Awakened Chapter 9 & 10

Chapter 9

We’re back with Zoey who’s busy talking to a tree because she’s convinced she’s royalty. Of course you can imagine the weighty matter that she’s discussing amongst nature. Politics, magic and how to wield them both to ensure that Kalona and Neferet are destroyed would be natural topics. Perhaps she would wonder aloud if she’s not shirking her responsibilities and should get back to work.

Being as this is Zoey, we’re talking about, she’s talking about how Stark and her did “it”. She says she doesn’t feel different except for being sore in “unmentionable places”. Note that it’s plural. Look, Zoey. I’ve said you’re the platonic ideal of a square but you don’t have to resort to the butt on the second go around to try and prove me wrong. Zoey then wonders if she shouldn’t look different now that she’s in a “Real Relationship.”

Which is fine, Zoey is a child in mind and heart. She thinks that all it take to be dating like an adult is to say you want to be together forever and have sex. What’s funny is how the author will paint this as both true and ideal. Zoey then thinks Aprho would give her crap for squinting at her reflection in the water.

This makes her think about how much she misses her slaves. Also, she misses her cat. You all remember the cat who has done nothing for the plot and isn’t interesting at all? Zoey then debates if she misses them enough to go back to Neferet and the battle against darkness. She says that if she could send for her cat, who hasn’t crossed her mind in over a book, she’d stay on the island forever.

Sgiach’s laughter was soft and musical. “Why is it we tend to miss our pets more than we miss people?” She was smiling as she joined me at the stream.

Because you’re a misanthrope who secretly believes even the people close to you hate everything about you, PCK? Zoey offers a lame explanation about how she can’t talk to her cat while she can her friends. Nice cover, ladies. Sgiach then says that “Vampyre familiars fly as companion animals.” And she’d be glad to let the cat come there. Also, she offers to have the school relocated to the island so Zoey can stay on her fat ass and do nothing.

Zoey asks if that means taking down the magical barrier they stole from Hogwarts. Sgiach says no, just putting out a “warriors call” as they used to train the best. Zoey says that Sgiach broke with the vampire council and Sigach says maybe it’s time to fix that.

Stupid question time, PCK. Why was Sgiach allowed to break off from the council? And if they didn’t do anything about it, why doesn’t Neferet just do the same thing? Couldn’t she just continue to declare herself Nyx incarnate and shun the council? Hell, she could probably make a magic barrier of her own and claim Oklahoma as her domain. Not like any of the vampires care enough to lift a finger. Why aren’t there other vampires who’ve cut ties with the stodgy pricks and made other vampire nations?

Sgiach says that it might be easier to fix if Zoey was her “trainee”. Which is a weird word choice for someone who’s ancient and powerful. I would figure she might use the term apprentice but then again I try not to let my characters sound exactly the same.

“Wow, I’m seriously honored. Thank you so much.” My mind was whirring! If Skye became an active House of Night it wouldn’t be like I’d be hiding from everyone here. It would be more like I’d transferred to another school. I thought about Damien and the rest of the gang and wondered if they’d think about coming to Skye, too.

And then I could just let the plot come to me! No more traipsing about, having to be present and use my magic to fix things. Maybe Nyx could even see her way to letting Neferet and the forces of darkness confront me in the living room so I don’t have to leave my chair.

Zoey asks what about students who aren’t fighters. Sgiach conveniently states that the island also has a magic tradition. She says there’s a powerful magic there which she’s the caretaker of and tells Zoey to try summoning an element. She summons air and there are suddenly “air sprites” which sometimes look like women and other times like butterflies. Sgiach says they’ve left the modern world because of reasons. So yes, PCK has resorted to making fairies real.

Zoey summons all five and Sgiach is impressed because she’s never seen all five sprites in the same place at the same time. Sgiach then offers to show Zoey something, cuts open Zoey’s palm and lets her bleed on the ground. This makes the sprites tangible and she dances with them while not really noticing the white bull hiding in the shadows.

