Untamed

clean. But never in my life had Grandma ever felt the need to smudge at the mention of anyone or anything.
    "Zoey, you should do it now," Grandma said sharply.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

    As always, when Grandma told me to do something, I did it. "Okay, yeah. I'm going. I have a smudge stick in my room. I gotta run and get it." I gave Aphrodite a look and she nodded, shooing me toward the door with a hand flutter.
    "Which herbs?" Grandma asked.
    "White sage and lavender. It's the one I keep in my T-shirt drawer," I said.
    "Good, good. That's good. It's personal to you, but its magic hasn't been released yet. Good."
    I rushed back to Aphrodite's room.
    "I got the pot part covered," Aphrodite said, handing me a lavender-colored bowl that was decorated with three-dimensional grapes and a vine that twined all the way around it. It was absolutely gorgeous and looked expensive and old. She shrugged her shoulders at me. "Yeah, it's expensive."
    I rolled my eyes at her. "Okay, I have the bowl, Grandma."
    "Do you have a feather? From a peaceful bird, like the dove, or a protective bird, like a hawk or an eagle would be best."
    "Uh, Grandma, no. I don't have any feathers." I looked questioningly at Aphrodite.
    "No feathers here, either," she said.
    "No matter, we can make do. Are you ready, Zoeybird?"
    I waved the small wandlike stick of tightly woven dried herbs until the fire went out and smoke began to waft gently from it. Then I put it in the purple bowl and set it between us. "I'm ready. It's smoking perfectly."
    "Waft it around you. Girls, both of you need to concentrate on protection and positive spirits. Think of your Goddess and how much she loves you."
    We did as Grandma told us. Both of us were fanning the smoke gently around with our hands as we inhaled slowly.
    Maleficent sneezed, growled, and jumped off the bed to disappear into Aphrodite's bathroom. I can't say I was sorry to see her go.
    "Now keep the pot close to you while you listen carefully to me," Grandma said. I heard her draw three deep cleansing breaths before she began. "First you should know that the Tsi Sgili are Cherokee witches, only do not be deceived by the title 'witch.' They do not follow the peaceful, beautiful ways of Wicca. Nor are they the wise priestesses you know and respect who serve Nyx. A Tsi Sgili lives as an outcast, separate from the tribe. They are evil, through and through. They delight in killing; they revel in death. They have magical powers granted through the fear and pain of their victims. They feed on death. They can torture and kill with the ane li sgi ."
    "I don't know what that means, Grandma."
    "It means they are powerful psychics and can kill with their minds."
    Aphrodite looked up at me. Our eyes met and I could tell we were thinking the same thing: Neferet is a powerful psychic.
    "Who is this queen the poem talks about?" Aphrodite asked.
    "I know of no Tsi Sgili queen. They are solitary beings and have no hierarchy. But I am not an authority on them."
    "So is Kalona one of the Tsi Sgili?" I asked.
    "No. Kalona is worse. Much worse. The Tsi Sgili are evil and dangerous, but they are human and can be dealt with as any human can." Grandma paused, and I could hear her drawing in three more deep cleansing breaths. When Grandma began to speak again, her voice was lowered, as if she was worried about being overheard. She didn't exactly sound scared. She sounded cautious. Cautious and very, very serious.
    "Kalona was the father of the Raven Mockers and he was not human. We call him and his twisted offspring demons, but that's not really accurate. I guess the best way I can describe Kalona is as an angel."
    A cold chill went through my body when Grandma said the words Raven Mockers; then I realized what else she had said, and I blinked in surprise. "An angel? Like in the Bible?"
    "Aren't they supposed to be good guys?" Aphrodite asked.
    "They are supposed to be. Keep in mind that the Christian tradition says that Lucifer himself was the brightest and most beautiful of the angels, but he fell."
    "That's right. I'd forgotten about that," Aphrodite said. "So this Kalona was an angel who fell and turned bad guy?"
    "In a way. In ancient times, angels walked the earth and mated with humans. Many peoples have stories to describe this time. The Bible called them Nephilim. The Greeks and Romans called them Olympian gods. But whatever they have been called, all of the stories agree on two points: First, that they were beautiful and powerful.