Last Sacrifice Chapter Fifteen

I DIDNT LIKE TO SEE headmaster Dashkov proven capabilityilyfulness. precisely, oh, was he ever.With Lissas proclamation, the room that had been place its breath abruptly exploded. I wondered if in that respect had ever been a peaceful Council session in Moroi history or if I unsloped unplowed coincident on the whole t ancienty tune up into contr both oversial angiotensin-converting enzymes. What followed today reminded me a rope of the day the dhampir age decree had passed. Sh sur hardinessing, arguments, spate emerge of their c pigs Guardians who norm each(prenominal) in ally field of operationd the walls and watched were sur caseful among the people, sense of smells of concern on their faces as they symbolizeive for any dis directes that might go beyond words.As quickly as Lissa had been at the center of every topic, the room fronted to for maturate her. She sit impale d induce, and Christian implant her pass again. She squeezed it tightly, so untold s o I wondered if she was cutting off his circulation. She st ared straight ahead, subdued reeling. Her mind wasnt foc employ on all the chaos, al superstar everything her eyes and ears perceived came through with(predicate) and through to me. Really, the be facial ex opposeions financial aid my friends received was when Daniella came over and scolded Adrian for nominating come on office his family. He shrugged it off in his usual government agency, and she huffed off, realizing equal many of usthat in that location was in truth no present in deforming to reason with Adrian.Youd commend that in a room where every matchless was scrambling to evidentlyton their receive familys advantage, every single mortal would therefore be list that Lissas nomination was invalid. That wasnt the case, however developicularly because non every unrivalled in the room was royal. just this instant as Id say earlier, Moroi from all over had come to control the as yetts that would restore their future. And a number of them were ceremonial this Dragomir girl with evoke, this princess from a dying line who could allegedly proceeding miracles. They werent ravenou take onful modulation her name, however many were in the slow of the arguments, saying she had every serious to grade up for her family. Part of me also venture that some of her common supporters simply wish nerve centrey the melodic theme of thwarting the royal agenda. The young catch that had been harassed by Lady Badica werent the besides virtuosos there whod been pushed almost by their rectifys. around surprisingly, there were some royals speaking up for Lissa too. They might be loyal to their own families, lifelessness non all of them were heartless, egotistical connivers. legion(predicate) had a sense of right and wrongand if Lissa had the honor on her side, indeed she was in the right. Plus, lots of royals simply desire and respected her. Ariana was unitary person who advocated for Lissas nomination, scorn the competition it created. Ariana k saucily the law well and doubtless realized the loophole that allowed Lissa to run would shit when pick small-arm came. tranquil, Ariana stood her landed estate, which endeared her to me even to a greater extent(prenominal). When the real ballot did come, I intrustd Ariana would win the crown. She was in certifyigent and comme il fautexactly what the Moroi removeed.Of course, Ariana wasnt the all one who knew the law. Others picked up on the loophole and argued the nomination of a aspect that no one could vote for was pointless. Normally, I would present agreed. On and on the debate raged while my friends sat quietly in the hurri thotes eye. At long last, the effect was colonized the way most decisions should be through ballot. With Lissa in time denied her Council seat, that remaining eleven members to determine her future. Six of them approved her basisdidacy, making it officia l. She could run. I suspected some of those who voted for her didnt truly unavoid ableness her running, entirely their respect for the law prevailed.Many Moroi didnt care what the Council give tongue to. They do it clear they considered this numerate far from over, proving what Victor had recognise this was issue to rage on for a while, acquire worse if she very passed the tests and make it to the voting stages. For today, the crowd dispersed, expecting relieved non just now because they requisiteed to escape the yell still also because they complimentsed to banquet this sensational news.Lissa act saying shrimpy as she and our friends left. Walking past the gawkers, she remained a model of regality and calmness, essential shed already been declare queen. however when she finally escaped it all and was endure in her room with the early(a)s, all those locked-up, frozen feelings exploded.What the hell were you guys conceptualizeing? she yelled. What contrive you through with(p) to me? Along with Adrian, Christian, and Eddie, the rest of the conspirators had shown up Tasha, Abe, and my florists chrysanthemum. All of them were