Taming Darkness: Artemis Lupine #4

by Catherine Banks

  I ignored his comment and asked, “When do we have to go back?”

  Ares shrugged. “Probably soon since Maurice will be angry that you killed a lot of his vampires, the warlock, and that you almost killed him.”

  “There are probably fifty or more vampires headed our way as we speak,” Victor said with a strange light in his eyes.

  “So are we going to stay and kill them or are we leaving?” I asked. It was strange that Ares wasn’t whisking me away to safety knowing that we would soon be attacked. It was especially strange since I was pregnant.

  “We will be leaving in a moment,” Victor said sadly, “Before the vampires arrive.”

  “You sound like you want to get in a fight,” I said.

  Victor smiled. “I do.”

  “We all do,” Ares said with a growl.

  My headache intensified, causing me to double over in pain and hang my head between my legs. “Can we go now?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Ares said, standing up and then picking me up from the couch.

  “Can you teleport us?” I asked Victor. “I am in too much pain to do it.”

  “Of course,” he said as he stood up and walked to us. He chugged the rest of his whiskey and then set a hand on each of our shoulders. “Just throw up on Ares if you need to.”

  The world twisted around us and then we were in the underground of the cathedral again, inside the room with Achilles’ body. “Why are we here?” I asked, swallowing back the tears that tried to surface.

  “Because I want to speak to you,” Zeus said from behind us. Ares turned around so that we were facing Zeus who was sitting on a stone bench.

  I felt more nervous facing him than I had anyone else. Hera popped into the room using her teleportation and sat down on the bench beside Zeus. “Did I miss anything?”

  Zeus shook his head. “They just arrived.”

  “Good,” she said.

  “What’s up?” I asked nervously.

  “Victor, would you please leave us?” Zeus asked.

  Victor bowed to Zeus and Hera and said, “Of course.” He winked at me and then disappeared in a whirl of mist.

  “How are you feeling?” Zeus asked me as he and Hera just looked at me.

  What was going on? Why had they called me here? “I’m okay. I have a bit of a headache, but I’m sure that will be cured when I eat some food.”

  “When was the last time you ate?” Hera asked.

  “Two days ago,” I whispered, wishing Ares was not there to hear.

  “Two days?!” Ares asked angrily, setting me down on my feet. “Why haven’t you eaten in two days?”

  “Ares,” Zeus reprimanded, “Calm down.”

  “You cannot starve yourself. You have a baby inside of you now and you must take care of it above yourself,” Ares said angrily. “I will leave her here with you and get food for her.”

  “Ares, don’t leave me,” I begged him.

  “Zeus will protect you if you get yourself into trouble, yet again, while I am gone,” Ares said and then walked out of the room.

  I stared at the door in shock. He rarely got angry with me. Was it because of the baby? Or was this also because of Achilles?

  “Are you able to fully use your magic and fully change?” Hera asked.

  I nodded my head. “Yes.”

  “Do you have any side effects that you have noticed?” She asked.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Good. You are one of the few that have returned from Death’s realm so we wanted to make sure that you were doing alright,” Zeus said.

  I cringed, knowing that if it were up to them that they would have wanted Achilles back as well.

  “We brought you here to check on you and to tell you that we do not blame you,” Hera said.

  I stared at in her shock. “What?”

  “We do not blame you for our son’s death,” Zeus said, glancing quickly at Achilles’ body before looking back at me.

  I didn’t know what to say. The only thing I could think to do was apologize to them and they did not seem like they wanted my apology so I just stood there.

  I blamed myself. How could they not blame me?

  Zeus stood up and walked to me, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. “You cannot blame yourself for his death,” he whispered, “He would not want you to. He died doing something he loved, protecting you, and he should be remembered for his heroism.”

  “If I hadn’t…” I started.

  “Enough,” Hera said. “You will not blame yourself.” She walked to me and grabbed my chin in her hands. “Grieve for your lost one and then square your shoulders and rule as the Queen that you are. You have priorities and you must not act so disparagingly about the war. ”

  “There’s something I have to tell you,” I said.

