Neferet sighed heavily and then said, “Every fledgling must take a self-defense class because of the attack of the Raven Mockers. Am I the only one who sees the terrible irony in what all of you are saying?”

“I see it—and more,” Dragon said.

“And I see that you keep stirrin’ the shit pot,” Stevie Rae said. She’d turned and was standing toe-to-toe with Neferet. She didn’t blink. She didn’t back down. My BFF looked tough and strong and way older than her years.

Stevie Rae looked like a High Priestess.

A High Priestess who was making dangerous enemies.

“Duantia decided Rephaim and the rest of us can stay,” I said as I stood up, stepping between Stevie Rae and Neferet. “I think what we need to do is to figure out a way we can do that without causing a bunch of stress and trouble.” I looked at Dragon, trying to find within his anger-filled eyes the wise, kind Sword Master I’d known. “We’ve all had enough of that to last us a long time, don’t you think?”

“I’ll be in the field house with the normal fledglings,” Dragon said and then he pushed through the room.

“Stevie Rae, you can tell Stark and Darius that they may hold class in the stables,” Lenobia said.

“I’m glad to hear you’re in such an accommodating mood, Professor Lenobia,” Neferet said. “The first of the humans I am hiring will be a stable hand to aid you with all of the—” she paused and her gaze cut to Stevie Rae, Kramisha, and me. “Sewage in the stables.”

“Manure.” Lenobia’s reply was swift. “I don’t have sewage in my stables. I have manure. And I don’t need any help with it.”

“Ah, but you will accept the help, because it is the right thing to do, and because the High Council just endorsed it. Won’t you?”

“I will do what I believe is right.”

“Then you will do as I expected.” Neferet turned a dismissive back to Lenobia. “Zoey and Stevie Rae, the red fledglings should resume the class schedule they were following before they died,” she said matter-of-factly. “And you two should join them. Whether you’re abnormally Changed,” she flicked her fingers at Stevie Rae, “or just abnormal fledglings,” she shifted her attention to Kramisha and me, “it matters little. You need to be in class. You’re all much too young to be truly interesting without being better educated. Second hour should be underway by now. Get to class. This Council Meeting is now adjourned.”

Without so much as a “blessed be” she swept from the room.

“She is one hot mess,” Kramisha said.

“Crazy times ten,” Stevie Rae said.

“But Neferet is a known entity. We understand that when we’re dealing with her, we’re dealing with a High Priestess who has gone wrong and who is utterly mad,” Lenobia said slowly. “It’s Dragon that I’m most worried about.”

“Then you are with us?” I asked the Horse Mistress.

Lenobia’s gray eyes met mine. “I told you once that I’ve battled evil. I bear the scars of that encounter, both physically and emotionally, and I will never allow evil and Darkness to decimate my life again. I’m with you,” she nodded in turn to Stevie Rae and Kramisha, “and you and you because you’re on the side of the Goddess.” Then she turned to Erik, who was standing, but who hadn’t made a move to leave the room. “And where are you in all of this?”

“I’m the Tulsa House of Night’s Tracker.”

“We know that, but what side does that put you on?” Stevie Rae asked.

“I’m on the side that Marks kids and changes their destinies.” Erik evaded.

“Erik, someday you’re gonna have to take a stand,” I told him.

“Hey, just because I’m not battling toe-to-toe with Neferet doesn’t mean I haven’t taken a stand.”

“No, it just means it’s a weak one,” Stevie Rae said.

“Whatever! You don’t know everything, Stevie Rae.” Erik stormed from the room.

Kramisha snorted. “That is a waste of one pretty boy.”

It made me sad, but I couldn’t disagree with her.

“I’ll begin sectioning off space in the arena for Warrior classes,” Lenobia said. “If you round up the two Warriors and let them know they’re going to be professors, or at least temporary professors.”

“Shouldn’t be hard to find them,” I said. “Stark and Darius are probably in the field house playing with their swords.”

“I’ll come with you,” Stevie Rae said.

“I guess I’ll go to second hour,” Kramisha said with a heavy sigh.

As Stevie Rae and I left the room, she snagged my arm and slowed me down so that we were walking by ourselves. “Hey, you know that just ’cause the High Council and them are callin’ me the High Priestess at the depot, it doesn’t mean that I want to be the boss of you or anythin’ like that.”

I blinked in surprise at her. “Yeah, of course I know that. And anyway, you’re a great High Priestess, and that means you won’t be a bossy pain in the butt.”

She didn’t laugh like I thought she would. Instead she tugged on one of her curls, a definite sign she was stressing. “Okay, that’s nice to say and all, but I’ve only been a High Priestess for, like, two seconds. I need to be sure you’ll help me.”

I hooked her arm with mine and bumped shoulders with her. “You can always be sure of me. You know that.”

“Even after Rephaim?”

“Even after Loren and Kalona and Stark?” I countered with.

She started to grin. “You always gotta one-up me, don’t ya?”

“Sadly, I think I three-uped you,” I said, which did make her laugh, but made me sigh.

We left the part of the House of Night that held the tower-like media center and took a left on the sidewalk that wound around to the field house and stables. It was a cold night, but it was super clear. The sky was filled with stars, which were really easy to see through the winter branches of the big oaks that dotted the campus grounds.

“So, he’s cute, huh?”

I pretended clueless. “Who? Stark? Definitely.”

She knocked her shoulder into mine. “I’m talkin’ ’bout Rephaim.”

“Oh, him. Yeah, I guess he’s okay.” I hesitated, and almost didn’t ask, but then I decided to go ahead. I mean, we were BFFs. And BFFs could ask each other anything. “So, did you see him turn into a bird?”

I could feel the tension that entered her body, but she sounded almost normal when she said, “Yeah, I did.”

“What was it like?”

“Awful.”

“Did he, uh, stay around? Or did he fly right off?” I couldn’t help it. I was totally, morbidly, car-wreck curious.

“Flew right off. But as soon as the sun set he came back. He says he’ll always find his way back to me.”

“Then he will,” I said, hating to hear the worry in her voice.

“I love him, Z. He really is good. I promise.”

I was opening my mouth to tell her I believed her when a shout interrupted me. For a second I didn’t understand what the voice was saying, all I reacted to was the danger in it. Stevie Rae understood, though.

“Oh, no! It’s Dragon! He’s calling Warriors to him!”

She dropped my arm and began to run toward Dragon’s voice. With a terrible sense of foreboding, I sprinted after her.

CHAPTER FIVE

Rephaim

“Why are you here?!” Rephaim shouted at the three Raven Mockers perched above him. He looked hastily around. If he’d had time he would have breathed a sigh of relief that this part of the campus remained empty; all the fledglings had found their way to second-hour classes. “You must go before anyone sees you,” he said in a much quieter voice.

“Rephaim? How?”

Though there were three Raven Mockers in the tree, only one of them was actually speaking. Of course Rephaim recognized him instantly as Nisroc, one of the more human-like of his brothers.

“I chose the path of Nyx. The Goddess forgave and accepted me, and when she did she changed my form to completely human.” Rephaim wasn’t sure why he didn’t add “at night.” What he was sure of was that anything he told Nisroc would be reported directly back to his father.