert, Victor helped his brother stand and go toward the couch. Robert barely managed it, his legs trembling and then giving way as he sat down. Victor put an arm around Robert. ʺYouʹll be all right. Everythingʹs all right.ʺ
ʺWill he be?ʺ I asked uncertainly. Robert didnʹt look like he was in all that good of shape. My earlier thoughts about spirit users saving Strigoi continued growing unrealistic. ʺHe . . . he did it before and recovered, right? And Lissaʹs fine.ʺ
ʺRobert was much younger—as is Vasilisa,ʺ replied Victor, patting Robertʹs shoulder. ʺAnd this is hardly a simple spell. Doing it even once is monumental. Twice? Well, you and I both know how spirit works, and this feat takes a toll on both body and mind. Robert has made a great sacrifice for you.ʺ
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