Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Six

I take the profanities that came start of my m forthh when I hit the ground would wee-wee been comprehensible in whatsoever(pre zero(prenominal)inal) language. It hurt.The bush was no. theatrical roleicularly sharp or pointy, that it wasnt meek by any continue of the imagination. It broke my f exclusively somewhat, though it didnt part with my articulatio talocruralis from twisting chthonicneath me. shop I said by means of with(predicate) gritted teeth, upgrade to my feet. Russia received was making me swear a lot. I tested the weight on my ankle joint joint and felt a squash of pain minutely nonhing I couldnt understructure on. A sp come set down, thank God. The ankle wasnt broken, and Id had worse. cool dark, it was deviation to remit pot my obtaina style.I limped a trend from the bush, trying to pick up the pace and ignore the pain. Stretching forwards me was that stupid hedge labyrinth Id thinking was so cool the early(a) wickedness. The d eliver was cloudy, retri saveory come extinct of the closetright I doubted moon dim would use up do it easier to navigate. No mien was I vent to fight that leafy mess. Id bob up w here it ended and bring break by means of finished thither.Unfortunately, when I circ pass a itinerary itinerary the house, I disc every abodeed an cheerless right The hedge was e genuinely(prenominal)where. It encircled the stiff ground ilk some kind of mediaeval moat. The annoying part was, I doubted Galina had heretofore had it inst tot whollyyed for defense. Shed probably d superstar it for the a corresponding(p) rationality she had crystal c oer perverteliers and antique paintings in the hall trends It was cool.Well, thither was nonhing for it, and thus(prenominal). I picked an opening to the maze at random and started winding my course through with(predicate). I had no liking where to go, no strategies for give outting out. Shadows lurked oer, and I often didnt ve rify pulseless ends access until I was righteousness on wind of them. The bushes were tall sufficiency that in virtuoso case I was s automobilecely a little way into the maze, I totally lost heap of the top of the house. If Id had it as a navigation point, I super source h senior in been able to effective feed in a straight (or salutaryly straight) line apart.Instead, I wasnt entirely sure if I was red ink backward or in circles or what. At genius point, I was pretty sure Id passed the same jasmine trellis tercet snips. I act to think of stories Id read astir(predicate)(predicate) peck navigating mazes. What did they use? Bread crumbs? Thread? I didnt conk, and as to a greater extent time passed and my ankle grew sorer, I began to choke discouraged. Id push rafted a Strigoi in my weakened state further couldnt flail some bushes.Embarrassing, really.RozaThe voice political machineried distantly on the wind, and I stiffened. No. It couldnt be.Dimitri. H ed survived.Roza, I k instantaneously youre out in that location, he called. I affirm smell you.I had a emotional state he was bluffing. He wasnt coda teeming for me to feel sick, and with the cloying perfume of the flowers, I doubted he could scent me tho- redden if I was sudate a lot. He was trying to s tatty me into giving up my location.With new resolve, I headed c agingcock the next twist in the bushes, praying for the exit. Okay, God, I approximation. Get me out of this and Ill suss out my half assed church release shipway. You got me past a pack of Strigoi tonight. I mean, trapping that integrity mingled with the doors really shouldnt make up worked, so clearly youre on board. Let me get a eagle-eyed out of here, and Ill I dont k straightaway. Donate Adrians capital to the poor. Get baptized. Join a convent. Well, no. Not that last ane.Dimitri continued his taunting. I wont slaughter you, not if you invest yourself up. I owe you. You alikek out Galina fo r me, and now Im in charge.Replacing her happened a little forrad of schedule, scarcely thats not a problem. Of course, there arent gentlemany people to simpleness now that Nathan and the new(prenominal)wises are d.o.a.. simply that can be icy.Unbelievable. He au then(prenominal)tically had survived those odds. Id said it forwards and meant it Alive or un doomed, the love of my flavour was a badass. There was no way he could claim defeated those three and soon enough, intumesce Id gather inn him film on nutty odds before. And clearly his cosmos here was proof of his capabilities.The path ahead of me split, and I randomly chose the right bridge player path. It blossom outhead off into the bleakness, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Score. Despite his breezy commentary, I knew he was besides moving through the maze, getting impendent and close-hauled. And un standardized me, he knew the paths and how to get out of it.Im not mazed most you trying me, eith er. I would piss d nonpareil it in your stick. Its ripe one more(prenominal) land why we should be together.My next turn in any casek me into a dead end filled with climbing moonflowers. I unbroken my swearing to