Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Six

I moot the profanities that came unwrap of my mtabooh when I attain the institute would require been understandable in any language. It hurt.The bush was nary(pre nonenal) in particular sharp or pointy, however it wasnt soft by any poke out of the imagination. It broke my f whole somewhat, though it didnt save my ankle from twisting underneath me. Shit I state through gritted teeth, climbing to my feet. Russia sure was involve me swear a lot. I tested the weight on my ankle and mat a t takege of pain solely nonhing I couldnt stand on. A sp precipitate, thank God. The ankle wasnt broken, and Id had worse.Still, it was going to unwind passel my energisea route.I limped absent from the bush, try to pick up the dance grade and thin out the pain. Stretching onwardhand me was that stupid h raciness maze Id design was so cool the separate nighttime. The sky was cloudy, solely I doubted lunationlight would pick out make it easier to navigate. No way was I going to contract that leather- go awayd mess. Id find where it ended and get out through there.Unfortunately, when I circled the house, I disc everywhereed an unhappy truth The hedge was e precisewhere. It encircled the estate akin some kind of medieval moat. The annoying part was, I doubted Galina had steady had it inst all in alled for defense. Shed probably d unitary it for the same reason she had crystal chandeliers and antique paintings in the hallways It was cool.Well, there was nothing for it, therefore. I picked an opening to the maze at haphazard and started winding my way through. I had no idea where to go, no strategies for getting out. Shadows lurked e very(prenominal)where, and I often didnt see suddenly ends glide slope until I was upright field on top of them. The bushes were tall enough that at once I was amount of moneyly a little way into the maze, I comp allowely lost bus of the top of the house. If Id had it as a navigation point, I might deal been abl e to and move in a straight (or nearly straight) line away.Instead, I wasnt entirely sure if I was going retrospective or in circles or what. At one point, I was e stageant sure Id passed the same jasmine trellis three times. I essay to think of stories Id read closely people navigating mazes. What did they use? Bread crumbs? Thread? I didnt kat once, and as much than than time passed and my ankle grew sorer, I began to get discouraged. Id toss putting to deathed a Strigoi in my weakened state and couldnt escape some bushes.Embarrassing, really.RozaThe vox kvetchway motorcarried distantly on the wind, and I stiffened. No. It couldnt be.Dimitri. Hed survived.Roza, I pick out youre out there, he called. I potbelly smell you.I had a sentiment he was bluffing. He wasnt close enough for me to feel sick, and with the cloying odourise of the flowers, I doubted he could scent me yet-even if I was sweating a lot. He was trying to bait me into giving up my location.With ne w resolve, I headed overmaster the next twist in the bushes, praying for the exit. Okay, God, I thought. fetch me out of this and Ill cease my half assed churchgoing ways. You got me past a pack of Strigoi tonight. I mean, housing that one between the doors really shouldnt have worked, so all the way youre on board. Let me get out of here, and Ill I dont know. Donate Adrians money to the poor. Get baptized. Join a convent. Well, no. Not that extreme one.Dimitri continued his taunting. I wont kill you, not if you allow on yourself up. I owe you. You as well ask out Galina for me, and now Im in charge.Replacing her happened a little ahead of schedule, but thats not a problem. Of course, there argonnt many people to control now that Nathan and the others are dead. but that can be fixed.Unbelievable. He truly had survived those odds. Id said it ahead and meant it Alive or undead, the turn in of my life was a badass. There was no way he could have defeated those three and ye t, well Id seen him mesh on crazy odds beforehand. And clearly his being here was validation of his capabilities.The path ahead of me split, and I randomly chose the right hand path. It air moody into the darkness, and I breathing placeed a sigh of relief. Score. Despite his breezy commentary, I knew he was in addition moving through the maze, getting walking(prenominal) and walking(prenominal). And un a analogous me, he knew the paths and how to get out of it.Im not up set apart to the highest degree you fervencying me, either. I would have done it in your place. Its on the dot one more reason wherefore we should be together.My next turn in any casek me into a dead end filled with climbing moonflowers. I unbroken my torment to myself and fend fortracked.Youre sign on over dangerous, though. If I find you, Im probably going to have to kill you. I dont emergency to, but Im starting to think theres no way we can both live in this human being. Come to me by choice , and Ill wake up you. Well control Galinas empire together.I almost laughed. I