Spirit Bound Chapter One

THERES A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN expiration threats and love compasss even off if the person writing the death threats chill erupt claims to actually love you. Of course, considering I once assay to garbage put through somebody I loved, by chance I had no overcompensate to judge.Todays letter had been perfectly timed, not that I should name expected any less. Id read it four times so far, and even though I was running late, I couldnt assistance however read it a fifth time.My deargonst Rose,One of the few stamp let outsides to beingness awakened is that we no longer require sleep in that respectfore we also no longer dream. Its a shame, because if I could dream, I k instantaneously Id dream ab step up you. Id dream about the way you smell and how your dark whisker feels akin silk between my fingers. Id dream about the smoothness of your skin and the fierceness of your lips when we kiss.Without dreams, I work a crap to be pith with my own imaginationwhich is almo st as good. I can picture all of those things perfectly, as strong as how itll be when I put angiotensin converting enzyme across your life from this being. Its something I regret having to do, hardly youve made my pickax inevitable. Your refusal to join me in eternal life and love leaves no other course of action, and I cant take on some one and entirely(a) as dangerous as you to live. Besides, even if I forced your awakening, you now make up so many enemies among the Strigoi that one of them would kill you. If you must die, itll be by my hand. No one elses.Nonetheless, I esteem you well today as you take your trialsnot that you need any luck. If theyre actually making you take them, its a waste of everyones time. Youre the best in that group, and by this evening youll wear your promise mark. Of course, that mean values youll be all that much(prenominal) more of a challenge when we meet againwhich Ill definitely enjoy.And we allow be meeting again. With graduation, youl l be turned out of the Academy, and once youre outside the wards, Ill find you. in that respect is no limit in this world you can hide from me. Im watching.Love,DimitriDespite his warm wishes I didnt concretely find the letter inspiring as I tossed it onto my bed and blearily left the room. I tried not to let his lyric poem get to me, though it was gracious of impossible to not be creeped out by something like that. in that location is no place in this world you can hide from me.I didnt doubt it. I knew Dimitri had spies. Since my author instructor-turned-l over had been turned into an evil, undead vampire, hed also become a sort of leader among themsomething Id helped speed along when I killed despatch his former boss. I suspected a mint of his spies were humans, watching for me to step outside my schools borders. No Strigoi could have freezeed on a twenty-four-hour stakeout. Humans could, and Id lately learned that plenty of humans were willing to serve the Strigoi in ex change for the promise of being turned someday. Those humans considered eternal life worth corrupting their souls and kill off others to survive. Those humans made me sick.But the humans werent what made my steps falter as I walked through grass that had turned bright green with summers touch. It was Dimitri. Always Dimitri. Dimitri, the man Id loved. Dimitri, the Strigoi I wanted to alleviate. Dimitri, the dickens Id most likely have to kill. The love wed shared always burned within me, no plain stitch of study how often I told myself to move on, no matter how much the world did think Id travel on. He was always with me, always on my estimation, always making me question myself.You look like youre ready to type an army.I shifted out of my dark thoughts. Id been so fixated on Dimitri and his letter that Id been walking across campus, oblivious to the world, and hadnt detect my best friend, Lissa, falling into step with me, a teasing smiling on her face. Her catching me by m ove was a rarity because we shared a psychic bond, one that always kept me aware of her nominal head and feelings. I had to be pretty distracted to not notice her, and if ever thither was a distraction, it was someone wanting to kill me.I gave Lissa what I hoped was a convincing smile. She knew what had happened to Dimitri and how he was now waiting to kill me after Id triedand failedto kill him. Nonetheless, the letters I got from him every week worried her, and she had enough to plug with in her life without my undead stalker to add to the list.I kind of am facing an army, I pointed out. It was previous(predicate) evening, just late summer still found the sun up in the Montana sky, clean us in golden light as we walked. I loved it, but as a Moroia peaceful, living vampireLissa would eventually grow weak and uncomfortable in it.She laughed and tossed her platinum hair over one shoulder. The sun lit up the pale color into angelic brilliance. I suppose. I didnt think youd genui nely be all that worried.I could understand her reasoning. Even Dimitri had said these would be a waste of my time. After all, Id gone to Russia to search for him and had faced real Strigoikilling a number of them on my own. Maybe I shouldnt have been afraid of the upcoming tests, but all the fanfare and expectation shortly pressed in upon me. My heart rate increased. What if I couldnt do it? What if I wasnt as good as I thought I was? The guardians who would challenge me out here capacity not be aline Strigoi, but they were skilled and had been fighting a lot longer than me. Arrogance could get me into a