And, as per usual, Damien got it right away. Dragon, Professor Anastasia, and Professor Lenobia! Theyre who Id consider as the most intuitive after Neferet.
Its no coincidence their cats are here with us, Darius said.
Theyre a sign, sent to us to let us know were on the right track, Damien said.
Then thats the second reason we cant get out of here tonight, I said.
The second reason? Aphrodite said.
The first is that theres no way I can control the elements long enough to keep all those Raven Mockers from seeing us; Im just too tired. And the second is if Dragon and Professor Anastasia and Professor Lenobia can actually see through Kalonas bullpoopie, then maybe they can help us get rid of him.
The world is falling apart. Its really okay to cuss a little, Aphrodite said.
The world falling apart isnt an excuse to take up bad habits, I said, sounding weirdly like my grandma.
So it is agreed: We stay here one more day. Zoey, you must sleep. Tomorrow you all attend classes as you normally would, Darius said.
Yeah, agreed, I said. Damien, can you get Dragon alone long enough to see if he might be on our side?
I should be able to during my fencing class tomorrow.
Who has Professor Anastasias Spells and Rituals class?
The Twins raised their hands like good students.
Can you guys check her out?
Definitely, Erin said.
Will do, Shaunee said.
Ill talk to Lenobia, I said.
And Darius and I will scout out where all those nasty Raven Mockers are stationed around the walls, Aphrodite said.
Be careful, I told her.
She will be, Darius said.
I think no matter what, we should leave tomorrow. Staying here any longer than absolutely necessary feels wrong, I said.
Agreed. If your strength has returned, Darius said.
It better, I said.
There was a pause, and then Darius told me solemnly, When we escape, Kalona will come after you. He will hunt you until he finds you.
How do you know that for sure? Aphrodite said.
Tell them what he calls you, Darius said to me.
I sighed. He calls me A-ya.
Oh! Erin said.
Shit! Shaunee finished.
Now thats seriously bad news, Damien said.
He really believes youre the maiden the Ghigua women used to trap him more than a thousand years ago? Aphrodite said.
Apparently.
Do you think it would help if you told him youre no maiden? Aphrodite flashed me a cocky grin.
I rolled my eyes at her and then, because Aphrodites not so subtle mention of my un-virgin state made my thoughts inadvertently start to drift to the guys in my life, I added, Hey, I wonder why Starks so under Kalonas spell. He has a major gift from Nyx, and before he died he seemed really intuitive.
Stark is an absolute asshole, Shaunee said.
Yeah, between what we heard from the other kids, and what went on with Becca, we can definitely say hes seriously bad news, Erin said.
Dying and then un-dying might have messed him up, but my vote is that he was a jerk before he croaked and then uncroaked, Aphrodite said. We all need to stay far, far away from him. I think his badness is right up there with Kalona and Neferet.
Yeah, hes like a Raven Mocker without the wings, Erin said.
Eesh, Shaunee agreed.
I didnt say anything. I just sat there and felt really tired and really guilty. Id kissed him. Again. And my friends all thought he was a monster, probably because he was a monster. And if hes such bad news, which it seriously looks like he is, how the hell could I think there is anything good left in him?
Okay, Z has to sleep, Damien said, getting up with Cameron still in his arms. We know what were supposed to do, so lets do it and then get out of here. Damien hugged me. Forget about Kramishas poem, he whispered. You cant save everyone, especially if he doesnt want to be saved.
I hugged him back, but didnt say anything.
Getting back to those tunnels sounds good to me. We all need to be away from this place. Damien smiled sadly at me and left the room with the Twins, who called goodbyes to me, too, as their cat trotted after them.
Come on. Aphrodite took Dariuss hand and pulled him off the bed. Youre not going back to your room tonight.
Im not? he said, smiling warmly at her.
No, youre not. There seems to be a scarcity of Sons of Erebus around here, so Im going to keep my eyes, and a few other parts of my body, on you.
Puke, I said, but I couldnt help grinning at them.
