by Carrie Ryan
Still, when Dimitri fell backward and took me down on the bed with him, I had a feeling it was that particular memory that was fresh in his mind too. “Maybe you just need to help remind me,” he said diplomatically.
“ ‘Remind,’ huh?” Wrapped in his arms, I cast an anxious glance at the door. “I feel bad enough having our own room in your mom’s house! It’s like we’re getting away with something.”
He cupped my face between his hands. “They’re very open-minded,” he said. “Besides, after everything we’ve been through? I think we might as well be married, as far as most of them are concerned.”
“I got that impression too,” I admitted. When I’d been here for his memorial service, a lot of the other dhampirs had practically treated me like his widow. Dhampir relationships didn’t stand much on ceremony.
“Not a bad idea,” he teased.
I tried to elbow him, which was kind of difficult, considering how entwined we were. “Nope. Don’t go there, comrade.” I loved Dimitri more than anything, but despite his occasional suggestions, I’d made it clear I had no intention of getting married until there was a “2” at the beginning of my age. He was seven years older than me, so marriage was more of a reasonable idea for him. For me, even though there was no one else I wanted, eighteen was too young to be a wife just yet.
“You say that now,” he said, trying to keep from laughing, “but one of these days you’ll crack.”
“No way,” I said. His fingertips traced patterns against my neck, filling my skin with heat. “You’ve given some pretty convincing arguments, but you’re still a long way from winning me over.”
“I haven’t even really tried,” he said, in a rare moment of arrogance. “When I want to, I can be very persuasive.”
“Yeah? Prove it.”
His lips moved toward mine. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
The guests began arriving early. Of course, the Belikov women had been up and awake even earlier—far earlier than Dimitri and me, who were still coping with the time change. The kitchen was a flurry of activity, filling the house with all sorts of mouth-watering scents. Admittedly, Russian food wasn’t my favorite cuisine, but there were a few dishes—especially ones Olena made—that I’d grown attached to. She and her daughters baked and cooked enormous quantities of everything, which seemed excessive since almost every person who stopped by also brought a dish to share. The experience was a mirror of Dimitri’s memorial service, save that the mood was understandably more upbeat.
At first, there was a little awkwardness on everyone’s part. Despite his resolve to focus on the positive, Dimitri still had a little trouble getting over the fact that his Strigoi time was the central focus. Some of the guests were equally nervous, as though maybe the rest of us had made a terrible mistake and he really was still a bloodthirsty undead creature. Of course, you only had to spend about five minutes with him to know that wasn’t true, and soon the tension melted away. Dimitri knew almost everyone from his childhood and grew more and more delighted to see familiar faces. They in turn were more than happy to rejoice in his being saved.
I watched a lot of this from the sidelines. I’d met many of the visitors before, and while several greeted me, it was clear Dimitri took center stage. Most of the conversation was in Russian too, but it was enough for me to simply watch his face. Once he settled into being among his old friends and family, a quiet joy spread over him. The tension that always seemed to crackle through his body eased a little, and my heart melted to see him at such a moment.
“Rose?”
I’d been watching with amusement while some children interrogated him very seriously. Turning at the sound of my name, I was surprised to find two familiar and welcome faces.
“Mark, Oksana!” I exclaimed, embracing the couple. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“How could we not?” asked Oksana. She was Moroi, nearly thirty years older than me but still very beautiful. She was also one of the few spirit users I knew about. Beside her, her husband Mark smiled down at me. He was a dhampir, which made their relationship scandalous and was why they tended to keep to themselves. Oksana had used her spirit powers to bring Mark back after he was killed in a fight, a feat of healing that rivaled Dimitri’s return from the Strigoi. It was called being shadow-kissed.
“We wanted to see you again,” Mark told me. He inclined his head toward Dimitri. “And of course, we wanted to see the miracle for ourselves.”
“You did it,” said Oksana, her gentle face filled with wonder. “You saved him after all.”
