Brennan started to protest, but I cut him off.
“No arguments,” I snapped. “I can’t believe you would even suggest it. We’d be in the same exact boat- one of us being cursed. It doesn’t really matter which one of us carries it. We just need to find a way to get it removed… not transfer it back and forth. You have no idea what it entails, trust me. I don’t want to talk of this anymore.”
He gazed at me, his eyes golden in the light before he stood and extended his hand to me. “Alright,” he agreed. “For now. We can speak more of it later.”
“No,” I said firmly. “There will be no more talk of it ever.”
I grasped his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet. His touch still sent jolts of electricity shooting through my arm, reminding me of what we were. Soul mates. Once upon a time, Zeus had split our soul in half, creating two separate souls. He had a theory that if people spent their lives searching for their other half, their true mate, then they would not be focused on over-throwing his crown.
I had not searched for my soul mate, however. I had happened upon him entirely by chance after I had just killed his uncle. In most cases, that might put a damper on the relationship. But soul mates had a connection; an unmistakable, undeniable connection. It both reassured and terrified me at once.
The women surrounding us moved back so that I could walk through them. The funny thing was that I didn’t know where to go. What was my purpose here? I stopped moving.
“Follow me,” Branwyn told me quietly as she moved forward. “I have answers that you seek.”
My eyes shot to meet hers and found her gaze to be sincere and knowing.
She nodded.
“Yes, you can trust me. I am here to help you.”
Brennan put his large hand on the small of my back, a weighty presence that comforted me. His intense warmth, which stemmed from being the son of the god of the sun, radiated through my back.
“I trust her,” he murmured into my hair from behind. “I don’t know why but I do.”
I twisted just slightly to answer him.
“She can hear you, you know.”
He smiled slightly and I turned back to Branwyn.
“How do you know so much about me? I need to know.”
She nodded. “Come, then. I will explain.”
We wound our way out of the small village, past the stares of the other women, until we stood on the edge of a nearby forest. The grasses were tall, almost up to our knees, and we stood quietly for a moment before entering.
“This is a sacred place,” Branwyn told us. “We come here to worship, to sacrifice, to pray. You must be respectful of it while you are here.”
“Of course,” Brennan agreed. “We would never be anything else.”
Branwyn nodded, satisfied. “We channel the spirit of the earth here. The water, the trees, the sky and the earth meet in our meadow here. They pull from the four corners and meet as one. We draw strength from that. You are fortunate. You will be here for Samhain. The barrier between our world and the Otherworld will be at its thinnest. This will assist you in your purpose.”
Without explaining, she stopped speaking and began walking into the darkened trees, her feet peeking out of her long shift with every step she took. Brennan and I glanced at each other and then quickly followed.
Enormous oak trees closed around us, creating an atmosphere of mystery and solitude. The massive trunks of the trees were cloaked in green velvet moss which also grew across the worn paths beneath our feet. It smelled earthy here, damp and rich, and I inhaled deeply as we walked. The air here did actually feel sacred. It had a certain reverent feel that made me want to fall silent so that I didn’t disturb anything around me with noise.
We made our way to a circular clearing and the feeling of reverence intensified. It was clear that the circular meadow in front of us had been developed by the priestesses. It was encircled with trees, then a ring of stones. In the center of the circle, a glossy black stone shimmered in the light.
I sucked in my breath as I stared at it. Round, heavy and flat, it sat in the exact center of the meadow. Shadows from the rustling tree branches overhead swayed against the stone. Dried flowers were scattered upon it, their petals fluttering in the wind. This was an altar. That much as apparent.
As we approached, it almost seemed as though the grasses beneath our feet stopped moving and the breeze itself died.
“What is this place?” I whispered, running my fingers along the cool length of the stone.
“I told you,” Branwyn said, turning to me with a puzzled expression. “It is sacred ground. ”
“But why?” I asked. “What makes it sacred?”