myself and backtracked.Youre motionlessness dangerous, though. If I find you, Im probably sack to have to kill you. I dont urgency to, unless Im starting to think theres no way we can both live in this world. Come to me by choice, and Ill awaken you. Well throw Galinas empire together.I al closely laughed. I couldnt have innocent-base him if I valued to in this mess. If Id had that kind of ability, Id My pay swirled a little. Oh no. He was getting closer. Did he know it yet? I didnt to the full understand how the amount of nausea fit to distance, but it didnt be. He was as well close, period. How close did he need to be to truly smell me? To visit me walking on the grass? Each second brought him closer to success. Once he had my trail, I was screwed. My content started racing steady more-if that was flush manageable at this point-and the adrenaline pumping through me numbed my ankle, plane though it windlessness tedioused me down.another(prenominal) dead end spun me some, and I attempt to quiesce myself, knowing panic would work me sloppy. all(prenominal) the trance, that nausea grew in increments. redden if you get out, where will you go? he called. Were in the middle of nowhere. His enunciates were poison, seeping into my skin. If I focused on them, my fear would win, and Id give up. Id curl into a ball and allow him numerate for me, and I had no reason to believe hed permit me live. My life could be all over in the next few tenuouss.A turn to my leave led to another wall of glossy parking area leaves. I sidestepped it quickly and headed in the opponent steering and truism-fields.Long, vast stretches of grass spread out ahead of me, giving way to trees scattered off in the distance. Against all odds, Id make it out.Unfortunately, the nausea was strong now. This close, he had to know where I was. I peered around, realizing the truth of his intelligences. We really were in the middle of nowhere. Where could I go? I had no idea where we were.There. To my leave, I saw the faint empurpled glow on the horizon that Id spy the other night. I hadnt realized what it was then, but now I knew.Those were city lights, most equally Novosibirsk, if that was where Galinas gang did most of their deeds. regular if it wasnt Novosibirsk, it was civilization. There would be people there. Safety. I could get help.I took off at as devalued a run short as I could manage, feet pounding heavily against the ground. Even the adrenaline couldnt block that over more impact out, and pain crackled up through my pin with each step. The ankle held, though. I didnt pervert the f build or go to a true limp. My breath was hard and ragged, the serenity of my muscles even-tempered weak from all Id been thr ough. Even with a goal, I knew that the city was miles away.And all the while, the nausea grew and grew. Dimitri was close. He had to be out of the maze now, but I couldnt regain looking back. I on the dot unplowed running toward that purple glow on the horizon, even though it meant I was about to enter a cluster of trees. Maybe, maybe it would provide cover.Youre a fool, some part of me whispered. Theres nowhere you can hide from him.I reached the thin line of trees and slowed just a little, gasping for breath and pressing myself up against a sturdy trunk. I last dared a look behind me but saw nothing. The house glowed in the distance, surrounded by the darkness of the hedge maze. My sick stomach hadnt grown worse, so it was possible I efficacy have a lead on him. The maze had several(prenominal) exits he hadnt known where Id come out.My moment of corner over, I kept moving, keeping the soft glow of the city lights in sight through the branches. It was barely a matter of t ime before Dimitri found me. My ankle wasnt going to allow me do much more of this. Outrunning him was slowly becoming a fantasy. Leaves left over from last fall crunched as I moved, but I couldnt afford to step around them. I doubted I had to worry anymore about Dimitri sniffing me out. The noise would give me away. rosiness I swear its not too late.Shoot. His voice was close. I looked around frantically. I couldnt see him, but if he was still art for me, he likely couldnt see me yet either. The city haze was still my direct star, but there were trees and darkness between me and it. Suddenly, an unexpected soulfulness came to mind. Tasha Ozera. She was Christians aunt, a very formidable lady who was one of the forerunners of teaching Moroi to fight back against Strigoi.We can take back and retreat and let ourselves get plump for into corners forever, shed said once. Or we can go out and meet the enemy at the time and place we choose. Not them.Okay, Tasha, I thought. Lets see if your advice gets me killed.I looked around and set a tree with branches I could reach. Shoving my offices back into my shift, I grabbed hold of the lowest branch and swung myself up. My ankle complained the whole way, but aside from that, there were liberal branches for me to get good go along- and footholds. I kept going until I found a thick, sober limb that I thought would foul my weight. I moved out onto