That was the sound Iʹd heard. I exhaled in relief and stood up, surprised at how even a few hours of sleep had energized me. If I only had food, Iʹd be ready for anything. Sonya didnʹt have any, of course, but I settled for a glass of water in the kitchen. As I stood there drinking, I noticed that the Dashkov brothers had made themselves at home: coats hanging on hooks, car keys on the counter. I quietly grabbed hold of the keys and called for Sydney.
She came in, and I slipped her the keys, trying not to let them rattle.
ʺDo you still know about cars?ʺ I murmured.
In one exquisite look, she told me that was a ridiculous and insulting question.
ʺOkay. Can you go do a grocery run? Weʹre going to need food. And maybe on your way out, you can, um, make sure their car has engine trouble or something? Anything that keeps it here. But not something obvious, like slashed tires.ʺ
She put the keys in her pocket. ʺEasy. Got any food requests?ʺ
I thought about it. ʺSomething with sugar. And coffee for Dimitri.ʺ
ʺCoffeeʹs a given,ʺ she said.
Victor stepped into the kitchen, his typically unconcerned expression making me think he hadnʹt heard me instructing Sydney to sabotage his car. ʺSydneyʹs getting groceries,ʺ I said, hoping to distract him before he might notice the missing keys. ʺNeed anything?ʺ
ʺA feeder would be nice, but barring that, Robert has an especial liking for Cheerios. The apple cinnamon kind.ʺ He smiled at Sydney. ʺI never thought Iʹd see the day an Alchemist would be an errand girl. Itʹs charming.ʺ
Sydney opened her mouth, no doubt to make some biting comment, and I quickly shook my head. ʺJust go,ʺ I said.
She went, and Victor soon returned to Robertʹs side. Convinced the brothers wouldnʹt be going anywhere in full daylight without a car, I decided it was time to check on Dimitri. To my surprise, Sonya was awake. She sat cross-legged on the bed with him, and the two spoke in hushed tones. Her hair was disheveled from both sleep and fighting, but otherwise, she showed no cuts or bruises from the battle. Dimitri had been the same after his transformation, escaping terrible burns. The power of a Strigoi restoration healed all injuries. Between my skinned legs and pseudo-concussion, I kind of wished someone had transformed me from a Strigoi.
Sonya turned from Dimitri as I entered. A sequence of emotions passed across her face. Fear. Astonishment. Recognition.
ʺRose?ʺ There was hesitancy in the word, like she wondered if I was a hallucination.
I forced a smile. ʺItʹs good to see you again.ʺ I chose not to add, ʺNow that youʹre not trying to suck the life out of me.ʺ
She averted her eyes down to her hands, studying her fingers like they were magical and wonderful. Of course, after being a monster, maybe having her ʺold handsʺ back really was wondrous. The day after his change, Dimitri hadnʹt seemed quite so fragile, but heʹd certainly been in shock. That was also when heʹd grown depressed. Was she? Or did she want to turn again, as Victor had suggested?
I didnʹt know what to say. It was all so strange and awkward. ʺSydney went for groceries,ʺ I told Dimitri lamely. ʺShe also stayed up so that I could sleep last night.ʺ
ʺI know,ʺ he said with a small smile. ʺI got up once to check on you.ʺ
I felt myself flushing, somehow embarrassed that Iʹd been caught in weakness. ʺYou can rest too,ʺ I told him. ʺGet some breakfast, and then Iʹll keep an eye on everything. I have it on good authority that Victorʹs going to have car trouble. Also that Robert really likes Cheerios, so if you want some, youʹre out of luck. He doesnʹt seem like the sharing type.ʺ
Dimitriʹs smile grew. Sonya suddenly lifted her head.
