Frostbite Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWOHORROR AND SHOCK CONSUMED ME, so much so that I c at oncept my soul would shrivel, that the humankind would end right then and there- because certainly, surely it couldnt exert expiry on after this. No wiz could keep going on after this. I wanted to shriek my wo(e) to the universe. I wanted to cry until I melted. I wanted to collapse sour checkmate beside mason and die with him.Elena released me, apparently deciding I comprise no danger positi mavend as I was between her and Isaiah. She morose toward Masons body.And I stopped feeling. I simply acted.Dont. Touch. Him. I didnt recognize my own voice.She turn everyplace her look. Good grief, youre annoying. Im started to see Isaiahs point- you do need to suffer come out of the closet front dying. act by, she knelt down to the floor and flipped Mason over onto his back.Dont touch him I screamed. I shoved her with little effect. She shoved back, nearly knocking me over. It was all I could do to blind drunk m y feet and stay upright.Isaiah looked on with am utilise inte heartsease then his gaze slash to the floor. Lissas chotki had fallen out of my coat pocket. He picked it up. Strigoi could touch holy objects- the stories rough them fearing crosses werent true. They just couldnt enter holy ground. He flipped the cross over and ran his fingers over the etched dragon.Ah, the Dragomirs, he mused. Id forgotten about them. Easy to. Theres what, one? 2 of them left? Barely worth remembering. Those horrible red eyes cogitate on me. Do you know any of them? Ill stir to see to them one of these days. It wont be very un rungn to- Suddenly, I heard an explosion. The marine museum convulsion apart as water shot out of it, shattering the glass. Pieces of it flew toward me, save I barely noticed. The water coalesced in the air, forming a lopsided sphere. It began to float. Toward Isaiah. I felt my jaw drop as I stared at it.He watched it too, more puzzled than scared. At least until it wrap ped some his face and started suffocating him.Much like the bul permits, suffocation wouldnt kill him. alone it could cause him a hell of a lot of discomfort.His men flew to his face, urgently trying to pry the water away. It was no use. His fingers simply slipped through. Elena forgot about Mason and jumped to her feet.What is it? she shrieked. She shook him in an equally useless effort to free him. Whats hap?Again, I didnt feel. I acted. My hand closed slightly a grown piece of glass from the broken aquarium. It was jagged and sharp, cutting into my hand.Sprinting forward, I plunged the fragment into Isaiahs chest, aiming for the heart Id worked so hard to find in practice. Isaiah emitted a suppressed scream through the water and col lapse to the floor. His eyes rolled back in his head as he blacked out from the unhinge.Elena stared, as shocked as Id been when Isaiah had killed Mason. Isaiah wasnt abruptly, of course, that he was temporarily down for the count. Her face clearly showed she hadnt public opinion that was possible.The smart thing at that point would shoot been to run toward the doorsill and the suns safety. Instead, I ran in the opposite direction, toward the fireplace. I grabbed one of the antique marques and turned back toward Elena. I didnt have far to go, because shed recovered herself and was heading toward me.Snarling with rage, she act to grab me. I had never trained with a s script, but I had been taught to fight with any dedicateshift weapon I could find. I used the sword to keep distance between us, my motions clumsy but useful for the clipping being.White fangs flashed in her mouth. I am going to make you- Suffer, pay, regret I was ever born? I suggested.I remembered contend with my mom, how Id been on the defensive the whole time. That wouldnt work this time. I had to attack. Jabbing forward, I tried to land a blow on Elena. No luck. She judge my every move.Suddenly, from behind her, Isaiah groaned as he started to pay back just about. She glanced back, the smallest of motions that let me pinch the sword across her chest. It cut the fabric of her shirt and grazed the skin, but nothing more. Still, she flinched and looked down in panic. I think the glass going through Isaiahs heart was lock in fresh in her mind.And that was what I truly needed.I mustered all my strength, drew back, and swung.The swords blade hit the side of her neck, hard and deep. She gave a horrible, sickening cry, a shriek that made my skin crawl. She tried to move toward me. I pulled back and hit again. Her hands clutched at her throat, and her knees gave way. I struck and struck, the sword digging deeper into her neck each time. Cutting off someones head was harder than Id thought it would be. The old, dull sword probably wasnt helping.But finally, I gained enough sense to realize she wasnt moving. Her head lay there, detached from her body, her dead eyes flavour up at me as though she couldnt believe what had h appened. That made two of us.Someone was screaming, and for a surreal second, I thought it was still Elena. Then I move my eyes and looked across the room. Mia stood in the doorway, eyes bugging out and skin tinged green like she might throw up. Distantly, in the back of my mind, I realized she was the one whod made the aquarium explode. irrigate magic apparently wasnt worthless after all.Still a bit shaken, Isaiah tried to rise to his feet. But I was on him before he could fully manage it. The sword sang out, wreaking blood and pain with each blow. I felt like an old pro now. Isaiah pelt back to the floor. In my mind, I kept seeing him break Masons neck, and I hacked and hacked as hard as I could, as though hit fiercely enough might somehow banish the memory. blush RoseThrough my hate-filled haze, I just barely detected Mias voice.Rose, hes deadSlowly, shakily, I held back the next blow and looked down at his body- and the head no coherenter attached to it. She was right. He w as dead. Very, very dead.I looked at the rest of the room. There was blood everywhere, but the horror of it didnt really register with me. My world had slowed down, slowed down to two very simple tasks. Kill the Strigoi. Protect Mason. I couldnt process anything else.Rose, whispered Mia. She was trembling, her course filled with fear. She was afraid of me, not the Strigoi. Rose, we have to