Blood Cursed, page 9
“I expect you want to know why I’m here,” he said, breaking the silence.
She held up her hand. “No. I know exactly why you’re here. You want the ring.”
“How did you know that?” he asked at the same time Hades said, “You can’t give it to him.”
She turned to Hades and stroked his chest. “It’s time, my love-monkey.”
He breathed heavily for a moment as he stared down at her, but then nodded. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Good idea.”
He pointed a finger at Tamuel. “The next time I see you here, you better be dead – or no matter what my sugar-fairy says, I will make it so.”
“Very Captain Jean-Luc Picard of him.”
Ignoring the HBG, Tamuel only nodded.
Hades turned to leave, then turned back, grabbed Persephone and kissed her, hard and fast, then with a wave of his hand, disappeared.
Persephone turned slowly back to Tamuel and gestured at the couch by the fireplace. “Come. Sit. There are some things I must tell you before you take it.”
“I don’t have much time.”
“You will have time for this.”
Blanching at her ominous tone, Tamuel took a seat.
Chapter
Ten
Korinna closed the manuscript in front of her with a snap, then coughed as a cloud of dust wafted up from the old, musty pages.
“Sorry about that.”
“I’m used to it.” Jules waved her hand, eyes fixed on the grimoire she was pouring over on the other side of the desk. “Was there anything useful in it?”
“No.” She shoved it aside and grasped for another book off the pile they’d made when they’d broken into Tam’s secret space. “You?”
“Not for what we came in to look for, but it does mention something about the power of Ostara being used at Oestra as a source of release. It might help to guide you in how to release the spirit from the gem.”
“If we find the correct artefact to channel through.”
“Yes. Or maybe …”
Korinna looked up as the other woman’s words died away. Jules was biting her lip, her face scrunched up in pain as she clutched her stomach. “Shit. Are you okay?” What was she thinking, bringing a pregnant woman through a portal? Bas and Tam would kill her if anything happened to Jules and the baby. Scratch that. She’d do the job herself first.
Jules waved her away as she jumped up and rounded the desk. “I’m fine. Just some Braxton-Hicks contractions.”
“Contractions?” Korinna yipped so high it was possible only a dog could hear. “We need to get you back.”
“No, no, I’m fine. They’re just false birthing pains. My OBGYN says they’re normal and that they help prepare me for the real thing.”
“How do you know they’re not the real thing?”
Jules shrugged. “My water hasn’t broken yet. Also, they come and go at odd times. Consistency is key in childbirth.”
“I’m glad you can be so calm about it.”
Jules smiled. “Well, I have to be really. When the time actually comes, I’m pretty certain Bas will lose his cool.”
“But he’s been through this once before.”
“Exactly. And that didn’t go at all well. I think I’m going to be in for some freaking out and increased paranoia on top of the over-protective stuff I’m already enduring. It’s why I jumped at the chance to help you with this. If Bas was here, he never would have let me take a step near that portal, let alone through it.” She looked down at the book in front of her. “I’m sorry. I’m enjoying myself and I should be horribly worried about Tamuel. And I am.” She looked back up, her eyes – so like Tam’s despite the difference in colour – met Korinna’s with a plea. “I’ve just not had much excitement in my life, and to have the chance to do something like this is making me a little giddy and thoughtless. Will you forgive me?”
“Of course. There’s nothing to forgive. I totally understand.”
Jules reached out, gripped Korinna’s hand, squeezed. “I knew you would. In some ways, we’re very similar in how we’ve been hidden away and kept powerless for so long.”
Korinna nodded but looked away. Jules’ comparison was true, but not equal. Jules had been forced by circumstance to stay hidden and powerless; Korinna had chosen both.
But no more. She had to put all that aside if she was to make amends for what she’d done. “If you’re okay, we better get back to it.” She pressed her knuckles against the feeling in her chest that was more like a whisper than ever before. Where had Tam gone that she could hardly feel him at all now? “I’m afraid he really is doing something stupid. I have to find him.”
Jules went back to studying the book before her. Korinna tried to do the same, but her gaze kept going back to the woman opposite. After a moment, she blurted, “Do you want your power back?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well … I get the whole not being immortal thing being a big reason for wanting them back, but … do you know what you’re asking for? Just how much power you will be getting? I mean, Goddess-given power … are you certain that’s something you want the burden of?”
Jules frowned before letting out a deep sigh. “Is that how you think of your power? Like a burden?”
Korinna looked away. “I … My power, it’s not Goddess-given and—”
“Isn’t it?”
Her gaze snapped back to Jules. “What do you mean? Of course it’s not!”
Jules folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I had the thought earlier that the reason why your power keeps overwhelming powerful artefacts is because it’s more than any of us think it is.”
“I … no … that’s … but my mother was the one Demeter gifted with her power. When she died, Demeter took them back and vowed never to gift them to another. And no other Goddess I know of is so free with their power – aside from Vesta. And she gave her power to one person – you.”
“Your mother had you when she still had the Goddess-given power.”
“But … I … they don’t transfer to the baby. That’s not how it works.”
