Burned

Chapter Nine

  Stark

  The longer he stayed in the same room as Neferet, the hotter Stark's anger burned. And that was good.

  He could think through anger. He couldn't think through the grief. Goddess! The unbearable grief of losing his Priestess . . . his Zoey . . .

  "So we are in agreement then," Neferet said. "I will take my consort's body to Capri. There I can watch over him until the time when - "

  It finally registered with Stark what the bitch was saying, and he rounded on her, only stopped short from launching himself at the evil hag by Darius's ironlike grip on his arm.

  "You can't let her escape with him!" Stark yelled at Duantia, the Leader of the High Council. "Kalona killed Heath; I saw it. Zoey saw it. That's what made this happen to her. " He gestured at Zoey's soulless body without looking down at her. He couldn't look at her.

  "Escape?" Neferet scoffed. "I've already agreed to be escorted by a group of Sons of Erebus Warriors, and to make regular reports to the Council regarding Erebus's state of consciousness. After all, my consort isn't a criminal. It isn't against our laws for a Warrior to kill a human if he's in the service of the Goddess. "

  Stark ignored Neferet and concentrated on Duantia. "Don't let her go. Don't let her take him. He did more than kill a human guy, and they aren't in the service of Nyx. "

  "Lies propagated by a jealous teenager, who had so little control over herself that her eternal soul has been shattered!" Neferet snapped.

  "You fucking bitch!" Stark lunged for Neferet, who didn't so much as flinch. Instead, she lifted one elegant hand and pointed it, palm outward, at Stark. As he struggled to free himself from Darius's hold, Stark thought he saw black smoke begin materializing around Neferet's fingers.

  "Stop it, Stark, you total moron!"

  Suddenly, Aphrodite was there right in front of him. Stark knew she was Zoey's friend, but if Darius hadn't had a vise-like hold on him, he wouldn't have hesitated to knock her aside to get to Neferet.

  "Stark!" Aphrodite yelled at him. "You're not helping Zoey!" Then the blonde did something that totally shocked him, and by Darius's sharp intake of breath, she shocked her Warrior, too. She took his face between her smooth palms and forced him to stare into her eyes, whispering words that changed his life.

  "I know how to help Zoey. "

  "You see how uncontrollable he is! If my consort's body remains here, who knows what this undisciplined child could do to it?" Neferet spewed her poison as Stark kept his eyes locked with Aphrodite's.

  "Do you swear?" Stark whispered urgently back to her. "You're not just talking crap?"

  Aphrodite lifted one blond brow. "If you knew me better, you'd know I never just talk crap , but yes. I swear on my new and annoyingly responsible title of Prophetess that I know how to help Zoey, but we need her away from Neferet. Get it?"

  Stark nodded once and quit straining against Darius. Aphrodite took her hands from his face. Looking and sounding every bit a Prophetess of Nyx, she whirled around to face Neferet and the High Council.

  "Why are you all so willing to believe Zoey is going to die?"

  Duantia was first to respond. "Her soul has left her body, and not just on a Spirit Journey to the Otherworld, or in temporary communion with the Goddess. Zoey has been shattered. "

  One of the Council members who had stayed mostly silent until then spoke up. "You must understand what that means, Prophetess. Zoey's spirit is in the Otherworld in pieces. Past lives have been stripped from her, as have memories and different aspects of her personality. She is becoming one of the Caoinic Shi', a thing not dead and not alive - a being trapped in the realm of spirits, yet without the comfort of her own spirit. "

  "No. Seriously. Speak American and not this ancient and very fucked-up, confusing olden-day Euro crap. " Aphrodite planted one hand on the curve of her waist, and the other pointed a finger at the Vampyre High Council in general. "Without the confusing woo-woo references, explain why the hell you're writing Zoey off. "

  Stark heard a few of the Council members draw in breath at Aphrodite's brash words and registered the smug, "I told you they were out of control" look Neferet shared with several of the vamps, but Thanatos responded smoothly. "What Aether is saying is that the layers of spirit that make Zoey who she is today - her past lives, her past experiences, her personality - have been stripped from her, and without those layers intact, it is impossible for her to rest in the Otherworld, or for her spirit to return to her body here in this world. Think of it as if you had been in a terrible accident and the layers of skin and muscle and bone that protect your heart have been peeled away from your body, leaving that vital organ bare and defenseless. What would happen to you then?"

  Aphrodite paused, and Stark thought she hesitated because she didn't want to say the obvious answer, but she glanced at him, and when their eyes met, he was surprised to see triumph and excitement in hers.

