by R D Martin
Panting and heaving, she pushed herself up to lean against the wall. What happened? Had someone tried to curse her? It shouldn't have been possible. She would have had some warning. Her personal wards were still in place, and she had felt nothing attack them. Then what was it? And why did she still smell seawater? She could swear she could even taste the ocean now, as if she'd just spat out a mouthful of gritty salt water. What was—?
A craggy voice interrupted the thought, sending shivers down her spine.
"Well, well. Hello, little witch. I must confess, I did not expect to see you here."
Bella whipped her head toward the voice, but she knew who she would see. The voice that brought to mind images of deep ocean currents and drowning men could only belong to one being, the Sea Hag, Ceto.
The old woman hadn't changed since the last time Bella saw her. Still bent as though supporting the weight of the ocean on her shoulders, with long white hair mixed with strands of dark green seaweed, the woman looked more like one of the wretched homeless than a former goddess. Her long, dark robe was soaked with water from her ocean home and left a trail of salt water wherever she went. As she moved, she dislodged crustaceans that scuttled away in a bid for freedom. Some made it while others were trod underfoot, crushed beneath the Hag's weight. Ceto showed no favor to anything unless that favor benefited her. In that, she was like every immortal Bella had met so far, even the Finder.
Bella wanted to scream at the Sea Hag. She wanted to burn her with the hottest fire she could summon and demand to know what the woman had done to her. But as tempting as the thought was, the Sea Hag was an ancient being once powerful enough to be considered a god and worshipped, and still had the power to wipe the floor with her. As much as it rankled, she needed to be cautious.
"Hello, Ceto. What brings you here?" The words leaped from her lips before she could catch them, sounding altogether as though she was less interested in the woman standing in front of her than she was of the weather outside. She kept her face as passive as possible, but on the inside, she groaned.
The Sea Hag's eyebrow and the edge of her lip curled down. In her glory days, sailors spoke her name in hushed whispers when they weren't praying to her for salvation, offering live sacrifice for a safe return home. She was the mother of monsters and nightmares of the deep. Her children sank ships and pulled unlucky sailors to the darkest depths of her ocean home.
"You have failed in your duties, child."
"What are you talking about?" It was her turn to look confused.
Ceto pushed herself to her full height, and the lights in the hall dimmed as she did. This was a being of power, of might unimaginable by mere mortals. The air became heavy, oppressive, as if the weight the Hag set aside was about to drop into the middle of the hall, drowning Bella before carrying her corpse to oblivion.
"My sacrifice. You swore an oath."
"I did…" She wanted to deny it, but her mouth couldn't make the words form. She had sworn to give the Sea Hag a sacrifice of blood for helping find the Blade of Ages, but the map hadn't led her to that particular knife. Instead, she'd been sent on a wild hunt for a broken dagger capable of destroying the world.
"And from your own lips comes the truth. I call your debt due."
What was she talking about? Did she expect a sacrifice here? Now? Bella shifted against the wall, trying to push herself up. If she would have a face-off with Ceto, she wanted to do it on her feet. Her hand slipped on the damp stone and she dropped back down, smacking the back of her head in the process. Wet stone?
Bella looked at her palm, fear gripping her as she watched beads of water roll down her wrist and arm. What was the Hag doing? Bella moved, ignoring the squelching coming from the saturated carpet, and rose to her feet. Even in the dimmed light, she could see water cascading down the corridor walls, giving the gray stone a mirrorlike sheen. Was this happening everywhere or just here?
"What are you doing?" The words mixed with the sound of falling water, and shuffling her feet, she realized the carpet was no longer just saturated, but the water level had risen above it.
"I am claiming what you owe, human. You swore a sacrifice and failed, so I take your life as payment."
