Hopeless Warriors

As I changed out of my heavy dress and into more practical clothing, I traced the sigil on my custom tunic, a gift from Rhea back when I was still training to be a Guardian. I had come home frustrated the day before because my skirt kept getting in the way during hand-to-hand combat. I had sulked in my room all night and didn't even bother coming out for dinner—a very rare occurrence for me. The next day that tunic and a slim pair of trousers were waiting at the foot of my bed with a note from Rhea that read: Show them what you are made of. And I did.Not long after, we were all in a horrific accident while out on an excursion and we never saw them again. Lissa had taken it extremely hard. So much so, that I was worried she would never recover. During the sleepless nights at her bedside watching over her, I promised over and over, to myself—and to Rhea—that I would keep her safe. From that moment on she would always come first and I would do what it took to make sure no harm ever came

Natalie Dashkov was Victor's daughter and only heir. She had grown up alongside the Dragomirs and had become an unofficial cousin to us. She was exceptionally bright, well-spoken, and extremely persuasive. That girl could write the book on ways of getting what you want. Since Victor was acting Warden of St. Vlad's Valley it was his duty to stay behind with Lissa and me, leaving Natalie to act as his representative at official court meetings, a rather fitting role for her actually."Sounds like a blast," I replied sarcastically. "Sorry to miss it, but I have to start training today.""Well, if you're so sorry then maybe you should take my place at the meeting and I'll take yours down at the camp."I paused mid-bite into a large hunk of bread, wide-eyed at her response. She looked at me seriously for a moment before we both burst out laughing, the image of her in a silk gown surrounded by mud and men nearly sending me out of my seat. When my laughing finally subsided, I looked over to t

Eventually, Eddie came searching for me, despite the risk of being on the receiving end of my fury."Hey Rose, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."I was perched at a nearby stream, listening to the sloshing water as I tried to calm my nerves. I didn't bother turning around as Eddie approached so he took it upon himself to plop down next to me."I heard what happened at the sparring station.""Let me guess, Mason couldn't wait to tell you how I flipped out," I sneered."No. Well, I mean yeah Mason told me. But I also heard it from Murray, Alto, a couple guys on the wall—" I let out a loud groan interrupting his rambling and dropped my face into my hands. "Why are you so bothered? I heard it was badass.""It was not badass, Eddie. It was stupid and impulsive. Something the old Rose would do.""What's so wrong with the old Rose? From what I remember, she used to be fun," Eddie nudged my shoulder, jostling my head out of my hands so I was forced to finally look at him."No

RPOVSong: Elephants by WarpaintThe world was a blur, armored figures without faces were surrounded by a light haze. I walked by them, hoping to finally find someone I recognized, but each was the same. Nameless faces and faceless names that would soon be forgotten. I touched a few of their metallic shoulders as they passed me, hoping to spark some kind of familiarity, but they continued strolling by without even a glance in my direction.The crowd grew and I found myself in the middle, feeling trapped amongst the stark warriors. When suddenly, I spotted a gap in the masses where a tall figure stood unmoving between them. I walked closer to it, roughly pushing through the slow-moving hoard of troops and trying my best to keep my sights fixed on where the statuesque figure remained. The closer I got, the sharper the image became. His face was still blurred, like the others, but his eyes...Those eyes.Their deep brown gaze was glued to me, reading me piece by piece. I finally made my

RPOVSongs: Pagan Polska OMINA, Behind a Wall by Blood Red Shoes,Now, don't get me wrong. I knew better than most the need to let off some steam and unwind, and what better way to do so than at the bottom of a fresh pint of ale. I had willingly turned a blind eye to those sneaking in some booze at camp and would allow the occasional night out, but this was a blatant disregard of the camp rules. Not only were the men out well-passed curfew, but they were completely sloshed with a full schedule of training waiting for them tomorrow. These rules were not only set in place for them, but I knew how rowdy they could get and had standards established to keep drunken Dhampir from wreaking too much havoc on the local businesses at all hours of the morning. Spotting the slightly worried look on the barkeep's face told me that I had been right in doing so.I walked over to the bar, not making my presence known yet to sniff out the situation. A somewhat grateful look appeared on Old John's face