“Do you know that for a certainty?”
“I …” Did she? “Tam didn’t get the Goddess Vesta’s power that Lianna had when she was pregnant with him. Besides, I’m just a powerful witch.”
“Are you? Do you know who your father was?”
She shook her head. “Persephone said that when he left, he broke my mother’s heart and theirs along with it. If I asked anything more, she just said my mother couldn’t bear to talk about him and so Demeter promised, and made everyone else promise, not to speak of him ever again. Seph wouldn’t break her promise, not even for me.” She bit her lip. “I got the sense that he died a long time ago. So he couldn’t have been anyone important.”
“Okay. It was just a thought. One that seemed to make sense. To me, at least. I might have only had my power for a short time, but I thought maybe I sensed something familiar in yours. Just wishful thinking though.”
“Why would you wish that kind of power on me?”
“Because, if you did have it, what we’re going to do the first night of Oestra would not be so rife with danger. If you had that kind of power, I know we would succeed.” She swallowed hard. “I would so love to be able to live for eternity with Bastien and Tamuel and this little one.” She looked down, stroking her stomach in a way that brought a lump to Korinna’s throat. “It’s a horrible ache in my heart to think of only having one lifetime with them.”
“I … I’m so sorry. I wish I did have Goddess-given power so I could make sure of our success.”
Jules smiled sadly at her. “I know you would – even as I know it terrifies you to think of power that big. But don’t put that burden on yourself along with everything else. It’s bad enough you and Tamuel have to risk your lives to stop Clodia and get my magic back.”
“Tamuel and I have to … it’s our mess.” My mess.
“Is it? I used to think I was to blame – Clodia did all this to get my powerful magic after all. But now I know where the blame truly lies, and it’s not with any of us. It’s that bitch-witch who should pay. I just wish I was the one who made certain of it, not you two.” She swiped at a tear running down her cheek.
“Here,” Korinna said, reaching for a box of tissues on the desk, but as she did, she bumped a pile of ancient manuscripts. They teetered and began to tumble off the edge. Jules cried out, but before they could hit the floor, a gold and amber light surrounded them and they froze mid-fall. Then slowly, they lifted and piled back on the desk – in the middle this time – in a pile far neater than the one Korinna had placed them in.
“Thank you,” Jules breathed. “That was quick thinking.”
Korinna stared at her. “It wasn’t me.”
“It had to be you. It certainly couldn’t be me.”
“It wasn’t me. I assure you.” The colour had been wrong. Besides, “The control spell is in place, so my magic doesn’t work unless I will it to,” – as long as she didn’t use blood magic of course – “and I didn’t will it just then. The only answer is …” Korinna’s gaze went to Jules’ stomach.
Jules’ mouth popped open on a little ‘oh’ of sound. Then she began to shake her head. “It can’t be. Can it? The baby hasn’t shown any sign of having magic before now.”
“Perhaps something happened when you went through the portal. Or maybe it’s just at that state in its gestation?”
Jules took in a shuddering breath as she met Korinna’s gaze. “But how can she have that kind of power inside the womb? That’s not usual, is it? I mean, I only know what’s usual for witch-kind. Does having a child with a demi-God change things?”
Korinna shrugged helplessly. “From everything I’ve ever read, the earliest power usually manifests is at three to four years of age, but more usually nearing puberty, even in demi-Gods. There are some that occur earlier, but it’s rare for babies to manifest magic in the womb. She must be incredibly strong.”
Jules stared at her stomach. “I don’t like this. If anyone finds out – they’ll come after her, won’t they?”
Korinna touched the other woman’s shoulder. “I don’t think so. She would have to be more than incredibly strong. I don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t have your power. And even if you did, your baby would not inherit or share in them; and her father is only a demi-God. A child with such parentage wouldn’t really be of interest to the Gods.”
“They were interested in Tamuel.”
“Tam’s case was different. Not only was his birth unusual, he is unusual with his two equal powers onboard – cupid and warlock. And they countered that by not training him in his warlock power.” She touched Jules’ stomach. “This baby’s creation occurred when only one parent holds power in their bodies, so she is unlikely to have inherited witch powers from you. And even if she has, they wouldn’t be as strong as what was given to Tam through direct lineage. Also, Eros was only really interested in Tam because he was a boy.” She let her mouth curl into a sneer as she said, “There are no female cupids, and given his rather antique views on women and love – aside from his beloved Psyche of course – his interest in this grand-baby is likely to be zero.”
“Are you sure?” the mother-to-be said, eyes searching her face. “What about other Gods and Goddesses?”
“I can never be completely sure about these things, but from what I’ve read and heard and observed over the years, I think it very unlikely that if Eros is uninterested, that no other God or Goddess will be interested in your baby and her fledgling power; even if they are showing in the womb.”
Jules sat down with a plop. “Thank you. I just … I’m sorry. I panicked.”
“It’s understandable.”
Jules nodded rapidly then gestured at the neat pile of books. “We should get back to this. You need to go save our boy and I’ve already taken up too much of our time with useless speculation.”