  She released me and frowned. “What has happened?”

  “Maurice is immune to sunlight.”

  Zeus and Hera’s eyes widened in shock and she asked, “How do you know this?”

  “I attacked him,” I said. “I used sunlight on him and he sat in it, examining his fingernails.”

  “Hope is not lost for the war,” Zeus said, “He is still vulnerable to fire.”

  “I fear I cannot defeat him,” I whispered. “He is too strong.”

  “We will figure something out,” Zeus assured me. “I have already called a meeting and hopefully there we will formulate a plan.”

  Ares returned empty handed. “Are you ready to leave?” he asked me.

  “Leave, where?” I asked.

  “To eat. Come, you need to eat and then rest,” Ares said softly.

  I let him lead me away from Zeus and Hera, wanting to get away from Achilles’ body before I started crying again. I knew I should ask Ares if he was mad at me about Achilles, but I was too chicken to ask him, fearing his answer. I was surprised and relieved that Hera and Zeus did not blame me and would take Hera’s instructions to heart. She was right, I had to lead as the Queen of the Werewolves. There were many more lives at stake than my own.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Why are you sad?” Achilles asked me softly as he stroked my hair. We were in a beautiful meadow with a softly bubbling brook a few yards away. The sun was warm against my face and a soft wind caressed my skin. How could it feel so right when everything was wrong?

  “You’re dead,” I whispered miserably as I lay in the comfort of his arms. “I will never see you again.”

  He smiled and whispered, “I will always be with you, Artemis. I live inside of you and Ares. I am a part of your past which has shaped your future. As long as you do not forget, I will always be with you.”

  “I will never forget you. I love you,” I whispered as I looked up at him.

  He pressed his lips against my forehead and whispered, “Then live, Artemis. Fulfill the prophecy, raise children with Ares and live your life. I will always be in your heart and your memories. That is the best any man could ask for. Do not blame your brother for my death, but embrace him as Ares and I did after so many years. Do not make the same mistakes as us. Remember, Verus amor vincit omnia. True love conquers all. Fulfill the prophecy and right the balance of light and darkness.”

  “Achilles!” I yelled as the dream dissolved and I opened my eyes to find Koda and Ares looking at me. I wrapped my arms around Ares and cried, needing to be comforted by him despite feeling like it might be wrong. Koda wrapped his body around me from behind and my two-man pack comforted me. After several minutes I calmed myself and wiped the remaining tears from my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  Koda rubbed my back slowly and Ares kissed my cheek. “You have nothing to apologize for,” Ares answered. My stomach growled and Ares said, “That’s our cue to get you food. Come, on, let’s eat.”

  I really wanted to just lie in bed and weep for the loss of Achilles. I wanted to let my body release the pain it was feeling in some way, but Achilles did not want me to lie around. He wanted me to live, so that was exactly
what I was going to do. I would not hide in my room and weep. I would use the time I had to plan and seek revenge on Maurice for Achilles’ life.

  I looked around in shock as I realized that we weren’t in the cathedral anymore, but in a room with a bed. “Where are we?”

  “We are in Zeus’ realm,” Ares answered.

  “How did we get here? When?” I asked, feeling like I had missed something.

  “After you ate last night you fell asleep and Victor teleported us here,” Koda said.

  “I don’t remember eating,” I admitted.

  Ares and Koda looked at each other, but did not say anything.

  A servant brought in plates piled high with food. I ate until I couldn’t hold any more and then changed into clothes I found in the dresser.

  “You should visit the dragons today. They have been waiting patiently, but I am not sure how much longer their patience will last,” Ares said softly.

  “Blu’s here?!” I asked in shock, turning away from the mirror where I had been staring at my haggard self. I was in desperate need of a shower.

  “He is not far, but not in this realm. He felt you die and flew to the cathedral. According to Victor, Blu is the reason I survived,” Ares said.

  Without another word I flung open the bedroom door and ran down the hallway towards the exit. Ares raced after me and caught up to me just as I pushed open the outside doors. “Wait for me,” Koda called from behind us.

