Chapter 39
The Heartaches of Love
Bre sat up, dizzy, her head pounding in rhythm with her heart. A dead gold eagle was sprawled at her feet with an arrow protruding from its chest. Next to her, Elpis lay unconscious, bleeding from her brow. Bre watched her chest for movement, holding her breath in hope Elpis’ chest did not rise. Bre exhaled and hung her head in a disappointment when Elpis’ breathing was steady and strong.
The dagger, she thought to herself.
Bre frantically surveyed the cave, afraid to make noise and wake Elpis. She spotted the dagger near the entrance lodged in between the cave wall and stones that fell during the explosion. She glanced at Elpis then back at the dagger. She slowly stood and crept over rocks, heading to the entrance. Bre jumped over a large boulder, almost to the entrance. When she jumped, her dress wedged between the rock and several smaller stones, and suddenly a small landslide of rocks tumbled off to the side of her. Her heart pounding, Bre checked on unconscious Elpis.
“Tartarus,” Bre cursed to herself. She whipped around and ran to grab the dagger.
With the dagger inches from her fingertips, Elpis appeared in front of her. Elpis withdrew the dagger from the wall with ease and admired it as a string of red light clung to its tip.
“Did you really think you would be able to get this from me? It belongs to me, after all,” Elpis smiled and stared protectively at the red light.
The shadow of a man fell at the entrance of the cave. Eoghan emerged with bow and arrow. Upon walking in on the two women, he tossed his bow aside and withdrew his sword, spinning the blade around his arm, waiting for Elpis to attack.
Bre conjured her sword and without waiting for Eoghan slashed at Elpis’ neck. Eoghan followed Bre’s lead and lunged at Elpis’ abdomen.
However, Elpis was quick and spun out of their way. Eoghan whirled around to rebound, but Elpis disappeared then reappeared behind him. She cracked his sword hand on a rock, forcing him to release his weapon. He ground his teeth and held his wrist against his chest. He tried to move it, but his thumb moved over two bones that used to be one. Elpis wrapped her arm around Eoghan’s throat, forcing him to bend backwards because he was taller. She pressed against him, using him as a shield.
Bre halted her attack and watched in horror, unsure of what Elpis would do to him.
Elpis laughed at Bre’s helplessness. “I can fix him, you know. I can make him whole again, make him remember his feelings for you. You did me a favor in killing the Phoenicians; this is your reward.”
Elpis ripped open Eoghan’s shirt and placed her hand over his bare chest. His chest lit up with a pink light and tears welled in his eyes. He gasped in between sobs to catch his breath.
“Eoghan!” Breanna screamed.
Tears streaming down his face, Eoghan met Bre’s frantic stare and mouthed the words, ‘I’m sorry.’
Bre stood speechless, staring at Eoghan as all his emotions flooded back to him. She felt every emotion as they returned, as if they passed through her first. It began with pain, then remorse, then the return of the longing he had for her, and finished with every fear he had of losing her and the intense devotion he still held for her.
Overwhelmed with a mix of his emotions and hers, Bre could no longer tell them apart. It no longer mattered; she needed to save him.
Think, Breanna. You are my daughter. Daughter of Strategy. Think quick and efficient. What is the first thing you need to do? Remus’ voice whispered in her head.
Keep my emotions in check, Bre mentally answered. Leora, I need you. Build a wall in my head while I beat this demon bitch.
Leora purred loudly in the cave and Bre’s emotions dulled. They weren’t completely gone, but turned down enough for Bre to concentrate. Her head cleared and she cunningly smiled at Elpis then disappeared in a flash of lightning.
“Oh no you don’t!” Elpis yelled out.
With a second crash of lightning, Bre reappeared behind where Elpis used to be standing. Bre frantically searched for Eoghan. A whistle drew her attention to the back of the cave, where Elpis held Eoghan on his knees in front of her. The sickening sound of torture once again filled air as a crippling jolt of pain stabbed Breanna in the chest. However, it was not Bre’s screams of agony that echoed in the cave.
