Weve been at it all day. Were just taking a little break. Thanatos and Darius went out for more food, Damien said. We have made some headway, but Ill wait until they get back to report everything. He waved at Stark, and his hi was echoed by the other kids.
Yeah, dont be so judgmental, Aphrodite. Weve been working hard, youll see.
Youre talking about dolls, Aphrodite said.
Barbies, Jack corrected her. And just for a second. Plus, Barbies are cool and an important part of American culture. He nodded in emphasis and clutched the Cher portrait to his chest. Especially celebrity Barbies.
Celebrity Barbies would only be important if they had interesting accoutrements you could buy with them, Aphrodite said.
Accoutre-whats? Shaunee said.
You sound like you swallowed a French guy and are trying to spit him out, Erin said, and the Twins giggled.
Left and right brainlisten up. Interesting accoutrements equals cool stuff, like unusual accessories, Aphrodite said, picking delicately at a chip.
Okay, if you dont know anything about Barbies, your mother seriously hated you, Erin said.
Not that we dont understand that, Shaunee added.
Cause everyone who even had one Barbie knows you can buy stuff for them, Erin finished.
Yeah, cool stuff, Jack agreed.
Not cool by my definition, Aphrodite said with a superior smirk.
Whats cool by your definition? Jack asked, making Shaunee and Erin groan.
Well, since you askedId say it would be cool if Barbie made a Barbra Streisand doll, but youd have to buy her fingernails and nose separately. And her fake nails would come in lots of different color choices.
There was a shocked silence, and then Jack, sounding awed, whispered, That would be cool.
Aphrodite looked smug. And how about a bald Britney Spears doll that had extras like an umbrella, a fat suit, weird wigs, and, of course, optional panties.
Eww, Jack said, and then giggled. Yeah, and a Paris Hilton doll that had an optional brain.
Aphrodite raised her brow at him. Dont go all crazy. There are some things even Paris Hilton cant buy.
Stark stood there, dumbfounded, and when they all burst into giggles, he thought his brain was going to explode.
What the hell is wrong with all of you? he yelled at them. How can you laugh and joke like this? Youre focusing on toys when Zoey is days away from dying!
Into the shocked silence, Thanatoss voice sounded abnormally loud. No, Warrior. Theyre not focusing on toys. Theyre focusing on life and being among the living. The vampyre stepped from the doorway, where she and Darius had been silently observing the kids. Darius followed her, placing a tray filled with sandwiches and fruit in the middle of the table. He then joined Aphrodites side of the wooden bench. And take it from someone who knows more than a little about deathfocusing on life is what you should do if you want to keep drawing breath in this world.
Damien cleared his voice, calling Starks glare to him. Unruffled, the fledgling met his eyes, and said, Yeah, thats just one of the things we learned from all the studying weve been doing.
While you were sleeping, Shaunee murmured.
And we werent, Erin added.
So, what we found out from our research, Damien broke in before Stark could say anything to the Twins, is that whenever a High Priestess suffered such a shock that her soul shattered, her Warrior didnt seem to be able to stay alive.
Barbies and bickering Twins forgotten, Starks face was a question mark as he stared at Damien and tried to make sense of what he was hearing. Do you mean the Warriors all dropped dead?
In a way, Damien said.
Some of them killed themselves so that they knew they could follow their High Priestesses to the Otherworld and continue to protect them there, Thanatos took up the explanation.
But it didnt work because none of the High Priestesses returned, right? Stark said.
Correct. What we know from Priestesses who, through their affinity for spirit, have journeyed to the Otherworld is that those lost High Priestesses couldnt bear the death of their Warriors. Some of them were able to heal their souls in the Otherworld, but they chose to remain there with their Warriors.
Some of them healed, Stark said slowly. What happened to the High Priestesses who didnt?
Zoeys friends shifted uncomfortably, but Thanatoss voice remained steady. As you learned yesterday, if a soul remains shattered, the person becomes Caoinic Shi, a being that will never rest.
Its like a zombie, without the eating people part, Jack said softly and then shuddered.
