The Oracle Series: Vols. 4, 5, & Grave Endowments

by Cynthia D. Witherspoon

  “Have you been able to contact Morpheus, mistress?” She must have seen the confusion on my face because my mentor rolled her eyes before she explained. “The god of dreams.”

  “Yes.” Hecate sighed. “He was unaware of the Skinwalker’s actions. Moving onto the dreamscape is an ability only the most skilled members of his family possess. He should not be able to enter into the girl’s dreams without assistance.”

  “So if Kampe isn’t helping him, the only ally Elliot has is Hera.” I took in the darkened expressions around me. “What?”

  “No, Sibyl. It is not Hera. Not even a goddess as great as she would have the power to influence another god’s domain.”

  “Then she has another ally.” I moved to stand. “We need to figure out who that is. Maybe I can convince them to join my side.”

  “Stay seated, child.” Hecate stared at me until I lowered myself back down. “There is no need to run off trying to track down Hera’s allies. I can tell you here and now that there are many who have taken her side in your fight.”

  “Why? Because I’m human?” I balled my hands in my lap and counted to five when my temper started to flare. “Or is it because they don’t think I’m good enough for this?”

  “Perhaps they believe you aren’t good enough because you don’t believe you are good enough to represent our pantheon.”

  I jerked my head up at Hecate’s response. Was I really that obvious? She gave me a small smile and reached out to pat my hand.

  “Dear Sibyl, it is time for you to dispel those doubts.”

  “I can’t.” I choked on my words. “You don’t understand. I stumbled into this life. The powers I have were granted through a stupid mirror. Luck has had more to do with my success than anything. Hell, I’ve barely survived what little I have been through so far. To draw such attention to myself like this will put more people in danger.”

  Not people. Cyrus. Delphine was right about that. But I didn’t dare tell Hecate and Medusa about the true source of my fear.

  Hecate stood and moved over to the far window before she responded.

  “As you have been made aware, I am the mother of witchcraft. My followers have praised my names, lit fires in my hearths, and used my teachings to improve their lives since humanity crawled out of the sea.”

  “Yeah, I’m familiar.” I tilted my head in her direction. “What does that have to do with my doubts?”

  “My followers are precious to me, Sibyl. But there are some in particular that I cherish long after they pass into the Underworld.” She brushed the heavy curtain aside before she continued. “Lillian McRayne was one of those beloved followers.”

  I waited for the punch line. Surely the goddess was joking. When she remained silent, I found myself clutching at my jeans.

  “You knew my grandmother.”

  “Yes. Quite well.” Hecate smiled. “She took the Witches’ Oath on her sixteenth birthday. Many humans who follow my path fall away after a few years. Peer pressure, lack of faith, anger when a spell doesn’t work. But not her. Lillian allowed my teachings to become an extension of her life.”

  “My grandmother was a witch.” I let the words come out slowly. Maybe it was because I didn’t believe her. Or maybe, it was because I couldn’t make myself believe her. “I don’t think so, Hecate. She wasn’t religious at all.”

  “Oh, she was quite religious. Just not in the way you would expect.” Hecate dropped the curtain and turned to face me. “I know for a fact that she taught you spell work, Sibyl. Candle magick, to be exact.”

  “I,” I stood up to pace the carpet behind Cyrus. “Yeah. I mean, she taught me some things. But I thought what she did was common in our part of the world.”

  “Eva, you grew up in the southern portion of the United States. In an area called ‘the Bible Belt’ by its own inhabitants.” Hecate shook her head. “Neither magick nor belief in the ancient gods are common in South Carolina.”

  “Ok. So my grandmother prayed to you.” I threw my hands up. “Big deal. You still haven’t gotten to the part where you tell me how my doubts are unnecessary.”

  “Patience, thy name is Eva.” Medusa’s sarcasm died when Hecate held up her hand towards her. I watched the creature tasked with training me sigh before she fell back into her seat. Hecate waited until she had my attention again before she continued.

