The Twins bumped into me as I assume they didn't see me stop, frozen in fear. They continued to giggle until they heard it too. The low rumble of growls, as if there was more than one Drekavac.
"That isn't what I think it is" Erin said, her voice shaky.
"Is it?" Shaunee asked equally scared.
"Shhh" Damien said to them both. "We can't make a lot of noise"
"I don't think it makes a difference" I said looking over my shoulder to my friends who were frozen in fear just as much as I was as we heard the creatures getting closer. "I think now, I wish more than ever that Stark was here"
I thought back to all the things that Stark had done for me, just about killed anyone for me, and his amazing shot. He would be able to extinguish these creatures so easily. What was I thinking? I could do the same thing. I felt the power inside of me begin to grow. "Fire, come to me" I said as my flames engulfed my hands. I heard Shaunee calling fire to her as well. "Send it out to the creatures, burn them up" I said.
"Burn baby burn!" Shaunee shouted as we heard yet another throaty growl.
We both hurled our fire balls towards the courtyard where the noises were coming from until there was a large burst of flames and loud shrieks that could have waken the entire campus. I saw students racing to doors of classrooms and hanging out windows to see what the commotion was. I saw Neferet and Caren running towards us.
"What happened?!" Neferet said a tad out of breath.
"We heard growls and we sent fire to burn it up for us. Problem solved" I said. Caren and Neferet looked at me odd.
"Easy Peasey" Shaunee added.
"Yeah, Twin burnt those evil things up!" Erin said congratulating Shaunee.
"We will have to hurry then. Get to the East Wall, I will call the students out there at once." Neferet said as she turned to go back to the school buildings. It seems she flipped out her cell phone and began making calls to all the professors. Soon enough you heard over the loud speaker. "All Students and Professors are to report to the East Wall, immediately. Repeat, all students and faculty members are to report to the East Wall at once."
I'm just glad we got to the east wall before the swarm of students came. We had the candles set up, Damien remembered my eucalyptus and sage braid for the smudge and the Twins set out an offering table for Nyx. Aphrodite rolled up just about when all the students got there with my eagle feather twirling around her face, smiling at Darius. Ugh, puke. Those two made me sick. She stood there in front of me for a good minute or two just twisting the feather around her until I walked over and snatched it out of her hand.
"Hey! Rude aren't we?" she snapped.
"In a hurry, we are. By all means though, take your time. I know how you LOVE to have us wait on you" I said sassing her. Darius caught what I was saying and kissed Aphrodite lightly on the cheek before telling her she must get to the ritual.
"I'll have you know, he was the reason I was late, not because I wanted to be" Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "He just wanted to go another round and I…"
"Just stop. Please. Stop. I. Don't. Want. To. Hear. Any. More" I said slowly. "TMI!"
"Whatever, let's get this thing started." She flipped her hair and stood next to Nyx's table.
I got the nod from Neferet and Caren and then I took my lead. "Children of Nyx, Sons of Erebus, and Nyx's Council, I have brought you here because we are in grave danger, once again. There are monster's roaming our campus and it is no longer safe to be out wandering. We come tonight, together to place a protective barrier around us, around our school, around our lives." I started out. I walked to Damien, as Air, I always called first.
"You are the first we take in and the last to let go, I call Air to this circle" As always, as I lit the candle a tornado of air lifted mine and Damien's hair off our shoulders.
"You always warm us when it's cold and bring us light when we can't see, I call Fire to this circle". As to be expected the candle flame lit without me even having to touch it. Shaunee giggled and I glared at her to turn it down a bit.
"You refresh us when we are thirsty and wash us clean from all dirt. I call Water to this circle" I could smell the sea at Erin and my feet as I lit her candle.
"You ground us and you are our center, I call Earth to this circle" Stevie Rae and I both took a deep breath of the sweet smelling grass and the song of birds in the air.
As the silver thread bound us, I walked to the center where Aphrodite had a match and spoke, "You fill us up and give meaning to us as individuals, Spirit, we call you to this circle" she lit my candle and I felt spirit and all the elements leap inside me. I felt a rush like I had never felt before.
"My Prefect, I would like you to spread out and let all those who come to the House of Night enter our protective circle without harm" I said as Damien, Erin, Shaunee and Stevie Rae all walked back, expanding the circle, but never breaking it. It seemed the silver lining stretched and stretched as each Vampire and fledgling was now standing in the circle. "For the blood that has been spilt, I spill my own" I grabbed the ceremonial knife that lay on the table and raised my hands high up into the sky before coming down and slicing my palm. I turned it over and let the blood drip into the ground. "May the Goddess bless us and protect us."
I walked around the circle and sliced all my Prefect's hands to which they followed my direction and let themselves bleed onto the ground. Everyone watched in awe as the blood seemed to form a circle around us then back towards the center to me. "In the shadows, evils hide, ready to draw me from love's side, but with your help I shall be strong and banish all that do me wrong. Send them away, send them astray. Never again to pass my way, So mote it be"
Everyone repeated, "So mote it be"
I turned and thanked all the elements in reverse order starting with Earth and released them from the circle. The shiny silver thread that held our circle was still there, weird. It usually went away when I sent the elements back. This time, it stayed and it shined brighter than ever.
