With My Last Breath, Book Three

by Cori Chaffee

  It was early morning and the fire had died down to embers. Everything but my blanket had been packed up and was waiting to be loaded onto our horses. I shook my head slightly to clear the sleep from it.

  Another twig popped and I spun around, finding Lucan walking toward me.

  ‚You should be glad I pose no threat,' he observed. ‚You sleep like the dead.'

  He was right. I really did. But I knew, I had always known, that he would protect me from any bumps in the night. Not that I could say that to him right now. Instead, I gazed around.

  ‚Where is Hectate?' I asked.

  ‚I’m here!' she called, approaching us from the left. ‚I was hunting for some breakfast.'

  My mouth twitched. ‚Really?' I smiled. ‚And what, domestic goddess, did you find?'

  ‚Don’t doubt me,' she shot back. ‚Do plump, ripe blackberries appeal to you?'

  ‚They do sound delicious,' I admitted. ‚Do you know anyone who could find some for us?'

  She glared at me, swinging a basket full of berries that I knew she had probably conjured. This witch had not walked over the countryside to find berries. I knew that much to be true.

  She handed them to Lucan and he sat on the ground, offering them to me. I took a handful and put one in my mouth, enjoying the juicy rich taste. They weren’t lotus blossoms, but they were delicious nonetheless. I licked the stickiness from my fingers before returning my attention to the witch.

  ‚We should ride,' Hecate muttered, looking in concern at the horizon. ‚They will approach us soon enough. We do not want to be here when they arrive. And I had a dream last night. There is a place I would like to stop along the way. I feel drawn to it even now.'

  Lucan stared at her curiously, but didn’t ask any questions. He simply nodded.

  ‚You’re correct. We should ride far from here.'

  He reached down and offered me a hand, helping me to my feet. I stood face to face with him, his lips mere inches from my own, before he took a step backward.

  ‚I readied your horse,' he mumbled, gesturing toward Celine. ‚Everything is set.'

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  I nodded and approached my horse, stroking her velvety nose for a moment before swinging up into the saddle. She was anxious and exhaled in short puffs, stomping her front foot.

  ‚It’s alright, Celine,' I soothed her, patting her neck.

  ‚No, it’s not,' Hecate contradicted. ‚It’s really not. There is danger out there. I can sense it, the horses can sense it. We should be on our guard.'

  ‚And that we are,' Lucan stated as he mounted his horse.

  Following him, I nudged Celine into movement and we took off like streaks across the Camelot countryside. Behind us, heavy black clouds rolled and thunder rumbled throughout the land, but rain never came. The air, which was normally so damp and life-sustaining here, was now arid and empty.

  Minutes turned into hours and I wished that we could simply envision that we were already there. But since Lucan still did not know who we really were, we could do no such thing. Instead, we rode our horses the traditional way and my backside was painfully aware of it. Piercing aches shot through my hips and with every jolt of the saddle, my lower back screamed.

  As we traveled, I grew increasingly more appalled at the state of Camelot.

  Everything was dead. There was nothing vibrant or alive for as far as I could see. The once waving grasses were brown and wilted, rocks jutted from the craggy earth and dead trees hunched over on the horizon. It was as though the life had been sucked from the earth.

  Finally, just when I thought that my back could take no more jolting from the saddle, something emerged from the dead landscape and Hecate shot forward. I kicked Celine into a gallop, anxious to stand on my feet again and to see where Hecate had brought us.

  I slid from my horse and stretched happily for a moment, working out the kinks in my spine. Lucan came up from behind and caught the reins dangling from my hand.

  ‚I’ll take your horse, my lady,' he offered. ‚You appear to be tired.'

  I nodded my thanks. ‚It has been a long time since I was in a saddle so long,' I told him ruefully. ‚My back doesn’t agree with this trip, apparently.'

  He smiled and together, we walked over the ridge. As we reached the top of the small hill, I stopped in my tracks. I knew this place from history books, for certain, but I also felt a strong vague recognition. I must have been here before.

