"Ok so what do we do now?" Shaunee asked eyeing the demons that lurked around us. I could see them inching toward us in anticipation. They were waiting for any of us to let our guard down. All it would take it for one of us to slip up for a moment, to break the circle or step outside the protective line that surrounded the school as Stevie Rae had. I watched their hallow eyes track our every step, their razor sharp teeth pulled back as if they were wild animals getting ready to strike.
"Zoey?" Erin asked.
I swallowed. "We need to figure out exactly what we're capable of before we make any sort of move on them," I said looking at each of the twins. "And, to accomplish that there is only one place I can think of going."
"Nyx's temple," Stevie Rae said simply.
"You got my vote," Aphrodite said absently, "anything to stop having to look at these hideous creatures. They're starting to make even me feel ugly," she said shivering. I saw Erin and Shaunee roll their eyes and I shook my head though I had to say I was in partial agreement with her. I really didn't want to keep seeing these demons. The fear that surrounded our circle was thick and I had a feeling it was to make us panic. Fear was just one of the many emotions that could make a person lose focus and losing focus was something we didn't need to do.
"Ok," I said shivering slightly against the chill in the air. "Let's break this circle and get back onto the school grounds. Be careful not to step outside the protective line," I said eyeing each of them as I began releasing the elements.
We walked back through the school grounds each of us contemplating what we had learned and what we still needed to know. The strongest mind would win and we could create out of spirit. Whatever we created or did would be magnified by our circle and if we were all concentrating on the same thing… That was it! I pushed open the temple doors startling Natasha slightly as we all walked in.
"Everyone back to your positions," I said feeling elated. My intuition was telling me that this was the first step and somehow I knew what to do. I sent up a silent thanks to Nyx and started to recast our circle.
"Ok so what exactly are you thinking?" Stark asked.
"Because it's pretty obvious you've thought of something already," Shaunee said.
"I have an idea, but I'm going to need everyone's help," I said and then glanced at Natasha who nodded and joined our circle.
"You know we'll all do whatever we can, daughter," my grandma said giving me an encouraging smile.
I nodded and then quickly filled Natasha in on everything we had managed to uncover this evening. "The main point," I said once again directing my speech to the whole group, "is that we are going to be at our strongest if we work together and all concentrate as one."
"Strength in numbers," Erik said smiling.
I nodded and smiled back and then quickly returned to the discussion.
"So what are we concentrating on?" Darius asked.
"Right now I want us all to focus on sending the elements to do a certain job," I said smiling and thinking about how the step-loser would react to this one. "The demons are gaining more power from our hate and from the Elder's hate. We have decided not to let our hate rule us or our decisions, but the Elders…"
"Still have the power to release those things," Natasha said catching on to what I was saying. "We need to separate the demons from the Elders."
"Right," I said feeling my heart rate quicken with excitement. "Look I know it's a shot in the dark and it won't work indefinitely, but what if we were to put a protective spiritual wall, so-to-speak, around the People of Faith dwelling places? Homes, churches, etcetera…"
"Like what you did here?" Jack asked.
"Kind of, but different. Marla said that we can create out of spirit or out of our emotions. What if our emotions are fierce protectiveness for the ones we love?" I questioned looking at all of them. "What could we do to protect them?"
"So Marla will cover the circle again and we all concentrate on sending the elements to keep the Demons away from the People of Faith," Damien summed up.
"Right," I said nodding at him. "Plus if it works the way I hope it will then not only will it keep the Demons away from the Elders, but it will keep the elders away from them as well." I still wasn't sure if the Elder's knew exactly what they were doing or what they were releasing, but if I could stop the progress they had already made at least that would be a step in the right direction.
"And with any luck it will draw out whoever is truly behind this," Aphrodite said nodding.
"Then let's do it," Stark said.
"I'm in," Stevie Rae said and I smiled at her.
"You ready Marla?" I asked looking to my left where she was standing. She nodded sending the silver mist over our circle once more and I closed my eyes and began focusing. I let my emotions go to the people I loved the most in this world. I thought about my friends who were all standing here with me. I thought about my grandma who always loved through thick and thin. I thought about Neferet who was really becoming the mother I had lost. I sighed as I finally let my mind travel to my parents and siblings. I didn't let my mind think about the woman my mother was now, but who she had been when I was growing up. I could see her smile and the way she would smile at me when I would walk into a room. I could smell the scent of her hair as she tucked me in at night and hear the gentle hum in her voice as she sang me to sleep. I felt a tear slide down my cheek at the memories followed by an intense need to protect her and everyone else I had thought about.
Slowly I took a deep breath in and then asked the elements for what I wanted from them. "Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit, we call on you to protect the ones we love from the hate that threatens to destroy us all. We ask that you form a protective circle around each house of the People of Faith that their hatred may not spread and that the demons that walk among us may not be released. Cover their homes, and meeting places so that evil cannot gain anymore power," I finished and felt the elements move around our circle and then fly off to do out what we had asked. I could not watch the elements as they made their way from house to house but I knew that it was working and from outside the school walls I could hear the roars of the demons who were now outraged. Their immeasurable anger directed right at us.
Sorry for the short chapter everyone. I'm just really busy right now, but I didn't want to go another two weeks without updating at all. Hopefully I will have the next chapter up early next week, but probably not before that. My work schedule is crazy the rest of this week and I'm not going to have a lot of time. Thanks to all who are sticking with me and thanks for all the great reviews!