That cant happen to Zoey, Stark said. Hed sworn to protect Zoey, and if he had to, he would follow that Oath into the Otherworld to be sure she didnt become some kind of horrible zombie thing.
But even though the end result was the same, not all of the Warriors killed themselves to follow their High Priestesses, Damien said.
Tell me about the others, Stark said. Unable to sit, he paced back and forth in front of the table.
Well, it was pretty obvious that no Warrior or High Priestess returned when the Warrior killed himself, so we found records of Warriors who had done lots of different things to try to get themselves into the Otherworld, Damien said.
Some of them were crazylike one who starved himself until he was delirious, then he kinda left his body, Jack said.
He died, Shaunee said.
Yeah, the story was gross. He did lots of screaming and was hallucinating and stuff about his High Priestess and what she was going through before he actually croaked, Erin said.
You. Are. Not. Helping, Aphrodite told them.
Some of the Warriors did drugs to put themselves in a trancelike state, and they actually managed to get their spirits to leave this world, Damien continued, while the Twins rolled their eyes at Aphrodite. But they couldnt enter the Otherworld. We know because they came back to their bodies long enough to tell witnesses that theyd failed. Damien stopped there, glancing at Thanatos.
She took up the story. Then the Warriors died. Each of them.
Failing to protect their High Priestesses killed them, Stark said, his voice completely expressionless.
No, turning their back on life killed them, Darius corrected.
Stark turned to him. Wouldnt you? If Aphrodite died because you couldnt protect her, wouldnt you choose death rather than live life without her?
Aphrodite didnt give Darius a chance to answer. I would be super pissed if he died! Thats what I was trying to tell you upstairs. You cant keep looking behind younot at Zoey, not at the past, not even back to your Oath. You have to go forward and find a new way of living, a new way of protecting her.
Then tell me something, anything that you found in all these damn books that can help me instead of just showing me how other Warriors failed.
Ill tell you something I didnt read in a book. Stevie Rae accidentally evoked the white bull last night.
Darkness! A fledgling called Darkness into this world? Thanatos looked like Aphrodite had just exploded a bomb in the middle of the room.
Shes not a fledgling. Shes like Stark, a red vampyre, but yes. She did. In Tulsa. It was an accident. Ignoring Thanatoss shocked stare, Aphrodite pulled a slip of paper from her pocket, and read: The bull said: The Warrior must look to his blood to discover the bridge to enter the Isle of Women, and then he must defeat himself to enter the arena. Only by acknowledging one before the other will he join his Priestess. After he joins her, it is her choice and not his whether she returns. Aphrodite looked up. Anyone have a clue what that might mean? She waved the paper around, and Damien took it, already rereading as Jack peeked over his shoulder.
What price did Darkness exact for such knowledge? Thanatos asked. Her face had gone absolutely white. And how did she survive the payment of it without losing her mind or her soul?
Thats what I wondered myself, especially after Stevie Rae told me how bad the white bull was. She said she didnt think anything could defeat it except for the black bull, which was how she got away from it.
She evoked the black bull, too? Thanatos said. That is almost unbelievable.
Stevie Rae has some mad earth skillz, Jack said.
Yeah, thats how she said she got the good bull to Tulsa. She drew power from the earth to call it, Aphrodite said.
And you trust this Stevie Rae vampyre?
Aphrodite hesitated. Most of the time.
Stark expected at least one of the kids to jump in and correct Aphrodite, but they all stayed quiet until Damien said, Why do you ask about trusting Stevie Rae?
Because of the few things I know about the ancient beliefs of Light and Darkness symbolized in the bulls, one is that they always exact a price for their favors. Always. Answering Stevie Raes question was a favor from Darkness.
But she called up the good bull and it kicked the bad bulls butt. That kept Stevie Rae from paying a price to him, Jack said.
So she then owed payment to the black bull, Thanatos said.
Aphrodites eyes narrowed. Thats what she was talking about when she said she wouldnt ever evoke either of the bulls again because the price was too high.
I think you should look to your friend and discover what payment she rendered the black bull, Thanatos said.
And why she wouldnt tell me about it, Aphrodite added.
