'Blood Promise Chapter Two\r'

'Chapter ii\r\nGoing for her instead of me was bad form on the Strigois sort. I was the threat; he should put up change me first. Our positioning had put Sydney in his way, however, so he had to dispatch her onwards he could get to me. He grabbed her shoulder, jerking her to him. He was fast-they everlastingly were- exclusively I was on my game tonight.\r\nA swift kick knocked him into a neighboring buildings w tot aloney and freed Sydney from his grasp. He grunted on equal and slumped to the ground, stunned and affect. It wasnt easy to get the drop on a Strigoi, not with their lightning-fast reflexes. Abandoning Sydney, he focused his economic aid on me, rose-cheeked reflexion angry and lips curl back to show his fangs. He sprang up from his everywherestep with that preternatural speed and lunged for me.\r\nI dodged him and attempted a punch that he dodged in return. His attached louse up caught me on the arm, and I stumbled, secure notwithstanding property my ba lance. My stake was clam up clutched in my right baseball glove, merely I needed an opening to hit his chest. A smart Strigoi would amaze angled himself in a way that ruined the line of sight to his heart. This guy cable was only doing a so-so job, and if I could breathe alive long enough, Id cor answeringly get an opening.\r\n moreover thus, Sydney came up and hit him on the back. It wasnt a truly strong blow, unless it startled him. It was my opening. I sprinted as hard as I could, throwing my full saddle at him. My stake pierced his heart as we slammed against the wall. It was as simple as that. The life-or undead life or whatever-faded away from him. He stopped moving. I jerked bulge my stake erst I was certain he was dead and watched as his body crumpled to the ground.\r\n respectable equivalent with every Strigoi Id killed lately, I had a passing surreal feeling. What if this had been Dimitri? I tried to imagine Dimitris case on this Strigoi, tried to imagine h im lying before me. My heart twisted in my chest. For a dissever second, the image was there. thus-g genius. This was adept al well-nigh random Strigoi.\r\nI promptly shook the disorientation reach and reminded myself that I had consequential affaires to worry virtually here. I had to full stop on Sydney. Even with a human, my protective genius couldnt help oneself exactly kick in. â€Å"Are you approve?”\r\nShe nodded, smell shaken only when otherwise unharmed. â€Å" delicate work,” she give tongue to. She overweighted as though she were forcibly trying to sound confident.\r\nâ€Å"Ive neer… Ive neer genuinely exitn one of them killed…”\r\nI couldnt imagine how she would admit, but then, I didnt get how she knew ab discover any of this stuff in the first commit. She looked analogous she was in shock, so I similarlyk her arm and started to make her away. â€Å"Come on, lets get bulge to where theres more batch.” S trigoi lurking tightlipped the Nightingale wasnt that crazy of an conception, the more I belief culturely it. What better place to stalk Moroi than at one of their hangouts? Though, hopefully, most defenders would urinate enough understanding to keep their charges out of alleys akin this.\r\nThe suggestion of way out snapped Sydney out of her daze. â€Å"What?” she exclaimed. â€Å"Youre just leaving to leave him withal?”\r\nI threw up my men. â€Å"What do you expect me to do? I guess I can unravel him behind those trash cans and then let the fair weather incinerate him. Thats what I usually do.”\r\nâ€Å"Right. And what if almostone shows up to take out the trash? Or comes out of one of these back doors?”\r\nâ€Å"Well, I can just now drag him off. Or set him on fire. A vampire barbecue would material body of attract some attention, dont you think?”\r\nSydney shook her head in anger and walked over to the body. She made a face as she looked wad at the Strigoi and reached into her large leather purse. From it, she produced a small vial. With a deft motion, she sprinkled the vials contents over the body and then quickly stepped back.\r\nWhere the drops had hit his corpse, yellow smoke began to curl away. The smoke slowly operate outward, spreading horizontally quite a than verti handley until it cocooned the Strigoi entirely. Then it contracted and contracted until it was nothing but a fist-size ball. In a few seconds, the smoke drifted off entirely, leaving an innocuous pile of dust behind.\r\nâ€Å"Youre welcome,” said Sydney flatly, still giving me a disapproving look.\r\nâ€Å"What the madhouse was that?” I exclaimed.\r\nâ€Å"My job. Can you please call me the next time this happens?” She started to turn away.\r\nâ€Å" front! I cant call you-I gain no idea who you are.”\r\nShe glanced back at me and brushed blond hair out of her face. â€Å" rightfully? Youre serious , arent you? I thought you were all taught to the highest degree us when you have.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, well. Funny thing… I kind of, uh, didnt graduate.”\r\nSydneys look widened. â€Å"You took down one of those… things… but never graduated?”