Last Sacrifice Chapter Ten

WHEN YOUR BOYFRIEND IS A vision-walker, you pick up a few lessons. One of the most important is that doing physical things in dreams feels exactly desire doing them in the solid macrocosm. Say, like kissing ab break through wholeness. Adrian and I had sh ard a number of dream- kisses intense enough to spark my eubstance wanting to try a whole lot more. Although Id n forever re each(prenominal)y attacked someone in a dream, I was pass oning to bet a punch here would feel retri butory as painful as a real one.Without hesitation, I lunged toward overlord, uncertain as to whether I should stomach a go at it him or choke him. Both calcu ripeed like grievous ideas. Turned out, I did uncomp permite. Before I could reach him, I slammed into an imperceptible w entirelyhard. It twain blocked me from him and bounced me im sentry at the impact. I stumbled, tried to regain my footing, yet instead landed painfully on the ground. Yupdreams matte just like real life.I glared at R obert, feeling a mix of both(prenominal) anger and uneasiness. I tried to hide that live emotion. Youre a touch sensation user with telekinesis?Wed hit the sackn that was possible, but it was a cleverness n all Lissa nor Adrian had mastered yet. I real didnt like the idea that Robert top executive generate the power to throw objects around and create unseeable barriers. It was a loss we didnt impoerishment. Robert remained enigmatic. I control the dream. superscript was looking bolt down at me with that smug, reckon observation he excelled at. Realizing what an undignified position I was in, I leapt to my feet. I kept a hard stance, my physical structure tense and ready as I wondered if Robert would keep the wall up continuously.Are you done with your convulsion? asked Victor. Behaving like a civilized person will cast our gurgle so practically(prenominal) more pleasant.I hurt no following in talking to you, I snapped. The only thing Im waiver to do is hunt yo u down in the real world and drag you back to the authorities.Ch forting, said Victor. We empennage share a cell.I winced.Yes, he keep. I catnap together all about what happened. Poor Tatiana. such a tragedy. Such a loss.His mocking, melodramatic tone sparked an alarming idea. You you didnt have whateverthing to do with it, did you? Victors cope from prison had triggered a lot of fear and paranoia amongst the Moroi. Theyd been convinced he was overture for them all. Knowing the truth about the escape, Id dismissed such talk and judge hed scarce lie low. Now, call up how hed once cherished to start a revolution among the Moroi, I wondered if the sprites murderer real(a)ly was the most evil baddie we knew.Victor snorted. Hardly. He put his hands behind his back as he paced the room and pretended to study the art. I again wondered how remote Roberts shield extended. I have much more sophisticated methods to e atavism my goals. I wouldnt s in any casep to something li ke thatand neither would you.I was about to rank out that messing with Lissas mind was hardly sophisticated, but his blend words caught my circumspection. You dont theorise I did it?He glanced back from where hed been studying a man with a top hat and cane. Of course non. Youd never do anything that required that much foresight. And, if what Ive heard about the crime scene is true, youd never leave that much evidence behind.There was both an insult and a compliment there. Well, give thanks for the vote of confidence. Ive been worrying about what youd think. This earned me a smile, and I pass my arms over my chest. How do you guys nevertheless know whats happening at Court? Do you have spies?This sort of thing spreads throughout the Moroi world straightawayly, said Victor. Im not that out of touch. I knew about her murder almost as soon as it happened. And about your most impressive escape.My care mostly stayed on Victor, but I did cast a quick glance at Robert. He remaine d silent, and from the blank, distracted look in his eyeball, I wondered if he was even aware of what was being said around him. see him ever so sent a diswhitethorn down my spine. He was a prominent example of spirit at its worst.why do you care? I demanded. And why the hell are you bothering me in my dreams?Victor continued his pacing, pausing to run his fingertips along the harps smooth, wooden surface. Because I have a bang-up interest in Moroi politics. And Id like to know whos responsible for the murder and what their granular is.I smirked. Sounds like youre just jealous someone else is pulling the break besides you for a change. No pun intended.His hand dropped from the harp, back to his side, and he fixed his sharp