“Of course, of course,” Ronald said. “In fact, it might be a good idea for you to wait a while for marriage. Maybe … several years.”
Tasha didn’t trust the oh-so-casual tone in his voice. “Uncle, what are you suggesting?”
“Nothing at all. Just trying to help you out. But did you notice Eric Dragomir is here tonight?”
Tasha followed Ronald’s nod to a cluster of people speaking with Queen Tatiana. Eric was easy to pick out. Their family, like the Ozeras, tended to have distinct features—for the Dragomirs, it was platinum hair and green eyes.
“He doesn’t get out very much,” she noted.
“Indeed. He keeps his family close—which is understandable.”
Yes, it was. Eric and his two children were the only Dragomirs left, which was astonishing compared to the tangle of cousins in all the other houses. There were dozens and dozens of Ozeras.
“He’s married,” Tasha pointed out, unsure of where Ronald was going with this.
“Yes, but his son isn’t.”
She turned to him incredulously. “His son is twelve years old!”
“Which is why I said you should wait several years. Once he’s a young man, I’m sure you’d hit it off wonderfully, and who wouldn’t be charmed by your loveliness? Rhea Dragomir is half Ozera, and we’ve got Dragomirs in our tree—they’d love to make a match that can boost their bloodline.”
Tasha shook her head in amazement and groped for a polite response. After all, an elder member of the family deserved respect. “That is … an interesting suggestion.”
“It’s a very reasonable suggestion. Eric’s influence is staggering. He doesn’t have to get the consensus of his house to push his opinions into the council—he is his house. He’s their de facto council member.” He paused at that and frowned. It was another well-known fact that Ronald hoped to be elected as the Ozera council representative. Currently, another family member held that position. “He’d be a powerful ally for anyone hoping to seize the throne—which, of course, we hope Queen Tatiana will remain on for a long, long time.”
“Probably for the rest of our lives. She doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere—ever.”
“Well, I hope she doesn’t. Truly. But she is much older than me, and there’s no point in wasting time while I wait out natural causes. Now, let’s go over there and say hello—just so you’re on Eric’s radar.”
Fury flared in Tasha at Ronald’s presumptuous tone. Just like that, he expected her to jump at his command, to play a role in his convoluted quest for power. He could call her a vision and laud her loveliness all he wanted, but her real value was in what she could offer him. She wanted to call him out on his selfishness and very explicitly let him know how insulting she found his treatment of her, but one didn’t act that way around respected elders. She took a deep breath and swallowed her anger.
“Uncle, you are … always thinking.”
“Indeed. Can’t let any opportunity slip away. Come along.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “You and I might be from far-flung branches of the family tree, but we are all one family. All Ozeras. We need to look out for each other.”
Tasha went with him and consoled herself with the thought that this would be more entertaining than talking to any more of her classmates. She and Ronald waited politely at the edge of Tatiana’s circle—all men his age or older—until the queen’s eyes fell on them. They offered a proper bow and curtsy and were rewarded with a nod of acceptance.
“Your Majesty, this party is magnificent. Even grander than last year,” Ronald said as he straightened up. “You of course remember Natasha, David and Blanche’s daughter.”
“Yes, of course.” Queen Tatiana was an impressive woman, even when she wasn’t decked out in a brocade gown and crown heavy with diamonds and rubies. She carried a presence that dwarfed everyone else’s, and her eyes never missed anything. “I noticed your brother isn’t with us tonight.”
“No, Your Majesty,” said Tasha. “He left with Moira and Christian for our country house tonight. I’ll be joining them tomorrow.”
Tatiana didn’t frown, but her disapproval came through clearly. “It’s strange, missing one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Surely they could have waited until tomorrow as well.”
Tasha had thought so too but now felt obligated to defend Lucas. “Moira was eager to be home. I think she’s been over-tired.”
“Not surprising. I always remember her being a fussy little thing. Quite vain too.”
