Stevie Rae continued as if she hadnt heard her. I think being polite is a real good idea, and introductions are always polite. Yall already know Venus, she said, and then moved on quickly. So Ill start with Elliott.
A redheaded kid stepped forward. Okay, dying and un-dying hadnt improved this kid any. He was still pudgy and pale with a frizzy ball of carrot-colored, uncombed hair sticking up in odd places on his head. Im Elliott, he said.
Everyone nodded at him. Next is Montoya, Stevie Rae said.
A short, Hispanic guy who looked seriously thuggish with his sagging pants and his multiple piercings nodded his head, sending his thick dark hair waving around his face. Hi, he said with just a touch of an accent and a surprisingly cute, warm smile. And thats Shannon Compton. Stevie Rae ran her first and last name together, so that it sounded like Shannoncompton.
Shannoncompton? Hey, didnt you read the spotlight piece in The Vagina Monologues last year at the school performance? Damien asked.
Her pretty face brightened. Yeah, that was me.
I remember because I just love The Vagina Monologues. Theyre so empowering, Damien said. And then right after the show youum His voice trailed off and he fidgeted.
I died? Shannoncompton added helpfully.
Yeah, exactly, Damien said.
Oh, gosh, thats too bad, Jack said.
Aphrodite sighed. Shes not dead anymore, morons.
And this is Sophie. Stevie Rae said quickly, frowning at Aphrodite, who was already sounding tipsy. A tall brunette stepped a little forward and gave us a tentative friendly smile. Hi, she said.
We waved and muttered hellos. I was actually feeling better about the red fledglings now that they were becoming individualsand not individuals who were trying to chomp on us. Or at least at that moment they werent.
Dallas is next. Stevie Rae pointed to a kid standing behind Venus. At the sound of his name he kinda slouched around her and mumbled what sounded like a version of hi. He would have been totally unremarkable looking if it hadnt been for the quick intelligence in his eyes and the kinda flirty smile he threw Stevie Rae. Hm, I thought, wonder if somethings going on there? Dallas was born in Houston, which we all think is odd and confusing, Stevie Rae was saying.
The kid shrugged. Its a gross story my dad tells about him and my mom making me in Dallas. I never wanted the details.
Ugh, parent sex, Shaunee said.
Completely disgusting, Erin agreed.
I could see a little laugh ripple through the group of red fledglings at the Twins comments, making the tension that had been hanging between our two groups begin to really loosen up.
Next is Anthony, who everyone calls Ant.
Ant waved awkwardly at us and said hi. Well, it was obvious why everyone called him Ant. He was one of those little kids. You know, the ones that look, like, ten when theyre really fourteen and supposed to have gone through puberty already. Then, as if to provide the biggest contrast possible, Stevie Rae moved on to the next kid. This is Johnny B.
Johnny B was tall and built. He reminded me of Heath with his athletic body and the easy confidence with which he held himself. Hey, he said, flashing white teeth and obviously checking out the Twins, who raised their brows at him and checked him out right back.
Next is Gerarty. Shes the best artist Ive ever known. Shes started to decorate parts of the tunnels. Its gonna look majorly cool when she gets done. Stevie Rae beamed at yet another blonde, only Gerarty wasnt all tall and Barbie-like. She was pretty, but her blond hair was more dishwater than platinum, and cut in a seventies shag. She nodded at us and looked uncomfortable.
And last but not least is Kramisha.
A black girl twitched out of the group. It was a testament to how distracted Id been with Venus and Aphrodite and Stevie Rae that I hadnt noticed her before then. She had on a form-fitting bright yellow shirt cut low to show the top of her black lace bra and a pair of high-waisted, skintight cropped jeans that were cinched up with a wide leather belt that matched her chunky gold shoes. Her hair was cut geometrically into a short poof on her head, and half of it was dyed bright orange.
Lets get it straight right now that Im not sharin my bed with no one, Kramisha said, weaving her head around and looking bored and pissed off at the same time.
Kramisha, I told you about a zillion times, dont make an issue outta somethin that isnt one, Stevie Rae said.
I just want to be clear about myself, Kramisha said.