  “As I was saying, the knowledge I gave Lillian McRayne was vast. I awarded her devotion through the years with a great deal of power. Power that she passed onto her son, Martin. He too went down the path of our beliefs. So much so, he established a coven at the age of sixteen.”

  So this was the big secret Cyrus had been so afraid would shock me. Don’t get me wrong. I was surprised. But not enough to run out of the room screaming bloody murder. I glanced over to my Keeper who had done a damn fine job of staring at the wall the entire time we had been in Hecate’s office.

  “I don’t remember my dad ever using magick.” I tucked my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. “Hell, I barely remember my grandmother using it.”

  “Your parents met through your father’s coven.” Hecate began to play with the keys that hung from her neck. “Your mother was a witch, but not devout to me. She was far too engrossed with Apollo to notice anyone else.”

  I jerked my head up to see the goddess give me a look of pity. “What are you saying?”

  “Your mother began to play with a dangerous form of magick. She drew down Apollo during rituals. She used her beauty to charm him. It wasn’t long before she became pregnant from her actions.”

  I couldn’t breathe as Hecate closed the distance between us. She reached out and took hold of my shoulder.

  “You were raised to believe you were the product of the marriage between Janet and Martin McRayne. Yet, you were led to believe a lie. Martin and Janet completed a hand fasting ceremony to hide what she had done. Sex magick between humans was once considered to be a black mark on witchcraft. But to give yourself over to a god? Inexcusable.”

  “Why would he help her?” I barely recognized my own voice as I responded. “Why not kick her out and be done with it?”

  “Because the leader of a coven must take responsibility of the actions of his patrons.” Hecate released me. “He would have been banned from the practice if he rejected your mother.”

  I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I just stood there as my mind tried to wrap around the tale Hecate was spinning.

  “You were always different, Eva.” She folded her hands in front of her skirt. “You know this. Always ready to learn. Always ready to fight, no matter how much you despised the spotlight. Even after you took the Sibyl’s oath, you adapted to your new abilities with an astonishing ease.”

  “That’s why Kathy Carter was told to relinquish her role to me when I came of age.” I whispered as the pieces of a puzzle I never wanted to see fell into place faster than I could grasp the picture. “That’s why Apollo was willing to let me contact him. He knew what I was to him.”

  “Yes.” Hecate nodded. “You must understand how precious you are, Sibyl. The gods no longer have their way with mortal women since their power has dwindled in modern times. Not many of their children walk the earth plane.”

  “But I thought,” I shook my head. “No. I was tricked into taking the Sibyl’s oath. I am the Daughter of Apollo only through my title. Nothing more.”

  “You are the only Sibyl to hold that particular title, Eva.” Hecate watched my reaction. “You are the sole being on this plane that has the blood of Apollo flowing through your veins. That is why I allowed you to come here. It wasn’t because of the Council’s proclamation. My decision was based on the knowledge of who you are. The product of a magick ritual held through my teachings. The one and true daughter of Apollo.”

  I took a step back as if she had threatened me. I felt Cyrus catch me when I stumbled, but I jerked away from him and headed towards the exit.

  “You cannot go, Sibyl.” Medusa appeared in the doorway.
“We still have much to discuss.”

  “Get out of my way.”

  I growled. When she refused to move, I willed my sword in my hand. Her eyes flashed at the sight of my weapon, but she stayed put until Hecate called out from behind us.

  “Let her pass, Mentor. The girl has learned a great deal in a very short period of time. She must process it.”

  When she stepped aside, I ran out as fast as I could. I ran until my lungs burned. I ran until the grounds fell away to expose the forest I had been exposed to just that morning. I ran until my knees began to shake and my steps began to falter.

  I ran away from the truth as hard as I could.

  ***

  “You knew.”

