Stark was saying, “Neferet wouldn’t go anywhere without those tendrils, and after being entombed for a year they’d definitely be ravenous enough to eat an apartment complex full of people.”
“She might be weaker than we think though,” said Z. “Otherwise, Neferet would be with them. She calls them her children.” She shuddered in disgust.
“Our Neferet is still here, but I’d bet this season’s Louboutin boots that Other Neferet and Lynette are not. I’d also bet breaking cray Neferet out of her tomb didn’t go anything like your Neferet planned,” said Aphrodite.
The prophetess was trying to sound normal, but Aphrodite was clutching her hands together to keep them from trembling. As she spoke, she looked up at Kevin. The rain washing down her face had turned pink with tears. And then all he saw were the whites of her eyes as they rolled back, and she collapsed. Kevin surged forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
19
Aphrodite
Coming back to herself after a vision was always horrible, and this time was definitely no exception. Aphrodite had the mother of all migraines. Her eyes burned and watered uncontrollably, and, as per usual, she felt dizzy and confused—which made sense. She’d just experienced someone’s death with them, and it was almost always a really violent, really awful death. This time violent and awful were understatements.
“I don’t know why I can’t—just once—have a nice vision. Like one where the good guy or girl wins? Or even a sweet, easy death in someone’s sleep. I don’t mean to be a complainer. It’s just—” Aphrodite had to stop speaking and press the cool, damp washcloth someone had put across her eyes.
“It’s just that it’s a lot. I hear you and I totally get it. And I’m really glad you’re back. You had me worried.”
Z’s voice was comforting. She was always there when Aphrodite woke from a vision and, along with Darius, she’d become her lifeline back to the real world.
“Where am I?”
“In your room.”
“Shit!” Aphrodite grimaced and took a few deep breaths to combat the pounding pain in her head. “Fuck me, ouch! Remind me not to cuss emphatically until I’m better. Wait? Did Darius carry me all the way back here?”
“I did not, my beauty.” Darius’s deep, familiar voice was more balm to her ragged nerves. “I did not even catch you when you fell. Kevin beat me to it.”
“Aww,” Aphrodite said. “That’s sweet. Kev? Are you here?”
“No, he’s still at Woodward Park. Darius, Kacie, Stevie Rae, and I are here with you.”
“Who carried me back here?”
“Marx brought all of us here in his truck,” said Stevie Rae. “So, you can’t ever complain again about big trucks only bein’ extensions of inadequate men’s penises.”
“Sure I can, because ninety-nine percent of the time it’s true,” said Aphrodite. “When did Marx get to the park?”
“Right after you collapsed. He’d come from the crime scene at the apartments down the street. That monstrous truck of his pays zero attention to ice, so he gave us a ride here.” Z’s voice sounded like she was in the kitchenette, and Aphrodite desperately hoped she was putting together a cocktail that would knock her out—or at least knock out her headache. “Everyone else is still at Woodward Park, helping the TPD secure the crime scene and put up tarps. The ice has turned to rain, which is busily washing away any evidence that might be left.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Aphrodite. “They’re gone.”
“They?” Zoey asked.
Aphrodite nodded and then paused to grit her teeth against the pain.
From the kitchenette Z said, “Hang on. Don’t say anything more. I’m brewing you some lavender CBD tea with a heavy dose of honey.”
“Lavender and CBD?” Stevie Rae asked.
“It’s medicinal and super relaxing—and also anti-inflammatory,” said Zoey. “Grandma told me about it.”
“You should get her some CBD bath salts to soak in,” Kacie spoke up from over by Aphrodite’s fireplace. “They help with aches and pains.”
“Good idea, Ice Cream Shoes,” said Aphrodite.
“Um, also, I have another idea,” said Kacie hesitantly. “Or, I had one. At the park.”
“Go ahead,” Stevie Rae encouraged. “You can tell us. Don’t worry ’bout getting everthin’ right or soundin’ perfect. Just speak your truth. You’re part of our circle. We’ll listen to you.”
