“You have no need for this. This is only to be worn by a child of Zeus, besides you ceased to be an Ischeros a long time ago.” Bethany said, with satisfaction. A glint of light flickered off of the diamond bolt center.
“Your family stole from mine.” Victor said trying to get up, unsuccessfully. “Where are they buried Victor?” I demanded.
“Let me... live... and I will tell you!” He shouted. I was wrong. I had yet to make an honest man out of him.
“Let you live?” I almost laughed, but didn't. “I haven't forgotten that you killed me, that sunny afternoon, while I was on my lunch break. Sorry, no dice Victor.” I knew that he didn't know the answer to the question.
With his back to Evan and the others, Victor stood up, but didn’t say a word. He answered the question in a riddle that only I could hear, since I’m the only one who could listen to his thoughts.
‘Perhaps you should ask those who had you banished in the first place. They are the ones who should burn before Hades. Your enemies surround you like wolves pretending to safeguard you but they are waiting for the first chance to eat you alive. I won't tell you who fore I’m certain that you have an inkling. Only you, empress, can presume who that may be. If you don't then you will be the next to fall as I, only aspiring to avenge my parent's demise.’
With that being said – well thought, I looked Victor in the eyes. There was only one thing left to say.
“This is the price to be paid.” I said, as Victor had declared earlier. Victor vanished subsequently as I mouthed the words that sentenced him. He disappeared to a place where only I would know of, officially exiled. He would live in a place that was inescapable, in a time where he would have to learn to adjust. He would never return. Not ever.
ThirtyOne
A Promise is a Promise
I watched the corners of my disciples mouths curl upward although, only slightly, and I knew that they were pleased.
I wasn’t so sure that the corners of my mouth would ever turn upward again. Victor's last words were the truth, and they left an incredibly vile taste in my mouth.
… they are waiting for the first chance to eat you alive.
I had a feeling that my persecutors may be a part of the Ischeros family, but now I was sure. I just wasn't sure who. I needed Athena’s help. I wanted to call on the gods, but I realized that they would never intervene. This matter was of the human world.
Your enemies surround you …
The words rattled in my head over and over. It could be any member of the family.
…your enemies surround you … like wolves… pretending...
… to guard you
…Your enemies surround you...
Perhaps I should render the entire family powerless in order to weed out the culprit. That would take a considerable amount of time, and would allow the offender to devise a plan. I won’t allow a murderer to get away with killing my parents, and betraying the family. Therefore, I will have to use every opportunity, every resource, and every bit of strength of my being to make this right. Someone would pay. My emotions were at an incredible high and I had to collect myself. I couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
I had my back to the four of them, and they were as silent as mice. They waited patiently for me. I wanted to gather my thoughts before I faced them.
They were expecting a leader, but was that all they needed and wanted from me?
I turned around and faced them now, and the five of us stared at each other for a very long time, without an utterance of any kind. I couldn't really be sure but it seemed that no one wanted to move or say anything in fear that if we were indeed dreaming, then this horrid nightmare had not finally ended. It may be over for them, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. The hurt I endured plummeted to my core.
I held out my hand, and Bethany knew what I wanted. She sauntered over to where I stood next to the altar that I had been shackled to, and handed over the diamond medallion – my bolt, the true symbol of the power vested in me by Zeus himself. I fingered the dime sized diamond bolt, and the cool calming feeling it once exuded was now replaced with the feeling of empowerment.
I turned away from my disciples, hopefully my friends, and stared at the altar that Mother’s and Daddy's hearts floated above, beating in unison. I could hear them calling out to me. My disciples followed my eyes. The sadness in their eyes was noted. I required a moment alone. I had to express, though sadly – only through words, how much I loved them, missed them, and needed their guidance. It has been two years that felt like a lifetime, the entire life time of another teenager – a betrayed teenager. It had been two years since I had spoken to either of my parents. I did my best to mask the pain in front of Evan and the others, but the suffrage was unbearable. I bit my bottom lip, and fought the tears that brimmed beneath my lashes. I was so caught up in the emotions I was harboring, that I flinched when I heard Evan's sweet and soothing voice.
“I don't need to ask. My darling, I know that you’re not ready to leave this place.”
I didn't reply, but looked at him. I stared into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen, and knew the truth as I’d known it deep within, all along.
Evan loved me with every fiber of his being. I gazed into the eyes and soul of someone that I could trust with my life, always.
“I’m not.”
He pulled me close in an embrace and our foreheads touched. We stood totally removed from everyone and everything in the universe. My love for him was immeasurable at that particular moment, but it had to get in line behind all the other indistinguishable emotions I was feeling. I slowly pulled away from Evan as he tried to hold on a little longer, and gave me the smile that usually made all that was miserable and blistering disappear. This tragedy would require something of a higher magnitude then the power of my lover’s smile. What amount of power would it take to dispel the anguish that coursed through me?
“I'm adjusting. It's all familiar now,” I whispered, without emotion. “It was as you had said, my love, but I was never the most patient person, was I?” I was sure that Nikolas, Bethany, and Julius had heard every word.