  "If my heart didn't have any protection, it wouldn't keep beating. So why not get Zoey some protection?"

  Protection! I'm Zoey's protection! A small quiver of hope moved through his body. "I'm her protection!" he said quickly. "I don't care if it's in this world or the next. Just show me how to get to where she is, and I'll be there for her. "

  "That does, indeed, sound logical, Stark," Thanatos said. "But your gifts are that of a Warrior, which means your skills are corporeal and not of the spirit realm. "

  "Protection is protection," Stark insisted. "Just show me how to get where she is, and I'll figure the rest of it out. "

  "Zoey must make her spirit whole again, and that is a battle you cannot fight for her," Aether said.

  "But I can be there for her while she gets herself together. I can protect her," Stark insisted.

  "A living Warrior cannot enter the Otherworld. Not even to follow his High Priestess," Aether said.

  "Should you attempt it, you would be lost, too," Duantia said.

  "You don't know that for sure," Stark said.

  "In our recorded history, there is no Warrior who has recovered from attempting to follow his Priestess's shattered spirit into the Other-world. All of them perished - every Warrior and every High Priestess," Thanatos said.

  Stark felt a jolt of surprise. He hadn't even thought of that - that he'd die, too. With a detached sense of curiosity, he realized he didn't really mind the idea of dying, not if he could fulfill his Oath to Zoey; but before he could respond, Neferet's cold voice intruded again. "And all of those Warriors and High Priestesses were older and more experienced than you. "

  "Maybe that was their problem. " Aphrodite pitched her voice low enough that only Stark heard her murmur. "They were too old and had too much experience. "

  Hope shivered through Stark again. He turned to Duantia. "I was wrong before. Neferet should be able to take Kalona to wherever she wants to take him, but I want the same right to take Zoey with me. " He paused and made a gesture that included Aphrodite, Darius, and the other kids who were huddled together not far from them. "We want to take Zoey with us. "

  "Stark, I cannot agree to what would amount to a death sentence for you, too. " Duantia's voice was compassionate but firm. "Within this next week, Zoey is going to die. The best place for her is here, in our infirmary, being kept comfortable during the time she has left. The best thing for you to do would be to prepare yourself for that outcome and not sacrifice yourself in a futile attempt to save her. "

  "You are very young," Thanatos said. "You have a long and productive life before you. Don't cut Fate's thread for you. "

  "Zoey will remain here until the end. " Duantia nodded in agreement. "You may, of course, stay by her side. "

  "Um, excuse me. I don't mean to be disrespectful or anything. " Everyone's attention turned to Zoey's group of friends, who had, until then, been mostly silent with grief and shock. Damien's hand was raised like he was in a classroom waiting for the teacher to call on him.

  "Who are you, fledgling
?" asked Duantia.

  "My name is Damien, and I'm one of Zoey's friends. "

  "He also has an affinity for air," Jack added, wiping a hand across his tear-streaked face.

  "Ah, I have been told of you," Duantia said. "Do you wish to address the Council?"

  "He is a fledgling. He should be seen and not heard in Council meetings," Neferet snapped.

  "I didn't know you spoke for the Vampyre High Council, Neferet," Aphrodite said.

  "She does not," said Thanatos, giving Neferet a hard look before turning to Damien. "Fledgling, do you wish to address the Council?"

  Damien sat up straighter, swallowed hard, and said, "Affirmative. "

  Thanatos's lips twitched with the beginnings of a smile. "Then you may speak. You may also put down your hand, Damien. "

  "Oh, thank you. " Damien's hand hastily retreated. "Well, all I wanted to say, very respectfully, is vampyre law states that, as Zoey's Oath Bound Warrior, it is Stark's right to decide where and how she should be protected. At least that's what I remember from my notes last semester in Vampyre Sociology Class. "

  "Zoey is dying. " Duantia's words were harsh, but her tone was gentle. "You must understand that her Warrior will soon be released from his Oath. "

  "I do understand. But she's not dead yet , and all I'm saying is that her Warrior has the right to be her protector, in anyway he believes is best for her, as long as she is alive. "

  "I have to agree with the fledgling," Thanatos said, nodding respectfully to Damien. "He is absolutely correct in principle. It is law, as well as a Warrior's Oath Bound responsibility, to decide what is best for his High Priestess's safety. Zoey Redbird is living; therefore, she is still under her Warrior's protection. "

  "And the rest of my Council? Do you agree with Thanatos?" Duantia asked.

  Stark held his breath while the other five High Priestesses either spoke solemn yes es or gave small nods.