You just sleep, Aphrodite told me. Youll need all your strength to deal with the guy mess waiting for you. I have a feeling Erik and Heath are going to be a bigger drain than controlling the elements.
Hey, thanks, Aphrodite, I said sarcastically.
Dont mention it. Im all about helping you out.
Good night, Priestess. I wish you a restful sleep, Darius said right before Aphrodite pulled him out of the room. The last of the cats followed him out, leaving me alone (finally) with my Nala.
I sighed and dug into my pocket for the bottle of blood stashed there. I shook it up like it was one of those yummy cold Starbucks bottled drinks and downed it. The blood felt good spreading like warm fingers through my body, but it didnt give me the electric jolt I was used to. I was just too exhausted. I dragged myself from the bed, pulled off the stupid hospital clothes, and rattled around in my drawer for my favorite guys boxers (the ones with Batman symbols all over them) and a stretched-out old T-shirt. Just before I put on the shirt I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and froze.
Was that really me? I looked way older than seventeen. All of my tattoos were visible, and they were like a breath of life blown across a corpse. I was so pale! And the circles under my eyes were truly scary. Slowly I allowed my gaze to drift down to check out my wound. It was awful, and so darn big! I mean, it stretched all the way from shoulder to shoulder. No, it wasnt gaped open anymore like a hideous mouth, but it was a jagged, puckered red ridge that made Dariuss knife wound look like the scratch he liked to call it.
I touched the wound gently and winced at how sore it was. Would it always stay this raised? Okay, I realize it was incredibly shallow of me, but I wanted to burst into tears. Not because all hell was coming against us. Not because Neferet had turned über-dangerous. Not because she and Kalona might very well be threatening the balance of good and evil in the known world. Not because I was a confused mess about Erik and Heath and Stark. But because I was going to have a massively ugly scar, and Id probably never be able to wear a tank top again. And what about if I ever wanted to let anyone see me, well, naked again? I mean, Id had one bad experience, but surely some day I was going to be in a great relationship and Id want him to eventually see me naked. Right? I stared at the nasty-looking, unhealed scar and stifled a sob. Wrong.
Okay, I seriously needed to stop thinking about this, and I definitely was going to quit looking at myself naked. It just cant be good for me. Hell! It probably wasnt good for anyone!
I hastily pulled the T-shirt over my head and muttered, Aphrodite must be rubbing off on me. I swear I didnt use to be this shallow.
Nala was waiting for me on my bed in her usual place on my pillow. I slid under the sheets and curled up with her, loving how she snuggled against me and turned on her purr engine. I guess I should have been scared to fall asleep, what with the last Kalona dream visit Id had, but I was too tired to think, too tired to care. I just closed my eyes and gave myself gratefully up to the darkness.
When the dream started, it wasnt a meadow, and so, foolishly, I was immediately relieved and relaxed. I was on an incredibly beautiful island, looking out across a lagoon at a skyline that seemed familiar, even though I knew Id never been there before. The water had a fishy, salty smell. There was a depth and richness to it, a sense of vastness that I recognized as belonging to the ocean, even though Ive never been to the coast. The sun was setting and the sky was lit up with a fading brilliance that reminded me of autumn leaves. I was sitting on a marble bench the color of moonbeams. It was intricately carved with vines and flowers and felt like it belonged to another time and place. I ran my hand across the smooth back of it, which was still warm from the fading day. It was like I really was there, and not dreaming at all. I glanced over my shoulder, and my eyes widened. Wow! Behind me was a palace with beautiful arched doors and windows, all in pristine white, amazing pillars and wedding cakelike chandeliers peeking out of the elegant windowpanes and twinkling in the predusk.
It was enough to take my breath away, and I was really pleased with my sleeping self for making it all up, but I was also baffled. It all seemed so real. And so familiar. Why?
I turned my face back to the lagoon view, looking across at a domed cathedral and little boats and lots of other amazing stuff that theres no way I could have imagined all on my own. The soft night breeze was coming off the water, bringing the distinctly rich scents of the dark water. I breathed deeply, enjoying the uniqueness of it. Sure, some people might say it was kinda stinky, but I didnt think so, I was just
Holy crap! A terrible skittering of fear fingered down my spine. I knew why this seemed familiar.
