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Chapter Four

Minerva

The council called the remaining members of the trial to session. Neferet stood before her former students with worry creased in her brow. She knew that she could not convince the council without the aid of Kalona. Her fear quickly turned to rage when an exhausted looking Kalona strode through the ornate double doors as he finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Forgive me for my tardiness." Kalona said as he raised his hand in surrender.

"Explain the reason for your absence. You seemed to have caused quite a fuss after the last time we met." One of the council members demanded while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Of course, I owe an explanation. As you've noticed the High Priestess is gone, but I can assure that she is safe. Her leaving was her choice."

"You tricked her!" The blonde haired boy that he had almost killed yelled at him.

"No, I had no intention of that. I had no idea that she would make the offer. I can assure you that she is safe and sound. Anyway, let me sum this all up to make this over quickly. Neferet claims to be Nyx incarnated, which is far from the truth, for she is closer to a witch that a goddess. I played along to get closer to Zoey, but I learned it only heart the woman that I love. Zoey."

After saying her name a second time he placed his hand upon his heart and sighed.

Kalona quickly composed himself. He had forgotten that he was before others and not in the safety of his home.

"This is all a hoax. I tire of my quest to rule the world. Nothing is worth the effort if the outcome does not please my dear Zoey. I am holding up a white flag and admit to not being Euberus. I am Kalona, a fallen angel who was once the warrior of Nyx. I loved Nyx but she banished me from her presence because I was not to love her. She loved her precious Euberus, her consort that I envied so. I have come to give my deepest apologies and I accept any punishment that you give to me for I deserve no mercy."

The council was utterly shocked by his honesty.

"But where's Stark?" Erin questioned.

"Her warrior?" Kalona asked.

"Yes, that would be him." Damien answered.

"I do not know. I was a warrior myself and so my best guess would be that he is searching for his High Priestess. Otherwise I haven't a clue."

"Kalona! I'll kill Zoey for this! I swear it!" Hateful Neferet yelled at him.

Attacking him while he was unsuspecting. She charged at him and threw her body at his. Kalona knew better though for he stepped out of her path and let her fall.

"You betrayed me! I'll kill her! " Neferet screamed in her witch like voice.

"I did what must be done to please the woman I love. She hates you as you do her and so I lifting the burden of your association with myself. I banish you from the House of Night, Neferet, go find your own way you hag."

Kalona turned to face the council.

"Go now, Kalona." One of the council members ordered. "We shall deal with the Tulsa House of Night for now. Your punishment will be decided at a later date."

Kalona smiled in thanks and then rushed out of the room. He knew that he would be followed by Zoey's circle and so he disappeared before they could find him.

A bird chirping outside her window was the sound that Zoey woke to the next morning. It had been so long since she had woken to the sound of birds greeting the morn. In her world the night was day, and the day night. On this island the sun could not burn her nor bother her. She could walk in the sunlight and go about her life as if she were passing through the shrouds of night. Before she moved from her slumberous position she glanced once around the room to make sure that she had not been trapped in a dream. After a few blinks she convinced herself that this was real. She had really been kind with Kalona and he had showed her his vulnerability.

With grace she lifted her head from her pillow and used her arms to lift her upper body off the bed. Her hair fell to one side and she looked as regal as a royal painting. She pulled her knees up and then pushed the covers back from her small frame. The bed was quite large for a girl her size. She then maneuvered herself to sit on the side of the bed and looked down at her sleepwear. She had almost forgotten that she had changed her clothes before she had been overcome by sleep. Her toes touched the ground and she realized that it was cold. She laughed at herself for being shocked that the floor was cold, for it was made of stone.

She rose from the bed and padded across the room to the bathroom to take care of her mundane morning routines. She wondered what Kalona was doing and for some strange reason she was excited about seeing him today. She knew that he was different here in his home than he was on Earth. This was his habitat. It was obvious that he was use to getting his way, but he would learn quickly with her that she didn't play that way. Though, she had seen him give to her wishes last night. They would have to learn to compromise if she were going to be trapped here. Somehow, being trapped here didn't sound so bad as it first did yesterday.