The way Ceto said it, without anger or emotion, sent tendrils of fear colder than the water up her spine to lodge in the base of her skull. The water was now above her ankles and climbing. Well, there was no way she was just going to stand here and drown. As the icy water swirled around her feet, Bella opened herself up to magic, throwing open the gate the power needed to fill her. Before the magic could flood her, the pain in her hand and arm reappeared. It wasn't a slow buildup like before, though. It lanced through her as if a burning steel rod had been shoved in through her palm and out through her shoulder.
Bella screamed in agony, not only at the pain though that was bad enough, but at the loss of magic. The pain tearing through her had been enough to slam shut her floodgates, blocking off the power she could use to save herself.
Ceto laughed, showing something other than indifference for the first time. "No, worm. I will not let you deny me. You begged for my help and I gave it. Did I not supply the map you needed? Did I not give you the tools to succeed in your mortal quest?"
Water was now lapping at Bella’s knees, and though she tried to back away and put some room between herself and the Sea Hag, her feet refused to budge from the floor. The swirling, salty water that flowed around her was also keeping her in place.
It was true. She'd promised the sacrifice for help, but the Hag hadn't helped her, not really. She'd sent them after the wrong blade.
"It was the wrong one," Bella cried, struggling against the current winding around and through her legs. "You sent us after the wrong one."
"What? What did you say?" Ceto's face shifted from pleased to confused, warring with itself before settling on annoyed.
"You sent us after the wrong one."
"Bah," the Sea Hag replied, waving her hand as if to swat away a buzzing insect. "You wanted a blade. And I gave you the map to one."
"But not the one promised. The deal…" She paused. The water was so cold it was making her teeth chatter. "The deal was a sacrifice for the Blade of Ages. You broke faith, Ceto, not me. You didn't deliver."
The sound of rushing water cut off, and even its movement slowed to a near stop. It was a calculated gamble, but the only one she had left. Bella had called the word of an immortal into question, and the world seemed to be holding its breath. If Ceto didn't kill her now, she might live through this. It was a slight chance, but better than none.
"You dare accuse me?" Anger flashed in the Sea Hag's blue eyes, and Bella could almost see the implacable force behind them. This was the anger of the sea unchained, ready to smash against the rocks until everything in its path became rubble. A god's word was inviolable, something as dependable as the sun rising and setting. If Ceto had lied and tried to exact payment, she could lose everything, including her immortality. Life for a fallen god was not easy, but even they had to follow rules, whether they liked them or not.
"No, Ancient," Bella replied, though that was exactly what the Sea Hag had done. "You are too powerful to make such a mistake"—flattery never hurt—"I argue we made no agreement."
This was the important part, and the most dangerous. If no agreement was made, then Ceto couldn't take her as a sacrifice, and she would lose out on the power she would have gotten from it. Gods don't access the world of magic like mortals, and most other immortals, do. They get their power through sacrifice and prayer. But compared to the meal that came with sacrifice, prayer was only a small bite.
If Ceto accepted that they had made no deal, she might back off, which Bella hoped for. The dangerous part, the part that made her stomach flip-flop as she thought of what came next, was how the Sea Hag would react to losing the sacrifice. Ordinary murder wasn't against any rules, at least not for a god.
"Did I not render aid?"
"You did, Great One."
&nbs
p; "Did you not accept the aid?"
"I did. I do not deny it."
"Then an agreement was made." The Sea Hag nodded as if to say that settled the matter. Bella could feel the water beginning to swirl about her feet as the currents beneath the surface started up again.
"No, Ancient," Bella said, trying to keep her heart from pounding its way out of her chest. "We, uh, I asked for aid and you rendered it, but not for what I asked. We, we've begun negotiating, but we have reached no deal. You cannot harm me until we do." She threw in the last bit, hoping to give her statement extra weight.
Ceto stared at her, and the Sea Hag's eyes narrowed into slits, hiding their deep blue color. Everything came down to what she decided now. Bella had a one-in-three shot of living through the next five minutes, but even that was better than none. Time seemed to stretch on for an infinity as she stood there, waist deep in freezing water, while waiting on the fallen god to decide her future.
