by P. C. Cast
“Those decorations are beautiful,” Rephaim said.
“They’re more than that,” I said. “They’re made of turquoise—lots of turquoise.”
“A strong protective stone,” Stevie Rae said.
“Yeah, and see the bundles of sweet grass, sage, and …” I paused, studying the clusters of herbs closer as we approached the front porch. “Cedar. She has those hanging everywhere too.”
“More protection?” Rephaim asked.
“Yep.” I led my friends up the porch stairs and drew a deep breath. “She must be burning myrrh and frankincense in her fireplace with the wood.” I identified the distinctive scents easily, although smelling them drifting around Grandma’s house was a surprise.
“They smell good. What do they do?” Stevie Rae asked.
“Protect, but also cleanse the spirit and heighten intuition,” I said.
“Wow, Grandma Redbird brought out the big guns,” Stevie Rae said.
“So much turquoise and such powerful cleansing and protecting herbs! Your grandmother must feel she is in serious danger.” Rephaim said what I’d been thinking.
Please be okay … please be okay … please be okay … was the prayer to Nyx that played over and over again in my mind as I raised my hand to knock on the front door.
Which opened before I touched it.
Grandma Redbird was there—wearing a long, comfortable-looking skirt and a simple cotton shirt. She had a colorful shawl wrapped around her shoulders and her long dark hair, frosted with beautiful sliver, fell free around her shoulders. She stared at me through eyes huge and dark and filled with shock, and I suddenly realized that maybe Kevin hadn’t found her. Maybe she didn’t know about the Other World.
“Grandma, it’s me. I’m not a ghost. I promise.”
Like my words had flipped on a light within her, Grandma’s shocked expression changed instantly. She gasped and tears filled her eyes to overflow as her smile radiated such joy and love it was a benediction.
“Oh, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya! My girl—my heart—it is you! It is you!” She flung open the door then, sobbing and laughing at the same time, Grandma Redbird took me into her arms.
I inhaled deeply. It didn’t matter what world we were in or what version of my grandma this was—her scent, her touch, her love—they were all the same.
“I have missed you so much,” she said through her tears as she kept hugging me.
“I’m so sorry, Grandma. My death must have been awful for you.”
She laughed then, and held me out at arm’s length, using the end of her shawl to wipe her cheeks. “I think it was much worse for you, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya.”
I shuddered and nodded, remembering every instant of that Zoey’s death. Don’t say anything to Grandma about it. She doesn’t need to know the awful details I know. Ever.
Grandma glanced behind me. “A female red vampyre? She must be from your world, Zoeybird.”
“She is! This is my bestie, Stevie Rae, and her mate, Rephaim.”
“Greetings, Stevie Rae, and osiyo, Rephaim,” Grandma said.
“It’s real good to see you in any world, Grandma Redbird,” Stevie Rae said.
Rephaim looked clueless.
“Oh, sorry, Grandma. Rephaim’s mother was Cherokee, but he doesn’t speak any of our language.”
“Well, then, hello, Rephaim,” she corrected.
“Hello, Grandma Redbird. As Stevie Rae said, it is really good to see you.”
Grandma was looking around over my shoulder. “Is Kevin with you? I didn’t hear a car pull up, but I had the feeling I used to get when you’d visit me.” She smiled gently at me and touched my cheek. “That is why I believed you were a spirit when first I saw you.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you, Grandma.”
“Oh, you could never do that, Zoeybird. Your spirit is as welcome here as you are. But is your brother not with you tonight?”
“Kev’s not with us, and we didn’t drive here. But I’m real glad he’s already talked to you. Do you know where he is?”
“Not exactly, but I know someone who does. Come on in, Zoeybird.” She motioned for me to come inside, which I did. But, of course, Stevie Rae couldn’t follow me, and Rephaim waited on the porch with her.
“Uh, Grandma, you have to invite Stevie Rae into your home.”
“Cross my heart and swear that I’d never hurt you,” Stevie Rae said.