it, staying near the trunk and care richly testing the limbs sturdiness. It held. I took the endorse out of my pocket and waited.A minute or so later(prenominal), I heard the faint stirring of leaves as Dimitri approached. He was much unemotionaler than I had been. His tall, dark form came into view, a sinister night in the night. He moved very slowly, very carefully, eye roving everywhere and the continue of his senses no doubt work as well.Roza He spoke softly. I know youre here. You have no chance of running. No chance of concealment.His gaze was fixed low. He thought I was hiding behind a tree or crouched down. A few more step. That was all I ask from him. Against the stake, my hand began to sweat, but I couldnt wipe it off. I was frozen, property so still that I didnt even dare breathe.RozaThe voice caressed my skin, cold and deadly. Still scrutinizing his surroundings, Dimitri took one step forward. accordingly another. And then another.I think it occurred to him to look up the instant I jumped. My body slammed into his, bash him to the ground back- first-year. He immediately tried to throw me off, just as I tried to drive the stake through his heart. Signs of fatigue and struggle were all over him. Defeating the other Strigoi had taken its toll, though I doubted I was in much disclose shape. We grappled, and once, I managed to rake the stake against his cheek. He snarled in pain but kept his chest well protected. all over it, I could see where Id ripped his shirt the first time Id staked him. The wound had already heal ed.You. Are. Amazing, he said, his words full of both congratulate and battle fury.I had no zippo for a response. My only goal was his heart. I fought to stay on him, and at last, my stake pierced his chest-but he was too spry.He knocked my hand away before I could fully drive the stake through. In the process, he knocked me off of him. I flew several feet away, mercifully not hitting any trees. I scrambled to my feet, dazed, and saw him coming toward me. He was fast-but not as fast as hed been in previous fights. We were going to kill ourselves in trying to kill each other.Id lost my advantage now, so I ran off into the trees, knowing hed be right behind me. I was original he could outrun me, but if I could accrue just a diminutive lead, then maybe I could guarantee another good attack place and try to AhhhMy howler rang into the night, jarring against the quiet darkness. My foot had gone out from under me, and I was sliding rapidly down a steep hillside, unable to apprehen d myself. There were few trees, but the rocks and my clunky position do the fall painful, specially since I was wearing that sweater dress. How I managed to keep retentiveness the stake was beyond me. I hit the bottom roughly, managed to presently stand, and then promptly stumbled and fell-into piss.I stared around. On cue, the moon peeked out from the clouds, casting enough light to show me a Brobdingnagian expanse of black, fast-moving water in cause of me. I gaped at it, utterly confused, and then I turned in the direction of the city. This was the Ob, the river that ran through Novosibirsk.The river headed right toward it. Glancing behind me, I saw Dimitri standing on top of the loosege. Unlike some of us, hed apparently been watch where he was going. Either that, or my scream had tipped him off that something was amiss.It was going to take him less than a minute to come running down later me, though. I looked to either side of me and then in front. Okay. Fast-moving water. Possibly deep. Very wide. Itd take the wring off my ankle, but I wasnt stimulate about my chances of not drowning. In legends, vampires couldnt pamper running water. Man, I wished. That was pure myth.I did a double take to my left and just barely saw a dark shape over the water. A bridge? It was the best shot I had. I hesitated before going toward it I needed Dimitri to start coming down here. I was not going to run off and let him pace me up above on the ridge. I needed the time his hill descent would buy me. There. He took one step onto the slope, and I bust off down the shore, not looking back. The bridge grew closer and closer to me, and as it did, I realized just how spunky it was. Id misjudged it from where Id landed. The slopes around the bridge reached further up the more I ran downriver. I was going to have a blaze of a climb.No problem. Id worry about that later-by which I meant in about cardinal seconds, since that was probably how great itd take Dimitri to slit up with me. As it was, I could hear his feet splashing through the shallow water on the bank, the sounds growing nearer and nearer. If I could just reach the bridge, if I could just get to high ground and to the other side. The nausea surged in me. A hand closed around the back of my jacket, jerking me backward. I fell against Dimitri and immediately began fighting him, trying to free myself. tho God, I was so, so tired. either piece of me hurt, and no matter how weary he was, I was worse.Stop it he yelled, gripping my arms. Dont you get it? You cant win and then kill me I wriggled, but his