Bareback. Riding bareback behind you on a horse, he said. Then nodded. Yes, yes, I am stressing about it.
I started giggling and had to lean against Persephone because I was hurting myself. Okay, heres the life lesson Ive really been learning: If you have good friends, no matter how much life is sucking, they can make you laugh.
Meanwhile, Damien was frowning at me. Just so you know, Im going to tell Jack you were laughing at me, and hell get mad at you. That means the next time I purchase a gift for you, he will go on strike and not supervise its tasteful wrapping.
Jeesh, thats kinda harsh, I said, then burst into giggles again.
Would you guys get serious! We have a war to win and a world to save. Aphrodite was standing with her hands on her hips just outside Persephones stall. She was wearing her cropped black designer tank (with the gold JUICY label across her boobs) and her borrowed tan riding pants tucked into flat English riding boots. With no heels. None.
I took one look at her and started to giggle again. Then I caught sight of the Twins, who were standing behind her. Both of them had on Dolce & Gabbana animal-print silk tunics (probably from Saks Fifth Avenue or Miss Jacksons, jeesh). Their butts were snugged with spandexy tan English riding leggings (hee hees), tucked into brown and tan English riding boots.
It was priceless. This time Damien joined me in my hysteria.
I hate both of them, Aphrodite said.
Girlfriend, were finding we have more and more in common with you, Erin told Aphrodite.
Ditto, Shaunee said, scowling at Damien and me.
Sadly, Lenobias words threw cold water on my giggly good time.
I spoke with Anastasia. Everythings ready to go, even though Dragon was temporarily unavailable. He was dealing with an unusual case of vampyre Change. I was told to pass word along to Zoey that Stark arrived and has been taken care of.
Did she say Stark? Damien asked.
Huh? the Twins said.
Oh, shit, Aphrodite said.
The weather still looks bad, and I can see stirrings in the trees. I think their plan is to grab us as we leave the stables. We better get going, Darius said as he rejoined our group. He paused as he saw everyone staring at me. Obviously I missed something.
Yes, and Zoey was just getting ready to fill us in, Damien said.
I gnawed my lip and looked from friend to friend. Well, hell. Okay, heres the deal. Stark Changed. Hes the second red vampyre theres ever been.
Whoop-de-fucking-do, Erin said. Hes still an assbucket.
Yeah, and why would you know shit about him Changing? Shaunee said.
You have to stop thinking of him like hes Stevie Rae. Theyre worlds apart, Damien said, more gently than the others.
She loves him, Aphrodite blurted.
Aphrodite! I yelled.
Well, someone had to clue the dorks in to your pathetic infatuation with him, Aphrodite said.
Youre not helping me, I said.
Wait. Rewind. Zoey is in love with Stark? That is the stupidest thing Ive ever heard in my entire life, Erin said.
Well, except for the whole graduated drivers license law thing in Oklahoma, Twin. Lets get serious. Thats the stupidest thing weve ever heard of in our entire lives, Shaunee said.
True. Besides that, though. And, Aphrodite, we say: You. Have. Lost. Your. Damn. Mind, Erin said.
Again, Shaunee finished.
Everyone looked at me.
I think the graduated drivers license thing is stupid, too, I lamely said.
See! I told you! Aphrodite said. She has a serious thing for Stark.
Serious shit, Erin said.
I would never have believed it, Shaunee said.
Let her explain! Damien yelled.
Everyone got really quiet.
I cleared my throat.
Okay. Well. Remember the poem? All of my friends narrowed their eyes at me, which I didnt think was very fair. But I continued anyway. It said I was supposed to save his humanity? And I did. I think. I hope.
Priestess, we caught him abusing a fledgling. How can you condone that? Darius said.
I dont condone it. It makes me sick. But I remember when Stevie Rae was fighting to keep her humanity, and she was awful. I looked at Aphrodite. You know what Im talking about.
Yeah, and Im not one hundred percent sure you can trust her today. And I say that as the human shes Imprinted.
I expected the Twins and Damien to blow up at her, but they stayed very quiet. Finally I turned to Darius. Stark gave me his Warriors Oath.
His Warriors Oath! And you accepted him? Darius said.
