Found

by P. C. Cast

  “Oh, good! Yea!”

  Neferet had stopped before a bedroom that was considerably larger than the others with an enormous marble bathroom attached and a closet bigger than Lynette’s first condo. The suite’s theme was gold. The walls were gold leafed. The ceiling was gold. The plush carpet was gold. The enormous bed had gold and ivory linens as well as a canopy in what looked like an impossible amount of gold lace. On the walls was photo after photo of Vanessa—naked, of course, and posing over and over in what she obviously considered to be proper goddess form.

  “I shall take this suite, and Lynette shall take the one in coral that is beside mine.”

  Vanessa’s cheeks blazed pink. “But, that’s my room.”

  Neferet smiled. “Yes, I am aware of that as all of the photos on the walls are of you. Your room is the most luxurious. Would you expect a goddess to sleep in a second-best suite?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Excellent. And I need my handmaid beside me, so she will take Kelsey’s room. I must go out now and feed before the fog burns away. Please be sure that my dear Lynette has nourishment. Also, she will need access to a computer. You’ll see to that, won’t you, Vanessa? I count on you as I can tell from the décor of this villa how capable you are.” Neferet paused a moment, but as Vanessa began to respond she spoke over her, saying, “Good. Lynette, while I’m out please draw my bath. You know how I like it.” She went to Vanessa and took the girl’s hands in her own, smiling at her so beatifically that even Lynette’s breath caught at her beauty. “You have done very well today, Vanessa. When I release your goddess, which will be very, very soon, I give you my word that I will carefully relay to her all that you have done for me. She will be well pleased, and I am quite sure will afford you special attention.”

  Vanessa’s expression had been getting more and more petulant, but Neferet’s words transformed her face. She smiled smugly, giving I-told-you-so looks to the other four women, who watched raptly.

  Then Neferet gracefully descended the staircase and disappeared out the tall front door.

  Lynette also smiled at Vanessa as she walked past her and into what used to be the girl’s excessively opulent suite. “That’s handmaid—not maid. Big difference, my dear.” Before Lynette closed the door in her face she said, “What’s the password to that computer?”

  Vanessa looked into her ex-room at a gold trimmed reproduction of a Louis XIV style desk on which sat a gold laptop. Her expression twisted like she’d sucked a lemon as she said, “Goddess123—capital G, no spaces.”

  “How clever. Have my dinner brought up on a tray. You can knock and leave it out here. I’ll get it when I’m done preparing the Goddess’s toilette. Thank you.” Then Lynette firmly closed the door.

  She could hear the excited and more-than-a-little-pissed-off chatter of the women from the hallway, but Lynette didn’t trouble herself to listen. She knew their type. She’d grown up dealing with their mean, entitled attitudes. In high school those girls would have made her life miserable because she’d been what they called “trailer trash.”

  “Never again,” she said to herself as she drew Neferet’s bath and then quickly found her mistress suitable nightclothes. “Now I am the best friend of a vampyre who will soon be a goddess.”

  Humming to herself, Lynette opened Vanessa’s laptop, typed in her silly password, and began searching for the real story of what happened to this world’s Neferet.

  The day passed quickly, and while Neferet slept in the golden-canopied bed, Lynette got little rest. She was far too busy researching this Tulsa’s news—especially after she’d read multiple articles, as well as press releases from the House of Night—about their fallen High Priestess, the immortal Neferet. Though Lynette noted the House of Night was very careful to downplay her immortality. They talked around the issue—focusing on her descent into insanity and the fact that they were certain she could not break free of her prison and would not be a threat to humans again.

  Lynette doubted everything she read, but there was one undeniable thread that ran through all of the stories. This world’s Neferet was insane.

  There were also several intriguing stories about a winged being named Kalona. Apparently, that was one of the many details Vanessa had gotten wrong. He wasn’t Erebus, nor was he Neferet’s Consort. Zoey Redbird had given a lengthy interview about Kalona, making it clear that he’d been firmly on the side of the House of Night and had been killed by Neferet right before she broke out of the besieged Mayo. Zoey had explained, briefly, that even though Kalona should have been immortal, he was vulnerable to Neferet’s dark magick because he’d willingly given away a sliver of his immortality to save Stark. Without saying much, Zoey had made the winged being seem like a hero. The Tulsa Police Department was definitely enamored with him, so much so that over the past year they had erected a statue in his honor in front of their headquarters.

  Vanessa and the other four girls left for classes at TU, but first Vanessa reluctantly gave Lynette the keys to her BMW as well as a platinum credit card, which Lynette used at several stores. Then, as dusk neared, she returned to prepare the vampyre’s breakfast, doing her best to re-create the dishes Mrs. Muir had been so good at. As Lynette cooked, she was surprised by the sense of longing she felt for Balmacara Mains, Mrs. Muir, Noreen, and even poor wee Denise. She hoped with all of her being that they would soon return to their world. This version of Tulsa, with its intermingling of vampyres and humans, was unsettling.

  Lynette’s instincts told her that it was all a facade and that the peaceful appearance of this Tulsa was really a smokescreen covering a fire-keg ready to explode.

