by Sadie Anders
Or so they hoped. I wasn’t so sure.
And they were certainly making a boatload of new enemies. I had the feeling that it would come back to bite them in the ass someday.
Reality came crashing back to me. We had to go. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice the people of Delphi to protect myself. They had done nothing but treat me well. They deserved better.
“We have to go,” I said.
Raphael nodded. “It’s time.”
He leaned down and kissed me deeply. I looked at him, confused, scared of what it might mean. I wasn’t prepared to lose him.
I wouldn’t.
I refused.
I would find a way out of this situation, Galba’s army be damned.
I turned to Eryx and the priest. “You should stay inside. This isn’t your fault. I’ll do my best to make things right.”
Eryx began to protest, but the priest grabbed his arm. “Young one. She is right. We have other battles to fight.”
Uncle Julian rose, preparing to go with us. “But I, however, chose to come. I am going with you,” he said. “Always.”
Raphael began moving the impediments out of our way, pulling them back from the main doors. Before long, he was prepared to face whatever was coming. Side by side.
“Are you ready, my love?”
I grasped his hand. “Let’s go.”
The three of us walked out onto the steps of the temple. Eryx and the priest closed the door behind us, its locks creaking into place as we walked away.
As Cleon spotted us, a pleased look crossed his face, like a cat who had finally cornered a fat mouse.
“You’ve made the right decision.”
Cleon walked into the middle of the Sacred Way, continuing to project his voice so that his army and the citizens in the amphitheater could hear him.
“There has long been a portal in Delphi,” he said. He turned to us. “You yourselves came through it mere moments ago. For centuries, it has been placed in non-operational status in order to protect Delphi and its annoying little way of life. Certain powerful players have demanded its protection, although they have recently become less of a concern.”
“Apollo,” I said.
Cleon’s face soured. “Among others. At any rate, although it has been defunct for eras, the portal may still be used if you have the access and the power. What you may not know is that the Furies always have that ability. Their ancient and terrible power is unrivaled.”
Cleon ran the blade of the knife against his hand, drawing blood.
“This stupid rebellion thought it could usurp them. Unfortunately, the traitors have led Mistress Tisiphone astray, as well. But now that we will carry the Phos Eos to the remaining two sisters, their power will never be questioned again. And not to worry. They will soon welcome their mistaken sister back into the fold. The three sisters have fought before, and they have never been divided for long.”
This thought sent a chill down my spine. If Tisiphone united with her sisters again, would she convince Ember and Heliodor to come with her? Would their forces be united somehow?
I quickly dismissed the thought. The snatchers and their rebellion were completely fueled by their desire to be rid of vampire rule. They would never join with the authority.
Cleon squeezed his hand, dropping a steady stream of blood onto the paving stones. As the thick liquid hit the ground, light started emerging. He sang a chant, an incantation to open the portal. Soon, the familiar swirl of blue and purple energy emerged. Usually the portals were the size of a door in someone’s house. This time, however, the portal grew, opening to a greater and greater extent. Soon, it was wide enough that it covered the entire Sacred Way and could accommodate a great number of people at once. That must have been how Cleon and Galba had brought the army to Delphi so quickly.
“If there is a portal here that the Furies control, then why did we have to make the journey from Aporia?” I asked.
Cleon laughed.
Raphael glared at him. “In order to gain your trust, I assume. That way, he could get you to search for the Phos Eos with much more conviction than merely doing it as a task for the Furies. Not to mention, he could convince you that the Phos Eos should be destroyed and that he was the one who knew how to do it.”
“He thought if I wanted to destroy it, I’d make sure to find it. So, the Furies never trusted me to give it to them.”
“Trust is not something they find themselves able to do,” Raphael said.
“There is no need for trust when you have power,” Cleon said. “Force and fraud are the virtues that anyone powerful holds most dear. They are the tools of the stronger, and rightly so.”
Cleon’s betrayal stung a little bit more. Still, I wasn’t surprised by the fact that the Furies had hedged their bets. What bothered me the most was the fact that I had let myself get cornered into this situation. After all I had been through to get the Phos Eos, I was angry at having to give it up like this.
“It’s time to go,” Cleon said to me. “The unearthly sisters await you. You as well, guardian. And the wizard.”
He pointed lazily towards Uncle Julian, not even acknowledging him by name. Striding towards the portal, he invited us to step through. “You can come with me, or you can come with Galba. I can’t assure you that Galba will get you there in one piece. In fact, I’d guarantee that you’d never make it. Not that anyone cares.”
Glancing at the general, he looked as aloof and indifferent as ever. He gazed into the distance, clearly bored by the conversation. Killing was probably no big deal to him. A sport, or even worse, something that neither excited nor bothered him. His ambivalence was truly terrifying.
I turned to Raphael. “What do they want from us? They’re clearly able to take the Phos Eos from us here, even kill us. Why do we need to go?”
“Knowing them, probably to gloat at their victory, if we’re lucky. If we’re not, then…”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach. I hated those ladies, and the last thing I wanted was to go back to their fortress of misery.
