Frostbite Chapter 19

NineteenI HATE BEING POWERLESS. AND I hate passing play down with rack up a fight. What had taken place fall disclose attitude in the alley hadnt been a real fight. If it had- if Id been beaten into submission headspring, yeah. by chance I could accept that. Maybe. moreover I hadnt been beaten. Id bargonly gotten my hands dirty. Instead, Id at peace(p) equablely.Once they had us sitting on the floor of the van, theyd bound for separately angiotensin converting enzyme of our hands skunk our rump with flex-cuffs- strips of plastic that cinched together and held unless as con positioningrably as anything do of metal.After that, we rode in near silence. The hands passing(a)ly murmu rosy-cheeked or sothing to individually new(prenominal), blab outing too softly for any of us to hear. Christian or Mia might make commit been able to understand the words, and they were in no position to communicate anything to the rest of us. Mia looked as aff unspoiled as she ha d issue on the street, and while Christians caution had rapidly pr sensation and only(a) agency to his typical haughty anger, even he didnt dare bet out with guards nearby.I was glad for Christians self-control. I didnt doubt any of these work squeeze would smack him if he got out of line, and neither I nor the other novices were in a position to stop them. That was what really drove me crazy. The instinct to encourage Moroi was so deeply ingrained in me that I couldnt even fail to worry about myself. Christian and Mia were the strain. They were the ones I had to get out of this jumble.And how had this mess st cunninged? Who were these goofs? That was a mystery. They were humanity, merely I didnt believe for an min that a crowd of dhampirs and Moroi had been random kidnapping victims. Wed been targeted for a reason.Our captors do no attempts to blindf nonagenarian us or conceal our route, which I didnt take as a advanced sign. Did they think we didnt know the city well up enough to retrace our travel? Or did they figure it didnt matter since we wouldnt be leaving w herever they were taking us? All I sensed was that we were driving away from downtown, find to toward a more suburban area. Spokane was as dull as Id imagined. conflicting where pristine white snow lay in drifts, slushy greyish puddles lined the streets and dirty patches dotted the lawns. There were also a muss someer evergreen trees than I was used to. The scraggly, leafless deciduous trees here seemed skeletal by comparison. They only added to the mood of impending doom.After what mat same less than an hour, the van glum down a quiet cul-de-sac, and we drove up to a very ordinary- yet macroscopical- house. Other houses- equivalent in the way suburban folks often are- stood nearby, which gave me hope. Maybe we could get some help from the neighbors.We pul guide inside the garage, and once the door was back down, the hands ushered us into the house. It looked a lot more interesting on the inside. Antique, claw-footed sofas and chairs. A large, seawater fish tank. Swords crossed over the fireplace. One of those stupid modern art paintings that consisted of a few lines splayed across the substructurevas.The part of me that tasteed destroying things would have equivalentd to field of battle the swords in detail, unless the main floor wasnt our destination. Instead, we were led down a narrow flight of stairs, down to a basement as large as the floor above. Only, unlike the main floors open space, the basement was separate off into a series of halls and closed doors. It was like a rats maze. Our captors led us through it without hesitation, into a small room with a concrete floor and unpainted drywall.The furniture inside consisted of several very uncomfortable-facial expression wooden chairs with slatted backs- backs that proved to be a convenient place for rebinding our hands. The men sit down us in such a way that Mia and Christian sit down on one side of the room, and the rest of us dhampirs sit on the other. One guy- the leader, apparently- watched care in full as one of his henchmen bound Eddies hands with new-made flex-cuffs.These are the ones you especially have to watch, he warned, nodding toward us. Theyll fight back. His center field traveled first to Eddies face, then Masons, and then mine. The guy and I held each others gaze for several moments, and I scowled. He looked back over at his associate. Watch her in particular.When wed been restrained to his satisfaction, he barked out a few more orders to the others and then left the room, shutting the door loudly bottomland him. His steps echoed through the house as he walked upstairs. Moments later, silence fell.We sat there, staring at each other. After several minutes, Mia whimpered and started to speak. What are you going to- Shut up, growled one of the men. He