Page 27 of Lost

Then she fluttered back to hover above him again.

“We accept your price tonight

As your blood is strong with Light.

We seal this deal with thee

So we have spoken—so mote it be!”

With Tatsuwa squawking a complaint, Anastasia backed quickly out of the way, joining Dragon where he stood a few feet from Kevin, his sword still unsheathed, as the sprites covered the young red vampyre. At first Kevin flinched, expecting them to cause him even more pain than he’d already endured that night, but their touch was oddly soothing, like cool rain falling on a forest blaze. The sprites also covered the rocky wall of the cave, the dirt floor around him, even the tip of Dragon’s blade—anywhere any of his blood had spattered. As they drank, their bodies blazed with light and color, and they made excited chirping and clicking sounds that actually had Kevin’s lips turning up.

Then, just as quickly as they’d appeared, they were gone.

And the night around them changed utterly.

* * *

Other Stark

It began innocently enough. Stark felt the direction of the cold night breeze shift and sharpen. He was sweating from the climb up the ridge, so his damp face instantly registered the change and he shivered, increasing his pace.

And then the night sky began belching ice.

Stark slid on a rock, suddenly slick with ice as black as the forest around them, and he had to windmill his arms to keep from falling. He tucked his head against the frigid rain and slowed his pace.

The mist began then, rolling from low spots around them, lifting from the bowels of the ridge. Behind him, someone cried out sharply, and a few moments later Dallas was panting beside him.

“Sir, the men are losing their footing. One of the soldiers just fell and smashed his head against a rock.”

Stark stumbled to a halt. “The weather’s turned. I should’ve checked before I left the House of Night.”

“Sir, I did,” Dallas said, wiping his face with the back of his sodden sleeve. “It was supposed to be clear and cold.”

“So much for listening to Travis Meyer and the News on Six,” Stark grumbled. “Well, tell the red officers to get their soldiers back to the Humvees. You and I will go ahead and scout up to the top of the ridge so that I’m sure—”

A cluster of impossibly large fireflies flitted from a bank of mist, darting around in the icy rain as if they were kids playing in a sprinkler. Stark stared at them through the ice and rain and mist as their insectile bodies shifted from bugs to naked women, and then back to bugs.

Stark felt his blood go as cold as the falling ice.

“Old Magick,” he said softly.

“What was that, sir?” Then the glowing insects caught Dallas’ vision. “Hey, fireflies! That’s weird as shit.”

“Not fireflies. Sprites. Back away, Dallas. Tell the soldiers we’re getting out of here. Now!”

Dallas gave him a confused look but hurried to do as he was ordered. Stark paused only an instant before he followed him back down the path.

The sprites were truly spectacular—as beautiful as they’d been described in the ancient tomes his Spells and Rituals professor had insisted his advanced classes read, cover to cover. Stark had immersed himself in the Spells and Rituals class, mostly because he loved reading. The entire last half of the most advanced textbook used in the class had been devoted to Old Magick, and elemental sprites in particular.

Stark searched his memory as he backed slowly away from the glittering cloud of creatures. Sprites were powerful, but as capricious as the Old Magick that formed them—in other words, they could aid you one moment and turn on you the next.

What had Dallas said about this ridge? It was ancient Creek Nation land.

“That figures,” he muttered to himself as he continued to back down the path, unwilling to look away from the sprites. They must have been protectors of the land, allied with the Creek Nation when they lived here, and they don’t understand the world has changed, moved on. They’re still protecting the land.

He joined the retreating line, ordering the soldiers to move as quickly as possible to get off this land. Dallas hurried ahead of them, holding the electricity at bay long enough for the group to cross over it again. By the time Stark had gotten back in the Humvee and Dallas turned their lead vehicle around to head to Tulsa, the road was almost impassable with ice.

“Sir, what the hell was that up there?” Dallas asked.