\r\nI shrugged, and she remained silent for several seconds.\r\nFinally, she sighed again and said, â€Å"I guess we need to talk.”\r\nDid we ever. Meeting her had to be the strangest thing that had happened to me since coming to Russia. I wishinged to pick out wherefore she thought I should have been in fulfil with her and how shed dissolved that Strigoi corpse. And, as we re false to the busy streets and walked toward a coffeehouse she liked, it occurred to me that if she knew some the Moroi universe, there great power be a chance she also knew where Dimitris village was.\r\nDimitri. There he was again, popping back into my mind. I had no steer if he really would be lurking near his hometown, but I had nothing else to go on at this point. Again, that weird feeling came over me. My mind blur Dimitris face with that of the Strigoi Id just killed: pale skin, red peal eyes…\r\n zero(prenominal) I sternly told myself. Dont focus on that yet. Dont panic. Until I faced Dimitri the Strigoi, I would gain the most strength from remembering the Dimitri I loved, with his deep cook eyes, warm hands, fierce embrace…\r\nâ€Å"Are you authorise… um, whatever your mention is?”\r\nSydney was staring at me strangely, and I realized wed come to a halt in front of a restaurant. I didnt cut what look I wore on my face, but it must have been enough to raise even her attention. Until now, my impression as we walked had been that she indispensablenessed to speak to me as little as possible.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, yeah, fine,” I said brusquely, putting on my guardian face. â€Å"And Im Rose. Is this the place?”\r\nIt was. The restaurant was bright and cheery , albeit a further cry from the Nightingales opulence. We slid into a black leather-by which I reckon fake plastic leather-booth, and I was delighted to see the menu had both American and Russian food. The listings were translated into English, and I nearly drooled when I saw fried squawker. I was starving subsequently not eating at the club, and the thought of deep-fried meat was luxurious after weeks of cabbage dishes and so-called McDonalds.\r\nA waitress arrived, and Sydney uniform in fluent Russian, whereas I just pointed at the menu. Huh. Sydney was just full of surprises. Considering her harsh attitude, I evaluate her to interrogate me right away, but when the waitress left, Sydney remained quiet, apparently playing with her napkin and avoiding eye contact. It was so strange. She was emphatically uncomfortable more or less me. Even with the table amongst us, it was like she couldnt get far enough away. soon enough her earlier outrage hadnt been faked, and shed been adamant most me undermentioned whatever these rules of hers were.\r\nWell, she might have been playing coy, but I had no such hesitation or so busting into uncomfortable topics. In fact, it was kind of my flipmark.\r\nâ€Å"So, are you expeditious to tell me who you are and whats outlet on?”\r\nSydney looked up. direct that we were in brighter light, I could see that her eyes were brown. I also sight that she had an interesting tattoo on her lower left cheek. The ink looked like prosperous, something Id never seen before. It was an elaborate design of flowers and leaves and was only really open when she tilted her head certain ways so that the gold caught the light.\r\nâ€Å"I told you,” she said. â€Å"Im an Alchemist.”\r\nâ€Å"And I told you, I dont grapple what that is. Is it some Russian word?” It didnt sound like one.\r\nA half-smile played on her lips. â€Å"No. I take it youve never comprehend of alchemy either?”\r\nI shook my head, and she propped her chin up with her hand, eyes staring down at the table again. She swallowed, like she was bracing herself, and then a rush of speech communication came out. â€Å"Back in the fondness Ages, there were these people who were convinced that if they found the right formula or witching(prenominal), they could turn lead into gold. Unsurprisingly, they couldnt. This didnt stop them from pursuing all sorts of other mystical and supernatural stuff, and eventually they did prevail something magical.” She frowned. â€Å"Vampires.”\r\nI thought back to my Moroi history classes. The Middle Ages were when our kind really started pulling away from humans, screen out and keeping to ourselves. That was the time when vampires truly became fabrication as far as the rest of the existence was concerned, and even Moroi were regarded as monsters worth hunt club.\r\nSydney verified my thoughts. â€Å"And that was when the Moroi began to perch away. They ha d their magic, but humans were starting to outnumber them. We still do.” That almost brought a smile to her face. Moroi sometimes had douse conceiving, whereas humans seemed to have too easy a time. â€Å"And the Moroi made a deal with the Alchemists. If the Alchemists would help Moroi and dhampirs and their societies gruntle secret from humans, the Moroi would give us these.” She touched the easy tattoo.\r\nâ€Å"What is that?” I asked. â€Å"I mean, aside from the obvious.”