Fine. Youre clear. Stevie Rae paused and looked up at me expectantly. Okay, thats my group.
And these are the extent of the red fledglings? Darius asked before I could launch into my introductions.
Stevie Rae chewed the inside of her cheek and didnt meet Dariuss eyes. Yeah, these are all of my red fledglings.
Ah oh, thats her Im-not-telling-the-whole-truth look. I knew it, but when she met my eyes, hers so clearly begged me not to say anything that I decided to keep my mouth shut and get the whole story when we werent the focus of everybodys attention.
But me putting off questioning Stevie Rae didnt put off the feeling that had come back, alarm bells ringing inside my head, loud and clear, at her evasion. There was definitely something going on with the red fledglings, and I didnt think that something was going to be good.
I cleared my throat. Well, Im Zoey Redbird. I tried to sound polite and normal in a situation that didnt feel either.
Ive told yall about Zoey. She has an affinity for all five elements, and its through her powers that I was able to Change and we were all given our humanity back, Stevie Rae said. I noticed she was looking directly at Venus.
Well, it wasnt just through me that happened. My friends had a lot to do with it, too. I nodded at Aphrodite, who was still drinking directly from the bottle of wine. You guys obviously know Aphrodite. Shes a human now, but lets just say shes not normal, I said, completely avoiding the subject of her fresh Imprint with Stevie Rae.
Aphrodite snorted, but didnt say anything.
This is Erin and Shaunee, the Twins. Erin has an affinity for water, Shaunees affinity is fire. The Twins nodded and said hi.
Damien and Jack are a couple, I said. Damiens affinity is air. Jack is our audiovisual guy.
Hi, Damien said.
Hey there, Jack said. He lifted the bag he was still carrying. I made sandwiches. Anyone hungry?
Can someone explain why that dogs in here? Venus said, totally ignoring Jacks friendly overture.
Shes here cause shes mine, Jack said. She stays with me. He reached down and petted Duchesss soft ears.
Duchess stays with Jack, I said firmly, giving Venus a hard look and thinking that I could happily strangle her with Duchesss leash before I continued with the intros. And this is Erik Night.
I remember you from drama class, Shannoncompton said, her cheeks turning pink. Youre really famous.
Hi, Shannon. Erik smiled easily at her. Nice to see you again.
I remember you, too. You were with Aphrodite, Venus said.
Not anymore, Aphrodite said quickly, giving Darius a look.
Obviously. Youre not a fledgling anymore, Venus said in a silky voice that sounded way too interested. When did you Change?
Just a few days ago, he said. I was on my way to the Europe an acting academy when Shekinah asked that I take Professor Nolans place temporarily at the House of Night.
Wow, I knew that High Priestess looked familiar. That was actually Shekinah! Shannoncompton said. I saw her just before she started toward that winged guy and She stopped talking and picked at her lip worriedly.
And she was killed by Neferet, I bluntly finished for her.
Was she? Do you know that for certain? Darius asked.
Shes dead and I saw Neferet do it. I think she killed her with her mind, I said.
Queen Tsi Sgili, Damien murmured. Its true then.
I need all of this explained to me, Darius said curtly.
And this is our Son of Erebus warrior, Darius, I said.
Hes right, Stevie Rae said. We need what happened tonight explained to us.
Not just tonights happenings, Darius said. His gaze rested on the group of unusual fledglings. I need information if I am to protect you. I must know everything that has been going on.
Agreed, I said, glad beyond words that we had an experienced Son of Erebus in our group.
We could eat and talk, Jack said. When I looked at him, he gave me a big smile. It always helps to eat with each other. A meal makes things better.
Unless youre the meal, I heard Aphrodite mutter.
Jacks right, Stevie Rae said. Why dont yall go grab some of the egg crates we have in the kitchen and some bags of chips and whatnot. Lets eat while we talk.
Would the whatnot be more blood? Venus said.
Yes, it would, Stevie Rae said matter-of-factly, clearly not wanting to make a big deal out of the blood issue.
Fine. Ill go get some more, Venus said.
Hey, while youre getting blood, grab me another bottle of wine, Aphrodite said.
You know Im not into charity, so youll be paying me back, Venus said.
