She needs to find her friend . . . and fast. When Rose finds her, Lissa is backed up against a tree by a pack of Victor’s psi hounds, psychically connected wolf-like beasts. They turn on Rose when they realize she’s there. In the nick of time, Christian—who stowed away for the trip in an attempt to save the girl he’s fallen for—arrives to help fend them off, but he’s violently attacked.
Alberta, the head of the school’s guardians, swoops in and shoots the dangerous animals. Christian is badly hurt . . . and dying. Lissa wants desperately to heal him, but she’s too weak from healing Victor.
Before, Rose might have hesitated to let her friend feed from her in public, risking being labeled again as a blood whore, but there’s no question what she needs to do to help Lissa to save Christian. Her friend needs blood to regain her energy and her magic; Rose offers her neck to the cause, and it’s enough to give Lissa the energy to save Christian.
The other guardians capture Victor and hold him prisoner under full-time guard at school. They realize Natalie is also to blame. Not only did she help plant the dead animals, but, as an earth-magic user, just like her father, she was the one responsible for rotting the wood that broke Rose’s ankle. It was another attempt to get Lissa to use her healing ability, proving once and for all that she is a spirit user.
In the wake of her kidnapping, Lissa realizes what she really wants. For starters, she wants
Christian—
the boy who has stood by her side, in the attic and out, the one who stowed away in the back of a van in order to help rescue her. She breaks up with Aaron and officially starts dating the social outcast, not caring what damage this relationship might do to her royal reputation.
Not everyone’s romantic life is quite as happy. Dimitri makes sure Rose is aware that what happened because of the lust charm was wrong and stupid.
“Even if you choose not to tell, you need to understand that
it was a mistake
. And it isn’t ever going to happen again, ” he added.
“Because you’re too old for me? Because it isn’t responsible?”
His face was perfectly blank. “No. Because I’m just not interested in you in that way.”
—page 314
Ouch. Rose is heartbroken to know that Dimitri doesn’t return her feelings for him. In the end, what she feels is just a stupid schoolgirl crush, but it’s one she can’t seem to shake no matter how hard she tries.
And she tries very hard. She even goes to visit Victor in his cell to ask him to break the lust compulsion that makes her still want to be with Dimitri. But instead, Victor tells her startling news: the spell only works on feelings already present—feelings
both
of them would have had to share. Before Rose can figure out what this means, she hears a commotion down the hall. Natalie has arrived to help her father escape and there’s something very different—and very
scary—
about her.
She’s been turned into a Strigoi. And now she’s more than strong enough to throw Rose against the wall when she attempts to get in her way. But luckily, before Natalie can finish her off . . . Dimitri arrives.
He manages to stake Natalie, saving Rose. While other guardians race to recapture Victor, Dimitri takes an injured Rose to the clinic. On the way, she wants to know if what she’s learned about the lust charm is true. Does Dimitri really feel something for her?
Yes, it’s true. He
does
want Rose . . . but they can’t be together.
“[Y ]ou and I will both be Lissa’s guardians someday. I need to protect her at all costs. If a pack of Strigoi come, I need to throw my body between them and her.”
“I know that. Of course that’s what you have to do.” The black sparkles were dancing in front of my eyes again. I was fading out.
“No. If I let myself love you, I won’t throw myself in front of her. I’ll throw myself in front of you.”
—page 324
He’s right. Even though Rose still desperately wants Dimitri, she knows she must protect her best friend over anything else. It’s her job.
But Rose can’t be resentful because Lissa is there to help her heal the injuries she sustained from fighting Natalie. Still, Lissa’s dark moods are a serious problem. She agrees to go on depression medication to help. One downside of this is that she’ll be blocked from using spirit magic, but it’s worth it to regain her shaky sanity.
Being on meds is one way to lose touch from the magic. But there’s another—Natalie had said during her short confrontation with Rose that becoming Strigoi was worth giving up the magic of being Moroi.
This makes something click into place for Rose.
Ms. Karp’s spirit magic is what had driven her insane. She didn’t become Strigoi because she was mad—she did it to
escape
from the madness. It’s a chilling realization for Rose, especially since Ms. Karp and Lissa seem similar to her in so many ways. Is Lissa inevitably headed down the same dangerous path? Would Lissa ever make the same tragic decision as their teacher did to escape the side effects of having such a powerful ability?
But St. Vladimir didn’t turn Strigoi. After going to the chapel and asking the priest some questions, Rose learns that St. Vlad lived for a very long time. After all, St. Vladimir was lucky enough to have Anna as his “shadow-kissed” guardian to help him stay strong and never give in to his madness . . .
And Lissa has Rose.
POP QUIZ:
Vampire Academy
1. Finish the quote:
I felt her fear before I heard her ___.
2. What kind of animal did Lissa first bring back to life in front of Ms. Karp and Rose?
3. Christian Ozera specializes in which element?
4. What’s the name of Mason Ashford’s best friend?
5. What are Dimitri’s favorite kind of novels?
6. Victor Dashkov is afflicted with what disease?
7. What does Dimitri tell Rose to do after he catches her making out with Jesse?
“Get _____.”
