“Yes, bumpkin, but it was cutting out, though I managed to download this to my phone.”
“Ah, hell!” I said as the puzzle pieces fell into place. “This is the woman in your vision, isn’t it?”
Aphrodite nodded.
“I do not understand,” said Grandma Redbird. “Was this woman not truly dead?”
“Yes. She’s dead,” I spoke slowly, feeling a soul-deep chill that the weather could never cause. “But only in this world. There’s a whole other world where she’s had a different life and is, obviously, alive.”
“And also allied with Neferet. Again,” said Damien.
“Your last vision,” I spoke urgently. “When you saw Neferet shifting back and forth between looking normal and looking like she’d just broken out of that tomb—you weren’t seeing one Neferet, were you?”
Aphrodite shook her head. “No. I realize now that I was seeing two Neferets—one who had just escaped from the grotto, and a second one who had just helped her escape.”
Stevie Rae gasped. “Other Neferet! From Kevin’s world.”
“Oh, Great Earth Mother, no.” Grandma Redbird paled.
“Sadly, yes,” I said. “If Other Lynette is here, that means Other Neferet must be too.”
At that moment, there was a whoosh like a giant had just inhaled, and a swirling sphere of dark glitter appeared before us, floating directly in front of the statue of Nyx. The kids who were skating started to yell and point.
Stark cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Sons of Erebus! To me!” As Stark positioned himself between the swirling orb and me, Warriors flooded the rear courtyard. “Protect the fledglings!” Stark commanded as Darius and Rephaim rushed to Aphrodite and Stevie Rae, with Jack between them. He looked terrified and flew into Damien’s arms.
The floating disc-like thing looked like galaxy soup. I had zero doubt about what it was. The only question was who, or what, would step through. A figure became visible, with a second close behind, and as they emerged I breathed a long, gasping breath of relief and rushed around Stark to throw myself into my brother’s arms.
“Kevin!”
“Zo!” He caught me and lifted me off my feet and we hugged and laughed for a moment. Then I glanced over his shoulder and realized who was with him as he put me down.
“Stark. Hi,” I said only semiawkwardly. “Welcome to my world.”
“Thanks.” He nodded at me and then I watched his eyes widen as my Stark reached my side. “I guess we don’t need introductions.” Other Stark held out his hand.
I felt the jolt of shock go through my Stark, but he took Other Stark’s hand, grasping his forearm in a traditional Warrior greeting. “You’re bleeding,” he said.
Other Stark glanced at his mangled bicep. “Yeah. It’s a long story.”
“We’re here to tell you—” Kevin spoke quickly, but Aphrodite was quicker.
“That your Neferet is in our world.” She’d moved up to stand beside me with Darius close behind her.
Kevin’s gaze shot to her. He swallowed, cracked his knuckles, and nodded. “Yeah, that’s why we’re here. We had to come warn you.”
“And help you,” Other Stark added.
“We just figured it out, but thanks for coming to confirm,” said Aphrodite. “And, hi. It’s good to see you again.”
“Um, hi,” Kevin said.
I felt bad for him. I could see his hesitancy and I’m pretty sure he didn’t know whether he should hug her or keep his distance.
Darius surprised me by approaching Kevin and taking his forearm in a warm, respectful greeting. “It is good to see that you are well.”
“Thanks,” Kevin said, clearly as surprised as I was.
Darius spoke solemnly. “I, more than anyone, understand and am sorry for your loss.”
Kevin’s jaw clenched and he nodded. He tried to say something, but Darius shook his head.
“There is no need to speak of it. Your pain is too fresh. I will ask Nyx to help you through it.” Then Darius dropped Kevin’s arm and returned to Aphrodite’s side.
Aphrodite surreptitiously wiped at tears that had escaped onto her cheeks, but she said nothing.
My Stark called to the Warriors, who had surrounded the frightened-looking fledglings in the pretend skating rink. “Escort the fledglings to their dorms. The House of Night is currently on high and immediate threat alert.”