I did. It was right after that he Changed.
Darius sighed deeply. Then Stark is bound to you until you release him from his oath.
I think that caused his Change, I said. I think with the red fledglings their Change has something to do with the choice between good and evil.
By pledging to you, Stark chose good, Darius said.
I smiled. I like to think so.
So that means he isnt an asscake anymore? Erin said.
I thought you called him an assbucket, Shaunee said.
Twin, its the same thing, Erin said.
It means I trust him, I said. And I wish you guys would give him a chance.
Giving the wrong person a chance right now could get us killed, Darius said.
I drew a deep breath. I know.
A newly Changed vampyre needs to be secluded in Nyxs Temple. Dragon assured me Stark is safely there. Lenobia glanced at her watch. We have exactly ten minutes. Can we not get on with more important things and leave the question of Starks trustworthiness until a better time?
Definitely, I said. Whats left to do? All I could hope was that Dragon really had the newly Changed Stark safely locked away in Nyxs Temple, and that we would actually chase Kalona out of here, thereby getting rid of Neferet, too, so that we would have a chance to deal with his trustworthiness at a better time.
We quickly got bridles on two other horses, appropriately named Hope and Destiny. Then the hard part of our plan started.
I still say it is not safe, Darius said, looking like a thundercloud.
I have to do it. Stevie Raes not here, and Im the closest thing we have to a pure earth affinity, I said.
It really doesnt sound that hard, Aphrodite said, trying to reason with the irate warrior. All Zoey has to do is sneak out to the wall, tell the tree thats already smushing it to push harder, and then sneak back here.
I will take her there, Darius said stubbornly.
With your mega-quickness thatll be perfect, I said. By the way, Im ready.
How will I know youve succeeded and its my time to start the next part of the plan? Lenobia asked me.
Ill send spirit to you. If you feel a jolt of something good, youll know were fine and its time to tell Shaunee to get ready to let fire loose.
But she must remember that only the shoes of the horses should be afire, Lenobia said, giving Shaunee a stern look.
I know! Its not even hard. Just go on about your business. Destiny and I are making friends. Shaunee turned back to the big bay mare who would carry her and Erin, and continued to chatter to the horse as Erin brushed her and talked about sugar cubes and something called a Jazzy Apple.
Just keep her safe and get back here to me, Aphrodite said. She kissed Darius on the mouth and then walked toward Hope to help Lenobia finish buckling the last of the mares bridle straps.
Well, Priestess, shall we? Darius said.
I nodded and let him lift me into his arms. Darius took one step out into the frigid, stormy night, and then everything blurred around us as he moved kinda diagonally across the rear grounds to a part of the big wall surrounding the school that had an even bigger oak lying across it. Somehow in one of Tulsas last winter disasters, the tree had succumbed and fallen down. Kinda. Word had it (from Aphrodite) that under normal circumstances it was an excellent place to sneak off campus undetected, and I knew from personal experience that shed been right.
Today we were not dealing with normal circumstances.
Darius came to a halt way too fast beside the fallen tree, shoved me under it, and whispered, Stay there until Im sure it is safe. And off he went.
So I crouched under the tree and thought about how wet and cold it was and how annoying guys were. Then I heard the nasty wing-flapping sound, and I decided to uncrouchquickly.
I emerged from under the side of the tree just in time to see Darius grabbing a Raven Mocker by his wing, jerking him to the ground, and then slitting his throat.
I looked away fast.
Zoey, come on. We have no time.
Trying to ignore the corpse of the Raven Mocker, I hurried to the half-toppled tree. I placed my hand on it and closed my eyes. Centering myself, I searched for my internal norththe site of earthand then invoked, Earth, I need you. Please come to me. In the midst of an ice storm, in the dead of winter, I was suddenly, miraculously, surrounded by the scents of a spring meadowripe wheata mimosa tree in full bloom. I bowed my head gratefully and continued. What I need you to do is hard, and I wouldnt ask it of you unless it was an emergency. I drew a deep breath, and focused on the ice-slicked bark beneath my palm. Fall, I commanded. Forgive me, but I have to ask you to fall. The skin of the tree shuddered under my hand, so violently that I fell backward, and with a crack that I swear I could hear a dying scream within, the old oak fell, crashing against the already weakened wall, sending blocks of stone and bricks tumbling down, and creating a break in the barrier that surrounded the school, a break it would seem logical for us to try to escape through.