  Magnificent stone slabs rose from the ground in two rings. The outer ring was tall, and each two Sarsen stones were connected by a cap stone on top, linking them together. The inner ring was made from shorter bluestones. The stones were heavy and unlike their crumbling appearance in history books, they were pristine and straight.

  We were at Stonehenge.

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  As we gazed upon it, a reverent hush overtook us. The place was magical, that much was certain. My bloodstone was practically buzzing against my breastbone and I felt the strongest urge to enter the rings. Strangely enough, even though everything else in the land was dead and brown, the grasses inside the ring were vibrant and alive, their green lushness reminding me of what Camelot was meant to be.

  In the center, a wide, flat onyx stone was situated in the sun, glistening as the tiny flecks caught the light. It had been buffed and polished until it was perfectly smooth and I realized with a start that it was an altar. It had never been pictured in history books, because it simply wasn’t there anymore. But it was here now, rising proudly from the ground and my feet felt the urge to begin walking toward it.

  ‚Do you feel that, Heleyne?' Hecate called as she moved to meet it. ‚Do you feel it?'

  ‚Yes,' I answered her and my voice carried across the open meadow, clear and loud. There was something here, something otherworldly that was rippling over me, skimming over my skin, causing my fingertips to tingle. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was powerful. That much was apparent.

  As Hecate trailed her fingers along the black shiny stone, she muttered to herself.

  ‚This place is important,' she whispered. ‚But why?'

  She stopped and laid her hands flat on the stone, closing her eyes as she tilted her face to the sun. Her blonde hair flew in the wind as she concentrated and I noticed with a start, that the wind actually picked up as she touched the stone. My skirts were whirling around my legs.

  Lucan and I silently watched as Hecate moved her lips without making a sound.

  Her shoulders threw back, chest thrust out and her feet were rigid as she saw whatever visions that were being presented to her. The wind picked up into a howl, blowing the tall green grass at our feet into a churning circle. I subconsciously scooted closer to Lucan. It felt as though we were building toward something.

  And then it stopped. The entire meadow grew eerily silent and Hecate opened her eyes. They were pitch black. I gasped as she turned slowly to face me. She opened her mouth to speak and her voice was not her own.

  ‚Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite?'

  It was a man’s voice, gravelly and hoarse. Someone was speaking through the witch. My heart picked up a few paces and Lucan reached over to grasp my hand. His eyes were wide, his face a picture of utter shock.

  I nodded. ‚Yes. I am Harmonia.'

  ‚You are the Chosen One?'

  ‚Yes,' I answered quietly, glancing at my birthmark. At this moment, it felt more like a curse as I waited to see what horror I would be facing now.

  ‚We’ve been waiting for you,' Hecate creaked. ‚Approach.'

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  She held out her hand, allowing it to linger midair, in a gesture of welcome. I took a tentative step, but Lucan pulled me back.

  ‚My lady, I do not think you should,' he worried. ‚We do not know what this is.

  I’ve never seen such a thing.'

>   ‚Neither have I,' I admitted. ‚But I must do it. There is much you don’t understand, good knight. But you will in time.'

  I slipped my hand from his grasp, ignoring his anxious gaze and approached the altar. Hecate took my hand and assisted me onto it, pushing my shoulders until I lay down. Gazing upward, I stared at the gray sky and muted sun for a moment and then closed my eyes, waiting for something to happen.

  Nothing.

  I opened my eyes.

  I was surrounded by ghosts. Hundreds of them were standing in ever-widening circles around us, dressed in clothing from many different ancient eras. Regardless of their differences, however, there was one thing they had in common. They were all warriors. Some were dressed in kilts, some were dressed in trousers, some wore armor, but they all held weapons.

  The sky above us had turned black, blocking even the muted light from the sun. I knew I should be afraid, but I simply wasn’t. I was only expectant, waiting to find out why they were here and what part I played in this. They had been waiting for me for a long time.