\r\nShe gently stroked it with her fingertips and didnt beat hiding the sarcasm when she spoke. â€Å"My guardian angel. Its actually gold and”-she grimaced and dropped her hand-â€Å"Moroi descent, charmed with water and earth.”\r\nâ€Å"What?” My voice came out too loud, and some people in the restaurant turned to look at me. Sydney continued speaking, her tone some(prenominal) lower and very bitter.\r\nâ€Å"Im not thrilled about it, but its our ?®rew ard for helping you guys. The water and earth lodge it to our skin and give us the same traits Moroi have well, a couple of them. I almost never get sick. Ill live a long life.”\r\nâ€Å"I guess that sounds good,” I said uncertainly.\r\nâ€Å"Maybe for some. We dont have a choice. This ?®career is a family thing-it gets passed down. We all have to check off about Moroi and dhampirs. We work connections among humans that let us cover up for you since we can move around more freely. Weve got tricks and techniques to get release of Strigoi bodies-like that potion you saw. In return, though, we want to stay apart from you as often as we can-which is why most dhampirs arent told about us until they graduate. And Moroi exactly ever.” She abruptly stopped. I guessed the lesson was over.\r\nMy head was reeling. I had never, never considered anything like this-wait. Had I? Most of my education had emphasised the physical aspects of being a guardian: watchfulness , combat, etcetera Yet every so often Id heard vague references to those out in the human world who would help hide Moroi or get them out of weird and dangerous situations. Id never thought much about it or heard the term Alchemist. If I had stayed in school, maybe I would have.\r\nThis probably wasnt an idea I should have suggested, but my nature couldnt help it. â€Å"Why keep the charm to yourselves? Why not share it with the human world?”\r\nâ€Å"Because theres an extra part to its power. It stops us from speaking about your kind in a way that would endanger or expose them.”\r\nA charm that bound them from speaking… that sounded suspiciously like fate. All Moroi could use fatality a little, and most could put some of their magic into objects to give them certain properties. Moroi magic had changed over the years, and compulsion was regarded as an immoral thing now. I was hypothesis this tattoo was an old, old spell that had come down through the centurie s.\r\nI replayed the rest of what Sydney had said, more questions revolve in my head. â€Å"Why… why do you want to stay away from us? I mean, not that Im looking to become BFFs or anything…”\r\nâ€Å"Because its our duty to immortal to protect the rest of humanity from malign creatures of the night.” Absentmindedly, her hand went to something at her neck. It was mostly covered by her jacket, but a parting of her collar briefly revealed a gilt cross.\r\nMy initial reaction to that was unease, see as I wasnt very religious. In fact, I was never entirely comfortable around those who were hard-core believers. thirty seconds later, the full impact of the rest of her words sank in.\r\nâ€Å"Wait a minute,” I exclaimed indignantly. â€Å"Are you talking about all of us-dhampirs and Moroi? Were all evil creatures of the night?”\r\nHer hands dropped from the cross, and she didnt respond.\r\nâ€Å"Were not like Strigoi!” I snapped.\r\nHer f ace stayed bland. â€Å"Moroi drink in blood. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of them and humans.”\r\nNo one had ever called me unnatural before, except for the time I put ketchup on a taco. besides seriously, wed been out of salsa, so what else was I supposed to do? â€Å"Moroi and dhampirs are not evil,” I told Sydney. â€Å"Not like Strigoi.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats true,” she conceded. â€Å"Strigoi are more evil.”\r\nâ€Å"Hey, thats not what I-â€Å"\r\nThe food arrived just then, and the fried chicken was almost enough to block me from the outrage of being compared to a Strigoi. Mostly all it did was delay me from responding immediately to her claims, and I bit into the golden crust and nearly melted then and there. Sydney had coherent a cheeseburger and fries and nibbled her food delicately.\r\nAfter taking down an entire chicken leg, I was in conclusion able to resume the argument. â€Å"Were not like Strigoi at all. Moroi dont kill. You have no reason to be afeard(predicate) of us.” Again, I wasnt keen on cozying up to humans. none of my kind were, not with the way humans tended to be trigger-happy and ready to experiment on anything they didnt understand.\r\nâ€Å" each human who admits about you will inevitably learn about Strigoi,” she said. She was playing with her fries but not actually eating them.\r\nâ€Å"Knowing about Strigoi might enable humans to protect themselves, though.” Why the conflagration was I playing devils advocate here?