by P. C. Cast
Lynette stopped and turned to face Neferet. “I believe you already are.”
Neferet’s lips turned up. “Thank you, my de—” Suddenly her words broke off. They’d passed the Tulsa Rose Gardens and the west entrance to Woodward Park that climbed up to the wooded area above Neferet’s grotto.
Lynette started to speak, but Neferet pressed her finger to her lips and whispered. “A circle has been cast within the park. I can feel its power. Come, quietly. Follow me.”
Neferet led Lynette off the sidewalk and through the manicured lawn that met the little ridge made of stone and mature azalea hedges. From there they crept forward, working their way toward the area of the grotto that held the immortal Neferet as they carefully hugged the ridge and stayed within the azaleas. The ridge curved to their right, allowing them a view of a group of people surrounding the grotto.
“They’re circling,” whispered Neferet. “I recognize the High Priestess in the center. That’s Zoey Redbird. And there, among those Warriors standing guard, is this world’s Stark. See the red tattoo on his forehead?” Neferet sucked in a shocked breath and continued, “That priestess closest to the grotto who stands in the position of fire—that is this world’s Aphrodite. The little traitor who betrayed me along with Stark.” She took Lynette’s shoulders between her hands and spoke quickly and earnestly. “You must get closer. You must try to overhear what spell they are casting. Can you do that for me, my precious handmaid?”
Lynette’s mind raced until it caught a plan. “Of course. I won’t fail you. Should you wait here? Will you be safe? Maybe you should call more fog to hide yourself.”
“I cannot do that without making them suspicious. Every vampyre in this park knows about concealment spells, and I’m afraid they would recognize it, especially after I so recently called fog for that purpose. No matter, I will remain here and await your return.”
“Okay, I’ll be as fast as I can.”
Before she hurried back to the sidewalk, Neferet took Lynette’s hand in both of her own. “Do not put yourself in danger. Do not let them take you from me, my dearest.”
“Never. Don’t worry. I’m good at this kind of thing.”
Lynette went back to the sidewalk, moving briskly alongside Peoria Street until she came to the Twenty-first Street intersection, where she turned right and headed directly for the group of vampyres and their lit candles. She thought it would be difficult to overhear what the priestess in the circle was saying, but her voice was filled with such power that it carried across the lawn. As the words drifted over her Lynette halted, pretending that she had a pebble in her shoe. She bent to take it off while she listened and observed, memorizing the words of the spell as well as the faces of each of the vampyres.
“Come, spirits of the earth.
I call on you this hour.
Repel those made vampyre through rebirth;
Henceforth they cannot cross this white line of power!”
Lynette realized it was some kind of spell focused on keeping vampyres away from the grotto. A chill skittered down her spine.
Do they know Neferet is here?
Determined to glean more information, Lynette straightened and inched forward. She sucked in a breath and froze. From a white, glittering circle that surrounded the grotto and the wall concealing it, enormous spectral beasts rose. They stood shoulder to shoulder, shimmering with power and blowing iridescent smoke from their nostrils.
Lynette recognized them instantly. She’d visited the untamed expanse of Oklahoma’s Tallgrass Prairie to view the free-grazing bison and their golden calves. It had always thrilled her and made her wonder at what it must have been like before the Native Peoples and their way of life had been strangled by European immigrants.
Lynette stared so long that she didn’t realize the circle had closed until the bison dissolved into the earth—though even she could feel that they remained, vigilant and protective.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
Lynette startled and instantly recognized James Stark, who in her world wasn’t a smiling red vampyre, but a blue vampyre general who had betrayed her mistress.
She clutched her throat and laughed nervously. “Oh, my! You frightened me.”
He stopped several feet from her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to let you know the park is closed right now.”
“Oh, I didn’t intend to go into the park. I work a late shift at St. John’s and taking a walk afterward always relaxes me.” Then she added with gushing gratitude, “Since you Warriors have taken to being in the park at night, I feel safe walking. It’s really quite nice.”
“Thank you. It’s our job to protect,” said Stark.
“I do appreciate that so much. Will you be here again tomorrow night?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. Though there won’t be as many of us tomorrow—but how about I tell the Sons of Erebus to keep an eye out for you?”
“Why, that’s very sweet. And now I’ll just head back the way I came so I don’t interrupt you further. Thank you, young man, and blessed be.”
“Blessed be, ma’am.”
Lynette turned and briskly retraced her path back to Neferet, who joined her on the sidewalk. Silently, they hurried across Peoria Street to disappear into the winding, opulent midtown neighborhood of Maple Ridge. Only when they were several blocks away did Neferet speak.
“I could feel her words, but I could not hear them. Could you make them out?”
“Yes! Every one of them—and I saw everything! Here’s what she said.” Lynette repeated the spell, word for word.
Neferet blew out a long, frustrated breath. “That meddling child! She’s cast a spell that will repel all vampyres from the tomb. I do not understand why this version of me didn’t do away with that troublesome girl before she Changed and became a powerful High Priestess.”
“She’s definitely powerful. I even saw them.”
“Them?”