Thanatoss eyes looked old and sad as she said, Just remember, there are consequences for everything, whether good or bad.
Can we stop looking back at what has happened with Stevie Rae? Stark said. I need to move forward. To Skye and a bridge of blood. So lets get going.
Whoa, big boy, Aphrodite told him. Settle for a second. You cant just show up on the Isle of Women and bumble around looking for a bloody bridge. Sgiachs protective spell will kick your buttas in kill you dead.
I dont think Starks supposed to be looking for something literal, said Damien, studying Aphrodites note again. It says to look to your blood to discover the bridge, not look for a blood bridge.
Ugh, metaphor. Just one more reason I seriously hate poetry, Aphrodite said.
Im good at metaphors, Jack said. Let me see. Damien handed him the paper. Jack chewed his lip while he read the line again. Hmm, if you were Imprinted with someone, Id say it meant that we should talk to whoever that is, and maybe theyd know something.
Im not Imprinted with anyone, Stark said, starting to pace again.
So that might mean that we need to look at who you arethat theres something about you thats a key to getting onto Sgiachs island, Damien said.
I dont know anything! Thats the problem!
Okayokay, how about we look at the notes we made about Sgiach to see if theres something there that rings a bell with you, Jack said, making consolatory motions at Stark.
Yeah, chill out, Shaunee said.
Take a seat and have a sandwich. Erin gestured to the end of their bench with the sandwich shed begun munching on.
Eat, Thanatos said, taking a sandwich and sitting beside Jack. Focus on life.
Stark suppressed a frustrated growl, grabbed a sandwich, and sat.
Oh, pull out that chart we made, Jack said, peeking over Damiens shoulder as he flipped through the notes hed made. Some of this stuff gets confusing, and visual aids always help.
Good ideahere it is. Damien ripped out a piece of paper from the yellow legal pad hed almost filled with notes. At the top of it hed drawn a big, open umbrella. On one side of the umbrella hed written LIGHT and on the opposite side, DARKNESS.
The umbrella of Light and Darkness is a good image, Thanatos said. It shows that the two forces are all-encompassing.
That was my idea, Jack said, turning a little pink.
Damien smiled at him. Well done, you. Then he pointed at the column beneath Light. So under the force of Light Ive listed: good, the black bull, Nyx, Zoey, and us. He paused, and everyone nodded. And under Darkness I have: evil, the white bull, Neferet/Tsi Sgili, Kalona, and Raven Mockers.
I see you have Sgiach placed in the middle, Thanatos said.
Yeah, along with onion rings, Hostess Ding Dongs, and my name, Aphrodite said. Just what the hell does that mean?
Well, I dont think weve decided if Sgiach is a force for Light or Darkness, Damien said.
I added the onion rings and Ding Dongs, Jack said. When everyone just stared at him, he shrugged and explained, Onion rings are deep-fried and fattening, but an onion is a vegetable. So arent they good for you? Maybe? And, well, Ding Dongs are chocolate, but they have cream in the middle. Isnt that dairy and healthy?
I think youre brain-damaged, Aphrodite said.
We added your name, Erin said.
Yeah, cause we think youre like Rachel on Glee, Shaunee said. Super annoying, but she has to be in the show cause sometimes she comes up with good stuff and kinda sorta saves the day.
But we think shes still a hag from hell. Like you, Erin finished, giving Aphrodite a sugary smile.
AnywayDamien quickly erased onion rings, Ding Dongs, and Aphrodites name, put the chart in the middle of the table, and then went back to the yellow padheres some info we found about Sgiach, Damien said, scanning through the notes hed made. She is considered a queen of Warriors. Lots of Warriors used to train on her island, so a bunch of Sons of Erebus came and went, but the Warriors who stayed with her, the ones sworn to her service
Hang on, Sgiach had more than one Oath Sworn Warrior? Stark interrupted.
Damien nodded. Apparently she had a whole Clan of them. Only they didnt call themselves Sons of Erebus. Their title was . . . Damien paused, flipping pages. Here it is. They were called Guardians of the Ace.
Why Ace? Stark asked.
