by P. C. Cast
Into the growing silence, Dragon Lankford snapped his fingers a couple of times in front of Kevin’s face, making him blink and jerk back—and realize he’d been sitting there staring at Anastasia like a lovesick schoolboy.
Man, I need a girlfriend. Kevin sighed internally and shook himself.
“Sorry. I was thinking.”
“I could see that,” Dragon gave him a half-amused look.
Kev returned the look with his own grin. “I was actually thinking about more than the beauty of your mate.”
“Why, thank you, sweet Kevin.” The corners of Anastasia’s eyes crinkled endearingly.
Dragon cleared his throat. “What was the more you were thinking about?”
“That I really have to go.” Kevin held up his hand as Anastasia started to protest. “No, it’s been three days. The roads are clear. The Red Army hasn’t been back.” Kevin paused and gestured at what used to be the rear of a tiny cave, but was now a smoothly arched entrance to a cave-and-tunnel system that snaked, labyrinthine, well back into the rocky ridge. Even from where he and the Lankfords stood, they could see people—blue fledglings, vampyres, and humans—hurrying around, preparing dinner, mending torn clothing, simmering herbs for tea, and other homey tasks. Cats padded around, getting underfoot, but also keeping the mouse and mole population down. And from somewhere farther down in the cave, the scent of chili lifted, making Kevin’s mouth water. “This setup works. The cave is warm and dry and well ventilated, and the sprites are keeping the ridge fogged in. It’s time for me to leave.”
“I agree.” Grandma Redbird made her way to the entrance of the cave from deeper in its newly completed interior. “It’s so lovely and warm back in there! I do not know how the sprites did it, but the ventilation system is a miracle. There’s next to no smoke—anywhere. Oh, but where was I … Ah, yes. Kevin, I am in agreement with you. If you wait much longer to return to the House of Night, your reappearance is going to create undo suspicion.”
“But won’t it already?” Anastasia said. “According to what Kevin has told us, he and an entire group of Red Army fledglings and soldiers and a red general all disappeared. How are you going to explain where you’ve been? Where they’ve been?”
Kevin blew out a long breath. “I’ve been thinking about that and I have an idea. I’m going to lie.”
Dragon barked a laugh. “Obviously!”
“What do you mean by that, u-we-tsi?”
“Well, if anyone asks me about the rest of my group, I’ll say I don’t know anything about it because my general—the one who is dead back in my sister’s world—sent me on a reconnaissance mission several days ago. And I went. I didn’t find much of anything. But I did get lost.”
“Lost?” Dragon snorted.
“Oh, they’ll believe it. And they won’t question me anymore about the general, either. Think about how most red vampyres act. Even the officers aren’t much more than eating machines. General Dominick was my superior officer, but even he was basically a mean, angry jerk who controlled his soldiers with intimidation and fear. For a red vampyre he was considered smart, but he really didn’t think about much except who we could attack next.” Kevin shook his head in disgust. “Believe me, I know all about this. I’ve been hiding among the Red Army for almost a year, and not one of them ever suspected that I was different.”
“But, Kevin, you smell different now,” Anastasia pointed out.
“That’s the last part that I’ve been trying to figure out. I’m almost sure no blue vampyre is going to pay enough attention to me to notice that I don’t stink.”
“But almost is not good enough, u-we-tsi.”
“The red vampyres will notice, won’t they?” Anastasia asked gently.
“I think they might. Well, not the regular soldiers, but someone like one of the red generals—I’m pretty sure he would.”
“What can Kevin do about that?” Dragon asked.
“Well, I can consider casting a spell over him—something that carries a scent with it,” mused Anastasia. “But any priestess who crosses paths with him could easily pick up the spell’s energy trail. And if you were anywhere near Neferet she would recognize my spellwork immediately.”
“Then that idea is definitely out,” Dragon said.
“How about something simpler?” said Grandma Redbird. “Kevin, how strong does this scent need to be?”