Again, Tasha secretly agreed but refused to give voice to anything that would slight her family in public. Others in the circle, hoping to win the queen’s favor, were quick to jump in.
“Making a trip like that at this time of night is reckless,” said Nathan Ivashkov. “Especially in light of what just happened.”
“A family in St. Louis was ambushed by Strigoi last week,” Eric Dragomir explained for Tasha and Ronald’s benefit.
“How awful,” said Ronald. “Were their guardians overpowered?”
“No guardians. They weren’t royal,” said Eric.
“No doubt they were careless too.” Nathan glanced at Tasha and Ronald, reminding everyone of Lucas Ozera’s behavior. “It’s unfortunate that there aren’t enough guardians to go around, but that just means one has to stay extra diligent.”
“It seems like there should be some extra guardians available for non-royals, though,” interjected Tasha. She gestured around the room. “My family’s are split tonight, but I’m sure most royals here have their full allotment just hanging around. Why hoard them? Court’s already well guarded. Any royal who knows they’ll be here for an extended period of time should let their guardians take on temporary assignments elsewhere. There still wouldn’t be enough for every Moroi, of course, but it could help any non-royals who happened to be in potentially dangerous situations.”
Everyone stared at her. Ronald looked as though he very much regretted putting her on anyone’s radar.
The queen smiled, but there was no warmth to it. “Natasha, might I have a word alone with you?”
It was the kind of statement that normally preceded the speaker stepping away. Instead, everyone else in the circle immediately moved back to give Tatiana and Tasha space.
Tasha tried not to gulp. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“I like you,” Tatiana said in a tone that expressed exactly the opposite. “And I liked your parents very much. I’d like to see you do well here tonight. I’d like to see you do well in general. As queen, my love extends to all the royal families, not just the Ivashkovs. When my people are happy, I’m happy. Therefore, I’m going to give you some advice that will make both of us happier.”
Tasha, petrified, gave a jerky nod.
Tatiana leaned closer. “You’re only here to look pretty, dear. Not to give your opinions. See that you remember that.”
There were a million possible responses to that, but there was only one that Tasha was allowed to make: “Th-thank you, Your Majesty.”
No one had heard what Tatiana had said, but the others in the earlier conversation knew she’d been chastised. Tasha was more than happy to slink back into the crowd and disappear, though Ronald caught up with her later.
“What were you thinking?” he demanded.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I was just speaking my mind.”
“Sharing our guardians among non-royals is something that’s on your mind?”
“Well …” He wasn’t angry, exactly, but his disapproval unsettled her. Still, she found her courage. “Yes, actually. There are plenty of ways guardians could be better distributed without compromising protection and—”
Ronald groaned. “Tasha, stop. Not tonight. Not in polite company. You know this is a controversial topic. No royal wants to hear about spreading our guardians thin. If you want to gain favor, start coming up with ideas on how to increase protection for royals.”
Tasha nearly suggested one then and there. She’d long thought Moroi wo
uld benefit from learning to protect themselves, but Ronald’s face told her now wasn’t the time. In fact, it would probably never be the time. No one wanted to hear about change. The world was marching on, but the Moroi were locked in the past. And young ladies attending the Summer’s End Ball, ones who wanted to make a good impression, did not challenge the status quo.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I hope I didn’t cause you any trouble.” The words left a bad taste in her mouth, but her contrite tone appeared to soften him.
“Probably not. They’ve all been into so much champagne no one will even remember.”
It was a relief when the party wrapped up and the guests spilled out of the ballroom and into the palace’s massive courtyard to watch the fireworks. Tasha kept away from the others and found a wrought-iron bench tucked away in a corner of the old stone walls, surrounded by honeysuckles that filled the humid air with their perfume. She soon felt a familiar presence stand behind her.
“No rain yet,” she said without turning around.
