The Oracle Series: Vols. 4, 5, & Grave Endowments

by Cynthia D. Witherspoon

Jonah wished Eva hadn’t mentioned the end of the week. He also wished that his only concern was a stupid news story.

  Had it been any other time, he might have enjoyed seeing himself online. But it meant less than nothing right now.

  Eva had an interesting viewpoint of things. A far better one than he’d thought. They were on the same wavelength on many things, but what she called energy, he called essence. Elliot and Hera’s plan, apparently, all hinged on getting Eva on the Astral Plane. Jonah didn’t tell her, but he couldn’t see that Eva had any advantages in this. As was established, Eva was “immortal.” But life never ended. It merely changed form. Despite both of those points, Elliot and Hera were sure that if they got Eva on the Astral Plane, it’d be game over.

  Jonah’s entire thought process occurred between the family room and Jonathan’s study. It was amazing how much work the mind could do in a short period of time.

  Cyrus left after he gave Jonah another appraising look. Jonah didn’t really care. He needed to see what was so important to Jonathan.

  Standing at a massive bookshelf, Jonathan asked Jonah to take a seat. Because of

  Eva’s quip about him being in trouble, he had a fleeting feeling of being in the principal’s office, but Jonathan didn’t give off an accusatory vibe. If anything, he was his usual inscrutable self.

  “So Jonah,” he said after he seated himself, “Cyrus tells me that the Queen of

  Olympus revealed the desires of your heart to you.”

  Jonah sighed. There was no point in sugar-coating or glossing with Jonathan.

  “Yeah, she did,” he admitted. “But hold up. You know about Hera? You believe in the gods?”

  “My belief in them is immaterial, seeing as how they exist in spite of whatever I may feel,” Jonathan replied. “There are many things in this world that exist regardless of whether or not we believe in them.”

  “But you could have told us about their existence!”

  “Their existence had no relevance to your own life until the moment you met Eva and Cyrus. When they return to their lives in California, it will be knowledge that you have that doesn’t harm you one way or the other. But I fear that Cyrus, Eva, and Joey returning home at the end of this week may not be a simple matter.” Got that right, thought Jonah.

  “It’s my understanding that when Hera tempts people with the desires of their hearts, the receiving of said desires hinges on them doing something for her,” said Jonathan.

  Jonah fought the urge to leave. He willed Jonathan not to ask him what Hera wanted. He hadn’t even told Eva yet because he didn’t know how to do so.

  Jonathan smiled at Jonah in a way that Jonah couldn’t place. It seemed like he had a suspicion of what Hera had showed him. “I didn’t call you in here to inquire about details,” he said, which filled Jonah with relief, “and I also know that you’re intelligent enough to not be easily swayed. That said, you might want to do better with wearing your heart on your sleeve.”

  Jonah closed his eyes. Jonathan knew. He figured out what Hera showed him. Was he that damn good, or was Jonah just that damn obvious?

  “That is all I have to say on that particular matter,” said Jonathan. “I wanted to speak to you about going into the Covington House once again. That had to take a toll.”

  What irony. A situation that Jonah didn’t want to discuss was a welcome distraction from the current subject. “Did you know about the graves in that underground room?”

  Jonathan snorted. “Why do you think Creyton was attracted to the place?”

  “Oh,” muttered Jonah, “duh. But what I don’t understand is why Elliot and Hera wanted us there.”

  Jonathan sat back in his chair. “There is something that I’ve learned,” he said in a solemn tone. “I learned it from George S. Covington, the patriarch of the Covington brood. It turns out that Rome, North Carolina is a place where the lines cross—” Jonathan froze, and his eyes drifted to the left.

  “Something is wrong,” he said to Jonah. “Something foreign is on the grounds.” Just then, Reena burst in, with a yellow gleaming javelin in her hands.

  “We have a problem.” She looked furious. “More Shades are in the front yard.

  About twenty of them.”

  “What?” demanded Jonah. “But Cyrus and Jonathan shored up the defenses!”

  “I know,” said Reena. “But the Shades out there didn’t get the memo.”