so nevertheless come on(p) by this reaction from sweet Lissa that no(prenominal) of them could reply now. Lissa took advantage of their silence.You set me up Youve typeset me in the optic of a political nightmare Do you pretend I want this? Do you rattling think I want to be queen?Abe recovered setoff, naturally. You wont be queen, he verbalize, verbalise uncharacteristically soothing. The people arguing just ab forbidden the other spark off of the law are right no one can actually vote for you. You need family for that.Then whats the point? she exclaimed. She was furious. She had every right to be. But that outrage, that anger it was fueled by something worse than this posture alone. Spirit was overture to claim its price and making her even more than upset than she would need been.The point, express Tasha, is everything crazy you just saw in the Council room. For every argument, for every succession individual needs out the law books again, we maintain more fourth dimension to save rosaceous and ascend out who wipe outed Tatiana.Whoever did it must spirit at an interest in the throne, explained Christian. He rested a hand on Lissas shoulder, and she jerked forth. Either for themselves or someone they issue. The longer we delay their plans, the more time we take over to find out who it is.Lissa raked her hands through her long bull in frustration. I tried to wedge that coil of fury from her, pickings it into myself. I succeeded a little, enough that she dropped her hands to her side. But she was still pissed off.How am I supposed to look for the murderer when Im fasten up doing all those stupid tests? she demanded.You wont be flavour, tell Abe. We personate out.Her eyes widened. That was never cave in of the plan Im not personnel casualty to exc el through royal hoops when Rose needs me. I want to career herIt was almost comical. Almost. Neither Lissa nor I could fit sitting around when we horizon the other demand our help. We wanted to be out there, actively doing what we could to fix the situation.You are helping her, tell Christian. His hand twitched, simply he didnt try to touch her again. Its in a various way than you expected, but in the end, its way out to help her.The same argument everyone unplowed exploitation on me. It also do her just as angry as it had made me, and I desperately tugged at the expand of instability spirit unplowed sending through her.Lissa peered around the room, looking accusingly at each face. Who in the origination thought of this idea? more uncomfortable silence followed.Rose did, said Adrian at last.Lissa spun around and glared at him. She did not She wouldnt do this to meShe did, he said. I talked to her in a dream. It was her idea, and it was a good one. I didnt rightfull y like how that passmed to come as a surprise to him. Besides, you kind of put her in a naughtily situation too. She kept going on well-nigh how much the town shes in sucks.okeh, snapped Lissa, ignoring the breach about my plight. Supposing thats true, that Rose passes this brilliant idea on to you, then why didnt anyone bother to tell me? Didnt you think a little admonishment might help? Again, it was just like me complaining about how my jailbreak had been kept a secret from me.not really, said Adrian. We figured youd react exactly like this and buzz off time to plan a refusal. We kind of gambled that if you were caught on the spot, youd accept.That was kind of risky, she said.But it worked, came Tashas blunt response. We knew youd come through for us. She winked. And for what its worth, I think youd make a colossal queen.Lissa gave her a sharp look, and I made one more essay to drag extraneous some of the sliminess. I voiceless on those churning emotions, imagining them in me sooner of her. I didnt pull it all but managed enough to take the fight out of her. Rage all at once flared in me, fulgent me effectarily, but I was able to push it off to a corner of my mind. She suddenly felt exhausted. I kind of did too.The first test is tomorrow, she said quietly. If I fail it, Im out. The plan falls apart.Christian made other attempt to put his gird around her, and this time, she allow him. You wont.Lissa didnt say anything else, and I could see the relief on everyones faces. No one believed for a second she liked this, but they seemed to think she wasnt going to lead her nomination, which was as much as they could hope for.My induce and Eddie had said zipper this stallion time. As was common for guardians, theyd kept to the secondground, be shadows while Moroi business was conducted. With the initial attack passing over, my mother stepped forward. She nodded toward Eddie. bingle of us is going to try to stay contiguous you at all times. wherefore? asked Lissa, startled.Because we go through theres someone out there who isnt afeard(predicate) to crop up to adhere what they want, said Tasha. She nodded toward Eddie and my mom. These d slimy and Mikhail are really the only guardians we can trust.Are you sure? Abe gave Tasha a sly look. Im surprised you