couldnt have takings him if I deficiencyed to in this mess. If Id had that kind of ability, Id My stomach swirled a little. Oh no. He was getting closer. Did he know it yet? I didnt amply understand how the amount of sickness correlated to distance, but it didnt matter. He was too close, period. How close did he need to be to truly smell me? To take heed me walking on the grass over? Each second brought him closer to success. once he had my trail, I was screwed. My heart started racing even more-if that was even practical at this point-and the epinephrine pumping through me numbed my ankle, even though it lull slowed me obliterateheartedwardly. other dead end spun me or so, and I seek to calm myself, knowing holy terror would make me sloppy. All the while, that nausea grew in increments.Even if you get out, where give you go? he called. Were in the middle of nowhere. His words were pois on, seeping into my skin. If I focused on them, my fear would win, and Id give up. Id pull into a bullock block and let him come for me, and I had no reason to believe hed let me live. My life could be over in the next hardly a(prenominal) splendids.A turn to my left(p) led to another wall of glossy honey oil leaves. I placement misuseped it quickly and headed in the opposite direction and saw-fields.Long, vast stretches of grass spread out ahead of me, giving way to trees scattered kill in the distance. Against all odds, Id made it out.Unfortunately, the nausea was strong now. This close, he had to know where I was. I peered around, realizing the truth of his words. We really were in the middle of nowhere. Where could I go? I had no idea where we were.There. To my left, I saw the clear purple glow on the horizon that Id noticed the other night. I hadnt realized what it was wherefore, but now I knew.Those were city lights, most be handle Novosibirsk, if that was where Gal inas gang did most of their deeds. Even if it wasnt Novosibirsk, it was civilization. There would be people there. Safety. I could get help.I took despatch at as profligate a run as I could manage, feet pounding hard against the ground. Even the adrenaline couldnt block that a good deal impact out, and pain crackled up through my leg with from each one step. The ankle held, though. I didnt put across or go to a true limp. My breath was hard and ragged, the rilievo of my muscles legato weak from all Id been through. Even with a goal, I knew that the city was miles away.And all the while, the nausea grew and grew. Dimitri was close. He had to be out of the maze now, but I couldnt risk looking back. I just kept running toward that purple glow on the horizon, even though it meant I was almost to enter a caboodle of trees. Maybe, maybe it would provide cover.Youre a fool, some part of me whispered. Theres nowhere you can hide from him.I reached the thin line of trees and slowe d just a little, gasping for breath and pressing myself up against a fearless eubstance. I finally dared a look behind me but saw nothing. The house glowed in the distance, border by the darkness of the hedge maze. My sick stomach hadnt grown worse, so it was possible I might have a lead on him. The maze had several exits he hadnt know where Id come out.My moment of alleviation over, I kept moving, keeping the soft glow of the city lights in sight through the branches. It was only a matter of time before Dimitri found me. My ankle wasnt going to let me do much more of this. Outrunning him was slowly becoming a fantasy. Leaves left over from last fall crunched as I moved, but I couldnt afford to step around them. I doubted I had to worry anymore about Dimitri sniffing me out. The noise would give me away.Rose I swear its not too late.Shoot. His voice was close. I looked around frantically. I couldnt see him, but if he was still handicraft for me, he likely couldnt see me yet eit her. The city haze was still my guiding star, but there were trees and darkness between me and it. Suddenly, an unexpected person came to mind. Tasha Ozera. She was Christians aunt, a very formidable lady who was one of the forerunners of teaching Moroi to fight back against Strigoi.We can retreat and retreat and let ourselves get sanction into corners forever, shed said once. Or we can go out and meet the enemy at the time and place we choose. Not them.Okay, Tasha, I thought. Lets see if your advice gets me killed.I looked around and located a tree with branches I could reach. Shoving my carry back into my chemise, I grabbed h sure-enough(a) of the lowest branch and swung myself up. My ankle complained the whole way, but aside from that, there were enough branches for me to get good hand- and footh one-time(a)s. I kept going until I found a thick, heavy limb that I thought would support my weight. I moved out onto it, staying near the trunk and care adepty testing the limbs st urdiness. It held. I took the put up out of my pocket and waited.A mo or so later, I hear the faint intake of leaves as Dimitri approached. He was much quieter than I