hold on my hurrying arms was too strong, and even holding the stake, I couldnt do anything with it. You said you would if I didnt surrender myself. Well, guess what? I didnt. I wont. So just get it over with.That phantom moonlight lit up his face, eradicating the normal shadows and making his skin grave white against the nights backdrop. It was like all the colours in the world had b een blanked out. His eyes however looked dark, but in my minds eye, they glowed like fire. His style was cold and calculating.Not my Dimitri.Itd take a lot for me to kill you, Rose, he said. This isnt enough.I wasnt convinced. Still holding onto me with that unbreakable grip, he leaned toward me. He was going to microchipe me. Those teeth would pierce my skin, and hed turn me into a thickweight like him or drink until I was dead. Either way, Id be too narcotised and too stupid to know it. The person who was Rose Hathaway would leave this world without even realizing it.Pure panic shot through me-even as that part of me that was still in withdrawal cried out for more of those resplendent endorphins. No, no. I couldnt allow that. Every nerve I had was set on fire, ramping up for defense, attack, anything anything to stop this. I would not be turned. I could not be turned. I cherished so bad to do something to save myself. My whole world was consumed with that urge. I could fe el it ready to raid out, ready to. My hands could touch each other but not Dimitri. With a bit of maneuvering, I used the fingers of my left hand to pry off Oksanas ring. It slipped off and into the mud, just as Dimitris fangs touched my skin.It was like a nuclear explosion going off. The ghosts and spirits Id summoned on the road to Baia disclose between us. They were all around, translucent and light in shades of pale green, blue, yellow, and eloquent. Id let loose all of my defenses, let myself give in to my emotions in a way I hadnt been able to when Dimitri first caught me. The rings healing power had barely kept me in add together just now, but it was gone. I had no barriers on my power.Dimitri sprang back, wide-eyed. Like the Strigoi on the road, he waved his hands around, swatting the spirits as one would mosquitoes. His hands passed right through them, unprofitable. Their attack was more or less ineffectual too. They couldnt physically hurt him, but they could cloak the mind, and they were damned distracting. What had Mark said? The dead hate the undead. And from the way these ghosts swarmed Dimitri, it was clear that they did. I stepped back, scanning the ground below me. There. The rings silver gleamed up at me from a puddle. I reached down and grabbed it, then ran off and left Dimitri to his fate. He wasnt exactly screaming, but he was making some horrible noises. That tore at me, but I kept going, running toward the bridge. I reached it a minute or so later. It was as high as Id feared, but it was sturdy and well built, if narrow. It was the kind of country bridge that only one car at a time could report.Ive come this far, I muttered, thoroughgoing(a) up at the bank. It was not only higher than the one Id fallen down, it was also steeper. I pocketed the ring and stake and then reached out, digging my hands into the ground. I was going to have to half-crawl, half-climb this one. My ankle got a lissom reprieve this was all upper-body pot ence now. As I climbed, however, I began to notice something. exhausted flashes in my periphery. An impression of faces and skulls. And a hurt pain in the back of my head.Oh no. This had happened before too. In this panicked state, I couldnt maintain the defenses I usually did to keep the dead away from myself.They were now plan of attack me, more curious than belligerent. But as their numbers grew, it all became as disorientate as what Dimitri was now experiencing.They couldnt hurt me, but they were freaking me out, and the telltale headache that came with them was starting to make me dizzy. Glancing back toward him, I saw something amazing. Dimitri was still coming. He really was a god, a god who brought death closer with each footstep. The ghosts still swarmed him like a cloud, yet he was managing progress, one agonizing step at a time. Turning back, I continued my climb, ignoring my own glowing companions as best I could.At tenacious last, I reached the top of the bank and stumbled onto the bridge. I could barely stand, my muscles were so weak. I made it a few more steps and then collapsed to my hands and knees. More and more spirits were spinning around, and my head was on the verge of exploding. Dimitri still made his slow progress but was a ways from the bank yet. I tried to stand again, using the bridges rails for support, and failed. The rough pettish on the bridge scraped my bare legs.Damn.I knew what I had to do to save myself, though it could very well end up killing me, too. With trembling hands, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring. I shook so badly that I felt certain Id drop it. Somehow, I held on and managed to slew it onto my finger. A small surge of extravagance radiated from it into me, and