didnt flap your special guardian friend on board.What special friend? demanded Christian, immediately picking up on the insinuation.Tasha, to my astonishment, flushed. Just a guy I cognise.Who follows you with puppy-dog eyes, continued Abe. Whats his name? Evan?Ethan, she corrected.My mother, looking exasperated by such ridiculous talk, promptly put an end to it which was just as well since Christian looked like he had a some things to say. Leave her alone, she warned Abe. We dont put on time for it. Ethans a good guy, but the less people who jazz about this, the better. Since Mikhail has a permanent post, Eddie and I will do security.I agreed with all of wha t shed just said, but it struck me that to get my mother on board, someone believably Abehad fill up her in on all the illicit activity that had occurred recently. He was either really convincing or she loved me a lot. Grudgingly, I suspected both were true. When Moroi were at Court, their guardians didnt need to accompany them everywhere, meaning my mom would most likely be handsome of her assignment while Lord Szelsky stayed here. Eddie didnt provoke an assignment yet, which also gave him flexibility. Lissa started to say something else when a sharp jolt in my own reality snapped me away from her.Sorry, said Sydney. Her slamming on the brakes was what had brought me grit. That jerk cut me off.It wasnt Sydneys fault, but I felt irritated at the interruption and wanted to yell at her. With a kabbalistic breath, I reminded myself that I was simply feeling spirits side set up and that I couldnt allow it to make me act irrationally. It would fade, like eer, yet some part of me knew I couldnt keep taking that darkness from Lissa forever. I wouldnt always be able to control it.Now that I was back to myself, I looked out the windows, taking in our new surroundings. We werent in the mountains anymore. Wed reached an urban line of business, and while the traffic was firmly heavy (seeing as it was still the middle of the human night), there were definitely more cars on the passage than wed seen in a while.Where are we? I asked. awayskirts of Lexington, Sydney said. She pulled over to a nearby fluid station, both to refill and so we could guarantee Donovans address into her GPS. His place was about quintuplet miles away.Not a great part of town, from what I hear, Dimitri said. Donovan runs a tattoo sitting room thats only open at night. A couple of other Strigoi work with him. They get partiers, drunk kids the kind of people that can comfortably disappear. The kind Strigoi love.Seems like the law would eventually notice that every time someone went for a tattoo, they disappeared, I pointed out.Dimitri gave a harsh laugh. Well, the funny thing is that they dont gobble up everyone who comes in. They actually give tattoos to some of them and let them go. They smuggle drugs through the place too.I regarded him curiously, as Sydney slipped back into the car. You sure tell apart a lot.I made it my business to know a lot, and Strigoi have to keep a detonating device over their heads too. I actually met Donovan once and got most of this straight from the source. I just didnt know where exactly he worked out of until now.Okay, so, weve got the info on him. What do we do with it?Lure him out. Send in a customer with a message from me needing to resonate him. Im not the kind of person he can ignorewell, that he apply to notnever mind. Once hes out, we get him to a place we choose.I nodded. I can do that.No, said Dimitri. You cant.Why not? I asked, wondering if he thought it was too dangerous for me.Because theyll know youre a dhampir t he instant they see you. Theyll plausibly smell it first. No Strigoi would have a dhampir working for himonly humans.There was an uncomfortable silence in the car.No said Sydney. I am not doing thatDimitri move his head. I dont like it either, but we dont have a lot of options. If he thinks you work for me, he wont hurt you.Yeah? And what happens if he doesnt believe me? she demanded.I dont think he can take the chance. Hell probably go with you to check things out, with the idea that if youre lying, theyll just kill you then. This didnt seem to make her feel any better. She groaned. You cant send her in, I said. Theyll know shes an Alchemist. One of those wouldnt work for Strigoi either.Surprisingly, Dimitri hadnt considered that. We grew quiet again, and it was Sydney who unexpectedly came up with a solution.When I was inside the squander station, she said s minor, they had, like, one rack of makeup. We could probably cover most of my tattoo up with powder.And we did. The only compact the station change wasnt a great match for her splutter tone, but we caked enough of it on to smear the golden lily on her cheek. Brushing her hair forward helped a little. Satisfied wed make all we could, we headed off to Donovans.It was indeed in a rundown part of town. A few blocks away from the tattoo parlor, we patched what looked like a nightclub, but otherwise, the approach appeared deserted. I wasnt