“And not how I originally intended either,” I remarked. When I’d last come to Russia, my goal had been to hunt and kill Dimitri, in order to save his soul from that dark state. I hadn’t known then that there was an alternative.
Oksana was understandably curious about the role of spirit in Dimitri’s salvation, and I gave her as much information as I was able to. Time flew by. The day gave way to early evening, and people began breaking out the lethal vodka that had been my downfall last time. Mark and Oksana were teasing me about giving it another try, when a new voice suddenly got my attention. The voice’s owner wasn’t speaking to me, but I was immediately able to pick him out over the hum of the now-crowded house—because he was speaking English.
“Olena? Olena? Where are you? We need to talk about the Blood King.”
Following the voice, I soon spotted a guy about five years older than me trying to squeeze his way through the crowd to where Olena stood near her son. Most paid little attention to him, but a few paused and regarded him with a surprise that I shared. He was human—the only human here, from what I could tell. Humans and dhampirs looked virtually indistinguishable from each other, but it was an ability of my race to be able to tell each other apart.
“Olena.” Breathless, the human guy reached Olena and gave me my first clear view of him. He had neatly trimmed black hair and wore a very prim gray suit that somehow enhanced his gangly build. When he turned his head a certain way, the light caught one of his cheeks, revealing a golden lily tattoo. And that’s what explained his presence. He was an Alchemist.
Olena had been chatting with a neighbor woman and finally turned when the Alchemist said her name three more times. Dimitri’s mother remained smiling and pleasant, but I caught the faintest glimpse of exasperation in her eyes.
“Henry,” she said. “How nice to see you again.”
He adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “We need to talk about the Blood King.” The more he spoke, the more I could pick out a faint accent. He was British, not American like me.
“This is hardly the time,” said Olena. She gestured to Dimitri, who was gazing at Henry with intense scrutiny. “My son is visiting. He hasn’t been here in years.”
Henry gave Dimitri a polite but curt nod of greeting and then turned back to Olena. “It’s never the time. The longer we put this off, the more people are going to be hurt. Another human was killed last night, you know.”
This brought silence to several people standing nearby. It also brought me striding over to stand beside Dimitri and Olena. “Who was killed?” I demanded. “And who’s doing the killing?”
Henry gave me a once-over. It wasn’t like a checking-to-see-if-I-was-hot once-over, though. It was more like he was trying to decide if I was worth responding to. Apparently not. His attention went back to Olena.
“You have to do something,” he said.
Olena threw up her hands. “Why do you think I can do it?”
“Because you’re … well, you’re kind of what passes for a leader around here. Who else is going to organize dhampirs to take care of this menace?”
“I don’t lead anyone,” said Olena, shaking her head. “And the people here … they certainly can’t be ordered into battle on a moment’s notice.”
“But they know how to fight,” countered Henry. “You’re all trained, even if you didn’t become guardians.”
“We’re trained to defend,” she corre
cted him. “Certainly everyone here would turn out if Strigoi invaded our town. We don’t go out seeking trouble, though. Well, except for the Unmarked. But they’re all away right now. Once they return in the autumn, I’m sure they’ll happily do this for you.”
Henry sighed in frustration. “We can’t wait until autumn! Humans are dying now.”
“Humans who are too stupid to stay out of trouble,” said a grizzled dhampir woman.
“This so-called Blood King is just an ordinary Strigoi,” added another man who’d been listening. “Nothing special. Humans need to simply stay away, and he’ll leave.”
I didn’t exactly know what was happening here, but pieces were coming together. Alchemists were among the few humans who knew about the existence of vampires and dhampirs. Although we often lived and interacted with humans, my kind generally did an excellent job of hiding our true natures. Alchemists believed all vampires and dhampirs were dark and unnatural and that humanity was better off without contact. Likewise, the Alchemists feared that if our existence was public knowledge, certain weak-willed humans would jump at the chance to become immortal Strigoi and corrupt their souls. As a result, Alchemists helped us stay hidden and also assisted in covering up Strigoi kills and other ugly business those monsters caused. At the end of the day, though, Alchemists made it clear they were helping humans first and us second. So, if there was something out there threatening his kind, it was no wonder Henry was so worked up.
