Primal Desires

Chapter 12

Rose's POV

29 dead. 46 injured.

29 dead.

46 injured.

That was the result of today's unexpected and vicious attack.

Unsurprisingly, 'how many casualties?' was one of the first questions asked at the emergency guardian meeting, and Guardian Croft delivered the solemn news from the front of the room with a grave tone of voice.

"We lost every guardian at each possible entrance to Court. The remainder of the fatalities were mostly guardians that risked their lives during the battle. However, in the time it took for the Strigoi to be reported, a number of Moroi succumbed to the attack also."

There was a heavy air in the room as people remembered loved ones, friends and colleagues lost to the battle. As my eyes scanned the room, I could see that some were openly distraught, their eyes vacant and bloodshot from crying, while others masked their sorrow with a perfected 'guardian on duty' stare. I felt a twinge in my chest at the thought of the pain they were currently feeling - I had felt that pain more than once in my life. I sighed deeply, taking a moment to be thankful that Eddie was only one of those injured – it could have been so much worse.

A man stood up from his seat, his obvious agitation shown by the way his hands gestured wildly in the air as he spoke. "The real question is, how the fuck did they get in? This is the royal court! Our security should have been impenetrable!"

Guardian Croft eyed him carefully before directing his attention to the rest of the room. "A sweep of the perimeter found multiple stakes driven into the ground, and all perimeter security teams mauled to death. They hadn't had a chance to radio in the sightings before they lost their lives."

"Why weren't they paying attention?! If they were at all decent guardians, the Strigoi would have been stopped before they made it inside!" The man exclaimed, clearly angry at the events of the day.

"There are many ifs and buts involved, but the fact of the matter is - it happened. The Strigoi found their way inside and, unfortunately, numerous people lost their lives." The female senior guardian to the right of Guardian Croft took the moment to speak up, kindness and warmth in her tone of voice. "However, despite what happened, the response after the initial sighting was outstanding and you should all be praised for your quick reactions."

"Has the security been repaired?" Another guardian questioned timidly with a hint of worry in her voice. She looked young, a newly graduated guardian, and obviously hadn't been out in the 'real world' for very long. I guessed that she hadn't had physically seen the terrors of the world yet, and had been thrown in at the deep end with this attack. I felt for her.

"Yes. All wards were put back in place almost immediately after the attack, and we have back-up teams stationed at all perimeter entrances," the female guardian informed her, and the young woman visibly relaxed, sinking back into her seat.

"So what are we going to do now? What are we doing to fix this?" The first man piped up again, clearly not satisfied with the previous answer.

"Because the Strigoi were on our grounds, we should be able to track them now that we know the direction in which they fled. We have appointed an expert team capable of doing this." Guardian Croft explained, his narrowed eyes showing clear annoyance at the man for interrupting again.

A young guardian with dark hair stood up from his chair. I recognised him as one of the guardians who had supported our plan to attack the Strigoi before they attacked us - that idea was clearly redundant now, though. "If we had tracked them from the previous attacks, this whole thing could have been avoided!" He practically shouted, clearly showing his distaste for the guardians at the front of the room.