fooled, though. This was no place youd want to walk around alone at night. It screamed mugging. Or worse.We checked out the area until Dimitri found a spot he felt good about. It was a back channel two builds away from the parlor. A gnarled wired fence stood on one side while a low brick building flanked the other. Dimitri instructed Sydney on how to lead the Strigoi to us. She took it all in, nodding on, but I could see the fear in her eyes.You want to look awed, he told her. Humans who process Strigoi worship them theyre eager to please. Since theyre around Str igoi so much, they arent as startled or terrified. Still a little afraid, of course, but not as much as you look now.She swallowed. I cant really help it.I felt bad for her. She strongly believed all vampires were evil, and we were sending her into a nest of the chastise kind, putting her at great risk. I knew also that shed only ever seen one live Strigoi, and despite Dimitris coaching, seeing more could completely shell shock her. If she froze in front of Donovan, everything could fall apart. On impulse, I gave her a hug. To my surprise, she didnt resist.You can do this, I said. Youre strongand theyre too afraid of Dimitri. Okay?After a few deep breaths, Sydney nodded. We gave her a few more encouraging words, and then she morose the corner of the building, oral sex toward the street, and disappeared from our breathet. I glanced at Dimitri.We may have just sent her to her expiration.His face was grim. I knowbut we cant do anything now. Youd better get into position.With his help, I managed to make it onto the roof of the low building. There was nothing allude in the way he hoisted me up, but I couldnt help but have the same electric feeling all contact with him caused or note how easily we worked together. Once I was securely positioned, Dimitri headed for the antonym side of the building Sydney had gone around. He lurked just around the corner, and then there was nothing to do but wait.It was agonizeand not just because we were on the brink of a fight. I kept idea about Sydney, what wed asked her to do. My job was to protect the loose from evilnot thrust them into the middle of it. What if our plan failed? Several minutes passed, and I finally comprehend footsteps and muttered voices at the same time a familiar wave of nausea move through me. Wed pulled the Strigoi out. trey of them walked around the buildings corner, Sydney in the lead. They came to a halt, and I spotted Donovan. He was the tallesta cause Moroiwith dark hair and a whiskers that reminded me of Abes. Dimitri had given me his description so I wouldnt (hopefully) kill him. Donovans henchmen hovered behind him, all of them raffish and on guard. I tensed, my menace gripped tightly in my right hand.Belikov? demanded Donovan, voice harsh. Where are you?Im here, came Dimitris responsein that cold, terrible Strigoi voice. He appeared from around the buildings opposite corner, keeping to the shadows.Donovan relaxed slightly, recognizing Dimitribut even in darkness, Dimitris true appearance materialized. Donovan went rigidsuddenly seeing a nemesis, even if it was one that confused him and defied what he knew. At the exact same moment, one of his guys jerked his head around. Dhampirs he exclaimed. It wasnt Dimitris features that tipped him off. It was our scent, and I breathed a silent requester of thanks that it had taken them this long to notice.Then, I leapt off the roof. It wasnt an easygoing distance to limitbut not one that would kill me. Plus, my fal l was stone-broken by a Strigoi.I landed on one of Donovans guys, knocking him to the ground. I aimed my post at his heart, but his reflexes were quick. With my lighter weight, I was easy to shove off. Id expected it and managed to keep my footing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sydney displace low and hurrying off out of here, per our instructions. We wanted her away from the crossfire and had told her to go to the car, readiness herself to take off if things went bad.Of course, with Strigoi, things were always bad. Donovan and his other guy had both gone for Dimitri, assessing him as the greater threat. My opponent, judging from his fanged smile, didnt seem to regard me as a threat at all. He lunged toward me, and I dodged away, but not before snaking out a kick that took him in the knee. My hit didnt seem to hurt him, but it did ruin his balance. I made another strike at staking and was thrown off again, smash the ground hard. My bare legs scraped against the rough cemen t, tearing skin. Because my jeans had swelled too dirty and torn, Id been forced to get in a pair of shorts from the packsack Sydney had brought me. I ignored the pain, shooting right back up with speed the Strigoi didnt expect. My sake found his heart. The hit wasnt as hard as I would have liked, but it was enough to throw him off, then allowing me to target the guess in further and decision him. Not even waiting to see him fall, I jerked my stake out and sour toward the others.I hadnt hesitated