I was breathing heavily and feeling more than a little shaky, but I automatically sent spirit to let Lenobia know I was successful. Then I picked myself up, staggered to the fallen tree, and put both hands on its bark. Thank you, earth. Then a sudden thought had me adding, Go to Stevie Rae. Tell her were coming. Tell her to be ready. I felt the usual listening sense I got when I commanded an element to do something. Go now, earth. Thank you again for helping me, and Im really sorry I had to hurt the tree.
We must return to the stables. Darius strode over to me and lifted me in his arms. You did well, Priestess, he said.
I put my head down on his friendly shoulder, and only knew I was crying because I could see the wet streaks on his jacket. Lets get out of here.
CHAPTER 32
The three bridled horses were waiting for us. Erin and Shaunee were already mounted on Destiny. Shaunee was driving. Shed taken English Hunter/Jumper classes at her private prep school before she was Marked, and so shed proclaimed herself an almost mediocre rider. Aphrodite and Damien stood near Persephone and Hope. Damien looked like he might be sick at any instant.
I felt spirits touch and am assuming all went well, Lenobia said as she breezed by us and began rechecking the horses tack.
The wall has been broken, but I was forced to kill a Raven Mocker. Im quite sure hell be discovered soon, Darius said.
Actually, thats good. It will just give more credence to the thought that the fallen wall is how youll try to escape, Lenobia said. She glanced at her watch. Time to mount up. Shaunee, are you ready?
I was born ready, Shaunee said.
All right, how about you, Erin?
Erin nodded. Ditto. Im ready.
Damien?
He answered Lenobia, but he spoke to me, Im scared.
I hurried to his side and took his hand. Im scared, too. But its a lot less scary if I remember were together.
Even if were together on a horse?
I smiled. Even if. Plus, Persephone is a perfect lady. I took Damiens hand and pressed it against the graceful curve of my mares neck.
Oooh, shes soft and warm, he said.
Here, Ill give you a knee up, Lenobia said, bending beside us and offering Damien the cradle her hands were making.
With a long-suffering sigh he put his knee in her hands and tried (unsuccessfully) to stifle a very gay squeal as she boosted him up on Persephones broad back.
Before Lenobia helped me up she put her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. Follow your heart and your instinct, and you will not go wrong. Make him flee, Priestess.
Ill do my best, I said.
That is why I have such faith in you, she said.
Once we were all mounted, Lenobia led us to the rollaway doors that opened into the exercise corral. Earlier Lenobia had quietly gone out and opened the outside gate to the corral. Now nothing stood between us and the world except a lot of ice, the front gates of the school, a bunch of Raven Mockers, their daddy, and a crazy-assed ex-High Priestess.
As you can well imagine, I was pretty concerned about having a raging case of nervous diarrhea. Thankfully, I didnt have enough spare time for my body to give it much thought.
Lenobia slid the doors open. Shed already extinguished the lights in this part of the stable, so that we wouldnt be silhouetted, all sitting-duck-like. We peered into the icy darkness, imagining the storm to come.
Ill give you just a few minutes to call the elements, Lenobia said. The sudden increase in intensity of the storm is Anastasias cue to begin the confusion spell on the other side of campus, and dont forget that Dragon has stationed himself at the school gate. He will cut down the Raven Mocker who is sentry there as soon as he hears hoofs approaching. Shaunee, when youre ready, set the stall on fire. When I see the flames, Ill free the rest of the horses. They already know that they are to stampede around the school grounds and create as much havoc as possible.
Shaunee nodded. I got it.
Then refocus flame on these horses hoofs. Lenobia paused and reiterated, I mean the horse shoes on their hoofs. Ill tell Persephone when to go. All the rest of you need do is to hold on and follow her lead. She patted my sorrel mare affectionately. Then she looked up at me, Merry meet and merry part, and merry meet again, High Priestess, she said. Fisting her hand over her heart, she bowed to me.