  Neferet surprised Lynette by waking much later than usual—several hours past sunset, but when she called Lynette into Vanessa’s suite the vampyre seemed completely refreshed and herself. As she helped Neferet dress, Lynette quickly recounted everything she’d found out about this strange world, as well as what their Neferet had really done to become entombed.

  “I believe she is insane, my lady,” Lynette said in conclusion.

  Neferet waved away her concern while she broke her fast with Lynette in the sitting room adjunct to the bedroom. “Of course she is. She was immortal—a goddess—and she only aspired to be a Tulsa deity. I knew then that there must be something severely flawed within her. And if she wasn’t completely mad before they entombed her, after a year of starvation, it is quite certain that she must now be so.”

  “Then what are we going to do?” Lynette asked.

  “Well, first, I want you to make a copy of all of the news stories about this world’s Neferet and tuck them safely within your travel bag. Should she try to cause me problems after I rescue her, I will need to know everything about her—and about how she was defeated. Knowledge is power. We must never forget that, no matter how powerful I become. Then we are going to do exactly what we set out to do—free her and convince her to tell me how to attain immortality. After that we will return immediately to our world and leave this one to either defeat their Neferet again or feel her vengeance for what they did to her.”

  Lynette said nothing. She didn’t know how to share her concerns with Neferet. If her mistress could not see that this world’s version of her was a monster, then she had a lot more to worry about than what would happen when the creature was let loose. Lynette had to worry about what immortality would do to her Neferet.

  As if reading her mind, Neferet reached forward across the little table that held their food and drinks and rested her hand on Lynette’s. “My dearest friend, I am not agreeing with the methods this world’s version of me used. She was crass. She had no army to protect her. She killed indiscriminately. I have learned from my mistakes, and from hers as well. Loren made it clear to me that I have an army of Warriors awaiting my return, and you have shown me how blind I have been to the value of humans. My goal is to make our world safe for those of us who will not be controlled
by the archaic leadership of the House of Night, as well as the ignorance of the human patriarchy. Trust me. I shall not fail you.”

  Relief washed through Lynette as she clung to Neferet’s hand. “I trust you completely! And I absolutely believe that you will not fail. Do you know how you will break the seal of the tomb?”

  “I believe so. I wish I could simply bring the sprites a sacrifice they find worthy and have them do it, but they have that annoying rule about not taking sides unless it is to correct an abomination—and while I could make the case that entombing an immortal is an abomination, after hearing your report of all that Neferet did before she was stopped, I do not think I can make the case that it is an abomination to entomb her, even though she’s an immortal.”

  “That is a shame,” agreed Lynette.

  “But a seal is not an immortal. It is only the residue of one’s power. It seems everyone at this House of Night believes that it cannot be broken unless another immortal makes a similar sacrifice, but what they are forgetting is that there is another immortal present. From what you told me, Neferet was gravely injured before they trapped her—and since she has been entombed, she has had no way of healing herself and regaining her powers. All I need do is to find a way to empower her and she will break the seal herself.”

  “That is brilliant, my lady!”

  “Of course it is.” Neferet smiled serenely and sipped her wine and blood mixture. “Now, I need the help of those ridiculous young women. I want them to disguise me so that you and I may pretend to be humans who have come to leave offerings at Neferet’s tomb. I will have my children attempt to commune with hers and prepare her for freedom.”

  “Do you know how you’re going to get power to that Neferet?”

  “Sadly, I believe I will have to send it to her myself. I have the power of generations of High Priestesses flowing through my veins. I will simply cast a circle—perhaps using the ladies whose atrociously bad taste ruined this lovely villa—and call down the might of the full moon. Lynette, dearest, would you check and see how long before the next full moon?”

  Much to Vanessa’s obvious irritation, Lynette had completely commandeered her laptop. She opened it and hastily searched for the next full moon. Lynette looked over the screen at Neferet. “Well, not for a while. The moon phase calendar says that it’ll be a new moon tomorrow night, so that means the full moon won’t be for another couple weeks.” Lynette’s stomach soured at the thought of being in this world for two more weeks.

  “How wonderful! A new moon is actually even more powerful for what I intend! All that dark energy is perfect. So, we need to move quickly. Are those girls returned from school yet?”

  Lynette’s smile disappeared. “Yes. Wait ’til you see what they’re wearing. They think they’re honoring you. It’s the silliest thing I’ve seen in a long time. It’s like their lives are a series of one dress-up event after another.”

  “Ah, but their foolishness has allowed us to use them, though my children could simply kill them if they give us any problems.”

  “I don’t like them. At all.”

  Neferet tilted her head and studied Lynette. “I would sacrifice them for you should you desire it. It could be done easily before we return to our world. Actually, unless I become a goddess instantly and discover how to open the portal for us, I will have to call on the aid of the sprites again. I am quite sure that Oak would enjoy the novelty of drinking dry five vapid humans.”

  Goosebumps crested across Lynette’s arms at the power she could wield with one word. “I don’t really want their deaths on my conscience, but if we need to sacrifice them to return to our world, I’m sure my conscience would understand.”

