A.N: Sorry for the delay in getting out the next chapter. I keep getting myself destracted and i'm trying to think of good details for the story and where I want to take it. Which i'm still not sure yet, but I have a better idea now. If you go to my profile you can also check out the link to the Fantasy Cast I have for the House of Night so you can see how I'm envisioning when I'm writing the stories. Have a great read!
It was a long day. I started to feel the effects of the Adderall not too much longer after I had taken it. I was wired and reading like a mad woman. I flipped through books, newspapers, and the internet. Everywhere. I hadn't found a thing. Aphrodite and I looked into all the books we could find, but nothing turned up. I threw my hands up in frustration, "UGH! We aren't finding anything!" I yelled.
"Quiet! You want to wake Erik and Neferet?" Aphrodite scolded. "It's only 2pm, they will still be sleeping"
I rolled my eyes and propped my arm up on the desk and laid my head in my hand. I was wired, but tired of looking at all these books and such. Reading was making me go cross eyed. "Maybe the library, we could find some old books" I suggested.
"Yeah, well, that would be an idea, but we only have one cloak between us both and I don't feel like getting fried out there" she pointed to the window where the sun shone as bright as it could. Spring time was beautiful and the sun was always its brightest then. We'd blind ourselves on the way there.
"I'm sure Neferet has a cloak of her own" I suggested and got up out of my seat. I walked towards the closets and opened the doors. They were huge walk in closets; you would have never imagined as much space in there looking at the room. I found a heavy and light material cloak. Both were black as midnight. "Here, there are two in here."
I grabbed the cloak and threw the one that Aphrodite had at her, "Let's go"
I walked down the hall to check on Grandma once more before we left. She was sleeping and thankfully doing better. Thank you Goddess! I gave her a light kiss in the cheek before we left. Making sure to put the hood of the cloak over my head, we walked out into the daylight. The sun beamed at me, almost feeling like I was starting to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. I didn't burst into flames, but it was definitely uncomfortable. My skin felt like it was getting an instant sunburn. I turned to see Aphrodite frozen in the front door, not moving at all. "Come on!" I yelled, but she didn't answer, she just collapsed. Hell! What's wrong now?
I ran to Aphrodite, and through out bond, I could feel her distress. She was having a vision. Her eyes were rolled back into her head and she began to convulse. I grabbed her thin arms and pulled her back into the infirmary, asking Wind to please help me, as it diligently did. Aphrodite was by no means heavy, she was a twig, but I'm not necessarily all that strong to be able to lift dead weight. Wind helped me lift her up and took the majority of her weight as I guided her body to a nearby stretcher. I laid her down as she was still twitching. "Aphrodite, tell me what you see" I commanded as I held onto her shoulders.
"It's Heath. I see him" she started to cry. "He's in such pain"
"Tell me what you see! What about Heath? Is he ok?"
"Not for long. Something has attacked him and he's bleeding, badly."
Before I could ask another question Aphrodite screamed, "NO! RUN HEATH! RUN!"
I felt the tears swell in my eyes, what was happening? Where was Heath? As much as he had been a bear in my side the past few months, we'd known each other for years; I couldn't bear it if something happened to him because he was here at the House of Night. "What's chasing him?" I asked.
"I can't see it's getting blurry" Aphrodite said, her head twisting from side to side. "He's in the woods; there are large trees and thick shrubs. I don't see or hear anything that would look like civilization, it's like he's lost in another world"
"What else do you see?" I commanded.
"Vegetation, beautiful but strange flowers, I've never seen flowers that looked so beautiful but so…strange and dangerous before"
"Where is he Aphrodite?" I asked again.
"In another realm." She concluded as she popped her eyes open. "We have to find him, quick"
"What do you mean he's in another realm? We can't help him unless we know where he is!" I said shaking my head and pacing the floor between us. "How did he even get to another realm, I wasn't even sure there was such a thing!"
