With My Last Breath, Book Three (3 page)

‚Nothing,' he admitted, his shoulders slumping slightly. ‚They disappeared into the night. But there will be a reckoning, I can assure you of that.'

She nodded, satisfied that he was telling the truth. No one could doubt it. The look on his handsome face was sharp and determined. He was the god of war, after all.

‚Come in,' she invited, ushering us into her home.

We walked past her into the brilliantly gleaming cave. Every wall and every surface was filled with glittering white stalactites and stalagmites. It looked ethereal, not what you would expect a gateway to Hades to be. It was rumored that there was a direct path to the underworld from this very cave, although I had never confirmed it.

Since one of the duties that Hecate had been given included ushering demons to hell, it just made sense that the rumors were true.

Hecate turned to me now, compassion apparent on her lovely features. While Medea and Circes often appeared as ancient hags, Hecate always appeared as a young, beautiful woman. Her lips always gleamed crimson, her blonde hair always fell in long ringlets down her back.

‚How are you, really?' she asked me softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

A lump formed in my throat and I thought about telling her that truth… that my world had fallen apart in the space of a minute. But there was no need. Anyone who knew me was already perfectly aware of that.

‚I’m holding up,' I said simply. She nodded, leading the way to an inner room of her cave- a place I had never been.

We ducked through a doorway and stood in a black abyss. The walls in here were gleaming black crystal but instead of reflecting light, they appeared to absorb it, to suck it in.

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‚Fire,' Hecate murmured, and a large ring of blue flame appeared in the center of the cavernous room.

I watched the flickering fire in fascination. It burned with jewel-like colors, blue, green, turquoise… shimmering with metallic light.

‚Follow me,' Hecate instructed and she stepped through the flame and stood in the center of the blazing ring.

With hesitation, I did the same. I was surprised to find that the flame didn’t burn me. It was cool to my touch. I turned and held my hand out to my mother. She was apprehensive, but obligingly stepped through, quickly crossing to my side and grasping my hand tightly. Ares and the Amazons rapidly crossed into the circle, exhibiting no fear. That didn’t surprise me; they never allowed their nervousness to show.

‚Hold hands,' Hecate instructed, closing her eyes.

She began murmuring things that I didn’t understand and I felt a strange vagueness filtering through my body. My arms and legs felt light and airy and I began to feel as though I would float away if it weren’t for Ares on my left and Aphrodite on my right weighting me down. The sensation was a curious one.

Hecate’s mutterings became more and more insistent and loud until it reached a feverish pitch and she was shouting in a strange guttural language that I had never heard before.

She began nodding quickly and whispered, ‚A sword, a sword, a sword.'

She rocked to and fro, still nodding, practically humming the words. ‚A sword, a sword, a sword.'

And then she stopped and added, ‚In a stone. A sword in a stone.'

She went completely still and in the silence of the vast room, a vision suddenly filled my head, a vision so vivid that it took my breath away and caused me to close my eyes in order to focus on it.

A magnificent waterfall cascaded into a clear and sparkling lake. The sun hit the water and reflected into the sky in a million glittering prisms as the crash of the mighty waterfall fed it. At the top, rushing water spilled over large stone boulders covered in velvety green moss in a mad frenzy. A bone-handled sword was firmly embedded in one of the stones. It stood tall and proud, unmoved by the furious crashing of the water against it.

A sword in a stone
. Deep within my belly, recognition grew, larger and larger until I pinpointed it and couldn’t deny it. I knew this place. I had been there before.

Camelot.

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With My Last Breath, Book Three

Chapter Three

I sucked in my breath and Hecate’s eyes popped open, meeting mine.

‚A sword in a stone,' she repeated. ‚You know of it.'

I could feel everyone’s eyes upon me as I nodded. ‚Yes. I’ve been there before.

Was I the only one who saw the vision?'

I scanned the circle and found the same blank look on everyone else’s face. I was the only one who had seen it. But I wasn’t the only one who had been there before. I squeezed my mother’s hand.