Aphrodite had described this place to me just a few days ago. Not in detail. She hadnt been able to remember everything, but what she had been able to tell me had made a distinct and unsettling impression. So much so that I recognized the water and the palace and the ancient feel of it.
This was the place Aphrodite had glimpsed in the second vision shed had of my death.
CHAPTER 23
Here you are. This time you bring me to a place of your choosing, rather than me calling to you.
Kalona stepped into view beside the marble bench, as if he had materialized out of the air. I didnt say anything. I was too busy trying to control the panicked beating of my heart.
Your Goddess is quite unusual, he said in a friendly, conversational tone after he sat beside me on the bench. I can feel the danger in this place for you. It surprises me that she would allow you here, especially because she must know you would call me to you. I imagine she believes she is warning you, readying you, but she is mistaking my intentions. I mean to resurrect the past, and to do so the present must die. He paused, and with a contemptuous gesture waved away the riches on the shore across the water from us. All of that means nothing to me.
I had no clue what he was talking about and when I finally found my voice, all I could manage was a brilliant, I didnt call you to me.
Of course you did. He was intimate and flirty, like he was my boyfriend and I was being kinda shy about admitting how much I liked him.
No, I spoke without looking at him. I did not call you to me, I repeated. And I dont have any idea what youre talking about.
My musings are unimportant. All will be clear with time. But, A-ya, if you did not call me, then explain how I joined you in your dream.
Steeling myself against the allure I already felt from just the sound of his voice, I turned my head to look at him. He was young again, and appeared eighteen or nineteen. He was wearing jeans that were comfortably loose and had that sexy, these-are-my-favorite-pair-because-they-fit-perfectly look. And that was it. He didnt have shoes or a shirt on. His wings were miraculous. They were the black of a starless sky and glistened in the fading light with a silky beauty all their own. His flawless bronze skin seemed to be lit from within. His body was beyond incredible. It was like his faceso handsome, so perfect, that it was impossible to describe.
With a deep sense of shock I realized that was just like how Nyxs appearance had seemed to Aphrodite and me. She had been so otherworldly in her beauty that wed been unable to describe her. And, for some reason, that similarity between Kalona and Nyx made me incredibly sad, sad for what he might once have been and for what he had become.
What is it, A-ya? What has made you look as if you would weep?
I started to pick and choose my words carefully and then stopped. If this was my dreamif bringing Kalona to me was somehow my doingthen I was going to be nothing but honest. So I spoke the truth.
Im sad because I dont think you were always what you are now.
Kalona went utterly still. It seemed the perfection of his features solidified and turned him into the statue of a god.
In the dream I felt timeless, so it might have been a second or a century before he responded. And what would you do if you knew that I have not always been as I am now, my A-ya? Would you save me or would you entomb me?
I stared at his luminous amber eyes and tried to see through them into his soul. I dont know, I said honestly. I dont think I could do either without some help from you.
Kalona laughed. The sound danced across my skin. It made me want to throw my head back and my arms wide and embrace the beauty of it. I think you are correct, he said, smiling into my eyes.
I looked away first, staring out at the ocean and trying to forget how incredibly seductive he was.
I like this place. I could hear the smile in his voice. I feel poweran ancient power. No wonder they chose to come here. It reminds me of the place of power from which I arose inside the House of Night, though the earth element is not strong here. That is a comfort to me. It is pleasant.
I focused on the one thing hed said I could actually understand. I guess its no surprise youd be more comfortable on an island. Being as you dont so much like the earth.
There is only one thing I like about the earth, and that was resting in your arms, though your embrace lasted too long for even my great capacity for pleasure.
I looked at him again. He was still smiling gently at me. You have to know that Im not really A-ya.
His smile didnt falter. No, I do not know that. Slowly, he reached out and took a long strand of my dark hair between his fingers. Staring into my eyes, he let my hair slide into his palm.