We Are Shadows

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Roman's POV

As Rose settled down for a sleep I concentrated on the road and what I still had left to do in the arrangements for her.

Alberta had been so upset when she had called me two weeks ago and told me about her predicament over the girl that had strigoi strength. I say girl but more like a young woman in her looks and attitudes: I suppose she had to grow up quickly after the things she has been through. Alberta had no idea what she was going to do. She told me that Rose was more like a daughter to her than a novice and I can understand those sentiments. It is easy to get attached to novices under your care especially those that don't have family or have errant family members. Rose apparently had been at the school since she was left at the gates around year old and had no family or ties to anywhere except the school but since the age of fifteen and the emergence of her abilities, Alberta informed me that the headmistress had been trying to get rid of her and now she had finally succeeded due to a few damaging words in the right ears.

It beggars belief that the moroi world would want to throw away a potential asset such as someone that was the same strength and speed as a strigoi. I would have thought that any moroi would fall over themselves to request her in the allocations process to be their protector but no, instead they are frightened of her. What made it even more difficult was that her unusual characteristics were on public record as she had been put through rigorous testing by moroi doctors and scientists two years ago. I say public record, unfortunately I hadn't heard about Rose's case as I was very rarely summoned to court and the last time was five years ago. It would have been better if her condition had remained a secret however, it is rather difficult to do that when there are injuries sustained.

Fate had been a little kinder to me. What I couldn't tell Alberta, because I had made a promise, was that I had seen this before but in that case I and others involved had been able to keep the individual from being noticed except as an exceptional novice. During the allocations process his best friend requested him as his guardian and therefore protected him even further from unwelcome notice of the court. Unfortunately his friend was killed while out with his second guardian. This had a profound effect on him and he retired into obscurity. I am the only one, besides his family, who knows where he is and I was sworn to secrecy, however, I could really use his help. I have been working on him for a week, asking him to come out of his hole and help with a gifted novice. I didn't tell him about Rose's abilities, just that the novice was finding it difficult to learn new things now that they had surpassed their instructors at St. Vladimir's. As of yet he has been reluctant but I am hoping that I can persuade him because Rose really needs him but I also think he needs her to bring him out of his shell again.

My mind turned back to my surrounding and I realised I had been musing for quite a while because I could start to see the first signs of the school boundaries. The traffic had been with me on the way back so I had made good time. After another mile I turned into the gatehouse. The change in the speed or the noise of the vehicle must have registered in Rose's sleep because she promptly sat up, rubbed her eyes and looked around.

"Whoa" she said. "They are some serious gates." She wasn't wrong. The gates were heavy wood reinforced with iron and steel. The builders of the compound knew that the gates were the weakest part so went all out on making them as secure as possible.

"Yes they are somewhat" I replied back to her with a laugh. "The whole place is more fortress like than you are used to at St. Vladimir's due to us having more strigoi activity around here than you do in Montana."

"What do you mean by more exactly?" she said with both interest and slight alarm.

"We have one or two attacks in the neighbourhood every couple of months, however, I've only known one attack directly on the school" I replied.