I turned to everyone, who was still in awe of the silver thread holding them in the circle, "Merry meet, merry part and merry met again"
"Merry meet, merry party and merry meet again" everyone repeated and then they turned to leave. Fledglings danced and laughed as they headed back to the dinning hall. It was around dinner time now. Classes were over. Most of the students were heading back into their dorms to do homework or just hangout with friends before curfew. Everyone in my group headed back towards the center of the circle, the silver thread still in tact, getting smaller as they walked closer towards me.
"Um Z?" Erin asked wearily
"I can't move out of the circle" Shaunee said embrassed.
"Nor can I" Damien said.
"Me too" said Stevie Rae.
"Umm…" I tried to think of something to say. "Maybe it had something to do with the blood" I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know you guys. Have you given your elements back?"
"Yeah, but the silver lining is still here, what does that mean?" Stevie Rae asked.
"Zoey, I think you should see this" Aphrodite interrupted. She was pointing to the pool of blood in the center of the circle, it seemed that it surrounded the circle then came back to join a large pool, where now was an image of Nyx.
"Daughters and Sons" her voice radiated. "I can sense your fear. Do not be afraid, for I will send you a great and mighty warrior."
"Stark" I said so quietly that I don't think anyone heard me but Aphrodite who jerked her head towards me and gave me a long look.
"He has devoted himself to his Goddess and to his Priestess and will serve you all. He will fight for you when you are unable, he will die for you when you are in the clutches of death." Nyx went on.
"Who is this warrior?" Damien asked.
"Why, you already know" Nyx replied but said no more which gave Damien a confused look. Then he looked up at me and I saw his face change.
"Oh!" his eyes got wide, "Stark?" he asked questioningly.
"Yes, James has a very valuable gift and he has been here with me and I have kept him safe since he was attacked by the Drekavac." Nyx answered.
My brows furrowed, "Attacked by the Drekavac?" I questioned. "He never said he was attacked by anything"
"Because he did not want to worry you, as you worry enough for everyone." Nyx answered.
I felt a pain in my heart as I felt it was true what she was saying. He was attacked and she brought him to be with her in order to save him because she knew he was important, not just to me, but to our wellbeing. Without his possible help, we could all be doomed. I knew that Stark would have to be the one that killed the Fairy Queen. He is the only one that could get close enough, but not enough to get hurt.
"What do we do Nyx?" I asked.
"You will know what to do in time" she said as she shimmered away and the pool of blood no longer bore her likeness, it was simply just a pool of blood. I looked around to see the thin silver line had gone away too. Nyx had wanted everyone to be there when she appeared, which is why no one could leave the circle.
"Woah…" Erin said as she almost felt forward.
"Hold up Twin, don't fall on your face, you might end up with blood all over you" Shaunee said trying to hold her up.
"Ugh, I feel like all the energy has just been drained out of me" Erin said lethargically
"You and me both Twin" Shaunee said hauling her soul twin up on her shoulder. "Z, we're going to head out. Erin looks beat, even more than normal"
I nodded and understood, "You guys get lots of rest" I instructed.
Stevie Rae said she would go with them, and then she had to check on the red fledglings. I noticed that only a few of them were out at the ceremony even though Neferet had told everyone to come. Stubborn and hard headed were those red fledglings. I was just glad that Stark and Stevie Rae were no longer that anymore, too much hatred inside that could escape, too much darkness clouded their judgment. Though, Stevie Rae had been working with them all and trying to get them to 'mainstream' as she called it.
Damien was the only other to hang behind. Aphrodite left with Darius and gave me a wink when she left. Oh Puke, I'm going to be sick next time I see them sucking face like that. Ugh. Then that though lead me to think of Erik, then Stark and Heath, how I used to suck face with all three of them and it made a pain in my chest that I had long forgotten. No, no boys. I wouldn't go there. I am swearing off boys, I can be friends with boys, but nothing else. Time for Zoey to get what Zoey wants without distractions.
"So, what do I do now?" Damien asked.
"Now, we need you to get together with Maurelle and go get Stark." I instructed.
"I'm right here" Maurelle said walking out of the shade and I noticed Erik was walking out of the shadows behind her. A big grin on his face. Oh great. Well, he wasn't my boyfriend anymore, so good for him. He was Maurelle's problem now, not mine.
"Where were you guys? I didn't see you at the ceremony" I asked her.
"Oh, we were hiding out…." She said shyly, I could see her cheeks begin to blush.
"We had a bit of a private moment" Erik interrupted, then turning to Maurelle and smiled before he took her hand, kissed it and told her good bye. He courtly said, "Bye Zoey" in a tone that I had long forgotten. Geesh, he was mad at me again. What did I do this time? Other than refuse to get back together with him. Could he really be that angry at me?
"Mission is clear, go to the Divine Realm and bring Stark back. Got it?" I looked at them both.
"Got it" they both said as Maurelle grasped Damien's hand and they side stepped out of this realm.
All that was left was Erik and I, looking into the darkness where once stood Damien and Maurelle.
