When Cassie didn’t respond, he held up a third finger. “Three. I’m not sure what happened with Katherine. Cami and Brent are probably the only two in the family that have a clue how that went down. She may just be human, but from what I’ve pieced together, Cami and Brent both owe her their lives.”
“Four. When I saw Brent with Katherine in Cancun, no matter how much I wanted to be, I couldn’t be angry with him. No offense, but no Centaur on the planet would waste their time with a human when a Centauride like you is waiting. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to be angry, but I couldn’t. He loves her. And she loves him back. Not the gooey feeling a Centaur gets when he knows he’ll be able to carry on his blood line, but the ‘I could stare into your eyes for the rest of my life’ kind of love.”
“Five. No one, anywhere, should have to go through what Zandra put you through. I know Brent, and if there was anything he could do to undo what Zandra did – I promise you he would. Hell, if I could do anything to turn back the clock and fix it, I would.”
Sneeringly, Cassie said, “You’re out of fingers.”
“Nope, I’ve got another whole hand. Six. My mom is crazy about you. You’re the whole package. Let me see if I can remember everything she told us. You’re a nurse. You paid your own way through college. It’s just you and your father. Outside your own job, you volunteer as a soccer coach, you volunteer at a home for abused children. More so than any other Centauride out there, Mom wanted you as a daughter-in-law.”
Cassie’s voice sounded shaky when she answered, “I’m flattered, but there must be something wrong with me if Brent turned his back and left me for a human.”
Ben scowled. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Centaurides don’t understand what it’s like to be a Centaur in his twenties – it sucks. Few if any Centaurs ever get a chance to fall in love. Sure after years of marriage some sort of mutual admiration might grow and eventually be love. Brent loves Katherine, and it takes strength to give up something you know is best for you, for someone you want more than air. Don’t be angry with him.”
“So you’d do the same thing?” she asked.
“I can’t say what I’d do if I were Brent. Like I said, he’s a moron. What I can say is that he’s in love. If he’s happy, then I’m happy for him. I’m just sorry he left you in his wake. I wish I could make up for what happened.”
“Well, you can’t. None of you can. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to go back to Charleston and face Dad. I called him after the Council meeting, and he’d already heard about the whole thing.”
Ben shook his head, “You want to hear something crazy? I was prepared to leave that Council meeting in a pine box. None of us were sure we’d walk out of there alive. It was you. You were the reason I wanted to live. I couldn’t let someone outside our family pay a price for something they didn’t owe.” Ben reached across and took Cassie’s hands in his, “You’ve paid many times over, and I wish I could make it up to you.” When he drew his hands away from hers, she turned her palms over and examined a very ugly spider-shaped locket he had given her.
I recognized the locket; it was just like the one Maggie had given me in Ireland. Ben explained, “There’s a lock of Zandra’s hair in it. If you keep it on you, she won’t ever be able to harm you again. You can use it against anyone who means you harm. No one will ever be able to hurt you again.”
It was a gold and metallic green spider the size of a full-sized locust with a torso that bubbled out. The spider had large bulging gem stone eyes. Ben opened it the same way Maggie had shown me when she gave me an identical locket. When he pressed down on the spider’s head, the abdomen opened to reveal the hair inside it.
Ben cautioned, “Right now it won’t protect you from anyone other than Zandra, but all you need is a single piece of someone's hair, and they can’t hurt you. This was Athena’s locket.”
I remembered this story from the endless lessons at Zandra’s house and figured Cassie might not know the significance of the ugly spider, so I explained, “Athena was the goddess of weaving. She got jealous of a mortal and killed her, but felt guilty and brought the mortal back to life as a spider.”
Cassie studied the locket and answered, “I know the story; Arachne was the girl. Does this have some significance with the fact that Brent traded me in for a human?”
Ben shook his head, “No. I just don’t want you ever to go through what happened to you in the Council’s dungeon.”