lot of trouble, and if I failed, Id be doing it in front of all the people who cared about me. whole the people who had much(prenominal) faith in me.One other thing also concerned me.Im worried about how these grades will affect my future, I said. That was the truth. The trials were the final exam for a novice guardian like me. They ensured I could tweak from St. Vladimirs Ac ademy and take my place with true guardians who defended Moroi from the Strigoi. The trials pretty much decided which Moroi a guardian would be assigned to.Through our bond, I felt Lissas compassionand her worry. Alberta thinks in that locations a good chance we can stay togetherthat youll still be my guardian.I grimaced. I think Alberta was saying that to keep me in school. Id dropped out to hunt Dimitri a few months ago and then returnedsomething that didnt look good on my academic record. There was also the infinitesimal fact that the Moroi queen, Tatiana, hated me and would probably be going out of her way to see my assignmentbut that was another story. I think Alberta knows the only way theyd let me protect you is if I was the last guardian on earth. And even then, my betting odds would still be pretty slim.Ahead of us, the holla of a crowd grew loud. One of the schools many sports fields had been transformed into an arena on par with something from papistical gladiatorial days. The bleachers had been built up, expanded from simple wooden seats to luxuriously cushioned benches with awnings to shade the Moroi from the sun. Banners surround the field, their bright colors visible from here as they whipped in the wind. I couldnt see them yet, but I knew there would be some type of barracks built near the stadiums entrance where novices waited, nerves on edge. The field itself would have turned into an obstacle course of dangerous tests. And from the penetrate of those deafening cheers, plenty were already there to witness this event.Im not liberal up hope, Lissa said. Through the bond, I knew she meant it. It was one of the wonderful things about hera steadfast faith and optimism that weathered the most terrible ordeals. It was a sharp contrast to my recent cynicism. And Ive got something that might help you out today.She came to a stop and reached into her jeans pocket, producing a small silver ring scattered with tiny stones that looked like perido ts. I didnt need any bond to understand what she was offering.Oh, Liss I dont know. I dont want any, um, partial advantage.Lissa rolled her eyes. Thats not the problem, and you know it. This ones fine, I swear.The ring she offered me was a charm, infused with the rare type of magic she wielded. All Moroi had control of one of five elements earth, air, water, fire, or spirit. Spirit was the rarestso rare, it had been forgotten over the centuries. Then Lissa and a few others had recently surfaced with it. Unlike the other elements, which were more physical in nature, spirit was tied into the mind and all sorts of psychic phenomena. No one fully understood it.Making charms with spirit was something Lissa had only recently begun to experiment withand she wasnt very good at it. Her best spirit ability was healing, so she kept trying to authorise healing charms. The last one had been a bracelet that singed my arm.This one works. Only a minuscule, but itll help keep the darkness away d uring the trial.She spoke lightly, but we both knew the seriousness of her words. With all of spirits gifts came a cost a darkness that showed itself now as anger and confusion, and eventually led to insanity. Darkness that sometimes bled over into me through our bond. Lissa and I had been told that with charms and her healing, we could fight it off. That was also something we had yet to master.I gave her a faint smile, moved by her concern, and accepted the ring. It didnt scald my hand, which I took as a promising sign. It was tiny and only satisfactory on my pinky. I felt nothing whatsoever as it slid on. clean abouttimes that happened with healing charms. Or it could mean the ring was completely ineffectual. Either way, no harm done.Thanks, I said. I felt delight entangle through her, and we continued walking.I held my hand out onwards me, admiring the way the green stones glittered. Jewelry wasnt a great conceit in the kind of physical ordeals Id be facing, but I would hav e gloves on to cover it.Hard to believe that after this, well be done here and out in the real world, I mused aloud, not really considering my words.Beside me, Lissa stiffened, and I immediately regretted speaking. Being out in the real world meant Lissa and I were going to undertake a task shedunhappilypromised to help me with a couple months ago. fleck in Siberia, Id learned there might be a way to restore Dimitri buns to being a dhampir like me. It was a long shotpossibly a lieand considering the way he was fixated on killing me, I had no illusions that I would have any other choice but to kill him if it came experience to him or me. But if there was a way I might save him before that happened, I had to find out.Unfortunately, the only lead we had to making this miracle come true was through a criminal. not just any criminal either overlord Dashkov, a royal Moroi who had tortured Lissa and affiliated all sorts of other atrocities that had made our lives hell. Justice had been served, and Victor was locked away in prison, which complicated things. Wed learned that so long as he was destined for a life behind(predicate) bars, he saw no reason to share what he knew about his half-brotherthe only person who had once allegedly