  ***

  Everyone else was already on the front porch of the estate. There were nearly two dozen Shades on the grounds, jeering, taunting, and inching nearer and nearer to them.

  Eva, sword at the ready, looked over at Jonathan. “Why aren’t they up here tearing us apart?” she called out. “Not that I'm complaining, but I don't get it.”

  “I am a Protector Guide,” said Jonathan. “The home of my students is shielded. No foe will ever cross the threshold while I’m on these grounds.”

  “When I promised you that this house would keep you safe, it wasn’t a hyperbole, Little One,” said Cyrus. “Jonathan knows his defenses, and I trusted him wholeheartedly to protect you.”

  Just then, a Shade proved the point by attempting to leap on the porch. It got knocked back and landed in a heap almost fifty feet away.

  “Hell yeah!” shouted Terrence. “Knocked you on your ass!”

  But it was only a brief comfort. The Shades were getting closer and closer to the porch. It seemed like they gained new ground with every step. Jonah didn’t know how much longer they’d have safe ground. He remembered what Elliott said about breaching the estate “soon enough”. How did he plan to manage that?

  “What was that, Jonah?” demanded Reena out of nowhere.

  “What was what?” asked Jonah.

  “I read familiarity in your essence,” said Reena. “What do you know?” Jonah felt his mouth tighten. He’d known Reena for a while now, but it was still unnerving when she did that essence reading. “When Elliott was doing that Astral projection, he said that soon enough, he’d be able to breach the estate itself,” he told her. “I was wondering how he planned to do that. Did he have an in of some kind? A placeholder, token—?”

  And then it hit him.

  “The watch!” he shouted.

  “What watch?” said Terrence.

  Jonah rounded on Eva. “That watch you picked up at Covington House,” he said. “Elliott must have planted it there. He must have done something to it, or Hera did, more likely. You brought it back here. It’s got to be what’s weakening our defenses!"

  Eva tensed. “That’s why he was so sure that he’d get in here soon. He did something dark to the one thing he knew I’d pick up.”

  “Where is it?”

  “In my room on the nightstand,” confessed Eva.

  “Go get it!” said Joey. “Make a run for it. Why this house has to be so damn big—”

  “No time!” said Reena. “Who knows how much headway the Shades will make while that thing sits in there, weakening our home! Terrence, take this!”

  She tossed the javelin to him, which shifted from yellow to burnt orange as it changed spiritually endowed hands. Reena stepped into thin air and vanished.

  “What the hell?” Eva jumped back.

  “It’s the Astralimes!” shouted Jonah. “She’ll be back—”

  Reena stepped out of thin air as suddenly as she’d stepped into it, clutching the damned watch. She held it out in front of her and ran off of the porch using her ethereal speed.

  A strange phenomena occurred. The more distance Reena put between that watch and the estate, the further the scope of the ground’s defenses stretched, which repelled the

  Shades. She kept running—they kept getting pushed back farther and farther— She ran down the drive, and there was silence.

  Eva looked here and there. “Where is she??”

  “Be patient,” said Jonathan. “We’ll know soon enough.”

  Jonah stared at the dark drive like it was the only place on Earth. Come on, R
eena. Then a blur raced up the drive and ceased at the steps. Reena’s hair looked windswept, no surprise there, and her breathing was only a bit heavy.

  “Jonathan, they’re gone,” she announced. “The ground’s protection is restored. I pushed the Shades so far back that they were forced to retreat. Elliot won’t be getting in here that way.”

  Eva actually pushed Jonah aside and placed a hand on Reena’s shoulder. “I don’t know you very well,” she said, “but damn I’m glad you’re on our team!”

  Chapter Ten

  Eva McRayne

  I stayed outside on the porch long after the others had returned inside. Not that I was alone. Both Cyrus and Jonah hung back, watching me. I was sure they believed I would break down after this latest attack by my enemy. But I wasn’t about to panic. That would give Elliot power. It would allow him the opportunity to weaken me.

  I’d be damned if I did that. Elliott had already infringed on my sanity one time too many.

  “Dear girl, you cannot stay out here all night.” Cyrus had given up his post by the front door to come up behind me. He placed his hands on my shoulders as he continued.