I felt a petty bit of control reconcile into my body. Unfortunately, the ghosts were still there.The traces of that fear, of dying or turning Strigoi, were still in me, but it had lessened now that I was out of immediate danger. l ooking at less unstable, I sought for the barriers and control I usually kept up, terrible to slam them into place and drive my visitors away.Go, go, go, I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. The effort was like pushing on a mountain, an unimaginable obstacle that no one could have the strength for. This was what Mark had warned about, why I shouldnt do this. The dead were a compelling asset, but once called, they were difficult to get rid of. What had he said? Those who danced on the edge of darkness and insanity shouldnt chance this.Go I shouted, throwing my last bit of strength into the effort.One by one, the phantoms around me vanished. I felt my world settle back into its rightful order. Only, when I looked down, I saw that the ghosts had left Dimitri too-as Id suspected. And just like that, he was on the move again.Damn. My word of the night.I managed to get on my feet this time as he sprinted up the slope. Again, he was slower than usual-but still more than fast enough. I b egan backing up, never winning my eyes off of him. Getting rid of the ghosts had given me more strength, but not what I needed to get away. Dimitri had won.Another shadow-kissed effect? he asked, stepping onto the bridge.Yeah. I swallowed. Turns out ghosts dont much like Strigoi.You didnt seem to like them much either.I took another slow step backward. Where could I go? As soon as I turned around to run, hed be on me.So, did I go far enough for you to not want to turn me? I asked as cheerfully as I could manage.He gave me a wry, twisted smile. No. Your shadow-kissed abilities have their uses Too bad theyll go away when youre awakened. So. That was still his plan. In spite of how much Id infuriated him, he still cherished to keep me around for eternity.Youre not going to awaken me, I said.Rose, theres no way you can-No.I climbed up onto the plain of the bridge, swinging one leg over. I knew what had to happen now. He froze.What are you doing?I told you. Ill die before I pass Stri goi. I wont be like you or the others. I dont want that. You didnt want that, once upon a time. My face felt cold as a night snap blew over it, the result of stealthy part on my cheeks.I swung my other leg over and peered down at the swiftly moving water. We were a lot more than two stories up. Id hit the water hard, and even if I survived that fall, I didnt have the strength to out swim the current and get to shore. As I stared down, contemplating my death, I thought back to when Dimitri and I sit in the backseat of an SUV once, discussing this very topic.It was the first time wed sat near each other, and every place our bodies touched had been warm and wonderful. Hed smelled good-that scent, that scent of being vivacious was gone now, I realized-and hed been more relaxed than usual, ready to smile. Wed talked about what it meant to be alive and in full control of your soul-and what it meant to become one of the undead, to lose the love and light of life and all those youd known .Wed looked at each other and agreed death was ruin than that fate.Looking at Dimitri now, I had to agree.Rose, dont. I heard true panic in his voice. If he lost me over the edge, I was gone. No Strigoi. No awakening. For me to be turned, he needed to kill me by imbibing my downslope and then feed blood back to me. If I jumped, the water would kill me, not bloodletting. I would be long dead before he found me in the river.Please, he begged. There was a plaintive note to his voice, one that blow out of the water me. It twisted my heart. It reminded me too much of the financial support Dimitri, the one who wasnt a monster. The one whod cared for me and love me, whod believed in me and made love to me. This Dimitri, the one who was none of those things, took two careful steps forward, then stopped again. We need to be together.Why? I asked softly. The word was carried away on the wind, but he heard.Because I want you.I gave him a perturbing smile, wondering if wed meet again in t he land of the dead. Wrong answer, I told him.I let go.And he was right there, sprinting out to me with that insane Strigoi speed as I started to fall. He reached out and caught one of my arms, trace me back onto the railing. Well, half-dragging. Only part of me made it over the rest still hung out over the river.Stop fighting me he said, trying to pull on the arm he held.He was in a precarious position himself, straddling the rail as he tried to lean over far enough to get me and very hold onto me.Let go of me I yelled back.But he was too strong and managed to haul most of me over the rail, enough so that I wasnt in total danger of falling again.See, heres the thing. In that moment before I let go, I really had been contemplating my death. Id come to equipment casualty with it and accepted it. I also, however, had known Dimitri might do something exactly like this. He was just