Last Sacrifice

They'd produced dhampirs long ago, but as the modern world progressed, Moroi had completely withdrawn from intermingling (in an intimate way) with humans. We lived among them, sure. Moroi and dhampirs worked alongside humans out in the world, bought houses in their neighborhoods, and apparently had bizarre arrangements with secret societies like the Alchemists. And, of course, Moroi fed from humans—and that was the thing. If you kept a human close to you, it was because they were a feeder. That was your level of intimacy. Feeders were food, pure and simple. Well-treated food, yes, but not food you became friends with. A Moroi having sex with a dhampir? Racy. A Moroi having sex with a dhampir and drinking blood? Dirty and humiliating. A Moroi having sex with a human—with or without blood drinking? Incomprehensible.

There were few things that shocked me or gave me offense. I was pretty liberal in my views when it came to romance, but the idea of human and Moroi marriage blew me away. It didn't matter if the human was a type of feeder—as Sarah appeared to be—or someone 'above' that like Sydney. Humans and Moroi didn't get together. It was primitive and wrong, which was why it was no longer done. Well, at least not where I came from.

Unlike your people, we still follow the old ways.

The funny thing was that no matter how wrong I thought all this was, Sydney had to feel even more strongly about it with her vampire hang-ups. I supposed she'd been prepared, however, which is why she could manage that cool expression of hers. She hadn't been blindsided like Dimitri and me, because I felt with some certainty that he shared my feelings. He was just better at hiding surprise.

A commotion at the door startled me out of my shock. Raymond had arrived and wasn't alone. A dhampir boy of about eight or so sat on his shoulders, and a Moroi girl about the same age scurried alongside them. A pretty Moroi woman who looked to be in her twenties followed, and behind her was a cute dhampir guy who couldn't have been more than a couple years older than me, if not exactly my age.

Introductions followed. The children were Phil and Molly, and the Moroi woman was named Paulette. They all appeared to live there, but I couldn't exactly figure out the relationships, except for the guy my age. He was Raymond and Sarah's son, Joshua. He had a ready smile for all of us—especially me and Sydney—and eyes that reminded me of the piercing, crystalline blue of the Ozeras. Only, whereas Christian's family tended to have dark hair, Joshua's was a sandy blond with lighter gold highlights. I had to admit, it was an attractive combination, but that stunned part of my brain reminded me again that he'd been born from a human-Moroi hookup, not a dhampir and Moroi like me. The end product was the same, but the means were bizarre.

'I'm putting them in your room,' Sarah told Paulette. 'The rest of you can share the loft.'

It took me a moment to realize 'the rest of you' meant Paulette, Joshua, Molly, and Phil. Glancing up, I saw there was indeed what looked like a loft space covering half the house's width. It didn't look big enough for four people.

'We don't want to inconvenience you,' said Dimitri, sharing my thoughts. He'd been silent for almost all of this wood-land adventure, saving his energy for actions, not words. 'We'll be fine out here.'

'Don't worry about it,' said Joshua, again giving me that pretty smile. 'We don't mind. Angeline won't either.'

'Who?' I asked.

'My sister.'

I repressed a grimace. Five of them crammed up there so that we could have a room. 'Thank you,' said Sydney. 'We appreciate it. And we really won't be staying long.' Their dislike of the vampire world aside, Alchemists could be polite and charming when they chose.

'Too bad,' said Joshua.

'Stop flirting, Josh,' said Sarah. 'Do you three want something to eat before bed? I could warm up some stew. We had it earlier with some of Paulette's bread.'

At the word stew, all my opossum fears came racing back. 'No need,' I said hastily. 'I'd just be fine with bread.'

'Me too,' said Dimitri. I wondered if he was trying to reduce their work or if he shared my food fears. Probably not the latter. Dimitri seemed like the kind of guy you could throw into the wilderness and he would survive off anything.

Paulette had apparently baked a lot of bread, and they let us have a picnic in our small little room with a full loaf and a bowl of butter that Sarah had probably churned herself. The room was about the size of my dorm room at St. Vladimir's, with two down stuffed mattresses on the floor. Quilts neatly covered them, quilts that probably hadn't been used in months with these temperatures. Munching on a piece of bread that was surprisingly good, I ran my hand over one of the quilts.

'It reminds me of some of the designs I saw in Russia,' I said.

Dimitri studied the pattern too. 'Similar. But not quite the same.'

'It's the evolution of the culture,' said Sydney. She was tired but not enough to abandon textbook mode. 'Traditional Russian patterns brought over and eventually fused with a typical Americana patchwork quilt form.'

Whoa. 'Um, good to know.' The family had left us alone while they got ready for bed, and I eyed our cracked door warily. With the noise and activity out there, it seemed unlikely we'd be overheard, but I lowered my voice anyway. 'Are you ready to explain who the hell these people are?'

She shrugged. 'The Keepers.'

'Yeah, I got that. And we're the Tainted. Sounds like a better name for Strigoi.'

'No.' Sydney leaned back against the wooden wall. 'Strigoi are the Lost. You're Tainted because you joined the modern world and left behind their backward ways for your own messed up customs.'

'Hey,' I retorted. 'We're not the ones with overalls and banjos.'

'Rose,' chastised Dimitri, with a pointed look at the door. 'Be careful. And besides, we only saw one person in overalls.'

'If it makes you feel better,' said Sydney, 'I think your ways are better. Seeing humans mixing with all this . . .' The pleasant and professional face she had shown to the Keepers was gone. Her blunt nature was back. 'It's disgusting. No offense.'

'None taken,' I said with a shiver. 'Trust me, I feel the same way. I can't believe . . . I can't believe they live like that.'

She nodded, seeming grateful I shared her view. 'I like you guys sticking with your own kind better. Except . . .'

'Except what?' I prodded.

She looked sheepish. 'Even if the people you come from don't marry humans, you do still interact with them and live in their cities. These guys don't.'

'Which Alchemists prefer,' guessed Dimitri. 'You don't approve of this group's customs, but you do like having them conveniently stashed out of mainstream society.'

Sydney nodded. 'The more vampires who stay off on their own in the woods, the better—even if their lifestyle is crazy. These guys keep to themselves—and keep others out.'

'Through hostile means?' I asked. We'd been met by a war party, and she'd expected it. All of them had been ready to fight: Moroi, dhampir, and human.

'Hopefully not too hostile,' she said evasively.

'They let you through,' said Dimitri. 'They know the Alchemists. Why did Sarah ask about you bringing them things?'

'Because that's what we do,' she said. 'Every so often for groups like these, we drop off supplies—food for everyone, medicine for the humans.' Again, I heard that derision in her voice, but then she turned uneasy. 'The thing is, if Sarah's right, they could be due for an Alchemist visit. That would just be our luck to be here when that happens.'

I was going to reassure her that we only needed to lie low a couple days when an earlier phrase tugged at me. 'Wait. You said ‘groups like these.' How many of these commune things are out there?' I turned to Dimitri. 'This isn't like the Alchemists, is it? Something only some of you know about that you're keeping from the rest of us?'

He shook his head. 'I'm as astonished by all of this as you are.'

'Some of your leaders probably know about the Keepers in a vague way,' said Sydney. 'But no details. No locations. These guys hide themselves pretty well and can move on a moment's notice. They stay away from your