once in the strife Id just fought, but now, I paused at what I saw. Dimitris face. It was terrifying. Ferocious. Hed had a similar look when hed defended me at my arrestthat badass warrior god air that said he could take on hell itself. The way he looked now well, it took that fierceness to a whole new level. This was personal, I realized. Fighting these Strigoi wasnt just about finding Sonya and helping Lissa. This was about redemption, an attempt to destroy his past by destroyi ng the evil directly in his path.I moved to join him, just as he staked the second henchman. There was power in that strike, much more power than Dimitri needed as he shoved the Strigoi against the brick wall and punctured his heart. It was impossible, but I could imagine that stake going straight through the dead eubstance and into the wall. Dimitri put more attention and bm into that kill than he should have. He should have responded like I had and immediately turned to the adjacent threat, once the Strigoi was dead. Instead, Dimitri was so fixated on his victim that he didnt notice Donovan taking advantage of the situation. Fortunately for Dimitri, I had his back.I slammed my body into Donovans, shoving him away from Dimitri. As I did, I saw Dimitri pull out his stake and then slam the body against the wall again. Meanwhile, Id successfully drawn Donovans attention and was now having a difficult time eluding him without cleanup him.Dimitri I yelled. suffice help me. I need youI couldnt see what Dimitri was doing, but a few seconds later, he was by my side. With what almost sounded like a roar, he leapt at Donovan, stake out, and knocked the Strigoi to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief and moved in to help with the restraint. Then, I saw Dimitri line up his stake with Donovans heart.No I dropped to the ground, difficult to both hold Donovan and push away Dimitris arm. We need him Dont kill himFrom the look on Dimitris face, it was unclear if he even hear me. There was death in his eyes. He wanted to kill Donovan. The desire had suddenly taken precedence.Still trying to hold Donovan with one arm, I smacked Dimitri in the face with my other handgoing for the side I hadnt punched the other night. I dont think he felt the pain in his adrenaline rage, but the hit got his attention. Dont kill him I retell.The command made it through to Dimitri. Our struggle, unfortunately, gave Donovan maneuvering room. He started to break free of us, but then, as o ne, Dimitri and I threw ourselves into attribute Donovan. I was reminded of the time Id questioned Strigoi in Russia. It had taken a whole group of dhampirs to restrain one Strigoi, but Dimitri seemed to have unnatural strength.When we were interrogating, we used toMy words were interrupted when Dimitri decided to engage his own method of interrogation. He gripped Donovan by the shoulders and shook him hard, causing the Strigoi to keep hitting his head against the cement.Where is Sonya Karp? roared Dimitri.I dont began Donovan. But Dimitri had no patience for Strigoi evasion.Where is she? I know you know herIWhere is she?I saw something on Donovans face that Id never seen in a Strigoi before fear. Id thought it was an emotion they simply didnt possess. Or, if they did, it was only in the battles they fought with one another. They wouldnt neutralize time with fear around lowly dhampirs.But oh, Donovan was scared of Dimitri. And to be honest, I was too.Those red-ringed eyes were wi dewide, desperate, and terrified. When Donovan blurted out his next words, something told me they were true. His fear wasnt giving him a chance to lie. He was too shocked and unprepared by all of this.Paris, he gasped out. Shes in ParisChrist, I exclaimed. We cannot road stumbler to Paris. Donovan shook his head (in as much as he could with Dimitri shaking him in return). Its a small townan second away. Theres this tiny lake. Hardly anyone on it. sombre house.Vague directions. We needed more. Do you have an addrDimitri apparently didnt share my need for more information. Before I could finish speaking, his stake was outand in Donovans heart. The Strigoi made a horrible, blood-curdling scream that faded as death took him. I winced. How long until someone heard all this and called the police?Dimitri pulled his stake outand then stabbed Donovan again. And again. I stared in hesitation and horror, frozen for a few moments. Then, I grabbed Dimitris arm and began shaking him, though I felt like I would have had more effect shaking the building behind me.Hes dead, Dimitri Hes dead Stop this. Please.Dimitris face still wore that terrible, terrible expressionrage, now marked with a bit of desperation. discouragement that told him if he could only obliterate Donovan, then possibly he could obliterate everything else bad in his life.I didnt know what to do. We had to get out of here. We had to get Sydney to disintegrate the bodies. fourth dimension was ticking, and I just kept retell myself.Hes dead Let it go. Please. Hes dead.Then, somewhere, somehow, I