Blind Magic: The Sanctuary Chronicles Page 24

  Artemis and Apollo both frowned at her. Ian remained close by, vibrating with anticipation.

  “When I first met Artemis, I was still blind, and she told me that one of her handmaidens, Aggie, was also there with her to act as my protector. That’s when she informed me that Olympus ordered to kill half-bloods. She’s not the same. You two don’t have the same energy and your voice is different.”

  Artemis frowned. “Someone met you, using my identity?”

  Sera nodded. “Yes, she told me that Apollo was probably the one wanting to kill me, but because she liked me she would help me, protect me. The impostor also told me that one of her handmaidens was already watching over me.”

  “It’s a serious accusation, human. If you’re lying...”

  “She never lies.” The certainty in Ian’s voice warmed her heart.

  Apollo looked at his sister and both appeared to hold a silent conversation that stretched for a long time. It was strange to observe the facial expressions without hearing any words. Artemis looked like she was pissed at her brother. Apollo seemed to dismiss her in some way.

  Ian sighed. “It’s the same as when Asher is talking to Valeria.”

  Sera couldn’t help but smile. “You’re right. Is it always like that between mates? You can exchange a silent conversation?”

  The werewolf nodded, not taking his caramel eyes from the two gods. “Yeah. And it’s the advantage of knowing what the other feels before speaking. It saves a lot of trouble and misunderstanding.”

  Sera’s heart squeezed painfully at the thought that she wouldn’t have that with him. That she wouldn’t live long enough to find if there were any possibility for a non-shifter to connect with him at that level. The image of him with the little boy came back to her mind and she focused on that. On his smile and his happiness. Sera turned to look at his profile, to memorize his strong jaw, his dark hair and stubble and those lips she would crave even in the other world.

  “You’ll find that connection again, Ian. I’m sure of it.”

  Pure surprise made him break his focus and turn his gaze toward her. “What do you mean?”

  And before she could answer or reveal too much, the brother and sister broke their silence.

  “Would you recognize her if she stood before you, witch?”

  Sera nodded. “Her voice yes, but I can’t know who she was.”

  “But she used the name of one of my handmaidens, Aggie. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  Artemis crossed her arms. “On the contrary. None of my handmaidens know each other’s name. I’m the only one with that information. If she dropped the name of Aggie, which is one of them, that probably means it’s her. And the energy you felt, it may not have been purely divine as one of the half-blood like you, but it’s powered by divine energy. That’s probably the reason you couldn’t differentiate it at first.”

  “And how I could when you appeared, and I felt yours.”

  Artemis nodded. “And we’ll see now if there’s a traitor in my midst.”

  An electric buzz sounded, making her skin itch, just before a flash of light exploded before them. Ian gabbed her arm and shielded her. Face buried in his chest, heart hammering, it took only a second for Sera to feel it, that energy and when she heard that voice, she knew it was the deceiver.

  “My lady, you called?”

  Ian loosened his grip but didn’t let her go, and to be honest, Sera was glad to have him so close, able to feed on his strength and power. What emanated from him was so certain, so definite that it gave her the necessary boost to face what was to come.

  Sera look up and saw a woman kneeling before Artemis who looked down at her with a closed face. Apollo seemed pissed, but with a swimming suit, the annoyance was somewhat dampened by his aura of danger. However, Sera saw something flash in the god’s eyes. What was he thinking?

  “Stand, Aggie.”

  The woman did. Not as tall as Artemis, she was dark blond and curvier where her goddess was dark-haired and slender.

  “Do you recognize that woman?”

  The woman named Aggie turned and the reaction was immediate. The surprise made impossible for her not to react as she recognized her.

  Artemis saw it too and her beauty turned almost ugly as wrath twisted her divine feature.

  “How dare you!”

  Immediately, Aggie fell to her knees and bowed her head. Sera sidestepped a little while keeping Ian’s hand in hers, to see the handmaiden’s expression. There was a healthy amount of fear on her face, but definitely no regret.