Branwyn shrugged. “You do. Or we do. Or combined, we both do. I know not. You and your kind have powers that I do not, but I know enough to channel them. That majestic presence is felt here, in this place where everything comes together, the earth, the water, the sky and the sun. It is sacred here. That is all I know.”
“My kind?” I raised an eyebrow.
She smiled pleasantly back at me.
“I know you are different from me. I know you are even different from our father. Yours is a power truly to behold and revere, a power born from the goddess herself.”
The goddess herself.
My mind started spinning backward, sifting through memories of mortal history. The ancient Celtic Druids were known to have believed in an earth goddess, although mortals didn’t document which gods and goddesses Druid priestesses truly worshipped. They were known to worship natural elements, such as the earth, the sun, the moon… but other than that, their religion was not a written one. So, modern mortals truly didn’t know what had gone on here.
My mother was the goddess of witchcraft. So any magic that was channeled here must be from my mother.
My mother was who they referred to as the goddess herself.
Suddenly, I felt closer to my mother than I had in awhile, as though her very presence was here. The wind picked up and lifted the hair from my face and it felt as though my mother was actually speaking to me, letting me know of her unseen presence. I knew it was silly, if she was here she would simply materialize and show herself to me. But it still felt true.
“It’s not silly,” Branwyn murmured as she stretched her arms out wide and lifted her face to the muted evening sunlight that filtered through the trees. “Your mother is here. You can feel her.”
A thought occurred to me and I turned to her. “Have you ever actually seen my mother? In person?”
Her eyes popped open and she stared at me in surprise.
“Of course not. I have not acquired that much value to the goddess yet. But she speaks to me here. I channel her strength. It is through her that I am able to sift through the thoughts of others.”
“My mother grants you the power to read minds?” I raised an eyebrow.
“I do not do it alone,” she answered in wry amusement. “I am but a mere mortal.”
“Somehow, I doubt you are a mere mortal,” I told her. “Especially since I know that you have seen my future somehow. Can you tell me now? What is my purpose? What have you seen?”
“Come,” she nodded and gestured toward stone altar. “Both of you are part of this, both of you are more important than you know. Lie down here.”
I glanced up at her sharply and she smiled. “You’ll have to trust me, Empusa. I mean you no harm.”
“You’ll have to excuse me,” I answered slowly. “It is hard for me to trust.”
“I know,” she answered solemnly. “Please, lie down. I give you my word that I will not harm you. Join hands.”
“You couldn’t harm me,” I shook my head as I did what she asked. Climbing onto the stone, it was cool and smooth beneath my hands. Brennan leaped up next to me and we both settled onto our backs, staring up at the sky above us as our fingers joined together.
Tingling electricity fingers caressed my arm as our palms drew together. Brennan turned to me and smiled.
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“I doubt I’ll ever get used to that,” he admitted softly, leaning in quickly to brush his lips against mine. The electricity spread to my lips.
“Me either,” I told him.
“Focus,” Branwayn admonished us as she stood on the edge of the stone. “I need you to clear your thoughts. The images that come into your mind here today will be your answers. You will trust what you see far more than you would trust what I say.”
She began murmuring an incoherent chant in the same tone I’d heard my mother use a thousand times over. I watched her lips move, forming the soft words, before I shifted my gaze to the sky above me. The trees practically met in a canopy above us, their long boughs stretching and reaching as the wind moved them.
The warmth of Brennan’s body next to me lulled and comforted me as the clouds above swirled and melted into the treetops. I became aware of a crackling, heavy presence in the meadow, something that lifted above us and hovered. Yet when I opened my eyes, there was nothing there. Branwyn’s eyes were squeezed tightly closed as she chanted and Brennan was staring at the sky.
The heaviness clung to my arms and legs, creeping upward over my body until it felt as though it was holding me down, tying me to the altar. It should have been unnerving or terrifying, but it wasn’t. I felt a sense of calm transcend over me and I closed my eyes once more.
When I did, the visions started. There was blood.