Swiftly, she crossed the room to the bureau and pulled out a simple outfit to wear. She put on a pair of cotton fashion shorts and a crème colored camisole that had lace on top of it. It would look lovely blowing in the wind. She also matched it with a pair of Keds. Today she wanted to explore the island, for she never really had the chance to when she use to dream of this place. Now that she was thinking of dreams, Kalona had respected her wishes and stayed out of her dreams. Though she did dream of him. It was a quite a pleasant dream that had left her longing to be held by him as he had held her last night.

She sat down then at the vanity and searched through the drawers. She quickly pulled her hair up into a ponytail and made a sound of approval. Gracefully she made her way to the door and took one last glance at the room before she shut the door behind her.

The halls were homey though they were stone. The castle's interior was truly quite beautiful. She passed a few boys who nodded at her, but didn't say much. A few looked frightened.

"Oh, Zoey!" A familiar voice squealed.

"Good morning, Pearl." Zoey chimed, not bothered at all by Pearl linking her arm with hers.

Darla was a few steps behind and soon linked arms with Zoey.

"Oh, Zoey, Dear. You must tell us how last night. We're dying to know. Kalona would not tell us anything." Darla pleaded as they led her to the kitchen.

They informed her that they had already eaten with everyone else. They would have woken her but they knew she was tired and needed sleep. And so they let her put together her breakfast and sat on the counter top of the kitchen.

"We're trying to open up. He was very kind to me last night. Maybe you are right about him. He just has a bit to make right before I can even consider giving my heart away. I feel for him, but I don't know what to make of it. He's a sweet man with burdens, but then again, we all have loads on our backs. Speaking of Kalona, where is he? I was looking forward to seeing him."

Pearl and Darla frowned. It was disappointing that he couldn't be here when Zoey actually wanted him to be.

"He's taking care of some business. I'm sorry. I know he worked through the night. I haven't seen him since last night not long after dinner was over. He said after business was taken care of he wanted to sleep." Darla broke the bad news.

"Oh." Was all that Zoey replied with as she put her now empty dishes in the sink.

"But he told us to keep you entertained. Anything that you want to do on the island we'll do with you!" Pearl piped up as she jumped off the counter.

"Are there horses?" Zoey asked.

Pearl nodded with a wide grin.

"Can we explore the island on horseback?"

"Oh, yes!" Pearl squealed.

"Oh, I have the most splendid idea! Why don't we pack for a picnic and have it somewhere on the island. It will be so much fun. You'll love the island Zoey. It's absolutely beautiful!" Darla was bubbling with excitement. She hopped off the couch and began throwing things together for the picnic.

Once they were saddled onto their horses, Darla led the other two girls out of the barn. Zoey loved horses, though she missed her horse from the House of Night, this one that she was riding, a caramel colored beauty named Minerva, was just as lovely. Pearl rode a red haired mare named Scarlet and Darla rode a light brown haired mare named Cassie. When they were in the stables Zoey had seen a particularly handsome stallion that she had wished to ride. Pearl told her that his name was Storm. Zoey thought that Storm was the most beautiful horse that she had ever seen. Darla had told her that it was Kalona's horse, which only figured because of its beauty and power.

The girls headed down a path that led into a grand meadow. The grass that swayed in the wind brushed melodically against the horses' legs as they galloped through the field. Insects flapped their wings and chirped. A babbling brook could be heard in the distance. All this was mixed with the sound of the wind and the uplifting sound of freedom: the horses pounding hooves against the earth.

Zoey took a deep breath as she let the exhilaration from racing through the beautiful scenery sink in. Everything was so lovely on the island. The grass was fresh and tall. The trees were lush and lovely. The river babbled with loveliness.

"What do you think of the island?" Pearl called to Zoey.

"It's spectacular. I haven't seen anything this beautiful besides my Grandma's lavender farm."

"Oh, your grandmother grows lavender, how lovely." Darla swooned.

