Chapter 21

I sat between my Dad and Erik on the couch. I looked around the circle of my friends and took in what we were about to do. We all decided that we needed to go back to the House of Night. That was imperative since so many fledglings were being killed and now the Raven Mockers were out and about in Tulsa reeking havoc.

"Neferet must be stopped." Lenobia chimed.

"Yes Lenobia, I agree, but I believe that our Neferet is not the Neferet we knew before. She was once a very gentle and loving mentor. I think the spell of this demon has taken away her innocence."

Lenobia lowered her face and looked back at Dragon who was eying her. "Yes Darling, I know. Neferet and I used to be very close. It was when Professor Blake showed up that things started to get different. She seemed not on the same path as she was."

As Lenobia went on about her experience with Neferet, it made me wonder her sudden change in character when Professor Blake came to the school.

"I got it! The Kalona was controlling Loren. He seduced Neferet, thus is why they were lovers."

"But that was well before we started seeing the changes in Neferet." Dragon said.

"Maybe before YOU started to see them, but I already did." Aphrodite who flipped her hair butted in. "You forget that I was her first fledgling to Mentor. She even told me she only took me under her wing because of my gift of sight. This was well after her and Blake was together. She was already dark when I knew her."

Dragon nodded and looked to Lenobia. "She has been hearing the dark voice for a while then. She has left Nyx and we will not be able to help her. She may be too far gone to save."

"That may, or may not be the case" said my father. "My dear friend Dragon, I have faith that we will be able to restore what once was at the House of Night. While I am still here under the Council's request, I will do my best to restore everyone, even Neferet."

My dad looked so calm and collected. I just sat and listened to everyone discuss back and forth. I got to a point I wasn't even listening anymore and was off in my own thoughts of what we were going to do until Erik nudged me. "Z, hello…" he waved his hand in front of my face.

I snapped out of my trance and shook my head, "Ugh, yeah, huh, what?"

"In dreamland were we Z?" the Twins added.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry, what were we talking about?"

"Geez Z, we can't do anything with you can we?" Aphrodite was such a smart ass. "To refresh your memory, we were talking about casting another circle for protection over us and the House of Night."

"Good plan. We need to find Stark too. He's the only one that can kill Kalona."

"What about the hole in the tunnel?" Damien butted in as he walked towards the group. He looked much better now that he was full of blood. The Twins started to tear up and ran over to him giving Damien a huge hug.

"I completely forgot about that. The tunnel was warded to keep those who intended to do us harm within its pits. It makes me wonder if Stevie Rae ran into it…." My stomach started to churn. I had hoped that once this was all over with that Stevie Rae could be fixed and brought back to her normal self. Maybe I was fooling myself all along. "We're going to have to check it out. I'm pretty sure that we can have the tunnels open to throw Kalona's body down into it. That should keep him sealed."

I stood up as if to leave. Everyone was looking at me scared as all get out. Vampires scared, that was a first. Vampires were supposed to be ruthless. "I will escort you future Priestess." Dragon stood next to me. "My faithful sword will not let anyone harm you." He tapped his side where his sword was holstered onto his belt.

"If Dragon goes, then I go as well. I am swift and strong like a horse." Lenobia stood up next to Dragon.

"Well, she's MY daughter so of course I will go with her. If anything should happen, I should be able to help.

"If Z goes, we all go." Erik stood next as Aphrodite, the Twins, Damien and Jack all stood and nodded.

"We're with you Z." Damien and Jack said holding hands. They looked down at each other and smiled.

"Let's go then. We're going to stay together. No splitting up. We are more powerful as a group."

I opened the door and motioned for Aphrodite, "I'll let you take care of it. I'm going to have to fly us all there quickly."

"Earth our Mother, with an embrace so warm and strong, let down your guard and let us pass, but do not let anyone who intends harm to gain passage to our nest." Immediately after she said the last word the many scattered walls began to fall into the ground as if they never existed. I heard the empty echo through the tunnels.

"Damien, I'm going to need you to help with your gift for Air. We are going to sweep everyone up and let the wind take us to our destination." I rose my hands up above my head, "Air, you are true and strong. Carry us swiftly to the pit in which we will banish the Kalona." I grabbed Damien's hand and we all took off.

We all flew through the tunnels. My father was laughing as the wind rushed through his hair. He looked to be enjoying the flight, as was Dragon and Lenobia. I don't think they have experienced this before. This was all new to them. Not knew to us as I have been traveling like this since I heard of Damien being in trouble. The air started to slow and we slowly drifted to the middle of an empty tunnel. I could see a light at the end, "That must be the large opening we used at first. The crater should be here close by."

We all scanned the floor. I knew we probably wouldn't be able to see it since we had placed a spell for it to camouflage its opening to those who were righteous. Anything else would be devoured. I really gulped when I thought about that and Stevie Rae. She had been there when we placed the spell though, certainly it would recognize her. However, she had turned towards the evil side and who knew now.

"I don't see anything…." Said Shaunee who had her hands out lit like torches.

"Nor do I…all I see is the ashes from…"

"SHHH…." Shaunee interrupted Erin whispering into her ear, "You don't want to let Professor Lankford and Lenobia know that we killed two fledglings do you? Geesh Twin…keep it down!" and she took the hand she had over Erin's mouth and gently put it down.