“Start from the beginning,” said Dimitri, stepping forward. He’d listened patiently so far, but even he had limits when someone was trying to order his mother around. “Someone explain who this Blood King is and why he’s killing humans.”
Henry gave Dimitri an assessment similar to the one he’d given me. Only, Dimitri apparently passed. “The Blood King is a Strigoi who lives northwest of here. There are some foothills with several caves and twisting paths, and he’s taken up residence in there. We don’t know exactly which cave, but evidence suggests he’s very old and very powerful.”
“And so … he’s what, preying on human hikers that happen to wander nearby?” I asked.
Henry seemed surprised that I’d spoken, but at least answered this time. “No wandering involved. They seek him out. All the people in these villages are superstitious and deluded. They’ve built up this legendary reputation for him—gave him that Blood King name. They don’t fully understand what he is, of course. Anyway, all he has to do is wait around, because every so often, someone gets it into his head that he’s going to be the one to defeat the Blood King. They rush headlong into those mountain paths—and never come back.”
“Stupid,” said the woman who’d spoken earlier. I was inclined to agree.
“You have to do something,” repeated Henry. This time, he was looking at everyone as he spoke, desperate for help wherever he could get it. “My people can’t kill this Strigoi. You need to. I’ve talked to guardians in the larger cities, but they won’t leave their Moroi. That means it’s up to you locals.”
“Maybe word will eventually get around and humans will stay away,” said Olena reasonably.
“We keep hoping that’ll happen, but it doesn’t,” said Henry. Something in the way he spoke made me think he’d explained this many times. If he didn’t have such an arrogant demeanor, I’d almost feel sorry for him. “And before anyone suggests it: no, I don’t think any human’s going to get lucky and kill the Blood King either.”
“Of course not.”
The room had pretty much gone silent by this point, but Yeva’s entrance ensured it stayed that way. How did she always make it seem like she’d appeared out of thin air? She came forward, using a gnarled cane that I suspected she kept on hand just to poke people with. She focused on Henry but seemed pleased to have gotten everyone else’s attention.
“Only someone who has walked the road of death can kill the Blood King.” She paused dramatically. “I have foreseen it.”
From the awed expressions this elicited, it was obvious that no one else was going to question her. As usual, it was up to me. “Oh for God’s sake,” I said. “That could mean a hundred different things.”
Henry was frowning. “I’d have to agree. Walking the road of death could be anything … someone who has nearly died, someone who has killed, any warrior or fighter who’s—”
“Dimka,” said Viktoria. I hadn’t even noticed her standing near us. A few people had been in front of her but now moved aside as she spoke. “Grandmother means Dimka. He’s walked the road of death and returned.”
Murmurs filled the room as all eyes shifted to Dimitri. Many were nodding at Viktoria’s declaration. I heard one man say, “Dimitri’s the one. He’s destined to kill the Blood King.” I was pretty sure it was the same guy who’d earlier scoffed and said the Blood King wasn’t anything special. Others were in agreement. “Yeva Belikova has declared it to be so,” someone else said. “She’s never wrong.”
“That’s not what she said at all!” I cried.
“I’ll do it,” said Dimitri resolutely. “I’ll put an end to this Strigoi.”
Cheers broke out, so no one heard me say, “But you don’t have to! She never said you did.”
Correction—one person heard me. Dimitri. “Roza,” he said, his voice carrying through the growing noise. It was only one word, but as often happened, he managed to convey a thousand messages in it, most of which could be summed up as “We’ll talk later.”
