Chapter 2:
Zoey
"SHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled as loud as I could. Stark stopped talking.
"I know that sound." Erin said.
"And that sound does not equal good." Shaunee finished.
"Well shit, all we need is more bird boys around here." Aphrodite said glairing at Rephaim, and Rephaim glairing right back. I could almost hear Stevie Rae yell y'all be nice! when my inner monologue was interrupted by screams.
The creatures above us were hissing and screeching as if they were being tortured. Everyone around me cringed at the sound. An immortal's voice stood out from the sound of the terrible shrieks, and he yelled in fury.
Multiple thuds came from the earth above us the Raven Mockers were fighting, and losing.
My groups of friends all huddled behind our warriors.
Then almost as sudden as the mutated screams started, they stopped. The eerie silence was followed by a women's voice.
"Well done Aurox, your training is almost complete. You will serve me well in the future. Now come, we have much to do." She finished.
The sound of her voice made the hair on my body stand on end. The thought of the tainted high priestess sent an icy cold chill along my tattoos and I knew my goddess was communicating with me once again. Neferet had to be stopped, and so did her new minion. I didn't know how we were going to do it, but I definitely couldn't do it alone.
"I will go and inspect." Darius said while loading his gun. Stark wasn't far behind him. I pulled on his white shirt.
"No you aren't going out there." I pleaded. He gave me his cocky smile I loved so much.
"Do you not believe I can fight off whatever is out there?"
"I just… can't lose you again." I said so only he could hear me.
"She's right." Rephaim said. "Something's wrong. If they were planning to attack us they would not have wanted us to hear them first."
"That actually makes sense." Damien finally spoke up. "Not to mention the fact that Neferet was part of what just happened. I think we need to be cautious when we go up there." He finished.
I had a weird gut feeling about what we were going to find up there. It wasn't a good feeling, but it wasn't bad either. It was a mixture of both.
I kept myself strategically behind my guardian. As we reached the surface from the tunnels, the smell hit me. It was the same smell from the first time I sent fire at a Raven Mocker to protect Heath and myself. It was the smell of burning flesh and feathers.
"ugh. Wind please send that odor far, far away." I said. That's when the smoke cleared and I finally got a view of the horrific scene in front of me. Piles of burning mutated bodies were scatted around the gruesome landscape. Then I saw him. He was kneeling next to one of the piles and weeping ever so softly. His gorgeous black wings fell neatly on the ground below him. Without turning his head, he spoke.
"This never would have happened if you had not left. You could have fought him off. We could have fought them off… together." He said softly with a hint anger.
"Who is he?" Stevie Rae finally asked the question we all had been wondering. Kalona whipped his head around and stared fiercely at Stevie Rae.
"This is your fault. They are dead because of you!" he yelled. He stood up and outstretched his massive black wings. I saw Stevie Rae squeeze Rephaim's hand. I could practically feel the tension in the air.
"Answer her question." Rephaim asked his former father sternly. Kalona' s eyes flicked to Rephaim then to me.
"She created that being in replace of me. She used it to attack my children while she fought me and she is becoming stronger, much stronger than I originally thought. She must be stopped." He said ruthlessly.
"No shit. What gave you the first clue?" Aphrodite sneered behind Darius.
"Wait." I said before she could start World War III. I turned to Kalona. "You want to get rid of Neferet now?" he grunted which I took as guy talk for yes. "Maybe we can work… together..." My friends blew up at me; it was like the Real Housewives of Tulsa. They couldn't believe what I was saying. I felt Stark get tense but I had that familiar gut feeling that I was on the right path; no matter how much I hated the idea. "Just let me explain." I whispered to them.
"We both want Neferet gone, so why not work together and I'm not saying we have to be friends, and I don't want to be. We just need to make sure Neferet thinks we are still true enemies, and then we can figure a way to take her down." I barely finished. My friends were pissed at me but they had to suck it up and get used to it. "So are you in?" I asked Kalona.
He said nothing. He went back to looking at his dead children. And then, once again, my mouth moved too fast for me to think clearly.
"She might forgive you, you know, if you help us. She might forgive you if chose light over darkness." He glared at me.
"The only reason I want Neferet gone is because she is becoming too strong. I don't know how much longer it will be until she becomes completely immortal, and if that happens everyone's destiny will be shattered. But get this straight: I am not helping you, and I am not helping your goddess." Kalona stated. He seemed uneasy when he had to mention Nyx.
He then came up to me and talked in a whisper that only I could hear.
" And do not say things you cannot promise." He said with a slight sadness.
"You, helping us, is the right path for both of us." I whispered back. I hated knowing that this was the man who has killed two of my many boyfriends, but like it or not, my soul, and my goddess, wanted to help him. Ah, hell.
Kalona said he would meet us here tomorrow and then he spread his massive black wings and took off into the night sky.