So much blood.
Harmonia, Cadmus, Ares, Hecate and Aphrodite stood with weapons in their hands. A smear of blood was on Harmonia’s cheek, her green eyes glassy in her anger. Cadmus and Ares were covered in blood from head to toe. A vein stood out in the side of Ares’ neck as his chest heaved from heavy-breathing.
They were clearly battling something.
My vision expanded and I could suddenly see my father facing them. Of course. I should have known he was involved. My pulse picked up at just the sight of his pale, emotionless face. And then my heart practically stopped when I saw that he stood with Brennan’s father, Apollo. If I could have taken a breath, I would have gasped. Why were our fathers together? Apollo was beautiful and golden, but he was covered in blood as well.
Horrible, wretched screaming filled the stadium that they were in. And that’s when I saw them. A cage of mortals hovered above the arena, thick gilded bars imprisoning the frightened people. Fear was thick there, so overwhelming that I could taste it in my mouth. Something horrible was about to happen. I tried to open my eyes, to end the visions, but I couldn’t. I could not physically move.
One of the mortals unexpectedly dropped from the bottom of their cage. He tumbled through the air and landed on his feet on a long platform filled with moving objects. Swinging pendulums covered in large razor points, spike-tipped columns rammed up and down from the platform itself, massive swinging maces and sweeping logs covered in glistening knives. The points of each of the weapons glinted in the light, each one of them clearly deadly. This was a sick, twisted gauntlet.
The mortal was frozen in terror, but he was forced to move because one of the deadly pendulums was swinging toward him. He leaped forward and somehow, over the course of the next several minutes, he managed to twist and leap through the rest of the challenges. Fear for his life made him fearless and desperate.
He emerged triumphantly on the other side of the deadly game. But his relief was very short-lived. It seemed that his challenge was far from over. He was dropped from the platform onto the dirt of the arena, amid the dust and circling gods and goddesses. What was this?
The mortal tried to run toward my mother, but was thwarted by Apollo, his beautiful face set in determination. Cadmus, handsome and also deadly, lunged forward and swung a sword at Apollo’s torso. Both Brennan and I flinched as the sharp blade connected, carving a deep crevice on Apollo’s flawless body. He growled and retaliated, kicking at Cadmus’ legs.
While they were occupied, Harmonia pivoted and rushed around, grabbing the mortal and attempting to drag him with her back to her side of the stadium. Mormo leaped forward and ran the mortal through with a lance. I gasped, aware that hot tears were sliding down my cheek as the mortal slid from the lance lifelessly to the ground. Brennan gripped my hand hard.
“What is this?” I whispered, finally able to move enough to speak. The visions melted away and the beautiful meadow once again surrounded us. I fought to remain calm.
“What is this?” I shrieked at Branwyn. “Why were they fighting? Why were they using mortals?”
Branwyn was calm and placid, standing ever so still at our feet. Her face was pale, however, an outward sign of her distress. Yet when she spoke, her voice was slow and expressionless and it wasn’t her own. It was my mother’s.
“It is a game, Empusa, between the gods. I appealed to Zeus for your life…to get your curse removed. Zeus was at first happy to oblige, but Apollo interfered. It seems that he didn’t realize he had a son. Now that he knows and he also knows that Brennan is tied to you, he wishes for that tie to be broken. He had no wish for your curse to be lifted. He does not want his son endangered- he hopes for a strong alliance between himself and Brennan. He used the argument that if you cannot control your combined powers, it would trigger an apocalypse in the mortal world. It was a strong argument and Zeus could not decide who should prevail, so it will be settled with a game.
“You and Brennan will be faced with tasks that you must face together, which means you must control your magic. These tasks will not only test your magic, but your mettle. You must prove that you are worthy to be a god. If you succeed, Zeus will grant Brennan immortality, per Apollo’s request. Per mine, your soul will be separated from your moonstone and your curse will be lifted. Each time you fail, a mortal will be dropped into the arena. If the mortal lives, each side will fight to claim him. At the end of the game, whoever retains the most live mortals will win. If Apollo wins, he wants your death as his prize.