“Of course you wouldn’t, my dear. Please, come in. You are welcome in my home.”
“Thank you! Grandma—hey, you don’t mind that I call you that, do ya? All Z’s friends in our world call you Grandma,” Stevie Rae said.
“I don’t mind at all. Actually, I rather like it.”
“Good! So, Grandma, you wouldn’t have any chocolate-chip lavender cookies, would ya?”
“I absolutely do. The three of you make yourselves at home by the fire and I’ll get you some. This is such a blessed, wonderful night!”
Grandma hurried into her kitchen while we made ourselves comfortable in her living room. I gawked around. It was crazy how familiar yet how different everything was. Grandma had the same bookshelves, but different books were on them. Art filled her walls, just like back in my world, but there were subtle differences in the pieces she displayed. And the couch and comfy chairs were in the same place, but totally different colors and styles than the ones I was used to. It was strange, but perfect, like another onion layer exposed of the woman who had been grandma, mother, and best friend to me for most of my childhood.
“Here you go.” She put a plate of fragrant cookies and three glasses of sweet tea on the coffee table before us—and we dug in. “So, Zoeybird, did you reverse the spell again and reopen the divide between worlds? Is that how you got here?”
“No,” I said through a mouthful of delicious cookie. “This time I got help from a tree sprite.”
“An Old Magick tree sprite? She didn’t give her name, did she?”
“Yep, she did, Grandma,” Stevie Rae said. “Her name is Oak, and we think she knows you.”
“She does indeed.” Grandma looked grim. “Your brother and I met her a couple of days ago. The sprites seem to have taken a liking to us.”
“So, you were with him when he used Old Magick?” I asked.
“Yes, twice.”
I blew out a long breath. “That’s the biggest reason I’m here. Kevin has to stop using Old Magick. It’s super dangerous.”
“Anastasia warned him that there must always be payment made for the use of Old Magick,” Grandma said.
“That’s true, but it’s also true that Old Magick can change whoever wields it.”
“Change them? How so?” she asked.
“It’s not good, Grandma. And I’m no expert. There’s still a lot about Old Magick I just don’t understand, but I had to wield it to defeat Neferet in our world, and it almost turned me into someone you wouldn’t have recognized.”
“Z got angry,” Stevie Rae said softly. “And she stopped depending on her friends.”
“And you’re worried that will happen to our Kevin?” Grandma said.
“I’m worried that worse will happen to Kev,” I said.
“Then we must get to him and warn him,” Grandma said. “Zoey, pack up the rest of those cookies. I’ll get my basket. It’ll only take me a moment to get ready.”
“Where are you going, Grandma?” I asked.
“With you, of course.”
“But where?”
“To the headquarters of the Resistance. Kevin is spying for them, so they’ll be able to reach him.”
Rephaim, Stevie Rae, and I exchanged a look. I cleared my throat and said, “Um, Grandma, how about you tell us where they are and we’ll go. From what Kevin told us, it’s really dangerous out there.”
Grandma stopped just before
climbing the stairs to her room. “U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya, am I a frail old woman in your world?”
Stevie Rae snorted a laugh and answered before I could. “No way, Grandma! You’re awesome. You were even captured by Neferet once, put in a cage, and tortured, but you survived.”
“And thrived!” Rephaim added.
“Of course I did. Because I am not a frail old woman. Children, this world is filled with danger, but I am part of the Resistance. I stand up and fight Darkness. Anything else is unconscionable. And, besides that, you need my help to get to their camp.”
“Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry I doubted you,” I said.
“Grandma, how far away is the Resistance camp?” Stevie Rae asked.
“Oh, it’ll take about an hour and a half.”
“That might be a problem. It’s gonna be dawn in an hour and forty-eight minutes,” Stevie Rae said.
“Oh, that’s right, child. You’re a red vampyre and sun is deadly to you. Well, let’s see. We’ll take my delivery van. There are no windows in the back and I’ll bet your young man is handy enough to rig a blanket as a curtain to keep out the sun in the rear from the front window, and we’ll hurry. The Resistance is situated in a cave, so you’ll be fine once we reach them.”