protected a Strigoi. Id decidedpossibly illogicallythat Victor might give up the information if we offered him the one thing no one else could freedom.This idea was not foolproof, for a number of reasons. First, I didnt know if it would work. That was kind of a big thing. Second, I had no idea how to stage a prison break, let only where his prison even was. And finally, there was the fact that we would be releasing our mortal enemy. That was devastating enough to me, let alone Lissa. Yet as much as the idea troubled herand believe me, it didshed firmly pledged she would help me. Id offered to free her from the promise dozens of times in the last couple months, but shed stood firm. Of course, considering we had no way to even find th e prison, her promise might not matter in the end.I tried to fill the awkward silence between us, explaining instead that Id really meant wed be able to celebrate her natal day in style next week. My attempts were interrupted by Stan, one of my longtime instructors. Hathaway he barked, coming from the watchfulness of the field. Nice of you to join us. Get in there nowThoughts of Victor vanished from Lissas mind. Lissa gave me a quick hug. earnest luck, she whispered. not that you need it.Stans expression told me that this ten-second goodbye was ten seconds too long. I gave Lissa a grin by way of thanks, and then she headed off to find our friends in the stands while I scurried after Stan.Youre lucky you arent one of the first ones, he growled. People were even making bets about whether youd show.Really? I asked cheerfully. What kind of odds are there on that? Because I can still change my mind and put down my own bet. Make a little pocket money.His narrowed eyes shot me a admonis hment that needed no words as we entered the waiting area adjacent to the field, across from the stands. It had always out(p) me in past years how much work went into these trials, and I was no less impressed now as I saw it up close. The barrack that novices waited in was constructed out of wood, complete with a roof. The social structure looked as though it had been part of the stadium forever. It had been built with remarkable speed and would be taken down equally quickly once the trials were over. A doorway about three people wide gave a partial glimpse onto the field, where one of my classmates was waiting anxiously for her name to be called. All sorts of obstacles were set up there, challenges to test balance and coordination while still having to battle and elude the adult guardians who would be lurking around objects and corners. woody walls had been constructed on one end of the field, creating a dark and confusing maze. Nets and shaky platforms hung across other areas, intentional to test just how well we could fight under difficult conditions.A few of the other novices crowd the doorway, hoping to get an advantage by watching those who went ahead of them. Not me. I would go in there blind, content to take on whatever they threw before me. Studying the course now would simply make me overthink and panic. Calm was what I needed now.So I leaned against one of the barrack walls and watched those around me. It appeared that I really had been the last to show up, and I wondered if people had actually lost money betting on me. Some of my classmates whispered in clusters. Some were doing stretches and warm-up exercises. Others stood with instructors who had been mentors. Those teachers spoke intently to their students, giving last-minute words of advice. I kept hearing words like focus and calm down.Seeing the instructors made my heart clench. Not so long ago, that was how Id pictured this day. Id imagined Dimitri and me standing together, with him te lling me to take this seriously and not to lose my alter when I was out on the field. Alberta had done a fair amount of mentoring for me since Id returned from Russia, but as captain, she was out on the field herself now, busy with all sorts of responsibilities. She had no time to come in here and extend my hand. Friends of mine who might have offered comfortEddie, Meredith, and otherswere wrapped up in their own fears. I was alone.Without her or Dimitrior, well, anyoneI felt a surprising ache of loneliness flow through me. This wasnt right. I shouldnt have been alone. Dimitri should have been here with me. Thats how it was supposed to have been. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to pretend he was really there, only inches away as we spoke.Dont worry, comrade. I can do this blindfolded. Hell, maybe I actually will. Do you have anything I can use? If youre nice to me, Ill even let you tie it on. Since this fantasy would have taken place after wed slept together, there was a strong possibility that he would have later helped me take off that blindfoldamong other things.I could perfectly picture the exasperated shake of his head that would earn me. Rose, I swear, sometimes it feels like every day with you is my own personal trial.But I knew hed smile anyway, and the look of pride and encouragement hed give me as I headed toward the field would be all I needed to get through the testsAre you meditating?I opened my eyes, astonished at the voice. Mom? What are you doing here?My pay off, Janine Hathaway, stood in front of me. She was just a few inches shorter than me but had enough fight in her for someone twice my size. The dangerous look on her tanned face dared anyone to bring on a challenge. She gave me a wry smile and put one hand on her hip.Did you honestly think I wouldnt come to watch you?I dont know, I admitted, feeling kind of