“You did well. I never had a doubt.” Evan beamed although he also spoke in a whisper. His eyes glistened, but not from tears, possibly victory. I glanced at Nikolas standing close to Bethany. He took her hand in his. She looked at him with moist eyes, and smiled ever so slightly. In their facial expressions they also shared something else. Possibly relief.
“Somehow, I had expected all of my questions to be answered at this point. I’m still unfulfilled,” I sighed, looking back at Evan who held my gaze, but the expression he wore now was perplexed. I wanted to pour all of my emotions out like a pale of water, but I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me. It was imperative that I focus.
“I'm so sorry that I took so long, baby. I didn't realize what had happened to you until Bethany informed me,” Evan admitted. “I can't imagine how scared you must have been to have that monster – ” Evan’s emotion’s got the best of him and he choked up for a moment then collected himself. “I’m sorry.” Evan grabbed my hand and held it to his chest. I closed my eyes and paced my heartbeat to his, and we were one.
“I felt like such a fool.” It was my turn to make an admission. “I didn't realize what was happening until it happened,” I said, as Evan lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
“Can you tell us exactly what happened, Empress?” Nikolas asked in that gruff, yet comforting voice that always put me at ease.
“Delia,” I sighed, and smiled.
“Empress, always,” Nikolas argued, softly and bowed his head, and then winked.
To my chagrin, I knew that I would have to tell the disturbing tale at some point. I dreaded it none the less. I sighed, breathlessly then took a deep breath.
“I was about to leave the ballroom to take a short break in the lounge. On my way there, Gerald, well Victor approached me. It was incredible, he was Gerald.”
; I searched Evan’s eyes for a glimpse of anger or jealousy, and only found encouragement to go on. In fact, every pair of eyes was reassuring as I explained one of the most unforgettable moments of the night. They all seemed entranced as they listened.
“I didn't feel any danger. As I stated, I thought it was Gerald, a friend. He asked me to dance and I accepted. A minute or two after we began dancing, Gerald told me that he had something to tell me, and that it was too noisy in the ballroom. He then led me into one of the cloak rooms.”
I had to stop for a moment to gain my composure. The next part was still quite traumatic, as I recalled the moment of realization. Not a word was said as the mornings earliest light began to filter in from somewhere above the dungeon. My little audience waited patiently for me to continue.
“Once we were in the cloak room, Gerald shifted back into Victor.” I felt no need to include the part about the kiss although; I would never forget the power of it, the immeasurable intensity of the kiss. That information could never be divulged.
“I knew that I had made a major mistake, but it was too late. Just then, the floor beneath my feet opened up from under me, and before I could think another thought I was falling into pitch blackness, and then I was here... laying on the altar... bound in shackles.”
“When did you regain your powers?” Bethany inquired, anxiously. She wanted the nittygritty, as always – my sometimes overbearing best friend. Before I could answer her, I had to think, and they all seemed to wait with baited breath.
“I remembered who I was, and everything that had ever happened to me, before and after being sent to the future, after I recalled the last conversation I had with my parents. My father had told me something specific. It was the night of my fifteenth birthday, the night they were murdered.” I gulped and they all gaped at me, appearing to be in a trancelike state.
“What did your father say?” Evan asked, giving in to curiosity.
“I’m sorry, but his words were only meant for me to hear.” I sounded a bit hostile – protective. Evan seemed a little wounded, but healed quickly. I didn't mean for it to sound that way. But I couldn't worry about that right now. I just didn't feel that they should pry into something that was private. I wanted to protect everything about my parents right now.
“I believe I regained my powers the moment I understood Athena’s riddle.”
“Riddle?” Bethany queried, puzzled as I was when Athena had stunned me with her presence.
“My sister, Athena, advised me that I must free myself from what I know, meaning liberating my mind of everything of the life I led in the future.” I paused while my disciples let it sink in. “She also told me that it is within myself that I would find the answers, meaning what I have always known of my life with my parents is all that I needed to remember, and lastly, that I have the strength were I lack the aspiration, meaning that the power resides in me if I’m willing to call upon it.”
“That’s remarkable.” Evan said, nodding. Then finally the question I had been waiting for was asked. Not surprisingly, it came from Bethany.
“Where did you send the evil turd?” Bethany was not hiding her excitement over Victor's departure. She never hid the fact that she loathed him.
I didn't feel like pretending that I was satisfied. It wasn’t over. My mind was overwhelmed and preoccupied with the fact that my parents were dead. I never had the opportunity to grieve them. It was absurd that everyone in this town believed that they had decided to extend their stay in France. I was outraged.
“Let me worry about that.” I replied. Bethany seemed taken aback, but she knew the rules. Only a governing ruler could send a disciple into exile, and only the ruler would know where.
“We must know where he's been exiled.” Bethany demanded with an edge to her voice. I couldn’t believe that she was probing the issue.
“He's gone.” I eyed them all, with my gaze focusing on my best friend.
“Gone? He's not gone Cordelia. You didn't kill him.” Bethany almost yelled.
“He didn't kill my parents, and he doesn't know where they are buried. I didn't think it was necessary.” I countered, sounding annoyed. She had no right to question my sentencing.