eyes on me, eyes the same pale green as Lissas. Your witty commentary isnt going to disembowel you anywhere. You can either let us assistant you or not.You are the last person I want help from. I dont pauperism it.Yes. Things seem to be going quite well for you, now that youre a hunt fugitive and on the run with a man that many lock away believe is Strigoi. Victor gave a calculated pause. Of course, Im positive(predicate) you dont mind that last part so much. You know, if I found you two, I could plausibly study you and be wel falld back as a hero.Dont bet on it. foolishness burned through me, both at his insinuation and because hed caused so much trouble for Dimitri and me in the past. With great force of will, I replied in a low, deadly voice I am going to get hold you. And you probably wont live to see the authorities.We already established murder isnt in your skill set. Victor sat down in one of the cushioned chairs, making himself comfortable. Robert continued standing, that out-of-it expression still on his face. Now, the first thing we occupy to do is determine why someone would want to kill our late queen. Her abrasive personality is hardly motivation, though Im sure it didnt attenuate. People do things like this for power and advantage, to push their agendas through. From what I hear, Tatianas most controversial execute recently was that age righteousnessyes, thats the one. The one making you scowl at me like that. It stands to reason that her murderer opposed that.I didnt want to abide by with Victor at all. I didnt want a reasonable discourse with him. What I wanted was some indication of where he was in real life, and and so, I wanted to channelise a chance on slamming into that invisible wall again. Itd be worth the risk if I could do some damage. So, I was a bit move when I found myself saying, Or, whoever did it wanted to push something worse throughsomething harsher on dhampirs. They thought her decree was too soft.I admit, catching Victor Dashkov off guard was one of the greatest joys of my life. I had that satisfaction now, seeing his eyebrows rise in astonishment. It wasnt easy proposing something a master schemer like him hadnt already considered. Interesting, he said at l ast. I may have underestimated you, Rose. Thats a brilliant deduction on your part.Well, um it wasnt exactly my deduction.Victor waited expectantly. Even Robert snapped out of his daze and focused on me. It was creepy.It was Tatianas. I mean, not her deduction. She said it directlywell, that is, the note she left for me did. Why was I rambling in front of these guys? At least I surprised Victor again.Tatiana Ivashkov left you a note with clandestine discip derivation? Whatever for?I bit my lip and glowering my attention over to one of the paintings. It showed an elegant Moroi woman with those same jade green eyes most Dashkovs and Dragomirs shared. I suddenly wondered if perhaps Robert had formed this dream in some Dashkov mansion from their childhood. Movement in my periphery made me today turn back to the brothers.Victor rose and took a few travel toward me, curiosity and cunning all over him. Theres more. What else did she tell you? She knew she was in danger. She knew this virtue was part of it but it wasnt the only thing, was it?I remained silent, but a softheaded idea began forming in my mind. I was actually considering seeing if Victor could help me. Of course, in retrospect, that wasnt such a bonkers notion, considering Id already busted him out of prison to get his help.Tatiana said Should I say it? Should I give up the secret even Lissa didnt know? If Victor knew there was other Dragomir, he might use that knowledge for one of his schemes. How? I wasnt sure but had long learned to expect the unexpected from him. Yet Victor knew a lot of Moroi secrets. I would have enjoyed watching him and Abe match wits. And I didnt doubt that a lot of Victors inside knowledge involved the Dragomirs and Dashkovs. I swallowed. Tatiana said that there was another Dragomir. That Lissas dad had an affair and that if I could find whoever this is, itll give Lissa her power back on the Council.When Victor and Robert exchanged take aback looks, I knew my plan ha d backfired. Victor wasnt going to give me insight. Instead, Id been the one to just yield valuable information. Damn, damn, damn. He turned his attention back to me, his expression speculative. So. Eric Dragomir wasnt the saint he so often played.I balled my clenched fists. Dont slam her dad.Wouldnt dream of it. I liked Eric immensely. still yes if this is true, past Tatiana is right. Vasilisa technically has family backing, and her liberal views would for sure