The Oracle Series: Volumes 1-3

by Cynthia D. Witherspoon

  "Perhaps you should be sober." Cyrus leaned against the counter as he reached for my bottle. "I need you to have a clear head."

  "Yeah? Well, I need to take the edge off." I snagged a glass as I handed him the wine. "So be a dear, open this, and start talking. The sooner the better, Cyrus. I need to know exactly what I'm dealing with."

  Chapter Five

  "Where do I begin?"

  Cyrus asked himself as he paced the living room. Two glasses of wine later, I was curled up on the couch next to Elliot, watching my keeper as he got his thoughts together.

  "Let's start with these rules you keep mentioning." I twirled the empty glass in between my fingers. "First, Leyton said something about them. Then you. What are they?"

  "The gods and goddesses are very particular about how their pets are treated, Eva. As a group, those granted gifts by the gods are called the Hallowed." Cyrus stopped long enough to smile at me. "You, dear girl, are one of those pets. Those of us who act as intermissionaries must follow them to the letter."

  I stayed silent as Elliot began to pick at the blanket thrown over the couch. Cyrus sighed as he continued.

  "One, we are not to attack you under any circumstances. We can restrain you if necessary, but each of the Hallowed possess their own keeper. Those keepers are responsible for making sure you are safe. If I were to attack Tiresias, then it would be his keeper who would have to fight me, not him."

  "I thought you were the only keeper." I frowned. "Besides, who could stand to be around him? Much less ensure his safety instead of threaten it?"

  "You met her as Elizabeth." Cyrus shrugged. "She is so much more than a simple assistant."

  "Ok." I took a breath. "What else?"

  "We must treat each of the Hallowed with the utmost respect. They rank above us in the hierarchy set by the gods. Remember, Little One. I am a servant to Apollo first, then to you. I have no choices as to where I can go or when. It is all up to the Golden One and you."

  I knew Cyrus was bound to me. He'd been by my side since I accepted the Sibyl's mirror in the first place. But as he talked about himself as a servant, I felt a heavy sadness I couldn't explain. It didn't seem right that this man was nothing more than a slave to his god even though it was me who benefited the most from Apollo's arrangement. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around Cyrus. Tell him that I would free him if I had the chance.

  No matter how much it would kill me to do so.

  "The third and final rule is a simple one. Any being who threatens a Hallowed will face the tortures only Tartarus could provide." He turned to me. "What do you know about Tartarus?"

  "Nothing." I shrugged. "I stopped reading your books months ago, Cyrus. I figured you would just tell me what I needed to know."

  "Yes, I suppose so." He gave me a crooked smile. "Although if you had done as I had asked, then my tales wouldn't take so long to tell."

  "What is Tartarus?" Elliot leaned forward to rest his elbows against his knees. "It sounds familiar."

  Elliot. I had all but forgotten he was in the room. Apparently, Cyrus had as well. He tore his eyes away from me to acknowledge our companion.

  "Hell, Elliot. It is Hell. Only the worst beings are sent there to suffer. None have ever been freed from their sentences. And none have ever escaped."

  "Isn't that the same thing as Hades?" I tilted my head as I remembered what little reading I had accomplished. "I thought that's where you go when you die."

  "No. Hades is much more crowded." Cyrus chuckled at his little joke. "Tartarus is best compared to a dungeon. The gods needed a place to punish those who disobeyed them. Stories of the horrors which reside there have been told for centuries. Only the name has changed."

  "I remember that word popping up from time to time from the Erinyes." I mumbled to myself as I thought out loud. "Were they sent there?"

  "No. Allison Thompson was though." Cyrus' dark eyes hardened as he stopped pacing. "I ensured her soul would suffer for the harm she caused to you."

  "That's," I downed the last drop of my wine. "Sweet in a twisted, distorted way."

  Elliot's cell phone went off at just that moment. I will admit, I was grateful for the interruption. The air had gotten as heavy as my heart. So I headed back into the kitchen. I was in the process of refilling my glass when I felt Cyrus come up behind me. He leaned in close enough to brush his nose against the back of my hair.