Kevin shrugged. “I’m not sure. When I was a red vampyre I didn’t really notice the stink.”
“It depends on the type of red vampyre,” said Dragon. “Soldiers reek like death and mold. With officers, especially higher ranked officers, the smell isn’t so bad.”
“So, with an officer, which is what Kevin is, the scent isn’t much stronger than a woman’s perfume?” Grandma asked.
“I suppose that’s a good comparison,” said Dragon. “If the woman is heavy-handed with her perfume.”
“Well, u-we-tsi, this is going to sound vile, but I think you should wear the blood of a red vampyre like you would perfume.”
“You want me to spray blood on myself?”
Grandma smiled. “Perhaps smearing some of it on your skin in places that can’t be seen would work better.”
“Disgusting,” Kevin muttered.
“But doable,” Anastasia said.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Kevin said. “Man, I wish I could just give it a try without the stinky blood perfume.”
“You cannot,” Dragon said. “They discover you and they’ll discover us.”
“I would never tell them where you are!” Kevin said.
Anastasia put a hand on his shoulder. “Not willingly you wouldn’t, but after they starve you and torture you—well, let’s just say it’s better to be stinky.”
“Yeah, you’re right. So, I go back to the depot tonight—after I get some red vamp blood. I’m not gonna enjoy that.” Kevin shuddered and then cracked his knuckles. “But I’ll do whatever I have to. Okay, I do have a plan, but I want your input.”
“Of course,” Anastasia said, and the four of them moved to the stone benches the sprites had somehow carved out of the wall of the cave. The huge raven that seemed never to be far from the priestess flew into the cave in a flutter of cold air and dark wings, landing on a stone outcropping above Anastasia. “What are you thinking, Kevin?”
“We need Aphrodite.”
“Aphrodite?” Dragon grunted.
“Before you complain about it, just think about what I said before. What would happen if there were no more Red Army for Neferet to use as a wartime eating machine?”
Dragon sighed and nodded. “Yes, it is true. Without the Red Army, Neferet would no longer have such an easy time winning the war.”
“Exactly,” Kevin said.
“Then you must know it is worth the risk,” Grandma Redbird said.
“All right. I’ll have Johnny B lead you to where we hid the Polaris.” Dragon turned his somber gaze to Grandma Redbird. “Sylvia, I want you to know that you have a place here with us should you choose to stay.”
“Thank you, Dragon, but I must return to my farm. I’ve been granted protection, so I am in no danger, and I can do more good out there than hiding here.”
“How do I get messages to you guys here?” Kevin asked. “I’ll try to get back here as often as possible, but I’ll have to be one hundred percent sure no one’s following me. What if I have information you need, but I can’t get away?”
“That’s easy,” said Anastasia, casting her big blue eyes upward at the raven. “I will send Tatsuwa to find you every day. He’ll circle around you. If you have a message for us, write it on a strip of paper and give it to him. He’ll get it to me. Likewise, if we have a message for you, Tatsuwa will bring it to you.”
“Um, how’s he going to find me?” Kevin gave the raven a side glance and the big bird croaked
at him.
“Oh, you need not worry about that. If you’re outside, Tatsuwa will find you. His eyesight is as sharp as his intelligence.”
“Anastasia, my dear, I have seen your lovely raven before—he seems to always be close to you—but I have not heard you call him by name until recently. I have been meaning to tell you that I appreciate that you chose our Native word for him,” said Grandma Redbird, who moved over to stand close enough to the bird to stroke his shiny black feathers.
“Tatsuwa is Cherokee for raven?” Anastasia sounded surprised.
“It is,” said Grandma Redbird. “If you did not know that, how did you name him?”
Anastasia’s brilliant smile lit up the cave as she gazed lovingly up at the bird. “I did not name him. He told me his name, didn’t you, Tatsuwa?”
“Tatsuwa!” the raven said as clearly as the priestess he’d chosen as his own.
“Sometimes I think the two of them are closer than we are,” muttered Dragon.