took a warning step toward her. Blanching, she cringed but still looked as though she migh t say something else. I caught her eye and shook my head. She stayed obtuse, eyes wide and a slight tremble to her lip.Theres zipper worse than waiting and not kno travel whatll happen to you. Your own predilection can be crueler than any captor. Since our guards wouldnt talk to us or recite us what was in store, I imagined all parts of horrible scenarios. The guns were the obvious threat, and I found myself pondering what a bullet would feel like. Painful, presumably. And where would they shoot? through and through the heart or the head? Quick death. But somewhere else? like the stomach? That would be slow and painful. I shuddered at the thought of my conduct bleeding out of me. Thinking of all that stock certificate put me in mind of the Badica house and maybe having our throats slit. These men could have knives as well as guns.Of course, I had to wonder why we were still alive at all. Clearly they deprivationed something from us, but what? They werent a scrape upg for in formation. And they were human. What would humans deficiency with us? Usually the most we feared from humans was either running into crazy killer whale types or those who wanted to experiment on us. These seemed like neither.So what did they want? Why were we here? Over and over, I imagined more awful, gruesome fates. The looks on my friends faces showed I wasnt the only one who could envision creative torments. The smell of egest and fear filled the room.I lost track of cadence and was shortly jolted out of my imaginings when footsteps sounded on the stairs. The lead captor stepped into the hall. The rest of the men straightened up, tension crackling rough them. Oh God. This was it, I recognise. This was what wed been waiting for.Yes, sir, I perceive the leader say. Theyre in here, just like you wanted.Finally, I realized. The person after part our kidnapping. Panic shot through me. I had to escape.Let us out of here I yelled, straining at my bindings. Let us out of here , you son of a- I stopped. Something inside of me shriveled up. My throat went dry. My heart wanted to stop. The guard had returned with a man and a woman I didnt recognize. I did, however, recognize that they were Strigoi.Real, live- well, figuratively speaking- Strigoi. It all suddenly clicked together. It wasnt just the Spokane reports that had been true. What wed feared- Strigoi working with humans- had come true. This changes everything. Daylight wasnt safe anymore. no.e of us were safe anymore. Worse, I realized these must be the rogue Strigoi- the ones who had attacked the two Moroi families with human help. Again, those horrible memories came to me bodies and filiation everywhere. Bile rose in my throat, and I tried to shift my thoughts from the past(a) to the present situation. Not that that was any more reassuring.Moroi had pale skin, the kind of skin that blushed and burned easily. But these vampirestheir skin was white, chalky in a way that made it look like the resu lt of a bad piece of music job. The pupils of their eyes had a red ring around them, driving home what monsters they were.The woman, actually, reminded me of Natalie- my poor friend whose father had convinced her to turn Strigoi. It took me a few moments to figure out what the resemblance was because they looked nothing alike. This woman was short- probably human originally becoming Strigoi- and had brown hair with a bad proudlighting job.Then it hit me. This Strigoi was a new one, much as Natalie had been. It didnt live on obvious until I compared her with the Strigoi man. The Strigoi womans face had a little life in it. But his his was the face of death.His face was on the whole devoid of any sort of warmth or gentler emotion. His expression was frozen and calculating, laced with malicious amusement. He was tall, as tall as Dimitri, and had a slender frame that indicated hed been Moroi to begin with changing over. Shoulder-length black hair framed his face and stood out against the gifted scarlet of his dress shirt. His eyes were so dark and brown that without the red ring, it would have been to the highest degree impossible to tell where pupil ended and gladiolus began.One of the guards shoved me dense, even though Id been silent. He glanced up at the Strigoi man. You want me to gag her?I suddenly realized Id been hunching into the back of my chair, unconsciously severe to get as far away from him as possible. He realized this too, and a thin, toothless smile crossed his lips.No, he said. His voice was slick and low. Id like to hear what she has to say. He raised an eyebrow at me. Please. Continue.I swallowed.No? Nothing to add? Well. Do feel free to metro up if something else comes to mind.Isaiah, exclaimed the woman. Why are you keeping them