The peacefulness of the forest was gone as Elliot began to glow a bright green. He fell to his knees as the woman from my vision appeared before him.
No, not just any woman. Hera. The Queen of the Heavens.
"Elliot Lancaster." Her words were as smooth as silk as she caressed his hair. "You have made your decision."
"Yes." Elliot looked up to her. "I will give you my soul."
"Wait." I meant to scream the word. Instead, it came out in a whisper. So I tried again. "Elliot, what in the hell are you doing?"
Hera turned her strange green eyes towards me with a twisted smile. "Ah, the Sibyl. I was hoping you would respond to my message. I wished to have an audience tonight."
"Damn you." I took a step forward to hit against the barrier once more. "Stop this. Elliot, what on earth could she have promised you? Why are you doing this?"
"Ah, so you damn me, do you?" Hera continued to stroke Elliot's hair while he remained silent. "Tell me, Sibyl. What have you managed to learn in so short of a time?"
"I know you have interwoven yourself into the Native American pantheon. I know that you turn believers into monsters. Murderers." I kept my eyes on the goddess as I spoke. "What I don't know is why. What do you gain from this? Why the sacrifices?"
"I am disappointed. Apollo said you were such a smart girl." Hera sighed. "I will entertain your questions. After all, it is best you understand your Queen."
"I have no queen." I snapped as I desperately tried to think of a way to get past her barrier. I had to get Joey out of there. Then, I could focus on Elliot. "And if I did, it certainly wouldn't be you."
"I gain power through this pantheon, stupid girl." Hera tugged at Elliot's hair. "Believers who are willing to sacrifice themselves to me ensure my standing in Olympus. As for how, well. Have you never noticed how every culture has the same gods? Only the appearance and names change. There is a reason for that."
"There is only one pantheon." Cyrus spoke up. "You simply adapt to the particular civilization worshiping you."
"Good boy!" Hera laughed. "I am surprised at you, Keeper. I wasn't expecting you to understand anything past the brute strength required of you."
"Elliot," I tried again. "Get away from her!"
"No." Hera made a weird clicking sound with her teeth. "He is already lost to you, Sibyl. And I am desperate for a new pet. The son of one Sibyl and lover of another will do nicely"
"Elliot, why?" I heard the others circle around me as I spoke to him. "What on earth could she have promised you?
"Your misery. I promised him revenge on you, Sibyl. After all, it was you who filled his heart with hate. He loved you once and what did you do? You abandoned him. Just like his mother. Just like every other woman in his life." Hera grinned. "I, however, do not abandon my own."
I was shocked. Could what she said be true? Was Elliot so damaged that he would turn to a god as horrible as Hera?
I knew the answer, but I didn't want to believe it. Elliot had always been afraid of abandonment. His biggest fear was not being good enough. I knew this from the years we spent together at the University of Georgia. I had always believed he was strong enough to work through his issues. I thought his passion for the paranormal was based off of curiosity. What I hadn't realized was that he would use that passion to seek a remedy for the pain he felt.
"You were the one who stole Apollo's phone." I was speaking to Elliot, but I had no idea if he could hear me or not. "You must have grabbed it when Apollo was at the condo. You were the one who tried to separate me from Cyrus. Because you were afraid you wouldn't be able to fight him if we found out about your little ritual."
Elliot jerked his head towards me, his lips curled up in a snarl. "I wanted to save you from him. You were so wrapped up in..."
"Your trivial arguments are spoiling my sacred space." Hera tugged at Elliot's chin. "Focus on me. Ignore the girl. Now, Elliot Lancaster, do you swear yourself to my service? Mine and mine alone?"
"I do." Elliot bowed his head. I was reminded of the twisted vision I'd seen in the hotel lobby. "My soul is your own. I dedicate myself to your service, Dark Queen."
"Indeed you do." Hera smirked. "On your feet."
Elliot rose up.
I turned to the others.
"We have to get in there. Now."
I couldn't see Leyton in the darkness, but I could hear him. "Are you certain?"
"Yes." I hissed. "We have to stop this before it is too late."
