* * *
Bre and Rhea returned to the group to find half of Romulus’ soldiers gone.
“Where did…” Bre started.
Romulus cut Breanna off in a hurry, “They are at the pass preparing the archers for battle.”
“There will be no archers,” Breanna’s said authoritatively, unafraid of her uncle.
“Excuse me?” Romulus said, shocked and unaccustomed to someone speaking to him in that manner.
“Men will be fighting down in the pass and I will not allow anyone to shoot arrows at us while we are trying to save your behinds,” Breanna said and jabbed a finger into her uncle’s chest.
Romulus laughed, “You were right, Lys, she is feisty. My dear niece, we are not going to shoot the arrows down into the pit, we are shooting the arrows into the sky. My scouts have found an unusual amount of gold eagles in the area. Where the eagles are, Elpis is surely to follow.” He winked and headed towards the pass where they would make their final stand.
“That ought to be fun. While we’re fighting, dead birds will be falling on our heads.” Bre folded her arms across her chest and shook her head as she watched her uncle walk away.
“That sounded a lot like Leo. I’m afraid he may have rubbed off on you.” Lysandros smirked at Bre’s stunned expression when she realized how much she sounded like her brother.
“Rhea! We must leave. Now! We are being recalled to Mount Olympus. A lock down of all the gods has been issued.” Mars appeared next to his wife and grabbed her arm.
“That is because Elpis bound the Phoenicians. With one swish of the dagger she can kill the entire Phoenician pantheon.” Rhea explained what they witnessed in the vision.
“We must go,” Mars said, pulling Rhea closer to his side.
“Wait! You can’t leave us. We need your help to defeat Elpis and Eversor. Giving in to the lock down will only ensure their victory,” Cailean shouted, his anger getting the best of him.
“That is your problem, Gàidheal,” Mars said, pointing a finger at Cailean then turning to Bre. “The fate of the gods and the world are in your hands, young Phoinix.”
Mars winked at Romulus and proudly smiled. Before anyone could say another word, Mars and Rhea disappeared in a puff of red smoke.
“That’s perfect! The gods abandon us and leave us to fight their war!” Cailean yelled at the sky.
“It is not their war; it is ours. They should run and hide,” Brian said calmly. “If Elpis acquires a god from each pantheon and binds them, the world could lose every god in existence. With the death of each pantheon, its corresponding civilization will perish. We cannot allow that to happen. Anath must be saved before the Phoenician pantheon and its culture are destroyed.”
“How do you propose we prevent it?” Lysandros folded his arms and squinted his eyes as a hundred attack scenarios played out in his head.
“First, we need to rescue Anath before Elpis kills her.” Brian pressed his thumb and pointer finger to the bridge of his nose as he desperately searched his mind for answers.
“But how?” Cailean asked impatiently.
“I can summon her,” Bre positively said.
Bre closed her eyes as she pictured Anath and the cave in her mind. Bre wrinkled her nose as the smell of damp dirt mixed with burning flesh filled her nostrils. Thunder rang through the sky and lighting crashed to the ground. Kneeling on the ground, next to Bre was Anath. The goddess tried not to move while the chains were still wrapped around her. Bre snapped her fingers and the chains unclasped, falling to the ground.
Anath stood up, lightly rubbing the burn marks on her skin. “Thank you, but I must leave. She cannot find me. The survival of my pantheon depends on my escape.”
“I am well aware of what is going on, but…” Bre began but Anath cut her off.
“Listen to me, little…” Anath said but her voice disappeared when Bre waved her hand.
“Speak when spoken to,” Bre said glaring at Anath, her voice filled with venom. “You are a member of the War Council that created this monstrosity. You condemned Elpis and I to a life of misery. Therefore, you will listen to me now. You are a goddess and you will help us defeat her. I don’t care if I have to chain myself to you in order to keep you here. Your kind knows full well we need divine assistance to win.” Breanna leaned towards Anath, eyes narrow with anger, and whispered, “You owe me, Anath. I saved you from that cave.”
Bre waved her hand and gave Anath her voice back.
Anath immediately fired back at Bre, pointing her finger as she berated her. “You don’t get it. You have already lost. The gods cannot help you now. Your brothers are gone, you’ve damaged one of your protectors,” Anath motioned to Eoghan, “Even your grandparents refuse to stand by you.”
Unexpectedly, the air around the camp electrified, causing the hair on Bre’s and Anath’s arms to stand up. A green light fell to the ground around the camp. “The Morrigan,” Bre whispered to herself. “She broke through.”
Anath did not seem to notice as she continued to berate Bre, “I owe you nothing. Be grateful you possess such power, even half of it.”
“And you should be grateful that I do not have that other half, Grandmother,” Elpis said and appeared behind Anath.
The group found themselves face-to-face with Elpis and Eversor. Eversor folded his arms across his chest, his head held high and smug. Elpis slowly walked towards Anath and cast an arrogant smile as she noticed her grandmother’s trembling burnt hands and wrists.
In the distance, hundreds of eagles screeched as they rapidly approached.
The Phoinix: Age of Demigods Page 70