“Jealous!” croaked Tatsuwa.
Anastasia laughed musically. “Oh, Tatsuwa, stop teasing Bryan.” The bird hopped down from his perch and waddled to Anastasia, snuggling against her side while she used one long, slender finger to stroke the downy feathers above his beak.
“How many words does he know?” asked Kevin, totally intrigued by the strange black bird.
“Oh, Tatsuwa doesn’t just mimic words. He speaks,” said Anastasia. She kissed the big bird on top of his head, and Kevin could swear he heard the creature purr.
“A ta-tsu-wa is a powerful ally,” said Grandma Redbird. “When they bond—they bond for life.”
“If only I’d known that when I found him, freezing and almost completely featherless last winter,” Dragon grumbled.
“Oh, Bryan, you would never have let him suffer and die,” said his beautiful mate. “Tatsuwa and I thank you for your good heart.”
“Thank you, Bryan,” said the bird, sounding disconcertingly like Anastasia.
“I draw the line with him sleeping with us,” said Dragon.
“My love, you know he prefers his nest.”
“Made from your hair.”
“Seriously?” Kevin asked Anastasia.
“It’s only partially made from my hair. The rest is from one of my old sweaters. And he doesn’t pull the hair from my head. He’s great at cleaning out my brushes.” The priestess’ eyes sparkled as she kissed the top of the raven’s sleek black head again.
“Hurmph,” Dragon grunted. Then his sardonic gaze went to Kevin. “But what all that means is the bird is freakishly smart and will do whatever Anastasia asks of him.”
“Okay, well, I guess he’ll be my cell phone then. It’s weird, but not as weird as the fact that he sleeps in a nest made of your mate’s hair.” Kevin stood and stretched, grimacing only a little at the tightness of his healing wound. “Are you ready, G-ma?”
“Absolutely.” Grandma Redbird stood and gave the raven another long stroke before embracing Anastasia and then her mate. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“And me.” Kevin held his hand out to Anastasia, who smiled sweetly before hugging him and kissing his cheek.
“You are as easy to trust as your grandmother,” said the priestess.
“Well, once we got over that red Mark of yours.” Dragon pulled Kevin into a back-clapping embrace as well. “Stay safe, Kevin Redbird. You may be our only hope at stopping this war without surrendering and dooming our world to Darkness.”
“Hey, no pressure, right?” Kevin forced himself not to crack his knuckles. As he and his g-ma followed Johnny B from the mouth of the cave, Tatsuwa flew past them and Kevin heard the bird calling on the wind, “Redbird Boy … Redbird Boy … Redbird Boy …”
12
Other Kevin
“U-we-tsi, are you quite sure about this?” Grandma Redbird asked as she leaned over her seat, searching through a big basket that took up most of the back seat of her car. She’d parked in one of the rear spaces in the darkest part of Utica Square’s rear parking lot.
“No, but I’m sure you can’t drive me onto the school grounds. You’re under Neferet’s protection, but no rational human would ever get in a car with a red vampyre unless they were about to be lunch.”
“Ah, here it is! I knew I had one of these back there. Put this on. It has a hood and it should be big enough to tug down to cover your face.” G-ma handed him an old, dark hoodie that smelled vaguely of lavender, which he slipped over his head. Then she opened the basket again and pulled out a leather satchel that had a thick shoulder strap. “Here, take this as well. I packed a few things for you I thought you might need. And, no, I didn’t mean that I should drive you there. I understand that’s impossible and you can easily walk to the House of Night from here. I am worried about your blood perfume.” Grandma Redbird’s nose wrinkled as she said the last two words.
Kevin laughed, slung the satchel over his shoulder, and hugged her. “You don’t need to worry about that. I have it all figured out.”
“I know it’s something you must do, but it makes me very uncomfortable to think about you killing a red fledgling or vampyre.”
“G-ma, I’m not going to kill anyone.”
“So, you’re just going to cut a red vampyre to get the blood you need?”