I heard Elliot begin to sing in a language I couldn't understand. Hell, I was sure it was language he wouldn't understand if we were back where we belonged. I watched in horror as Hera reached out to place her palm over his face. The man who had been my friend, my first love, shifted into nothing more than a shadow.
"Stand back, girl." Leyton stepped forward. He tapped against the invisible barrier with his cane. "Elizabeth, if you please."
He reached out and a golden ax appeared in his hand. The Seer began to mutter as he bounced the ax in between his hands. I didn't know what he was doing, but Hera jerked her head in our direction. She pulled her hand free from Elliot's face.
"Tiresias, my beloved pet. You did well, finding this soul. Join us in this circle of power, will you? Your strength is needed."
"No. I wish to change. No longer will I ignore the deaths caused in your name. No longer will I recruit murderers into your fold."
"Traitor." The goddess hissed. "I will see to it that you suffer for your insolence."
Leyton swung the axe into empty air, but he must have hit the barrier. I was blinded by the bright golden light which appeared as an opening was made.
"Go." He dropped the axe to his side. "We will stand with you."
I rushed forward, but Hera was much faster than I was. I watched in horror as she thrust her arm into Elliot's chest. I screamed along with him when she lifted him off the ground. I reached Joey, who seemed frozen as he continued to film the ritual he had been pulled into.
"Joey, move!" I shoved him towards the wood line. "You are Elliot's sacrifice."
He didn't argue. Instead, he took off into a run towards the others. I put my focus back on Hera while Elizabeth, Leyton, and Cyrus flanked me.
"Release him, Hera." I took a step forward. "Return him back to the human he was."
Elliot had collapsed when the goddess dropped him. She frowned as I took another step forward.
"It appears you will get your revenge sooner than expected, dear one." Hera knelt down to tap Elliot on the forehead. "Stand. Become what you were meant to be and earn your victory in my name. Make another sacrifice to your new mistress."
Another? I searched the darkness in a panic when I realized Ash was nowhere to be seen. Could it be true? Had Elliot sacrificed the Native to Hera?
"No." I whispered. "Elliot wouldn't murder anyone. I can't believe that."
Elliot growled as he began to change. Don't get me wrong, I'd seen werewolf movies before. But there was nothing human about what my friend turned into.
Elliot, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, was gone. In his place was a wolf. A dark, wild dog who snarled as he paced in front of us. I felt tears begin to fall down my cheeks as I realized the one thing I had refused to believe since this whole thing started.
My Elliot was gone. We were enemies.
Now and forever.
Chapter Thirteen
I wanted to curse all the gods who ever were for Elliot's transformation. I wished I could turn around and run back to California.
Most of all? I wanted to cry. I wanted to grieve for the friendship I had lost. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare I had found myself in.
My training was too strong. The wisdom of Athena too prevalent in my mind. I took a step back as I watched the creature in front of us. "Cyrus, stay with me. Elizabeth and Leyton, fall back. Protect Joey. If Elliot needs to make another sacrifice to Hera, then he is the only one who can be killed."
I needed a weapon, but there was none to be had. El
liot seemed to sense my hesitation because he lunged forward, slamming into me hard enough to knock me to the ground. I felt his jaws snapping by my head as I wished for a desperate miracle by my patron god. I turned my face to the side just before Elliot could take my nose off.
Apollo must have heard my prayer because I was granted my miracle when I saw a rusty knife lying by my hand in the grass.
I clawed at it until my fingers wrapped around the handle. But just before I could use it, I felt Elliot's weight being lifted off of me. Elliot scrambled off of me then hunkered down as if he were preparing to lunge as Cyrus held his sword in front of him like a shield. I scrambled to my feet when my keeper and my enemy began to circle each other.
It broke my heart, but it was the truth. Elliot had turned against me. He was the enemy. No matter what had happened between us in the past.
"Figured it was going to come down to me and you one day." Cyrus' tone was no different than if he were telling me the time. He was calm. His movements steady and full of purpose. "Although I am disappointed. I was hoping this would be a fight amongst men. Not man versus animal."