\r\nShe sinless toying with a fry and dropped it back on her plate. â€Å"Perhaps. But there are a mess of people who would be tempted by the thought of immortality-even at the cost of serving Strigoi in exchange for being turned into a creature from hell. Youd be surprised at how a care of humans respond when they learn about vampires. Immortalitys a big draw-despite the evil that goes with it. A lot of humans who learn about Strigoi will try to serve them, in the hopes of eventually being turned.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats insane-” I stopped. Last year, wed discovered exhibit of humans helping Strigoi. Strigoi couldnt touch silver stakes, but humans could, and some had used those stakes to bust Moroi wards. Had those humans been promised immortality? â€Å"And so,” said Sydney, â€Å"thats why its best if we just make sure no one knows about any of you. Youre out there-all of you-and theres nothing to be make about it. You do your thing to get rid of Strigoi, and well do ours and save the rest of my kind.”\r\nI chewed on a chicken wing and restrained myself from the implied importee that she was saving her kind from people like me, too. In some ways, what she was saying made sense. It wasnt possible that we could always move through the world invisibly, and yes, I could admit, it was obligatory for someone to dispose of Strigoi bodies. Humans working with Moroi were an ideal choice. Such humans would b e able to move around the world freely, particularly if they had the kinds of contacts and connections she kept implying.\r\nI froze mid-chew, remembering my earlier thoughts when Id first come on with Sydney. I forced myself to swallow and then took a long drink of water. â€Å"Heres a question. Do you have contacts all over Russia?”\r\nâ€Å"Unfortunately,” she said. â€Å"When Alchemists turn eighteen, were sent on an internship to get firsthand experience in the trade and make all sorts of connections. I would have rather stayed in Utah.”\r\nThat was almost crazier than everything else shed told me, but I didnt pushing it. â€Å"What kind of connections exactly?”\r\nShe shrugged. â€Å"We track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. We also know a lot of upper-level government officials-among humans and Moroi. If theres been a vampire comprehend among humans, we can usually harness someone important who can pay someone off or whatever†¦ It all gets swept under the rug.”\r\n train the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. Jackpot. I leaned in close and lowered my voice. Everything seemed to hinge on this moment.\r\nâ€Å"Im looking for a village… a village of dhampirs out in Siberia. I dont know its name.” Dimitri had only ever mentioned its name once, and Id forgotten. â€Å"Its kind of near… Om?”\r\nâ€Å"Omsk,” she corrected.\r\nI straightened up. â€Å"Do you know it?”\r\nShe didnt answer right away, but her eyes betrayed her. â€Å"Maybe.”\r\nâ€Å"You do!” I exclaimed. â€Å"You have to tell me where it is. I have to get there.”\r\nShe made a face. â€Å"Are you going to be… one of those?”\r\nSo Alchemists knew about blood whores. No surprise. If Sydney and her associates knew everything else about the vampire world, theyd know this too.\r\nâ€Å"No,” I said haughtily. â€Å"I just have to find someone.”\r\nâ⠂¬Å"Who?”\r\nâ€Å"Someone.”\r\nThat almost made her smile. Her brown eyes were paying attention as she munched on another fry. Shed only interpreted two bites out of her cheeseburger, and it was rapidly growing cold. I kind of wanted to eat it myself on principle.\r\nâ€Å"Ill be right back,” she said abruptly. She stood up and strode across to a quiet corner of the cafe. Producing a cell strait from that magic purse of hers, she turned her back to the manner and made a call.\r\nId polished off my chicken by then and helped myself to some of her fries since it was looking less and less like she was going to do anything with them. As I ate, I pondered the possibilities before me, inquire if finding Dimitris town would really be this simple. And once I was there… would it be simple then? Would he be there, living in the shadows and hunting prey? And when faced with him, could I really pack my stake into his heart? That unwanted image came to me again, Di mitri with red eyes and â€Å"Rose?”\r\nI blinked. Id totally set out, and Sydney was back. She slid back into her spot across from me. â€Å"So, it looks like-” She paused and looked down. â€Å"Did you eat some of my fries?”\r\nI had no clue how she knew, seeing as it was such a huge stack. Id barely made a dent. Figuring me stealing fries would count as further evidence of being an evil creature of the night, I said glibly, â€Å"No.”\r\nShe frowned a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I do know where this town is. Ive been there before.”\r\nI straightened up. Holy crap. This was actually going to happen, after all these weeks of searching. Sydney would tell me where this place was, and I could go and try to close this fearful chapter in my life.\r\nâ€Å"Thank you, thank you so much-â€Å"\r\nShe held up a hand to silence me, and I noticed then how miserable she looked.\r\nâ€Å"But Im not going to tell you where it is.”\r\nMy mouth gaped. â€Å"What?”\r\nâ€Å"Im going to take you there myself.”\r\n'