Sacrifice (13 page)

I would have to go into the future to bring my parents’ home. I had to make the council aware of this. I could go into the future on my own, but I rather not. Why had Thaddeus chosen the island of Manhattan? He had been a very clever yet destructive deity and I couldn’t waste any more time trying to decipher his tactics.

My thoughts drifted to Evan. He should’ve been here by now. Everything wasn’t as it should be and I needed my rock. Several times, I attempted to feel Evans’ aura but he was too far away. Moon Rose said that she hadn’t seen him since Victor paid him a visit this morning. My heart plummeted because I knew that his disappearance had everything to do with Evangelia. Finding her had been more important than meeting with me.

Of course, it was.

She’s an Ischero and needs protection. She is as much a member of my empire as I am. I will try to make her feel welcome. As the empress of this great empire, I had to set the example of compassion, although I was deathly afraid of her. I didn’t fear
her
exactly, just what she meant to the love of my life. I couldn’t help wondering if he would still consider me his. I washed away the painful thoughts of Evan rejecting me, and focused on another troublesome notion, my parent’s burial site. 

Unexpectedly, a shadow fell on the gravel path that divided the hyacinth and lilies. My mind had drifted too far. I wondered how long I had been sitting in the garden before noticing the murky shadow’s growth in proportion. It moved slowly, sort of slithering like a snake. It seemed unsure of its discovery. I waited as several more serpent-shaped shadows slid into the larger mass’s path and then joined the dark mist. The Apolluon kept altering its form, transforming from the coiled contour of a python to a winged creature with several necks.

I was surrounded.

I continued to control my breathing. The flowers to my immediate left took on darker shades of their pastel hue as the Apolluon formed a dome over them, as well as where I sat. The dense and murky fog began to twist upward as if it prepared to snatch me right off the bench. I stood up slowly, taking in the figures that stood, as if paralyzed, at the entrance doors to the sunroom.

Evan was transfixed as was Victor, who stood a few inches or so behind Evan. She was there too, and  those crystal-like eyes bulged  in what could not be confused with anything other than acute fear. Her brother threw his hand over her mouth, snuffing the shriek that could end their existence on earth. The Apolluon would attempt to devour all three of them, but would probably only succeed in smothering one of them. I had to work fast.

As my pulse raced, so did the rise of stifling heat and currents within my veins, bones, and soul. My hair spread out on its ends and I threw my head back. The shadows continued to twist maliciously within a few inches of my body. My bolts ignited and the sparks sprang out from my fingertips in long crooked branches, sending the swirling, black mist back to wherever it came from. They will return, again and again. They have found a source of power. It was their main directive as instructed by their heinous creator.

“Delia,” Evan whispered harshly, as he stepped out into the garden, followed by Victor and his sister.

“All three of you…in the house, NOW!” I whispered, knowing that they heard me, although I was twenty feet away.

Teleporting required the use of power, so I walked at a snail’s pace. The truth was that the Apolluon could devour me and seal my fate as well as they could my disciples. If I moved to swiftly and couldn’t form my bolt fast enough, or my bolt failed to ignite, or if I was as foolish as I had just been – daydreaming and not focusing on what was taking place just a few inches from the tip of my satin shoe, I could be smothered and on my way to the Underworld.

I continued to glide slowly down the path. By the time I reached the French doors, which secured my disciples in the sunlit room, their faces exposed their fear. I closed the doors behind me, knowing that the shadows couldn’t pass the threshold.

I took a moment before looking either of them in the eye. I knew that I had been careless and way to leisure while trying to relieve my stress. I could never allow that to happen again. Yet being careful may not prevent another altercation with the shadows. The Apolluon were overly aggressive now. and they had found a power source. They would camp out around this house for as long as it took to finally overwhelm me when I least expected it. In addition, I had to admit that perhaps Lucien was right. It was indeed time to make a change.

“Please don’t look at me like that,” I directed my statement at Evan, but it was meant for all of them. They stared at me as if I was a ghost. “I’m fine.”