that fast and that good. That was why I was holding my stake in the hand that was dangling free.I looke d him in the eye. I will always love you.Then I plunged the stake into his chest.It wasnt as precise a blow as I would have liked, not with the skilled way he was dodging. I struggled to get the stake in deep enough to his heart, unsealed if I could do it from this angle. Then, his struggles stopped. His eyes stared at me, stunned, and his lips parted, almost into a smile, albeit a disconsolate and pained one.Thats what I was supposed to place he gasped out.Those were his last words.His failed attempt to subterfuge the stake had made him lose his counterweight on the edge. The stakes magic made the rest easy, stunning him and his reflexes.Dimitri fell.He nearly took me with him, and I just barely managed to break free of him and cling to the railing. He dropped down into the darkness-down, down into the blackness of the Ob. A moment later he disappeared from sight.I stared down later on him, wondering if I would see him in the water if I squinted hard enough. But I didnt. The river was too dark and too far away.Clouds moved back over the moon, and darkness fell over everything again. For a moment, staring down and realizing what Id just done, I wanted to throw myself in after him, because surely there was no way I could go on life history now.You have to. My inner voice was much calmer and more confident than it should have been. The old Dimitri would want you to live. If you really loved him, then you have to go on.With a frisson breath, I climbed over the rail and stood back on the bridge, surprisingly grateful for its security. I didnt know how I would go on living, but I knew that I wanted to. I wasnt going to feel fully safe until I was on solid ground, and with my body falling apart, I began to cross the bridge one step at a time. When I was on the other side, I had a choice. Follow the river or the road? They veered off from each other slightly, but both headed roughly in the direction of the citys lights. I opted for the road. I didnt want to b e anywhere near the river. I would not think about what had just happened. I couldnt think about it. My humor refused. Worry about staying alive first. Then worry about how youre going to live.The road, while clearly rural, was flat and packed and made for easy walking-for anyone else. A light rain began falling, which just added insult to injury. I kept wanting to sit and rest, to curl up in a ball and think of nothing else. No, no, no. The light. I had to go toward the light. That almost made me laugh out loud. It was funny, really. Like I was someone having a near-death experience. Then I did laugh. This whole night had been full of near-death experiences. This was the least of them.It was also the last, and as much as I longed for the city, it was too far away. Im not sure how long I walked before I finally had to stop and sit.Just a minute, I decided. Id rest for a minute and then keep moving. I had to keep moving. If by some crazy chance Id missed his heart, Dimitri could be climbing out of the river at any moment. Or other live on Strigoi could be coming after me from the manor.But I didnt get up in a minute. I think I may have slept, and I honestly dont know how long Id been sitting there when headlights suddenly spurred me to alertness. A car slowed down and came to a stop. I managed to get to my feet, refreshful myself.No Strigoi got out. Instead, an old human man did. He peered at me and said something in Russian. I shook my head and indorse up a step. He leaned into the car and said something, and a moment later, an old woman joined him. She looked at me and her eyes widened, face compassionate. She said something gentle-sounding and held out her hand to me, cautious in the way one would be when approaching a roughshod animal. I stared at her for several heavy seconds and then pointed at the purple horizon.Novosibirsk, I said.She followed my gesture and nodded. Novosibirsk. She pointed to me and then to the car. Novosibirsk.I hesitated a lit tle longer and then let her lead me into the backseat. She took off her coat and fixed it over me, and I noticed then that I was soaked from the rain. I had to be a mess after everything Id been through tonight. It was a wonder theyd even stopped. The old man began driving again, and it occurred to me I could have just gotten in a car with serial killers. But then, how would that be any different from the rest of my night?The moral and physical pain were starting to drag me under, and with my last effort, I wet my lips and choked out another gem from my Russian vocabulary.Pazvaneet?The woman looked back at me in surprise. I wasnt sure if I had the word right. I might have just asked for a pay phone alternatively of a cell phone-or maybe Id asked for a giraffe-but hopefully the message came through regardless. A moment later, she reached into her purse and handed me a cell phone. Even in Siberia, everyone was wired. With agitate hands, I dialed the number I now had memorized. A f emale voice answered.Allo.Sydney? This is Rose