"How do you think that Nyx comes to visit you? What do you think Heaven or Hell is? It's another realm, can be of peace, or disaster. I get a very bad feeling about this though."
"What kind of bad feeling?" I asked.
"Like, we have to find out quick, or everything and everyone will be at stake" Aphrodite's eyes were serious. "Let's head to the library"
We got up and put our cloaks back on and ran out into the light. Hand in hand we raced across the campus towards the main building that held the little library. Since it was still daylight out, no one would be up for several hours. Shivers ran down my spine with what Aphrodite told me. So Heath was alive, thank Goddess for that, but how were we going to save him, Again! Even though Heath and I had come to a sort of understanding that we couldn't see each other anymore, at least as a couple, we at least were friends. You can't just cut someone totally out of your life that has been there for seven years. I was determined to find him, and I would. I sent a silent prayer to Nyx, Please let us find him, help us to find him.
The moment we got into the library I felt a tug in my stomach, as if it was trying to tell me where to go. It was like playing that game, Hide-n-Seek when you tell them Hot or Cold depending on how close they are too you. That's how my stomach was reacting. I knew, from all the times that Goddess has led me in the past, this is how I listened to her and this is how she guided me. I tugged on Aphrodite's arm as I walked back to a section of books that was marked off. The sign on the tape crossing the shelves read "Restricted. Authorized use only!" in bright red letters.
"I'm the High Priestess, I should be able to look at these" I mumbled to myself, feeling a bit of apprehension before decided to actually look at the books. Since I never really had time to go through all my years here at the House of Night, there was lots that I needed to learn still, even being High Priestess. This would make it increasingly difficult as I was much a novice to this whole Vampire thing in every way. I know I am the Chosen One by the Goddess, and she has blessed me with many gifts, but that was all I knew. Neferet, after we saved her from her 'dark side', she had me read a lot in my Soc 415 book, which I hadn't picked up much since Heath and I had our Imprint months earlier when I first came to the House of Night. I knew the basic culture of vampires, and most of the basic necessities, but I was clearly a novice of the mystic arts. I looked up at the bookcase and amazed at all the old books that lined the shelves. Many did not have titles on the spines so I knew this might take quiet a while.
"Need help finding something, Priestess" a soft voice that interrupted my inner babble. It was Anastasia, Professor of Rituals and Spells. "I could help you find what you need if you told me what you were looking for" she had a sweet smile and her angelic face reminded me much of a beautiful arch-angel depicted in so many early renaissance paintings.
At first I was a little stunned to see someone other than Aphrodite and I since I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up and I was fairly certain that it was still sleepy time for all the adult vamps. I felt my heart jump as her voice scared me just a tad. "Professor Anastasia! You scared me" My heart settled down a bit as I took a few breaths. "I didn't think anyone was up"
She just smiled, "I don't sleep. I spend most of the day in the library looking for new potions, spells and new rituals to use." She was very nonchalant about her reasoning to be out while everyone was sleeping.
"You don't sleep? I thought all adult vampire's slept during the day" I asked and oddly freaked out.
"That is one of my many Goddess given gifts; I do not need to sleep during the day, just as I do not need to hide in the shadows or wear a cloak. The sun does not bother me like it does everyone else." She explained.
For the first time I really looked at her. Her skin had a sun kissed glow to it. Not really tan, but you could tell she had been out in the light. Funny how I never noticed it before.
"So, what exactly are you two doing here in my restricted section?" she asked looking from me to Aphrodite.
I felt around to see if there was so strange feeling in my stomach, as Nyx had always forewarned me about speaking too forward to certain people. Normally for their own good. This time, there was no feeling of holding back, so I decided to be as forward as possible. "Well, first I didn't think that it was restricted to me, and since Aphrodite is my consulate…I figured…ugh…she could be here too" I laughed. "Anyways, I have an odd question for you" I took a breath "Is there a way to tap into another realm?"