They returned to their work, but even as she tried to concentrate on the grimoire in front of her, Korinna couldn’t help but worry about the questions Jules had asked her. She knew so little about her mother and father and had always assumed she was just like all the other Soteira.
But what if she wasn’t?
What if the reason her father had broken her mother’s heart was because he turned dark? Was that why using blood magic came so easily to her?
No. It was useless speculation that wouldn’t help her track down Tam and stop him doing whatever stupid thing he was currently doing. She rubbed her chest where the feel of him through the bond had become nothing but a ghost-echo. Where the Hells was he?
Jules looked up. “You okay, Korinna?”
She nodded. “Just worried about Tam.” Her gaze ran around the room. She had to get to him. This was taking too long. Where the Hells was the spell of homing that he’d used?
On the other side of the room, on the side table, under the lamp next to the armchair that was situated in front of the bookshelf where the Eleusinian Mysteries Grimoire was hidden in, a paper fluttered and glowed. She leaped to her feet and raced over, pulling the paper out from under the lamp. Her gaze ran over the scrawl of writing that was definitely Tam’s.
“What is it?” Jules said, coming to her side.
Korinna, smiling for the first time since Tam had left, held the paper out to her and said, “You don’t happen to have any eye of newt back home, do you?”
“As a matter of fact, we do.” Jules took the paper and shuddered. “You have to drink this?” She shook her head. “The things we do to protect our men from themselves.”
“They’re worth it.”
“Yes, they are. Okay, let’s tidy up here and then get to it.”
Chapter
Eleven
Tamuel stepped into the portal, blood dripping from the freshly carved sigil on his other wrist. Wind whipped around him, threatening to pick him up and toss him into the spinning maw that surrounded the bridge. Bloody Hells. This wasn’t like the last few times he’d gone through it. Persephone said it would be difficult to get the ring out of the Underworld, even with it nestled inside the small rune-covered box she’d given him. She’d told him the Underworld was not a place that liked to let go of powerful objects, no matter who owned them.
It appeared Persephone was the queen of understatement.
But she’d trusted that he’d manage it, particularly with the help of the sigil spell from the Eleusinian Mysteries Grimoire carved into his arm, so manage it he would.
He held on tight to the spell in his mind, clutching the box against his chest and, putting his head down, took one difficult step after another.
The wind tightened around the box, tendrils winding around his fingers, pulling. The box slipped. “No you don’t.” He clasped it in both hands, holding it firmly against his chest despite the HBG’s protest. “I’m sorry, but there’s no choice,” he said to it.
When Persephone had shown him the ring, the magic in it had lanced out as soon as he’d touched it and pierced his chest right at the spot the HBG nestled, fingers of it pulling at the gem, trying to tear it from its seat in his sternum. He’d thought he was going to pass out from the pain and the HBG’s screaming in his mind. Thankfully Persephone had quickly torn the ring from his grasp and returned it to the box with its runes carved into the wood acting as a shield – if she hadn’t, he might not have made it back from the Underworld alive.
Had he thanked her? He wasn’t sure. It had all been a bit of a blur after that. She’d mentioned a lot of dos and don’ts which were all a bit of a muddle in his mind right now – probably something to do with the remnants of pain in his chest, the whimpering of the HBG and this bloody wind.
How long to go? He glanced up. He was almost through the swirling nothingness that was the bridge between places; the glowing oval of the exit portal was only a few feet ahead. Bent over almost double as the wind buffeted and pulled at him, he managed to take one step, then another, then another before, with a pop, he spilled out onto the floor of the cave.
The wind reached for him, threatening to pull him back in. He drew the line of completion through the sigil, cutting the magic. The portal snapped closed behind him with a crack of wind and power that sent him to his knees.
He took in a deep breath, the box clutched hard against his chest. “I hope you’re worth it,” he whispered to it.
“Did you get it?” The God of Mischief stood exactly where Tamuel had left him, lounging against the rough rock wall of the cave. “So, let’s look at it then.”
“Um …”
Loki pouted. “Come on, Tamuel. Fair’s fair. Given I gave you the power you needed to get down there so you could ask Persephone for it, I think giving me a little looksy is the least you owe me.”
Eyes narrowed, Tamuel asked, “So, if I show you the ring, I don’t have to pay you back for what you gave me?”
Loki’s smile widened. “Good try, but no. You still owe me for the power boost. This is just a little something extra for old-time’s sake. Come on. Show me.” He wiggled his fingers, palm up.
Tamuel sighed and clambered to his feet. “I can’t show you. Persephone had a list of dos and don’ts. And one of the ‘don’ts’ she was quite firm about is that the box shouldn’t be opened for anyone but Rinna. She’s not certain what it will do if exposed to the world it’s been kept from for so long without the control of one of her Soteira to guide it.”
Loki’s brows rose. “Ooh, intriguing. Makes me want to see it more.” He tried to snatch the box from Tamuel’s hand.
“Damn it, Loki.” Tamuel darted away. “It could be dangerous.”
“Is that supposed to frighten me?”
“Not frighten you. Make you see reason.”