  “If it happens, do not give it a second thought. I am your goddess. Their deaths shall be on my conscience. Now, tell them I have summoned them. I need to go to that tomb and no one must recognize me, which means I shall temporarily transform into a rather vapid, though attractive, human.”

  9

  Other Lynette

  With what Vanessa called her expertise, Neferet was transformed into a tall, slender human with long blond hair who looked about the same age as the five TU seniors. She was wearing skinny jeans and a plain, dark sweater. She wore no jewelry except for a silver heart pendant and something called a Fitbit. After much discussion the five young women had decided she should wear her knee-high black boots, but they insisted that she needed a knee-length navy peacoat that was two sizes too large so that her curvaceous and distinctly perfect body was covered.

  Lynette would not leave the travel bag they’d arrived with in the villa for Vanessa and her minions to paw through, so she carried it with them, adding to it a couple tea lights and a pretty, thimble-­sized quartz crystal they would leave as “offerings” at the wall of the tomb.

  “But we really, really want to come with you!” Vanessa whined as Lynette and Neferet headed out the door to walk to Woodward Park.

  “And you shall, but not this night. You, my little angels, would draw far too much attention,” Neferet told Vanessa and the others for the third time. “Lynette and I will reconnoiter and if all goes well, tomorrow, using the dark power of the new moon, your Neferet will emerge from her tomb to embrace you.”

  Vanessa frowned and played with the sheer chiffon cape attached to the absurd gown she had changed into when they’d finished their classes that day. Her dress was purple because, as she explained to Neferet, she liked to be clothed in her element. The other girls had similarly ridiculous outfits, each in the color of the element they pretended to be attuned to. Lynette and Neferet had watched them literally flit about the villa, catching the wind of several fans they’d set up in each of the main rooms so that the diaphanous dresses billowed after them.

  “Oh, Vanessa. Do not frown so,” said Neferet. “It will cause you to wrinkle. You will already age far too fast.”

  Vanessa startled as if Neferet had just described a tragedy of horrid proportions. She fixed her face into a more neutral expression and acquiesced. “Well, okay. I suppose we do understand. And, of course, Lynette will go with you. She’s old and plain. No one will pay any attention to her.”

  “See, you can understand if you try,” said Neferet as Vanessa looked vaguely confused. “We shall return. Please clean my room and make my bed before we do.” Then she breezed out the door into the cold winter night.

  Lynette hesitated only long enough to say, “Honey, you know what else causes premature aging? Too much of that.” She pointed to the glass of rosé Vanessa constantly carried around with her. Then she followed Neferet into the night.

  “Did you say something terribly mean to her?” Neferet asked.

  “No. Something true that will give her nightmares. I basically told her wine causes wrinkles.”

  “And does it?”

  “Yes, if you drink lots and lots of it—and she does. Of course, it won’t happen for another decade, but still.”

  “I do not like that they disrespect you. I’ll have you know that I only tolerate it because keeping them alive and doing my bidding makes things easier for us.”

  “I understand that, my lady.”

  “Good, because my children have been whispering that they would like to rip their throats out—most especially Vanessa’s. They have become very fond of you, dearest Lynette.”

  “That’s sweet of them.”

  They walked on in silence. Lynette thought it best to approach the park from the west, walking along Peoria Street. Neferet had agreed, and also decided that they should circle around so that they would not be seen coming from the direction of the villa.

  The night was dark and cold, and it was late enough that there were almost no cars traveling the midtown streets. As they crossed Peoria near the entrance to the Rose Gardens, Neferet spoke, though to Lynette it seemed more like she was reasoning aloud than actually conversing.

  “
They are decidedly irritating, but those frivolous children have taught me something.”

  When she said nothing more, Lynette prompted, “I do not understand how those entitled, vapid girls could teach you anything.”

  Neferet’s full lips quirked up. “It was those horrid photos of theirs.”

  Lynette rolled her eyes. “Which ones? The ones on the first floor of the villa—the naked ones on the horses lining the stairway—or the naked pretending-to-be-goddesses ones in their rooms?”

  “Well, all of them, but in particular the ones in their rooms. You never visited my office at the House of Night, did you?”

  “No, my lady.”

  “I decorated the walls there much as those children decorated their bedrooms.”

  Lynette startled. “But, my lady, you cannot compare your beauty—your power—to those girls and their silliness.”

  “I can, because the photos of me were also an egotistical pretense. I was not a goddess. I was only a High Priestess looking for another path because I cannot bear to subjugate myself—not even to a goddess. In a way, I looked as foolish as those children—though more attractive.”

  “Much more,” Lynette agreed.

  Neferet laughed softly. “Those gowns they were fluttering about in—I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “That’s what happens when young women have too much money and too little concern for anyone except themselves. I could go into a whole diatribe on entitlement and such, but it wouldn’t change things.”

  Neferet was silent for several minutes, and then she said, “I will change things when I return to our world.”

  Lynette flushed with pleasure. “You really could make such a difference, my lady.”

  Softly, in a voice that sounded nothing like the broken but arrogant and heartless vampyre who strode into the private airport in Tulsa, Neferet said, “I will be a goddess worthy of worship.”