"Cyrus." I snapped. "Stop it. You're not helping."
Elliot looked to me with his wild eyes. I saw his lip curl up over a set of sharp teeth when he lunged again.
This time, I was ready. I gripped the knife and rolled to the side, slamming the hilt of the weapon against Elliot's snout. He was quicker than I realized. Before I could pull out of harm's way, Elliot clamped down on my forearm. I cried out, twisting the knife in my other hand so that I could stab him in the shoulder. He released me, but the damage was done.
I managed to get to my feet, clasping my injured arm to my side. Cyrus pushed me behind him.
"Stay away from her, Lancaster." He snarled. "You have caused Eva enough pain in this lifetime."
I heard a loud commotion from the tree line where the others were standing. I couldn't turn my eyes away from Elliot though. I heard a noise I recognized in an instant.
A gunshot rang out in the darkness. Elliot jerked twice before he collapsed in a heap.
"Elliot?"
I shoved past Cyrus before I fell to my knees. The creature that had attacked me began to shift back into the man I had once loved. I didn't take the time to consider who could have shot him. I brushed my palm over thick fur until it became wet. I held my hand up in the moonlight to see it covered in blood.
I was sure I had fallen into a fairy tale at some point. I mean, all the elements were there. A girl. A beast. A failed love story.
Except this fairy tale would not have a happy ending. When I reached out to check Elliot's pulse, I heard a screech behind me. I turned my attention towards the sound and away from Elliot for only a second.
A second was all he needed. Elliot grabbed my injured arm, digging his fingers into the wound until I was sure I was going to pass out from the pain. Elliot jerked me towards him until our noses were almost touching. Then he did the creepiest thing I'd ever experienced.
He laughed.
I tried to pull away. I heard Cyrus as he ran towards us. I should have acted. I should have stabbed Elliot with the knife still clutched in my hand.
I couldn't do it.
"Come any closer, Greek, and I will pull her heart out of her chest." Elliot cackled. "I just might do that anyway. A heart for a heart sounds fair enough to me."
"Elliot, please." I whimpered as he pressed harder against the wound. "We can talk about this. There is nothing for you to avenge. We were friends once. We still can be if you put a stop to this."
Ok. That was a lie. There was no way we could go back to what we once were. But pleading with him was worth a shot.
A shot that failed miserably.
"Oh, it is far too late for that, Evie." He pulled me to my feet. Even in the moonlight, I could see the hatred in his expression. "There can be no talking. No arguments. No forgiveness."
"You're insane." I whispered. "How could you have changed so quickly? One minute you say you love me and the next, you try to kill me."
"I learned the truth." He snapped. "I listened to what the Seer had to tell me. I learned about Hera's grace. Her devotion to her followers. It was she who offered me the same immortality you were so afraid of. The same strength and power you have scoffed at for the past year."
"Elliot." Cyrus' voice was low. Threatening. I had been so focused on the man who had a grip on me, I had failed to notice my keeper approaching us despite Elliot's warning. "Turn around. Walk away. Be rest assured, you will not harm her."
"Oh, yeah?" Elliot laughed again. He pulled me against him until I could feel the blood from his gunshot wound soaking through my shirt. "Watch me."
Elliot raised his fist just as Hera had done to him when she reached into his chest. So I did the one thing I never thought I'd be capable of doing.
I slashed the blade upward, which forced my enemy to take a step back. The room was all I needed. This time, I didn't back down. I thrust the small knife between us, puncturing his chest when another shot rang out above our heads.
"Enough of this." Hera spoke up from the shadows. "You will not threaten those under my protection, Sibyl. I warned you before. Now, I will make good on my word."
Cyrus took my arm to pull me back as the winds began to pick up speed. The entire atmosphere around us seemed to grow thicker. I could smell ozone. I could hear thunder as it rumbled in the clouds. The goddess raised her arms up then shoved them outwards. I waited for the winds to hit me. I was sure I was going to be knocked into next week. But Cyrus was there. He grabbed me by the waist and threw me to the side.