Her pulse raced and skin tingled even as her stomach sank. What was Ceto thinking? Not that Bella wanted to die, but the waiting was like dying again and again as each second passed.
The fallen goddess pressed her lips into a tight line and, after what felt like an epoch passing, nodded. Raising her hand, she snapped her fingers with a sound that bounced through the halls. The pressure holding Bella in place disappeared and so too did the salt water. It was as though her near drowning had never happened. The walls, the carpet, even her clothes were as dry as if they'd sat in a desert sun all day. The only sign of her encounter with the Sea Hag's power was a salty, fishy smell that clung to her. That, and the itching mark on the back of her hand.
The dimmed lights in the hall returned to normal and Bella thought she could hear voices carrying down the hall, though she still couldn't see anyone.
"Speak, human. Let's get this farce over with and finish this deal. I would have my sacrifice."
Ceto kept her face as passive as she could while dealing with the human. It was a habit gained over centuries of dealing with the pathetic creatures, though not one she enjoyed. If it weren't for their sacrifices and prayers, she would drown every one she came across.
All things considered, though, she liked seeing them groveling. There wasn't much that could warm her cold heart, but watching one of them writhe like a worm while begging for her favor pleased her a little. But the sacrifice. Oh, the rush of power as it filled her. That was something no one but another god would understand. And the sacrifice this human would give, whether she knew it or not, would be one of the sweetest.
Ceto frowned at the pathetic witch. In five thousand years, humans had changed little. Oh, the world had certainly changed. Gods came and went. Mortals invented technology to help them survive, and she shuddered at that. Ironclad boats had been the start of her downfall. Luckily, she was smarter than most of the old gods. She'd birthed mighty children and given each one a bit of her power, power that could be called back if she needed it. It would kill her child, but that was no loss. She didn't like most of them anyway.
Even Ladon had been a disappointment. Her son had been just smart enough to figure out her plan, but just dumb enough to believe he could enact it on his own. Then this human got involved.
With the smallest thought and no movement to betray her, Ceto formed a bubble of magic around the two of them and slowed time inside it. It was a waste of power, and that made her want to sigh, but she wanted to study this female a little more.
How could this creature, a mortal without the favor of any god, have defeated her son? True, Hercules had done it while Ladon protected the golden apples, but he was a demigod. This human was nothing, but she'd still been able to slay her son and delay her plans. What was it about her?
Ceto shook her head. It mattered little. An immortal could afford to be patient. And when the time came, this mortal would be the first to die. Her blood would prime the well from which all power would flow to Ceto, and Ceto alone. All would bow to her, worship as they had done at the beginning, and the floor of her ocean home would once again lie thick with the bones of the dead.
That thought almost made her smile. But not yet. The time was coming, but it wasn't here yet. In the meantime, she needed to watch this human. The hook was set, but a good fisherman always lets the catch tire itself out, tugging on the line to make sure it knows there is nowhere to go. This human might be smart, and possibly blessed, but she would not get away. Her blood would mark the beginning, and the ocean would turn red.
That thought did make her smile.
13
As Bella leaned against the wall, her legs shook, threatening to drop her to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut. Her stomach continued to roil from her encounter with the Sea Hag, and even taking deep breaths didn't seem to help much to calm her nerves. She felt as wrung out as if someone had squeezed her like a wet towel.
It had taken an eternity and a half to come to an agreement with the woman, and when she smiled at the end, Bella had felt sure she'd been played with the skill of a master pianist in a concert hall. She knew this would come back to haunt her, but she couldn't see how just yet.
The mark on her hand had disappeared, sinking back beneath the skin as though it never existed, but she could still feel it. She'd heard of phantom limb syndrome and wondered if phantom curse syndrome existed. She'd have to ask Gar the next time she saw him. Thinking of her friend reminded her why she was in the hall. Dealing with an angry goddess has a way of making a person forget about everything else.
Straightening, Bella reoriented herself and started moving down the hall, stumbling the first few steps as she did. The sheen of sweat covering her from head to toe seemed to evaporate along with the knots in her stomach. By the time she reached her destination, she felt almost normal.