Its a metaphor, Aphrodite said, rolling her eyes. Another one. Its what they called Sgiach. It symbolizes queen to their Clan.
I think the Scottish clan stuff is cool, Jack said.
Of course you do, Aphrodite said. Guys in skirts is your wet dream.
Kilt, not skirt, Stark said. Or plaid. If youre talking about the really old, big one you call it a philamore.
Aphrodite raised a blond brow at him. And you know this because you like to wear them?
He shrugged. Not me, but my grandpa used to.
Youre Scottish? Damiens voice was incredulous. And youre just now telling us?
Stark shrugged again. What does my human family have to do with anything? I havent even talked to them in almost four years.
Its not just a family, Damiens voice rose with excitement as he started ruffling through the pages of his notes again.
Oh, for craps sake. Your family is your blood, you moron, Aphrodite said. What was your grandfathers last name?
Stark frowned at Aphrodite.
MacUallis, Stark and Damien said together.
How did you know that? Stark asked.
It was the Clan MacUallis who were the Guardians of the Ace. Damien grinned victoriously, holding up the page of his notes that held the words: CLAN MACUALLIS = GUARDIANS OF THE ACE for everyone to see.
Looks like we found our blood bridge, Jack said, hugging Damien.
Chapter 16
Zoey
Heath stirred and muttered something about skipping football practice and sleeping in. I watched him and held my breath as I paced my circle around where he slept.
I mean, would you want to wake him up and tell him he was dead as dirt and wouldnt ever be playing football again?
Hell no.
I tried to be as quiet as I could, but I couldnt hold still. This time I hadnt even pretended to lie down next to him. I couldnt help it. I couldnt stop myself. I had to keep moving.
We were in the middle of the same dense grove wed run inside of before. When before? I couldnt really remember, but the short, gnarled trees and lots of old rocks looked cool. And the moss. Especially the moss. It was everywherethick and soft and cushy.
Suddenly my feet were bare, and I was distracted by sinking my feet into the moss and letting my toes play in the living carpet of green.
Living?
I sighed.
Nope. I suspected nothing here was really alive, but I kept forgetting that.
The trees made a canopy of leaves and branches, so the sun only got through enough to be warm without being too hot, but a cloud passing overhead had me looking up and shivering.
Darkness . . .
I blinked in surprise, remembering. That was why Heath and I were tucked away in this grove. That thing had been after us, but it hadnt entered the grove after us.
I shivered again.
I had no clue what that thing had been. I only had a sense of utter darkness, a vague whiff of something that had been dead for a while, horns, and wings. Heath and I hadnt waited to see any more. We had both been breathless with fear, and wed run and run . . . which was why Heath was sound asleep. Again. Like I should be.
But I wasnt able to rest. So instead I paced.
It really bothered me that my memory was messing up. And, whats worse, even though youd think if my memory was jacked, I wouldnt know it because I, well, wouldnt remember itI was wrong. I knew I was missing hunks of stuff in my mindsome of it new stuff, like that I just now remembered the scary thing that had chased Heath and me into the grove. Some of it was old stuff, though.
I couldnt remember what my mom looked like.
I couldnt remember the color of my eyes.
I couldnt remember why I didnt trust Stevie Rae anymore.
What I could remember was even more upsetting. I remembered every instant of Stevie Rae dying. I remembered that my dad had left us when I was two and basically never come back. I remembered that Id trusted Kalona, and that Id been so, so wrong about him.
My stomach felt sick, and, like that sickness was driving me, I kept pacing around and around the inside circumference of the grove.
How could I have let Kalona fool me so totally? Id been such an idiot.
And Id caused Heaths death.
My mind skittered away from that guilt. The thought was too raw, too horrible.
A shadow caught at my vision. I started, turned quickly, and came face-to-face with her. Id seen her beforein my dreams and in a shared vision.
Hello, A-ya, I said softly.
Zoey, she said, dipping her head in hello. Her voice sounded a lot like mine, except there was a sense of sadness about her that colored everything she said.
I trusted Kalona because of you, I told her.
You had compassion for him because of me, she corrected. When you lost me, you also lost compassion.