Kacie swallowed audibly. “Other Neferet and that woman with her—”
“Other Lynette,” Stevie Rae said.
“Right. Other Lynette—she and Other Neferet didn’t go back to their world because anyone was hurt. They went back because they were scared. Really, really scared.”
“How do you know that?” Zoey asked, her voice getting closer to Aphrodite. While Kacie answered, Zoey helped Aphrodite guide the mug of tea to her lips and didn’t let go until Aphrodite’s hands stopped shaking and she could hold it herself.
“This is gonna sound crazy,” said Kacie.
“Crazier than me passing out with a vision and bleeding from my eyes?” said Aphrodite between sips of tea.
“I’m not sure. But, here goes—I picked up leftover emotions while I was standing there—right there where we felt the Old Magick residue. I’m pretty sure it was because of the ice and rain.”
“Explain that,” said Zoey.
“I’ll try. I was thinking about Old Magick and wondering what the hell went down at the park, and I was soaked with rain and standing in ice water—and all of a sudden, I felt terrified. It wasn’t my fear. And I don’t think it was the human woman’s fear either. I don’t think a human’s fear would have been strong enough for me to pick up on, and I’m not saying that because I’m being all ‘we’re better than them,’ or anything stupid like that. But Other Neferet is a powerful High Priestess, and I think that’s why I sensed what she felt. Her fear was so strong, water carried it to me.”
“That’s bad. Really bad,” said Zoey. “Other Neferet is powerful—so powerful that the fall from the press box at TU didn’t kill her. So powerful that she managed to cross over to this world and release our Neferet from a tomb sealed by an immortal. It’s hard to imagine what could terrify her like that.”
“Batshit Neferet is that terrifying. I saw her in my vision,” said Aphrodite. She blindly leaned forward and Zoey was there, taking the mug from her.
“More?” Zoey asked.
“Maybe in a little while, if I don’t fall asleep first. It’s times like this that I almost wish I was still into mixing Xanax and booze. But anyway, Other Neferet and Other Lynette aren’t here anymore. That’s for sure. And after what Ice Cream Shoes just said, we know it’s because Other Neferet was so damn afraid that she ran the hell away. Also for sure is the fact that our Neferet—let’s just call her Batshit to save confusion—is going to follow them if she hasn’t already.”
“You saw all three of them over there in your vision?” Z asked.
“Yeah, but more than that. In the vision, I was Other Neferet and I was with her friend, Other Lynette.”
Zoey scoffed. “Friend? Don’t you mean minion?”
“Actually, no. Something’s going on with Other Neferet. I couldn’t tell a lot of things from the vision because, as usual, all hell was breaking loose and it was chaotic, but two of the things I know for sure are that she’s not in this world anymore, and that she cares about that Lynette. Like, they’re for-real friends.”
“Okay, okay, go back,” Zoey said. “Describe the vision and we’ll figure it out from there.”
“Well, it was weird,” said Aphrodite. “I mean, they all are. But this one especially. Apparently, I was out for a while.”
“Yes, my beauty. As Zoey said, you were away from us longer than usual this time,” said Darius as he gently lifted her feet before sitting on
the couch with her. He rested her feet on his lap and began to firmly knead her arches.
“Ohmygoddess. That is wonderful. Don’t stop,” she said.
“Never,” said Darius with a smile in his voice.
“If you didn’t wear those crazy stilettos all the time, your feet wouldn’t hurt so much,” said Z, sounding way too smug.
“I wasn’t wearing stilettos at the park. I was wearing flats.”
It sounded like Ice Cream Shoes actually snorted but she said nothing because Z beat her to it.
“Wedges aren’t flats, but go ahead. What did you see?”
“A bunch of things really fast, which is why I’m confused about being out for so long. The vision was short and violent.”
“Go ahead. We’re listening,” prompted Darius as he continued to rub her feet.
The foot massage and the lavender tea worked perfectly together, and Aphrodite sank back into the down pillows as she held the cool, damp washcloth to her bleeding eyes.