“Before we go, I wish to see the device,” he said.
Raphael glared at him but then reached into his bag, pulling out the Phos Eos. Cleon walked up to him and took it, turning it over in his hands.
“Such an amazing thing. Something so beautiful, yet so capable of death and destruction. I wish to be like it,” he said to himself.
He looked up at me. “Perhaps we should start with you.”
I thought about slitting his throat right then and there, but that was not who I was. For once, I wanted to do things on my own terms when it came to all things Asphodel. I felt a pang of sympathy for Heliodor. Perhaps she went down the path that she was on because of a similar feeling. That feeling that you are a helpless pawn who will get nowhere until you’re also willing to burn the world to the ground.
But there was no way I could fight an entire army. Not right now, anyway.
I had no choice.
My only choice right now was to bargain with the Furies. If Cleon had the device, he would most likely kill me, or have Galba do it and then claim to the Furies that I was lost in a skirmish and couldn’t be returned to face them. Cleon wanted to hurt me, that much was clear, but perhaps the Furies could be reasoned with.
I snatched the Phos Eos from Cleon’s hands, hoping against hope that I was making the right decision.
Striding without fear, my steps long and quick, I ran through the portal without saying a word.
19
My body sped through the portal, and I found myself in the Furies’ grand hall. I expected my entrance to be something of a spectacle, as Cleon made it seem like they were waiting for me. But instead of being surrounded by sycophants and lackeys, the typical witnesses to the Furies’ cruelty, the hall was completely empty. Those dreadful ladies were nowhere in sight, their wooden thrones empty on the platform at the head of the hall.
Had Cleon been wrong? Maybe the Furies hadn’t expected us, after all. H
ad he been lying to us again?
Either way, it didn’t matter. If I didn’t have to deal with them, then perhaps I could simply walk out the front door.
I turned and hightailed it out of the great hall, my footsteps tapping an echo on the flagstones lining the empty room. When I got to the large wooden doors, I pulled hard to open them.
Locked.
Wonderful.
I walked back into the center of the room, trying to decide what to do. I flipped the Phos Eos around in my hands, turning it over, examining it. It didn’t seem like much anymore. Merely an object. I didn’t feel its vast potential, the power that it had to destroy.
Was it possible that it didn’t have any inherent power of its own? Was it merely a conduit for someone with the right powers?
I doubted it. Given how scared everyone was of its potential, there had to be something there.
But this thing felt like a hunk of junk. Even if it were, I was supposed to be careful with it, guard it. I shoved it in my bag, not wanting to accidentally drop it.
Maybe it was true that the stupid old thing didn’t work, even after all the trouble we went to in locating it. Still, everyone thought it did, and I could use that as leverage. If I had possession of the device instead of Cleon, then maybe I could get the Furies to do something for me for a change.
Seconds later, Uncle Julian and Raphael came through the portal, just as it was closing. Cleon must have tried to shut it before they could get through.
They looked around, seeing the room empty, and appeared as confused as I was.
“Where are they?” Raphael asked.
I shrugged. “No clue.”
He walked with purpose towards the entrance.
“Door is locked. Already tried that.”
Uncle Julian stood in the middle of the room, looking around with wonder. I realized that he had probably never been here before. Most residents of Asphodel hadn’t. It wasn’t a place that was overly welcoming to non-vampire folks.
“So, this is the fortress of the Furies,” he said with a bit of awe in his voice. He looked at me, and a smile spread across his face. “I thought it would be bigger.”
I was happy to see his sense of humor returning. Kai had helped with that. I was starting to believe that this journey had changed everyone. Maybe if Uncle Julian wasn’t always in survival mode, feeling the weight of the world in protecting me alone, then he would learn to enjoy his own life again.
And let me live mine.
He didn’t need to orient his entire existence around protecting me anymore. I could protect myself, and quite possibly, I could protect us all.
I was a guardian, too. Not the vampire kind, but something even more ancient and powerful. And it was time I came into those powers, learned what it all meant.
All I knew was that Raphael and I had work to do. Together.
But first, I had to get us out of here.
Raphael finished searching the room and returned to us.
“No way out. The locks are spelled.”
“What do we do?” I asked. I wondered if the Furies were in bed, if we should get some castle worker to go rouse them. Maybe they would emerge with fuzzy house slippers, with snake hair and green beauty masks on their face, their bat wings peeking out of their nightgowns. Absurd as it was, the thought made me laugh.
“What is it?” Uncle Julian asked.
“Ridiculous brain,” I said.
Uncle Julian nodded.
He knew what I meant by that. I used that term whenever I wanted him to know that my mind had gone somewhere random and funny and inexplicable. My brain liked to skip around from thought to thought, and it was hard to share that journey with people. But with this shorthand, Uncle Julian just knew. As hurt as I had been over things between us, it was still comforting to have a family member who knew me so well. One who I could turn to and say ridiculous brain. No questions asked.
He just understood.
