"What is it?" he asked. "I was supposed to return immediately to Eris. She will wonder where I am."
"Yet you are still here with me," I pointed out. "Do you wonder why that is?"
"Because there is a naked goddess standing in front of me?" he quipped. "I’m a man, not a monk."
"True," I conceded. "But you are a gentleman if ever there was one. You are only still here because you feel it too." I trailed my hands up his bare chest, marveling in the spark that I felt as I moved along his skin.
"What do I feel?" he whispered, his lips just mere inches from mine.
"You feel me. I know it," I insisted. "You know me, Cadmus. I’ve always been yours. I need you to remember. Please."
He took a step back, his face puzzled and confused.
"I don’t know you," he answered. "I’m sorry. You must have me mistaken for someone else."
I shook my head. "No. I don’t. You know me and I know you. Better than anyone has ever known someone else."
He stopped, but didn’t come closer to me. So I remedied that by taking another step toward him.
"Don’t," he whispered.
"Don’t what?" I answered softly, running my hands up his chest and curling around his neck. "Don’t do this?"
I pulled his head down to my waiting lips. His soft mouth enveloped my own, igniting a passion in me immediately. A fiery passion that only he could awaken because I was made for him. I sighed into his mouth and it startled him into moving.
He backed up once more.
"I’m sorry," he stuttered. "I can’t. I don’t know what I was thinking ... I ..." He turned to go, but I yanked my bloodstone over my head and shoved it into his hands before he could take one more step.
"You were thinking this," I answered.
He dropped heavily to his knees on the bathroom floor in front of me, his head bowed and his hands formed into fists on the floor. I knew he was being assaulted with every memory he had ever had, flitting in and out of his head in rapid fire. It was an alarming and confusing feeling. I knew- I had been there myself time and time again. The magic of the bloodstone was powerful and I knew it wasn’t failing me now.
It lasted for several agonizing minutes. He kept his head bowed and remained still and unmoving. The only sign of his distress were his white knuckles grasping my bloodstone.
I waited patiently, wondering the entire time if it would be enough. Please, please god… let him remember me, I prayed. The irony of a goddess praying was not lost on me, but it didn’t stop me from doing it. The honeysuckle air between us was charged and I breathed in short pants as I waited.
A few minutes later, I was rewarded.
Cadmus raised his head, his dark, tortured brown eyes staring into mine.
"Harmonia."
One small word, but he conveyed a million things in those four tiny syllables. He knew me.
He rose to his feet and turned to me, holding out my bloodstone for me to reclaim.
I bypassed it and flew into his waiting arms, burying my head into his chest as he pulled me close.
"Cadmus, thank god. Thank god. I thought I had lost you."
"I’m always yours, Harmonia," he murmured into my hair. "Even when I don’t remember it."
He wrapped his arms around me tightly and dipped his head to once again to press his lips to mine. When he ended the kiss a moment later, I stared up him. I could feel the wetness forming in my eyes and I blinked hard.
"Don’t ever leave me again, Cadmus. Please."
He smiled his gentle smile again. "Never. I promise."
Chapter Twelve
When we emerged from the bath chamber twenty minutes later, the house was still and quiet.
There wasn’t a sound ...not a creak, not a laugh. The hallway was eerily empty, every door along the wall closed tight. My startled eyes flew to meet Cadmus’. Something was wrong.
Again.
Cadmus reached back and grasped my hand tightly within his and I trailed behind him as we crept down the hallway. I peeked into Aphrodite’s guest room and found her bed to be empty and unused. I gulped. Two steps later, I peered into Ortrera’s room. She was sleeping soundly, lying perfectly still. I rushed to her side and shook her arm, attempting to wake her.
It was no use. She refused to stir. And something about the limp way she was lying gave me pause. Her long tangled hair was spread around her, her eyelashes rested gently upon her cheeks, her hands clasped at her chest. She looked dead. All she needed was a lily in her hands to complete the look. I looked anxiously up at Cadmus.
"This isn’t right. She’s not asleep, is she?"
He shook his head solemnly as he also attempted to rouse the Amazon queen.
"It doesn’t look like it. Eris is very wily. It is hard telling what she has done."
We combed through the rest of the house quickly, finding Eris and Aphrodite gone. They had simply disappeared. I burst onto the porch to find the Amazon warriors inside a ring of fire. I assumed it was to ward off the Chimeras as they slept. But not even one warrior was awake to stand watch ... something I knew was unheard of for them. They were nothing if not prepared and vigilant. As I moved toward them, I was already afraid that they were in the strange comatose state as well.
My fears were confirmed within a few minutes as we tried without success to wake them.
How in the world had Eris managed this? She had somehow taken down thirteen fierce Amazon warriors. How, how, how? I wracked my brain, but came up empty-handed.
I turned to Cadmus.
"What do you think?" I whispered, reaching for his hand again. He grasped it, stroking my hand gently with his thumb as he thought. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world. Our hands fit together perfectly, as if they were created to do just that.