  I looked to Hecate and found her eyes closed, but as I watched, a ghost stepped from her body. The voice. It detached itself from her and moved to my side.

  He wore a fierce expression and I could see that his hair was dark red and he wore a shaggy beard. His eyes were black as night and he had a jagged scar running from the corner of his eye down to his pale chin. He reached a ghostly hand out and laid the heel of his palm on my forehead. The cold weight of it pushed my head to the stone beneath me.

  ‚Close your eyes, young one,' he commanded gruffly and I did as he requested, although I wasn’t sure why.

  Immediately, visions filled my head, and suddenly my mind was filled with many truths. Stonehenge had always been. Although no one knew who actually built it, it had always been whispered that Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father, had created it.

  He had not. I saw that now. But he had used it as a burial ground for 460 great chiefs and warriors from Camelot after they had been slaughtered by Saxons in 410 AD.

  These were the men who surrounded me now, among many others.

  I watched that battle quickly play out in my mind, watched the blood, the tears, the angst. I watched Uther burn their bodies here on the very altar that I was lying upon.

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  And then my visions abruptly shifted. Different images flitted in and out, of many others who had been slain right where I was lying.

  Pagans and druids were sacrificed here. The ancient priestesses felt the magic which emanated from this soil and they had used it as a place of sacrifice. I saw them standing on it, crying to the moon as they burned women alive.

  Kings before Uther had used it as a sacred burial ground... I watched them offer eulogies before they burned the corpses here in the center of the ring. I could smell the smoke, the acrid scent of burning flesh as I watched.

  And then the vision changed once more and I saw my mother. Strapped by leather cords, she was writhing in agony upon the stone. Blood ran from multiple wounds, dripping onto the stone and streaking onto the ground beneath her. I couldn’t see the face of her assailant, and I craned my neck, trying to catch a glimpse. But it was too late. A sword plunged into her chest and she went still as her blood gushed freely around the blade.

  I screamed, my eyes opening, but I was held to the altar by the ghost’s cold hand.

  ‚Stay still, Chosen One,' he instructed. ‚You just saw what will happen if you do not act today. But there is still one more for you to see.' Reluctantly, I closed my eyes once again.

  This time, it was me on the stone. My face was pale, my cheeks were flushed. And then I realized something startling. I was wearing the same green velvet dress that I was currently wearing. Today, right now. My breathing stilled.

  As I watched in horror, a small hand gripped the hilt of a sword and plunged it into my chest. I curled around it, my eyes opening wide, before I slumped once more back to the stone, my eyelids fluttering closed. As I watched, the child leaped to the altar beside me and covered me in an embrace, blood covering her small body. As she wept, her long hair dangled in the blood and it dripped from the ends of the strands. And then she turned her head and looked into my eyes.

  Raquel.

  My eyes popped open and I gasped.

  ‚What was that?' I breathed. ‚Why?'

  ‚There are many things that you do not know,' the man replied. ‚Many things that were prophesied long ago and whispered down, generation from generation, but never written.'

  ‚But why?' I asked, staring into his black eyes.

  ‚Because that is the way it has been,' he said cryptically before he shrugged. ‚But you are here now. And now it will begin.'

  ‚What will begin?' I asked hesitantly. I watched Hecate and Lucan step forward so that they could hear his answer.

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  ‚Everything,' he answered simply. ‚We would like our souls back. You have them.

  This once was my kingdom and it has fallen into evil, evil that it was not meant for.

  That troubles me. That troubles many of us here. We gave our lives, not for evil but for the good of our kingdom. Restore our souls and we will help you prevail.'

  ‚How?' I narrowed my eyes. ‚How can you help me?'

  ‚Unlock our souls,' he replied. ‚Set us free from our bondage in the underworld and we will ride together as an army to set this right. We will bring with us monsters from hell, beasts that we command. We can conquer the Fates here and set everything right.'

  He could sense my uncertainty. He moved closer, bending to add one more thing.

  ‚Your husband,' he began. ‚Can be saved if you trust me.' His black eyes stared into mine, fierce and glistening and I swallowed hard.