I remember, Aphrodite said. And you should remember that I pay my debts.
Yeah, thats how you used to be, but seems youve made a change, she said.
No shit? You mean you just now noticed I turned human?
Not what I was talking about. So just replace the wine, she added before leaving the room.
Hey, werent yall roomies? Stevie Rae asked Aphrodite.
Aphrodite ignored Stevie Rae and I had the urge to shake her and yell, Not talking to her or looking at her is not going to break your Imprint with her.
Yes, they were, Erik said into the dead air, reminding me that because he and Aphrodite used to be together, he would know her roommate, maybe too well.
Yeah, well, things change. Aphrodite found her voice.
People change, I said, pulling my gaze from Erik.
Aphrodite met my eyes. Her lips curled up in a sad, sarcastic smile. And that is too damn true, she said.
CHAPTER 5
So we have p.b. and j., bologna, and processed American cheese slices. Jack said the processed American cheese slices part like he was reluctantly offering us worms and mud. And my personal gourmet Top Chef concoction: mayonnaise, peanut butter, and lettuce on wheat bread.
Okay, Jack. Nasty, Shaunee said.
Have you lost your damn mind? Erin said.
Gay white boy is weird, Kramisha said, snagging one of the bologna and cheese sandwiches.
The Twins nodded and made yep noises as Kramisha joined them on a nearby egg crate.
Jack looked mortally offended. I think theyre good, and you guys should try things before you disrespect them.
Ill try one of them, said Shannoncompton sweetly.
Thanks. Jack grinned and handed her a sandwich wrapped in a paper towel.
There was the rustling of a lot of paper as all of us crowded into Stevie Raes room, grabbed sandwiches, and passed bags of chips around. I was surprised to see the amount of food and chips and brown pop (yea for brown pop!). It made a weird, surreal mixture with the bottles of red wine and bags of blood that were being shared. I sat on the bed with Aphrodite and Darius and Stevie Rae, who was looking better and better. For a second, with the normal sounds of kids eating and talking, it was easy to imagine that we were just in a kind of ratty building at the House of Night and forget that we were in a tunnel under the city and that all of our lives were in the process of never being the same. For a second, we were nothing but a group of kids, some friends, some not, and we were just hanging out together.
Tell me what you know of the creature that rose from the earth and the bird beings that followed him. Dariuss words made the whole just-hanging-out façade crumple like a house of cards.? Jcrate.
Sadly, we dont know as much about him as I wish we did, and what we do know comes from my grandma. I swallowed down the tightness in my throat that mentioning her caused. Grandmas in a coma, so she cant help us right now.
Oh, Z! Im so sorry! What happened? Stevie Rae cried, touching my arm.
The official version is she was in a car accident. The truth is that the accident was caused by the Raven Mockers because she knew too much about them, I said.
Raven Mockersthose are the beings that came out of the earth after the winged man appeared? Darius said.
I nodded. Theyre his childrenwhat happened after he raped the women of my grandmas people more than a thousand years ago. When Kalona broke out of the ground their bodies were returned to them.
And you know these things because they are creatures from Cherokee legend? Darius said.
Actually, we know these things because in the vision Aphrodite had a couple days ago she was shown what we figured out was a prophecy about Kalona returning. It was written in Grandmas handwriting, so we called hertold her about it. She recognized the references and came to the House of Night to help us. I paused, steadying my voice. Thats why the Raven Mockers attacked her.
I really wish we had that prophecy, Damien said. Id like to take a look at it again now that Kalona has actually been set free.
Thats easy enough, Aphrodite said. She took a long drink from her bottle of wine, hiccupped a little, and then recited:
Ancient one sleeping, waiting to arise
When earths power bleeds sacred red
The mark strikes true; Queen Tsi Sgili will devise
He shall be washed from his entombing bed
Through the hand of the dead he is free
Terrible beauty, monstrous sight
Ruled again they shall be
Women shall kneel to his dark might
Kalonas song sounds sweet
As we slaughter with cold heat.
Wow! Well done, you! Jack said, clapping his hands.
Aphrodite inclined her head regally and said, Thank youThank youIt was nothing. Really. And then went back to her wine.