"Another realm? As in a spirit realm?" she asked. "Another world?"
"Yes, something like that. Can we or humans pass into another realm somehow?" I questioned.
"Well, for us, it is certainly much easier than a human, as we tend to understand the mystic arts quiet better than our human friends." She paused, "But I assume it could be possible with the aid of someone who understands the mystic arts. Why do you inquire Priestess?"
I decided that for now, it was easier to just get all the information I could instead of worrying people. Here I go again with the hiding of secrets and placing myself under a larger than normal amount of stress. I'm glad I Changed already because if I hadn't, I would die of stress. "Just curious. How does one tap into another realm?"
"Well, there are seven spiritual realms. You have the Lower realm which is where Evil exists. This is not a Realm to which we are taught to enter. It is dangerous and deadly. Those who have said to gone, never return." Her face was grim and serious, "The next is Earth Bound, you could kind of compare that to the reason we sometimes see Ghosts. They are trapped in the Earthly Realm. There is Physical, which is us here and now. We are in our physical bodies. Though, this does not mean that it's just Earth here, or this time that is the only physical realm, there are many. There is Animal, Soul, Spirit and Divine. Divine Consciousness or Realm, is where Nyx dwells. This is considered the highest realm and no person, or animal has ever entered it. It is reserved for the Goddess."
I took in all that she was saying and I looked at Aphrodite who shrugged her shoulders and continued looking through the books in the library. "Could it be possible for someone to have been pulled into a realm and be trapped?"
Anastasia gave me a weary look of concern, "Zoey, what is going on? Is someone in trouble?"
"I'm not sure, but I think so." Was I was willing to say at the moment. I bit my lip hoping that I wasn't hiding too much from her.
"I can help you with finding a way into the realms, but I can't help you if I don't know which one you seek or what you seek for" she continued. "I will pull some of my books together and come to see you later in your apartment."
My apartment, I totally forgot. I had moved out of the dorms and now Coraline had my room. I was now a High Priestess, so I wouldn't be living with students anymore. I hadn't even been over there, with all the stuff with Heath, Grandma and the induction to being High Priestess; it had totally slipped my mind. "Thank you Anastasia. I will look forward to our meeting." I gave her a nod and she gave me the fist over the chest salute and bow then walked out of the library.
"I think I found something that might help" Aphrodite said as she reached up on her tip toes to get, what looked like a very old book covered in dust off the top shelf of the bookcase. It was very heavy and the pages defiantly looked like some old and tattered linen. The book was dark leather brown and embossed on the top read, Spells and Divinations of the Ancient Mystic Arts in gold script. "This might be promising" she said as she flipped open the book.
"May I?" I stuck my hand out to grab the book from her as Aphrodite gladly handed me the book.
"You can have it all you want, it's getting me filthy!" she smacked her hands together and brushed the fallen dust bunnies that landed on her nice pleated mini skirt she was wearing. "So…."
I took a look at the book; it was old, very old. The type was small and looked hand written. "This might be very useful. Good eye!" I commended her.
Her lips upturned in the corner of her mouth, "Well, I told you I was good for something…even if you don't know what to look for, I might"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Because you're a fifth former and I was only a third former. You have so much more knowledge than I do" I rolled my eyes at her.
"Bet your ass I do!" she sneered. I could tell through our bond that even if she sounded like she was being a bitch, she was just being sassy with me and her mood was playful. I was starting to really get use to this bond with her, it let me really see the real Aphrodite, not that I hadn't seen glimpses of her in the months earlier whenever my Grandma was around.
I looked through the index, yes, even for an ancient book as this, it did have an index, I guess with so many spells you'd need to know what to look for quickly, I found something that I felt was what I might have been looking for. My spirit leapt when I ran my finger over the text. Walking Through the Realms: Rites to safely walk between the worlds. I knew I probably found what I was looking for. I placed the book marker on the page and closed it. "Come on, we need to meet up with Anastasia."