‚You’ve been there, too. And Ares. And… Cadmus.' I gulped. ‚I know where Zeus hid the sword. The question is… how do we get to it? It was removed long ago and according to legend, it has never been found again.'

‚Ah, Harmonia,' Hecate clucked. ‚You know it is no legend. Camelot existed and you lived there. And the answer is clear. To get to it, you must return to where you know it is.'

At my blank look, she sighed. ‚You must travel back to when you were there before.'

My heart thrilled in my chest at the idea. Nothing else mattered except for the fact that Cadmus was there. Alive and well, with his heart still beating, his body still warm and strong. Somewhere, far from here, my soul mate was waiting for me. All I had to do was return to him. I clutched the bloodstone that hung motionlessly from my neck.

Throughout the ordeal of this past day, I hadn’t given my pendant much thought. But it still did contain great power. It was, after all, created from the blood of Zeus himself.

‚How?' I whispered. ‚How do I get there?' The words stumbled out haltingly as I fingered the cool stone of my necklace. Electricity jolted through my fingers and I felt my eyes glaze over.

Hecate watched me, her face thoughtful.

‚Harmonia, you realize of course, that you will be returning for a purpose. You will not be returning to stay. Do you understand?'

I almost didn’t hear her as my mind was flooded with images of the past. Once again, as it had done so many times before, my bloodstone was giving me glimpses of a past life. Cadmus had been a knight. A chivalrous, beautiful knight. Visions of his gleaming silver armor filled my mind, his smile beckoning me from beneath the visor of his helmet.

‚Harmonia?' Aphrodite prompted. ‚Come back to us.'

I shook the memories from my head and re-focused on my mother.

‚Mother, Hecate is correct. Camelot existed and we were there. We must return there to retrieve the sword. It is the only way.'

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Aphrodite nodded solemnly, perfectly willing to do anything required of her.

History had always portrayed her as superficial and flighty, but truly that perception couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, she was dramatic and colorful, but she was thoughtful and strong, as well.

‚Fine. We travel. Tell me, though, how do we get to the sword?' Ares’ voice boomed in the large, crystal room. The Amazons were all nodding. They were less concerned with our predicament once we got there and more focused on simply getting on with it, just as Ares was.

Hecate smiled at their impatience.

‚Your warriors cannot accompany you,' she told me gently. ‚Only the three of you. The Amazons were not there originally, so they cannot be there now.'

She nodded her head toward the warriors and after a curt nod from Ortrera, they obligingly stepped from the circle.

‚Father, if you need me, send for me,' Ortrera said hesitantly. ‚It does not feel right to let you go alone.'

Ares gazed at his warrior daughter. ‚You make me proud, Ortrera. Rest assured, all will be well.'

‚Watch over Cadmus, please, sister,' I requested softly. Her eyes softened.

‚You know that I will, Harmonia,' she replied gently. ‚He will never be alone. He will be safe and sound when you return.'

‚In order to return, you must first leave,' Hecate observed. ‚We are wasting time here. Hold hands again.'

She crossed from her place and moved to me, placing her hands upon mine and looking into my eyes. Hers glimmered deep and blue, reflecting the flickering flame around us. It was mesmerizing.

‚Harmonia, Cadmus is not well right now. His soul is lost and the only hope of saving him is Zeus’ sword. You must not become entrenched in your life in Camelot, because as all mortal lives, it is fleeting and temporary.

‚And of course, as always, the Fates put you in a tragic position. Do not become fooled. You won’t like your ending there anymore than you enjoy your current situation here. You must recover the sword and bring it back here in order to save us all, Cadmus included.'

I nodded. ‚I saw him in a dream. His eyes were so cold and empty…' my voice trailed off.

‚He
is
empty,' Hecate confirmed. ‚He is not in Hades, but the Wasteland where he is being held is almost worse, it is neither here, nor there, nor Hades. It’s just a land full of nothing, a place created by the Keres’ as a holding place for horrific souls. They keep them there until they need them, just as they needed Alexi. While Cadmus is there, he Courtney Cole 17

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knows how he should feel, but he can’t truly feel it. Feelings are gone from him, just like his soul. Do everything you can to set it right.'

