Page 41 of Lost

“Yep, will do. I won’t be long.” I hoped if I said it, I could make it true.

As my friends headed back to the main school building, I finally turned my attention to the ruined tree.

It looked awful. As I studied it I realized I should have had it cleaned up months ago. It was a creepy eyesore. I knew students avoided the east wall because of it, and I suppose part of the reason I’d ignored doing anything about it was because it discouraged fledglings from using the trapdoor hidden in the wall behind it to sneak off campus. But then again, I was now the High Priestess of this House of Night. Like I’d know if fledglings were sneaking off campus?

Probably not.

“Z? You okay?” Stark asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, just thinking about having this mess cleaned up.”

“Don’t. Leave it like this,” Aphrodite said. “If you want to do something, smudge it and add a salt circle of protection. But leave it.”

I turned to her. “Why?”

She gestured at the leafless, malevolent ruin of a tree and the broken hole in the earth from which Kalona and his Raven Mockers had exploded what seemed like so, so long ago. “I could be wrong, but it seems to me that this mess is a visible lesson in what happens when you screw around with powers that are better left undisturbed.”

My eyes focused on the clawlike black branches that refused to grow leaves. “You have a point.”

“I always have a point. So, are you going to call Old Magick, or what?”

I wished I could choose theor what, but knew I couldn’t. “Does someone have a knife?”

Together Darius and Stark pulled dangerous-looking daggers from Goddess-only-knew where on their well-armed bodies. I held my hand out, palm up, and told Stark, “Cut me.”

He frowned. “How about I cut me and you use my blood?”

“James Stark, I am your High Priestess and your Queen. I said cut me.So cut me.”

He was still frowning, but this time he did as I asked, swiftly slicing a shallow cut across the meaty part of my palm. His dagger was so sharp I didn’t even feel any pain. I fisted my hand, pumping it slightly to encourage my blood to well in my palm.

“Aphrodite and Darius, please stand on my left. Stark, Stevie Rae, and Rephaim, stay here on my right. I’m going to walk to the tree. Let me get a little ahead of you. Don’t do anything as long as I’m still making sense, but if something too weird happens—”

“If weird shit happens I’m going to carry you out of here,” Stark said.

“No,” I said sharply. “Weird is going to happen. It’s Old Magick. Don’t do anything unless I stop communicating with you—or I get pulled into the, uh, tree.” I paused, forcing myself not to shudder as I remembered the last time Old Magick had touched me here… the last time I’d almost lost myself. I met Stark’s worried gaze and my voice softened. “You’ll know if this goes wrong. You’ll feel it. Just don’t do anythingunlessit goes wrong. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said reluctantly.

“I love you, and I’m sorry this is stressing you out,” I said.

Stark’s shoulders relaxed just a little. “I love you too, Z, and stress is part of a Warrior’s job.”

I tiptoed to kiss him, and then faced the tree. I held my fisted hand up before me, and then drew three deep, even breaths, centering myself. And hesitated.

“Well, hell. I’m not sure who I should call to,” I said.

“You told me you liked the elemental sprites that came to your call on Skye,” Stark said.

“Yeah, but that was different,” I said.

“Not really. Stop worryin’ so much that it’s Old Magick. Think of it in simpler terms. It’s a messed up old tree. So, call to the earth sprites,” Stevie Rae said. “That’s what I’d do.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Earth sprites. That sounds good,” I said nervously.

“And stop being so damn jittery. They’re just elementals. You have an affinity for all the elements. Imagine you’re calling earth to a circle,” Aphrodite said.

“That’s actually a good idea,” I said.