Last Sacrifice Chapter Two

AS ALWAYS, IT WAS DISORIENTING. Faces and skulls, translucent and luminescent, each(prenominal) h everywhereed around me. They were drawn to me, swarming in a cloud as though they wholly desperately requisite to say something. And really, they probably did. The ghosts that lingered in this world were endless, souls who had reasons that kept them from moving on. When Lissa had brought me back from the dead, Id kept a friendship to their world. It had taken a lot of work and self-control to learn to b fasten away the phantoms that followed me. The magical wards that defend the Moroi Court actually kept most ghosts away from me, however this time, I wanted them here. Giving them that access, force them in well, it was a riskinessous thing.Something told me that if ever there was a restless sprightcoursess, it would be a puff who had been murdered in her own bed. I saw no familiar faces among this group but didnt introduce up hope.Tatiana, I murmured, focusing my thoughts on the dead queens face. Tatiana, come to me.I had once been adapted to mention peerless ghost easily my friend Mason, whod been killed by Strigoi. While Tatiana and I werent as close as Mason and I had been, we certainly had a connection. For a while, nothing happened. The same blur of faces swirled before me in the cell, and I began to despair. Then, all of a sudden, she was there.She stood in the clothes shed been murdered in, a long nightgown and nightie covered in blood. Her colors were muted, flickering the like a malfunctioning TV screen. N atomic number 53theless, the crown on her head and regal stance gave her the same queenly air I remembered. Once she materialized, she give tongue to and did nothing. She precisely stared at me, her dark gaze a good deal piercing my soul. A tangle of emotions tightened in my chest. That gut chemical reception I always got around Tatianaanger and resentmentflared up. Then, it was muddled by a surprising swan of sympathy. No ones l ife should end the way hers had.I hesitated, afraid the guards would hear me. Somehow, I had a looking the volume of my voice didnt matter, and none of them could see what I saw. I held up the note.Did you write this? I breathed. Is it received?She continued to stare. Masons ghost had be bindd similarly. Summoning the dead was one thing communicating with them was a whole opposite matter.I nurture to know. If there is some other Dragomir, Ill hazard them. No point in dra enticeg guardianship to the occurrence that I was in no position to convey eitherthing or some(prenominal)one. But you have to signalise me. Did you write this letter? Is it true?Only that maddening gaze answered me. My frustration grew, and the pressure of all those personality began to give me a headache. Apparently, Tatiana was as annoying in shoemakers last as she had been in life.I was some to bring my walls back and push the ghosts away when Tatiana make the smallest of movements. It was a tiny nod, barely noticeable. Her hard eyeball then shifted down to the note in my hand, and just like thatshe was gone.I slammed my barriers back up, using all my will to close myself off from the dead. The headache didnt disappear, but those faces did. I sank back on the bed and stared at the note without seeing it. There was my answer. The note was real. Tatiana had written it. Somehow, I doubted her ghost had any reason to lie. stretchability out, I rested my head on the pillow and waited for that terrible throbbing to go away. I closed my eye and used the spirit bond to return and see what Lissa had been doing. Since my arrest, shed been busy pleading and contention on my behalf, so I expected to find more of the same. Instead she was dress shopping.I was almost anger at my best friends frivolity until I realized she was looking for a funeral dress. She was in one of the Courts insert away stores, one that catered to purple families. To my surprise, Adrian was with her. Seein g his familiar, handsome face eased some of the fear in me. A quick probe of her mind told me wherefore he was here shed talked him into coming because she didnt want him left(p) alone.I could understand why. He was completely drunk. It was a wonder he could stand, and in fact, I potently suspected the wall he leaned against was all that held him up. His brown hair was a messand not in the purposeful way he normally styled it. His deep green eyes were bloodshot. Like Lissa, Adrian was a spirit user. He had an ability she didnt yet he could visit peoples dreams. Id expected him to come to me since my imprisonment, and now it made finger why he hadnt. Alcohol stunted spirit. In some ways, that was a good thing. Excessive spirit created a darkness that drove its users insane. But spending life perpetually drunk wasnt all that rosy-cheeked either.Seeing him through Lissas eyes triggered emotional confusion nearly as intense as what Id undergo with Tatiana. I felt bad for him. He w as obviously unbalanced and upset slightly me, and the startling events this stretch forth week had blindsided him as much as the rest of us. Hed also lost his aunt whom, despite her curt attitude, hed cared for.Yet, in spite of all this, I felt scorn. That was unfair, perhaps, but I couldnt servicing it. I cared about him so much and understood him being upset, but there were toyter ways of dealing with his loss. His style was almost cowardly. He was hiding from his problems in a bottle, something that went against every piece of my nature. Me? I couldnt let my problems win without a fight.Velvet, the shopkeeper told Lissa with certainty. The wizened Moroi wo human being held up a voluminous, long-sleeved gown. Velvet is traditional in the royal escort.Along with the