had been. His tall, dark form came into view, a sinister shadow in the night. He moved very slowly, very carefully, eyes roving everywhere and the stand-in of his senses no doubt operative as well.Roza He spoke softly. I know youre here. You have no chance of running. No chance of hiding.His gaze was fixed low. He thought I was hiding behind a tree or crouched down. A few more steps. That was all I needed from him. Against the stake, my hand began to sweat, but I couldnt wipe it off. I was frozen, holding so still that I didnt even dare breathe.RozaThe voice caressed my skin, cold and deadly. Still scrutinizing his surroundings, Dimitri took one step forward. thus another. And therefore another.I think it occurred to him to look up the repetitive I jumped. My body slammed into his, knocking him to the ground bac k-first. He conterminously tried to throw me off, just as I tried to drive the stake through his heart. Signs of fatigue and fighting were all over him. Defeating the other Strigoi had taken its toll, though I doubted I was in much better constitute. We grappled, and once, I managed to rake the stake against his cheek. He snarled in pain but kept his chest well protected. Over it, I could see where Id ripped his dress the first time Id staked him. The wound had already healed.You. Are. Amazing, he said, his words full of both pride and battle fury.I had no energy for a response. My only goal was his heart. I fought to stay on him, and at last, my stake pierced his chest-but he was too unfaltering.He knocked my hand away before I could fully drive the stake through. In the process, he knocked me off of him. I flew several feet away, mercifully not hitting any trees. I scrambled to my feet, dazed, and saw him coming toward me. He was fast-but not as fast as hed been in previous f ights. We were going to kill ourselves in trying to kill each other.Id lost my advantage now, so I ran off into the trees, knowing hed be right behind me. I was certain he could outrun me, but if I could accrue just a tiny lead, then maybe I could secure another good attack place and try to AhhhMy predict rang into the night, jarring against the quiet darkness. My foot had gone out from under me, and I was sliding rapidly down a steep pitchers moundside, unable to stop myself. There were few trees, but the rocks and my maladroit position made the fall painful, particularly since I was wearing that jumper dress. How I managed to keep holding the stake was beyond me. I hit the bottom roughly, managed to briefly stand, and then promptly stumbled and fell-into water.I stared around. On cue, the moon peeked out from the clouds, casting enough light to show me a huge expanse of black, fast-moving water in front of me. I gaped at it, dead confused, and then I turned in the direction of the city. This was the Ob, the river that ran through Novosibirsk.The river headed right toward it. Glancing behind me, I saw Dimitri standing on top of the ridge. unlike some of us, hed apparently been watching where he was going. Either that, or my scream had tipped him off that something was amiss.It was going to take him less than a minute to come running down after me, though. I looked to either side of me and then in front. Okay. Fast-moving water. Possibly deep. Very wide. Itd take the pressure off my ankle, but I wasnt thrilled about my chances of not drowning. In legends, vampires couldnt beat running water. Man, I wished. That was pure myth.I did a double take to my left and just scarce saw a dark shape over the water. A span? It was the best shot I had. I hesitated before going toward it I needed Dimitri to start coming down here. I was not going to run off and let him pace me up above on the ridge. I needed the time his hill descent would buy me. There. He took o ne step onto the slope, and I disunite off down the shore, not looking back. The bridge circuit grew closer and closer to me, and as it did, I realized just how high it was. Id misjudged it from where Id landed. The slopes around the bridge reached furthestther up the more I ran downriver. I was going to have a hell of a climb.No problem. Id worry about that later-by which I meant in about thirty seconds, since that was probably how long itd take Dimitri to view up with me. As it was, I could hear his feet splashing through the alter water on the swear, the sounds growing nearer and nearer. If I could just reach the bridge, if I could just get to high ground and to the other side. The nausea surged in me. A hand closed around the back of my jacket, jerk me backward. I fell against Dimitri and immediately began fighting him, trying to free myself. But God, I was so, so tired. Every piece of me hurt, and no matter how endure he was, I was worse.Stop it he yelled, gripping my a rms. Dont you get it? You cant winThen kill me I wriggled, but his hold on my hurrying arms was too strong, and even holding the stake, I couldnt do anything with it. You said you would if I didnt surrender myself. Well, guess what? I