“G-ma, I have a better idea than that. I’m going to visit the school’s morgue.”
Grandma Redbird hugged him tightly. “Oh, u-we-tsi, I am so happy to hear that!” Then they both giggled like schoolgirls at the ridiculousness of being happy about visiting a morgue.
Finally, Kevin gave her a kiss on her soft cheek. “Promise me you won’t do anything that could get you hurt.”
She took his face in her hands and smiled lovingly into his eyes. “I cannot promise that, but I can promise that I will be wise and think before I act.”
“I guess that’ll have to be promise enough.”
“I guess it will.” Grandma kissed him. “Go under the protection of the Great Goddess, u-we-tsi, and always remember how proud I am of you.”
Kevin hated leaving his g-ma. He had to force himself not to immediately begin imagining hordes of insatiable red vampyres descending on her farm to devour her for working with the Resistance.
G-ma is under Neferet’s protection.
No one in the Red or Blue Army knows she’s part of the Resistance.
I really need to chill the hell out.
Thoughts about his g-ma and the Resistance swirled around and around in Kevin’s head as he cut across Twenty-Second Street and headed down Yorktown Avenue and the east side of the House of Night.
It was late—only a couple of hours from sunrise—but he wasn’t worried. His visit with Zo had given him insight into the House of Night, and he knew where he could hide safely from the sun, and from curious vampyres. If the two worlds were really more similar than they were different. If this House of Night hadn’t been built like Zo’s …
Kevin shook his head. No reason to get all negative unless I have to. If all else failed, he could always play stupid and be just another red vampyre who’d missed the predawn bus to the depot tunnels. Hopefully the blue vamps would let him stay in one of the darkened dorm rooms and not toss him out on the street to fry.
The stone wall that surrounded the House of Night loomed suddenly on his right, looking austere and intimidating and basically nothing like the well-lit, welcoming House of Night over which his sister presided.
For an instant, a deep yearning gripped him, and Kevin wished more than anything that he could run back to Woodward Park and figure out a way to reopen the doorway between worlds and slip back through—never to return.
“But what if I did that? What would happen to G-ma over here? She’d never stop worrying about me, and she’d never stop mourning the loss of Zo and me,” he said to himself. And then there was Drag
on and Anastasia and the rest of the Resistance. They’d believe he’d been caught and killed, or that he’d lied to them. They’d probably abandon the cave on the ridge, which would be really awful. No, Kevin couldn’t leave. No matter how much he wished he could.
Streetlights meant to look like they were from the early 1900s, complete with flickering gas, cast moving shadows along the huge wall. Kevin cut across Yorktown to join them as his preternaturally sharp vision began searching the stones, looking for the old, rectangular one that was stamped with a 1926—the year the wall surrounding the school had been completed. He cracked his knuckles nervously as he searched, not even sure if it was there. Zo had told him about it—that there was one particular brick on the east wall of the school that was actually a spring-loaded trapdoor system. The brick on the school side didn’t look much different than the others, but she said the one on the outside of the wall was marked, and it was through that trapdoor that fledglings had been sneaking on and off campus for almost a century.
At least it was in her world.
This was the first test—the first time he’d know just how similar the worlds were in their structure.
When his eyes caught the 1926 stamp he felt a thrill of relief. The brick was at his eye level. He drew a deep breath and pressed it.
There was a faint click as some mechanism unlatched and then the wall seemed to sigh as a gap, just big enough for him to squeeze through, appeared in the otherwise perfect-looking brickwork.
Once inside he pushed the brick again and the door closed. Then Kevin paused. He crouched against the wall, wishing the predawn darkness had been less clear and instead foggy or rainy or even icy, but as his gaze swept the school grounds he began to relax. This wasn’t his sister’s House of Night. There were no human kids mixing with fledglings, blue and red, playing on the grounds. All Kevin saw was a meticulously manicured lawn, a few slinking cats, and Sons of Erebus Warriors standing guard at each of the doors to the main building.