“No, Lady Tasha,” came Vinh’s quiet reply. Once he’d graduated and been assigned to her family, he’d started using her title. Even here, alone in the shadows, he never broke protocol. She was Lady Ozera in public and Lady Tasha in private. Never anything more familiar. The only concession he’d made was using Tasha instead of Natasha.
She stared off at the clusters of other partygoers, laughing and drinking as they gazed skyward for the show to start. She felt like she was a million miles away from them. “I don’t think I did very well tonight, Vinh.”
“What was it you were trying to—”
She heard him move behind her, and then there was a rustle of leaves and a yelp. Tasha spun around just in time to see Vinh lift a squirming Christian out of a hydrangea bush. Tasha jumped to her feet.
“Christian! What are you doing? Are your parents here?” She glanced around, half expecting Lucas and Moira to emerge from the bush too.
Christian shook his head as Vinh set him on his feet. “N-no. They’re probably at the house by now.”
“And you aren’t with them because …?”
He obviously knew he was in trouble but still met her eyes boldly. “Mom and Dad wanted the feeder to ride with them and Nolan. I think Mom was hungry because she kept going on and on about it. Anyway, it was crowded, so I told them I’d ride in the other car, with Guardian Locke, that borrowed guardian from the Badicas. Except I told him I was riding in the other car with Mom and Dad. So no one knew I was gone. And here I am.”
“To watch the fireworks,” Tasha guessed. “You shouldn’t look so pleased with yourself. Your mother’s going to have a panic attack. If she hasn’t already.”
Before Christian could answer back, a burst of red and gold stars exploded in the dark sky overhead and rained down in a brilliant shower of sparks. Christian’s eyes went wide, and Tasha gave up on scolding him. She leaned toward Vinh. “Get word to Nolan, will you? Maybe we can at least minimize Moira’s outrage.”
Vinh gave a curt nod and disappeared into the darkness. Tasha sat back down and beckoned Christian to join her. He leaned his head against her, and Tasha felt happier than she had all night as she put her arm around him.
“This is all fire magic?” he asked.
“This show, yes. Sometimes they’ll mix it. Use conventional fireworks and then have fire users enhance it.”
Enormous blue flowers glittered above them, changed to silver, and then faded into sparkles.
“Can you do that?”
“No,” she said. “But then I’ve never tried. Maybe we could work on it together one day.”
He turned and looked up at her hopefully. “Do you think I’ll be a fire user too?”
“I do. It’s your best element, and the fact that it’s showing so early means you’ll probably be very powerful.”
He settled back against her. “Maybe I can use that power to make fireworks.”
“I should hope you could use it for something more,” she said, but he was too transfixed to hear her.
Vinh’s wordless return told her he’d reported the unexpected itinerary change. Later, as the three walked back home, he explained, “Nolan didn’t pick up, but I left a message about what happened. I said we’d bring Lord Christian when we drive down tomorrow.”
Christian yawned, his steps growing slow. The eastern sky was purpling. “Aunt Tasha, do you think we could practice making fireworks back at the house?”
She laughed and ruffled his hair. “Haven’t you put your mother through enough tonight?”
A raindrop landed on Tasha’s cheek. Then another, and another. Suddenly, the foreseen shower was on them in full force. “No time for umbrellas,” she called to Vinh as she took off her shoes. “Grab him, and run for it!”
Vinh hoisted Christian onto his back, and they raced through the deluge. Vinh matched her stride, even though Tasha knew he could have easily outrun her. They reached the town house, soaked but laughing. Tasha found towels for all of them and tried to pat her silk dress dry. It stuck to her like a second skin, and mud covered the hem. A few crystals had come loose.
“We’re all going to be in trouble. Hopefully, I can get a cleaner to salvage this tomorrow.”
“Change,” Vinh told her. “I’ll take care of him.”
Tasha gratefully went to her room but soon found the tiny hooks on the back of her sodden dress were impossible to grasp while wet. She peered into the hall and saw Vinh emerging from Christian’s room. He put a finger to his lips and then raised an eyebrow in surprise when she beckoned him to her.