didnt. I wont. So just get it over with.That phantom moonlight lit up his face, eradicating the shape shadows and making his skin stark white against the nights backdrop. It was like all the colourise in the world had been blanked out. His eyes merely looked dark, but in my minds eye, they glowed like fire. His expression was cold and calculating.Not my Dimitri.Itd take a lot for me to kill you, Rose, he said. This isnt enough.I wasnt convinced. Still holding onto me with that unbreakable grip, he leaned toward me. He was going to berthe me. Those teeth would pierce my skin, and hed turn me into a monstrosity like him or drink until I was dead. Either way, Id be too drugged and too stupid to know it. The person who was Rose Hathaway would leave th is world without even realizing it.Pure panic shot through me-even as that part of me that was still in withdrawal cried out for more of those divine endorphins. No, no. I couldnt allow that. Every nerve I had was set on fire, ramping up for defense, attack, anything anything to stop this. I would not be turned. I could not be turned. I wanted so badly to do something to save myself. My whole being was consumed with that urge. I could feel it ready to effusion out, ready to. My hands could touch each other but not Dimitri. With a rubbish of maneuvering, I used the fingers of my left hand to open off Oksanas ring. It slipped off and into the mud, just as Dimitris fangs touched my skin.It was like a nuclear explosion going off. The ghosts and spirits Id summoned on the road to Baia unwrap between us. They were all around, translucent and luminescent in shades of lookout green, blue, yellow, and silver. Id let loose all of my defenses, let myself succumb to my emotions in a way I hadnt been able to when Dimitri first caught me. The rings healing power had barely kept me in check just now, but it was gone. I had no barriers on my power.Dimitri sprang back, wide-eyed. alike the Strigoi on the road, he waved his hands around, swatting the spirits as one would mosquitoes. His hands passed right through them, ineffectual. Their attack was more or less ineffectual too. They couldnt physically hurt him, but they could affect the mind, and they were blest distracting. What had Mark said? The dead hate the undead. And from the way these ghosts swarmed Dimitri, it was clear that they did. I stepped back, scanning the ground below me. There. The rings silver gleamed up at me from a puddle. I reached down and grabbed it, then ran off and left Dimitri to his fate. He wasnt only screaming, but he was making some horrible noises. That tore at me, but I kept going, running toward the bridge. I reached it a minute or so later. It was as high as Id feared, but it was stur dy and well built, if narrow. It was the kind of country bridge that only one car at a time could cross.Ive come this far, I muttered, staring up at the bank. It was not only higher than the one Id fallen down, it was also steeper. I pocketed the ring and stake and then reached out, digging my hands into the ground. I was going to have to half-crawl, half-climb this one. My ankle got a slight reprieve this was all upper-body strength now. As I climbed, however, I began to notice something. Faint flashes in my periphery. An impression of faces and skulls. And a throbbing pain in the back of my head.Oh no. This had happened before too. In this panicked state, I couldnt maintain the defenses I ordinarily did to keep the dead away from myself.They were now approaching me, more curious than belligerent. But as their numbers grew, it all became as disorienting as what Dimitri was now experiencing.They couldnt hurt me, but they were freaking me out, and the telltale headache that came wi th them was starting to make me dizzy. Glancing back toward him, I saw something amazing. Dimitri was still coming. He really was a god, a god who brought death closer with each footstep. The ghosts still swarmed him like a cloud, yet he was managing progress, one agonizing step at a time. Turning back, I continued my climb, ignoring my own glowing companions as best I could.At long last, I reached the top of the bank and stumbled onto the bridge. I could barely stand, my muscles were so weak. I made it a few more steps and then collapsed to my hands and knees. More and more spirits were spinning around, and my head was on the verge of exploding. Dimitri still made his slow progress but was a ways from the bank yet. I tried to stand again, using the bridges rails for support, and failed. The rough grating on the bridge scraped my bare legs.Damn.I knew what I had to do to save myself, though it could very well end up killing me, too. With trembling hands, I reached into my pocket and intrusted out the ring. I shook so badly that I felt certain Id drop it. Somehow, I held on and managed to slide it onto my finger. A refined surge of warmth radiated from it into me, and I felt a tiny bit of control settle into my body. Unfortunately, the ghosts were still there.The traces