McVampy then comes over, once they’re all done, and hands some arrows and a bow to Zoey. Sgiach says Stark needs to get back to the bow as it’s his gift and they all know what happens when you ignore gifts from Nyx. Zoey says that Neferet is a perfect example. Which means if Nyx give you the ability to stab people in the neck, blindfolded, you need to use it regularly lest you become evil. Sgiach then says that it might not mean evil, just a “mundane” life.

Chapter 10

Still with Zoey, she’s walking around distracted by thinking about Stark. Not that this impacts Zoey in any way, the author just wants to say that she’s distracted. She wanders along narrating things in her incredibly stupid way. Then PCK drops more lighting stupidity on us.

The sun was beginning to set, allowing the sky to retain some of its illumination, but I was glad for the rows of torches that jutted from the stone base of the castle’s foundation.

Torches are still stupid. Almost as stupid as the gaslamps installed in the Oklahoma school. Talk about a waste of good material in this day and age. I thought Sgiach was supposed to be a sort earthy, environmentalist. I would think they would have some sort of nice solar array and LED light to maximize efficiency along with a generator. No, you’re right PCK. It’s better to waste materials because it provides a certain atmosphere.

Stark is busy practicing with his claymore so Zoey sneaks up to watch him. Zoey’s panties become damper than the Atlantic just watching him. She describes how “seriously hot” he is and he finally looks at her. Then they babble and try to make jokes and do “fake-Southern” accents at each other. Because shitty accents are funny if you’re five.

Okay, I know it’s silly, but his Southern gentleman accent made my knees feel all weak—and then his words actually got through the lust fog I was brewing for him, and suddenly I knew how to start getting him comfortable with his bow again.

Lust fog which was brewing. That sounds like a euphemism some sort of sex funk that occurs when people haven’t showered in a week during their honeymoon. She asks him to teach her. Stark is suspicious but Zoey’s logic, that they’re staying there and warriors have trained there for thousands of years, sway him. ‘We’re going to be eating dinner soon and some people are cannibals. Zoey’s right, it makes sense to murder my friends and eat them.’

Apparently PCK looked at the Wikipedia entry on archery finally because Stark shows Zoey how to hold the bow and tells her how to nock the arrow. She aims and then tells him to show her. Stark is upset and doesn’t want to because of reasons that aren’t explained. I remember he was supposed to feel bad about using the bow at first because he killed his mentor but that didn’t stop him from practicing. He was told to shoot Zoey but he didn’t and shot himself instead. So I’m not really seeing why he’s all worked up about it.

Zoey basically chides him and says that he should do it because she really can’t use the bow. Stark tries to refute, going on about being an undeadling and darkness but that doesn’t really sway Zoey. She just keeps saying she trusts him and go on already and grow a pair. So he shoots an arrow into the center of the target, then splits the arrow with another one and does it a third time.

They hug and Stark says he thinks he can start over there. Zoey says she does too and wonders if it’s wrong to want to stay there while Neferet’s out there. Stark says he’s sure it doesn’t matter where they are if they’re doing Nyx’s will. Zoey says she can understand why Sgiach never wants to leave.

Stark held me then, and I felt the bruised, battered places inside of me begin to warm and, slowly, I started to heal.

Maybe next time, go a little slower and for god’s sake use some lube. Also, switching to Stark at the exact same moment is neither clumsy or srtupid, PCK. This way Zoey and him can have awkward teenage conversation where they skirt the subject of sex. Oh look, Zoey is insecure because she’s never had sex before but Stark has. Stark says sure but he’s never been in love before. Which is not the kind of thing that would make me feel more comfortable. ‘Sure I had sex but I don’t love people. Oh, but it’s different with you. Swear.’

This takes far too many paragraphs to get through and it pointless. Then they kiss and Stark thinks he’s never been so happy in his life. Though the narrator assures us this is his last thought before everything goes wrong. And the chapter ends on tension regarding characters no one gives a tin shit about.