guilty for doubting her. She and I hadnt had much contact over the years, and it was only recent eventsmost of them badthat had b egun to reestablish our connection. Most of the time, I still didnt know how to feel about her. I oscillated between a little girls need for her ab direct mother and a teenagers resentment over abandonment. I also wasnt entirely sure if Id forgiven her for the time she accidentally punched me in a mock fight. I figured youd have, you know, more important things to do.Theres no way I could scat this. She inclined her head toward the stands, making her auburn curls sway. Neither could your pay off.What?I hurried toward the doorway and peered out onto the fields. My position of the stands wasnt fantastic, thanks to all the obstacles on the field, but it was good enough. There he was Abe Mazur. He was easy to spot, with his unappeasable beard and mustache, as well as the emerald green scarf knotted over his dress shirt. I could even barely make out the glint of his gold earring. He had to be melting in this heat, but I figured it would take more than a little sweat for him to tame d own his flashy fashion sense.If my relationship with my mother was sketchy, my relationship with my father was practically nonexistent. Id met him back in May, and even then, it wasnt until after Id gotten back that I found out I was his daughter. All dhampirs had one Moroi parent, and he was mine. I still wasnt sure how I felt about him. Most of his background remained a mystery, but there were plenty of rumors that he was involved with illegal business. People also acted like he was the kneecap-breaking type, and though Id seen little evidence of this, I didnt find it surprising. In Russia, they called him Zmey the serpent.While I stared at him in astonishment, my mom strolled over to my side. Hell be happy you made it in time, she said. Hes running some big wager on whether youd show. He put his money on you, if that makes you feel any better.I groaned. Of course. Of course hed be the bookie behind the pool. I should have known as soon as My jaw dropped. Is he talk of the town t o Adrian?Yup. sit down beside Abe was Adrian Ivashkovmy more-or-less boyfriend. Adrian was a royal Moroiand another spirit user like Lissa. Hed been crazy about me (and often just crazy) ever since we first met, but Id had eyes only for Dimitri. After the failure in Russia, Id returned and promised to give Adrian a shot. To my surprise, things had been good between us. Great, even. Hed indite me up a proposal of why dating him was a sound decision. It had included things like Ill give up cigarettes unless I really, really need one and Ill unleash amorous surprises every week, such as an impromptu picnic, roses, or a trip to Parisbut not actually any of those things because now theyre not surprises.Being with him wasnt like it had been with Dimitri, but then, I supposed, no ii relationships could ever be exactly alike. They were different men, after all. I still woke up all the time, perceive over the loss of Dimitri and our love. I tormented myself over my failure to kill him i n Siberia and free him from his undead state. Still, that despondency didnt mean my romantic life was oversomething it had taken me a while to accept. Moving on was hard, but Adrian did make me happy. And for now, that was enough.But that didnt necessarily mean I wanted him cozying up to my pirate mobster father either.Hes a bad influence I protested.My mother snorted. I doubt Adrian will influence Abe that much.Not Adrian Abe. Adrians trying to be on good behavior. Abe will mess everything up. Along with smoking, Adrian had sworn hed quit inebriation and other vices in his dating proposal. I squinted at him and Abe across the crowded stands, trying to figure out what topic could be so interesting. What are they talking about?I think thats the least of your problems right now. Janine Hathaway was nothing if not practical. Worry less about them and more about that field.Do you think theyre talking about me?Rose My mother gave me a light punch on the arm, and I dragged my eyes back to her. You have to take this seriously. Keep calm, and dont get distracted.Her words were so like what Id imagined Dimitri saying that a small smile crept onto my face. I wasnt alone out here after all.Whats so funny? she asked warily.Nothing, I said, giving her a hug. She was stiff at first and then relaxed, actually hugging me back briefly before stepping away. Im glad youre here.My mother wasnt the overly affectionate type, and Id caught her off guard. Well, she said, obviously flustered, I told you I wouldnt miss this.I glanced back at the stands. Abe, on the other hand, Im not so sure of.Or wait. An odd idea came to me. No, not so odd, actually. Shady or not, Abe had connectionsones extensive enough to slip a message to Victor Dashkov in prison. Abe had been the one to ask for info about Robert Doru, Victors spirit-wielding brother, as a favor to me. When Victor had sent back the message saying he had no reason to help Abe with what he needed, Id promptly written off my father s assistance and jumped to my prison-break idea. But nowRosemarie HathawayIt was Alberta who called me, her voice ringing loud and clear. It was like a trumpet, a call to battle. All thoughts of Abe and Adrianand yes, even Dimitrivanished from my mind. I think my mother wished me good luck, but the exact formulate was lost on me as I strode toward Alberta and the field. Adrenaline surged through me. All my attention was now on what lay ahead the test that would finally make me a guardian.