Stevie Rae looked at Rephaim and then back at Grandma.
“Is there more I should know? Are red vampyres from your world especially susceptible to the sun, even if they’re protected from it?”
“No! Actually, if it’s overcast and we’re covered up, we can go outside during the day,” Stevie Rae said.
“But it’s uncomfortable for them,” I added. “Go ahead, tell Grandma about Rephaim. She’ll understand.”
“Okay, here goes—Rephaim used to be a Raven Mocker, but he turned from Darkness to follow the Goddess, and Nyx forgave him, giftin’ him with a human body.”
“But only between sunset and sunrise,” Rephaim continued. “While the sun is in the sky I take the form of a raven. It is my penance for the terrible things I did before I met and loved Stevie Rae.”
Stevie Rae took his hand. “It’s okay. Everybody messes up. It’s just that your saying sorry is complicated because your mess up was super bad.” She looked at Grandma Redbird. “But he really is sorry. And he really does follow Nyx now. Promise.”
Grandma was staring at Rephaim as if she was just now really seeing him. “Raven Mocker—I haven’t heard that terrible name spoken for many decades.”
“It is a past I regret,” Rephaim said.
“Raven Mockers are half-man, half-raven creatures of Darkness who target the weak and helpless, or the sick and dying. They are vile. You must have great good within you for Nyx to have forgiven you,” Grandma said. “And if Nyx can see that great good, then so shall I. So, young woman, what you are saying is that we must also be prepared for your mate to transform into a raven at sunrise?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then we best hurry. That’s something we must let the Resistance leaders know about, preferably before it happens. I do have a request, though.”
“Name it,” Rephaim said.
“I would like to hear the story of how you came into being. Raven Mockers are only spirits in this world, not flesh—not something anyone could ever love.”
Rephaim smiled at Grandma Redbird. “It is a long story, but I will be happy to share it with you during our drive.”
“Excellent! Now, Zoey, I imagine you know enough about my kitchen to find the Tupperware so we can take the rest of those cookies with us. Correct?”
“Yes, Grandma.” I got up and started for the strangely familiar kitchen.
“Good. We leave in five minutes.” But before she climbed the stairs she came to me and took my face between her age-weathered hands. “To see you again before I join my Zoeybird in the spirit world is truly the greatest gift of my lifetime.” She kissed me softly, and I hugged her again before she hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time like a woman decades younger.
“Same Grandma—different world,” Rephaim said.
“It’s pretty cool.” Stevie Rae nodded and wiped away happy tears.
“Same Grandma—same love,” I agreed. And, feeling more confident than I had since I’d told Stark my plan, I began looking through kitchen drawers. And Grandma was right, as usual. It took me no time at all to find her Tupperware.
* * *
It was crazy how the weather changed when we got to the Sapulpa ridge. The night had been cold but clear—not so as we got farther and farther down a windy road called Lone Star, which wasn’t nearly as strange as the convoy of military vehicles that pulled off Lone Star as we turned onto it.
“Stay down in the back!” Grandma told Rephaim and Stevie Rae. “Turn your head away, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya! I don’t want them to glimpse your Marks.”
I did as she said, pretending to be very interested in the scenery as I let my long, dark hair fall over most of my face. After the column of transport trucks went past us, Grandma kept nervously checking her rearview mirror for several long, silent minutes.
Finally, she breathed a relieved sigh. “It looks like they’re in too much of a hurry to bother with us.”
“Is that normal?” I asked Grandma.
“To pass a military convoy? Yes. Out here? Not particularly, though there were red vampyres under Stark’s command searching the ridge the night I brought Kevin to meet the Resistance.”
“Bet that didn’t go well for poor Other Kev,” Stevie Rae said from the rear of the van.
“At first, no. But when it was Kevin who called the sprites, and Kevin who convinced them to veil the ridge and protect the Resistance from Neferet’s armies, well, then Dragon was more receptive to believing he was on the side of Light.”