I cried out when those same winds hit my keeper. His body slammed against the tree beside Leyton and Elizabeth. I stayed low, my head bowed while I rushed across the clearing to kneel down by my keeper's side.
Cyrus was out cold. I ran my hands along his arms. His face. Nothing appeared to be broken, but the worry was still there. After all, what could I have known about mythological medicine?
Elliot's laughter filtered across the grass. I lifted Cyrus' golden sword from where it had fallen. The winds were picking up again. I knew we didn't have much time before the goddess struck again.
"Leyton!" I yelled to be heard over the wind. "What are Hera's weaknesses?"
"You ask me this now?" He sounded stunned. "This is really not the time for a history lesson, child."
"We have to defeat her somehow. We have to get her away from Elliot."
"Elliot is lost. Now, we must save ourselves."
Leyton took Elizabeth's arm. "Eva, distract our former companion, will you? I must have a chat with my former mistress."
I scanned the clearing until I found Elliot. He must have seen me at the same time because he broke out into a run in my direction. So I did the only thing I could think to do.
I dropped the sword.
"I won't fight you, Elliot. I can't." I held up my hands with a gesture of surrender. "Despite everything, I still love you. I won't hurt you."
He must have heard me, because he stopped just short of tackling me to the ground. Instead, he swung out and caught me square in the nose. I gasped as I fell back to raise my hands to my face. I knew it was broken. I could feel it throbbing. And despite the darkness, I could see the blood that now rushed between my fingers.
"Don't say that!" He shouted. "You don't love me. You used me. You used me to become the Sibyl. You used me to become famous."
"Elliot, I didn't want this." I managed. "Think, dammit. Remember the truth through the madness Hera has clouded your mind with."
"The truth!" He struck out again. This time, he hit me just below my right temple. I collapsed in a heap by his feet. "You are the lie, Eva. A fraud. You have no right to tell me what is true or not."
I couldn't think with the pounding in my head. I tried desperately to figure out how I could get through to him. How I could save Elliot from the grip of madness he was in. But as he kicked me twice in the side, I realized Leyton was right.
Hell, I had been right when this whole thing started. The Elliot I had known was gone. He had been replaced by a stranger. A monster that had no problems beating the absolute crap out of me.
I waited until he lifted his leg up enough to kick at me again when I rolled towards him. Monster or no, Elliot was still tied to the laws of gravity. I hit the leg he was using to stand on while grabbing the sword at the same time. Elliot grunted when he landed on his back. I straddled his chest and thrust the blade downward through the very heart he blamed me for breaking.
Elliot jerked beneath me. His back arched up once and then he was still.
"Elliot." I whispered as the horror of what I had just done hit me. "Oh, my god. No."
I pulled the sword free and tossed it aside. Elliot's face was white. His eyes were opened in shock. I wanted to scream as I scrambled off of him.
"Elliot, dammit." I clutched at Elliot's shirt in an attempt to shake him before my sobs could overwhelm me. "Don't do this. Don't...please."
"Eva."
Cyrus put his hand on my shoulder. Under normal circumstances, a simple touch from my keeper would have been enough to calm me. A single look would have been enough to bring me back to reality. Things were not normal.
I ignored him as I continued to shake Elliot.
"Eva, stop."
"Cyrus?" I tilted my head as if I'd just realized he was trying to get my attention. "Cyrus, help me. I've...I've done something horrible."
"Eva, I need you to focus." Cyrus pried my hands away from Elliot. He held them between us. "Hera is still here. Tiresias..."
Hera. The Goddess of the Heavens. The same one who stole my friend away from me. I forced myself away from Elliot to stand. I picked up the sword as a fierce hatred gripped at my heart. Hera dealt in revenge. I remembered that much from the Greek books Cyrus had given me when I first became the Sibyl.
Now, it was my turn.
"Hera. Queen of the Heavens." I called out as I approached her. Leyton and Elizabeth were on their knees at her feet. For his part, Leyton was singing her praises in order to placate her. "Once again, you have failed to keep your word."
The Oracle Series: Volumes 1-3 Page 36