I made a mental note to keep an eye on her drinking. Okay, yeah, shed been through a bunch of stress lately, and being bittentwiceby Stevie Rae and, bizarrely enough, Imprinting with her couldnt be particularly good for her nerves, but the last thing we needed was Vision Girl to turn into Drunk Vision Girl.
Darius nodded thoughtfully. Kalona is the ancient one, but that doesnt explain what type of being he is.
Grandma said that the easiest way to describe him is to think of him as a fallen angel, an immortal being that walked the earth in ancient times. Seems there were a bunch of them that showed up in the mythology of many cultures, like ancient Greece and the Old Testament.
Yeah, on vacation from heaven or whatever, they decided women were hot, and so they mated with them, Aphrodite said, slurring her words a little. Matedthats an uptight way to say that they fu
Thanks, Aphrodite. Ill take it from there, I said. I was glad she had stopped her silent pouting, but wasnt so sure that her drunken sarcasm was much better. Wordlessly Damien handed me a sandwich and nodded at Aphrodite. I passed the sandwich to Aphrodite telling her, Eat something. Then I took up the thread of the story. So Kalona started getting with Cherokee women and became bizarrely addicted to sex. The women rejected him and he started raping them and enslaving the men of the tribe. A group of Wise Women called Ghigua made a maiden out of the earth to trap him.
Huh? Stevie Rae said. You mean like a dirt doll?
Yeah, only an attractive one. Each of the women gave the doll a particular gift, then they breathed life into her and named her A-ya. Kalona wanted A-ya, and she ran from him, leading him to a cave deep in the ground. He followed her into the cave, even though he usually avoided anything that was underground, and thats where they managed to trap him.
That is why you brought us here, into these tunnels, Darius said.
I nodded.
So we are to think of Kalona as a dangerous immortal and the Raven Mockers as his servants. Who is the other creature mentioned in the prophecy and also by Damien, a Queen Tsi Sgili? Darius said.
According to Grandma, the Tsi Sgili are really awful Cherokee witches. Dont think cool Wiccans or Priestesses. Theyre not good at all, but more like demons, really, except that they are mortal and known for their psychic abilities, especially the ability to kill with their minds, I said. Neferet is the queen the prophecy was talking about.
But Neferet announced to the House of Night that Kalona is Erebus on earth, and her consort, as if she had become the literal incarnation of Nyx, Darius said slowly, as if he was reasoning through it aloud.
Shes lying. Really, shes turned from Nyx, I said. Ive known it for a while, but acting openly against her has been pretty close to impossible. I mean, look what happened tonight. Everyone saw Stevie Rae and the red fledglings and they didnt turn on her. Except for Shekinah, they barely even blinked even after she ordered Stark to shoot.
Which is why she got Stark transferred from the Chicago House of Night to Tulsa, Damien said. When just about everyone gave him confused looks, he explained. Stark is James Stark, the fledgling who won the gold medal at the Summer Games for archery. Neferet wanted him here so she could use him to shoot Stevie Rae.
Makes sense, Aphrodite said. We already know Neferet has something to do with fledglings un-dying. Obviously she wanted to use him, and her plan worked because hes definitely undead and under her control. She looked pleased at her powers of deduction and upended the bottle of wine for another long drink.
Guess Im just lucky his aim wasnt so good now that he died and then came back, Stevie Rae said.
Thats not it. My mouth spoke before I could shut myself up. He missed your heart on purpose.
What do ya mean? Stevie Rae asked.
Before Stark died, he told me about his gift from Nyx. He never misses. He cant. He always hits the mark he aims at.
Then if he missed killing Stevie Rae on purpose, that must mean hes not totally under Neferets influence, Damien said.
He did say your name, Erik said. His piercing blue eyes seemed to see deep inside me. I remember that distinctly. Before he shot Stevie Rae he definitely recognized you. He even said hed come back to you.
I was with him when he died, I said, returning Eriks questioning gaze and trying not to look as guilty as I felt for being attracted to yet another guy besides him. Right before he died I told Stark that fledglings at our House of Night were coming back from the dead. Thats what he was talking about.