  I grabbed each of their hands and then asked, “Where to?”

  “We are simply walking out of the passage,” Ares said.

  I dropped their hands, raced up the stairs and flung open the hatch.

  Blu roared from the sky where he had been circling and dived to the ground, landing heavily and making me wobble. Ares steadied me with a hand on my shoulder and then released me as Blu wrapped his neck around me, humming loudly. “Hatchling, I have been worried about you,” he said in his deep and familiar voice.

  I wrapped my arms around as much of his neck as I could. “Thank you for coming, Blu. I have missed you greatly.”

  He backed away from me and said, “I am sorry for the loss of your bound sidhe. He would have been a great king.”

  I sniffed as tears threatened to leak out. “Thank you.”

  Ares picked my hand up, helping drive away the sadness by his comfort. Zeus stepped out of the portal and smiled when he saw me. He walked to me and wrapped me in the biggest hug I had ever received, other than Blu’s. “Artemis, I am so glad to see you.”

  “Sorry about the other day and going a little crazy with my powers,” I whispered.

  He shook his head and pulled back, holding me by the arms. “Do not apologize for grieving over my son. I expected nothing less.” Zeus looked at Ares and said, “The ceremony will begin in one hour. Will you assist me?”

  Ares bowed at the waist. “It would be an honor.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked softly.

  “The funeral,” Zeus answered.

  I leaned my head against Zeus’ chest. “When do we get to kill vampires again?”

  Zeus squeezed my shoulders. “Killing your enemies is always more fun than burning your friends. We will resume the fun soon.”

  Blu asked, “Would the Sidhe mind if some non-Sidhe attended the ceremony?”

  Zeus turned and smiled at Draco Blu. “The Sidhe would be honored if the dragons attended. I’m guessing you are more interested in the announcement at the end?”

  Blu nodded his head once. “Yes, we know your protocol and are interested in the announcement after the funeral. Plus, we would like to pay our respects to Achilles.”

  Ares tugged on my hand. “Come on, we need to get changed.”

  Zeus kissed my cheek and released me. “I will see you both in an hour.”

  Ares nodded his head and led me back to the room where Victor was waiting for us. Victor stood when he saw me enter and enveloped me in a hug. “Mon papillon. It is good to see you breathing and not getting yourself into trouble.”

  I hugged the vampire back and then stepped out of his arms. “How long did you see me not breathing?”

  “He stayed at yours and Ares’ sides the entire time,” Koda answered from the chair he had sat down in.

  I looked at Victor. “You did?”

  Victor shrugged. “It is not important.”

  I could see he was hiding something, but let it go since I could see Koda needed comforting. I sat on his lap and let him cradle me for a moment, not long enough to be rude to Ares, but also not too short to worry Koda. Ares held out a black dress and advised the others of the funeral time.

  After putting on the dress and tying my hair up, I sat on the edge of the bed pondering over everything. In order to fulfill the prophecy I had to restore the balance of good and evil, of light and darkness. To do that I had to defeat Maurice. To do that I had to destroy most of his vampires. I knew what I had to do, but to effectively do it I needed my brother’s help. “Ares?”

  Ares turned around, finishing buttoning up his black dress shirt. “Yes?”

  “Where’s Apollo?”

  Koda snarled and Ares asked, “Why do you want to know?”

  I exhaled and said, “I had a dream and Achilles told me not to blame my brother and to embrace him.”

  Ares stopped his buttoning and said, “He’s locked in a dungeon cell right now. Even if he had never meant to harm you, he killed Achilles. The Sidhe aren’t going to just let that go.”

  “Are they going to execute him?” I asked nervously.

  Ares looked at Victor who said, “They haven’t told me anything, but I think they were waiting for your return before making the final decision. I’m sure they will make the decision tomorrow though.”

  Ares exhaled. “Okay.”

  Ares looked at Victor again and Victor shook his head. “I have no clue who they’re going to choose.”

  “Choose for what?” I asked feeling left out yet again. It was a problem that happened far too often with this group and was something I intended to fix.