"Oh, yes. Zoey, we'll have to get Kalona to take the three of us to meet your grandmother and see her lovely lavender farm." Pearl cooed as she attempted to catch up with Zoey.

Neither of the girls had expected Zoey to be so good at riding.

"Would he really let me off the island, even if it were with him?" Zoey asked as she raced on.

"Yes, of course. He takes us off the island all the time. Your situation is different though. He wouldn't let us off at first because he didn't want us to run back into the slums of our old lives in fear of this sudden change to luxury. With you, I think he doesn't want you to leave because he doesn't want to lose you. Give it time." Darla tried to sooth Zoey.

She watched Zoey's shoulders relax, and knew that meant she believed her.

The girls talked briefly as they rode around the island. Zoey was captivated by the mountains and waterfalls, along with the beaches and meadows. The island was paradise. When it was a little past noon the trio stopped in an open pasture near a stream to have lunch. They tied their horses to trees and let them drink and eat. Zoey stood in the sunshine, basking in the warmth that she had not been able to enjoy since she was human. She had forgotten how good the sun felt.

"Come sit down, Zoey." Darla giggled after Pearl laid out the blanket for the girls to sit on.

Quickly Zoey descend onto the blanket and folded her legs behind her.

"What a lovely day it is for a picnic." Pearl commented as Darla unpacked the basket.

"Yes, it is quite lovely. We started having lovely weather again once dear Zoey came to the island." Darla chimed as she continued to unpack.

"Really. You hadn't had good weather until I came?" Zoey asked as she helped Darla open the Tupperware.

"We had rain all last week. It didn't help Kalona's depression. He hated himself for the games he was playing. He had no idea how to get out. Now you're here to save him from himself. You're the breath of life to him, whether you realize it yet or not."

"Last night." Zoey murmured as Pearl began to plate the food. "We talked about some things. I began to tremble and I was afraid he would be angry with me. But he held onto me and comforted me until I could smile."

The two girls sighed affectionately. They knew how wonderful Kalona could be.

After they had finished eating Zoey was anxious to ask the pending question.

"How did you both come to be here with Kalona?'

Pearl was the first to answer.

"Well, you see, I was born out of wedlock. My father was a pastor and did not show his love for my mother and I in public until he was on his deathbed. My mother was married to another man that was much older than her and she met my father and had an affair. You see I was born during the time of the Puritans in New England and a wedlock child was just not appropriate. I was different than all of the other children and people thought I was the child of a demon because we lived in the woods. My mother died when I was in my teens. I had been married and had a child, but I wasn't happy for my husband ran away with my child. He didn't love me anymore. I was nineteen when I was marked it only took me a year to go through the change. Kalona found me on the streets cold and alone and dying of thirst. He asked me if I wanted to change my life and if I wanted more. I told him yes and that I needed help. He swooped me up in my arms for I was too weak to walk and he took me back to the island. I wasn't the first girl that he rescued but he made me feel at home right away, I fit in with the other girls. Once I was strong and stable again he took me back to Earth and we searched for my child. We did find him. His name is Andrew. You can find him here on the island, when he's not working I'm either mothering him or he is messing around with his girlfriend Emmeline."

"As for me." Darla piped up. "I was living on the streets when I went through the change. Kalona literally found me in mid change. I had been searching for a home for my parents did not want me. My father abused me because no man would come and pay a dowry for me. Kalona took me into his home. I remember how sweet he was for I was scared of him at first. He dazzled me but I learned to love him as a brother. Once I was stable he introduced me to Pearl and we've been friends ever since. Well we're like sisters, but you get the point. Now you can be our third sister."

Zoey actually liked the idea of being part of their little family. They were so normal and fun to be around. She felt like someone finally understood her.

"Shall we head back home? It will take us the rest of the afternoon to get home."

Pearl was right. It did take them the rest of the afternoon to get home. And as they went into the stables Zoey saw him emerging from the castle. A smile crossed her face. He was home. He had come home for her.