  "What's wrong, Little One?" He spoke as he pulled back. "Your sadness is encircling you like a shroud. Was it something I said?"

  "Yes. No." I sighed as I turned around. "Look, it's hard for me to think about you as a servant. You are so much more than that."

  "Am I?" Cyrus tilted his head to the side as he tucked my hair back from my face. "I would disagree. I am your guardian. Your advisor. My role is to protect you, Eva. Nothing more. Nothing less. You know this."

  "I just can't see you that way." I caught his hand and squeezed it. "You are a friend, Cyrus. A confidante. I need you. Not because of the whole bodyguard thing or how much crap you know about the gods. I need you because of who you are. Because you make me laugh. Keep me sane when the whole world is falling apart. And I'm afraid..."

  I bit my lip as I looked at the wall behind him. I didn't have the right words to say what I wanted to, but there was no stopping me once I got started. I took a breath as I continued.

  "A big part of me wishes that you had the choice to go or stay. But I'm so afraid that you would leave me if you could. I don't know what I would do without you, Cyrus, but I can't see you as a slave. I refuse to."

  "Eva, calm down. I'm not going anywhere." Cyrus released my hand as he stepped closer to me. "It seems the winds have finally changed for you, Little One. You have made your decision."

  Had I? I studied Cyrus' dark eyes as he wrapped his hands around my waist. I tried to remember my life without him in it. I tried to remember how I had once felt so sure that Elliot was the only man for me. Hell, I even tried to remember how determined I had been to remain single after the Erinyes' debacle.

  I couldn't do it.

  Cyrus cupped his hands around my jaw as he kissed me. For that brief, wonderful moment, I forgot about the world around me. I forgot about my doubts. I forgot about my stubbornness or the twisted fate that had forced us together over a year before. There was nothing but a strange feeling of completeness as we continued our sweet embrace.

  Until the front door slammed closed from the other room. I jumped away from Cyrus as if he had burned me as I remembered the one thing I should have considered all along.

  "Elliot." I sighed as I collapsed back against the kitchen counter. "Dammit."

  Cyrus gave me a look that was a strange mixture of concern and triumph. He rubbed his hand up my arm as he waited for me to make my decision. I knew I should have run after Elliot. I would have to talk to him sooner or later about what he witnessed. Turns out, I didn't have to chase him. My cell phone started buzzing within minutes of Elliot storming out of the condo.

  "Go." Cyrus stepped back. "I know how important he is to you, Eva. I understand."

  I walked to the entrance into the living room before I stopped. My cell phone kept buzzing, but I ignored it. Instead, I shook my head.

  "No. I'm done trying to explain myself when I shouldn't have to. And I'm done with being the Sibyl for today." I returned to Cyrus' side. "If we are going to be together, we're going to start this out right."

  "Takeout? Old war movies?" Cyrus grinned as he described our favorite way to waste away an evening. "Spending the night crashed on your couch?"

  "All of the above." I nodded as I willed the ache in my heart to go away. "I want to forget that today has even happened, Cyrus. I want to relax and be happy. With you."

  "Your wish is my command, Little One." He released me only to pass over my wine glass while he pulled his flask out of his back pocket. "To us and new beginnings."

  "To us." I repeated as I tapped my glass against his flask. "Gods know, we'
re going to need it."

  ***

  Two black and white films later, I untangled myself from Cyrus' arm to call it a night. Yeah, it was early. But I figured I deserved the chance to get some sleep before I had to deal with Elliot. I closed the door to my bathroom with a smile. It was weird thinking of Cyrus as more than just a friend, but Elliot had been right all along. Truth was, I should have seen it coming. Not because he was always there, but because we clicked. He got me. He supported me.

  Hell, he understood my life better than I did.

  I was splashing water on my face when a strange humming filled the room. My first thought was the Erinyes since they announced themselves by singing. Yet, this was a much darker tune. I turned off the water as my sight fell on the single mirror left in my entire condo. It was a safety precaution since I used scrying to contact the spirits. I had learned first hand that too many mirrors gave me a headache. Spirits liked to whisper. They liked to stop by unannounced. In fact, the only reason I kept the mirror I had was so that I could use it to check my appearance now and again.