Well, there was obviously a connection between the two of you, Darius said. And it probably saved Stevie Raes life.
But Stark definitely wasnt himself, I said, looking away from Erik. It had just been a few days ago that Id kissed Stark and hed died in my arms, but it seemed like forever had passed. He was obviously under Neferets influence, even if he was trying to resist her.
Yeah, its like she put a spell on him or something, Jack said.
Hang on, that reminds me, Damien said. I definitely noticed how almost everyone acted awestruck and even a little disoriented when Kalona appeared.
Venus snorted, sounding very much like Aphrodite at her most sarcastic (and least attractive). Everyone except us. She made a gesture that took in all of the red fledglings. We knew he was evil and totally full of bullshit from the second we saw him.
How? I asked abruptly. How did you guys know? All the other fledglings, well, except us, actually fell to their knees at the sight of him. Even the Sons of Erebus warriors didnt move against him. Id felt drawn to him, too, but I didnt want to admit that in front of Venus.
Venus shrugged. It was just obvious. YeaVus ws wh, he was hot and all, but come on! He exploded from the ground after Stevie Rae bled all over it.
I watched her closely, thinking that maybe the reason she recognized Kalonas evil was that she was too darn familiar with evil.
Look, he had wings. That aint right, Kramisha added, fragmenting my attention. My mama told me dont trust no white boy, even a pretty one. Im thinkin a pretty white boy with wings explodin up from the ground in a mess of blood and ugly-ass bird things is double trouble.
She has a point, said Jack, obviously forgetting he was a pretty white boy.
I have to share something, Damien said. We managed to pull our attention from Kramisha to him. If I hadnt been in the middle of a fully cast circle, surrounded by you guys with Aphrodite yelling at us to stay together and get out of there, I might have fallen to my knees, too.
I felt a prickle of unease. What about you guys? I asked the Twins.
He was hot, Shaunee said.
Majorly, Erin said. She looked at Shaunee. Her Twin nodded, so she continued, He wouldve gotten to us, too. If Aphrodite hadnt been shrieking unattractively at us to keep the circle together, wed still be back there in the middle of that mess.
Which would not be good, Shaunee said.
Thats all Im sayin, Kramisha added.
Again I save members of the nerd herd, Aphrodite slurred.
Just eat your sandwich, I told her. Then I turned to Erik. How about you? Did he make you want to? I trailed off, not sure how to put it.
Stay and worship him? Erik inserted, and I nodded. Well, I did feel his power. But, remember, I already knew something was up with Neferet. If she was into him, I figured I didnt want anything to do with him. So I just kept myself focused on other things.
Our eyes met and held. Of course Erik had known it wasnt all good with Neferet, because hed witnessed me confronting her. Plus, by then hed realized Id only cheated on him and been with the Vamp Poet Laureate, Loren Blake, because Neferet had set him up to seduce me and isolate me from my friends.
So the red fledglings arent affected by Kalona like regular fledglings are, Darius was saying. Although it seems regular fledglings can control the effect he has on them if they have to. And what Erik is describing, coupled with my reaction to him, tells me that perhaps vampyres are less susceptible to him than fledglings. He paused and looked at Jack. Did you want to stay and worship Kalona?
Jack shook his head. Nope. But I didnt really look at him that much. I mean, I was real worried about Stevie Rae, and then I was just thinking about staying with Damien. Plus, Duchess was upset about S-T-A-R-K. He spelled the name while he petted Duchess. And I had to take care of her.
Why werent you affected by him? I asked Darius.
I saw his eyes flit to Aphrodite, who was tipsily nibbling on a sandwich.
I had other things on my mind. He paused. Although I did feel his draw. And remember Im in a slightly different position than my brother warriors. None of them have been as intimate with your group. When a Son of Erebus takes on an assignment of protection, as I did when I began escorting you and Aphrodite, it becomes a strong bond. He gave me a warm smile. Often a High Priestess is protected by the same group of warriors for her entire life. It is no accident that we are named after our Goddesss faithful consort, Erebus.
I smiled back at him and hoped that Aphrodite wouldnt be a butt and break his honorable heart.
What do you think is happening up there right now? Jack asked suddenly.
