Thought I'd put the first chapter up to Frostbite since people keep on forgetting to read it ): haha anyways.. please enjoy!
Chapter 1:
I stood under the massive brick building's shadows. Waiting for Rose to arrive. She was assigned to take a test that all novices do. It was known as the Qualifier. Every novice takes it their junior year. Rose was a senior and had yet to take it. She had escaped the Academy along with her Moroi best friend Lissa Dragomir. It took everything to get her back, thanks to me and my team of guardians. If it wern't for us Rose and Lissa would still be on the run.
It just had begun to snow, light ,crystal-line flakes drifted gently down. Melting as they made contact with the wet Earth. I stood in front of a Honda Pilot. A car that Rose and I will be driving in for the next five hours. High-up guardians visited the novices at the Academy, and met individually to discuss students' commitment to being guardians. Rose was scheduled to meet with Arthur Schoenberg, a friend of mine, and someone I highly respect.
Rose arrived, her profile coming into view as she rushed towards me, late like ususal. A couple of months ago I had fallen for her, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to stop those feelings from pouring out of me. It was only a week now that I finally took hold of them. I kept repeating the phrase: It's the right thing. Rose needed a teacher that was strict, understanding, determined and much much more. And those simple four words had prevented my feelings from leaking through the cracks.
"I know, I know. Sorry I'm late."
I couldn't help but wonder why she was late. But instantly reminded myself that it didn't matter. I was Roses teacher and mentor and that was it. There was nothing more to it.
"Who else is going?" She asked, the snowflakes landing on her dark hair, melting instantly.
I shrugged. "Just you and me."
"How far away is it?" I could see the old attraction in her eyes. The feeling of wanting something we couldn't have had taken over both of us. And all the feelings had burst out when Victor Dashkov put a lust charm on us. It was cruel of him, and wouldn't have worked unless both victims had feelings for each other. And back then I did have feelings for her. They still remained locked up, but I knew they were still there, growing stronger and stronger.
"Five hours."
"Oh."
We got in the car, Rose in the passenger seat while I drove. The dim, snowy roads would have been difficult for humans to navigate, but they were no problem for our dhampir eyes. It was a while before any of us spoke. Silence falling heavy in the car.
"Don't they ususally come to the Academy? I mean, I'm all for the field trip, but why are we going to them?" Rose asked.
"Actually, you're just gong to a him, not a them. Since this is a special case and he's doing us a favor, we're the ones making the trip."
"Who is he?"
"Arthur Schoenberg."
She jerked her gaze from the road to me.
"What?" She squeaked.
I knew why she was so shocked. Arthur was a legend. He was one of the great Strigoi slayers in all of guardian history. And used to be the head of the Guardian's Council. He eventually retired and gone back to protecting one of the royal families, the Badicas.
"Wasn't...wasn't there anyone else available?" She asked in a small voice.
I tried my best to hide the smile that was playing at my lips. "You'll be fine. Besides, if Art approves of you, that's a great recommendation to have on your record."
Silence fell in the car once again. By the way I saw her body tense out of the corner of my eye I knew she was nervous. I needed to calm her down, it was my job to do such a thing.
"You'll be fine." I repeated. "The good in your record outweighs the bad."
I could see the corners of her lips tighten up in a smile. She turned her face towards me, sneaking a peek that she thought only she knew about. After a long moment she averted her gaze.
"Thanks, Coach." She teased as she snuggled back into the seat.
"I'm here to help." I replied. I found myself relaxing more as we traveled down the snowy road. Something that didn't happen often, I was usually tense and ready for action. But like in the van, that Rose and I had took when we escorted Lissa to the mall, I relaxed. Not much can happen in a car when it's in motion. Although my eyes were still darting back and forth as we passed tall looming trees.
"You know what would really help?" Rose asked.
"Hmm?"
"If you turned off this crap music and put on something that came out after the Berlin Wall went down."
I laughed. "Your worst class is history, yet somehow, you know everything about Eastern Europe."
"Hey, gotta have material for my jokes, Comrade."
Still smiling, I turned the radio dial. To a country station. Knowing what her reaction would be. I was the mentor and she was the student. Whose to say that I can't torture her?
"Hey! This isn't what I had in mind." She exclaimed.
I was on the verge of laughing again. "Pick. It's one or the other."
She sighed. "Go back to the 1980's stuff."
I flipped the dial as she crossed her arms over her chest. The song: Video Killed the Radio Star boomed through the Honda.
Arthur and the Badicas lived in a small town along I-90, not far from the Billings. Some of the Moroi world believed that big cities were best since they allowed vampires to be lost in the crowds; that their nocturnal schedules didn't raise suspicion. Others opted for less populated towns, believing that if there were fewer people to notice you, then you were less likely to be noticed.
Rose convinced me to stop for food at a twenty-four-hour diner along the way. I had to admit I was hungry as well. The only other stop we made was to buy gas. It was around noon when we arrived. The house was built in a rambler style, all one level with gray-stained wood sliding and big bay windows--tinted to block the sunlight. It was new and expensive--the royals had no problem with money. It was located out in the middle of the forest. Away from population and curious eyes.