“They’ve never come that close, Delia. They were only an inch or two from you. The shadows could have…” Evan’s voice broke off as he grabbed my hands and then released them.

He pulled me into a tight embrace and I buried my face in his neck. When I looked up, Victor met my gaze and I could hear his thoughts. He wanted Evan banished from the empire if that’s what took to have me in his arms as Evan did. He believed that if the Apolluon had devoured me, he would have died the next moment. My knees were weak with the severity of Victor’s thoughts.

I couldn’t help it, and tuned into Evan’s mind.

There were many thoughts fighting for space in his cerebrum. I combed through them to get to the ones of me, which had been pushed to the far end of his mind. He was worried about me, which wasn’t a surprise. He kissed me gently on the forehead. The kiss was tender, sweet, and impossible to believe how different it felt from the last time he had graced me with his lips.

I licked my lips and was captivated by the rosebud like lips from across the room. A shiver ran through my body as I watched him. As Victor parted his lips, I swallowed any hope of staying away from him. His eyes beckoned and I was forced to shut mine. I looked over  at Evan, and my near death experience was just a discarded memory as he stared into Evangelia’s sparkling, grey eyes. She turned away shyly, which somehow looked seductive. Could I blame her for giving off what she naturally had no control of?

It was happening. The mighty god had full reins on us.

I had to have time alone with Evan. I was so desperate to save what I believed saved me at some point – his love. I took his hand and it was as if he just realized that I was still in the room. As I was about to pull him away, Victor stepped in front of me. My gaze fell on his lips as I tried desperately to not look into the silver pools of his eyes. If I did, I knew I would drown in them, willingly. I blocked any notion running through his head from entering mine.

“Delia, did the warriors find your parents?” Victor asked. He was sincere in wanting to know of the results of the mission, but I was also aware that he didn’t want me to be alone with Evan.

“Yes and no.” I said as his mouth stiffened into a thin line and a wrinkle formed above his brows.

“I want to explain it to everyone at the same time. I plan to address the issue later with all of the members.” I said.

Victor cleared his throat and said, “Very well. May I have a moment alone with you, please?” I glared at him, pissed off by what he was doing.

“I need to speak with Evan first, if you don’t mind.” I said, turning away from him and tugging at Evan’s arm.

“But I do mind.” Victor said stiffly.

“I’m sure that you do.” I said, and walked out of the room with Evan by my side.

We finally left the sunroom. Suddenly the room felt like it was suffocating me with its tall, fanning ferns, which stood watch of the unfolding spectacle of demigods, from every corner of the room.

“Darling, are you sure that you’re alright?” Evan asked, as I stroked my medallion.

“I’m fine, really. Why don’t we talk in the library?” I said, leading Evan down the main hall.

I sat on the leather sofa and waited for him to take a seat beside me. He placed his hand gently on the satin fabric over my knee.

“Evan, the warriors have found my parents alive.”

“Yes, I know.” He said nodding. “Bethany briefed me this morning before coming over here.”

“So then you understand what I have to do.” I looked up at him.

“Delia – I”

“Evan, please just hear me out first.” I said and took a deep breath. “I’ve already made my decision and I need your support. It can’t be the way it was before when you went to the council about how I wanted to restore Victor’s powers.”

“I thought that we were over that. What’s your decision?” He asked, taking my hand. He squeezed it – grasping, unclenching, and grasping again as if he were waiting for something to happen – some significant sign.

“I’ve decided to go into the future.”

Fourteen - Cordelia

The Lost

Everyone gathered deep in the Tieron silver mine. The quarry was quiet except for the faint sounds of the mule trains hauling silver and the low murmurings of the members. The vast and hollow space was brightly lit and I could see that all the members were present and accounted for. I called the meeting to notify the council of my intentions. I wanted everyone to  know how my strategy will affect the entire empire.

The elders looked on with curiosity, although their minds projected anxiety. They had no idea what I was about to say and feared that I was about to send their offspring on another irrelevant mission. I heard them praying to the gods. They didn’t want me to put them in harm’s way once again. I shook my head and tried not to get aggravated. I walked to the center of the space. The member’s robes swayed as they formed a circle around me. I found Victor amongst the crowd, but strangely, Evangelia was nowhere in sight.