“I’d like to come with you,” said Mark. He straightened up to his full height. “If you’ll have me.” Despite his graying hair, Mark was still lean and muscled, with a look about him that said he was more than capable of kicking Strigoi ass.
“Of course. I’d be honored,” said Dimitri gravely. “But that’s it.” This last part was added because suddenly half the room wanted to go with him. They’d rolled their eyes at Henry’s initial request, but with Dimitri on board now, this had just hit heroic odyssey status.
“What about me?” I asked dryly.
A smile twitched at Dimitri’s lips. “I figured that was a given.”
I wasn’t able to speak privately with him until much later. After all, people were still celebrating his return to the living, and now there was this quest to cheer on. The only one more impatient than me, I think, was Henry. He was pleased to have finally gotten help, but it was clear he wanted to start going over logistics and plans with Dimitri right now. That obviously wasn’t going to happen, and at last, Henry left and said he’d be back tomorrow.
It was nearly the middle of the night when the remaining guests departed and Dimitri and I returned to our room. I was exhausted but still had enough energy left to chastise him.
“You know Yeva didn’t specifically say you had to be the one to kill this Blood King guy,” I said, crossing my arms to look imposing. “Viktoria—and everyone else—jumped to that conclusion.”
“I know,” said Dimitri, stifling a yawn. “But someone has to kill him. Even if these humans are bringing it on themselves, the threat needs to be removed. My mother’s right that dhampirs around here are mostly focused on defense. You and I are the only ones who’ve gone through an entire guardian’s training. And Mark.”
I nodded slowly. “That’s why you said he could come. I figured it was just because he was the first to ask and not one of those other wannabes trying to get in on your awesomeness.”
Dimitri smiled and sat down on the bed. “These people can fight. They’d fight to the death if their homes were attacked. But to go into battle? Mark’s the only one of them I’d take. And he’s still no match for you.”
“Well,” I said, coming to sit beside him. “That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard all night.” Another realization hit me. “Mark can sense Strigoi too.” It was a side effect of being brought back from the dead. “Huh. I guess this might be crazy enough to work.”
Dimitri kissed the top of my head. “Admit it. You don’t mind going after this Strigoi. It’s the right thing to do.
Even if they’re walking into it, innocents are still dying because of him.”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s the right thing. I would’ve volunteered myself eventually.” I sighed. “I just hate giving Yeva one more reason to think she controls the fate of the universe.”
He chuckled. “If you plan on being a part of this family, then you’d better get used to it.”
Dimitri and I had no hangover effects to deal with, fortunately, but neither of us was too thrilled when Henry showed up at the crack of dawn so that we could “get down to business.” Like the other Alchemists I’d met, Henry wasn’t the type to get his hands dirty. He had no intention of going with us to take on this Blood King. Also like other Alchemists, Henry was swimming in paperwork and plans.
He brought us tons of maps and diagrams of the cavernous area the Blood King inhabited, as well as every report the Alchemists had about sightings and attacks. Alchemists loved reports. Olena made us all some extremely strong coffee that tasted only slightly less toxic than the regional vodka, but the coffee’s caffeine buzz went a long way to help us wake up and strategize.
“It’s not that big a region,” remarked Henry, tapping one of the maps. “I don’t understand why no one can ever find him in daylight. This area’s small enough that someone could search out every single cave within a day. Yet, they all still end up trapped there at night and get killed.”
My mind spun back to another set of caves, halfway around the world. “The caves are connected,” I said slowly, tracing the dots that one map used to mark the entrances. “You can search all day and never find him because he moves around underground.”
“Brilliant, Roza,” murmured Dimitri in approval.
Henry looked startled. “How do you know?”
I shrugged. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.” I flipped through the pieces of paper. “Do you have an underground map? Did anyone ever do a … I don’t know … a geological survey or something?” It seemed like every other representation of the area was there: satellite images, topographical drawings, analyses of the minerals … everything but a glimpse of what was happening below the surface. Henry confirmed as much.