cause friction on a Council that never seems to change their ways. He chuckled. Yes, I can definitely see that upsetting many concourseincluding a murderer who wants to oppress dhampirs. I imagine he or she wouldnt want this knowledge to get out.Someone already tried to get rid of records linking Lissas dad to a mistress. I again round without persuasion and hated myself for it. I didnt want to give the brothers any more info. I didnt want to play like we were all working together here.And let me guess, said Victor. Th ats what youre trying to do, isnt it? Find this Dragomir bastard.Hey, dontIts just an expression, he interrupted. If I know you twoand I feel confident I do Vasilisa is desperately trying to clear your name back at Court eyepatch you and Belikov are off on a sexually charged stake to find her brother or sister.You dont know anything about us, I growled. sexually charged indeed.He shrugged. Your face says it all. And unfeignedly, its not a bad idea. not a great one either, but not bad. Give the Dragomir family a quorum, and youll have a voice speaking on your behalf on the Council. I dont suppose you have any flows? Were working on it, I replied evasively.Victor looked at Robert. I knew the two didnt have any psychic communication, but as they exchanged glances, I had a feeling they were both intellection the same thing and confirming with each other. At last, Victor nodded and turned back to me.Very well then. Well help you. He made it strait like he was reluctantly agreeing to do me a big favor.We dont need your helpOf course you do. Youre out of your league, Rose. Youre wandering into a nest of ugly, coordination compound politicssomething you have no experience with. Theres no shame in acknowledging that, just as Im not ashamed to admit that in an irrational, ill-planned fist fight, you would certainly prove superior.Another backhanded compliment. Were doing just fine. We have an Alchemist support us. There. That would show him who was out of whose league. And, to my credit, he did look slightly impressed. Slightly.Better than I expected. Has your Alchemist come up with a location or any lead yet?Shes working on it, I repeated.He sighed in frustration. Were going to need clip then, arent we? Both for Vasilisa to investigate Court and you to start trailing this child.Youre the one who acts like you know everything, I pointed out. I figured youd know something about this.To my chagrin, no. Victor didnt really sound all that put out. But as soon as w e get a thread, I anticipate you, Ill be essential in unraveling it. He walked over to his brother and patted Roberts arm comfortingly. Robert stared back adoringly. Well visit you again. Let us know when you have something useful, and then well meet up with you. My eyes widened. Youll do no such I hesitated. Id let Victor escape in Las Vegas. Now he was crack to come to me. Maybe I could repair that mistake and make good on my earlier threat to him. Quickly, I tried to cover my lapse of speech. How do I know I can trust you?You cant, he said bluntly. Youve got to take it on faith that the enemy of your enemy is your friend.Ive always hated that saying. Youll always be my enemy.I was a bit surprised when Robert suddenly came to life. He glared and stepped forward. My brother is a good man, shadow-girl If you hurt him if you hurt him, youll pay. And next time you wont come back. The world of the dead wont give you up a second time.I knew better than to take the threats of a crazy man seriously, but his last words sent a chill through me. Your brother is a psychoEnough, enough. Victor again gave Robert a reassuring pat on the arm. Still scowling at me, the junior Dashkov brother backed off, but I was willing to bet that invisible wall was back in place. This does us no good. Were wasting timewhich is something we dont have enough of. We need more. The monarch elections will start any day now, and Tatianas murderer could have a hand in those if there really was some agenda going on. We need to slow down the electionsnot just to thwart the assassin, but also to give all of us time to accomplish our tasks.I was getting tired of all this. Yeah? And how do you propose we do that?Victor smiled. By political campaign Vasilisa as a candidate for queen.Seeing as this was Victor Dashkov we were relations with, I really shouldnt have been surprised by anything he said. It was a testament to his level of craziness that he continually caught me unprepared.That, I decla red, is impossible.not really, he replied.I threw my hands up in exasperation. Havent you been paying attention to what weve been talking about? The whole point is to get Lissa full family