Burned

“Why do you want Zoey back?” Sgiach asked him.

Stark ran his hand through his hair. The exhaustion that came with daylight pulled at him, fraying his nerves and jumbling his thoughts, and he blurted the only answer his tired mind could form, “Because I love her.”

The queen seemed not to react at all to his declaration; instead, she was studying him with a considering expression. “I sense that Darkness has touched you.”

“Yeah,” Stark nodded, though her statement confused him. “But when I chose to be with Zoey, I chose Light.”

“Aye, but would yie still choose it if it meant losin’ what yie love most?” said Seoras.

“Wait, the whole point of Stark going to the Otherworld is so that he can protect Zoey. Then she’ll be able to pull her shattered soul together and come back to her body. Right?” Aphrodite said.

“Aye, she can choose to return if her soul’s whole again.”

“Then I don’t understand your question. If Z comes back, he doesn’t lose her,” she said.

“My Guardian is explaining that Zoey will be changed if she returns from the Otherworld,” Sgiach said. “What if the change takes her on a path that leads away from Stark?”

“I’m her Warrior. That won’t change, and it means I stay with her,” Stark said.

“Aye, laddie, as her Warrior fer sure, but perhaps not as her love,” Seoras said.

Stark felt a dagger turn in his stomach. Still, without hesitation, he said, “I’d die to get her back. No matter what.”

“Our deepest emotions are sometimes separated only by the type of human beings we are at our cores,” the queen said. “Lust and compassion, generosity and obsession, love and hate. They are often all very close to one another. You say you love your queen enough to die for that emotion; but if she no longer loved you in return, what color would your world be then?”

Dark. The word came instantly to Stark’s mind, but he knew he shouldn’t say it.

Thankfully, Aphrodite’s big mouth saved him.

“If Z didn’t want to be with him, as in a guy with a girl, it would suck for Stark. That’s a no-brainer. That doesn’t mean he’d go over to the Dark Side, and I know you know what that means ’cause your guy gets Star Trek, and one dork goes hand in hand with another. Anyway, isn’t it the truth that what Stark would or wouldn’t do in some not-happened, made-up, Zoey-dumps-him scenario is really between Stark and Zoey and Nyx? Seriously. Goddess knows I don’t mean to sound like a bitch, but you’re a queen, not a Goddess. There’s some shit you just can’t control.”

Stark held his breath, waiting for Sgiach to use Star Trek or Star Wars or what the hell ever and blast Aphrodite into a zillion little pieces. Instead, the queen laughed, which made her look unexpectedly girlish.

“I’m glad I am not a Goddess, young Prophetess. The small piece of the world I control is far more than enough for me.”

“Why do you care so much about what Stark might or might not do?” Aphrodite asked the queen even though Darius was giving her what Stark thought of as “Stop talking now” looks.

Sgiach and her Guardian shared a long look, and Stark saw the Warrior nod slightly, as if the two of them had just come to an agreement.

Queen Sgiach said, “The balance of Light and Darkness in the world can shift because of a single act. Though Stark is only one Warrior, his actions have the potential to affect many.”

“And this world doesnae need another powerful Warrior who fights on the side of Darkness.”

“I know that, and I’ll never fight for Darkness again,” Stark said grimly. “I watched Zoey’s soul shatter because of a single act, so I understand about that, too.”

“Then weigh your actions carefully,” the queen told him. “In the Otherworld and in this world. And consider this—the young and naïve believe love to be the strongest force in the universe. Those of us who are more, let us say, realistic know that a single person’s will, strengthened by integrity and purpose, can be more powerful than a score of lovestruck romantics.

“I’ll remember. I promise.” Stark barely heard his own words. He would have sworn to cut off his arm if that had been what Sgiach needed to hear to get the damn ball rolling and get him to the Other-world.

As if she could read his mind, the queen shook her head sadly, and said, “Very well, then. Let your quest begin.” Then she lifted her hand and commanded, “Raise the Seol ne Gigh.”

There was a whooshing and a series of clicking sounds. The floor in front of the queen’s dais, just beyond where Zoey rested, opened, and a slab of rust-colored stone rose from beneath the floor. It was as tall as his waist, wide and long enough for a grown vampyre to lie on its flat surface. He saw the rock was covered with intricate knotwork, and on either side of the floor surrounding it were two grooves that were curved almost like a bow. They were thicker at one end than the other, and the narrow part formed sharp points. Studying it, Stark suddenly realized two things.

The grooves looked like massive horns.

The rock wasn’t really rust-colored. It was white marble. The rust color was stain. Bloodstain.

“This is the Seol ne Gigh, the Seat of the Spirit,” Sgiach said. “It is an ancient place of sacrifice and worship. For longer than we have memories, it has been the conduit to Darkness and Light— to the white and black bulls that form the basis of the power of the Guardians.”

“Sacrifice and worship,” Aphrodite said, moving closer to the stone. “What kind of sacrifice do you mean?”

“Aye, well, that depends on yer quest, does it not?” Seoras said.

“That’s not an answer,” Aphrodite said.

“Sure and it is, lass,” the Guardian said, smiling grimly at her. “And yie know it, whether yie will be of a mind tae admit it or no.”

“Sacrifice is okay with me,” Stark said, brushing a hand across his brow wearily. “Tell me what, or who”—he shot a sideways glance at Aphrodite, not caring that it made Darius bristle—“I need to grab and use for the sacrifice, and I’ll do it.”

“It’ll be you that’ll be the sacrifice, laddie,” Seoras said.

“I think it will help that he’s in a weakened state during the daylight hours. It should make it easier for his spirit to slip from his body.” Sgiach spoke to her Guardian almost as if Stark weren’t in the room.

“Aye, you have a point. Most Warriors fight the leavin’ of the body. Bein’ weak might make that part easier,” Seoras agreed.

“So what do I have to do? Find a virgin or something?” He didn’t look at Aphrodite then, ’cause, well, she obviously didn’t fit in that category.

“It’s you who’s the sacrifice, Warrior. The blood of another will not do. This is your quest, from beginning to end. Are you still willing to begin, Stark?” Sgiach said.

“Yes.” Stark didn’t hesitate.

“Then lie on the Seol ne Gigh, young MacUallis Guardian. Your Chieftain will draw your blood, take you to a place between life and death. The stone will take your offering. The white bull has spoken, and you will be accepted. He will guide your spirit to the Otherworld gate. It is up to you to gain entry from there, and may the Goddess have mercy on your soul,” the queen said.

“All right. Good. Let’s get this thing done.” But Stark didn’t go straight to the Seol ne Gigh. Instead, he knelt beside Zoey. Ignoring the fact that everyone in the room was watching, he cupped her