Page 30 of Lost

“Does that tell you anything about his character?” Dragon asked his mate.

“Only that the sprites like him, and as they are neutral—neither good nor evil, that does not tell us much,” Anastasia said. Then she stood and took her mate’s sword-callused hands in her own. “Bryan, I believe we know about Kevin’s character already. He most definitely is not like the other red vampyres. We should trust him.” Dragon opened his mouth, obviously protesting, but Anastasia’s words silenced him. “He is different. His humanity is intact. And he can wield Old Magick. Not even Neferet can do that.”

“Yet,” Kevin said.

Dragon turned to him. “Explain thatyet.”

“In my sister’s world, they did defeat Neferet, but they didn’t kill her because she’d become immortal.”

Anastasia gasped in shock. “She learned to wield Old Magick!”

“G-ma, do you have the journal?”

She nodded weakly and motioned to where the supplies from the Polaris had been piled in the rear of the little cave. “I do. It is in the basket I packed with cookies.”

“I brought a copy of a journal Neferet wrote when she was still a human. It’s from my sister’s world, but in it there’s proof that Old Magick had been influencing Neferet since she was a kid.”

“And just because the journal was written by another version of her does not mean it holds no relevance for us,” Grandma said. “As Kevin already explained, who we are in each world remains essentially the same. It is only our experiences that change us. I will give you the journal. Have copies made of it. Pass them around. We must all read it to have as much knowledge as possible about ways to combat Neferet’s evil.”

“Agreed. We need all the help we can get, especially if that help comes in the form of a young vampyre who brings us knowledge and can also wield Old Magick,” said Anastasia.

Dragon blew out a long breath and went to Kevin, crouching beside him, as had his mate. “I don’t like being put in a position where I must trust an enemy.”

“I’m not your enemy.”

“Prove it.”

“I just tried to,” Kevin said. “And I’ll keep trying to prove it to you. I’ll go to the House of Night and spy for you. I’ll tell you everything I learn. I’ll help in any way I can.”

“My grandson speaks the truth, Dragon. You will see,” said Sylvia Redbird, through teeth that chattered with cold.

“G-ma, you need to move to the back of the cave where the fire is.”

“I’m fine here. It’s much too smoky back there.”

“Boy, if you want to do something to get in my good graces, figure out a way Old Magick can help us make this cave habitable.” Dragon spoke softly, more to the night than to Kevin, as he stood, staring out at the freezing rain and mist.

Kevin looked from his g-ma to Anastasia. “Do you think I could actually do that? Get the sprites to help make this cave bigger and better?”

“Of course,” Anastasia said without a pause. “As I said when they appeared, sprites are always tied to the elements, and earth is one of the elements. It would not be a stretch to imagine earth sprites fashioning a cave from the bosom of this ridge.”

“Cool! I’ll just call them or something and ask if they—”

“Remember, Kevin, you must never use Old Magick flippantly,” Anastasia interrupted. “It is one of the most powerful magicks in the world—and one of the most unpredictable.”

“But the sprites did exactly what I asked them to do,” Kevin said.

“Oh, they always keep their word—as long as they are paid. The problem comes with the payment,” Anastasia said.

“Please explain,” said Grandma Redbird.

“It is simpleandcomplicated. Simple because the sprites agree to a payment for a service. When it’s something like they just did—a specific task for a specific service—all is usually well. It’s when the payment isn’t rendered immediately that you can get into trouble, and by trouble I mean soul-deep, often deadly trouble.”

“If I understand what you’re saying, then Kevin should only agree to a payment that is immediate and very specific, correct?” Grandma Redbird asked.

“Well, yes and no. He can still have problems. That’s more of the complicated part of the process. The ancient texts warn that using such power is dangerous and can hurt the vampyre wielding it.”

“But I already have an affinity for the five elements. So does my sister in the other world I just visited. She’s a good High Priestess—really good. She defeated Neferet there. I really don’t think she’s been hurt by it.”