  I would do anything to save Cadmus. Anything. And that included trusting an army of undead warriors. But as I wavered, I also grew suspicious. If I unleashed beasts from hell, I had a feeling that they wouldn’t want to return when the battle here was over. Who in their right mind would?

  ‚And then what will you do?' I narrowed my eyes. ‚When this is over, what will you do?'

  ‚Then we will rest,' he answered simply. ‚Finally.'

  ‚Have your souls been at unrest this entire time?' I asked incredulously. He nodded.

  ‚The Fates enjoy tampering with us,' he replied angrily. ‚It pleases them. Please…

  allow us our revenge. It is said that you are the one.'

  Around me, the ghostly men began whispering, growing louder until their voices blended into a loud murmur, buzzing around me and echoing against the stones. I couldn’t understand their words, but their chant was mesmerizing. I nodded.

  ‚Yes,' I finally said. ‚I will help you. And you will help me.'

  ‚Yes,' he agreed.

  He reached a cold hand down and grasped mine, helping me to stand. I motioned for Hecate and she quickly brought me my knapsack. I withdrew the black box of murderous souls from within it, holding it in my hands.

  I studied it. There was a latch, but it was sealed closed. I had never considered that before, because knowing what it contained, I had never desired to open it. But now that I had a need, I could not see a way. I grew frustrated as I turned it over in my hands, searching every inch.

  ‚You are the key,' the ghostly chieftain told me quietly. ‚Your blood is the key.'

  My blood turned to ice in my veins as I stared at him.

  ‚My blood? You mean, I must drip my blood onto it in order to open it?' I was confused.

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  But as I watched him, I felt icy fingers clench my stomach and I knew that wasn’t the answer even before he shook his large head.

  ‚No,' he answered solemnly. ‚Your blood must spill. In order to open it, you must die.'

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  With My La
st Breath, Book Three

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hecate and Lucan gasped in unison as I clutched my hands to my stomach, unconsciously shielding my unborn baby.

  ‚Die?' I breathed. ‚I must die?'

  The chieftain nodded calmly. ‚You know that you cannot truly die but by Zeus’

  sword. But your mortal body here must die in order to unlock the trapped souls. You yourself will become displaced, just as we are now. Just as Cadmus is now,' he added.

  ‚And you must trust us to bring you to victory, because your victory here will give you back your life. Your immortal life.'

  ‚That is quite a lot of trust,' I observed, trying to still my racing heart. ‚And I do not know if I possess that much. I have an unborn child to think of now. And I know that if I die here, my soul will be in flux and I will forever be in eternal sleep, until the time when someone saves me.'

  ‚You will save yourself,' he told me quietly. ‚Your unborn child is a part of you.

  When you are saved, so shall it be. Trust your instincts, Harmonia. You are the one.'

  ‚I wish that everyone would stop saying that,' I replied angrily. ‚I am nothing but the child of gods. I am…'

  ‚You are meant to take charge of your own destiny,' he interrupted firmly. ‚So do it. Stand up and grab it with both of your hands. This is the only way.'

  ‚Don’t!' Lucan cried from the edge of the circle, attempting to push through to get to me. ‚Heleyne, do not do it. There is no way to ensure that we will win. And if we do not, you will never be saved. Your soul will be lost.'

  But as I looked at him, at the way he was protective of me even now when he didn’t know who I was to him, I knew that as long as he was dead to me, I was dead already.

  It sealed my decision.

  ‚Yes,' I murmured numbly. ‚I will do it.'

  I looked around the circle. ‚Who will do it?' I asked. ‚Who will kill me?'

  Lucan was already shaking his head adamantly, intent on preventing it. Hecate stood beside him, her mouth pressed firmly shut, turning white at the corners. Her eyes were startled and she shook her head.

  ‚Hecate, what is it?'

  She shook her head slowly again, backing away from me. ‚I’m sorry, Harmonia. I didn’t see it… I didn’t know…'