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My mother flipped through some papers on a clipboard. "They don't have forensic details yet,<br />
but the same number of Strigoi couldn't have done this. None of the Drozdovs or their staff<br />
escaped. With five guardians, seven Strigoi would have been preoccupied—at least<br />
temporarily—for some to escape. We're looking at nine or ten, maybe."<br />
"Janine's right," said Dimitri. "And if you look at the venue…it's too big. Seven couldn't have<br />
covered it."<br />
The Drozdovs were one of the twelve royal families. They were large and prosperous, not like<br />
Lissa's dying clan. They had plenty of family members to go around, but obviously, an attack<br />
like this was still horrible. Furthermore, something about them tickled my brain. There was<br />
something I should remember … something I should know about the Drozdovs.<br />
While part of my mind puzzled that out, I watched my mother with fascination. I'd listened to<br />
her tell her stories. I'd seen and felt her fight. But really, truly, I'd never seen her in action in a<br />
real-life crisis. She showed every bit of that hard control she did around me, but here, I could<br />
see how necessary it was. A situation like this created panic. Even among the guardians, I could<br />
sense those who were so keyed up that they wanted to do something drastic. My mother was a<br />
voice of reason, a reminder that they had to stay focused and fully assess the situation. Her<br />
composure calmed everybody; her strong manner inspired them. This, I realized, was how a<br />
leader behaved.<br />
Dimitri was just as collected as she was, but he deferred to her to run things. I had to remind<br />
myself sometimes that he was young as far as guardians went. They discussed the attack more,<br />
how the Drozdovs had been having a belated Christmas party in a banquet hall when they were<br />
attacked.<br />
"First Badicas, now Drozdovs," muttered one guardian. "They're going after royals."<br />
"They're going after Moroi," said Dimitri flatly. "Royal. Non-royal. It doesn't matter."<br />
Royal. Non-royal. I suddenly knew why the Drozdovs were important. My spontaneous<br />
instincts wanted me to jump up and ask a question right now, but I knew better. This was the<br />
real deal. This was no time for irrational behavior. I wanted to be as strong as my mother and<br />
Dimitri, so I waited for the discussion to end.
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