I added, “Then stand by for more instructions. We will be leaving for Woodward Park immediately—and with this weather we’ll be going on foot. How many Warriors should come with us?” I asked Stark.
“Besides Darius, Rephaim, and me—a dozen.”
I nodded to Darius. “Get a dozen of our toughest Warriors. Arm them. Meet in the foyer ASAP. Do you know which Warrior is on duty at the park tonight?”
“Yes, that would be Max. He’s young but dependable and talented with the sword.”
“Call him while you’re gathering the Warriors.” As Darius saluted me and hurried away, I turned back to my brother from another world. “Come inside. We’ll wait in the foyer for the Warriors. We have a bunch to tell you.”
“Yeah, we have a lot to tell you too,” Kevin said. He hugged me again quickly. “It’s really good to see you. I just wish it wasn’t because your world’s in danger.”
“Yeah, well, sadly, that’s nothing new,” I said. “And it’s really good to see you too.”
Then Grandma pushed past me and was hugging Kevin, leaving me to stare at Other Stark.
“You should go to the infirmary and get that cleaned up,” I said.
“It’s okay.” Other Stark’s gaze kept going from my Stark to me. I didn’t blame him for being shell-shocked. It was super weird to see the two of them together.
“Don’t be stupid,” my Stark said gruffly. “That gets infected and you won’t be able to shoot a bow. You, uh, do have the same affinity I have, don’t you?”
“That I can’t miss? Yeah,” he said, sounding like a weird recording of my Stark.
“If you can’t pull the damn bow, you can’t loose an arrow. And I have a feeling we’ll need all the Warriors we can get—in this world and yours—so you’re gonna get it looked at before we leave for the park. Come on.” Stark turned to me. “We’ll meet you in the foyer. We won’t be long.”
Before I could say anything, they headed toward the door to the infirmary.
“Z, I’m going to take Jack to our room,” Damien said. Jack was sobbing in his arms, and I realized how difficult it must be for him to see Other Stark, who had been in charge of the Red Army he’d been slated to join—and kill with—in that terrible Other World.
“Okay, no problem. If you need to stay with Jack, I totally understand,” I said.
“No!” Jack wiped the tears from his face as he bravely choked back tears. “You’ll need Damien’s brains. And you’ll need air if it comes to a fight with two Neferets. I’ll—I’ll be okay.”
With Jack tucked safely under Damien’s arm they headed back to the professors’ quarters where they shared a room when they weren’t staying at the depot.
“I’m going to change these boots,” said Aphrodite.
“Are you sure you want to come?” I asked.
“Are you fucking kidding me? I need to see if it looks like it did in my vision. Plus, I’m a Prophetess of Nyx. I belong at my High Priestess’s side during trouble.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll be glad to have you there.”
“I will go arm myself,” said Rephaim.
“And while he does that, I’ll be puttin’ on some real shoes,” said Stevie Rae.
“Find Lenobia. Tell her what’s going on. She’s High Priestess in my absence. Also, get Kacie. I need a full circle, and since this weather has grounded Shaunee and Shaylin, she’s my fire and water. Do you think she’s ready?�
� Not that anyone could ever really be ready to take on two Neferets, I added silently.
“She’s smart and tough. I think she’s as ready as you were when you first faced off against Neferet,” said Stevie Rae.
“I had my friends to back me up,” I said.
“And so does she, Z. She has us.” Stevie Rae saluted me formally and said, “BRB, High Priestess.” Then she took off, sliding down the sidewalk toward the stables.
That left Kevin, Grandma, and me alone.
“Let’s get inside,” said Grandma. “I’ll pour cups of hot tea before you have to leave.”
“Grandma,” I said as we walked into the main part of the big stone buildings that made up the House of Night, “I don’t want you to be scared. You’ll be safe here.”
“Oh, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya, when danger comes there is no place I’d rather be than at the House of Night.”
17
Other Stark
Meeting the alternative version of himself was the weirdest thing to happen to Other Stark in a young life that hadn’t been lacking in weirdness. In the infirmary Stark left him alone with the nurse while he went to his room to get a shirt that wasn’t all bloody. In Nyx’s Realm the arm hadn’t hurt—or at least it hadn’t much—but here, in this world, it felt like it was on fire, especially when the nurse flushed and then cleaned it.