I couldn't let Cassie walk out without knowing the truth. "There's one more thing." Ben and Cassie both glanced my way. "Katherine is a human, yes, but her ancestors are from Thessaly, too. She is a Lapith."
Cassie looked confused, "A Lapith? Those disgusting humans who thought they owned Centaurs?"
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, they got a bad rap a long time ago. But there was one family of Lapiths charged with protecting the Lost Herd. Katherine is from that family. She saved our lives and risked her own many times over in the process."
Cassie fumbled with the hideous spider in her hand, but said nothing. I offered, "I was there when he was struggling with his feelings for you. He never meant to fall in love with her. He never wanted to hurt you."
She pursed her lips together and nodded. I could see from Ben's expression that he had more questions, but I stood up, walked over to the wall where my backpack lay. Tucked at the bottom of the front pocket was the ugly spider locket Maggie had given to me. It was still there. When Maggie gave it to me, I had assumed mine was the only one; now that I knew better, I asked, “Ben where did you get that?”
Athena gave one to each of Rupert’s children. They’ve been passed down ever since. I found it in Mom’s jewelry box after she and Dad took off. Mom showed it to me when I was a little kid. I knew it was Athena’s locket; I just never knew Mom had it because of our connection to Rupert.” His eyes looked apologetic when he turned to Cassie and added, “I told Mom I was giving it to you, that you needed its protection more than we did.”
I pulled the equally ugly bug out of my backpack that I had been carrying since Ireland. I suddenly knew exactly how I could save Drake and Zandra. “Ben – you are a genius!”
I shoved my locket in my pocket, grabbed my backpack, ran for the door and flung it open. “Carlos, I need to go to Daniel’s room – Now!
Chapter 18
(Camille Nash – Daniel’s Room, Lost City Resort, South Africa)
“Carlos, can I trust you?”
“With your life.”
“Can I trust you to keep quiet?”
“You are my charge. I report nothing I see to anyone but the Chairman. Your safety is my only concern, Mrs. Nash.”
“Fair enough. You can stay.” I turned toward Jessica. She was the only Centauride who wasn’t going on the search party for Drake and Zandra. “I know which goddess was involved. It all makes sense. I can’t believe I didn’t put it together before.”
“Who?”
“Athena. Do you know how to summon her?”
Jessica was shocked, “Call a goddess? You’re serious?”
“Yes. I’m serious. How do I do it?”
She looked perplexed. “I’m not sure. My mother prayed to different goddesses, but she never demanded one come to her.”
“How did she pray to a goddess?”
“Sort of the same way Christians pray to God. She knelt on the floor with some sort of offering and just asked the goddess to help with something.”
Without caring how ridiculous I looked in front of Jessica, Daniel and Carlos, I fell to my knees and laid the ugly spider on the floor beside me. “Athena, goddess of wisdom, I need your help.”
Nothing. Not a flicker of a candle or a wisp in the air.
I tried a second time. “Athena, I affirm that like you, I am fair and honest with all those around me. I need your guidance.”
Still nothing. I waited a full minute, closed my eyes and hoped to see or feel something. This had to work. I was sure I was right. “Athena, daughter o
f Zeus, your father intends to destroy my husband. I beg you to protect my family the way you did my ancestors.”
A deafening crack sounded in the room. My body turned away from the sound on impulse. I turned back where the sound had come from: a woman stood looking down at me. She was tall, in a long flowing toga. The fabric was white with gold accents woven throughout. She held a round golden shield in one hand and a tall spear in the other. I couldn’t tell what color her hair was because she wore a golden battle helmet that came to a point on the top of her head. The helmet only allowed her face to show and completely covered her neck.
I noticed Daniel, Jessica and Carlos had joined me kneeling on the floor. Her skin glistened, and I didn’t need anyone to tell me that I was in the presence of a goddess. She looked directly at me when she said, “I cannot offer you more protection than I already have.”