  “Nor can you defeat an army alone. There is no point in waiting for another strike to occur.”

  “I’m not waiting on an army.” I shook my head. “I’m waiting on the paparazzi.”

  It wasn’t a total lie. The press hounds—independent or otherwise—had started showing up at our locations, hoping to get a glimpse at the great Eva McRayne. Daughter of Apollo. Messenger of the Dead. So many stories had been made up about me. So many lies had graced the covers of tabloids that I’d come to expect the sharks to start circling the moment I landed in a new town. And with the story I’d found online, it was only a matter of hours before they showed up.

  I couldn’t think about the Shades. I couldn’t acknowledge the fact that Elliot had used such a sweet memory against me.

  I closed my eyes as I thought about my interaction with Reena after the Shades had been pushed back. I’d been so ecstatic over her actions that I had thanked her. Told her I was glad she was on our side. Her response had been unexpected, but it shouldn’t have surprised me.

  I would have said the same thing in her position.

  “I am not on your team, Sibyl.” Reena had shaken me off. “I am protecting my home. Our home, to which your presence is posing a serious threat.”

  She took Terrence by the arm to go inside after Jonathan, but she turned to face me when she reached the door. “I may not question my mentor, but I do not have to like his decisions. You leave nothing but imbalance in your wake. I want nothing to do with you during the remainder of your time at the Grannison-Morris estate.”

  Her words were right, of course. I had become a symbol of hope to millions, but as a result, my presence had caused harm to so many who interacted with me. It could be so easy to release myself from this life. Get the mirror back from Apollo. Find another girl stupid enough to take my place. Run out in front of a car just as Kathy Carter, my predecessor had done. Perhaps then, I could find peace.

  And Elliot would win. That single thought alone was enough to pull me out of the self-pity I’d wallowed in.

  “I know why Apollo hasn’t responded.” I broke the silence which had settled around us. I turned towards Cyrus and kept my focus on him as I continued. “I saw George

  Covington in the basement.”

  “I’m sorry?” My keeper frowned. “You didn’t mention this before.”

  “Because I wanted to figure out what he was talking about.” I shrugged. “But I’m at a loss. And for once, Google isn’t helping.”

  “Come inside.” Cyrus sighed as he wrapped his arm around me. “You too, Jonah.

  We may as well hear about this together.”

  “I don’t want to do another heart-to-heart, Cyrus.” I ran my hand through my hair as

  I let him guide me. “I want to go to bed.”

  “Would you rather tell me in private?” He held the front door open for me as he looked to Jonah. “We can go upstairs alone.”

  “No.” I frowned. “Just—give me time to sleep this off. Get my thoughts together. Then I’ll tell you anything you wish to know.”

  “Fair enough.” Cyrus nodded. “Jonah, I know Jonathan wished for you to stay with Eva, but if you don’t mind, I would like for you to take the night off. I’ve got it from here.”

  Jonah blinked, his expression troubled as he looked at us. He seemed to be thinking

  about something just as disturbing as I had been. “Sure. See you in the morning.”

  It was easy. Too easy. I watched as he walked away from us to head towards the stairs. For his part, my keeper took my arm and led me into the kitchen. He poured me a glass of wine and pushed it towards me.

  “I believe you need this tonight, Little One.”

  I nodded, taking the glass gratefully. Cyrus took out his flask and tapped it lightly against the side of my glass.

  “To us.”

  He sat down at the table across from me with a smile. This was our toast. The words we spoke to one another whenever we had a drink together. I offered him a small smile in return as I took a sip. I’d been around Cyrus non-stop for the past two years. I knew there was something he wanted to tell me. Something that wasn’t going to be easy. After another moment of silence, I sighed.

  “Alright, Stick. Spill it.”

  “Eva—” Cyrus took another drink. “I want you to be careful around Jonah.”

  “Why?” I frowned. “More importantly, why now? Shouldn’t you have been giving me this warning after he nearly broke down my door?”

  “Little One, listen to me.” Cyrus gestured at me with his flask. “Hera spoke with your new friend. I believe she is trying to convince Jonah to betray you.”