Thats not true, I said. Im still compassionate. I care about Heath.
Do you? Is that why you are keeping him here with you instead of allowing him to move on?
Heath doesnt want to leave, I shot back, and then closed my mouth, surprised at how angry I sounded.
A-ya shook her head, causing her long, dark hair to flutter around her waist. You havent stopped to think of what Heath might wantwhat anyone besides you might want. And you wont, not really, not until you call me back to you.
I dont want you back. Its because of you that this has happened.
No, Zoey, its not. All of this happened because of a series of choices made by a number of people. This isnt all about you. Shaking her head sadly, A-ya disappeared.
Good riddance, I muttered, and started to pace again, even more restless than before.
When another shadow flickered at the corner of my vision, I whirled around, ready to tell off A-ya once and for all, but instead my mouth flopped open. I was staring at me. Well, actually, the nine-year-old version of me Id seen with the other figures before they were scattered by whatever was chasing Heath and me.
Hi, I said.
We got boobies! the kid me said, gawking at my chest. Im really glad we got boobies. Finally.
Yeah, thats what I thought, too. Finally.
I kinda wish they were bigger. The kid me kept staring at my boobies until I felt like crossing my arms over my chest, which was ridiculous because she was mewhich was just weird. But, oh, well, it could be worse! We could have been like Becky Apple, heehees!
Her voice was so filled with joy that she made me smile in response, but only for a second. It was like it was too hard for me to hold onto the joy she seemed to glow with.
Becky Renee Applecan you believe her mom named her that and then had all of her sweaters monogrammed with BRA? the kid me said, and then broke into giggles.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to hold onto my smile while I said, Yeah, that poor girl was doomed from the first day of cold weather. I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face, wondering why I felt so inexplicably sad.
Its cause Im not with you anymore, the kid me said. Im your joy. Without me, you cant ever really be happy again.
I stared at her, knowing that, like A-ya, she was telling me the truth.
Heath murmured in his sleep again, drawing my gaze to him. He looked so strong and normal and young, but hed never step on another football field again. Hed never gun his truck around another slick corner and whoop like an Okie. Hed never be a husband. Hed never be a dad. I looked from him to the nine-year-old me.
I dont think I deserve to be happy again.
Im sorry for you, Zoey, she said, and disappeared.
Feeling kinda dizzy and light-headed, I paced.
The next version of me didnt flicker or flutter at the edge of my vision. This version met me head-on, blocking my pacing path. She didnt look like me. She was super tall. Her hair was long and wild and a bright copper red. It wasnt until I met her gaze that I saw our similaritywe had the same eyes. She was another piece of me; I knew her.
So who are you? I said wearily. And what part of me am I going to be missing if I dont get you back?
You may call me Brighid. Without me, you lack strength.
I sighed. Im too tired to be strong right now. How about we talk again after I take a nap?
You dont get it, do you? Brighid shook her head disdainfully. Without us, you wont take a napyou wont get betteryou wont rest. without us, you just get more and more incomplete, and you drift.
I tried to focus through the headache that was building in my temples. But Id be drifting with Heath.
Yes, you might be.
And if I get all of you back together inside me, Ill leave Heath.
Yes, you might.
I cant do that. I cant return to a world without him, I said.
Then you truly are broken. Without another word, Brighid disappeared.
My legs gave out, and I sat down hard on the moss. I only knew I was crying when my tears started making wet marks on my jeans. I dont know how long I sat there, bent with grief and confusion and weariness, but eventually a sound slipped inside my mental fog: wings, rustling, beating against the wind, hovering, dipping, searching.
Come on, Zo. We need to get farther into the grove.
I looked up to see that Heath was crouching beside me. This is my fault, I said.
No, its not, but why does it matter so much whose fault it is? This is done, babe. It cant be undone.
I cant leave you, Heath, I sobbed.
He brushed the hair back from my face and handed me another ball of Kleenexes. I know you cant.
The sound of enormous wings got louder; tree boughs behind us swayed in response.
