“How could I forget it?” I asked painfully.
“If you are wise, you will not,” Circes said before closing her eyes and warming her hands by the fire. “My old bones are weary. I’d like to rest.”
“Of course. We’ll find Branwyn and get you settled into a hut for the night.”
Circes didn’t answer, instead she remained still by the roaring flames.
“I worry about you, Empusa,” she said softly, her eyes still closed. “Medea and I have watched you grow, watched you change into the woman that you have become. I worry that you are making rash decisions now, that you aren’t considering your own well-being. Instead, you are placing your concern within someone else. The sun god’s son will likely be the death of you. Can you not see that?”
I swallowed hard, the taste of Kenna’s death still in my mouth and lingering on my heart.
“Of course I can see it, Circes. Of course I know that it isn’t the safest thing for me and perhaps not even the smartest. I just killed someone to protect him. And I would do it again. Feeling so strongly for someone makes me vulnerable. I know that. But what else can I do? It is what I feel and there is no changing that. He and I are soul mates. We’re connected in ways that we don’t even fully understand. All I know is that I will stand behind him until the end of time or the end of our lives, whichever comes first. It’s the only thing I can do.”
“That is exactly what I thought you would say,” she said slowly as she rose from her seat and turned to me, taking my arm. “I would expect nothing less from you. Take me to a bed, child.”
She shuffled toward the village and I held her frail arm. Peeking backward over my shoulder, I glanced toward the treetops. The raven that she had released was nowhere in sight.
“When will we find out what our next challenge is?” I asked the old woman anxiously.
“When Zeus feels like revealing it,” she shrugged. “All in good time, child. All in good time.”
* * *
Brennan lay facing me in the dark, his expression serious. He was oh-so-handsome. Reaching out, I traced the contours of his face with my fingers and he leaned into my hand. I could feel his stubble on my fingers. He needed to shave.
“Are you alright?” he murmured into the darkness. “I’m sorry that happened, Empusa. Really.”
“Surprisingly, I’m fine,” I answered. “Is that bad? I don’t feel remorse at all. She tried to kill you so I killed her first. I didn’t even think about it. It had to be done.”
“It’s a normal instinct to protect those that you love,” Brennan replied. “It doesn’t make you bad. It makes you normal. I would’ve done the same thing for you, trust me.”
I nodded and nestled into his strong chest. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt safe for the first time today. I breathed slowly and deeply, inhaling his masculine scent and enjoying the solitude. We were alone for the first time all day.
“Do you find it strange that my father is competing to keep my abilities ‘safe’ and to keep us apart when he hasn’t even met me?” Brennan asked thoughtfully. “You told me that he was a decent person and that he was a lot like me. It sure doesn’t seem like it at this point.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I can’t tell you what his true motives are right now. That’s one thing about the Olympians. They are always driven by ulterior motives. It is best to always be on your guard.”
“I’m gathering that,” he answered. “What do you think is truly going to happen, Em? Do you think we will fail?”
“That is not an option,” I told him firmly. “If we fail, all is lost. We’ll be separated forever. That isn’t something that I want to think about.”
“Me either,” he replied. “I’ll do anything to prevent that.”
“Agreed,” I answered. “We should sleep. It’s hard to say what we will face tomorrow. We’ll need to be prepared.”
Brennan tightened his arms around me as I rested my face against his bare chest. Our little hut was quiet and dark, the only light coming from the fireplace in the corner. The soothing crackle sounds coming from it combined with Brennan’s warmth, quickly soothed me into sleep.
But my sleep wasn’t soothing.
The second I drifted off, my mother filled my thoughts, standing in the middle of my dream. She was as beautiful as always, her long blonde hair pale and soft, her lips full and red. But she was smeared in blood.
“Why are you bloody?” I asked her in surprise. “The game only just begun and we achieved our first challenge.”
She nodded grimly, her lips pressed together in a firm line. “Yes, you did. However, Zeus wanted a practice run… mainly for their amusement. We fought over a mortal.”
“Did you win?” I was almost afraid to ask.
“Yes,” she sighed. “And Zeus set him free. He won’t contribute to our tally for the end score.”
“It’s alright,” I reassured her. “That’s better than Mormo receiving a point.”
“I suppose,” she acknowledged. “Empusa, this is very, very serious. I want you to realize that. Zeus realizes that he already committed to reversing your curse. But Apollo made such good points that he couldn’t ignore them.”
“Can we win the rest of the challenges?” I asked.
She studied me, her ice blue eyes solemn. “You are my daughter,” she said proudly. “You can do anything you set your mind to. You are brilliant and strong. But I do not know what the challenges will be. You’ll need all of your wits to overcome them, I’m sure.”
“Well, I will be ever on my toes,” I answered wryly.
“I’m serious, daughter,” she snapped. I took another look at her. She looked bone-weary and she was covered in the dirt of the arena.
“I’m sorry, mother,” I said quietly. “I know this is hard on you. And I take this very seriously. I do. When was the last time you slept?”