“Help me?” she asked, turning around.
Silence. Stillness. Then, carefully, his fingers brushed the back of her neck and began to work their way down her spine as he effortlessly undid the clasps. She held her breath and couldn’t help but wryly recall that he’d never had trouble taking her clothes off. In the old days, he wouldn’t have stopped when the clasps ended below her shoulders. He certainly wouldn’t have stepped away so quickly. Tasha pressed a hand to her chest to keep the dress from falling off, not that it seemed to be going anywhere in its sticky state. As she turned back, she just barely caught sight of his eyes traveling the length of her body before politely glancing away.
“Do you need anything else, Lady Tasha?”
All sorts of things, she thought. She wondered what he’d do if she asked him to help peel the rest of the gown away. What would he do if she took it off herself and ordered him to watch?
She let out the breath she’d been holding. “No, Vinh. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Out of respect for him, she put on the most modest pajamas she owned. When she softly crept down the stairs later, she saw that he’d switched on the small credenza lamp, providing just enough light for Moroi and dhampir eyes to see by. He looked over her wardrobe choice, and Tasha couldn’t tell if he felt relieved or disappointed.
“Lord Christian fell asleep before I’d even finished buttoning up his pajamas.” A rare, easy smile spread over Vinh’s face. “I hope it’s all right that I just put him straight to bed. I didn’t bother drying his hair or anything.” Vinh’s black hair, always cut short, was already starting to dry.
Tasha’s was still lank and dripping, and she pushed it back. “No different from me. You know, someone called me an ‘effortless beauty’ tonight. I wonder what he’d say now. This is pretty effortless.”
Vinh crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watchful but still relaxed. “He wouldn’t say a word. He’d be too enthralled at the real you, stripped of all the makeup and jewelry and glamour. Nothing to distract. Just the pure, steady flame of who you are.” He could control their physical contact, but sometimes, in private, he left his words unguarded.
Tasha gave a brief smile at the warrior-turned-poet, but the heat of his earlier touch had faded now that she reflected on the evening’s events. She stared off at the rain beating against the living room window. “I don’t know what that flame is. Who the real me is. I keep
trying to be who Natasha Ozera is supposed to be. I go to all the places I’m supposed to. I say the things I’m supposed to—well, most of the time. I do everything I’m meant to … but it turns out that I’m not actually doing them right. Maybe because I don’t really feel that they’re right.”
“Maybe you need a new definition of what ‘right’ is.”
“It’s hard to do anything new around here. You should have seen their faces tonight—including the queen’s—when I suggested a way to reallocate guardians to serve royal and non-royal Moroi. And that’s just the beginning! I think all Moroi should learn some basic fighting. I nearly said it. But then I backed down. I was too intimidated. The rules, the traditions, the judgment … no one can fight against that.”
“Maybe because no one’s tried.”
She glanced back up and couldn’t help another smile. “You’re acting very rebellious tonight.”
“Not me. My role is defined, and I don’t mind following the rules. It suits me. But you? I think you’re something different. I think your role, whatever it is, has yet to be discovered. You’re more than the ‘effortless beauty’ who says the right things … that aren’t actually right.”
Despite the amusement in his last words, his face stayed completely, intensely serious. She felt pinned by his gaze and had no desire to break free of it. “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” she said.
“Start small. Don’t worry about all Moroi learning to defend themselves. You learn it first.”
Tasha laughed outright at that. “If I walked over to the guardians’ office right now, do you think anyone would teach me? Would you?”
He hesitated, caught by his own words. “You don’t need guardians to teach you. Go to any city, and you’ll find endless options. Walk down a street and turn into the first place you find that can teach you any semblance of self-defense. A dojo. A jujitsu studio. A kickboxing class. It doesn’t matter what it is. Start with something, and go from there. Go until you’re unstoppable.”
Vampire Academy: The Untold Stories Page 2