8. What gift does Dimitri personally give Rose when she’s recovering in the clinic?
9. What are the names of the students who accuse Rose of being a blood whore?
10. Who is turned into a Strigoi in order to help rescue her father?
* For quiz answers, see p.298.
CHAPTER 2
Frostbite
RICHELLE ON FROSTBITE
Starting
Frostbite
was a little rough. I knew what the running plotlines were going to be, but establishing them was tricky. The writing of this book was also taking place in a tumultuous time in my own life, which made it even more difficult to just really focus and get out the words I wanted. I think I rewrote the beginning of
Frostbite
about three times! What’s surprising to a lot of people is that, despite the beginning difficulties, the book’s ending was pretty much set in stone. I wrote it in one energetic burst, and it was good to go. I’d known from the day I started writing the first VA book what the path of the series would be, and this ending—as harsh as it was—was essential both for the story and Rose’s growth. Terrible, traumatic endings would eventually become a normal thing for me in all of my series, but this was the very first one I ever wrote. Again, knowing it was needed for the series, I didn’t feel a lot of guilt over what happened, but I was a little amazed in looking back at it that I had actually created something so heart-wrenching.
First line:
I didn’t think my day could get any worse until my best friend told me she might be going crazy. Again.
SCENE OF THE CRIME
Rose definitely has her hands full at the moment.
First, Lissa confides in Rose that her darkness is returning, despite the depression meds she’s on that cut her off from using spirit, including her ability to heal others.
Second, Rose is off to take her Qualifier, which is an important interview to determine her commitment to being a guardian. It’s nerve-racking, but there’s one very bright side about the test . . . and that’s who’s going with her.
Dimitri stood there, looking as gorgeous as ever. The massive, brick building cast long shadows over us, looming like some great beast in the dusky predawn light. Around us, snow was just beginning to fall. I watched the light, crystalline flakes drift gently down. Several landed and promptly melted in his dark hair.
“Who else is going?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Just you and me.”
My mood promptly shot up past “cheerful ” and went straight to “ecstatic.” Me and Dimitri. Alone. In a car. This might very well be worth a surprise test.
—page 11
However, when they arrive at the test location, something is horribly wrong. A royal Moroi family, the Badicas—and their dhampir guardians—have been slaughtered by Strigoi.
Dimitri tells Rose to wait in the car while he goes inside to investigate. Never one to follow orders, Rose finds a silver stake buried in the ground and heads into the house to see the victims for herself, horrified by the bloody massacre. When she finds Dimitri, he’s angry she didn’t stay safely outside, but he questions her about where she found the stake. Strigoi can’t touch the charmed silver—but its magic would be enough to breach the protective wards around the house that are placed there to keep Strigoi out. Dimitri surmises that humans could have helped the Strigoi by planting the stake and allowing Strigoi access to commit the murders. Rose can’t believe a human would help a Strigoi to do something this horrible . . . would they?
After Dimitri calls in a group of guardians to investigate the murder scene, Rose catches a glimpse of something horribly disturbing as they continue to survey the house. The Strigoi have left a warning on a mirror—
And it’s written in blood.
It’s a message that Moroi royal families are targets and the Badica family is only the first. Rose is enraged. And now, she’s even more afraid for Lissa—the last of the Dragomir line. Not only will Lissa have to deal with her inner darkness and worry for her sanity, but now she must also fear for her life.
News of the tragedy reaches the Academy quicker than Rose and Dimitri can return. When she gets back, Mason tells her that plans are already underway for a school trip to a huge ski lodge that will include both students and their parents. The school rapidly organized this in order to gather Moroi somewhere safe while the Strigoi responsible for the Badica massacre are hunted down. While the idea of a getaway sounds fantastic to Rose, it’s sobering to know that the only reason the trip was planned is because people were murdered.
Rose now knows Lissa’s in direct mortal danger from these dangerous Strigoi, so she wants to step up her training with Dimitri and learn how to use a silver stake. But when Rose has trouble figuring out exactly where the heart is—kind of important when you’re required to put a stake through one—Dimitri tells her to study up if she really wants to get to the next level. Sometimes Dimitri can be devastatingly sexy, and sometimes, like now, he’s just really annoying.
Just because they have a deeper connection—not that they can act on it—doesn’t mean he’s going to go easy on her.
MOMMY DEAREST
Family members start to arrive for the big ski trip, along with their guardians. To Rose’s deep dismay, among them is her estranged mother, Janine Hathaway.
The novices are excited to hear Janine, a famous guardian with a high Strigoi kill count, speak to Rose’s class about her legendary field experience. Well, all the novices
except
for Rose. Janine left her in the Academy’s care when Rose was just a kid and never looked back—choosing to pursue her career as a guardian rather than be a devoted mother. And Rose’s father? Other than him being Turkish, Rose has never met him and knows absolutely nothing about him at all.
Rose and Janine haven’t spoken in more than two years, and Rose can’t get past her animosity toward the woman she feels abandoned her—one who didn’t even bother to give her the heads-up that she was on campus.
Janine tells the class an epic tale about a kidnapping that occurred at a royal Moroi ball. Two Moroi were abducted, and guardians tracked them to a hideout where Janine performed a hat trick—staking, decapitating, and burning her Strigoi foes.