“You need stitches,” said the nurse as Stark hurried back into the room, carrying a black House of Night sweatshirt over his shoulder.
“Will butterfly stitches do?” Other Stark asked her.
“They will, but regular stitches will allow it to heal easier.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, but they’ll take more time. I need to go to Woodward Park with the Warriors. Just use the butterflies and wrap it up. I’ll drink a bunch of blood and heal just fine.”
Stark tossed the sweatshirt to him and he caught it, laying it across his lap as he tried to ignore the pain in his arm. The guy who looked exactly like him, every detail a perfect copy save for the color of his tattoo, studied the knife wounds as the nurse got together a tray of disinfectants and bandages.
“I recognize this work. You didn’t happen to pass through Skye to get here, did you?”
Other Stark snorted in surprise. “I did. Do you know Seoras?”
“I did. He was killed last year.”
“Damn, that’s too bad. He was kind of an asshole, but also sorta a distant relative,” said Other Stark.
“Yeah, that’s him. Check this out. It looks like you have my scar.” Stark lifted up his sweatshirt to expose his chest, which was covered with scars that were eerily like the new broken arrow slashes on his bicep.
“Huh. Well, I guess it’s only right that I have your scars. Apparently, you have my girl.”
From the other side of the room the nurse gasped, and then, very slowly, Stark met his gaze and said, “Yeah, you’re me all right—but me from a while ago. So, let me help you out and maybe you won’t have to go through all the shit I did to understand this. Zoey isn’t mine. She isn’t yours, either. Zoey belongs to herself. Am I her Oathbound Warrior? Yes. Actually, I’m more than that, but we’d need Seoras and a lot more time than I have right now to explain that part to you. And anyway, the most important thing for you to get is that Z is her own person. She makes her own decisions. I’ve sworn to protect her, and I will do that as long as I’m alive—no matter what. So, if she decides she wants to be with you while you’re in this world, that is completely her decision to make and doesn’t have shit to do with me.”
“And you’d be okay with it if she hooked up with me?”
“Hooked up with you?” Stark laughed and, behind them, the nurse snorted. “Damn, you’re definitely old me. Okay, look, whether I’m okay with anything that goes on between you and Zoey isn’t the point. The point is that there’s nothing you could do that would mess up the bond Z and I have.”
“I’m not sure what you’re telling me.”
“Yeah, I can see that, and that’s too bad. But if you’re around very long, Z will set you straight.”
“Hey, I don’t want there to be problems between us,” he told this strange version of himself that seemed wiser and calmer and somehow older too.
“That’s part of what I’m trying to explain to you. There isn’t any problem with me—nor will there be. Well, unless you try to be an asshole to Z. She can handle douchebags, but know if you piss her off, I’ll be standing right beside her—and I’ll be doubly pissed.”
“I hear you—loud and clear.”
“Awesome. I’ll grab my extra bow for you and a quiver of arrows, then I’ll meet you in the foyer in a few. Think you can find your way there?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I think you’ll be surprised at how resourceful I can be.”
“Yep. Arrogant and clueless. You’re me all over again.” Chuckling, he left the examination room.
“I’d listen to him,” said the nurse as she returned to Other Stark’s side.
Other Stark didn’t say anything. He’d been surprised at the gut punch he’d felt seeing Zoey again, though he really didn’t know her. But he’d wanted to know her. Ghost Aphrodite had been right. He had told a lie in Nyx’s Grove. Sure, he’d traveled here with Kevin to make amends for not standing against Neferet sooner, but that had only been part of his reason for coming.
The rest of the reason was Zoey Redbird. Stark wanted to know if she could fill that empty place in his heart, and he wasn’t going to allow anything to stop him from finding out—even another version of himself.
Other Kevin
Other Kevin handed Aphrodite’s cell phone to Other Stark as he joined the expanding group that was waiting in the foyer of the school. “Is this the human woman who was helping Neferet?” he asked, pointing to the photo illuminated on the screen.