  The humming was shifting into a cackle that caused chills to run up my spine. I started to call for Cyrus, but decided against it. I'd gotten really good at blocking out spirits I didn't want to talk to. I was sure this one would be no exception.

  I walked over to the mirror, closing my eyes as I lifted the black velvet cloth I used to cover it. The cackling grew louder before a woman's voice broke through.

  "Ah, the Leech's daughter. I did not think I would be meeting you so soon."

  I sat down on the vanity's bench and cracked my eyes open just enough to see a face staring back at me. The woman was shrouded in shadow. The only thing you could see clearly was her stunning green eyes. They glowed with an unnatural light as she took me in.

  "I'm sorry. Do I know you?" I opened my eyes the rest of the way. There was no point in trying to protect myself now. "Who are you?"

  "Of course you don't know me." The woman snapped. "Such ignorance these days. And really, there is no point in introductions. I have come with a message."

  Don't they always? Now it was my turn to sigh. "Alright. Tell me what you would like your loved ones to know. I'll have Cyrus track them down."

  "Oh, no, child." The woman chuckled. "My message is only for you. Your dog won't be necessary."

  "Hey." I frowned. "Cyrus is not a dog. If you are going to insult him then..."

  "You are a threat to what is mine." The woman interrupted me. "And I won't stand for it."

  "I am only a threat when it is necessary that I be one." I shifted against the bench to stand. "So if that is all, this conversation is over."

  "You will not turn away from me, girl."

  The woman reached out, her hand slipping through solid glass as if it were water, and grabbed my arm. I cried out as she dug her fingers into my skin.

  "Hear me now, Sibyl. You harm Tiresias and I will ensure the insult you do to me is deftly handled. You may be Apollo's daughter, but even he has to answer to his betters."

  "Let me go."

  I gritted my teeth as I pulled against her grasp. I tried to remember what I had learned from Athena and the fighting lessons Cyrus had been given me. But my mind was filled with a paralyzing panic as the woman forced me close enough to the mirror so that she could touch me with her free hand. She pressed three fingers against my forehead as she whispered.

  "Your immortality will be plagued with torment. Madness. You will know fear, Sibyl, and know it was by my hand."

  She shoved me back with a force that left me crumpled on the floor as Cyrus burst into the room.

  "Eva? What the hell..." He wrapped his arms around me to lift me up into his lap as he looked to the mirror. His next word came out in a single breath. "Hera."

  "Cyrus," I grabbed at his shirt as I tried to sit up. "I...I couldn't stop her. She came through before I was even looking at the mirror."

  "Come on."

  He lifted me to my feet as I stumbled over my words. I had to tell him. I couldn't explain my reasoning since I tended to clam up after I had an encounter with a spirit. But this time, it was all I could do to stay quiet as he deposited me on my bed.

  "Eva, slow down." He took my hand as he brushed my hair away from my face. "First off, are you hurt?"

  "No." I took a breath as the strange spell began to fade and with it, the initial panic I'd felt when she touched me. "I'm fine."

  "Ok. Start from the beginning." Cyrus cupped his hand over mine. "Tell me everything."

  So I did. I told him about the strange humming. How Hera called me a threat. Lastly, I told him about the strange spell she seemed to put over me before he came into the room. When I was finished, Cyrus stood to take out his ever present cell phone from his pocket.

  "Who are you contacting?" I folded my hands in my lap as I watched him. "Apollo?"

  "Yes." Cyrus didn't look at me as he focused on the screen in front of him. The backlight gave his features a strange icy glow in the darkness of my bedroom. "We need his help, Eva."

  "And if he ignores us again?" I sat up to cross my legs beneath me. "What then?"

  "He won't. Not where Hera is concerned." Cyrus stopped typing. "There. Now we must wait for his response."