Rose jumped down from the Pilot. She and I walked up to the house, following a river rock sidewalk that cut through the front yard. Careful of my footing as I walked, I knew there would be patches of ice along the rocky sidewalk.
Rose slipped on the ice, proving my theory. I instantly reached out to steady her. In that moment I had the weird feeling of deja vu, flashing back to the first night we'd met, when I had saved her from a similar fall. I held on to her a moment longer.
Letting go I asked: "you okay?"
"Yeah, she said casting accusing eyes at the icy sidewalk. "Haven't these people ever heard of salt?"
I suddenly stopped walking. Salt... I remembered the time when Arthur told me that he hated it when people didn't ice the roadways or sidewalks in the winter. He had once done it himself when one of his charges didn't. This shouldn't have been any different. Something was wrong.
I looked around the broad white plains that were surrounding us, before turning my attention back on the house. Rose stayed silent besides me, knowing that now wasn't the time to ask questions. I studied the building, looking down at the icy sidewalk. Arthur said he was going to be here, I had talked on the phone with him the other night. There should be no reason for him not to be here. Let alone salt the sidewalk. I glanced at the driveway, covered in a sheet of snow broken only by our footprints.
I approached the front door, I could hear Rose's footsteps in tow. I stopped again, this time to study the door. It had been broken into, the lock on it shattered, as if someone slammed their body up against the door. Closer observation showed scuffs along the door's edge. I lightly ran my fingers along where the door met its frame. When I touched the doors handle it jiggled, it had most definitely been broken into.
"Rose, go wait in the car."
"But wh-"
"Go." I filled that word with power, making her back up as she retreated down the lawn and to the Honda. She was safe, that's all that mattered to me. As soon as I heard the door shut to the Pilot I pushed the door open, moving inside.
There wasn't as much damage as I had expected. But that didn't stop me from observing every room. There were claw marks here and there against the wall, as if someone had slashed at something. I touched them, they were set deep in the chestnut wood.
As I made my way to the back of the house I noticed the broken window, the snow drifting in from it. And bodies. I realized now that it had been Strigoi, how they got past the wards was beyond me. Concerned I made my way out of the house. Ready to protect Rose. I didn't know if the intruders were still here, but instincts ran too strong.
I looked at the Pilot, not surprised when I saw that it's door was wide open. It was sunny out, she couldn't be in trouble. Why didn't she ever listen to me?
Following Rose's footsteps and to the back of the house. Where the bodies were. I found her standing still as as statue, inside the house, taking in the horrible scene. I could tell by her posture that she was about to let a scream escape her. Quickly I put a gloved hand over her mouth. Closing the scream. She started to struggle. And after a moment realized that it was me.
"Why don't you ever listen? You'd be dead if they were still here."
She didn't make any attempts to answer me. Even with my hand over her mouth. After a long moment I removed my hand, but stayed close to her. Ready to protect her if anything decided to jump out at us.
There was a dead woman, Lady Badica, and a man, Lord Badica, and their child, a small body that was slumped beside the couch. Across the room as another. And another. Bodies and blood everywhere.
A few minutes had passed before she turned around to face me. "It's daytime." She whispered. "Bad things don't happen in the day." There was a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Bad things can happen anytime. And this dind't happen during the day. This probably happened a couple of nights ago."
Rose peeked at the bodies. She glanced at a man's body near the room's entrance to the hallway. Sudden realization kicked in.
"Arthur Schoenberg." I said.
She continued to stare at him. "He's dead. How can he be dead? How could a Strigoi kill Arthur Schoenberg?"
I didn't answer. I had noticed something shining in her hand before I even entered. Although it didn't occur to me, until now, that it was a stake. My hand traveled down, closing around the hand that held the stake. She flinched.
"Where did you get this?" She loosened her grip, letting me take it from her.
"Outside. In the ground."
I held up the stake, studying the surface as it shone in the sunlight. A stake in the ground could only mean one thing. "It broke the ward."
Wards were magic rings cast by Moroi. Like the stakes, they were made using magic from all four of the elements. They required strong Moroi magic-users, often a couple for each element. The wards could block Strigoi because magic was charged with life, and the Strigoi had none. But wards faded quickly and took a lot of maintenance. Most Moroi didn't use them, but certain places kept them up. St. Vladimir's Academy was ringed with several.
There had been a ward here, but it had been shattered when someone drove the stake through it. Their magic conflicted with each other, making the stake win.
"Strigoi can't touch stakes. And no Moroi or dhampir would do it."
She was right, but Moroi, dhampirs and Strigoi wern't the only species on this planet.
"A human might." I stated looking down at her.
She met my eyes. "Humans don't help Strigoi--" She stopped. I saw realization flash in her brown eyes. Realizing that Strigoi wern't limited to the sunlight and magic if they had a human to help them.
I still was ready for anything to attack. But watching her wage this mental battle made me have sympathy. She was too young to be witnessing death. This incident would affect her life forever, no novice her age should be seeing the things she had. And because of this, was the reason why she was going to make a kick ass guardian. She was already dealing with death at a very young age. Who knew what she will be dealing with in a year or so?
"This changes everything, doesn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah, it does."