ʺThereʹs another spirit user here,ʺ she said, voice frantic. ʺI can feel it. I remember him.ʺ She looked between Dimitri and me. ʺItʹs not safe. Weʹre not safe. You shouldnʹt have us around.ʺ
ʺEverythingʹs fine,ʺ said Dimitri, voice so, so gentle. That tone was rare for him, but Iʹd heard it before. Heʹd used it on me in some of my most desperate moments. ʺDonʹt worry.ʺ
Sonya shook her head. ʺNo. You donʹt understand. We . . . weʹre capable of terrible things. To ourselves, to others. Itʹs why I changed, to stop the madness. And it did, except . . . it was worse. In its way. The things I did . . .ʺ
There it was, the same remorse Dimitri had felt. Half-afraid heʹd start telling her there was no redemption for her either, I said, ʺIt wasnʹt you. You were controlled by something else.ʺ
She buried her face in her hands. ʺBut I chose it. Me. I made it happen.ʺ
ʺThat was spirit,ʺ I said. ʺItʹs hard to fight. Like you said, it can make you do terrible things. You werenʹt thinking clearly. Lissa battles with the same thing all the time.ʺ
ʺVasilisa?ʺ Sonya lifted her eyes and stared off into space. I think she was digging through memories. In fact, despite her ramblings now, I didnʹt believe she was quite as unstable as sheʹd been just before becoming Strigoi. Weʹd heard healings could lessen spiritʹs madness, and I think Robertʹs transformation had lightened some of the darkness within her for now. ʺYes, of course. Vasilisa has it too.ʺ She turned to me in a panic. ʺDid you help her? Did you get her out of there?ʺ
ʺI did,ʺ I said, trying to emulate Dimitriʹs gentleness. Lissa and I fled St. Vladimirʹs for a while, partly because of warnings from Sonya. ʺWe left and then came back and, uh, were able to stop what was hunting her.ʺ I didnʹt think it was a good idea for Sonya to know that the thing—or rather, person—hunting Lissa was now sitting out in the living room. I took a step forward. ʺAnd you can help Lissa too. We need to know if—ʺ
ʺNo,ʺ said Dimitri. No gentleness now in the warning look he gave me. ʺNot yet.ʺ
ʺBut—ʺ
ʺNot yet.ʺ
I shot him a glare in return but said no more. I was all for giving Sonya her recuperation time, but we didnʹt have forever. The clock was ticking, and we had to find out what Sonya knew. I felt like Dimitri would have been able to give us this information immediately after heʹd been changed back. Of course, he hadnʹt been unstable beforehand, so heʹd kind of had an edge. Still. We couldnʹt play house in Kentucky forever.
ʺCan I see my flowers?ʺ asked Sonya. ʺCan I go outside and see my flowers?ʺ
Dimitri and I exchanged glances. ʺOf course,ʺ he said.
We all moved toward the door, and thatʹs when I had to ask. ʺWhy did you grow flowers when you were . . . like you were?ʺ
She paused. ʺIʹve always grown flowers.ʺ
ʺI know. I remember. They were gorgeous. The ones here are gorgeous too. Is that why . . . I mean, did you just want a pretty garden, even as a Strigoi?ʺ
The question was unexpected and seemed to throw her off. I was about to give up on an answer when she finally said, ʺNo. I never thought about pretty. They were . . . I donʹt know. Something to do. Iʹd always grown flowers. I had to see if I still could. It was like . . . a test of my skills, I guess.ʺ
I met Dimitriʹs eyes again. So. Beauty hadnʹt been part of her world. It was just like Iʹd told him. Strigoi were notoriously arrogant, and it seemed the flowers had simply been a show of prowess. Growing them had also been a familiar habit for her, and I recalled how Dimitri had read Western novels while Strigoi. Being Strigoi might cost someone their sense of goodness and morality, but old behaviors and hobbies remained.
We took her out to the living room, interrupting a conversation between Victor and Robert. Sonya and Robert both froze, sizing each other up. Victor gave us one of his knowing smiles.
ʺUp and around. Have we found out what we need yet?ʺ
Dimitri shot him a look similar to what Iʹd received when asking about interrogation. ʺNot yet.ʺ
Sonya dragged her gaze from Robert and moved quickly toward the patio door, pausing when she saw our shoddy patch job. ʺYou broke my door,ʺ she said.
ʺCollateral damage,ʺ I said. In my periphery, I think Dimitri rolled his eyes.
Needing no guidance from us, Sonya opened the door and stepped outside. With a
gasp, she came to a halt and stared upward. The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue, and the sun had crossed the horizon now, illuminating everything in gold. I went outside too, feeling the warmth of that light on my skin. Some of the nightʹs coldness lingered, but we were in store for a hot day.
Everyone else came out too, but Sonya was oblivious. She lifted her hands upward, as though maybe she could grab hold of the sun and wrap it in her arms. ʺItʹs so beautiful.ʺ She finally looked away and met my eyes. ʺIsnʹt it? Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?ʺ
ʺBeautiful,ʺ I reiterated. For some reason, I felt both happy and sad.
She walked around her yard, examining every plant and flower. She touched the petals and inhaled their fragrance. ʺSo different . . .ʺ she kept saying to herself. ʺSo different in the sun . . .ʺ Several especially caught her attention. ʺThese donʹt open at night! Do you see it? Do you see the colors? Can you smell that?ʺ
The questions didnʹt seem to be for anyone in particular. We watched, all of us kind of hypnotized. At last, she settled into the patio chair, happily gazing around, lost in sensory overload—in that beauty that had been denied to her as a Strigoi. When it became obvious she wasnʹt leaving for a while, I turned to Dimitri and repeated Sydneyʹs advice about him taking a turn at sleeping while we waited for Sonya to recover. To my surprise, he actually agreed.