A door behind the throne platform creaked open, and a set of guards entered. The ten armored men lined up across the room, surrounding us in all directions, but hanging back against the wall, not engaging or harassing us. Yet.
We stood in silence, waiting for something to happen.
Moments later, Megaera and Alecto entered the room. I was a bit disappointed. They didn’t have on their nightgowns, horrible true visages, and fluffy slippers. Instead, they were absolutely stunning. Megaera wore a gown of sapphire colored silk, making her look even more glacial. Alecto’s gorgeous curls fell down around her shoulders, her dewy and flawless skin peeking out of a low cut jumpsuit that suited her curves perfectly.
I wondered who their stylist was and if I could get them to do a fitting for me. I never looked that put together, most certainly not now. Looking down at my body, I noted the dirty clothes that I had been wearing for days, the rips in hems of the fabric, the scratches on my arms. I didn’t even want to know what my face or hair looked like, but I was sure it wasn’t good. I reached up to my head and tried to smooth down the unruly strands of hair.
Bless Raphael. He still seemed to want me despite this mess.
The portal began opening, a small pinprick of light breaking through. Cleon was probably trying to open it and follow us through. Megaera waved the scepter that she carried, and the portal closed completely.
Sparks began flying from the sealed area. Megaera waved her scepter once more, and all movement near the portal ceased completely.
Alecto walked over to Raphael and gave him a hug. He always seemed to be her favorite, and she treated him like a much loved little brother. I had no idea how he had gotten on the good side of a Fury, but it was good for us, I guessed. It could only help us.
Megaera approached Raphael as well, touching him on the arm, turning her head to the side to invite him to kiss her cheek. Her movements were cold and aloof, but as he reached down to peck lightly on the side of her face, I saw her cheeks blush red. Her aura shifted, and her nipples hardened beneath her flimsy dress. A burst of yellow as her happiness flared, followed by rich burgundy emanating in waves.
Deep lust.
Megaera had a thing for Raphael.
Why hadn’t I realized it before?
Maybe my powers recently had become even more attuned to people and their essences. I had always been able to read auras somewhat, but now, I felt like I could determine their feelings to a deeper degree of complexity.
Still, I had the feeling that it wasn’t too hard to see her feelings for him even without the aura.
She wanted him. Badly.
Megaera was in love with Raphael.
I wondered how long that had been true. Always? Since Tisiphone had turned him?
I suddenly realized why she hated me so much, why she sent me specifically on this journey. As an elemental, I had the power to find the Phos Eos, especially given what Alecto had seen in her visions about me. And if I failed, well, she would be rid of a rival. Raphael would remain connected to her, and I would be out of the way.
Except things had not gone according to plan.
I had escaped Cleon and Galba alive. They hadn’t meant for me to do so. The look on Megaera’s face confirmed it.
The two women took their seats on their wooden thrones. Megaera sat completely straight, while Alecto took her usual relaxed position with one leg slung over the arm of the chair.
Megaera pointed to Uncle Julian. “It seems that you have found a way to circumvent us, Alexis. We promised to check in on your uncle, but you have taken him with you on your journey, which was, of course, against our express wishes. Again.”
Oh, no. This entire mission had been retribution for my actions before. I had gone against what they wanted and had broken into the Foundry to save my uncle. And now I had done it again.
I didn’t think they would be as forgiving this time, especially since Megaera clearly wanted me out of the picture. I thought of the monster that Alecto had transformed into before when she had punished someone, a ni
ghtmare of wings and fear. I shuddered, hoping that I would never have to confront that side of her.
Uncle Julian stepped forward. “It was my choice. Alexis didn’t know I was coming to Asphodel.”
“An illegal choice, I might add. We gave no permission for anyone to cross over. We will need to…inquire about how you managed to do that,” Megaera said.
Damn it.
They were going to take Uncle Julian away from me and torture him. And it was entirely likely that Nick would get in trouble, too. He’d given me the thura in the first place.
Raphael approached the Furies. “Shouldn’t we focus on the important things here? We were successful. We found the device.”
His desire to give the Phos Eos to the Furies so quickly stung a bit. I didn’t understand why he was that eager. Maybe he just wanted out of this gloomy castle like I did.
“So I gathered,” Alecto said. “Well, where is it?”
“I have it,” I said.
“Proving once again that Cleon and Galba are utterly useless,” Megaera said under her breath.
Raphael turned away from them and took his place by my side.
“At least you have it and Tisiphone does not,” she said. “That is something, I suppose. Hand it over.” She waved her hand toward him, her perfectly manicured nails, a frosty blue like dripping icicles, tapping together.
“I have a request first,” Raphael said.
“We are always open to the requests of guardians,” Alecto said.
The look on Raphael’s face told me otherwise.
He continued. “I refuse to be a party to whatever you are planning to do with the Phos Eos, especially if it will hurt Tisiphone. I have no desire to choose sides in such a way.”
“I don’t believe anyone has asked you to do so, Raphael,” Alecto responded. She looked a bit worried and hurt at the same time.