  “You had no right taking on my name. And you know very well that half-bloods are protected. You attacked and almost killed one. You are aware of the punishment for this offense.”

  “Why?”

  Sera couldn’t help but ask that question. Even if she recognized the voice of the woman before her, she didn’t know her reasons.

  Squeezing Ian’s hand before letting it go, she took a few steps toward the handmaiden kneeling on the ground and repeated her question. “Why did you try to kill me? I’ve never met you before. I don’t even know who you are.”

  When she turned her head, Aggie, the handmaiden, all but spit on her. “You shouldn’t even exist!”

  Sera blinked and frowned, but before she could ask the same question again, Aggie put her hands on the floor, looking more and more like a rabid animal.

  “It should have been me! His child should have come out of me! Not the whore of your mother, not of this human!”

  And there it was all laid out... Sera crouched before Aggie. Ian hissed and took two steps in her direction. Even Artemis and Apollo leaned forward, at the ready.

  “I don’t know why my mother did what she did. I don’t like you calling her a whore, although I doubt she was. I hope she wasn’t. I didn’t choose any of this life. My mother and my father. And I have the same questions for him as you have.”

  But Aggie’s face didn’t soften. “But you live, and that makes me want to gouge your eyes out!”

  Sera shook her head. It was clear she wouldn’t be able to reach the handmaiden. Instead, she looked up at Apollo.

  “She raises a good point. Why did you choose my mother? Did you love her?”

  Apollo scoffed. “Love? That’s for humans. We gods don’t love.”

  Sera forced herself to ask her next question. “Did you rape her?”

  At her words, the golden god seemed taken aback. “No! Never! I’m not like certain of us who use their powers to force themselves on weaker souls. No, your mother was...” And for a brief moment, she saw the god lost in his thoughts, in pleasant memories that softened his mouth. “... she was unique, vibrant, headstrong. Just like you. And I didn’t force her, it was mutual attraction. I just didn’t know what happened to her after.”

  Sera lowered her head. On the surface she hoped for something deeper, when in reality she should have listened to reason. There were no real great love stories among gods. Power and politics ruled them all. And passion. Being half-goddess, she found herself lucky. Sera looked at Ian, who stood silently six feet away, his eyes solely on her, concern on his face. His fisted hands told her that he was keeping himself in check, but was ready to intervene to protect her. This man loved her, and even if her life was to end abruptly, she would have been cherished so much more than what those gods would ever experience in their eternity.

  Once more, Sera looked at the handmaiden seething at her feet. It was easy to guess what happened.

  “And you had a liaison with Aggie here too... but unlike my mother, Artemis’ servant had the means to track you down.”

  Apollo didn’t react at her words and only stayed silent. It was his sister who took a step back, gasping.

  “You took one of my handmaidens? You know it’s forbidden! Of all the women, of all the mortals you could have...”

  “I didn’t know! She didn’t tell me.” Sera watched as he held gaze with his sister. “She told me
she was a nymph.”

  Artemis choked. “A nymph? What are you? A child? Who of your age and power wouldn’t have recognized her?”

  And this time, Apollo exploded. “I didn’t care! There, sister! I saw and wanted her. That’s all there was.”

  Sera took a step back as energy crackled. Immediately Ian was by her side, a hand firmly on her lower back.

  Aggie pushed herself up, half stumbling, ignoring her goddess, incredulous eyes only on Apollo.

  “All there was?” Hurt and incredulity dripped from her voice. “What we share didn’t count for you at all? There was more, so much more between us!” Aggie all but climbed up his leg, a desperate plea shining in her tearful eyes.

  Sera’s throat squeezed shut at her torment. The handmaiden may have tried to kill her and hurt the people she loved, but Sera couldn’t help but side with her.

  Apollo, on the other hand, couldn’t act more detached, a cold light emanating from him. The woman at his feet was no more than an annoyance and it made Sera burn with injustice. Her logical mind, however, wisely told her to let it all unfold. She may be a witch capable of holding her own in her world, but facing gods, it might be too much to handle.