ʺThatʹs smart. Once Sonyaʹs able to talk, weʹll need to move.ʺ He smiled. ʺSydneyʹs turning into a battle mastermind.ʺ
ʺHey, sheʹs not in charge here,ʺ I teased. ʺSheʹs just a soldier.ʺ
ʺRight.ʺ He lightly brushed his fingers against my cheek. ʺSorry, Captain.ʺ
ʺGeneral,ʺ I corrected, catching my breath at that brief touch.
He gave Sonya a kind goodbye before disappearing into the house. She nodded, but I donʹt know if she really heard. Victor and Robert brought out two wooden kitchen chairs and set them in the shade. I chose a spot on the ground. Nobody spoke. It wasnʹt the weirdest thing Iʹd ever experienced, but it was certainly strange.
Sydney returned later with the groceries, and I briefly abandoned the group to check in with her. Victorʹs keys were lying back on the counter, which I took as a good sign. Sydney unloaded an assortment of food and handed me a box of a dozen donuts.
ʺHope thatʹs enough for you,ʺ she remarked.
I made a face at her presumption but took the donuts anyway. ʺCome on outside when youʹre done,ʺ I told her. ʺItʹs like the barbecue of the damned. Except . . . thereʹs no grill.ʺ
She looked puzzled, but when she joined us later, she seemed to get what Iʹd been saying. Robert brought out a bowl of Cheerios, but neither Sydney nor Victor ate. I gave Sonya a donut, the first thing that took her attention from her yard. She held it in her hands, turning it over and over.
ʺI donʹt know if I can. I donʹt know if I can eat it.ʺ
ʺOf course you can.ʺ I recalled how Dimitri had regarded food uncertainly too. ʺItʹs chocolate-glazed. Good stuff.ʺ
She took a tentative, rabbit-sized bite. She chewed it a billion times and finally swallowed. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. ʺSuch sweetness.ʺ Slowly, she continued taking more tiny bites. It took forever for her to get halfway through the donut, and at that point, she finally stopped. Iʹd polished off three donuts by then, and my impatience to accomplish something was growing. Part of it was still the irritability from spirit, and part of it was just my continual restlessness to help Lissa.
ʺSonya,ʺ I said pleasantly, fully aware of how pissed off Dimitri was going to be at me defying his instructions. ʺWe wanted to talk to you about something.ʺ
ʺMm-hmm,ʺ she said, gazing at bees hovering around some honeysuckle.
ʺIs there a relative of yours . . . someone who, uh, had a baby a while ago . . . ?ʺ
ʺSure,ʺ she said. One of the bees flew from the honeysuckle to a rose, and she never looked away. ʺLots.ʺ
ʺArticulate, Rosemarie,ʺ remarked Victor. ʺVery articulate.ʺ
I bit my lip, knowing an outburst would upset Sonya. And probably Robert too.
ʺThis would be a secret baby,ʺ I told her. ʺAnd you were the beneficiary on a bank account that took care of the baby . . . an account paid for by Eric Dragomir.ʺ
Sonyaʹs head whipped toward me, and there was no dreamy absentmindedness in her blue eyes now. A few seconds passed before she spoke. Her voice was cold and hard—not a Strigoi voice, but definitely a back off voice. ʺNo. I donʹt know anything about that.ʺ
ʺSheʹs lying,ʺ said Robert.
ʺI didnʹt need any powers to figure that out,ʺ scoffed Sydney.
I ignored both of them. ʺSonya, we know you know, and itʹs really important we find this baby . . . er, child. Person.ʺ Weʹd made guesses on the age but werenʹt 100 percent sure. ʺYou said you were worried about Lissa earlier. This will help her. She needs to know. She needs to know she has another family member.ʺ
Sonya turned her attention back to the bees, but I knew she was no longer watching them. ʺI donʹt know anything.ʺ There was a trembling in her voice, and something told me that maybe I shouldnʹt push this after all. I couldnʹt tell if she was afraid or on the verge of rage.
ʺThen why were you on the account?ʺ This came from Victor.
ʺI donʹt know anything,ʺ she repeated. Her voice could have made icicles form on the ornamental trees. ʺNothing.ʺ
ʺStop lying,ʺ snapped Victor. ʺYou know something, and youʹre going to tell us.ʺ
ʺHey!ʺ I exclaimed. ʺBe quiet. You donʹt have interrogation rights here.ʺ
ʺYou didnʹt seem to be doing a very good job.ʺ
ʺJust shut up, okay?ʺ I looked back at Sonya, replacing my glare with a smile. ʺPlease,ʺ I begged. ʺLissaʹs in trouble. This will help her. I thought you said before that you wanted to help her?ʺ
ʺI promised . . .ʺ said Sonya. Her voice was so low, I could barely hear it.