Elpis stood behind Eoghan as he knelt in front of her, and she slowly pushed the dagger with the string of The Power into Eoghan’s chest.
Bre shared Eoghan’s agonizing torture as the dagger slowly cut through his muscles, the crunch of his ribs splitting as the metal broke through bone, and then finally the tearing of muscle as the blade pierced his heart. The Power surged through him with every beat his injured heart could manage. Disturbingly, she also shared Elpis’ pleasurable high in torturing them.
“Noo,” Bre said breathlessly as she hit her knees, holding her throbbing chest.
“Oh, Yes, Princess,” Elpis said with a huge grin. “If The Power is removed, it will split his soul in two, and he will die just like your parents and Anath. The ultimate victory here is that you will never be able to fulfill your precious destiny as The Queen without every inch of The Power. Moreover, you are no match for my skills with half of The Power. In order to kill me, you will have to kill Eoghan.”
Elpis ripped the dagger from Eoghan’s chest and tossed him against the wall, smashing his head off a rock. “Now you will feel the heartaches of love that I have had to endure,” Elpis said coldly. Her evil smile turned into a distant scowl as memories of heartbreak flooded her mind.
Breanna crawled over to Eoghan. She rolled him over expecting to see a bleeding wound on his chest, but it was in perfect shape as she ran her fingers over his smooth muscles. Bre put his head on her lap and held her hand over his head, keeping one hand over his heart. In seconds, a blue light healed his head injury and Eoghan woke up.
“Pathetic girl. Love will get everyone you care about killed. It is a weakness that I will not yield to again,” Elpis said disappointed as if hoping Bre would make a better decision. She turned her back on the couple and left the cave. With a wave of her hand, she put up a barrier charm, locking them behind a wall of orange light.
“I’m so sorry. I failed you all,” Breanna whimpered as she held Eoghan’s face in her hands.
“Pull yourself together, woman. We have a war to win,” Eoghan said as he stood, yanking Breanna to her feet. He pulled the completed wolf pendant out of his pocket and laid it around her neck. “Don’t lose this again, or else I think your Uncle Romulus will kill us both.” Eoghan smiled at the teary-eyed princess.
Bre held the pendant in her hand and her father reappeared in its reflection. He mouthed the word ‘Think’ to her as he tapped the side of his head and blew her a kiss. She breathed a small laugh as a tear splattered against the glossy metal, washing away the image of Remus.
“We need to get that dagger. It is the only way to kill her. I’m going to enjoy ripping her soul in half.” Breanna said as she cracked her knuckles.
Bre’s appearance changed from the black, strapless dress to a silk, crimson dress with gold leaves holding the pieces together over her shoulders. Her father’s sword hung from her hip and glowed red in the dim light of the cave. Her eyes turned silver with flecks of green, ready for an epic battle.
Meanwhile, Eoghan didn’t notice Bre’s change of appearance, as he had been trying to put his own ripped shirt back together. Finally, he discovered his newly acquired powers and a yellow spark flew out of his fingertip, magically sewing his shirt back together.
“Well I could get used to this,” Eoghan said, amazed and chuckled.
“You’re going to have to, otherwise you die.” Bre did not smile back. She clenched her fists, furious with Elpis as a flame flickered in her pupil. “Since you have a portion of her power, her power isn’t as strong as mine. She may have more skill with her portion of The Power, but I own more of it. She cannot defend against my power, so if I am able to conjure up a strong spell,
it may weaken her enough so that she cannot defend the dagger. I can finally end this. I just need to catch her off guard.”
“That’s good and all, but how are we getting out of here?” Eoghan pointed to the wall of orange light.
Bre called up every ounce of power she had and pushed it to her fist. A white light covered her arm and pulsated with Power. She slammed her fist into the ground and cracks spread through the floor, causing larger cracks to travel up the walls. The orange light fell as the cave walls crumbled.
The Phoinix: Age of Demigods Page 75