  “Apollo, my love. I can give you a child too. A better one than this daughter who doesn’t even care about you! Her mother wasn’t even worthy of you, so feeble and weak. Killing her had been so easy. I’m stronger, more powerful. Test me, try me.”

  The words slid through Sera like knives, slicing thin and painful strips from her soul. And yet, she couldn’t move. Her body stood, her eyes riveted on the woman who admitted killing her mother.

  Part of her noticed Ian pulling her back, but too many questions bubbled up for her to crumble right now.

  “And my father? Did you kill him too?” Pushing Ian away, Sera walked a straight line toward Aggie, her magic barely contained in her fingertips. She wasn’t a vengeful person by nature, but her world had been turned upside down one too many times. Ian was by her side, trying once more to pull her back, but this time, rage was stronger than reason, and she blasted him, making him fly into the pool.

  Aggie stood and looked at her as if she was no better than a bug underneath her feet, barely worthy of being crushed by her boot.

  “You are a half-goddess! How can you even care for a mere human, weak with a finite lifespan? Even that wolf humping your leg will eventually die. But if you embrace your divinity, you will live forever. That’s what I want for my children. From him!”

  Something burst inside Sera, a pure source of anger and pain that made her scream at the handmaiden, making her hit the concrete hard. And there wasn’t a single cell in her body that even cared. All the suffering of being tossed and abandoned, becoming blind, the struggles, the grieving, it was a river flowing without end inside her, possessing her mind, rimming it to hazing red. Sera screamed.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Sera’s magic exploded inside her and she was airborne for a moment, but her eyes never left Aggie, the traitor, the source of all her pain. Her magic collided with the handmaiden propelling her in the opposite direction.

  Sera landed hard, rolled, ready to attack once more, when strong arms circled her. It took only a second to rein in her powers and perceive the familiar voice of Ian through the tsunami of emotion overcoming her.

  “Let me go! She doesn’t know pain yet, and I’m gonna show her!”

  “Enough, Sera!” His deep voice snapped like a whip, so unusual, it shook her, returning her to herself. That’s when she realized what was going on, and worse, what she was ready to do.

  When she finally relaxed, Ian’s arms transformed from shackles to a reassuring embrace. Tears threatened, but she forced herself to hold them back. This wasn’t the end. Tears would come soon enough.

  “Easy, love. Stay with me, my Sera.” For an instant, Sera wallowed in his heat and strength. She would need it, and she feared it would be sooner rather than later. She turned in his embrace and her wolf kissed her forehead as he helped her to her feet. Gently, she kissed his lips, but was incapable of looking him in the eye. The hair on the back of her head prickled, and she turned to see Aggie brought back by the pool by Artemis. The handmaiden tried to shake her grasp, but it was in vain.

  “Enough! This ceases right now. You had no right intervening in human matters, under no circumstances. And I had forbidden you, as well as all my handmaidens, of any dalliance with men, gods or humans. And for killing two humans and attempted murder on a daughter of a god, you will have to face our justice.”

  Panic distorted Aggie’s face as she successfully twisted away from the goddess’s grasp and flung herself at Apollo once more. She hooked her hands around his neck, trying to kiss him, but again, he looked like a statue. In an undeniable show of strength, Apollo took her wrists and pushed her away.

  “Stop now, handmaiden. You have lied to me, killed humans and threatened my daughter. Whatever you could have imagined between us apart from sex, will never be. You’re hurting yourself believing it would ever be so.”

  A sob escaped from Aggie as she remained on the ground.

  Artemis stood close, looking at her brother before turning to Sera.

  “Sera, niece, I should have known what was going on and stopped it.”

  Apollo didn’t even look at Aggie as he came to stand before Sera and Ian. His expression was troubled, as if he wasn’t used to having his words eluding him.

  “Your mother wasn’t a whore, Sera. We met by chance as I was visiting and... it just happened. I can’t make it more than what it was, but I didn’t force myself on her. I even looked out for your mother and was happy when she found a companion, soon after. I didn’t know about you. I won’t tell you that I’m a very present parent, but if I’d known...”