As if I could do anything else. This was my soul mate that we were talking about.

A thought suddenly occurred to me, freezing the breath on my lips.

‚Hecate,' I began hesitantly. ‚Cadmus’ soul. The Keres have taken it and they have also taken the Box of Souls back. Is his soul in the box? Will we need to find the box before Cadmus is saved by the sword?'

Hecate nodded. ‚I believe so. I can’t be certain, but it appears that way.'

I found it suddenly hard to swallow. So, it wasn’t enough that the Keres had rendered Cadmus lifeless. My husband’s soul was somewhere out there in a box of murderous souls. My tongue felt like lead as I tried to speak. I licked my lips and tried again.

‚Ares…'

He flew to my side in a blur of motion.

‚They will pay,' the god of war promised me firmly, knowing what I was trying to ask him. ‚I will make sure of it.'

I nodded, tampering the bloodthirsty feelings back down. I didn’t care what their motives were at this point- whether the Keres were selfless or selfish. They had no right to use Cadmus as leverage. I would personally stand over them as Ares’ gouged their eyes out and fed them to the ravens.

‚Let’s go,' I whispered, holding tightly to my father’s strong arm. ‚Let us just go. I must help Cadmus.'

We rejoined hands and I gripped my bloodstone, feeling the familiar electric pulse as Hecate once again chanted. My limbs grew weak and images flitted in and out of my mind like puzzle pieces. The energy threw my head back and everything went black as a sensation almost too much to bear overwhelmed me. We were suddenly spinning as we rocketed through the blackness of time at incredible speed before everything halted with an abrupt jolt.

Time travel was exquisite and confusing at once. Our souls were thrust into our previous bodies with no aplomb whatsoever. It took a moment to adjust.

I could hear the noisy racket and clanging dinnerware before I even opened my eyes. As my lashes fluttered open, I found myself in the midst of an elaborate banquet in the center of a massive dining hall. I glanced down at myself and discovered that I was clothed in medieval clothing, a long sweeping red velvet dress with an empire waist, corded in elaborate golden strands. The odd thing was that I vividly remembered this dress. It had been one of my favorites. It looked striking with my long dark hair.

Aphrodite was seated next to me, dressed similarly, although as Queen Guinevere, she was wearing a simple crown. She was attired in blue, with a heavy matching Courtney Cole 18

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sapphire necklace and earrings. Her silver goddess eyes were gone, replaced by sparkling dark ones. As my eyes flew around the room, memories from this life returned to me, rapidly fitting themselves into my consciousness as though they had been there all along.

I remembered being here as though it was yesterday and even though I had been through this process before in ancient Alexandria, I couldn’t get used to the overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Once here, my memories from my present life became muted and distant, as though I looked at them from a dream. My new reality became the one I was immersed in. I was going to have to consciously remind myself of my purpose.

King Arthur himself sat at the head of the banquet table. He ate in between talking with boisterous laughs and wild hand gestures. He was a huge personality. When he entered a room, he owned it. His dark blonde curls fell casually against his neck, his eyes cornflower blue. He was a handsome man, kind and strong.

My father, Ares was seated next to him in Lancelot’s chair. As the King’s champion, Lancelot was always near the King. I found him holding my gaze and I stared into his dark eyes. He looked to my mother and waggled his eyebrows and I swallowed a laugh. One thing about my father, he was always able to joke… that is, until it was time to kill someone.

All around us, members of King Arthur’s court laughed and danced and ate.

Pheasant, curried sweet potato, roast pig and vegetables lined every table and sweet mead flowed freely in heavy mugs. Thick tapestries covered the stone walls, insulating the interior from the dampness of the outdoors, while the floors were scuffed by the heavy chairs lining each table.

I was so entranced with studying my surroundings that I momentarily forgot to look for Cadmus until his husky whisper resounded in my ear.