  "Well done, fledgling Damien," Thanatos said.

  Damien's cheeks turned pink. "Thank you, Priestess. "

  Duantia shook her head. "For my part, I am not as pleased as Thanatos at the prospect of the death of a promising young Warrior. " Then the vampyre shrugged with acquiescence. "But the Council is in agreement. Though it saddens me, I bow to the will of my Council and to our laws. Stark, where is it you would like to take your High Priestess for her last days?"

  Before he could respond, Neferet's cold voice cut in. "Am I to assume this little quorum of agreement means I am also free to leave and to take my consort with me?"

  "We already decided upon that, Neferet. " Thanatos's tone matched her chill for chill. "Under the conditions set, you may return to Capri with your consort's body. "

  "Thank you," Neferet said shortly. She made a brusque gesture at the Sons of Erebus who had carried Kalona into the Council Chamber on the litter. "Bring Erebus. We are leaving this place. " With the barest of bows to the Council, Neferet strode imperiously from the room.

  Everyone was watching her exit when Aphrodite grabbed Stark's arm, and said urgently, "Stall. Don't give them an answer about where you want to take Zoey. "

  "Now that that interruption is gone, you are free to tell the Council where it is you'd like to take your High Priestess, Stark," Thanatos said.

  "Right now I want to take her to our room in the palace. That is, if you say it's okay. I really need some time to think about what's best for Zoey, and I haven't had a chance to do that. "

  "Young but wise. " Thanatos smiled in approval.

  "I am pleased it seems you've been able to rein in your anger, Warrior," Duantia said. "May you continue to think clearly and wisely. "

  Stark clenched his teeth together and bowed his head respectfully, careful not to meet any of the Council members' gazes, afraid that they would see the reality of his un-reined anger.

  "The Council gives its permission for you to retire to the palace with your wounded High Priestess and your friends. We will ask for your decision about where you wish to take her on the morrow. Please know you may still decide to remain here. If you ask it of us, we will provide sanctuary for all of you, for as long as is necessary. "

  "Thank you," Stark said. He bowed formally to the group of powerful High Priestesses.

  "Council is adjourned. We shall reconvene on the morrow. Until then, I truly wish you to blessed be. "

  Before even Darius could help him, Stark went to Zoey, lifted her body in his arms, and, holding her close to him, carried her from the Council Chamber.

  Stark

  "Tell me everything you know. " He'd only just laid Zoey's body on the bed in the suite assigned to them when Stark confronted Aphrodite.

  "Well, it's not much, but it's enough to make me think the vamps are wrong," Aphrodite said, snuggling into a big velvet chair beside Darius.

  "You mean you know of a case where a Warrior actually brought back his High Priestess from the Otherworld?" Damien asked, as he and Jack pulled chairs from the suite's living room into the bedroom.

  "No. Not exactly. "

  "What do you mean, Aphrodite?" Stark paced back and forth in front of Zoey's bed.

  "I mean I don't give a shit about ancient history. Zoey isn't some stick-up-her-ass High Priestess from back in the day. "

  "People who ignore history end up repeating it," Damien said softly.

  "I didn't say I was ignoring it, Gay Boy. I said I didn't give a shit about it. " Aphrodite's sharp gaze went from Damien to the Twins, who were still standing in the entryway to the bedroom. "Dorkamese Twins, why are you lurking?"

  "We aren't lurking, Hateful," Shaunee's voice was little more than a whisper.

  "Yeah, we're respectful-ing ," Erin added in a twin whisper.

  "Oh, for shit's sake. What are you two talking about?" Aphrodite said.

  "It's disrespecting Zoey's, um, body to be all talking and stuff around her while she's - " Shaunee broke off, looking at her twin for help.

  Before Erin could, as usual, finish her sentence, Stark said, "No. We aren't treating her like she's dead.

  She's just not here, that's all. "

  "So it's more like a waiting room than a hospital room," Jack said, reaching from his chair to touch Zoey's hand.

  "Yeah," Stark said. "Only it's a waiting room for something really good. "

  "Like at the DMV when you've passed your driver's test and had a really bad picture taken and you're just waiting for them to bring you your license?" Jack said.

  "Exactly, only without the filth and the peasants," Aphrodite said. "So pull up some chairs, brain-sharers, and stop acting like Zoey's a corpse. "

  The Twins hesitated, shared a glance, shrugged, and then pulled chairs into the bedroom and joined the group's little circle.

  "All right, now that we're all together on this, you need to tell us what you found out from Stevie Rae,"

  Darius said.