“Well, we should all be privy to that piece of information, Cordelia. How else are we to stay one step ahead?” Bethany said in an octave that I didn’t much care for.
“He’s not a threat to the family or to anyone else.” I fumed.
“How could you know that?” She said loudly, stepping closer to me. Evan became rigid as did Nikolas and Julius. They all knew that Bethany could be passionate to the point of being offensive. They were anticipating her next choice of words.
“Victor is powerless. Where he is, he can hurt no one.' I said preparing to silence Bethany for the duration of this forum and preparing myself to lose a friendship.
“He’s not going to easily accept being a powerless mortal. He will seek another Ischeros family to gain his powers back.” Bethany warned.
“I have considered everything, and of course he will want to seek an Ischero although, he will discover that if he does it will be a futile task.” I replied coldly.
“No Ischero will acknowledge him and go against an empress’ wishes.” Evan said to Bethany, stepping into an argument that was getting to the point of no return. “It would be the end of an Ischero to betray the family in such a way.”
“We don't know that no one would help him therefore, we should all know his whereabouts at all times. We should dispatch a tracker.” Bethany suggested angrily.
“A tracker? Let me make sure that I understand your suggestion. You want to dispatch a tracker whose sole purpose is to trace the footsteps of an exiled and powerless mortal.” Evan challenged.
All eyes were on Bethany, except mine. As far as I was concerned, the matter had concluded, but it was obvious from the looks she got from Nikolas, Evan, and Julius that she was flirting with her own banishment. As far as I could tell, the rest were pleased with the fact that Victor was powerless and exiled. They didn't seem to think Bethany's plan of action to be necessary. Besides, trackers were only used to track a potential threat or a sequestered member for their own protection, as I had been in the future. Not a powerless mortal.
“Do you really believe that someone in the family would allow him back in after what he has done, or perhaps there is something else that you’re concerned about?” I challenged Bethany. Her eyes glared in my direction. She lowered the flame in them a notch after looking into my eyes, and was now on the defensive.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You will soon be begging for my forgiveness, child of Poseidon. You carry a torch to your father’s volatile tide. Ebb your tide, Bethany,” I said, calmly.
“I'm thinking of the family's protection and preservation.” Bethany protested, in a slightly subdued tone.
“I’ve just made that a certainty.” I said.
Bethany reluctantly backed down. Her fist which had at some point become clenched – now loosened at her sides. I didn't want this tension. I wanted answers. I didn't have time to waste feeding Bethany's need to control everything. She knew better as she always had, never to push me too far. I guess in the last two years I spent damn near lobotomized, she had forgotten her place in the chain of command.
“Delia, take all the time you need.” Evan said, knowing that I needed to finally be alone with my parents. He touched my bare arm. His touch had a profound effect on me. I was as delicate as a rose petal when he was near me.
“We should all head back.” Evan said to the others. The family is concerned and should be notified of the promising developments.
“Yes, I could use a celebratory drink.” Nikolas chuckled. He had been quiet for the strained exchange between Bethany and I. “This place has to be destroyed.” Nikolas added, anxiously and suddenly serious again.
“I'll take care of it,” I said. Nikolas nodded and smiled, forever cheering me on.
Evan must have felt
that by leaving, he would be abandoning me. He was forever the boy who would never cease to play the rescuer in my life, although I had rescued myself tonight, but not to his lack of effort. He seemed worried and cagey, pacing the floor, and then finally asked me what had been at the tip of his tongue for quite some time.
“Would you like me to stay with you?”
“I want you here, but I need to be alone with them. You understand don’t you?”
I smoothed the softness of his cheek with the back of my hand. I could feel his heartbeat quicken tentatively as mine followed the pace he set.
“Yes, I understand” Evan bowed his face, and pressed his warm lips against mine, pulling me close as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his hands into the small of my back. I threw my arms around his neck, pressing my body into his, and parted my lips, kissing him back, opening up something in me that wanted him more than anything else in the world. After a few languid moments, he pulled away and looked into my eyes as if he wanted to fall into them.
“Óå áãáðw ãéá ðaíôá.” Evan spoke in Greek. My lower lip trembled as I repeated Evans’ profound words back to him, meaning every syllable.
“I love you, I am yours forever.”
My heart wrenched to have him stay with me. The tears flowed freely as we pressed our cheeks together. The tears that moistened my face weren’t just my own. I smiled up at Evan, kissing him tenderly on the chin. My memories were clear now, and I remembered that Evan could be as fragile as a delicate petal as well. We held each other for another moment that I didn’t want to end, but that I knew had to. He pulled away, but not before he planted the most endearing kiss on my forehead, and then turned around and walked away. He sauntered gracefully turning back only once to look at me before disappearing into the beckoning horizon.
I stood by the altar where I once lay bound and paused. I picked up a portion of a broken shackle and it crumbled into dust through my fingers, no longer fortified by Victor’s plot for vengeance. Then the entire altar crumpled and left a pyramid of sand on the marble floor. I pursed my lips together and blew away the sand in the breeze I created. Then I finally stood before the altar that held my parents crystalized hearts.
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