“I am sending Circes to you with a package and instructions written by Zeus himself. You and Brennan must endeavor to complete the challenges. For each challenge you complete, a mortal will be released unharmed. If you complete every challenge, Zeus will handle the situation however you wish. If you fail some, but we still retain the majority of the mortals, he will defer to your wishes. But if you lose, Apollo and Mormo will have their way and all will be lost.”
Branwyn opened her eyes and for a moment, I stared into my mother’s ice blue gaze.
“Why would Zeus do this?” I whispered to her.
Branwyn shrugged and spoke again in my mother’s voice.. “The gods grow bored. They feel invincible. Whether an apocalypse occurs or no, makes no difference to them. They will be entertained either way. Empusa, do your best. Focus as you have never focused before, my child.”
At that moment, a shadow as large as the meadow descended upon us in the shape of a raven. It quickly grew smaller and dwarfed into the shape of a stooped woman. And then Circes materialized in front of us, her black cloak swirling.
“The gods play games, princess,” the old witch told me, her faded eyes cloudy. “It is up to you to win.”
Chapter Four
Over a flickering bonfire, Circes shared with us the rules of the twisted game. Amid the cracks and pops of the fire and the moving shadows from the trees, the old witch was an unnerving presence.
“Once the gods have entered the arena,” she said, her voice creaking eerily in the dark. “Their powers are rendered impotent and they cannot die from any wound they receive. It is a game and the mortals are mere balls in their court. Zeus and the other Olympians will watch from the stands above, but they will not interfere.”
The old woman was perched on a gnarled wooden chair, her shoulders stooped and her voluminous cloak gathered around her legs. Her ancient face was creased and pale and for the first time in my life, I saw a concerned expression on it.
“Circes, I don’t understand this,” I said in frustration. “Why does Apollo even care? I thought he was a decent go
d. My mother told me that he was.”
She studied me for a moment, appraising me with her spooky, sightless eyes. She could not see, but she turned her face toward you in a way that indicated that she could. It was unsettling at best.
“All of the gods have the ability to be decent,” she acknowledged with a slight nod. Her white hair rustled in the breeze around her like stringy cotton. “But all of them have the ability to be ruthless, as well. And every one of them grows bored from time to time. Immorality wears on a person, even a god.”
“But he didn’t even know I was his son,” Brennan protested, his forehead wrinkled in agitation. Even in his anger, he was beautiful. Just like his father. I gulped.
“True,” Circes agreed. “But this is another trait of the gods. They can be selfish, as well. Since you are his son, he doesn’t want your power to go to someone else. He wants you with him, your power available for his use. In addition to that, everyone knows what might happen if you and Empusa cannot control your power when you are together. It is intriguing to them. What would happen to the gods if the mortal world ceased to exist? It is an interesting thought.”
“What do you think would happen to the gods, Circes?” I asked her. She had been around for a very, very long time. She had to have a good idea.
She shrugged, her bony shoulders frail. “I know not,” she admitted. “Nor do I truly care.”
“Why does my father think that I would align myself with him?” Brennan asked. “He does not even know me. I won’t do it. I’ll never be an ally of someone who would harm Empusa.”
Circes threw her head back and laughed, a thin sound in the night. “Ah, dear boy. You have entered an entirely new realm here in the world of the gods. Things are never what they seem, including your own free will. Can Apollo force you to comply? Perhaps. But most likely, he will bend the situation to his will and make you think that you want to comply. Apollo is very, very good at that.”
“You mean trick me?” Brennan asked, his face incredulous. “That will not be an easy task- not where Empusa is concerned. She is everything- my world, the air that I breathe. Since she is at the forefront of my mind with every thought that I have, it will be impossible for him to confuse any issue where she is involved.”
Circes gazed at him, still amused. “You will learn, boy,” she