‚Would you like to walk with me, my love?'

I spun in my chair, my jaw dropping at the sight of him. He wore a flowing white shirt and snug linen trousers and his smile lit up the room. His dark hair and eyes were the same as they were in every life, and I ached to reach my hand out and touch his tanned face.

‚Lucan.'

His name somehow formed on my tongue as though it had been there all along.

But then I was at a loss for something to say. I couldn’t tell him anything that was on my mind. As far as he knew, he was Sir Lucan, a Knight from King Arthur’s roundtable and I was Heleyne, a lady –in-waiting to Queen Guinevere. If I said anything to the contrary, he would think I had been bewitched, a fate considered worse than death here.

‚Yes?' he waited flirtatiously. He studied my face.

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‚You were going to say, ‘Yes, Lucan, my handsome amazing Knight, I would love to walk with you?' he prompted then grinned and I couldn’t help but smile. It was so good to see Cadmus alive and well. His cockiness was a trait that he retained in every single life.

‚Okay,' I nodded. ‚I’ll walk with you.'

‚Your enthusiasm is contagious, my lady,' he mumbled as he helped me rise from my chair. I beamed at him and rephrased.

‚Sir Lucan, I am most excited to walk with you, I assure you. You are the strongest and most handsome knight in all of the land. What woman would not be excited with your mere presence?'

He laughed as he grasped my elbow, leaning in to whisper into my ear.

‚You’re a cheeky thing,' he said, before gently guiding me through the crowded room. As we passed through the heavy double doors and into the damp stone hallways, the flute playing grew muted, as did the din of voices.

The heavy stone bricks of the palace kept the interior cool and after night fell, it actually became quite chilly. I shivered and leaned into Lucan’s warm body as we walked. I felt him grin as he tightened his arm around my shoulders.

The green crest of Arthur Pendragon hung clearly in the massive entry hall for everyone to see and for most, it was a welcome sight. Arthur had truly given Camelot hope and had quickly become a beloved king. He was a kind, just man who had given the country something that they had previously lacked- a fair ruler. The prior king, Arthur’s biological father Uther, had ruled with fear.

Lucan dipped his head again, his lips brushing against my ear.

‚I thought about you today, my lady, when I was supposed to be jousting.'

The thought of his mind wandering while long sharp objects were trying to knock him off his horse alarmed me.

‚Luc, you’ve got to be careful! I have no wish to see you injured,' I chided and as I did, I once again felt as though I had never left this place, as though I had been in Camelot all along. It was so easy to pick up where I had left off and I saw now why Hecate had felt it necessary to issue a warning.

It would be so easy to want to remain here… to brush aside all responsibility and fear from my present life and just stay here in Camelot where currently everything was perfect. But I knew all too well, that even if I didn’t remember exactly how just yet, both Lucan and I would die young and tragically here. The Fates had ensured that, time and time again. But it was so very easy to block that out when Lucan was smiling at me so vibrantly.

‚But where is the fun in that?' he laughed, throwing his head back. ‚Since when are you such a worrier?'

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‚Since… never,' I admitted. ‚I don’t usually need to. You are competent and strong. But I have no wish to see you bloodied on the field, Lucan. You’re much too pretty to be bloody.'

I reached out and stroked his face and he leaned into my hand.

‚Knights are not pretty, my lady,' he said sternly, clasping me to him.

‚Oh?' I raised my eyebrows. ‚I beg to differ. You are both beautiful and a knight, so you are wrong. Knights can be pretty.'

We stepped out of the palace doors and into the lush grass walkway that led up to the palace gardens. Dew was already forming on the grass and I felt it saturate my thin satin slippers. The air was damp, so much so that I could feel moisture forming on my skin like wet velvet.

Lucan led me to a nearby stone bench situated just off the beaten path and in the shadows. If I were alone, I would never have ventured into the dark in such a way. It simply wasn’t safe. But Lucan was just as deadly in this life as he was in every other one in which he’d ever lived. I was safer with him than anywhere else in the world.