“My disciples, I’ve pulled you away from your tasks today so that we can all welcome the Iptian’s back into our family.” I said beaming from ear to ear, as Victor walked to the center of the semi-circle of members.

I made eye contact with him, sending him a message telepathically, regarding the whereabouts of his sibling. Victor’s eyes darted from one end of the pit to another as a worried expression washed over his handsome face. Evan raised a brow at Victor and Bethany sent me a puzzling glance.

Without warning, Evangelia emerged from a dark corner of the pit. Her exquisite beauty held everyone’s attention. I had no time to wonder why she had not been in the mine before now due to the murmurs and shrieks of shock that erupted. Victor held his sister’s hand and then raised both their arms high into the air. Evangelia averted the member’s gazes and looked to her brother for support.

“Dear Gods,” Everyone screamed in unison.

“How can this be?” Lucien asked, astounded.

Lucien took a few steps toward Evangelia, stopping about a foot away and nearly scared the poor girl to death as he took her in with his eyes.

Evangelia’s crystal-like eyes widened as she stared back at him.

“Did you bring her back to life, Empress Cordelia?” Delilah asked, incredulously.

“No, Evangelia never died just as Victor had not.” I explained, and watched as the other members gawked at her.

“I kept my sister hidden and safe all these years. Naturally, I had to keep her vitality a secret. I’m sure you can all understand why with the agenda I once had.” Victor explained. “My sister finally knows the truth about the demise of our parents.”

I smiled at Victor as my heart did a tiny somersault. For the very first time, I felt truly grateful to the Fates for not clipping his thread of life when his parents had perished.

“Welcome back.” I said, taking Evangelia’s face in my hands and placing a kiss on both sides. She leaned in and whispered into my ear, “We must talk.”

I nodded as I watched a smile creep across her face. It seemed genuine but I couldn’t be sure. She may not have mastered all of her power but she was effective at blocking her thoughts.

Christos walked toward Evangelia and said, “Welcome back, lost daughter of Iptian.” Then he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

Evangelia trembled slightly. It was expected, since she barely had any contact with anyone other than her brother. I was impressed with how she handled herself. She held her head high and made eye contact with every member –sisters and brothers making her acquaintance.

One by one, the members lined up to greet Evangelia and I couldn’t help remembering how they had done the same for me when I had returned from the future with no recollection of any of them. I glanced at Evan who stood across from me. His eyes were downcast at first, but when he looked up, she caught his eye. She held his gaze for a moment. In that moment, I forgot how to breathe. Suddenly, a heat rose through me, and my muscles relaxed and my breathing resumed. I looked down at my hand and realized that Victor was holding it. I didn’t let go as abruptly as I would have in the past. I allowed the sensation of his warmth to linger, although I wouldn’t turn my head to look at him.

I noticed a few of the elders observing us, each one smiling inwardly to themselves with thoughts of satisfaction, which they sent to the gods. I finally let go of Victor’s hand.

Of course Victor couldn’t careless who was watching. He leaned over and whispered into my ear, “I felt you, your hastened pulse and how it calmed once I shared my warmth with you. It can always feel that way, you know.”

Just as I turned away from Victor, I caught Evan’s stare. Oh now you want to see me, I thought. Besides the wrinkled brow, I couldn’t read his expression and couldn’t get into his mind. I didn’t want to guess what he must have been thinking and I couldn’t be at fault for any of this – the four of us intertwined.

The last of the members greeted Evangelia, who looked as relieved as I felt. I wanted to get this meeting back on track and not have to stand here feeling like a statue made of mush as Evan eyed me in that accusing way. If he could see how he looked at her – the way he used to look at me. He hasn’t looked at me that way since she reappeared in our lives. I fought the tears that suddenly reached the threshold of my eyes and willed them to stay put. I focused on the meeting and all that needed to be discussed.