“I’d forgotten that Kevin said Dragon and Anastasia are alive in this world! Ohmygoodness I can’t wait to see them again,” said Stevie Rae. Then her expression changed. “Oh, no. Dragon!”
“And Anastasia,” added Rephaim, looking pale and sad.
“What is it? Why would Dragon and Anastasia upset you?” asked Grandma, glancing in the rearview mirror at Stevie Rae and Rephaim.
When they didn’t answer, but turned to look at me instead, I told Grandma the truth, even though I seriously didn’t want to. “When Rephaim was a Raven Mocker, before he knew Stevie Rae and was still under the influence of Darkness, he killed Anastasia. Dragon knew that. He had a hard time forgiving Rephaim, even after Nyx forgave him.”
“I never blamed him for that,” Rephaim spoke up quickly. “He is stronger than me. I don’t believe I could ever forgive if someone killed my Stevie Rae.”
Stevie Rae touched his cheek. “Course you could. You’d know I’d want you to, and so would Nyx.”
“I do not believe telling this story to this world’s Anastasia and Dragon would benefit any of us,” said Grandma firmly.
“I agree with Grandma,” I said.
“Is it not being dishonest to keep this from them?” Rephaim asked.
“No. It happened in another world, and you weren’t even you when you attacked the House of Night and killed Anastasia,” I reminded him.
“Z’s right,” said Stevie Rae. “There’s no point in upsetting Anastasia or Dragon in this world. They’re alive and well—and you’re going to be their friend and ally.”
“Rephaim, you cannot undo what you did in another world—at another time. All you can do is to move forward in love and Light,” said Grandma Redbird.
Rephaim bowed his head, looking sad but not defeated. “Then that is what I will do. And I will protect this world’s Anastasia with my life.”
That settled, my mind was still whirring because of another name. “Grandma, you said Stark led the red vampyres who were searching the ridge the night Kevin got here. So, he really is a big deal in the army?”
“He�
�s a general—one of the main commanders. Apparently Neferet counts on him quite a bit. Do you know him in your world, Zoeybird?” She took her gaze off the road briefly to meet mine.
I sighed. “Intimately. He’s my Oathbound Warrior and much more. We’re in love.”
“And in our world, he’s not a blue vampyre. He’s red. Like me,” said Stevie Rae.
“His heart is good. Very good,” said Rephaim.
“In your world that might be true, but in this world he is a force for Darkness,” said Grandma, gripping the wheel until her knuckles turned white.
“It’s not a ‘might be,’ Grandma. We’re bonded. I know his heart as well as I know my own, and I don’t believe that Stark knows he’s being used as a force for Darkness,” I said firmly. “I’m no expert on alternate dimensions, but the three people I’ve met from this world—Kevin, Jack, and you, Grandma—are all more similar than different from who they are or were in my world. That’s another reason I had to come. I think Neferet is manipulating him. I believe I can reach Stark.”
Grandma studied the road silently before she relaxed a little and said, “I hope you’re right. If Stark turned against Neferet, it would be a major coup for the Resistance.”
“Well, my Stark is as devoted to Nyx as he is to me. Maybe he just needs to know that Neferet has turned from the Goddess. I know my Stark stood up to Neferet and Kalona when it would’ve been much easier for him to do what those two told him to do.”
“I believe in him too, Z. There’s no way Stark would knowingly take a side that’s against Nyx,” said Stevie Rae.
“I would trust him with my life,” said Rephaim. “In any world.”
About then Grandma turned onto a lane barred by a massive iron privacy gate. She reached out her window and pressed the intercom, and a woman’s voice answered, punctuated by what sounded like a mob of barking dogs.
“It’s too damn early to be selling anything and I’m not buying. Go away!”
“It’s Sylvia Redbird, Tina,” G-ma said, speaking to a small camera. “I called you about the puppies. I hope you don’t mind that my friends and I want to take a look.”
