Sorrow's Muse
Authors: Shyla Colt
Cover
by Dreams2Media
Dedication
Thank you to my amazing
husband and beautiful girls who keep me pushing myself and moving forward, you
mean the world to me. Julian who I fell in love with from the moment he popped
into my head.
CHAPTER
ONE
C
olette
sighed as she peered into the bronze scrying mirror that took up an entire
wall. Similar to the modern-day projection screen, it showed the Muses the
humans below on Earth, particularly the ones they were assigned to. She watched
Julian’s puckered and scarred face twist into a grimace as sadness and
melancholy took him over. Tears welled up in his hazel eyes as he glanced out
the window of his condominium, taking in the spectacular view that overlooked
the ocean. It was a week out from the anniversary of the fire that had stolen
his family’s lives and ravaged his body and face. He always grew more withdrawn
and emotional this time of year. It never got easier to watch.
She paced the length of
the room. Her white Grecian-style gown brushed against her legs and trailed
along the black marble floor behind her. Mount Helicon was nothing if not
luxurious, but right now it felt like a prison. The high vaulted ceiling and
walls adorned with breathtaking tapestries, depicting Muses and the humans they
inspired, did nothing to move her today, which was rare.
Colette loved her job as
a Muse of music. The creations she inspired had gone on to positively affect
the world and make people remember love and passion. It was rewarding and
satisfying, yet heartbreaking at the same time. Too many of her humans went on
to kill themselves slowly with drinks, drugs, reckless behavior or a more
direct route…suicide.
Being inspired took a lot
out of a person, and out of the norm to find one who simply wanted to help make
the world a better place with his or her talent. Her thoughts drifted to John
Lennon. He hadn’t been one of hers, but he’d been a brilliant, beautiful soul
nonetheless. Calliope did have the pleasure of guiding him, and Colette
treasured every moment she’d captured while glancing over her shoulder as she
studied her big sis
at work. What no one ever realized was that humans
were like their children. Muses nurtured, groomed and guided them before
sending them out into the world to become famous and travel a path paved with
distraction and tools of destruction.
This is why Julian Sorrow
seemed to be such a shining star in a sky of inky black. He is surrounded by
darkness. On the surface he acted bitter and snide, but deep down where it
counted, his soul held a purity that was hard to come by.
“He’s like this every
year. It’ll pass,” her sister, Calliope, urged. Her soft, melodic voice reached
Colette over the chords she played on her harp.
“I know.” The words, ‘but
it’s not fair’ and, ‘what if he doesn’t’ hung in the air between them, unsaid
.
Each year, Julian became
more removed from the world and grew a little darker. His saving grace was his
music. He poured every good intention, hope for the future, and anything else
positive he could muster into his work. It was how he coped with all the things
that had happened to him, without going insane.
Colette couldn’t fault
him for hiding away from the world. Not after all she’d witnessed him survive.
As a cousin to Moirai, Sudice and Parcae, she knew just how much of a bitch the
Fates could be. She’d seen them weave horrendous futures for many a poor soul,
but this, just like everything else when it came to Julian…felt personal.
The attachment wasn’t
good. Still, it’s too far gone to change things. She’d screwed up with him from
the very beginning. Colette forced herself to sit on the chaise lounge across
from Calliope, who’d returned to playing her harp and humming. It would be best
to pretend everything was okay, or she’d ask questions. Calliope could be like
a pit bull with a bone when she wanted to know something. The soothing notes
relaxed Colette as her mind traveled back thirty years prior.
*
* * *
Thirty years earlier
The boy’s breathing
sounded labored. His tiny, frail form heaved with the effort his body was
expending to keep him alive, despite the machines attached to him in every
manner possible.
Colette’s heart ached.
She turned toward her sister, Calliope, with waterlogged eyes. “Can we help
him?”
“You know I don’t possess
that kind of power.”
Frustrated with the
pantheon and its precious checks and balances, Colette made a decision. “Fine,
then I’ll find someone who can.”
In the blink of an eye,
she reappeared in a flower-filled glen. A few yards away stood a cozy cottage.
No matter how much time passed, Asclepius preferred comfort to decadence,
fitting for the goddess of healing.
Colette trudged through
the pink, yellow, and red tulips, careful not to smash any. When she reached
the porch, she knocked on the door and rocked back on her heels. Time was of
the essence.
The door swung open to
reveal a willowy woman with dark tresses, creamy, caramel-colored skin, large
doe-shaped brown eyes, and a kind face. “What brings you here, Colette?”
“I need your help.”
A frown marred the regal
woman’s thin lips as she peered down at her with eyes full of pity. “You know I
can’t interfere with fate.”
“This is a small child
who’s seen far too much suffering during his three years on Earth. Zeus himself
would not deny aid if he could give it. Julian was nearly burned to a crisp,
and the pain he bears would fell a grown man in one deft swoop. Still, he
fights on. I think that deserves a little help, even if it’s just to ease the
path of his passing.”
A heavy weight settled in
the pit of Colette’s stomach. She couldn’t lose him! He was destined to be one
of the greats. She could feel it in her very soul. As the youngest of the
Muses, she hadn’t quite learned how to separate herself from her job. It led to
heartache and, in her opinion, to greatness. It gave her an edge. Most had
lost themselves to the apathy developed over eons and eons of the same thing.
“You’re right.” Asclepius
sighed. “I would never allow a child to suffer needlessly. Show me the way, and
I shall follow you.”
A cry of victory echoed
in her head. She’d watched Julian from the moment he’d been born to Julia and
Noah. The Sorrows had always held a special place in her heart because of their
compassion, ability to love and raw musical talent. Julia had been a stellar
composer, and Noah, a brilliant lyricist. They’d passed on both to Julian,
though neither had noticed yet. And never would now.