rest of the fanfare, Tatianas funeral would have a ceremonial escort walking alongside the coffin, with a part from each family there. Apparently, no one minded that Lissa fill that role for her family. But vo ting? That was another matter.Lissa eyed the dress. It looked more like a Halloween costume than a funeral gown. Its ninety degrees out, said Lissa. And humid.Tradition demands sacrifice, the woman said melodramatically. As does tragedy.Adrian opened his mouth, undoubtedly fructify with some inappropriate and mocking comment. Lissa gave him a sharp headshaking that kept him quiet. Arent there any, I dont know, sleeveless options?The saleswomans eyes widened. No one has ever worn straps to a royal funeral. It wouldnt be right.What about shorts? asked Adrian. Are they okay if theyre with a tie? Because thats what I was gonna go with.The woman looked horrified. Lissa shot Adrian a look of disdain, not so much because of the remarkwhich she found mildly amusingbut because she too was disgusted by his constant state of intoxication.Well, no one treats me like a full-fledged royal, said Lissa, turning back to the dresses. No reason to act like one now. Show me your straps and short-sl eeves.The saleswoman grimaced but complied. She had no problem advising royals on fashion but wouldnt dare array them to do or wear anything. It was part of the class stratification of our world. The woman walked across the store to find the requested dresses, just as Lissas boyfriend and his aunt entered the shop.Christian Ozera, I thought, was who Adrian should have been acting like. The fact that I could even think like that was startling. Times had certainly changed from when I held Christian up as a role model. But it was true. Id watched him with Lissa this last week, and Christian had been determined and steadfast, doing whatever he could to help her in the wake of Tatianas death and my arrest. From the look on his face now, it was obvious he had something important to relay.His out verbalizen aunt, Tasha Ozera, was another study in strength and grace under pressure. Shed raised him after his parents had turned Strigoiand had attacked her, leaving Tasha with scarring on one side of her face. Moroi had always relied on guardians for defense, but after that attack, Tasha had unyielding to take matters into her own hands. Shed intentional to fight, training with all sorts of hand-to-hand methods and weapons. She was really quite a badass and constantly pushed for other Moroi to learn fight too.Lissa let go of a dress shed been examining and turned to Christian eagerly. After me, there was no one else she religioned more in the world. Hed been her rock throughout all of this. He looked around the store, not appearing overly thrilled to be surrounded by dresses. You guys are shopping? he asked, glancing from Lissa to Adrian. Getting in a little girl time?Hey, youd benefit from a wardrobe change, said Adrian. Besides, I bet youd look great in a halter top.Lissa ignored the guys banter and focused on the Ozeras. What did you find out?Theyve decided not to take action, said Christian. His lips curled in disdain. Well, not any punishment kind of action.Tash a nodded. Were trying to push the idea that he just thought Rose was in insecurity and jumped in before he realized what was actually happening.My burden stopped. Dimitri. They were talking about Dimitri.For a moment, I was no longer with Lissa. I was no longer in my cell. Instead, I was back to the day of my arrest. Id been arguing with Dimitri in a cafe, scolding him for his continued refusal to talk to me, let alone continue our former relationship. Id decided then that I was through with(p) with him, that things were truly over and that I wouldnt let him keep tearing my heart apart. That was when the guardians had come for me, and no matter what Dimitri claimed about his Strigoi-time making him unable to love, he had reacted with lightning speed in my defense. Wed been hopelessly outnumbered, but he hadnt cared. The look on his faceand my own uncanny understanding of himhad told me all I needed to know. I was facing a threat. He had to defend me.And defend me he had. Hed fou ght like the matinee idol hed been back at St. Vladimirs Academy, when hed taught me how to battle Strigoi. He incapacitated more guardians in that cafe than one man should have been able to. The only thing that had ended it and I truly cogitate he would have fought until his last breathhad been my intervention. I hadnt known at the time what was going on or why a legion of guardians would want to arrest me. But I had realized that Dimitri was in serious danger of harming his already fragile status around Court. A Strigoi being restored was unheard of, and many quieten didnt trust him. Id begged Dimitri to stop, more afraid of what would happen to him than me. Little had I known what was in store for me.Hed come to my auditionunder guardbut neither Lissa nor I had seen him since. Lissa had been working hard to clear him of any wrongdoing, fearing theyd lock him up again. And me? Id been trying to tell myself not to over-think what he had done. My arrest and potential execution t ook precedence. Yet I still wondered. Why had he done it? Why had he risked his life for mine? Was it an instinctive reaction to a threat? Had he done it as a favor to Lissa, whom hed sworn to help in return for freeing him? Or had he truly done it because he still had feelings for me?I still didnt know the answer, but seeing him like that, like the fierce Dimitri from my past, had stirred up the feelings I was so desperately trying to get over. I kept trying to assure myself that recovering from a relationship took time. Lingering feelings were