Zo, lets talk about this later, kay? Right now we need to move again. He grabbed me under one of my elbows, lifted me to my feet, and started to guide me deeper into the grove, where the shadows were darker and the trees even more ancient-looking.
I let him move me. It felt better to move. Not good. I didnt feel good. But it was better when I wasnt holding still.
Its him, isnt it? I said listlessly.
Him? Heath asked, helping me step over a rough gray stone.
Kalona. The word seemed to change the density of the air around us. Hes come for me.
Heath gave me a sharp look, and shouted, No, Im not going to let him get you!
Stevie Rae
No, Im not going to let him get you! Dragon shouted.
Along with everyone else in the Council Chamber, Stevie Rae stared at the Sword Master, who looked like he might be getting ready to pop a major blood vessel.
Uh, him who, Dragon? Stevie Rae said.
That Raven Mocker who killed my mate! Thats why you cant go out alone until we track that creature down and destroy it.
Stevie Rae tried to ignore the hollow feeling Dragons words gave her and the horrible sense of guilt she experienced as she faced him, seeing his heartbreak and knowing that even though Rephaim had saved her life, twice, it was also a fact that he had killed Anastasia Lankford.
Hes changed. Hes different now, she thought, wishing she could say the words aloud and not bring her world crashing down around them.
But she couldnt tell Dragon about Rephaim. She couldnt tell anyone about the Raven Mocker, so instead she began, again, to weave lies with the truth, forming a terrible tapestry of evasion and deceit.
Dragon, I dont know which Raven Mocker was there in the park. I mean, its not like he told me his name.
I think he was the head onethe Ref-whatever, Dallas spoke up, even though Stevie Rae shot him a look.
Rephaim, Dragon said, with a voice like death.
Yeah, thats it. He was huge, just like you guys described, and his eyes really were human-looking. Plus, he had a thing about him. It was obvious he thought he was the shit.
Stevie Rae stifled the urge to press her hand firmly over Dallass mouthand maybe nose, too. Smothering him would definitely make him stop talking.
Oh, Dallas, whatever. We dont know who that Raven Mocker was. And, Dragon, I can understand why youre worried and all, but were just talkin bout me goin to the Benedictine Abbey so that Grandma Redbird hears about Zoey from me. Im not goin off into the wilderness alone.
But Dragon does have a good point, Lenobia said. Erik and Professor Penthasilea nodded, their disagreements about Neferet and Kalona temporarily put aside. This Raven Mocker did appear where you were, while you were communing with earth.
Its too simplistic to say she was communing with the earth, Dragon spoke quickly into Lenobias pause. As Stevie Rae explained to us, she was dialoguing with ancient powers of good and evil. That creature appearing during the manifestation of evil cannot be a coincidence.
But the Raven Mocker wasnt attackin me. It was
Dragon lifted a hand to silence her. Undoubtedly it was drawn to the Darkness, which then turned on one of its own as evil often does. You cannot know with certainty that the creature isnt after you.
We also cannot know with certainty that there is only one Raven Mocker in Tulsa, Lenobia said.
Panic fluttered in Stevie Raes stomach. What if everyone was so freaked-out about the possibility of a bunch of Raven Mockers stalking around Tulsa that they made it impossible for her to get away to see Rephaim?
Im goin to the abbey to see Grandma Redbird, Stevie Rae said firmly. And I dont think theres a flock of those dang Raven Mockers out there. What I do think is that one bird guy somehow got left behind, and he was at the park because he was drawn to Darkness. Well, Im sure as heck not gonna call Darkness to me again, so theres no reason for the bird to have anything to do with me.
Do not underestimate the danger of that creature, Dragon said, his voice sad and somber.
I wont. But I also wont let it keep me locked up on campus. I dont think any of us should let it do that, she added hastily. I mean, we can be careful, but we cant let fear and evil rule our lives.
Stevie Rae makes a valid point, Lenobia said. Actually, I believe we should get the school back on a regular schedule and include the red fledglings in classes.
Kramisha, who had until then been sitting silently to the left of Stevie Rae, snorted softly. She heard Dallas, who was sitting to her right, sigh heavily. She stifled a smile, and said, I think thats a real good idea.