54. NERO
NERO
I stared into the flames crackling in the fireplace while I waited for Zara to arrive.
A fire was totally unnecessary of course, as I didn’t need the heat and she wouldn’t be able to feel it in astral form, but she seemed to take comfort from the flames, and it took but a thought to indulge her.
And it was a long time since I’d felt the need to indulge anyone but myself.
I’d had other apprentices over the centuries, but none of them had lasted long.
That was mainly my fault. I wasn’t the easiest person to get on with, but with Zara it had been different from the very start.
She taken my abrasive personality totally in her stride, responding with her own endearing brand of sassiness and worming her way into my heart until I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.
She’d seen me in a way that no one had since… well, it had been a very long time.
I looked down at the note in my hand and read the first line again.
There’s been a development you should know about.
It had arrived from Olympus this afternoon and I was still unsure whether I should show it to Zara or not.
If I told her what had happened, there was a very good chance that she’d decide to involve herself despite knowing the dangers. If I didn’t tell her, I wasn’t sure our friendship would survive me keeping another secret from her when she found out. Which she inevitably would at some point.
The air rippled around me, and with no more time left to think, I made my choice.
I would protect her from this for as long as I could and worry about the fallout later.
Crumpling the note in my fist, I tossed it into the fireplace and watched it burn to ashes as she materialised in her favourite chair.
“Well, it’s about time, Mathitevómenos,” I said as I passed her the glass of wine I had ready and waiting for her. “You’re late. Again.”
TO BE CONTINUED