go. Come on.I dragged my eyes away from her and looked down at Isaiahs remains. afterwards several moments, I crawled over to Masons body, still clutching the sword.No, I croaked out. I undersidet render him. Other Strigoi might come.My eyes burned like I desperately wanted to cry. I couldnt say for sure. The bloodlust still pounded in me, force out and rage the only emotions I was capable of anymore.Rose, well come back for him. If opposite Strigoi are coming, we have to get out.No, I repeated, not even looking at her. Im not leaving him. I wont leave him alone. With my free hand, I stroked Masons hair.Rose- I jerked my head up. maturate out I screamed at her. Get out, and leave us alone.She took a few steps forward, and I lifted the sword. She froze.Get out, I repeated. Go find the others.Slowly, Mia backed up toward the door. She gave me one last, desperate look before running outside.Silence spend, and I relaxed my see on the sword but refused to let it go. My body sagged forward, and I be my head on Masons chest. I became oblivious to everything to the world around me, to time itself. Seconds could have passed. Hours could have passed. I didnt know. I didnt know anything except that I couldnt leave Mason alone. I existed in an altered defer, a state that just barely kept the terror and grief at bay. I couldnt believe Mason was dead. I couldnt believe Id just summoned death. So long as I refused to acknowledge either, I could pretend they hadnt happened.Footsteps and voices eventually proceeded, and I lifted my head up. People poured in through the door, lots of them. I couldnt really make out any of them. I didnt need to. They were threats, threats I had to keep Mason safe from. A couple of them approached me, and I leapt up, lifting the sword and holding it protectively over his body.Stay back, I warned. Stay away from him.They kept coming.Stay back I yelled. They stopped. Except for one.Rose, came a batty voice. Drop the sword.My hands shook. I swallowed. Get away from us.Rose.The voice spoke again, a voice that my soul would have known anywhere. Hesitantly, I let myself finally become aware of my surroundings, let the flesh out sink in. I let my eyes focus on the features of the man standing there. Dimitris cook eyes, gentle and firm, looked down on me.Its okay, he said. Everythings going to be okay. You can let go of the sword.My hands shook even harder as I fought to hold on to the hilt. I cant. The words hurt coming out. I cant leave him alone. I have to protect him.You have, said Dimitri.The sword fell out of my hands, landin g with a loud clatter on the woody floor. I followed, collapsing on all fours, wanting to cry but still unable to.Dimitris arms wrapped around me as he helped me up. Voices swarmed around us, and one by one, I recognized people I knew and trusted. He started to tug me toward the door, but I refused to move just yet. I couldnt. My hands clutched his shirt, crumpling the fabric. Still keeping one arm around me, he smoothed my hair back away from my face. I leaned my head against him, and he continue stroking my hair, murmuring something in Russian. I didnt understand a word of it, but the gentle tone soothed me.Guardians were spreading throughout the house, examining it inch by inch. A couple of them approached us and knelt by the bodies I refused to look at.She did that? two of them?That sword hasnt been sharpened in yearsA funny sound caught in my throat. Dimitri squeezed my shoulder comfortingly.Get her out of here, Belikov, I heard a woman say behind him, her voice familiar.Dim itri squeezed my shoulder again. Come on, Roza. Its time to go.This time, I went. He guided me out of the house, holding onto me as I managed each agonizing step. My mind still refused to really process what had happened. I couldnt do much more than follow simple directions from those around me.I eventually ended up on one of the Academys jets. Engines roared around us as the plane lifted off. Dimitri murmured something about coming back presently and left me alone in my female genital organ. I stared straight ahead, studying the details of the seat in front of me.Someone sat beside me and draped a blanket over my shoulders. I noticed then just how staidly I was shivering. I tugged at the edges of the blanket.Im cold, I said. How am I so cold?Youre in shock, Mia answered.I turned and looked at her, studying her redheaded curls and big blue eyes. Something about seeing her unleashed my memories. It all tumbled back. I squeezed my eyes shut.Oh God, I breathed. I opened my eyes and focused on her again. You salvage me- saved me when you blew up the fish tank. You shouldnt have done it. You shouldnt have come back.She shrugged. You shouldnt have gone for the sword.Fair point. Thank you, I told her. What you did I never would have thought of that. It was brilliant.I dont know about that, she mused, smiling ruefully. Water isnt much of a weapon, remember?I choked on a laugh, even though I really didnt find my old words that funny. Not anymore.Waters a great weapon, I said finally. When we get back, well have to practice ways to use it.Her face lit up. Fierceness shone out from her eyes. Id like that. More than anything.Im sorry sorry about your mom.Mia simply nodded. Youre prosperous to still have yours. You dont know how lucky.I turned and stared at the seat again. The next words out of my mouth startled me I wish she was here.She is, said Mia, sounding surprised. She was with the group that raided the house. Didnt you see her?I shook my head.We lapsed int o silence. Mia stood up and left. A minute later, someone else sat down beside me. I didnt have to see her to know who she was. I just knew.Rose, said my mother. For once in my life, she sounded unsure of herself. Scared, maybe. Mia said you wanted to see me. I didnt answer. I didnt look at her. Whatwhat do you need?I didnt know what I needed. I didnt know what to do. The stinging in my eyes grew unbearable, and before I knew it, I was crying. Big, painful sobs seized my body. The tears Id held back so long poured down my face. The fear and grief Id refused to let myself feel finally burst free, animated in my chest. I could scarcely breathe.My mother put her arms around me, and I buried my face in her chest, sobbing even harder.I know, she said softly, tightening her grip on me. I understand.