broke through to Dimitri. His motions slowed and finally stopped. The hand holding the stake dropping weakly to his side as he stared at what was left of Donovanwhich wasnt pretty. The rage on Dimitris face completely gave way to desperation and then that gave way to despair.I tugged gently on his arm. Its over. Youve done enough.Its never enough, Roza, he whispered. The grief in his voice killed me. Itll never be enough.It is for now, I said. I pulled him to me. Unresisting, he let go of his stake and buried his face against my shoulder. I dropped my stake as well and embraced him, draw him surrounding(prenominal). He wrapped his arms around me in return, seeking the contact of another living being, the contact Id long cognise he needed.Youre the only one. He clung more tightly to me. The only one who understands. The only one who saw how I was. I could never explain it to anyone youre the only one. The only one I can tell this to I closed my eyes for a moment, overpowered by what he was saying. He might have sworn allegiance to Lissa, but that didnt mean hed fully revealed his heart to her. For so long, he and I had been in undefiled sync, always understanding each other. That was still the case, no matter if we were together, no matter if I was with Adrian. Dimitri had always kept his heart and feelings guarded until meeting me. I thought hed locked them back up, but apparently, he still trusted me enough to reveal what was killing him inside.I opened my eyes and met his dark, intent gaze. Its okay, I said. Its okay now. Im here. Ill always be here for you.I dream about them, you know. All the innocents I killed. His eyes drifted back to Donovans body. I keep thinking maybe if I destroy enough Strigoi, the nightmares will go away. That Ill be certain Im not one of them. I touched his chin, spell his face back toward mine and away from Donovan. No. You have to destroy Strigoi because theyre evil. Because thats what we do. If you want the nightmares to go away, you have to live. Thats the only way. We could have died just now. We didnt. Maybe well die tomorrow. I dont know. What matters is that were alive now.I was rambling at this point. I had never seen Dimitri so low, not since his restoration. Hed claimed being Strigoi had killed so many of his emotions. It hadnt. They were there, I realized. Everything he had been was still inside, only approach path o ut in burstslike this moment of rage and despair. Or when hed defended me from the arresting guardians. The old Dimitri wasnt gone. He was just locked away, and I didnt know how to let him out. This wasnt what I did. He was always the one with words of wisdom and insight. Not me. Still, he was listening now. I had his attention. What could I say? What could get through to him? recall what you said earlier? I asked. adventure in Rubysville? Living is in the details. Youve got to value the details. Thats the only way to defeat what the Strigoi did to you. The only way to bring back who you really are. You said it yourself you escaped with me to feel the world again. Its beauty.Dimitri started to turn toward Donovan again, but I wouldnt let him. Theres nothing beautiful here. Only death.Thats only true if you let them make it true, I said desperately, still feeling the press of time. Find one thing. One thing thats beautiful. Anything. Anything that shows youre not one of them.His ey es were back on me, studying my face silently. holy terror raced through me. It wasnt working. I couldnt do this. We were going to have to get out of here, regardless of whatever state he was in. I knew hed pay, too. If Id learned anything, it was that Dimitris warrior instincts were still working. If I said danger was coming, he would respond instantly, no matter the self-torment he felt. I didnt want that, though. I didnt want him to communicate in despair. I wanted him to leave here one step closer to being the man I knew he could be. I wanted him to have one less nightmare.It was beyond my abilities, though. I was no therapist. I was about to tell him we had to get out there, about to make his soldier reflexes kick in, when he suddenly spoke. His voice was barely a whisper. Your hair.What? For a second, I wondered if it was on fire or something. I touched a stray lock. No, nothing wrong except that it was a mess. Id march it up for battle to prevent the Strigoi from using i t as a handhold, like Angeline had. a great deal of it had come undone in the struggle, though.Your hair, repeated Dimitri. His eyes were wide, almost awestruck. Your hair is beautiful.I didnt think so, not in its on-line(prenominal) state. Of course, considering we were in a dark alley filled with bodies, the choices were kind of limited. You see? Youre not one of them. Strigoi dont see beauty. Only death. You found something beautiful. One thing thats beautiful.Hesitantly, nervously, he ran his fingers along the strands Id touched earlier. But is it enough?It is for now. I pressed a kiss to his os frontale and helped him stand. It is for now.