“I need your help. Your father will destroy my husband; he aims to kill my grandmother.”
“I am aware. There is nothing I can do for Drake or Zandra. It is not my place to interfere with his will.”
An immortal, a goddess no less, meant little to me if she were willing to stand idly by while my husband was tortured to death. “Not interfere with his will? He’s trying to kill them!”
Athena looked sorrowfully at me, “Zeus will know it is I who interfered. Hiding Rupert and his children violated his decree. Zeus will banish me: there is no greater punishment for an immortal.”
I pleaded, “You’re his favorite, you will always be his favorite. The Lost Herd needs your protection now more than ever.”
She shook her head, “Neither Drake nor Zandra is of the Tak herd. They are Zeus’s Centaurs. It is not my place.”
“I am of the Lost Herd. I need them.” Did she understand what would happen if I lost Drake? “Please. I know you can help me.” She said nothing. “If you won’t protect them, will you at least take me to them?”
“My protection of the Centaur was a betrayal of my father. My actions are unforgivable. Taking you to them could mean the death of all three of you.”
“No, the one who blamed their actions on the Centauride Phyllis is the one who is unforgivable. Zeus must have some sense of justice.”
Athena’s voice resonated loudly in the room. “I had nothing to do with Phyllis’ deception.”
“I know that. You saw the injustice in your father’s decree. When all the Centaurs were eradicating the Tak line, it was you who took pity on Lila and Rupert. You presented each of their children with the spider locket. You kept your help a secret –never taking credit for what you had done.”
Athena did not argue, so I pressed on, “I think your help has gone well beyond the change to Rupert and the lockets for their children. I think you convinced Chiron to protect me.”
Pride shown in her eyes, “That actually took some doing. His place in the heavens gives him a unique vantage point. He smiles down on you. He has nothing but love for you, as he does all his children.”
Her words surprised me. That had been a hunch, but it made sense that it was she who convinced Chiron to help me by turning Drake into a true Centaur Warrior when he touched the arrow. “Even Zandra?” I asked.
“Even Zandra,” she answered. “Zandra has had a hard life. She chose, instead of asking for help, to wall herself away from the rest of the world and take charge of her own life. Gods and goddesses have helped the Chiron line since the beginning in Thessaly.”
“Why are no gods helping Zandra now?”
“None are willing to stand against the father of the gods alone.”
“But she is the Chairman. They can’t just let her die.”
“Once her heart was broken, Zandra was unwilling to accept help from anyone.”
“’Once her heart was broken,’ you’re talking about the night her parents were killed. So who killed her parents? I know it wasn’t Zethus.”
Athena shook her head in disgust. “The same goddesses who whispered in King Sisyphus’ ear. Eris and Ate.”
“I don't know who Eris and Ate are.”
"You may know them by their nicknames: Discord and Mischief."
My heart hitched, I remembered the story from Zandra's garden. "You mean Discord that started the Trojan War?"
“The same. Eris joined forces with my sister Ate. Ate is not permitted to set foot on earth, nor is she allowed on Mount Olympus. If my father were to find out about her treachery, he would banish her forever. I have no love for Ate or Eris, but I cannot tell Zeus of their deception without proof.”
“But why did they kill Zandra’s parents?”
Athena stood unflinching. “Ate believed that if she brought Hercules’ arrow to my father she might find favor enough to return to Mount Olympus. Zandra’s father was a son of Chiron and the rightful owner of the arrow. Their plan was to overpower the Chairman, get the location of the arrow and then force him to give it to them.”
“But he wouldn’t tell them where it was?”
“No. He took its location to the pasture with him.”
Athena might be the only one who had an answer for this one. “Zethus said something about an enchantment that was placed on their home, no one outside of immediate family could get in. How did Eris and Ate get past the front door?”