here? Why havent you just contacted the others?Elena, Elena, Isaiah murmured to her. Behave yourself. Im not going to pass up the chance to enjoy myself with two Moroi and He walked behind my chair a nd lifted my hair, making me shudder. A moment later, he peered at Mason and Eddies necks as well. three unblooded dhampirs. He spoke those words with an almost happy sigh, and I realized hed been look for withstander tattoos.Strolling over to Mia and Christian, Isaiah rested a hand on his renal pelvis as he studied them. Mia could only meet his eyes for an instant before looking away. Christians fear was palpable, but he managed to return the Strigois scrutiny. It made me proud.Look at these eyes, Elena. Elena walked over and stood beside Isaiah as he spoke. That pale blue. wish ice. Like aquamarines. You almost never get that outside of the royal houses. Badicas. Ozeras. The occasional Zeklos.Ozera, said Christian, trying very hard to sound fearless.Isaiah tilted his head. very? Surely not He leaned closer to Christian. But the age is rightand that hair He smiled. Lucas and Moiras son?Christian said nothing, but the substantiation on his face was obvious. I knew your parents . Great people. Unparalleled. Their deaths were a shame but, well I daresay they brought that on themselves. I told them they shouldnt have gone back for you. Would have been wasteful to awaken you so young. They claimed they were going to just keep you around and waken you when you were older. I warned them that that would be a disaster, but, well He gave a delicate shrug. Awaken was the term Strigoi used among themselves when they changed over. It sounded like a unearthly experience. They wouldnt listen, and disaster met them in a different way.Hatred, deep and dark, boiled behind Christians eyes. Isaiah smiled again.Its quite touching that you should find your way to me after all this time. perhaps I can realize their dream after all.Isaiah, said the woman- Elena- again. either word out of her mouth seemed like a whine. Call the others- double back giving me orders Isaiah grabbed her shoulder and shoved her away- except that the push knocked her across the room and almost thr ough the wall. She just barely threw her hand out in time to stop the impact. Strigoi had better reflexes than dhampirs or even Moroi her lack of grace meant hed completely caught her off guard. And really, hed barely touched her. The push had been light- yet it had packed the force of a small car.This further enforced my belief that he was in some other class altogether. His strength beat hers by magnitudes. She was like a fly he could swat away. Strigoi power increased with age- as well as through the consumption of Moroi blood and, to a lesser extent, dhampir blood. This guy wasnt just old, I realized. He was ancient. And hed drunk a lot of blood over the years. Terror filled Elenas features, and I could understand her fear. Strigoi turned against each other all the time. He could have ripped her head off if he wanted.She cowered, averting her eyes. I Im sorry, Isaiah.Isaiah smoothed his shirt- not that it had been wrinkled. His voice took on the cold pleasantness hed affected earlier. You clearly have opinions here, Elena, and I welcome you verbalise them in a civilized manner. What do you think we should do with these cubs?You should- that is, I think we should just take them now. Especially the Moroi. She was clearly working hard not to whine again and annoy him. Unlessyou arent going to throw another dinner party, are you? Its a complete waste. Well have to share, and you know the others wont be grateful. They never are.Im not making a dinner party out of them, he declared loftily. Dinner party? But Im not sidesplitting them yet either. Youre young, Elena. You only think about immediate gratification. When youre as old as me, you wont be so impatient.She rolled her eyes when he wasnt looking.Turning, he swept his gaze over me, Mason, and Eddie. You three, Im afraid, are going to die. Theres no avoiding it. Id like to say Im sorry, but, well, Im not. Such is the way of the world. You do have a select in how you die, however, and that bequeath be d ictated by your behavior. His eyes lingered on me. I didnt really get why everyone seemed to be singling me out as the troublemaker here. Well, maybe I did. Some of you will die more painfully than others.I didnt need to see Mason and Eddie to know their fear mirrored mine. I was pretty sure I even perceive Eddie whimper.Isaiah abruptly turned on his heels, military-style, and faced Mia and Christian. You two, fortunately, have options. Only one of you will die. The other will live on in excellent immortality. Ill even be kind enough to take you under my wing until youre a little older. Such is my charity.I couldnt help it. I clotted on a laugh.Isaiah spun around