"It’s clearly some sort of spell," he mused. "But what? And more importantly, how can we break it?"
As I absently sifted through my knowledge of spells and potions, I remembered the vile little bag that the witches had given us. I took off for the house like a shot, leaving Cadmus to stare after me in bewilderment. I felt him behind me within a few seconds as I bolted toward my guest room.
The tiny burlap sack was lying on my bed, right where I had left it. The top was cinched closed with twine and the closer I got to it, the more pungent the smell became. I wrinkled my nose as I picked it up.
"This is something important," I muttered. "The witches gave it to us earlier tonight and said that we would need it. Actually, they said that we would need them three times before this is over."
Cadmus leaned closer to stare at it.
"What is it?" he asked curiously. "It smells like death."
"I know. I’m afraid to know what it is."
Contrary to my words, I pulled on the string that held the bag closed. I didn’t have the luxury of being squeamish. I had to open it. The bag fell open on the bed. I could only describe the contents as squirming, moving slime. It wasn’t alive, but it was certainly churning and moving. Deep crimson red, it glimmered with a strange sparkle. In the middle, lay a silver dropper. On its body, the words Resurrection, 2 drops were inscribed. And as Cadmus had so accurately pointed out, it smelled like death.
But clearly, it was meant for us now.
I squared my shoulders, snatched it up and headed for Ortrera. She was still peacefully resting, oblivious to everything. I carefully measured two drops of the vile concoction into the dropper and gently put them into her mouth. Pushing her chin closed around the liquid, I waited.
Nothing.
And then she screamed, lurching up in bed and screeching at the top of her lungs. I clapped my hands over my ears and Cadmus cringed. The sound was deafening.
After a moment, she stopped and looked at me in bewilderment.
"What happened? Why am I screaming?"
"I have no idea," I answered. "Eris enchanted you somehow. Did you eat something or ..."
"Of course not," Ortrera answered, sounding indignant. "I would never eat so
mething here for just that reason."
"Then I have no idea how she managed," I replied. "But that’s neither here nor there. Right now, we need to revive your warriors."
Rushing outdoors, I knelt next to each inert warrior and carefully administered the potion.
Each woman reacted in the same way as Ortrera, by lurching upward with a screech. It was unsettling, to say the least. After I was finished and the women had come to their senses, I stared at Cadmus and the Amazon queen.
"Now what? Eris has taken Aphrodite. And we don’t know where. I almost think that she took Cadmus as a distraction. She knew that I would be distracted with trying to get Cadmus to remember me ... and her true purpose was to separate me from Aphrodite. I’m such a fool- I played right into her hands. It was never about Cadmus at all."
"Sister, don’t distress. The only ones that Eris can possibly be working for are the Fates,"
Ortrera reminded me. "We will head for them and I am certain we will find her."
I nodded, staring absently into Cadmus’ dark eyes. It was probably a trap. But there wasn’t anything we could do but walk right into it.
Ortrera turned to her warriors.
"Mount up! We ride now!"
The women lumbered to their feet, slinging their quivers and bows back onto their backs and I was once again taken aback by their fierceness. They were not afraid of anything, come what may. I wished I could be the same. A quote that I had heard once suddenly rang in my ears and it had never seemed truer to me. Courage is not being fearless- it is created by overcoming your fears. That was certainly true in my case and I definitely had a lot of fears to overcome.
I climbed behind Ortrera as another warrior rode with Cadmus. The horses fell into their flight formation and we again took off into the sky like lightening. I held the compass firmly in my hands and fervently pictured Aphrodite. Peering into the globe, I saw nothing but white mist. The compass glowed like a night light in the darkness, but nothing appeared.
It seemed that we needed an exact place to focus on for the compass to lead us to it. I thought of visions of Zeus’ palace and Olympus but still Aphrodite didn’t appear. Curious.
I let the compass drop into my lap. Leaning my face against Ortrera’s strong, leather-clad back, I closed my eyes, determined to rest for just a bit before we arrived at the Moirae’s doorstep.
Sleep, my love. We’re together again and I will never let you go.
Cadmus’ deep, husky voice resounded in my mind and my eyes popped open to stare into his. He winked and smiled and warmth flooded through me. Whatever happened, it would happen with my soul mate at my side. I couldn’t ask for more than that at this point. I closed my eyes and let the darkness overtake me. I was even more exhausted than I realized.
We had only flown for maybe fifteen minutes more before I heard Cadmus call to Ortrera.
"Let’s stop. Harmonia can’t even stay awake. Besides, we don’t want to bring a fight in the dark. Let us stop and regroup and plan our strategy during the daylight hours."
Ortrera nodded and we began our descent to the ground. The Pegasus landed so smoothly that I almost didn’t realize when the flying ended and the walking began. The night was so dark that I almost couldn’t see. Before I even knew it, Cadmus had slid from his horse and was pulling me from mine, into the safety and warmth of his arms. I melted into him, enjoying the contact. I was disappointed when he pulled away a minute later. But he kept his hand clasped with mine as we assembled into a circular camping area.
