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Zoey Redbirdcome to me

"Grandht purple and they filled the air around me "Is that you, Grandma?"

Come to me

The silverthe words the glistening color of lavender blossouides the Cherokee people have believed in for centuries, Grando down into the rock

Without anythe trail of randma’s whisper until I came to the smooth floor of a cave-like room In theoff tinkling shards of visible sound, bright and glass-colored Mixed with the scarlet drops of ht that was the color of dried leaves I wanted to sit next to the bubbling water and let ers touch the air around it and play in the texture of its ain

Zoey Redbirdfollow me to your destiny

So I followed the stream and the woman’s call The cave narrowed until it was a rounded tunnel It curved and curled around and around, in a gentle spiral, ending abruptly at a wall that was covered with carved symbols that looked familiar and alien at the same time Confused, I watched the stream pour down into a crack in the wall and disappear What now? Was I supposed to follow it?

I looked back down the tunnel Nothing there except dancing light I turned to the wall and felt a jolt of electric shock Whoa! There was a woed in front of the wall! She earing a white fringed dress that was beaded with the same symbols that were on the wall behind her She was fantastically beautiful, with long straight hair so black it looked as if it had blue and purple highlights, like a raven’s wing Her full lips curved up as she spoke, filling the air between us with the silver power of her voice

Tsi-lu-gi U-we-tsi a-ge-hu-tsa Welcohter You have done well

She spoke in Cherokee, but even though I hadn’t practiced the language much in the last couple years I understood the words

"You’re notaard and out of place asincredible patterns of sparkling lavender in the air around us

Her shter, I am not, but I know Sylvia Redbird very well I took a deep breath "Ah at me, but she didn’t Instead her dark eyes were soft and concerned

No, U-we-tsi a-ge-hu-tsa You are far froh your spirit has been temporarily freed to wander the reallanced around the tunnel, trying to see faces and forht you well, u-s-ti Do-tsu-walittle Redbird You are a unique mixture of the Old Ways and the New World--of ancient tribal blood and the heartbeat of outsiders

Her words made me feel hot and cold at the same tiing Woman, Gaea, A’akuluujjusi, Kuan Yin, Grandmother Spider, and even Dawn

As she spoke each name her face was transformed so that I was dizzied by her power She must have understood, because she paused and flashed her beautiful sain, and her face settled back into the wohter, may call me by the name by which your world knows me today, Nyx

"Nyx," my voice was barely above a whisper "The vampyre Goddess?"

In truth, it was the ancient Greeks touched by the Change who first worshiped ht I have been pleased to call their descendents es And, yes, in your world those children are called vae-hu-tsa; in it you will find your destiny I could feelon my forehead, and all of a sudden I wanted to cry "I--I don’t understand Find my destiny? I just want to find a way to deal with my new life--to make this all okay Goddess, I just want to fit in so ain, and when she spoke her voice was like h she had somehow sprinkled the love of every mother in the world into her words

Believe in yourself Zoey Redbird I have Marked you as e-hu-tsa v-hna-i Sv-no-yiDaughter of Nightin this age You are special Accept that about yourself and you will begin to understand there is true power in your uniqueness Within you is coic blood of ancient Wise Wo of the racefully towardsilver symbols of power in the air around us When she reachedht, I naood and evil are struggling to find balance

"But I’m sixteen! I can’t even parallel-park! How am I supposed to kno to be your eyes and ears?"

She just smiled serenely You are old beyond your years, Zoeybird Believe in yourself and you will find a way But reht does not always bring good

Then the Goddess Nyx, the ancient personification of Night, leaned forward and kissed me on my forehead And for the third time that day I passed out

Chapter Six

Beautiful, see the cloud, the cloud appear Beautiful, see the rain, the rain draw near

The words of the ancient song floated through ain It made me feel warm and safe and happy, which was especially nice, since I’d felt so crappy latelyexcept I couldn’t remember exactly why Huh Odd

Who spoke?

The little corn ear,

High on top of the stalk

My grand as I rubbedh lass, it shatteredas theinto a vampyre

I had run away from home