“OK, I’m pretty sure we were at the other House of Night, out there by the east wall and the messed-up old oak tree, only the tree wasn’t messed up, which confused me.”
“That tree isn’t messed up on the school grounds at the other House of Night.” Z’s voice came from beside her and Aphrodite decided that she must be sitting in one of the plush chairs facing the couch she reclined on.
“Then I’m sure the vision took place in the Other World. Everything was happening super fast, and Neferet was in a strange place—and I don’t mean physically.”
“She’d gone totally crazy, like our Neferet?” Stevie Rae asked.
“No. That’s the weird thing. Okay, I was only inside her body for a few seconds. I knew she was not in this world. I knew Lynette was with her and that she cares about Lynette—that was easy because I saw Lynette, and Neferet’s feelings for her were super clear. It was her feelings for Other Kalona and Batshit that were confusing.”
“What?!” Aphrodite could tell that Zoey had stood and was pacing behind the couch. “Other Kalona was there?”
“Yeah. So was Batshit Neferet. I think we might have been there too, but it was really hard to tell because it was like Neferet was inside a fishbowl—something that made her sight confusing. She was totally focused on what was going on between Other Kalona and Batshit Neferet. Kalona was battling Batshit. He was hurt but holding her off—matching her, blow-for-blow, and it seemed like he was keeping her from getting inside the school grounds.
“Then something happened that really freaked Other Neferet out. I couldn’t tell for sure what it was—there was too much noise and panic. All I know is that Other Neferet believed that she was losing. Lynette tried to talk to her—it was like the two of them were isolated in the eye of a hurricane—a really noisy hurricane. But Other Neferet rejected what Lynette was saying. She decided to retreat.” Aphrodite paused, turning the washcloth over and pressing the cool side against her closed eyes. “It felt like that choice was key because as soon as Other Neferet yelled at Lynette to get the hell out of there, Batshit Neferet, who is super, super gross looking—like a mixture between a spider and a praying mantis and a human. She’s just—” Aphrodite shuddered before continuing. “Nasty—seriously nasty. Anyway, Batshit Neferet got around Kalona and took off after Other Neferet. Actually, she took off after Lynette. It was weird, though, because the scene went from being filled with vampyres and tendrils of Darkness and Other Kalona fighting his ass off to a tunnel-vision view of Other Lynette and Other Neferet being completely isolated.”
“You must explain that,” said Darius.
“I don’t know how real that part was. Sometimes I see things that are more metaphor than truth in my visions—which is one reason I hate poetry so much. I get enough confusion already in my prophecies and do not want to deal with any more bullshit symbolism and whatnot. But in the vision, when Other Neferet made the decision to run, everything changed. Other Kalona was gone—everyone literally disappeared except for the two Neferets and Lynette.”
Zoey asked. “What color were Kalona’s wings?”
“White—silver-white. They were really pretty. And he didn’t have a shirt on.”
“Of course he didn’t,” Z said. “But his white wings mean that he didn’t fall, and he’s definitely on our side. So, keep going. Everyone disappears, then what?”
“Batshit goes after them. Other Neferet was running. Lynette was with her but was a lot slower. Batshit’s tendrils caught Lynette pretty easily. They covered her while she screamed and screamed. Neferet turned and it was like she froze. I could feel what was happening inside her, and everything just went numb with shock and pain and loss, then while she stood there reeling from Lynette’s death, Batshit cut her in half. That was not symbolic. Batshit had a long, white, staff thingy with like, short swords at either end. She chopped her in half with it. And as Other Neferet’s vision went black, Batshit Neferet’s tendrils of Darkness multiplied and spread all over, covering everything and everyone. As Neferet was dying, I could smell blood and gore and I heard lots and lots of people screaming—including us. I heard all of us dying. It was the worst vision I’ve ever had, and it only lasted a few seconds.” With a shaking hand, she pressed the washcloth against her eyes.
“So, basically, everything went to hell when Other Kalona was overwhelmed and Other Neferet takes off,” Z said.