  Somehow, Apollo’s words soothed an ache inside her heart. Slowly, Sera touched his arm. He felt so warm, much warmer than human skin.

  “Thank you.” The simple words seemed to surprise him, and he just nodded.

  “You’re welcome... daughter.”

  Sera didn’t even have time to smile when Aggie screamed like a banshee and rushed towards the trio with a madwoman look on her face and hands like claws. Ian pushed her toward Apollo, who quickly moved her out of the way. There was no time, nothing she could do, and in horror, Sera saw one of the handmaiden’s claws dig deep into the werewolf’s chest.

  For the first time, Sera exactly knew how it felt when time stood still. It was like an out of body experience, where she couldn’t move as a terrible scene unfolded before her eyes.

  And then speed resumed and all she could see was blood. Ian’s blood. And his body falling to the ground. Artemis moved to grab Aggie and the handmaiden was dead before her body even hit the ground.

  Sera ran to him as fast as she could, falling on her knees. Immediately, she put her hands on his chest and felt the irregular beating of his wounded heart. For the first time in her life, even though she knew the werewolf would live, Sera was terrified. Only reacting on instinct, Sera poured all of her knowledge, all of her spells and all of her magic inside his fading life form. The energy picked up a little, but it seemed she was unable to heal him or even just stabilize him.

  “Sera.” Ian’s voice rumbled in a deep whisper. Panicking, Sera tried to staunch the blood flow, but it barely worked. As she was about to push another spell, Ian lifted his hand and circled her wrist in his cooling hand. “Sera, my beloved. Please...”

  Frantic, Sera looked around. Apollo and Artemis stood there, looking at the both of them, silent.

  Sera forced herself to smile at Ian, but tears poured nonetheless. “My love, you’re not going to die. I saw it in my vision. I saw you. You were holding your son in your arms and I saw... I saw your mate.”

  Ian blinked, getting paler by the minute. “My mate is dead. You are my beloved.”

  His words were beginning to slur and Sera hoped that her brain would come up with a solution. It was impossible she had memorized so many p
otions and spells through her lifetime for nothing!

  “Yes, I don’t know how, but I recognized your mate.”

  “You...”

  It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Again, Sera forced herself to offer him a smile and shook her head. “No, it wasn’t me. But you were so happy. You have to live. You have to live for them. I won’t let you die, Ian.”

  A smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes looked so serene, happy. “You. Love. Safe.”

  As his eyelids lowered and she barely felt his life force anymore, Sera swallowed hard and reached deep inside her soul, to the very seat of her power and let it flow, praying non-stop for him to stay alive. Her vision kept her strong and convinced that he would live, but she was scrambling to find a solution. One that was late to come.

  Ian’s heart trembled one more time against her fingers before falling silent forever.

  “No! No! Ian, you have to stay here. You have to live! I’ve seen it! I’ve seen you! You’re not supposed to die.” Sera started to pump his chest, and blow air in his mouth as she had seen it so many times. His lips were still warm. But nothing happened. Her arms ached but she couldn’t stop. Fists now pounding on his unmoving chest, Sera screamed his name, begging for him to open his eyes, to come back to her until someone pulled her away.

  Eyes still on the werewolf lying in a pool of blood, she fought against those arms keeping her for Ian.

  “Daughter, calm down. There is nothing you can do now. He’s moved on.”

  “No! I can’t! I can’t go on if he’s dead. Please.”

  In an ultimate supplication, she turned to her father and grabbed his hands. “You are a god, you can help, please. I will never ask for anything, I just want him back. Please. Please.”

  It was like a mantra pouring out of her lips, her mind whirling, trying to find a loophole, a solution, a spell, a prayer... anything that could bring him back.

  Tenderly, Apollo cupped her wet cheeks, forcing her to look at him. “Daughter, there is nothing more any of us can do. Once his life left his earthly body, his soul went back to where it came from, where the Fates can weave it again. He’s at peace now.”