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The darkness was unrelieved Blinding ht I was gasping for breath and flailing around, trying to find so that would give me a handhold on reality But I had no sensation at all The cocoon of darkness and the fluttering of my frantic heartbeat were all I knew Was I dead? No, I didn&039;t think so I remembered that I&039;d been in the tunnel under the Benedictine Abbey, only a few feet away from my friends

I&039;d been freaked out by the darkness, but that couldn&039;t have madevery afraid Then there had been nothing but this darkness What&039;s happened to me? Nyx! My mind screaht! "Listen with your soul" I thought I cried aloud at the sweet, reassuring sound of the Goddess&039;s voice in one, there was only the unrelenting silence and darkness How in the hell was I supposed to listen with , but there was just silence--a soul-sucking, black, e I&039;d ever before experienced I had no frauide me here, I only knew-- The realization struckI did have a frauide me

Part of me had experienced this darkness before I couldn&039;t see I couldn&039;t feel I couldn&039;t do anything but turn within ht be able to uideht in the tunnel under the abbey The years fell aith ain My senses returned slowly I began to hear hts There was a drumbeat that pulsed around me, and within it oven the distant voices of wonized the dank scent that reminded me of the abbey tunnel

Finally, I could feel the earth against h the flood of my returned senses before the rest of my awareness was jolted awake I wasn&039;t alone! My back was pressed against the earth, but I was being held tightly in someone&039;s arms Then he spoke "Oh, Goddess, no! Do not let this be!" It was Kalona&039;s voice, and le blindly away froe of my body and the words that came from my mouth were not my own "Sssh, do not despair I am with you, my love"

"You trapped htened around nized the cold passion of his ie voice responded as ainst his "You were not meant to walk this world That is why you have been so unhappy, so insatiable"

"I had no choice! The mortals do not understand" My arh his soft, heavy hair "I understand Be at peace here with me Lay down your sad restlessness I will comfort you" I felt his surrender before he spoke the words "Yes," Kalona murmured "I will burywill finally be spent"

"Yes, my love, my consort, my Warrioryes" It was that moment that I lost myself within A-ya I couldn&039;t tell where her desire ended and an If I still had a choice, I didn&039;t want it I only knew that I here I was destined to be--in Kalona&039;s ar the chill of his touch fro hly, with a sense of wonder and surrender As our bodies began to ether I knew complete joy And then, suddenly, I started to dissolve "No!" The scream renched from my throat and my soul I didn&039;t want to leave! I wanted to stay with hiain, I wasn&039;t in control, and I feltthe earth, as A-ya sobbed, her broken voice echoed one word in ainstbreath that cleared the last of the darkness froht caused me to squint and blink I remember My voice sounded as rusty as ain? Aphrodite said My mind was slow to function because it still screaain and shookto clear it No! I cried the ith so much emotion that Aphrodite automatically moved away froela took her place, bending overmy hair back from my face, which eaty and cold

Zoey, are you with us? Yes, I said in a broken voice Zoey, what is it? What caused you to hyperventilate? the nun asked You&039;re not feeling sick, are you? Erin&039;s voice was a little tre? Shaunee asked, looking as upset as her twin sounded Stevie Rae shoved the Twins aside so she could get close to me Talk toor anything like that My thoughts had reordered theh I couldn&039;t seem to shake off the last traces of the despair I&039;d knoith A-ya I understoodthe Change

Forcing myself to focus on the here and now I held my hand out to Stevie Rae Here, help me up I&039;m better now Stevie Rae pulled me up, careful to keep her hand undermy balance What happened to you, Z? Damien asked as he studied me What was I supposed to say? Was I supposed to admit to my friends that I&039;d had an incredibly vivid iven myself to our eneh the maze of new e to explain them to my friends? Just tell us, child The truth spoken is always less frightening than supposition, said Sister Mary Angela I sighed and blurted, The tunnel scaredin there? Da nervously into the dark opening

The Twins took a couple steps farther into the root cellar and away fro in there I hesitated At least I don&039;t think so Anyway, that&039;s not what scared me You expect us to believe you fainted because you were scared of the dark? Aphrodite said They all stared at me I cleared my throat Hey, y&039;all Maybe there&039;s stuff Zoey just doesn&039;t wanna talk about, said Stevie Rae I looked atabout what had just happened to me I wouldn&039;t be able to face what I needed to do about her You&039;re right, I told Stevie Rae I don&039;t want to talk about it, but you guys deserve to hear the truth

I let roup That tunnel freaked nized it I clearedtrapped in the earth with Kalona You mean because there really is some of A-ya inside of you? Damien asked softly I nodded I&039;m me, but I&039;Dah Well, what the hell does that mean for you and Kalona today? Aphrodite asked

I don&039;t know! I don&039;t know! I don&039;t know! I burst out, the stress and honest-to-goddess confusion about what had just happened boiled over inside me I don&039;t have the damn answers All I have is the uys back off just a little and let ht? Everyone shuffled around and noringfriends, and the unanswered Kalona questions that were almost visible in the air around me, I turned to Stevie Rae Explain to me exactly how you made the tunnel I could tell by the question mark in her blue eyes that she orried about my tone