Everyone looked at the curved ceiling of the little tunnel room, and I knew I wasnt the only one glad of the thickness of the earth between us and up there.
I dont know, I said, using the truthful answer instead of something meaningless like Im sure everythings going to be okay. I thought hard, choosing my words carefully. We know that an ancient immortal has broken free of the earths imprisonment. We know that he brings with him creatures that are like demons, and that the last time he walked the earth he raped women and made men his slaves. We know that our High Priestess and maybe even whats left of the House of Night have, well, for lack of a better description, gone over to the Dark Side.
Into the silent pause that followed my words Erik said, A Star Wars analogy always works.
I grinned at him, then sobered as I continued. What we dont know is how much damage Kalona and the Raven Mockers have done in the community. Erik said there was some kind of electrical storm going on along with the rain and ice, but that might not have been caused by supernatural means. This is Oklahoma, and the weather can be totally bizarre.
Ooooooo-klahoma! Home of dustnadoes and ice storms that kick ass, Aphrodite said.
I stifled a sigh and ignored Imprinted Drunk Vision Girl. But then again, on the what we do know side is the fact that were pretty safe down here. We have food and shelter and whatnot. At least I hoped we were okay down here. I patted the bed I was sitting on, which really did have some cute light green linens on it. Hey, speaking of the and whatnot. How did you guys get this stuff down here? I asked Stevie Rae. Not that Im trying to be mean, but this bed and your table and fridges and other things are a serious improvement over the dirty rags and other grossness I saw down here a month or so ago.
She gave me her cute Stevie Rae smile and said, Thats mostly thanks to Aphrodite.
Aphrodite? I asked, lifting my brows and staring at her along with everyone else.
What can I say? Ive become the poster child for do-gooders. Thank god Im attractive, Aphrodite said and then belched like a guy. Oops, scusa, she slurred.
Scusa? Jack said.
Italian, dork, Aphrodite said. Broaden your gay horizons.
So what does Aphrodite have to do with the stuff you have down here? I interrupted what was sure to become some serious bickering.
She bought this stuff. Actually, it was her idea, Stevie Rae said.
Scusa? I said, not even trying to stifle my grin.
I stayed down here for two days. Did you expect me to live in a hovel? Not hardly. Have credit cards, will decorate. I think thats on my family crest along with a very dry martini, she said. Theres a Pottery Barn in Utica Square right down the street. They deliver. So does Home Depot, which is also not far from here, although I wasnt aware of that until one of the red freaks enlightened me because I do not shop at appliance stores.
Theyre not freaks, Stevie Rae said.
Oh, bite me, Aphrodite said.
She already has, Venus said.
Aphrodite glared woozily in her direction, but before she could get out a drunken retort, the kid called Dallas said, I knew the Home Depot was there. My friends and I looked at him. He shrugged. Im good at building things.
Home Depot and Pottery Barn delivered down here? Erik said.
Well, not technically, Stevie Rae said. But they do deliver to the Tribune Lofts which are practically next door. And with a little, uh, friendly persuasion they brought the stuff here and then totally forgot once they left. So, ta-da! New stuff.
I still dont understand. How could the humans have been persuaded to come down here? Darius said.
I sighed. Something you should know about red vampyres
And red fledglings, too, only its not quite as strong with them, Stevie Rae interrupted me.
And red fledglings, I corrected. They have a mind-control thing they can do with humans.
That sounds a lot meaner than it is, Stevie Rae assured Darius quickly. I just tweaked the delivery guys memories. I didnt mind-control them. We dont go in for using our powers to be all hateful and stuff. She gave the group of red fledglings a look. Right?
The group muttered Right, but I noticed Venus didnt say anything, and Kramisha glanced around the room guiltily.
They can control the minds of humans. They cannot bear direct sunlight. Their powers of recovery are excellent. They need to commune with the earth to feel truly comfortable, Darius said. Am I leaving anything else out?
Yeah, Aphrodite said. They bite.
CHAPTER 6
Thats it. Im cutting you off, I told Aphrodite as the red fledglings erupted into laughter.
Aphroditeshe crazy even when she not drunk and Imprinted, Kramisha said. We all used to her, though.