  I went pale. I know I did. I could feel the blood drain out of my face. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am very serious. I asked Jonah about it this afternoon. He did not confess to the nature of his conversation with Hera, but he did not deny it either. I believe she promised him something in return for your downfall.”

  “Oh, this is getting ridiculous!” I threw up my hands in frustration. “Betrayal, lies, violence! Where does it end, Cyrus?”

  “It doesn’t.” He gave me a look of veiled pity. “You simply survive it.”

  I finished my wine and placed the glass in the dishwasher. I wanted to respond to him. I wanted to come up with some snappy comment about how he was wrong.

  I couldn't do it. Instead, I approached Cyrus with a heavy heart. I lowered myself

  down onto my knees to lay my head in his lap. He didn’t try to stop me. My keeper stroked my head in silence. We stayed that way until the cold from the tiles seeped through my jeans to cause me to shiver.

  “You are tired, Eva.” Cyrus tugged at my chin until I met his gaze. “You must rest

  after all this excitement. Promise me you will take the day off tomorrow. Stay here. Allow the energies of this place to heal you.”

  “No.” I sighed as I let him pull me to my feet. “As lovely as that sounds, I don’t have enough time. Our flight leaves on Monday, and we lost so much time with Elliot’s stunt.”

  “I don’t want to hear it.” Cyrus stood to link his arm with mine. “If you wish, we can return to the house on Friday. But I do not want to hear another word about Elliot, Hera—even Jonah—until you’ve had a shower and sleep.”

  “Fine,” I groaned. “But don’t you want to hear about Apollo? George Covington?” “I do. When you are ready.” Cyrus led me into my bedroom. “But I do not believe you are. Your energies are low. You are starting to doubt yourself. I don’t like it.”

  I grabbed my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and curled up by his side. I wanted to refute him. I wanted to tell my beloved I was fine.

  I didn’t get a chance to say a word. Cyrus lifted me up until we were nose-to-nose. He didn't have to say a word to tell me what he was thinking. What he was feeling. He cupped hi
s hand around my neck to bring me down into a long, sweet kiss. I groaned against him when I was filled with an emotion that still rocked me to the core each time I felt it. I was desired. Wanted. Loved.

  It was that love that made my crazy life worth living. And no one—no god or monster—could ever take it away from me.

  ***

  I wasn’t at Grannison-Morris anymore. I glanced around, wondering what had happened to Cyrus while I took in the marble hall where I stood. I frowned and started walking. There were always answers to my questions. This would be no different.

  I heard the sounds of laughter coming from a room not far from me, so I sped up until I reached the door. I started to knock until I realized it was cracked open. I leaned forward and pressed my face against the cold wood to see inside.

  A young woman was seated on a man’s lap. She was speaking in Ancient Greek. I could read it, but I was still fuzzy on understanding it when I heard it. But I didn’t need to know what she said to know what was going on. I was witness to a very private moment. I started to back away until the man turned his face into the low light and I could see his profile.

  Cyrus. The man I’d given my heart to. The man I’d give up my immortality for grabbed the woman’s hair to pull her into a kiss. I tried to stumble away from the door. I tried to close my eyes to the sight, but I couldn’t move.

  “Delphine,” whispered Hera into my ear as she appeared behind me. “You have met the first Sibyl several times now. You should recognize her.”

  “Let me go, Hera.” I gritted my teeth as I willed my heart to stop breaking. “If you wish to fight me, then—”

  “Oh, no. This is much more entertaining.” The goddess waved a hand to open the door to give me a better view. “Are you aware that Delphine was Cyrus’ first love? His deepest?”

  “Cyrus is my other half,” I managed through gritted teeth. “What do you know about love, anyway? The mother of monsters—”

  My voice trailed off as Hera smiled and shook her head. “The ‘two halves of a whole’ fable. It’s for children, dear Sybil. But do place your stake in it, if it helps you sleep at night. As for your words—I am more than just the mother of monsters. I am the force of divinity behind a happy home. Marriage. Love. These are my realms, Sibyl.