One of Ortrera’s warriors lit a fire in a circle around us as we conjured up bedding and pillows for sleep. Ortrera insisted that Cadmus and I remain in the middle of the circle, protected by her warriors. Cadmus rolled his eyes a little toward me, but then shrugged his shoulders. He knew it was no use to argue with the Amazons. They took their roles as warriors very, very seriously. Luckily, Cadmus was very secure in his manhood and didn’t seem fazed by the protection of women. He seemed more amused than anything. That was something else I loved about him. He rolled with the punches.
I studied him as he strode across the circle toward me. The light from the fire reflected on his lean, muscular body, giving his olive skin an even more golden hue. Strange, but in Pasadena, I hadn’t considered him to be built like a warrior. Clothed in modern clothing, he hadn’t seemed the part at all. But here in the Spiritlands, with a low-slung wrap around his waist and his chest bare but for the diagonal leather strap of his flask, he seemed once again like the amazing warrior that I knew he was. He was at home here.
I watched as he withdrew his metal flask from the holster at his hip and then knelt by the fire, holding the flask over the flame. The orange glow lapped at his beautiful face and I sighed as I lay on my blankets. I wanted him here with me. I wanted to feel his hand within mine and absorb his strength.
As if he read my mind, he glanced at me and after wrapping his flask in a cloth, he rose and strode purposely toward me. Sitting cross-legged next to me, he handed me the wrapped metal bottle.
"Here, my sweet. I heated some nectar for you. It should warm you up. Drink it-tomorrow might very well be long. You will need your strength."
I smiled at him gently, unable to resist his dimpled grin. I took the flask and sipped at it.
He was right. The warmed nectar was wonderful. I felt the warmth slide down into my belly and it warmed my whole body. I hadn’t even realized that I was cold until he had remedied the situation.
He wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. I closed my eyes as we nestled into the blankets, pretending just for a second, that we were normal mortals. Normal mortals, however, would not be staring at the swirling sky of the Spiritlands.
As I stared upward at the stars, I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty surrounding me.
The dark night yawned far and wide; the blacks, blues and grays swirling together and appearing as sort of an unnatural aurora borealis. The night glowed ever so slightly, but still remained dark. It was an enigma and something that you would only find here.
"What are you thinking, Love?" Cadmus murmured into my hair, before he kissed my forehead. I could feel the exact place where his lips had been even after he removed them.
"I’m just pondering the differences between Pasadena and here," I answered softly. "And how you have taken to this place with surprising panache. You make it look so easy. It is as though you never left."
"Well," he smiled. "It helps that I had no memory of who I was when I first arrived.
Eris deposited me in her home and I truly remembered nothing of who I was or where I had come from. I just felt this ... overwhelming sense of love for her. It was as though I had always been with her. But at the same time, it was confusing, because it was absolutely superficial. I couldn’t think of any details surrounding our relationship ... because there weren’t any. I’m so happy to be back with you where I belong."
I sighed and snuggled closer.
"You don’t wish you were back with Eris?" I asked teasingly. But then I stiffened as another thought occurred to me. "You didn’t ... I mean, you and Eris ..." I raised nervous eyes to meet his.
"Honestly, I don’t remember. I hope not. As soon as you brought me back to myself, all memories of that time with her were instantly gone. All I can remember now is the strange sensation that I felt the entire time I was with her. I can’t explain it. It was as though a sort of fog had descended upon me. It must have been whatever spell she used."
I nodded, strangely satisfied by that answer. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t his fault.
And if he couldn’t remember it ... well, that was almost as good as not happening at all. At least, that was what I would tell myself.
As I situated myself even closer to Cadmus, something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I paused, scanning the dark night. On the edge of the circle of fire, just beyond the light, two eyes were staring at me. They fairly glowed in the darkness and I froze, my breath caught in
my throat. Cadmus glanced down at me.
"What is it?"
I lifted a trembling finger and pointed at the same time as the eyes began moving toward me.
One breath later, a large black dog sat on the perimeter, calmly observing me as I tried not to panic. It very slowly lifted a paw and licked it, keeping its yellow eyes on me the entire time.
This was not an ordinary dog. I could tell from the intelligent, human-like way it was staring at me. It was unsettling.
"What do you want?" I called to it. It was no more than ten feet away. Cadmus slowly rose to a crouch, drawing a dagger from his side. He stayed poised at my side, ready for anything.
The dog watched me silently for a moment more before it quickly morphed into Hecate. I breathed a sigh of relief and I felt Cadmus relax as he stood up and offered me his hand, pulling me to my feet.
Hecate smiled a patronizing smile.
"Why is it that you are so jumpy?" she asked. "Scared of a little dog?"
"I wouldn’t call you little," I replied. "What is it that you want?"