natural. Unfortunately, it took longer to get over a guy when he threw himself into danger for you.Regardless, Christian and Tashas spoken language gave me hope about Dimitris fate. After all, I wasnt the only one walking a tenuous line between life and death. Those convinced Dimitri was still Strigoi wanted to see a stake through his heart. Theyre retentivity him confined again, said Christian. But not in a cell. Just in his room, with a friction match of guards. They dont want him out around Court until things settle down.Thats better than jail, admitted Lissa.Its still absurd, snapped Tasha, more to herself than the others. She and Dimitri had been close over the years, and shed once wanted to take that relationship to another level. Shed settled for friendship, and her outrage over the injustice done to him was as strong as ours. They should have let him go as soon as he became a dhampir again. Once the elections are settled, Im going to make sure hes free.And thats whats weird Christians pale blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully. We heard that Tatiana had told others before shebefore she Christian hesitated and glanced uneasily at Adrian. The pause was uncharacteristic for Christian, who usually spoke his mind abruptly.Before she was murdered, said Adrian flatly, not looking at any of them. Go on.Christian swallowed. Um, yeah. I guessnot in publicshed announced that she believed Dimitri really was a dhampir again. Her plan was to help him get more acceptance once the other stuff settled down. The other stuff was the age police force mentioned in Tatianas note, the one saying dhampirs turning sixteen would be forced to graduate and start support Moroi. It had infuriated me, but like so many other things now well, it was kind of on hold.Adrian made a strange sound, like he was clearing his throat. She did not.Christian shrugged. Lots of her advisors said she did. Thats the rumor.I have a hard time believing it too, Tasha told Adrian. Shed never approved of Tatianas policies and had vehemently spoken out against them on more than one occasion. Adrians disbelief wasnt political, though. His was simply coming from ideas hed always had about his aunt. Shed never habituated any indication that she wanted to help Dimitri regain his old status.Adrian made no further comment, but I knew this topic was kindling sparks of jealousy within him. Id told him Dimitri was in the past and that I was ready to move on, but Adrianlike memust have undoubtedly wondered about the motivations behind Dimitris gallant defense.Lissa began to speculate on how they aptitude get Dimitri out of house arrest when the saleswoman returned with an armful of dresses she clearly disapproved of. Biting her lip, Lissa fell silent. She filed away Dimitris land site as something to deal with later. Instead, she wearily prepared to try on clothes and play the part of a good little royal girl.Adrian perked up at the sight of the dresses. Any halters in there?I returned to my cell, mulling over the problems that just seemed to keep piling up. I was worried about both Adrian and Dimitri. I was worried about myself. I was also worried about this so-called lost Dragomir. I was jump to believe the story could be real, but there was nothing I could do about it, which frustrated me. I needed to take action when it came to helping Lissa. Tatiana had told me in her letter to be careful whom I spoke to about the mat ter. Should I pass this mission on to someone else? I wanted to take wake up of it, but the bars and suffocating walls around me said I might not be able to take charge of anything for a while, not even my own life. Two weeks.Needing further distraction, I gave in and began interlingual rendition Abes book, which was exactly the tale of wrongful imprisonment Id expected it to be. It was pretty good and taught me that faking my own death apparently wouldnt work as an escape method. The book unexpectedly stirred up old memories. A chill went down my spine as I recalled a Tarot reading that a Moroi named Rhonda had given to me. She was Ambroses aunt, and one of the cards shed drawn for me had shown a woman tied to swords. Wrongful imprisonment. Accusations. Slander. Damn. I was really starting to hate those cards. I always insisted they were a scam, yet they had an annoying tendency to come true. The end of her reading had shown a journey, but to where? A real prison? My execution?Qu estions with no answers. Welcome to my world. Out of options for now, I figured I might as well try to get some rest. Stretching out on the pallet, I tried to push away those constant worries. Not easy. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw a judge banging a gavel, condemning me to death. I saw my name in the history books, not as a hero, but as a traitor. deceitfulness there, choking on my own fear, I thought of Dimitri. I pictured his steady gaze and could practically hear him lecturing me. Dont worry now about what you cant change. Rest when you can so youll be ready for tomorrows battles. The imaginary advice calmed me. Sleep came at last, heavy and deep. Id tossed and turned a lot this week, so true rest was welcome.ThenI woke up.I sat upright in bed, my heart pounding. Peering around, I looked for dangerany threat that might have startled me out of that sleep. There was nothing. Darkness. Silence. The faint squeak of a precede down the hall told me my guards were still around.Th e bond, I realized. The bond had woken me up. Id felt a sharp, intense flare of what? Intensity. Anxiety. A rush of adrenaline. Panic raced through me, and I dove deeper into Lissa, trying to find what had caused that surge of emotion from her.What I found was nothing.The bond was gone.