“Bison! Or at least their spirits. They materialized all around the tomb—as well as above it. And you should’ve seen the response of the Warriors who were standing on top of the ridge overlooking the tomb. As soon as the bison appeared, they all jumped back—fast.”
“Zoey Redbird knows something is happening.” Neferet shook her head. “I was afraid of this when I used fog to conceal us yesterday. I should have considered the time of year and used a rainstorm, or even the concealment of shadows. So much fog was suspicious.”
“That, or someone from our world knows we’re here and they, too, have crossed the portal to warn Zoey and this House of Night,” said Lynette.
“Lynette, dearest, you would know better than I, as you, too, are human, but do you think Mrs. Muir or her daughter could have betrayed us?”
“No, my lady,” she said firmly. “At first, they were frightened of you, which made them keep your presence a secret, but you watched what happened. They changed as they got to know you and as they witnessed your glory and your power night after night. I also believe wee Denise’s sacrifice moved them greatly. Humans are not as gifted or as powerful as vampyres, but we have an almost unlimited capacity for love and loyalty. My intuition says that they worship you and are faithful.”
Neferet shook back her blond wig and looked relieved before her eyes narrowed. “Loren—that weak fool. I should’ve gone to him—surprised him—gotten the information I needed and then ended his pathetic life. If someone betrayed me, it was Loren.”
“My lady, I didn’t see anyone from our world with the group at the park, and I definitely would have recognized our Stark or any of the other higher-ranking vampyres.”
“Did you see a Warrior who looked Native American? He would have had a red tattoo of a fully Changed vampyre that is highly ornate.”
Lynette reviewed in her mind the Warriors before answering. “No. None of the vampyres looked Native American
except for Zoey, and there was only one Son of Erebus Warrior who had a red tattoo, and that was Stark.”
“Had Kevin crossed through the portal he definitely would have been at his sister’s side. It could simply be that this world’s Aphrodite is also a prophetess, and Nyx has warned her of my presence.”
“Oh, that reminds me—this Aphrodite’s Mark is highly unusual.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s red and blue. I couldn’t make out the pattern, but she was closest to the bison spirits and they were glowing, which allowed me to see her Mark,” said Lynette.
“And you’re quite positive it is red and blue?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Then this world’s Aphrodite is definitely a powerful prophetess. We must assume Nyx has warned her with a vision.”
Stress pressed down on Lynette, making her shoulders burn and her stomach churn. “Neferet, my lady, are you sure we shouldn’t just call the sprites and have them return us to our world?”
Neferet stopped on the dark sidewalk in the sleepy midtown neighborhood and faced Lynette. “I understand your fear. I, too, feel the trap of this world—this Tulsa I do not know. But I need the secret their Neferet holds. More than that, what if it were I trapped there? Would you leave me thus, starving and consumed with anger?”
Lynette’s shoulders slumped. “No, never. I would do anything to help you escape. I’m just worried.”
“As am I, though I do have a plan. I believe I know how to break the seal and loose Neferet.”
“But you can’t get close to the tomb,” said Lynette.
“My new plan does not call for me to approach the tomb—only my children. And they are not vampyres.”
Hope fluttered in Lynette’s chest. “So, nothing will stop them from getting to the tomb.”
“Exactly. I must warn you, though, my dearest. My plan is bloody. It requires sacrifice and death.”
“Well, I have lived most of my life following the old adage, nothing good comes easily.”
Neferet smiled. “We are very alike.”
“That is a wonderful compliment,” said Lynette, returning her mistress’s smile.
Lynette felt considerably lighter. “My lady, my intuition says those five young women will play a key role in your plan.”
“As you have said many times—your intuition is rarely wrong.”
Neferet looped her arm through Lynette’s and they began walking again, this time more briskly as they turned toward Twentieth Street and the villa filled with easily manipulated young women.
“Now, my dearest, I must feed, and I would save you the discomfort of watching me do so on an unwilling human.”
“That is kind of you, my lady.”
“Not at all. I agree with your distaste. I abhor the messiness that goes along with feeding in the wild.” She sighed. “No matter. What I truly need you to do is to go ahead of me to the villa and do several preparatory things.”
“Of course, my lady.”
But instead of beginning a lengthy list of tasks, Neferet stopped and grinned, grinned at Lynette—as if they were girlfriends sharing a secret—and said, “I do miss that little computer device you tap-tap-tapped on so very much back in our world.”
Lynette returned the grin, feeling better than she had since they’d arrived in this strange world. “I do too. But my mind is sharp, and I will remember everything you require.”
“Oh, I do not doubt it for a moment. So,” Neferet began walking again, her arm still looped with Lynette’s, “the spellwork Zoey did today changes things, but not drastically. The first thing I must do has not altered at all. We will need concealment tomorrow night. When you reach the villa, you must ready four ornate bowls of offerings. Honey and wine in two, of course, and then use your imagination. You’ve witnessed my offerings over the past week. I trust you to know what is appropriate.”
“You’re going to summon the sprites?”
“Yes. I could, of course, go through the trouble of casting a circle and coaxing the weather I wish from the clouds, but why should I when I can simply call on assistance from the sprites?”