Aphrodite shrugged. “I think so.”
“Wait, you’re not sayin’ Other Neferet was fightin’ against Batshit Neferet, are you?” Stevie Rae said.
“It really seemed that way,” said Aphrodite.
“That’s bizarre,” Zoey said. “I met Other Neferet. She’s as coldhearted and egotistical as our Neferet. She ordered the death of any High Priestess who stood against her. She would’ve had her Red Army slaughter an entire stadium full of innocent people. She had Lenobia and Travis and all their horses killed.” Z sounded incredulous and more than a little scared. “I don’t understand how she could ever fight with us.”
Ice Cream Shoes’s voice sounded a lot older than her sixteen years. “She was also so terrified of Batshit Neferet that her fear stayed in this world even after she retreated to hers.”
“I don’t think the question right now is whether or not Other Neferet might be an ally,” said Darius. “The question is, how are we getting to the Other World, and who is going with us?”
“And how are we gonna find Rephaim’s daddy from another world?” said Stevie Rae.
“Well, however we do all that, we need to keep in mind that if Other Kalona can’t handle Batshit, and Other Neferet is our ally but she runs, the whole world goes to shit—and that includes any of us good guys who are there too,” said Kacie.
“I swear the key is Other Lynette,” said Aphrodite. “In both visions, when she dies everything goes wrong.”
“Great. We gotta keep a middle-aged human alive,” said Stevie Rae. “Not that I have anything against middle-aged humans, but they’re sure fragile.”
“Ah, hell,” muttered Zoey.
Silently, Aphrodite agreed with her.
20
Zoey
The slickers could only do so much, and the Warriors who returned to school were all completely soaked. Intermittent ice had turned to rain—and then rain had turned to a thunderstorm—a winter thunderstorm.
Stark took the towel I offered him. “If a tornado happens, I’m going to talk to you seriously about moving to a different House of Night.”
“You don’t mean that.” I tossed another towel to James and my brother, who looked equally drowned.
“He might not mean it, but I do,” said James. “Isn’t there a House of Night in the Bahamas?”
“Dude, you’d fry like bacon,” said Kev.
“Nah,” James said, sounding a lot more like my Stark as he teased with Kevin. “Not me. You two, sure. Blue vamps are ju
st uncomfortable in the sun. Well, I’d rather be uncomfortable from sun than from freezing rain turned pounding rain turned goddess-only-knows-what-next.”
Kevin actually laughed for a moment before changing back into the somber, unsmiling kid he’d been since Other Aphrodite had died. “Hey, how’s Aphrodite doing?” he asked.
“She’ll be fine,” I said. “But her vision sucked. And we need to talk about it. ASAP. But first, did Marx have any news?”
Damien took my last towel and answered as he dried himself. “The medical examiner identified the bones we found as human and female. But I doubt they’re going to be able to tell much more about them.” He met my gaze solemnly. “The tendrils of Darkness hit their mouths so hard that their jaws were shattered and their teeth scattered everywhere.”
My stomach rolled. “What about those capes?”
Damien shrugged. “They’re nothing special. Probably bought at the ren faire in Muskogee. It’ll take a while for Marx to track down the vendors and see if any of them remember selling five velvet capes in the colors of the elements to human females. The only other clothing items found were five pairs of Ugg boots, and you know how common those things are.”
“There was nothing to identify them in the capes?” I asked.
Kevin shook his head. “Absolutely nothing. Whoever planned this made sure that identifying the five women would be almost impossible.”
“This is our Neferet’s doing,” said James. “It reads like something she’d instigate, and we know she is the one who released your Neferet.”
I nodded, still thinking about how insane it was to even consider any Neferet being our ally, especially one who sacrificed five women to break a monster out of jail—however she managed to do that.
“What about the apartment building?” I asked.
“Last count Marx said thirty-seven people were dead. They’re still trying to figure out who wasn’t home and who is missing, presumed dead,” said Stark.
“As well as which body part belongs to which person,” said Kevin.
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