  I was sitting at the edge of the lake when I felt Cyrus appear behind me. Night had fallen a few hours before, but I’d barely noticed it. I was too preoccupied with the world I had known completely falling apart as I relived the story Hecate had told me. My beloved didn’t respond with words. Instead, he sat down beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

  “You knew. You’ve always known.” I sounded horrible. Hollow. I wasn’t sure what hurt worse. The fact that my childhood had been a lie or that Cyrus had kept it from me. “Why didn’t you tell me when I first became the Sibyl?”

  “I could not,” He started until I pulled away from him. “Eva, stop. Listen to me.”

  “Tell me why.” I twisted around to face my beloved. “Because of a stupid order given to you by Apollo? Because you couldn’t bring yourself to do it? What?”

  “Because you wouldn’t have believed me.” Cyrus’ features grew dark. “Be honest with yourself, Eva. You didn’t believe me when I first told you about the role of the Sibyl. You still don’t want to believe in half of the things I am forced to teach you. Even now, after all that we have been through together, you still rush headlong into whatever danger awaits you without any consideration of what I have told you.”

  I wanted to snap back. I wanted to tell my keeper he was wrong. I would have believed him. I couldn’t do it.

  “You’re right.” I sighed. “I wouldn’t have believed you.”

  Cyrus reached over to lift me into his lap. I stared out at the lake which gleamed from the full moon overhead. It was too much. My life was surreal enough as it was. But to find out that I came from a family of secret witches who practiced rituals and rites that led to my creation was too much. I started laughing before I could help it.

  “Little One, are you alright?”

  “Yeah.” I shifted enough to lay my head on his shoulder. “It’s just...a mysterious school? A deity for a father? I’ve fallen into some crazy book come to life. I swear, none of this can possibly be real.”

  “What is the saying, truth is stranger than fiction?” My beloved brushed his hand over my hair before he grew serious. “Eva, I am sorry you had to find out in such a way. Your family should have been honest with you.”

  I was sure Cyrus was worried about me. Maybe he believed that this newest revelation would send me straight over the proverbial edge. But his anxiety was for nothing. Hecate was right. I had always craved normalcy, but I knew I was different. When I became the Sibyl, I abandoned any hope that I would have the standard life so many people my age enjoyed.

  I shuddered as I remembered the small blue house at Hallows End. The classic vision of a happy home had been my heart’s desire once. That was true. And Elliot had been right. The girl I’d seen had been the girl I wanted to be. Happy. Secure in herself and her surroundings. But each fight, each spirit I encountered, had separated me from the vision I had for myself.

  “A dream that can never be.” I whispered. “A dream I don’t want to come true. Not anymore.”

  “I’m sorry?” Cyrus tilted his head down until he brushed a kiss against my cheek. “I didn’t hear you.”

  “Why did you go to Apollo?” I swallowed. “When I was in the hospital, you told me that you had tied your fate to mine. You will cease to be if my soul ever crosses into the Underworld.”

  My beloved intertwined our fingers together over his knee. He seemed to be studying them in silence, searching for the right words to say. For a brief, crazy moment, I was sure he was going to drop another strange truth on me. In fact, I started to tell him to forget that I’d said anything when he began to talk.

  “Did you know that when humans were created by the gods, they had two faces, four arms, and four legs?” Cyrus chuckled at the confused look I gave him. “It’s true. They were both man and woman. Androgynous children of the moon.”

  “Ok.” I drew the word out. “I’m not following you.”

  “Hush, Little One.” My keeper tightened his grip around me. “As I was saying, these strange creatures had immeasurable strength. Unlimited knowledge. They were made to be mighty. To thrive on a cruel plane which had no compassion for life.”

  He shifted beneath me, but didn’t let go while he continued.

  “The gods became quite fearful of the power their creations had obtained. The Council met and it was decided that the humans were a great threat to their power in Mount Olympus. Zeus himself threw down lightning bolts from the heavens to split the creatures into two parts. Man and woman. But not just their bodies. Their souls as well. They were cursed to spend their days searching for their other half in order to distract them from overthrowing the gods.”

  I didn’t interrupt him this. After a moment, Cyrus tugged at my chin with his free hand until I met his eyes.