“You’ll need a payment.”
Neferet nodded absently. “Yes, yes, I know. That’s why when you take the filled bowls and place them around that lovely fountain in the backyard of the villa I want you to also put my sgian dubh there as well—with a basin of warm water, a towel, and soap to wash off this horrid makeup that is concealing my Mark.”
Lynette squeezed Neferet’s arm. “Please be careful, my lady.”
“You need not worry yourself, dearest. I ask a small thing from the sprites. My blood sacrifice should suffice.”
“You will call the sprites to the villa grounds?”
“Yes. The wretched taste of those girls has not extended to the grounds. It is modest in size, but rather lovely.”
“My lady, I have an idea that may help us with the girls tomorrow night.”
“Yes?”
Lynette reasoned aloud. “I will always remember how it changed the attitudes of Mrs. Muir and her staff to witness your glorious power as you called to the sprites on the loch. With your permission I will enlist the aid of the five girls in filling the sacrificial bowls, and then I will instruct them to watch as you summon the sprites.”
“That is an excellent idea! But do be sure they watch from a window of the house. I do not believe their reactions will be as sophisticated as were the Scottish women.”
“Good point,” Lynette said. “What else would you have me do?”
“You will need to begin readying those five for tomorrow. Remind them of the importance of their willingness to sacrifice for their goddess.”
Stress began to build between Lynette’s shoulder blades again. “My lady, I’m not sure how to spin their deaths into something palatable.”
Neferet laughed. “Oh, no, no, no. You need not mention their deaths. Tell them that except for their cloaks, they must be naked. Their sacrifice is that they cast a circle around the grotto tomorrow even though they might be caught—naked, in the cold, showing their support for a vampyre goddess.”
“Well, that makes it much easier. I’m pretty sure they’re fine with nudity. And their daddies’ money will have bought them out of much more difficult circumstances than circling naked at Woodward Park.”
Neferet said, “So true.”
“Watching you summon sprites and use Old Magick tonight will enthrall them.”
“Of course it will. Oh, do be sure you warn them that the weather is going to be challenging, but remind them that it’s as it must be. I need to blind the House of Night.”
“More fog?”
“Oh, no! I do not make the same mistake twice. Two instances of blanketing fog in January would be enough to cause even the most obtuse High Priestess to be suspicious. And I need much more than momentary concealment. I need to make a show of casting a circle using humans, sacrifice them, and open the tomb. I will use weather to gain the privacy I need, but I must work with the type of weather the elements easily produce in winter in Tulsa.”
Lynette smiled. “Ice storm?”
“Let’s just call it freezing rain, shall we?”
10
Other Lynette
Lynette had never been a violent person—not even when her mother was sharing her with the loathsome men who used to visit their trailer when she was a preteen, but dealing with the five Tulsa debutantes had her rethinking her personal stance on nonviolence.
The young women were horrible. As far as Lynette could tell, they had no redeeming qualities and their only talent was the ability to grow long, thick hair. Then she overheard Kelsey and Jenna talking about needing to go to Ihloff Salon at Utica Square to get their extensions redone, and she realized they couldn’t even do that on their own.
Vanessa
was definitely the ringleader. She was closest to Amber, the girl who pretended her affinity was for fire, but the only way Lynette knew they were supposed to be best friends was because the two called each other “bestie,” and not because they seemed to actually be friends. There was a definite pecking order between them, with Vanessa reigning at the top. Amber was second, with the earth girl, Jordan, and the air girl, Jenna, pretty much on the same level, followed at the bottom by the water girl, Kelsey.
Through listening and observing, two things Vanessa and her crew would never think to do, Lynette decided the reason Kelsey was so low in the pecking order was simple—her family had money, but they didn’t allow Kelsey unrestricted access to it. Apparently, Kelsey was the only one of the five who had to turn in her grades to her parents and not just pass every class but maintain a B average. And that’s why the other four belittled her.
Lynette would’ve felt sorry for Kelsey had it not been so obvious that the girl wanted nothing from life more than to win the approval of Vanessa and the others.
“And she’s not bright enough to realize she will never win their approval—not unless they allow someone they think even less of than Kelsey into their group,” Lynette mumbled as she sipped the cup of coffee she’d brewed and read another House of Night interview on the laptop.
Vanessa looked up from the copy of Vanity Fair she was thumbing through as she and the other four women drank wine in the green sitting room. “What was it you said, Nettie?”
Lynette swallowed the response she wanted to give and turned on the overly stuffed settee to smile at Vanessa. In the short time Neferet had been gone, Vanessa had decided to give Lynette a nickname. It was obvious she wanted Lynette to ask her about the name but, unlike the poisonous young woman, Lynette wasn’t stupid enough to fall into her trap.
“I was just telling myself that the Goddess will approve of the offering you and the rest of the girls decided upon.”
“Nettie,” Vanessa said from her wingback chair that was angled in front of the sitting room’s fireplace. “Please stop calling us girls. We are empowered women. Every one of us is well over twenty-one.”