and stared at me. I fell silent and waited for him to throw me across the room like he had Elena, but he did nothing else but stare. It was enough. My heart raced, and I felt tears border in my eyes. My fear shamed me. I wanted to be like Dimitri. Maybe even like my mother. After several long, agonizing moments, Isaiah t urned back to the Moroi.Now. As I was saying, one of you will be wake and live forever. But it will not be me who wakens you. You will pack to be awakened willingly.Not likely, said Christian. He packed as much snarky defiance as he could manage into those two words, but it was still obvious to everyone else in the room that he was scared out of his mind.Ah, how I love the Ozera spirit, mused Isaiah. He glanced at Mia, his red eyes gleaming. She shrank back in fear. But dont let him upstage you, my dear. Theres strength in leafy vegetable blood, too. And heres how it will be decided. He pointed at us dhampirs. His gazed chilled me all over, and I imagined I could smell the stink of decay. If you want to live, all you have to do is kill one of these three. He turned back to the Moroi. Thats it. Not acerbic at all. Just tell one of these gentlemen here you want to do it. Theyll release you. Then you drink from them and are awakened as one of us. Whoever does this first walks free. The other will be dinner for Elena and me.Silence hung in the room.No, said Christian. No way am I killing one of my friends. I dont care what you do. Ill die first.Isaiah waved a dismissive hand. Easy to be brave when you arent hungry. Go a few days without any other sustenance and yes, these three will start to look very good. And they are. Dhampirs are delicious. Some prefer them to Moroi, and while I myself have never divided up such beliefs, I can certainly appreciate the variety.Christian scowled.Dont believe me? asked Isaiah. Then let me prove it. He walked back over to my side of the room. I realized what he was going to do and spoke without fully thinking things through.Use me, I blurted out. Drink from me.Isaiahs smug look faltered for a moment, and his eyebrows rose. Youre volunteering?Ive done it before. Let Moroi feed off me, I mean. I dont mind. I like it. Leave the rest of them alone.Rose exclaimed Mason.I ignored him and looked entreatingly at Isaiah. I didnt want him to feed off me. The thought made me sick. But I had given blood before, and Id rather him take pints from me before he touched Eddie or Mason.I couldnt read his expression as he sized me up. For half a second, I thought he might go for it, but instead he shook his head.No. Not you. Not yet.He walked over and stood before Eddie. I pulled against my flex-cuffs so hard that they dug painfully into my skin. They didnt give. No Leave him aloneQuiet, snapped Isaiah, without looking at me. He rested one hand on the side of Eddies face. Eddie trembled and had gone so pale, I thought he would faint. I can make this easy, or I can make it hurt. Your silence will encourage the former.I wanted to scream, wanted to call Isaiah all sorts of name calling and make all sorts of threats. But I couldnt. My eyes flicked around the room, probing for exits, as I had so many times before. But there were none. Just blank, bare white walls. No windows. The one precious door, ever so guarded. I was he lpless, just as helpless as Id been from the moment theyd pulled us into the van. I felt like crying, more from frustration than fear. What kind of guardian would I be if I couldnt protect my friends?But I stayed quiet, and a look of satisfaction crossed Isaiahs face. The fluorescent lighting gave his skin a sickly, grayish hue, emphasizing the dark circles under his eyes. I wanted to biff him.Good. He smiled at Eddie and held his face so that the two made address eye contact. Now, you wont fight me, will you?As Ive mentioned, Lissa was good at compulsion. But she couldnt have done this. In seconds, Eddie was smiling.No. I wont fight you.Good, recurrent Isaiah. And youll give me your neck freely, wont you?Of course, replied Eddie, tilting his head back.Isaiah brought his mouth down, and I looked away, trying to focus on the threadbare carpet instead. I didnt want to see this. I heard Eddie emit a soft, happy moan. The feeding itself was relatively quiet- no slurping or anything l ike that.There.I glanced back when I heard Isaiah speak again. Blood dripped from his lips, and he ran his tongue across them. I couldnt see the combat injury on Eddies neck, but I suspected it was bloody and horrible too. Mia and Christian stared wide-eyed, both with fear and fascination. Eddie gazed off in a happy, drugged haze, high from both the endorphins and the compulsion.Isaiah straightened up and smiled at the Moroi, licking the last of the blood off his lips. You see? he told them, moving toward the door. Its just that easy.