  Aphrodite smiled at her Warrior. "How'd you know I got the info from Stevie Rae?"

  Darius touched her face gently. "I know you. "

  Stark clenched his fists and looked away from the bond that was so obvious between Aphrodite and Darius. He wanted to hit something. He needed to hit something. He was going to explode if he didn't get rid of some of the feelings that were choking him from the inside out. Then Aphrodite's words penetrated the mess that was his mind, and he whirled around to face her. "Say that again!"

  "I said, Kalona really is in the Otherworld. Neferet's sent him there to be sure Zoey doesn't pull herself together and make it back here. "

  "Wait, no, I remember overhearing Kalona talking to Rephaim once. He was real pissed because the Raven Mocker had said something about returning to the Otherworld. I'm sure Kalona said he couldn't go back because Nyx kicked him out," Stark said.

  "She kicked out his body . His body isn't there," Aphrodite said. "It's his soul that's slithered its way back in. "

  "OhmyGoddess!" Damien said
.

  "Zoey's in bigger trouble than we thought," Erin said sadly.

  "And that was already some really big trouble," Shaunee agreed.

  "It gets worse," Aphrodite said. "Neferet's behind all of this. " She sighed and met Stark's eyes. "Okay, this is gonna be not so nice for you to hear, but you need to listen up and deal with it. Kalona used to be Nyx's Warrior. "

  The color drained from Stark's face. "That's what Zoey told me right before . . . " He rubbed a hand through his hair. "I didn't believe her. I got pissed and jealous and stupid. That's why I wasn't with her when she saw Kalona kill Heath. "

  "You're going to have to find a way to forgive yourself for that mistake," Darius told Stark. "If you do not, you will not be able to focus on the here and now. "

  "And it's going to take a shitload of focus to save Zoey," Aphrodite said.

  "Because Stark's gonna have to go to the Otherworld and fight Kalona for Zoey. " Jack's voice was hushed, almost like he was talking during church.

  "And figure out a way to help her get the pieces of her soul together," Damien said.

  "Then that's what I'll do. " Stark was glad he sounded confident because his gut felt like someone had punched him in it.

  "If you try to do that without the right preparation, you will have no chance at all of succeeding, young Warrior. "

  Stark's eyes followed the voice to the doorway, where Thanatos stood, looking tall and grim and way too much like death personified.

  "Then tell me how to prepare!" Stark wanted to shout his frustration from the rooftops of the world.

  "To do battle in the Otherworld, the Warrior in you must die to give birth to the Shaman. "

  Stark didn't hesitate. "All I have to do is kill myself? You mean then my soul can go to the Otherworld and help Zoey?"

  "It cannot be a literal death, Warrior. Think what it would do to Zoey's already wounded spirit were she to have to bear your death as well as that of her consort. "

  "There's no way she'd ever leave the Otherworld then," Damien said solemnly. "Even if she could get the pieces of her soul together. "

  "Exactly, and that is what I believe happened to the other High Priestesses whose Warriors followed them into the Otherworld," Thanatos said, entering the room and walking to Zoey's bedside.

  "So the other Warriors really did kill themselves to protect their Priestesses?" Aphrodite moved even closer to Darius and threaded her fingers through his.

  "Most of them did, and the Warriors who didn't die before their souls left their bodies did so shortly thereafter. You must understand that Warriors aren't High Priestesses. They don't have the gifts it takes to move freely in the spirit realm. "

  "Kalona is there, and he's definitely not a High Priestess," Stark said.

  "Even those of us who do not believe he is Erebus come to earth know that this being you call Kalona is an immortal who has somehow arrived here from the Otherworld. The rules that bind a Warrior, or even a male vampyre who is not a Warrior, do not apply to him. "

  "He is bound, though," Aphrodite said, leaning forward with urgency. "I can see his chains. His body is covered by them. "

  "Tell me what you've seen, Prophetess," Thanatos said.

  Aphrodite hesitated.

  "Tell her everything," Damien said. Aphrodite met his eyes. "We have to trust someone, or it won't end up any different for Stark and Zoey than it has for those other Warriors and High Priestesses. "

  "We might as well trust Death," Stark said. "Because, one way or another, that's what I'm going to have to face to get to Zoey. "

  Aphrodite looked from Stark's pale face to Darius. "I agree. "

  "Me, too," said Jack.

  "Yeah," said Shaunee.

  "Tell her everything," added Erin.

  "All right," Aphrodite said. She gave Thanatos a wry smile. "So, I better start with Neferet, and you better sit down. "