  Cyrus tossed his phone down on my nightstand and crawled onto the bed to lean against my pillows. He reached for me, so I curled up by his side. He ran his fingers through my hair as he kissed my forehead. I wanted to stay awake and enjoy this moment, but today had been too much. As I was dozing off to sleep, I heard his phone vibrate against the nightstand and whispered a prayer I hoped would be heard.

  Keep us safe, Papa Apollo. I need you now more than ever.

  Chapter Six

  I was not looking forward to going into the office given the nature of Elliot's departure from the condo the afternoon before. After my encounter with Hera and the return of my horrible nightmare, I was not up to facing my companion or the string of angry text messages he had sent to my phone.

  Too bad he was the first person I ran into when I walked into the office just after nine. He was chatting it up with Leyton as if he didn't have a care in the world.

  "Hey, guys." I threw my messenger bag down on my desk with a thud. "What's up?"

  Elliot and Leyton turned towards me with matching smiles. Mean ones. Leyton cleared his throat before he spoke.

  "Ah, our wayward Sibyl has returned. We weren't expecting you so soon after you failed to return to the office yesterday."

  "I had a visitor drop by." I shrugged. "Besides, we tend to come and go as we please. You will learn that soon enough."

  "Yes, I heard about Apollo as well as other things." My new co-host tilted his head towards Elliot. "Things I was quite shocked by."

  "Is that so?" I managed through gritted teeth. "Leyton, can you excuse us? I would like to speak with Elliot alone."

  "Sorry, Eva. No time." Elliot refused to look at me as he handed over an envelope from his desk. "You have a plane to catch in less than three hours."

  "Wait, what?" I took the ticket with a look of confusion. "Where am I going?"

  "Great Falls, Montana." Elliot then passed over a file. "Your schedule for the trip and the information about the location is in there. You can read it on your flight."

  “The horse farm?” I frowned as I opened the file. “I thought it would be weeks before we started filming.”

  “You were wrong. Now, go. You are wasting my time and yours, Eva.”

  I started to argue, but decided against it. There was no reasoning with him when he got upset. I figured I’d give him a few days to cool off before I tried to contact him.

  “Fine.” I tucked the file and the ticket into my bag. I started to open the door when Elliot’s voice stopped me.

  “Oh, and Eva? Cyrus is not to go with you on this trip.”

  “Excuse me?” I whirled around to stare at Elliot as if he had lost his mind. “I don’t think I heard you right.”

  “You heard me.”
Elliot sat down at his desk. “Cyrus is not allowed to go with you this time. He is not to be on the set under any circumstances. If so much as a single shadow moves, he will be turned over to the proper authorities.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “Elliot, come on. I know you’re not stupid. You know as well as I do that no authority can keep Cyrus from doing his duty to the Sibyl.”

  “Apollo can.” Leyton grinned as he leaned forward on his thin white cane. “In fact, word has already traveled to Olympus in regards to your transgressions with your keeper. Most unprofessional. And distracting! Why, I’m sure the Golden One would not be pleased to hear that Cyrus of Crete has taken up with his beloved pet.”

  “He is bound to me, you idiot.” I snapped. “He has to go where I go. That includes filming locations.”

  “Ties can be broken if necessary. And despite his strange state, Cyrus can be punished. Have no doubt about that. The gods have enjoyed my suffering, Sibyl. Be rest assured, they will enjoy his as well.”

  “Cyrus has done nothing. This is all based on one man’s jealousy.” I glared at Elliot as I responded to Leyton. “A man who is being utterly ridiculous.”

  “Unless you want to pay for your own plane ticket, Eva, I would suggest you leave. Joey is already on the way to LAX." Elliot’s voice was as cold as his eyes as he interrupted me. “The rest of the crew will join you in one week’s time.”

  I turned on my heel, still fuming at the threats placed against Cyrus. Surely Leyton was mistaken. There was no way Apollo would punish Cyrus for doing his duty to protect me.

  Unless it hurt Grave Messages. I stopped just outside the elevator and slumped against the wall. Apollo needed the show to maintain his resurgence of power in Olympus. He said it himself how valuable I was to him. Could Leyton be right? Would Cyrus suffer if we disregarded Elliot’s orders?”