“Yeah, that’s definitely Lynette Witherspoon. She was the concierge at our private airport. At first, we thought she was kidnapped by Neferet, but between what the pilot said about the two of them and the video footage from inside the Covent Garden Hotel where Loren Blake was killed, it’s looking more and more like they’re allies.”
“Weird how things in this world echo your world,” Zoey said. “Our world’s Lynette was loyal to Neferet and then was killed by her.”
“Our Neferet also killed Loren Blake in this world,” added Aphrodite.
Kevin nodded and tried not to stare at Aphrodite.
Grandma Redbird entered the group carrying a mountain of rain slickers. “I know you don’t get cold like humans do, but you do get wet and wet doesn’t help you think or fight. And they’ll keep your weapons dry. So, wear these. Please, children.”
No one argued with Grandma’s logic—not even the wide-shouldered, somber-faced Sons of Erebus Warriors who followed Darius to join them.
Even though she wasn’t his world’s Aphrodite, Kevin had to force himself not to help her with the slicker she frowned at. A joke about it being this season’s couture wear for ice storms almost escaped his lips, but as Darius grinned at her and expertly slid it over her head, Kevin turned away and almost ran into Zoey.
A red vampyre stood between Z and Stevie Rae. The girl looked nervous. She was also unusually gorgeous, even for a vamp. She was a young woman of color, and her skin looked like the sun hadn’t just kissed it but had made out with it. And she had the biggest, darkest eyes he’d ever seen.
“Hey, Kev, I want to introduce you and Stark—” Zoey paused, nodding at Other Stark, who was standing beside him, “to our newest red vampyre—Kacie. Kacie, this is my brother from the Other World, Kevin, and, um, Other Stark.”
“Merry meet,” said Kevin. “Your tattoos are interesting. I’ve never seen water and fire mixed like that before.”
“’Cause Kacie has affinities for water and fire,” said Stevie Rae.
“Wow, that’s cool,” said Ke
vin. “Merry meet, Kacie.”
“Merry meet,” Kacie said to Kevin, then she turned to Zoey. “You look like your brother.”
“Actually, I’m older. He looks like me,” Z said—sounding exactly like his sister—no matter what world they were in.
“Merry meet, Kacie,” said Other Stark.
Kacie’s eyes got huge. “Uh, hi. So, what do we call you? Blue Stark?”
Kevin crossed his arms and watched his sister. He knew it was going to be amusing having two Starks in one world, and even though it sucked that there were also two Neferets here, he couldn’t help but be entertained.
His g-ma pushed into the middle of their little group and handed them slickers, saying, “Don’t be silly. We’ll call this Stark James, and our world’s Stark will remain simply Stark. Don’t you think that’s an excellent idea, James?”
Kevin’s amused gaze went from Zoey to Other Stark, who was looking helpless against G-ma’s Wise Woman logic. But there was zip he could do about being called a first name he hadn’t gone by since the day he’d been Marked—no one back-talked Sylvia Redbird in either world.
“Yeah, sure. That’s fine with me. I mean, James is my name.”
“James or Jimmy?” asked Kacie as her pretty face emerged from an oversized slicker, and she swept back her thick Beyoncé-blond hair.
“James. Never Jimmy,” said the Other World’s James Stark gruffly.
“No need to get huffy, James,” Aphrodite said. “Ice Cream Shoes doesn’t know the history of the Stark aversion to first names.”
“Ice Cream Shoes?” asked James.
“It’s my nickname. It’s cooler sounding than Jimmy, but, still, I feel ya.”
Kevin covered his laugh with a quick cough.
“Are we all here?” Stark joined them with Damien close behind. He tossed a bow and a quiver of arrows to his Other World twin before Grandma Redbird handed him his own slicker.
“All present and accounted for,” Damien said.
“How’s Jack doing?” Zoey asked.
Damien looked grim and shook his head as he pulled on his slicker. “Not well. He’s curled up in bed with Duchess watching the extended director’s cut of Return of the King.”
Found Page 17
