Erik
My leg bounced up and down in anxiety. Aurox stayed close to me during the whole process to make sure I would not disturb any of it. By the time Apollo was done, I hardly recognized Stark. His dark eyes were an almost fathomless black, and the resemblance to Starr was so painful that I was grateful Aurox was there, ready to restrain me. His red vamp tattoos were bloodlike.
Even Stark's voice was deeper. "I have rejected the values of Light in favor of my true calling. I am forever your servant, my Dark Goddess."
"Damn," I managed to get out.
Apollo clapped Stark on the shoulder. "Just make sure you stay away from the white bull as much as possible." His eyes flashed. "I know you want revenge, but the greatest revenge of all will be getting your sister back from them. You cannot give away our secret." The Warrior nodded once.
"I'll do my best to keep Zoey out of harm's way," Aurox promised. "Maybe we can teach her that affinities are meant to be used, not wasted."
"If I really do turn Dark, I give you permission to kill me." Stark looked directly at me when he said it. "No one but you, though. Because if I fail, no one else will be able to."
I smiled slightly at him, my heart pounding. "If anyone can bring Starr back, it's you. But if things go wrong, feel free to bring a war back on us. We need her in a fighting mood if she doesn't listen to reason."
"I know." Stark strapped his bow across his back, along with a quiver of arrows. "It might come to that, if I know my sister. And if I know Neferet, it'll be even worse than we think." He picked up his claymore, scrutinized it, and put it back on the bed. "Put that blade with Starr's. If neither of us has our swords…"
"Do you really think it's smart to bring your bow?" Aurox asked cautiously.
Stark tapped his Marks. "It'll be weirder if I don't." He nodded again to Apollo. "I'm ready," he said, although he looked far from it.
In one moment, both Apollo and Stark vanished in a ray of (non-burning) sunlight. Then Apollo reappeared. His amber eyes were solemn. "It is done," he announced.
"What are we supposed to tell Zoey?"
"Tell me what?" I closed my eyes at the sound of her voice. By the stiffness in the Vessel beside me, I knew that Aurox had not expected her to hear his question. I hated hurting her in the first place, but now this was just ridiculous. "Guys… I thought Stark was in here with you?"
When I reopened my eyes, Apollo had frozen time. "What?" he exclaimed when I glowered at him. "I called in a favor from Chronos before I left. I can do this only five times. This is my first."
"Why'd you do it in the first place?" I looked at our frozen companions.
He shrugged. "It was as good a time as any to try it out. Plus, you need time to think about what you want to tell Zoey. You can't tell her the whole truth, or she'll go after him." He was frowning.
"I know she will. I used to date her." I knew what I wanted to say, though. "What if I tell her he went to watch the gates of Darkness? To keep any others from being tainted like Starr?"
Apollo nodded thoughtfully. "If you honestly think she'll believe it, it should work," he agreed.
When time returned to normal, I fed Zoey the lie. "We didn't want to tell you that Stark left to guard the gates of Darkness. If they claim anyone from Light, he can stop them from being tainted." I was so, so glad I was good at acting. Otherwise I wasn't sure if I could pull it off.
"Oh." She made a face for a second. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Stevie Rae and Stark have the most experience with Darkness, after all, and we need another High Priestess other than me."
"Meanwhile, you never do anything to prove you're still the Chosen Fledgling High Priestess of Nyx. Does it ever occur to you that you should work on your affinities and strengthening them before the war continues? A respite like this will never last, and we need you to lead us, apparently. We need you to fight for us."
Zoey took a step away from Apollo, who was beginning to radiate a furious heat. I felt my blood freeze over from years of practice, keeping me safe from the rising temperature. I placed a hand on Aurox's shoulder to spread some of that same protection to him. Zoey could suffer alone. She needed to learn.
"Water!" she exclaimed. "Come to me! Keep me safe from Apollo's wrath!"
The air chilled around us. Apollo nodded in a self-satisfied gesture. "That's what you need to do. I wasn't really pissed, so it didn't take as much to stop it from reaching you, but I highly suggest you figure out how to strengthen yourself." He gave all of us a look. "Tell the others. We have today and tomorrow, and then we leave."
The Master Rune awaits you, old Guardian, a whispered voice hissed into my ear. I shivered for an entirely different reason than my slowly-melting blood.
Aurox left to help Zoey inform everyone else. I collapsed onto the bed. "Apollo, what are we going to do?" I groaned.
"Find your Rune and rescue Starr." He rested a hand on the crescent on my forehead. Blissful warmth mixed with the sudden chill in my limbs, and I sighed. "Erik, you have to trust yourself. You found your way back to her a thousand times in the past; you can save her again. There's nobody else who can bear the Master Rune except for you." He then poked my forehead. I blinked at him in surprise. "So suck it up and put on a brave face, idiot Guardian."
Even through my shock, I felt a smile pulling at my lips. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
"That's what everyone tells me." He smiled back. "Get some rest. You need it more than the rest of us." When he left, so did my grin.
I was sending everyone to their deaths.