Vampire Academy: Broken Trust

Chapter 21

LISSA

Morning used to be so much better. I used to wake up rested and ready to start the day. Now, right after I get up, I can’t wait to get back to bed.

“I have an idea.” I tell Christian while I was brushing my hair. “What if Adrain can get into Robert’s mind and with that he could find out where he is.”

“He probably never tried to get into strigois’ mind. I think that it could be very difficult. And besides, Adrian comes into your mind while sleeping. Strigoi don’t sleep.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that. But what about that woman Oksana. She helped Rose with my compulsion and I heard she even reads her husband’s mind just like that, with almost no trouble. She could be strong enough to try that.”

“I don’t know. She can try, I think.” Christian said.

I hope she can manage that. It would help us a lot. We could finally find Robert and finish with this horror story. And Rose could get back here. We could be together again. As we used to be.

“All those papers and non of them are telling me anything about Robert.” I yawn to Christian.

“Stop working already! Come sit with us.” Adrian says. And I wanted to. But right after I decided that I’ll go to them, somebody knocked on the door.

“That’s not going to happen.” I say to guys, “Let them in.”

Mikhail came in.

“Queen.” he bended his head down. “I have some news for you.”

“You know where Victor’s brother is?” I stood up.

“Unfortunately not.” he said.

“Any good news at all?” I ask.

“I’m afraid that I must deny that.” Great. I sit back before I fall on the floor. I can’t manage any bad news. This is too much…

“Tell it to me.” I say with face in my hands.

“I think that mister Ozera needs to hear this too.” he says and Christian comes closer.

“A message came from prison. The part of prison where Natasha Ozera stayed, was burned,” he looked at Christian. Christian was shocked I could see it. “they found a female body that was burned a lot and looked like her…”

“But it wasn’t her.” Christian said. He was heavily breathing and staring at the floor.

“No. The investigation took longer and that gave her time to run away. She escaped the prison.”

This was not what I expected. I thought that she was sorry for what she did.

“Oh God.” Christian said and covered his mouth with one hand “could you leave us alone?”

Adrian, Mikhail and guardians left the room and it was just the two of us. I ran to Christian and hugged him.

“It’s going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok.” I was trying to calm him down.

“Lissa, I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.”

“For what?”

Christian stepped away from me and turned around with his face in his hands. “It’s my fault.”

“How could this be your fault?” I brushed his back and leaned my head on his shoulder.

“On her birthday, when I visited her, she was talking to me like she lost it. She was acting crazy. And she mentioned in some way that she won’t stay there. And I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to bother you. You have lots of problems already and I thought…”

“Calm down.”

“I trusted her.” he turned back to me. “I still saw that nice and caring aunt inside of her and I didn’t think that she’s going to really do it. Now she’s out.”

“I still think that Robert is the bigger threat here.”

“No. She wants Dimitri. She wants the throne. You are in danger, Rose and Dimitri are in danger. Because of me.”

"Christian! Snap out of it!" I get my hands on his face. "It's not your fault. It  couldn't be your fault in any way. It was her. She decided to run away, you didn't tell her to do that."

"But..."

"No. It's how it is. It'll get better. It has to. After every storm a sunshine shows up and so will here, in our situation." Someday. Someday it will...

I hate seeing Christian like this. He is blaming himself for this. Another enemy is out in the world. This is just too much for me. For all of us.

I’m going to a chamber where Sonya is training me how to properly use magic. And on my way there I see Mia.

“Hi, Lissa.” she says. I can’t believe we are in a good relationship now. I always saw her as my enemy, but she changed. And talking to her really helps me. I have Christian to talk to, of course. But it’s totally different then a girl talk is. Mia and Sonya are the only ones around here that really get me and don’t see me only as a Queen.

“You look like you need a talk.” she smiled lightly.

“Yes I do. Let’s get to Sonya. I think a girl talk will help right now.”

“I can’t believe that Tasha is out. What is it with those prisons?! Can’t they just do their job? Mia said upset.

“Oh, darling. The thing is that no prison can keep a crazy person. They can always find a way to escape. Which is sad.” Sonya said. “What if Robert and Tasha are working together?”

“Oh, no. I can't even think about that." I say. "And how would they even communicate to get a plan."

"Guards did find notes in Robert’s cell... Some of them could be Tasha’s... You should tell them to check it out." Sonya says. And I will.

I tell them about Tasha and the possibility of Robert and her forming a plan through those letters. Guards said that letters only contained the plan for escape and that no one of them had any plan for the future revange included. I insisted for them to send me those letters to check it with Christian and maybe identify Tasha’s writting.

Most of the letters were almost destroyed but there were some in better conditions and were able to be read. And all I can say… They are terrifying. It is clear that they were written by strigoi.

But there is one letter… One letter that stands out. And it was not hard to guess.

“Christian… I’m so sorry.” I said and brushed his back. When Christian saw the piece of paper I gave him, I could see that he recognized the writing. He took a hold of the table and closed his eyes. He was full of disappointment and sorrow.

He recognized the writing but I knew that it was Tasha when I saw “Dimka” written on it.

Not that just another enemy is out… but those enemies are joining their forces and it will be only harder to find and finish them up.