And so we did. We made our way back through the Dungeon and were not hassled at the gates by the guard, since Annen was with us. We passed effortlessly from the Dungeon back out into the blackness of Tartara night.
I turned to Annen. “I feel like I should be angry with you, but I can’t find the energy. You hid your identity and intentions from me for a very long time.”
He looked at me with glittering eyes, but obviously didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. He shook his head, as if saying that I didn’t understand. And I had to agree. I didn’t. So, until I did, I would wait to judge.
I turned my attention to my husband instead. He had taken off the helm by now and appeared to be feeling much better.
“Do you feel better, my love?” I murmured, stroking the side of his arm. He nodded.
“Much,” he answered. “Even more so now that we are moving toward our daughter. It won’t be long now, Harmonia. I can feel it.”
“I hope you’re right,” I answered. He slipped his arm behind my back and we continued on silently, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
Annen led us straight to the portal and surprisingly, it didn’t take long. It was within the boundaries of Tartara and upon approach, it looked like an abandoned well. Its lip was made from piled up crumbling stones. I didn’t approach it- I simply watched as he paused in front of it and looked to the Amazons just briefly before he stepped into it. He simply vanished. Without hesitation, Ortrera’s warriors followed him. And our number was reduced by five.
Wordlessly, we headed for the border of Tartara. It was only a few minutes away. We could see it from here. On this side, Tartara was dark and horrible. A thin shroud of mist separated us from the other side, where we could see light and green fields. Ares turned around.
“Those who have not been condemned to Tartara can step right over the border without issue. It will prevent those who are damned.”
“So…” I trailed off.
“So, it will prevent me from leaving,” Hecate said, biting her lip as she looked around us. “But there appears to be a gate further down. Perhaps there is a guard?”
“You read my mind,” Ares grinned. I shook my head. I had a feeling he was looking forward to a confrontation. It would be an outlet for his stress.
There was a guard and I was correct. Ares and Cadmus disappeared for a scant moment into the shadows and returned with their swords bloody. The difference between them was that Ares was smiling.
“The coast is clear,” he announced.
We stepped through the gates to find the guards incapacitated. Only one was dead. The other appeared to be unconscious without a scratch on him. I looked at Cadmus.
“He’ll awaken shortly,” he explained. “I did not want to leave this gate unmanned. There is a reason that most are here.”
“Good thinking,” I replied, glancing around. No one approached yet, but I was certain it wouldn’t be long. From what I had observed, the prisoners here were constantly looking for ways to escape.
Two steps later and we had left the bowels of the Underworld behind us. Five minutes more and the butterflies sent by Ahmose had found us once again, bringing their vitality with them. They hovered close to Aphrodite and I now, although since she and I passed the helm back and forth, it wasn’t as imperative as it once was.
“We’re surprisingly close to the oceans of Elyria,” Hecate called behind her as she hurried ahead. “It won’t take long.”
She didn’t exaggerate.
Less than an hour later, we faced beautiful fields of purple blossoms. Their scent was sweet and pungent and I inhaled, filling my lungs with the beautiful smell. The problem, however, was that the fields were empty.
This was most certainly where I had seen Empusa and Raquel in my visions, but there was nothing here now but for the flowers themselves.
“Empusa?” Hecate called hopefully. The only thing that moved were the blossoms with the gentle sea breeze. “Empusa?”
Nothing.
I stepped forward.
“Empusa?” I called. “You asked for my help and you told me to hurry. I’m here now. Can you come meet us?”
Nothing.
My shoulders slumped. I hadn’t expected this. I had felt sure that when we arrived, they would be waiting. My heart constricted with an apprehension that I hadn’t even known that I felt. I had thought I would see my daughter today. And I had been wrong.
“Mama?”
A little voice resounded through the air, carried by the wind. I turned in surprise to find Raquel running through the fields, her long dark hair streaming behind her. Empusa walked cautiously behind her, her face an unreadable mask.
“Raquel,” I whispered weakly, before I took off running, plunging through the amethyst colored blooms to reach my daughter.
Chapter Eleven
I clutched her little body close to mine, leaning down to inhale her. Her hair smelled like the outdoors, the ocean and little girl. She was thin enough that I could feel her shoulder blades beneath my fingers.
“I can’t believe we found you,” I cried as tears streaked down my face. “I was so afraid.”
Her skinny little arms were clasped around my waist as she tilted her delicate face up to me, her bright green eyes shining.
“Empusa took care of me, Mama. She said you would be here as soon as you could. And she was right. Here you are.”
Cadmus dropped to one knee next to her, pulling her into his strong arms. She was so small compared to him, so fragile and delicate. As he murmured to her, I turned to Empusa, who was just now approaching.
“Empusa,” I called. “I can never repay you. Thank you so much for taking care of Raquel. Thank you.”
She nodded and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the girl was. She reminded me of a prima ballerina. She was so delicate. Her skin was clear and she possessed an otherworldly glow. Her hair was long and dark, curling delicately around her shoulders. But her eyes… they were the most unique eyes I had ever seen outside of my own. They were a multi-faceted gray with flecks of darker gray and green in them.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad that you are receptive to visitors in your dreams and that you followed us here.” She walked past me to her mother, into Hecate’s waiting embrace.
“We’ve found you, too,” Hecate said as she buried her face in her daughter’s neck. Her shoulders quaked as she cried. “I can’t believe that you’ve hidden from me for so long.”