  Ares smiled. “You’ll just have to find out with the rest of us after the funeral.”

  I rolled my eyes and followed him out of the room. He led our small group out the back of the building and to a large wooden platform. Wood was piled high underneath it and an enormous crowd, consisting mostly of Sidhe, had gathered. Victor and Koda joined the crowd and Ares pulled me off to the side. “I’m going to be part of the procession, so you should go stand beside Hera.”

  I nodded my head and kissed his cheek before making my way through the crowd to Hera. Athena stood beside Hera and when she saw me, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around me. “Artemis, I am so sorry for how I have treated you. Please, forgive me.”

  I patted my mother awkwardly on the back and then released the anger that had begun simmering at her presence and hugged her back. “You’re forgiven.”

  Athena smiled at me and kissed my cheek. “Thank you.”

  I took my place next to Hera who acknowledged my presence by grabbing my hand in hers and gripping it tightly. Athena stood on Hera’s other side and Hera latched on to her just as quickly. A horn trumpeted and all of the Sidhe released their wings from their backs. Athena nodded her head at me and I released mine as well, letting my body glow with the rest of the Sidhe.

  Zeus began singing and then Ares joined him. I had never heard Zeus sing and was surprised at how wonderful they sounded. I watched with everyone else as they sang a sorrowful song in a language I could not understand and carried Achilles’ body on a plank towards the wooden platform in front of where we were all standing. The sight of father and son singing brought back a memory of Ares and Achilles singing to me in Hera’s court what was probably only a few weeks ago, but felt likes years.

  The Sidhe in the crowd joined the song one by one until all of the full blooded Sidhe were singing their sorrow and mourning together. Even Hera sang, her voice carrying above the others in her extrem
e grief. I had never before heard something so eerily beautiful and at the same time heartbreaking. I didn’t need to know the words to know that they were singing their mourning for Achilles.

  The song stopped as Zeus and Ares laid Achilles’ body on top of the platform. Zeus turned to Ares and I watched in shock as Ares’ body began to glow and he created fire in his hand. He dropped the fire onto the wood and then walked to me, his body still glowing as mine was. He took my free hand and I watched as silent tears streamed down his face. I cried silently with the rest of the Sidhe as we watched until the fire died.

  The crowd turned as Zeus flew up into the air near the building. “As is customary after the death and funeral of the heir, I will announce my new heir. Hera, please join me.” Hera released Athena and my hands and flew up into the air beside her husband, taking his hand. Zeus smiled at her, but she simply nodded her head at him. “Achilles was the heir to both the dark and light courts. Therefore, a new heir for both of the courts needs to be chosen. In the past each court has been allowed to choose a separate heir, but Hera and I have decided to choose a joint heir again.”

  The crowd was thrumming with anticipation at the announcement. I only felt exhausted and sad.

  “I, Zeus, King of the Dark Court of the Sidhe, with the consent of Hera, Queen of the Light Court of the Sidhe, hereby declare that Artemis Lupine is the new heir to both the Light and Dark Courts of the Sidhe.”

  Of all of the surprised gasps, mine must have been the loudest. Ares squeezed my hand and whispered. “If you accept, you need to fly up to them.”

  I stared at him in shock. “I…I...” How could they spring this on me? Why hadn’t they talked to me about it before? Wasn’t Ares technically the next heir?

  He released my hand and smiled. “It’s what Achilles would have wanted.”

  I exhaled and flapped my wings, pushing myself up into the air and flying to Zeus and Hera. I hovered in front of them and said the only thing that I could in the situation, “I accept this great honor.”

  Hera was handed a purple bag and from it she pulled a small tiara. “We are glad that you accept and will do our best to prepare you well before your ascension to the throne.” She placed the tiara on my head and whispered a spell which released a block that had been on the tiara. Power flowed from the tiara into me and then memories of past bearers of the tiara began to stream into my head. I closed the barrier as I had learned to do before and the memories stopped. My right ring finger began to tingle and then a small tattoo appeared around my finger.