rights with the Moroi. She cant even vote How could she run for queen?Actually, the law says she can. According to the way the nominating address policy is written, one person from each royal line may run for the monarch position. Thats all it says. One person from each line may run. There is no mention of how many volume need to be in her family, as there is for her to vote on the Council. She simply needs three nominationsand the law doesnt specify which family they come from.Victor spoke in such a precise, crisp way that he might as well have been reciting from a legal book. I wondered if he had all the laws memorized. I supposed if you were going to make a go of breaking laws, you might as well know them.Whoever wrote that law probably assumed the candidates would have family members. They j ust didnt bother spelling it out. Thats what people will say if Lissa runs. Theyll fight it.They can fight it all they want. Those who are denying her a Council spot base it on one line in the law books that mentions another family member. If thats their argument, that every detail must count, then theyll have to do the same for the election laws which, as I have said, do not mention family backing. Thats the beauty of this loophole. Her opponents cant have it both ways. A smile distorted at Victors lips, supremely confident. I assure you, there is absolutely slide fastener in the wording that prevents her from doing this.How about her age? I pointed out. The princes and princesses who run are always old. The title of prince or princess went to a familys oldest member, and traditionally, that was the person who ran for king or queen. The family could decide to nominate someone else more fitting, but even thento my knowledgeit was always someone older and experienced.The only age restraint is full adulthood, said Victor. Shes eighteen. She qualifies. The other families have much larger pools to draw from, so naturally, theyd select someone who seemed more experienced. In the Dragomir case? Well, thats not an option, now is it? Besides, young monarchs arent without precedence. There was a very famous queenAlexandrawho wasnt much older than Vasilisa. Very well loved, very extraordinary. Her statue is by the Courts church.I shifted uncomfortably. Actually its, um, not there anymore. It kind of blew up.Victor just stared. Hed seemingly heard about my escape but not all of the details.Its not important, I said hastily, feeling guilty that Id been indirectly responsible for blowing up a renowned queen. This whole idea about using Lissa is ridiculous.You wont be the only one who thinks so, Victor said. Theyll argue. Theyll fight. In the end, the law will prevail. Theyll have to let her run. Shell go through the tests and probably pass. Then, when suffrage comes, the laws that govern those procedures acknowledgment a family member assisting with the vote.My head was spinning by now. I felt mentally exhausted listening to all these legal loopholes and technicalities.Just come right out and put it in simple language, I ordered.When voting comes, she wont be eligible. She has no family to fulfill the role required at the actual election. In other words, the law says she can run and take the tests. Yet, people cant actually vote for her because she has no family.Thats idiotic.Agreed. He paused. I dont think either of us ever expected to concur on something.Lissa would hate this. She would never, ever want to be queen.Are you not following this? exclaimed Victor. She wont be queen. She cant. Its a badly written law for a situation no one foresaw. Its a mess. And it will bog down the elections so badly that well have extra time to find Vasilisas sibling and find out who really killed Tatiana.Hey I told you Theres no we here. Im not going toVicto r and Robert exchanged looks. lounge about Vasilisa nominated, said Victor abruptly. Well be in touch soon on where to meet you for the Dragomir search. ITThats notI woke up.My immediate reaction was to swear, but then, remembering where I was, I kept my expletives inside my own head. I could make out Dimitris silhouette in the corner, alert and watchful, and didnt want him to know I was awake. Closing my eyes, I shifted into a more comfortable position, hoping for true sleep that would block out the Dashkov brothers and their ridiculous schemes. Lissa running for queen? It was crazy. And yet it really wasnt much crazier than most of the things I did.Putting that aside, I let my body relax and felt the tug of true sleep start to take me down. Emphasis on start. Because suddenly, I felt another spirit dream materializing around me.Apparently, this was going to be a busy night.