The first name on the list Wallace gave her was Algonde. At first, Bella wasn't sure if it was a name or a title, but when asking for directions, she'd learned it was both.
Raising a hand, she hesitated long enough to make sure this was what she wanted to do, then knocked. The sound bounced around the hall and off into the distance. Almost a minute went by with nothing happening before she knocked on the door again. Another minute. As she reached up to rap on it again, she almost fell into the room as the door flew wide open. She caught the doorframe, but it was a close thing.
As the sights and smells of the room hit her like a shotgun blast, she almost preferred the door staying closed. A cloud of purple-gray smoke enveloped her as it pushed its way from the room, spreading out and thinning against the ceiling behind her. It was a mix of smells so thick she could almost taste it. The mixed smells made her think of a perfume factory on fire. Taken alone, each of the smells would have been pleasant. Combined, they made her head spin as her lungs fought against their invasion.
Bella coughed and waved a hand in front of her face, trying to clear some of the noxious cloud away so she could breathe. To make matters worse, even her eyes watered against the fumes, making it impossible to see whoever opened the door.
As the purple hue dissipated, she stared at the bare torso of a man. No, she corrected herself, not a man. The term seemed too small to fit the being in front of her, though she wasn't sure she had any better. This wasn't a man, this was a MAN. A walking, talking, solid wall of sinew and flesh that made her knees weak just looking at him.
Bella's stomach flipped, and her mouth ran dry. She wanted to reach out, to touch the man, to run her hand across his smooth skin and washboard abs. She wanted to…
"Yes?" The baritone rumble washed over her and she shuddered. It felt as though she were in an empty field and listening to thunder roll from a storm miles away. There was no doubt it was coming her way. The only question was how fast. Electric tingles played across her skin and she could feel the hair at the nape of her neck rise.
"I, um, I…" What could she say? She knew what she wanted to say, but not how to do it without tripping over her own tongue. "I'm, uh, I'm here to see…" Her mind fel
t filled with webs of cotton candy.
The man's smile widened, flashing perfect teeth, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. Bella's insides stopped writhing. They had no choice as a warmth spread out from her core, melting everything in its path. He had smiled, and she was happy.
What? Wait, no. That isn’t right. She shouldn't be feeling like this. Not for a man she'd just met. And certainly not because of his rippling muscles, thick arms, and broad shoulders.
Snap out of it! Some part of her screamed against this while another part of her just wanted to lean against the man, soak in the warmth of his body, and forget about everything else.
Bella coughed and her hand flew up to cover her mouth even as her eyes widened and a flush burned her cheeks with embarrassment. It was the smoke.
Without thinking, she summoned magic and formed it into a slight breeze, wafting through the hall to carry away the purple-gray smoke. The fresh air hit her like a freight train, and her mind swirled for a moment. Even through the haze in her mind, she couldn't help seeing the flash of a frown on his lips, a flash that disappeared almost too fast.
"Yes?" he repeated. His tone had changed, leaving behind the rolling thunder and replaced with something more human.
Bella shook her head, clearing out the last of the stuffy sensation. Blinking twice, she looked at the man again. He was still handsome, that was certain, but somehow he was, well, less. She didn't feel the urge to touch him anymore, and his eyes didn't sparkle.
"I'm here to see the Algonde." It was almost a squeak, but it was out.
The man opened the door wider, though he remained in the doorway, barring entrance as effectively as the door. Looking over his shoulder, the Adonis nodded at something Bella couldn't see or hear. After a brief pause, he sighed and moved. "She will see you."
Stepping into the room, Bella could see it was almost identical to Wallace's quarters, except for additional furniture and a lot more people. There had to be a dozen men parading about the room, every one of whom could be cover models. Oiled skin glistened in the dim lights of floating orbs in the corners of the room. Off to the left, smoke rose in purple waves from an incense burner, adding to the cloud already gathered at the ceiling.