"Ahh…yeah, ashes from…from…our torches…yeah, that's it." Erin tried to lie but they got the awkward glance from Lenobia. I had a feeling she knew better. Erin began to wash the tunnel floors with water and after a few seconds we could see right through the floor. "IT'S HERE! WE'RE STANDING ON IT!" she yelled.

"Outstanding!" said my Dad.

"Remarkable" exclaimed Lenobia, "I've never seen anything like this."

I started to explain exactly what we had done when I heard a rustling noise. My head poked up and I listened hard. I heard footsteps. I turned back towards the group, "Up against the wall, I hear someone." I silently said a prayer to Nyx to protect us and I asked Spirit to shield us from sight. We all clung to the walls in anticipation of who was coming. I saw that Dragon had his sword ready to grab while Lenobia was crouched like a tiger ready to leap.

"What do you MEAN she got away?! You were supposed to take care of the others and I was to get Zoey!" a harsh mean voice boomed through the tunnels.

"I'm sorry! I don't know how they got out. I made sure the back door to the bank from the tunnels would stick and they locked me out of the Vault. They had no way out except through the bank and I would have caught them!" I heard the familiar Okie twang. It was Stevie Rae.

They started walking towards the gapping hole which we now saw almost clear as day. The Twins almost screamed but my Dad slapped his hand over their mouths. Any slight noise would give us away.

"STOP! You can't cross through this tunnel. We're going to have to turn back." Stevie Rae stopped who we now knew as Stark and threw her arm across his chest. "This tunnel is enchanted to swallow whole those who intend to do them harm."

Stark stopped in his tracks and he stood right next to me. I was glad he couldn't see me. I buried my face in Erik's shoulder. He grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly.

"We need to find her! Neferet will not be happy and nor will Kalona. He has promised me that I could have a night with her. He says she tastes sweet." Stark licked his lips. How would the Kalona know what I tasted like? Loren. That had to be the answer. If he was under Kalona's spell as well when he seduced me, he could have tasted my blood when we imprinted. This made my blood boil over and I got angry. Kalona not only wanted to kill my friends, my family and everyone else in the world, he wanted to take me as his whore and pass me around like some cheap sex toy.

I tore from Erik's grip and I walked out of my shadow as Stevie Rae and Stark turned to walk away. I walked right up to them and kicked Stark right in the back of the knees. He fell face forward as Stevie Rae tried to catch him but fell herself.

"Think you can pass me around huh! Think again!" My anger burned hotter and my eyes started to glow an intense red. My hair started to whirl around me. I raised my hands up in the air and called to Fire. "Great Fire that burns without ending come to me!"

My whole body lit up in flames. It looked as if I was on fire all over, but you could tell it was just my outline. Shaunee came out from the shadows behind me and stood with her hands on fire like torches. "Hello Beotches!" she smirked.

Damien walked out next to me and whirled the air around us in a giant tornado. Stevie Rae and Stark's eyes were wide with terror. I wasn't going to let them go. If I had to, I would kill them both, but not before I had a chance to save them from this evil curse. Erin stood next to Shaunee in a pool of water, and then Aphrodite appeared from behind. She brought her hands up to her waist palms up and the ground rose as she walked.

"NO! Nyx could not give her the affinity for Earth, it belongs to ME!" Stevie Rae screamed.

My eyes were like flames of fire and my voice boomed like it came from the Goddess herself. My body floated to Stevie Rae, "I am the A-Ya. I control the earth, fire, water, air and spirit. I am Nyx's chosen one to lead us into a new age. I can condemn you or save you. Chose your fate!" I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. I floated in the air like a ghost. Everyone gasped and my Father and Grandma even looked awestruck.

Stevie Rae and Stark just stood there shaking. I frightened them more than Kalona. I shot a dagger of fire down in front of their feet, "CHOSE YOUR FATE!" I yelled. They still did not answer. It was like I had them in a trance. "Spirit, cloud their minds and make their bodies weak."

Damien blew a burst of air at both of them trapping them in a tunnel of wind. Stark and Stevie Rae both collapsed on top of each other to the tunnel floor. I landed back on the ground and my hair came to lie down on my shoulders. The fire outline no longer visible and my eyes were back to a deep chocolate brown. Erik walked up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders kissing my head, "You were amazing! I've never heard or seen anything like it."

I smiled. Stevie Rae and Stark were out of it. It was like I put them in a deep sleep. I just stared at them hoping they wouldn't move. I asked Earth to incase them so they couldn't escape but that we could take them with us. I had the air fly them back to the basement of the church so we could keep them from running back to Kalona or from him finding us.

"Zoeybird! That was amazing! You looked just like a vengeful Goddess. It reminds me a lot of the Irish legends of the Morrigan. Goddess of War. She was very strong and very powerful, just like you my u-we-tsi a-ge-hu-tsa." She kissed my temple and took my father's arm which he held for her. He smiled at me and winked. I knew he approved and without words, I knew he was proud.

The Twins were jumping up and down for joy like they had just opened a giant present. They were excited for their first victory. If you could call what we did a victory. We managed to trap Stark and Stevie Rae. Maybe we could turn them and save them before they hurt themselves or others. We desperately needed Stark's ability and help, and it would be great to finally have my best friend back to normal. Aphrodite skipped to Darius and took his hand as we all started to walk down the hall. Damien scooped us all up and back towards the basement.

"This is a lot easier than I expected! What a way to travel." He smiled at me and I smiled back. I looked at Erik who looked so proud of me for the first time; I leaned in and kissed him mid-flight.