ʺPromised what?ʺ I asked. Patience, patience. I had to remain calm. I couldnʹt risk a breakdown.
She squeezed her eyes shut and raked her hands through her hair violently, almost like a child about to have a tantrum. ʺPromised not to tell. Promised not to tell anyone . . .ʺ
I had the urge to run over and shake her. Patience, patience, I repeated to myself. Donʹt upset her. ʺWe wouldnʹt ask you to break your promise if it wasnʹt important. Maybe . . . maybe you can get in touch with this person . . .ʺ Who had she promised? Ericʹs mistress? ʺAnd see if itʹs okay to tell us?ʺ
ʺOh for Godʹs sake,ʺ said Victor irritably. ʺThis is ridiculous and getting us nowhere.ʺ He glanced at his brother. ʺRobert?ʺ
Robert hadnʹt done much so far today, but at Victorʹs command, Robert leaned forward. ʺSonya?ʺ
Still obviously distraught, she turned to look at him . . . and her face went still.
ʺTell us what we need to know,ʺ said Robert. His voice wasnʹt kind so much as smooth and lulling, with a faintly sinister touch. ʺTell us who and where this child is. Tell us who the mother is.ʺ
This time, I did jump to my feet. Robert was using compulsion on her to get the answers. Sonyaʹs eyes stayed locked on him, but her body began to shake. Her lips parted, though no sound came out. A tangle of thoughts swirled in my mind. Compulsion would get us what we needed to know, but something told me, it wasnʹt right—
Sonya stopped me from any more pondering. She shot up almost as quickly as I had. She was still staring at Robert, but no longer in that transfixed, hypnotized way. Sheʹd broken the compulsion, and now . . . now she was pissed. The features that had been scared and fragile earlier were filled with fury. I had no magical senses, but after being with Lissa, I knew raging spirit when I saw it. Sonya was a bomb, about to explode.
ʺHow dare you . . .ʺ she hissed. ʺHow dare you try to compel me?ʺ
Plants and vines near Robert suddenly sprang to life, growing to impossible heights. They reached out, tangled themselves around his chairʹs legs, and pulled. The chair toppled over, Robert along with it. Victor moved to
help his brother, but Robert was already taking matters into his own hands. Recovering remarkably fast, he narrowed his eyes at Sonya, and she went flying backward, slamming against the wooden fence. Air users could do that trick sometimes, but this wasnʹt air blowing her back. This was spiritʹs telekinetic abilities. He apparently possessed them outside of dreams too. Lovely.
Iʹd seen spirit users battle it out before, when Avery Lazar and Lissa had gone one on one. That hadnʹt been pretty, particularly since more than this exterior psychic phenomena had occurred. Avery had actually dug into Lissaʹs mind—and mine. I didnʹt know Robert or Sonyaʹs full skill set, but this couldnʹt end well.
ʺDimitri!ʺ I yelled, springing toward Sonya. I didnʹt exactly know what I was going to do, but tackling her seemed like a sound plan. From what Iʹd observed, a lot of spirit involved eye contact with the target.
And sure enough, when I managed to wrestle her to the ground, she struggled half-heartedly but mostly fought to keep her gaze on Robert. He screamed in sudden alarm, looking down at his own body in terror. Sonya was planting visions into his head. His expression hardened. He had to know it was an illusion, and a few moments later, he looked up, having broken her spell like sheʹd broken his earlier compulsion.
Dimitri came tearing out the door at that point, just as Robert used his mind to fling one of the chairs toward Sonya. Of course, I was on top of her, so the chair hit me in the back. Dimitri picked up pretty quickly what was going on and ran toward Robert, attempting the same tactic as me. Victor, possibly thinking his brother was in physical danger, tried to pry Dimitri away, which was futile. More vines began to reach toward Robert, and I realized constraining Sonya wasnʹt all that useful.
ʺGet him inside!ʺ I yelled to Dimitri. ʺGet him away from her!ʺ
Dimitri had already guessed that and began dragging Robert toward the door. Even with Victor interfering, Dimitriʹs strength was enough to get Robert out of there and back into the house. As soon as her target was gone, all the energy seemed to fade out of Sonya. She made no more efforts to fight me and collapsed to the ground. I was relieved, having feared sheʹd turn on me once Robert was gone. Tentatively, still on guard, I helped Sonya sit up. She leaned against me, weak as a rag doll, and cried into my shoulder. Another breakdown.
Last Sacrifice (6) Page 26