“As I said, gods and goddesses have been helping the Centaur since the beginning. It sounds like something Hermes may have done to protect the Chiron family. It would not have stopped a god or goddess. Hermes was one of the few gods who was allowed to roam on earth. Hermes and Zandra's father were friendly after he was dispatched by Zeus to deliver a message to the Chairman of the Centaur Council. At the time, Zandra could not have been older than three. I heard Hermes talk fondly of the Centaur Chairman while he was alive and after his death.”
“But why would they have needed an enchantment on their home?”
“There was a time when there was much unrest among the herds. The Chairman likely asked for help protecting his family from disgruntled Centaur.”
“So what made you decide to protect the Lost Herd?”
“I have been the Lost Herd’s Shepherd ever since Lila asked for my help. She convinced me that there was a redeeming quality in Rupert, enough of one to give him a second chance at life. I have been your protector since you were born.”
“My protector?”
A warm smile spread on her shimmering face, “Aaaah, this is news to you? You did not hear my whispers when you were in danger? Tell me, did you recognize Byron Barber in the Council’s Chambers?”
I felt my eye muscles flex. “How did you know about that?”
“I am always with you, Camille.”
“He’s the head of the Barber family. He looked familiar, but I didn’t know from where.”
She shook her head slowly, mocking me. “Think, Camille. You know exactly who he is.”
Still kneeling on the floor, I rested my forehead in my palms. I thought of his physical attributes from the Council Chambers: fair skin and freckles, short in stature, brilliant green eyes. Where had I seen him before?
It was Daniel who spoke. “Uncle Byron?”
I froze. The memory came to me in a rush. Daniel’s mother – she had had a guest over one day, no, several times. Byron Barber. He had been in Daniel’s house. I had been introduced to him. He asked me about Mom. Before Daniel and I took off for the movies, he said, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
I thought it was creepy at the time, but filed it away and forgot about it. Daniel interjected, “No wonder. Up until that day, Uncle Byron never even acknowledged I was in the room when he was there to visit Mom. From the day he met Cami, he was all of the sudden interested in his ‘favorite nephew.’”
“That’s right! I remember him taking us out for pizza once, too.” Confused by my own revelation, I asked Daniel, “But your Mom isn’t a pureblood. How could he be your uncle?”
“He never was my uncle. He was Mom’s favorite cousin or something. But after he met Cami
, he told me to call him Uncle Byron.”
I turned back to Athena, “Why is knowing Byron Barber so significant?”
“He is the head of the Barber Herd. He knew you were alive and never betrayed you to the Chairman. Do you think that is a coincidence? Do you think he kept your mother’s secret because Daniel was his favorite nephew?”
“You convinced him to keep quiet? I thought it was Winfield and Unice’s magic that kept us hidden.”
Athena nodded. “Their magic helped. Angela was not strong enough to face her mother. She was unable to take her place among the herds and you weren’t ready. Byron agreed to keep your secret if I agreed to remain your guardian. When the time was right, he intended to bring you to the Centaur Council himself. He believed his herd would find favor from you as the Chairman if he kept Angela's secret. You were his secret weapon should Zandra ever have tried to pass her position onto Angelo.”
Even if I had never contacted William after Mom died, I still would have been brought to the Council. He must not have understood my ties to the Tak herd. Frustrated, I asked, “No harm? What about those months at Zandra’s estate?”
“You were never in any danger. Although not an ideal situation, she was teaching you things your mother had not. She was hiding your existence from the herds until she could come up with a plausible explanation for your existence.”
Zandra, in her own twisted way, had been protecting me. “It’s time the truth came to light. Zethus and Zandra have a right to know what happened to their parents. The Tak line has the right to know about their lineage to Rupert and Lila. The Centaur have earned the right to a calm existence without interference.”
Athena looked frustrated. She believed she didn’t have enough proof to accuse Eris and Ate, but as the self-appointed Shepherd to the Lost Herd, she must have decided to take a chance. “I agree. How far are you willing to go?”
Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) Page 18