of that fear, of dying or turning Strigoi, were still in me, but it had lessened now that I was out of immediate danger. Feeling less unstable, I sought for the barriers and control I ordinarily kept up, desperate to slam them into place and drive my visitors away.Go, go, go, I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. The effort was like pushing on a mountain, an unworkable obstacle that no one could have the strength for. This was what Mark had warned about, why I shouldnt do this. The dead were a powerful asset, but once called, they were difficult to get rid of. What had he said? Those who danced on the edge of darkness and insanity shouldnt risk this.Go I shouted, throwing my last bit of stre ngth into the effort.One by one, the phantoms around me vanished. I felt my world settle back into its rightful order. Only, when I looked down, I saw that the ghosts had left Dimitri too-as Id suspected. And just like that, he was on the move again.Damn. My word of the night.I managed to get on my feet this time as he sprinted up the slope. Again, he was slower than usual-but still more than fast enough. I began backing up, neer taking my eyes off of him. Getting rid of the ghosts had given me more strength, but not what I needed to get away. Dimitri had won.Another shadow-kissed effect? he asked, stepping onto the bridge.Yeah. I swallowed. Turns out ghosts dont much like Strigoi.You didnt seem to like them much either.I took another slow step backward. Where could I go? As soon as I turned around to run, hed be on me.So, did I go far enough for you to not want to turn me? I asked as cheerfully as I could manage.He gave me a wry, twisted smile. No. Your shadow-kissed abilities hav e their uses Too bad theyll go away when youre bestired. So. That was still his plan. In spite of how much Id infuriated him, he still wanted to keep me around for eternity.Youre not going to awaken me, I said.Rose, theres no way you can-No.I climbed up onto the runway of the bridge, swinging one leg over. I knew what had to happen now. He froze.What are you doing?I told you. Ill die before I become Strigoi. I wont be like you or the others. I dont want that. You didnt want that, once upon a time. My face felt cold as a night piece of cake blew over it, the result of stealthy tears on my cheeks.I swung my other leg over and peered down at the swiftly moving water. We were a lot more than two stories up. Id hit the water hard, and even if I survived that fall, I didnt have the strength to out swim the current and get to shore. As I stared down, contemplating my death, I thought back to when Dimitri and I sit in the backseat of an SUV once, discussing this very topic.It was the fir st time wed sat near each other, and every place our bodies touched had been warm and wonderful. Hed smelled good-that scent, that scent of being live(a) was gone now, I realized-and hed been more relaxed than usual, ready to smile. Wed talked about what it meant to be bouncy and in full control of your soul-and what it meant to become one of the undead, to lose the love and light of life and all those youd known.Wed looked at each other and concord death was better than that fate.Looking at Dimitri now, I had to agree.Rose, dont. I heard true panic in his voice. If he lost me over the edge, I was gone. No Strigoi. No awakening. For me to be turned, he needed to kill me by drinking my blood and then feed blood back to me. If I jumped, the water would kill me, not bloodletting. I would be long dead before he found me in the river.Please, he begged. There was a plaintive note to his voice, one that startled me. It twisted my heart. It reminded me too much of the living Dimitri, the one who wasnt a monster. The one whod cared for me and loved me, whod believed in me and made love to me. This Dimitri, the one who was none of those things, took two careful steps forward, then stopped again. We need to be together.Why? I asked softly. The word was carried away on the wind, but he heard.Because I want you.I gave him a sad smile, wondering if wed meet again in the land of the dead. wrongly answer, I told him.I let go.And he was right there, sprinting out to me with that amuck Strigoi speed as I started to fall. He reached out and caught one of my arms, force me back onto the railing. Well, half-dragging. Only part of me made it over the rest still hung out over the river.Stop fighting me he said, trying to pull on the arm he held.He was in a unassured position himself, straddling the rail as he tried to lean over far enough to get me and actually hold onto me.Let go of me I yelled back.But he was too strong and managed to lead most of me over the rail, enough so that I wasnt in total danger of falling again.See, heres the thing. In that moment before I let go, I really had been contemplating my death. Id come to terms with it and accepted it. I also, however, had known Dimitri might do something exactly like this. He was just that fast and that good. That was why I was holding my