  “I have spent a millennia on this plane, Eva, searching for my other half. I thought I had found my other half in Delphine, but I had no idea how wrong I was until I met you. I have known no greater joy through my existence than just standing next to you. When you smile, my heart swells. When you suffer, my heart shatters. That is why I refuse to exist without you, Little One. My existence would be meaningless without you in it. I found my other half in you. I will not lose you again.”

  How could I possibly respond to such sweet words? I leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled back just before I made contact.

  “I love you, Eva. Not because you are Apollo’s daughter. Not because of your beauty. And not because you are the Sibyl. I love you because you possess all the traits I could never hope to obtain. No matter how long I exist.”

  “Like my smart mouth?” I teased. “Or my total disregard for all things dangerous?”

  “Yes.” He awarded me with a crooked smile. “And so much more.”

  This time, Cyrus kissed me and I understood exactly what he was trying to tell me. We were two parts of a whole. Two souls meant to work as one. I was just as precious to him as he was to me. He released me only to lie back against the shore. When he was situated, my beloved brought me down to next to him. I rested my head against his chest to watch the stars overhead.

  “This wasn’t the date you had in mind, was it?” I shifted just enough to see his face. “Me running away from Hecate. You having to chase after me into the night…”

  “No.” He admitted. “I was going to order take-out and smuggle wine into your room.”

  “Wine?”

  I started to raise up, but he caught me with a laugh. When I got resettled, he chuckled against the top of my head.

  “It’s better.” He rested his hand over my hip. “Despite the circumstances.”

  “Cyrus, what am I going to do?” I didn’t want to ruin the mood, but this was the first time since I’d arrived in Washington that I had really been alone with him. “How do I handle all this? The representative bit. Passing Medusa’s sadistic psychological torture. Really being Apollo’s daughter.”

  “Not a thing. Continue being yourself, dear girl. You have done quite well using that strategy so far.”

  “True.” I muttered. “But I get it now. I understand them so much more.”

  “Who?”

  “My folks. When I saw my parents in the mirror right after their deaths, my dad said that I had brought this hell onto them. I thought he blamed me beca
use of my association with Elliot. How I had been so determined to follow him out to California. But that wasn’t it at all. I think he was referring to my direct connection to Apollo.”

  “Eva…”

  “Not just as the Sibyl.” I interrupted. “But as Apollo’s daughter. There were other clues, too. My resemblance to Apollo. How Kassandra referred to me as ‘sister’. She wouldn’t have done that if she didn’t think we were related. And one of Hecate’s witches. I heard her say I was home at last.”

  “Eva, I want you to consider something.” Cyrus twirled a strand of my hair around his fingers and held it up to the moonlight. “The main trait you inherited from Apollo wasn’t your appearance. It was your intelligence. This is why the Great Mother has such faith in you. It is also why Hera considers you such a threat. You were able to uncover secrets the gods had hoped would remain hidden.”

  “So what are you saying?” I flipped around to rest my chin against his chest. “Claim my birthright? Become a goddess?”

  “You already are in so many ways.” He smiled down at me. “But no. You still possess human blood, after all. What I am saying is simply this. Learn from Medusa. Hecate. Me. And no one will be able to stop you. Not even Hera herself."

  Chapter Eleven

  The next two days were pure agony for me. Don’t get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed my sparring matches with Medusa. I even managed to get in a hit or two before she reminded me of her ability to shock all sense out of me. But those matches only lasted for a few hours at most. No, the majority of my days were spent balanced between Hecate attempting to drum the genealogical history of the gods into my head while Medusa tried to harden my heart against my enemies.

  Even Teresa – the witch Hecate had adopted after her death – bored me to tears when I was told to report to her laboratory. The girl’s enthusiasm for plants did not rub off on me. Instead, I found myself nodding off as she explained how the pattern of veins could determine the type of potions could be created from a single leaf. By the time Cyrus stood to signal our lesson was over, my head was spinning.