Chapter 5 #2
So here we are, back in the great white hall that is Hekate’s residence on Ryetoh.
Samhain is leaning against a tall, white column, looking half asleep and wishing he could be anywhere but here.
The hood of his long, black cloak is hanging down his shoulders, giving us all a clear view of his white hair and matching beard, neat and sculpted.
In anthros form, he looks closer to a sugar daddy than Santa Claus.
The Dei of the underworld gets plenty of action and he doesn’t discriminate.
He’ll fuck whatever makes him hard; no judgement on his part, only willing holes.
Behind him are my brothers, standing guard and listening to every word we say.
I’ve laid out all the information Sage gave me, telling Hekate about the cave and the subsequent ward that hides her from the rest of us.
The harpies tend to use the term sisters in a very loose way, which means they could just be working together and not necessarily related.
Concerning the faerie, she said she’d get back to me on that.
After all, dreamwalkers are rare and specific to certain family lineage so the goddess of witches needs to investigate.
I still can’t believe she’s Sage’s mother. That’s a shock, to say the least.
“Yes, as I explained to her when her body and soul collided on the night of the blood moon, Baba Yaga took her from me. Lied about her being…” Hekate clears her throat and shakes her head like the mental image is too much for her. “She lied and here we are.”
“So she’s been in this cave she talked about for over a month?” My question is low because I’m speaking to myself, trying to make sense of the timeline.
“Yes. Before that, she was a soul and following you, from what I gathered.” My eyes snap to hers as my brain reels back to after her death and all the times I could have sworn I’d felt her presence. I wasn’t losing my mind after all, it would seem. “You felt her, Demon, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me.”
“Interesting.” Hekate cocks her head to the side as though reaching inside my mind and reading every one of my thoughts. I doubt she can actually do that, but this is Hekate we’re talking about. I’m not sure her powers have much of a limit.
After a while, when the silence weighs heavy on my shoulders, I clear my throat and bow my head.
“Dei Hekate, I beg you. Will you help us?” Keeping my head down in a solemn show of reverence, I wait for her to seal my fate.
Samhain is standing behind me, here as my Dei and therefore responsible for my actions. “For fuck’s sake.”
My body is shaking with pent up rage at the thought that Samhain would disrespect Hekate in this way, possibly fucking up my chances of getting on the goddess’s good side.
“Sammy, you’re incorrigible. This is why you’re the bad boy of the Dei.
” Hekate chuckles and her amusement is even more shocking than Samhain’s curse, which doesn’t even compare to…
she called him Sammy? If I weren’t afraid of getting my head sliced off, I’d fucking tease him until the end of my days, which is a long-ass fucking time.
“Just answer the kid, will you? I’ve got a full schedule.” Holy shit, I guess they really are peers.
“You don’t need to be a brute about it. I was thinking about how to go about this. Of course I’ll help, she’s my daughter after all.” My relief at her words is palpable, like my lungs are finally able to take in a long and much needed breath.
“Thank you, Dei. My gratitude is everlasting.” This time, I take a knee, my head bowed as low as it will go like a thankful knight facing a benevolent king. Or queen, as the case may be.
“You shall have three of my valkyrie as you search the lands, which will keep you in constant contact with me. They will help you within the realm of possibility.”
I flinch in surprise when gentle fingers find my chin and, without any effort, lift me from kneeling to standing.
“Liege Zelos, your devotion to my daughter is duly noted. Beyond the bond that the Moirai have granted you, the love in your heart speaks volumes. It is that love that I want to celebrate and that bond that I want to enhance.” I hear Hekate’s words and individually, I understand them, but I’m not sure what the hidden meaning behind them is.
The bronze of her sleeve falls back on her right arm as her left hand summons a knife from thin air. Gods are fickle, with mood swings that rival the Denver area weather, so to say that her wielding a knife has me on high alert is a gross understatement.
Be that as it may, I keep my cool because the charge in the air isn’t giving me nefarious vibes.
With a flick of her wrist, she nicks the skin there, scooping up her blood onto the blade of her knife.
Melodic words fall from her lips, her eyes closing and a slight breeze swirling around us as though we’ve been thrust outside during a pending storm.
It’s only us in this tiny tornado, even if I can feel my brothers behind me ready to pounce, willing to die to save me.
Hekate’s blood lifts from the blade, twisting and turning and mixing with the wind funnel until everything comes to a complete stop.
That’s when I hear her words. “May your bond be the guiding light.” The tip of the blade slices my shirt open, giving Hekate access to my chest, and the blood, as if having a mind of its own, crashes against my skin, right over my heart.
Seconds pass, making me doubt the process and her magic, but I was wrong. So fucking wrong.
When Hekate’s arms fall back to her sides, pain like I’ve never known clutches directly at my heart, like a fist closing its fingers and strangling its life force. I gasp, trying and failing to rid my body of this agony, but as fast as it came, it disappears.
Only then do I realize that whatever Hekate did is working because I can feel her.
I feel her warmth and I smell her unique scent. Her love is my love. Her pain is my pain. I could still feel our bond somewhere deep inside me, but now it’s like a beacon that’s stronger than ever.
My gasp is a word and that word is my hope. “Sage.”