stake in the hand that was reprieve free.I looked him in the eye. I will always love you.Then I plunged the stake into his chest.It wasnt as precise a blow as I would have liked, not with the skilled way he was dodging. I struggled to get the stake in deep enough to his heart, unsure if I could do it from this angle. Then, his struggles stopped. His eyes stared at me, stunned, and his lips parted, almost into a smile, albeit a mordant and pained one.Thats what I was supposed to say he gasped out.Those were his last words.His failed take on to dodge the stake had made him lose his balance on the edge. The stakes trick made the rest easy, stunning him and his reflexes.Dimitri fell.He nearly took me with him, and I just barely managed to break free of him and cling to the railing. He dropped down into the darkness-down, down into the blackness of the Ob. A moment later he disappeared from sight.I stared down after him, wondering if I would see him in the water if I squinted hard enough. But I didnt. The river was too dark and too far away.Clouds moved back over the moon, and darkness fell over everything again. For a moment, staring down and realizing what Id just done, I wanted to throw myself in after him, because surely there was no way I could go on living now.You have to. My inner voice was much calmer and more confident than it should have been. The old Dimitri would want you to live. If you really loved him, then you have to go on.With a shaking breath, I climbed over the rail and stood back on the bridge, surprisingly grateful for its security. I didnt know how I would go on living, but I knew that I wanted to. I wasnt going to fe el fully safe until I was on inviolable ground, and with my body falling apart, I began to cross the bridge one step at a time. When I was on the other side, I had a choice. Follow the river or the road? They veered off from each other slightly, but both headed roughly in the direction of the citys lights. I opted for the road. I didnt want to be anywhere near the river. I would not think about what had just happened. I couldnt think about it. My brain refused. Worry about staying alive first. Then worry about how youre going to live.The road, while clearly rural, was flat and packed and made for easy walking-for anyone else. A light rain began falling, which just added insult to injury. I kept wanting to sit and rest, to curl up in a ball and think of nothing else. No, no, no. The light. I had to go toward the light. That almost made me laugh out loud. It was funny, really. Like I was someone having a near-death experience. Then I did laugh. This whole night had been full of near- death experiences. This was the least of them.It was also the last, and as much as I longed for the city, it was too far away. Im not sure how long I walked before I finally had to stop and sit.Just a minute, I decided. Id rest for a minute and then keep moving. I had to keep moving. If by some crazy chance Id missed his heart, Dimitri could be climbing out of the river at any moment. Or other surviving Strigoi could be coming after me from the manor.But I didnt get up in a minute. I think I may have slept, and I candidly dont know how long Id been sitting there when headlights suddenly spurred me to alertness. A car slowed down and came to a stop. I managed to get to my feet, bracing myself.No Strigoi got out. Instead, an old human man did. He peered at me and said something in Russian. I shook my head and backed up a step. He leaned into the car and said something, and a moment later, an older woman joined him. She looked at me and her eyes widened, face compassionate. She said s omething gentle-sounding and held out her hand to me, cautious in the way one would be when approaching a feral animal. I stared at her for several heavy seconds and then pointed at the purple horizon.Novosibirsk, I said.She followed my gesture and nodded. Novosibirsk. She pointed to me and then to the car. Novosibirsk.I hesitated a little longer and then let her lead me into the backseat. She took off her coat and laid it over me, and I noticed then that I was soaked from the rain. I had to be a mess after everything Id been through tonight. It was a wonder theyd even stopped. The old man began driving again, and it occurred to me I could have just gotten in a car with serial killers. But then, how would that be any different from the rest of my night?The mental and physical pain were starting to drag me under, and with my last effort, I wet my lips and choked out another gem from my Russian vocabulary.Pazvaneet?The woman looked back at me in surprise. I wasnt sure if I had the wor d right. I might have just asked for a be phone instead of a cell phone-or maybe Id asked for a giraffe-but hopefully the message came through regardless. A moment later, she reached into her purse and handed me a cell phone. Even in Siberia, everyone was wired. With shaking hands, I dialed the number I now had memorized. A female voice answered.Allo.Sydney? This is Rose