The hospital room was
dark and silent except for the compression of the breathing machine as it
forced Julian’s chest up and down, and the steady
beep
,
beep
of
the heart monitor. Tubes sprung from his body and wound around like blue
snakes. His body was wrapped from head to toe in gauze. He looked like a miniature
mummy.
Colette knew they’d have
to scrape away the dead skin to begin the healing and skin grafts. It was a
necessary pain they had yet to begin. The concept of having to hurt him to heal
him made her skin crawl. He didn’t deserve this.
“Poor dear,” Asclepius
said. She stood beside him at the head of his bed.
“Is there anything you
can do?” Colette asked.
“Yes. I can encourage him
to heal and give him a tiny sliver of my power. Before I can do anything, you
must convince him to come back from the borders of the spiritual plane. You’ve
formed a connection. Often, young children can sense and see us when adults
can’t. He must have done so with you at some point.”
The thought made her head
spin. It explained this pull toward him. It also gave her cause for concern.
There were certain lines not to be crossed. Falling in love with a human was
one of the major ones.
He’s only three. I’m okay.
“What can I do? You
have the power to heal.”
“Only if they allow me
to. Even with our powers, human will can override us if it’s powerful enough.”
Colette swallowed to
moisten her dry mouth and bent over to place her head next to his on the
pillow. This boy is special. She whispered in his ear, “You have too much to
live for to give up now. You will grow up to do amazing things, Julian Sorrow.
Fight for me now, and know I will always be here with you.”
A jolt of electricity
shot through her. The heart monitor beeped a staccato. She stood up and stepped
back, alarmed.
“He heard you. I have an
opening.”
A golden light filled the
room.
Asclepius spread her
hands out, palms down, held them above his body, and spoke in ancient Greek.
The low murmurs were hypnotic and soothing. When Asclepius stopped, she pulled
back from the bed. His breathing sounded lighter. “I’ve eased his pain and
healed the worst of the muscle and bone damage. The rest is up to him.”
Colette nodded her head.
Most people didn’t survive fourth-degree burns like this, and even with As’s
help, the road ahead of him would be a painful one, physically and emotionally.
In the place where emptiness and despair reigned, she felt a tiny flicker of
defiance and hope flare inside him. “He’ll make it,” she whispered.
And I’ll
be with him every step of the way.
*
* * *
“Colette.”
Her sister’s impatient
tone made her lift her head. “What?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
Calliope narrowed her
eyes and frowned. She stood from the harp and walked over to sit on the edge of
the chaise beside her. Calliope’s light yellow toga draped over the red velvet
bench.“We all have a soft spot for Julian. His soul is ... magnificent. The
love and raw emotion he pours into his work is exquisite. But his countenance
is dark. He’s tortured, and we all know that you and that incredible talent he
possesses are all that’s keeping him from taking that final step into complete
meltdown. So, you
have
to maintain your distance. What’s the point of
bothering to invest when a working relationship is all you can ever have
anyway?”
“I know, Calliope. I get
it. It doesn’t change the fact that his continued suffering bothers me.”
Calliope smiled. “You’re
still softhearted. It’s why your humans create such beauty. You have a gentle
hand with them, a power the rest of us have long since lost the ability to
wield. I miss the days when I was wide-eyed and unjaded. But I suppose you are
the youngest of us all.”
She leaned in and wrapped
Colette in a hug.
“Their lives are but a
blink of an eye compared to ours. Heed my warning about becoming too involved.
Remember what happened to Aella.”
Colette winced. Aella was
the cautionary tale they were all taught from the moment they understood what
their duty in life was. She fell in love with the human she inspired and went
insane when she revealed herself to him and he chose fame and fortune over her.
Forced to remain by his side until he expired, she’d cracked under the pressure
of unrequited love. Banished to the underworld, she now wandered the Elysian
Fields. She continued to mourn her lost love, shrouded in black.
The image was a chilling
one. Once she’d been taken on that journey to visit the broken Muse, it was a
sight she’d never forgotten.
Who’s to say I would end
up the same way?
The thought of being with Julian was
tempting, but stupid. Unfortunately, it did nothing to tamp down the seed of
hope her thoughts had planted deep inside her heart, where no one else could
see. Each of the Muses had her secrets, instances when they crossed the line
and pulled back in the nick of time when common sense sank in and red flags
flew. One couldn’t inspire without becoming inspired themselves in turn, and
therein lies the danger.
“You’re right, thank
you.” She feigned a smile.
If Calliope had any clue
what Colette was considering, she’d kill her, or worse, tell their parents.
Colette could only imagine the uproar her father, Zeus would have. She could
hear the thunderous boom of his voice joined in harmony by her mother,
Mnemosyne’s, shrill screeching.
I’ll have to be stealthy about it.
Excitement
bubbled up inside as her idea took hold and blossomed into a plan. Goose bumps
formed on her arms. She was actually going to do this. No more daydreaming. Her
heart pounded, and joy filled her to the brim.
“Better?” Calliope asked.
“Much, thank you for the
pep talk.”
“Anytime, little one.”
Calliope smiled.
Obviously pleased, she stood and walked over to resume playing the harp and
singing.
The song held a new kind
of beauty now. It sounded like freedom. Colette took one last look at the
scrying mirror and rose.“I’m going to take a break, get some fresh air, and
perhaps take a ride on Dorieus, if he’s willing.”
“That sounds like a
lovely idea. Even Muses need a break from time to time, and you’ve been cooped
up here without respite. Your dedication to Julian is admirable, but not
necessary around the clock. You know Dorieus never says no to you. I think
you’re his favorite.”
Colette smiled and shook
her head as she walked away, her bare feet silent on the marble flooring.
Relief flooded her when she reached the outside. The sun’s rays caressed her
milk-chocolate skin.