With My Last Breath (Page 5)

"I saw Cadmus in the night," I stated simply, my back still to my parents. I heard Aphrodite’s quick intake of breath before she flew to my side, her cool hand on my elbow.

"Where is he?" she asked hesitantly. I could feel her silver goddess stare on my face, but I kept my gaze on the silent city below us. If I looked into her concerned eyes, I might cry again.

"I don’t know," I sighed. "Somewhere I’ve never been before. It seemed like a horrible purgatory and he wasn’t the same. He wasn’t Cadmus. I think they have his soul trapped somewhere."

Ares stared at me, his black stare unflinching. "Our first stop is with Hecate. We shall see if she knows anything about this place."

I thought of Hecate. It had been she, the goddess of witchcraft, who had pulled us safely out of Ogygia when we confronted the Fates and the Keres. Calypso’s island quickly pulled visitors into a blissful, unaware state where time was no longer relevant.

If it hadn’t been for Hecate, we would all still be on the island, completely unaware of anything.

I nodded. Of course Hecate should be our first stop. She knew things that we did not. They simply appeared to her in visions. If anyone would know of the strange purgatory, it would be her or her sidekicks, Circes and Medea.

I lifted my head at Ortrera’s shrill whistle and watched her fleet of Pegasus’

descending upon us from the sky. They were truly a sight to behold. A herd of magnificent mares of every color, each of their faces was painted with war paint. Their large wings pulsed quickly, radiating strength as they glided to a smooth landing in the courtyard next to us. They stood still now, perfectly trained as the war horses that they were.

I walked around the lead horse, the one that I would share with Ortrera, and rested my cheek against her solid, warm neck. She didn’t move, she just absorbed my weight, letting me rest against her soft, sleek fur. My mind was numb and I let it wander, thinking of just yesterday when Cadmus and I had spent the afternoon feeding each other Lotus blossoms by a bubbling stream.

Courtney Cole 13

With My Last Breath, Book Three

"Sister?" Ortrera inquired, her eyebrows raised. She stood next to her horse, ready to mount. Her bow and arrows were strapped to her back, a long dagger at her thick, muscled waist. "Are you ready?"

"I’m ready," I nodded. "Let us leave here."

Everyone mounted and I clung to Ortrera’s strong back as the horses flew into the sky. I absently observed the Spiritlands below us as we flew toward Hecate’s cave by the border. There was scarcely any life to be found, it was as though everyone in the land had gone into hiding. They probably had. They didn’t know what was coming and honestly, neither did I.

Within twenty minutes, I spotted the cave and the horses began their rapid descent.

As usual, Hecate was waiting for us in the doorway because she had felt us drawing near. Her magic was unsettling at best.

"Harmonia, how are you holding up?" she asked in concern, her beautiful face twisted into a scowl. "Blast the Keres, anyway. What did Ares do to them?"

"Nothing," he admitted, his shoulders slumping slightly. "They disappeared into the night. But there will be a reckoning, I can assure you of that."

She nodded, satisfied that he was telling the truth. No one could doubt it. The look on his handsome face was sharp and determined. He was the god of war, after all.

"Come in," she invited, ushering us into her home.

We walked past her into the brilliantly gleaming cave. Every wall and every surface was filled with glittering white stalactites and stalagmites. It looked ethereal, not what you would expect a gateway to Hades to be. It was rumored that there was a direct path to the underworld from this very cave, although I had never confirmed it.

Since one of the duties that Hecate had been given included ushering demons to hell, it just made sense that the rumors were true.

Hecate turned to me now, compassion apparent on her lovely features. While Medea and Circes often appeared as ancient hags, Hecate always appeared as a young, beautiful woman. Her lips always gleamed crimson, her blonde hair always fell in long ringlets down her back.

"How are you, really?" she asked me softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

A lump formed in my throat and I thought about telling her that truth… that my world had fallen apart in the space of a minute. But there was no need. Anyone who knew me was already perfectly aware of that.

"I’m holding up," I said simply. She nodded, leading the way to an inner room of her cave- a place I had never been.

We ducked through a doorway and stood in a black abyss. The walls in here were gleaming black crystal but instead of reflecting light, they appeared to absorb it, to suck it in.

Courtney Cole 14

With My Last Breath, Book Three

"Fire," Hecate murmured, and a large ring of blue flame appeared in the center of the cavernous room.

I watched the flickering fire in fascination. It burned with jewel-like colors, blue, green, turquoise… shimmering with metallic light.

"Follow me," Hecate instructed and she stepped through the flame and stood in the center of the blazing ring.

With hesitation, I did the same. I was surprised to find that the flame didn’t burn me. It was cool to my touch. I turned and held my hand out to my mother. She was apprehensive, but obligingly stepped through, quickly crossing to my side and grasping my hand tightly. Ares and the Amazons rapidly crossed into the circle, exhibiting no fear. That didn’t surprise me; they never allowed their nervousness to show.

"Hold hands," Hecate instructed, closing her eyes.

She began murmuring things that I didn’t understand and I felt a strange vagueness filtering through my body. My arms and legs felt light and airy and I began to feel as though I would float away if it weren’t for Ares on my left and Aphrodite on my right weighting me down. The sensation was a curious one.

Hecate’s mutterings became more and more insistent and loud until it reached a feverish pitch and she was shouting in a strange guttural language that I had never heard before.

She began nodding quickly and whispered, "A sword, a sword, a sword."

She rocked to and fro, still nodding, practically humming the words. "A sword, a sword, a sword."

And then she stopped and added, "In a stone. A sword in a stone."

She went completely still and in the silence of the vast room, a vision suddenly filled my head, a vision so vivid that it took my breath away and caused me to close my eyes in order to focus on it.