“That’s gotta be a good sign,” Shaylin said.
“Yep. Okay, give me a few minutes to put all of this together in a spell form. By that time, Aphrodite and Damien should be back with the athame and candles, Shaunee will have made her fire-pyramid thing, and Stevie Rae will have found a rowan wand. Then we go to Woodward Park.”
“How are you feeling about the spell overall, Zoeybird?” Grandma asked when Stark went to fetch us some more pizza.
“Pretty good,” I said. “I mean, it’s really a simple spell. There’s not much that can go wrong.”
I saw a shadow pass over Grandma’s expression, but before I could ask her anything she brightened. “Exactly, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya. Let’s go put an end to Neferet’s nonsense. Again.”
10
Zoey
Winter in Oklahoma is a mixture of anticipation and expectation—you know the ice and snow are coming. You just don’t know when, where, or how much. I should have been sick of winter weather, what with the icepocalypse that had shut the city down for weeks last winter, but as we walked through deserted Woodward Park with fat flakes of snow drifting lazily down from an ominously clouded sky I couldn’t help but feel the same sense of wonder and excitement I’d felt every school day of my life when the weather report hinted at snow. Seriously. What’s more awesome than a snow day? (Okay, yes, I hear you. Summer vacation. But I’m talking about surprise days off from school.)
Mature or immature, the snow had all of us in a positive mood. And there, tromping through leaves salted with shimmering white flakes, surrounded by the people I loved most in this world, I was filled with optimism. Neferet and Darkness felt like a half-remembered bad dream. The kind that you wake from crying, but as soon as you’re fully aware it fades into vague remembrances and forgotten fears.
“I like the replanting,” Stevie Rae said. She was walking beside me, gazing around at the snow-silent park. “It’s gonna be weird in the spring and summer—without most of the ginormous oaks and those huge azalea bushes everyone likes to take pictures in front of—but I can already see that it’s gonna be real pretty once everything grows up. Maybe even prettier than it used to be.”
“That’s what we’re hoping for. The House of Night poured a bunch of money into the renovation, and it was one of our landscape architects that created the new planting grids. She even added a gorgeous water feature over there by the Peoria side of the park, which we filled with koi.”
Stevie Rae shot me a look. “I hope I’m here to see it.”
I snagged her hand and made her slow with me until we lagged a little behind the others. “You’ll be here to see it if you want to be here. Stevie Rae, I didn’t know you’ve been unhappy. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Sure it is. I’m the one who set up our new High Council and had the semibrilliant idea of sending everyone scattered out like that.”
“It’s a good idea, Z. I just miss home. Too much I think. My heart’s here.” She glanced at where Rephaim walked beside Stark and added, “So’s his.”
“So’s Damien’s,” I said softly, glancing to where he was walking beside Aphrodite.
“Yeah, I don’t see Adam anywhere. What’s up with that?” she asked.
“They broke up. Damien’s not over Jack,” I said.
“Oh, man, that sucks. But I’m not surprised. Maybe being home will help him put Jack to rest.”
“I hope so. I am a little weirded out by Aphrodite’s vision, though. Jack featuring predominately in it is pretty crazy, and feels more than coincidental what with Damien being so homesick and sad.”
“Maybe that part’s not supposed to be literal. Maybe Nyx decided we do need some extra protection on the grotto, and she took the opportunity to make a point about not letting go of the past.”
“Meaning that it’ll eat you alive if you can’t make peace with it.” I nodded. “I can see that. But then there’s Kramisha’s poem. No clue how that works into it.”
“Well, there’s a snow metaphor throughout it, with a reference to snowflakes joining by finding themselves again. That could play into Aphrodite’s vision, too. It could be for Damien, symbolizing that he really needs to heal so that he can love again. You did say he and Adam broke up, right?”
“Right.”
“I’m guessin’ the breakup had more to do with Damien than Adam?”
“Right again,” I said. “But I should let Damien tell the rest of it.”
“No worries, Z. I don’t want to be all in his business. But it does seem like a bunch of this could be about Damien moving on.” She lowered her voice. “He looks rough. And Damien never looks rough.”
“Yeah, he needs to be home. I wish I’d known—about him as well as you. Hey, make me a deal. Promise you’ll never keep things from me like that again.”
“Z, you’re so busy with the new Council and integrating the North American Houses of Night. I didn’t want to bother you. I’ll bet Damien felt like that, too.”
“Sure, I’m busy, but I’m never too busy for my friends.”
“I can’t just leave Chicago, you know. There’s too much to do up there. The city’s just starting to relax enough to let a few human art students attend classes at the House of Night. I gotta go back and be sure everything runs smoothly.”
“What if you go back temporarily. Just long enough to train your replacement. I really could use you here. The depot tunnels house the only House of Night for red fledglings. You’d be a better High Priestess to them than me.”
“Really?” Stevie Rae’s blue eyes sparkled happily.
“Really,” I said. “What with Stark and Kramisha added to the staff here, I have a few extra priestesses. I’m sure one of them would love to check out Chicago.”
“What about Damien? New York can’t be any easier to integrate than Chicago.”
“Damien finished the yearly professor evaluations at his House of Night early,” I said.
“’Course he did,” Stevie Rae said with a grin.
“Yeah, he’s super organized. He gushed about one young High Priestess in particular. I think I remember that her name is Monique. Anyway, in his evaluation he went on and on about how skillful she is at brainstorming creative answers to dead-end problems. Perhaps Damien should groom her to take his place in New York.” And then return to T-Town and help me organize the administrative mess I’ve buried myself under.
“Z, you’re gonna make three people real happy this holiday!”
Feeling lighthearted, I linked my arm with my BFF and, like giggling preteens, we skipped to catch up with the rest of our group.
Everyone was waiting for us at the rocky ridge that looked down on the walled, concealed grotto prison.
“All right, does everyone remember their parts?” I asked.
Aphrodite, Shaunee, Shaylin, and Stevie Rae all nodded. I met Damien’s sad gaze. “Honey, I need you to stay up here with Stark and Rephaim.”