Series: Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 74198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Beatrice's steady breath is calming beside me. She’ll be gathering her sense of the moment as well. The sense of her powers. They are not as strong as mine, but they can still bring light to the darkness. Anyone can. All it takes is knowing you have a light inside of you. Our powers will mingle together as we do this, and our combined intention will send this protection throughout the realms.
“I release all that ails the realms,” I say, and a sense of tension lifts away from my shoulders. A shiver runs through me, joining the warmth that is already growing in my chest. “I release it along with all that ailed me, and my father, and my mother. There is nothing between us that will stand in the way of balance in the realms. My powers are warmest within me. I send the balance I have found within my magic to the realms. It shall be there no matter where I dwell, burning like a candle that will not go out.”
“Oh,” Beatrice says softly. I will not forget this, either. I will not forget how much more powerful it feels to wish safety and balance on the realms, not just myself. If I find myself afraid again, I will remember to look outward. Beyond myself. Because I am a part of these realms, just as the other gods and goddesses are. Just as the mortals are. Just as the souls in the Underworld are. And using my magic to help them will also help me.
There’s a moment of quiet. Beatrice waits beside me.
I take one more breath.
“The power inside of me craves the light,” I say, and Beatrice says it along with me, each word matching mine. Our voices just above a whisper. “Bring me the warmth of fire and take from the powers to my right.”
The heat warms my palm. It is the heat of my powers and my blessings and the heat of all the powers swirling around us. Olympus is a place of great power, and there is much of it here, concentrated near my altar, where I have spent so long praying and trying to sustain my powers. It is still here. I am still here, and I will be back.
Because that is the way of balance.
That is the way of the realms.
That is the way of my king and of my mother.
That is my way. A way of balance. Of life and of the Underworld. Of love and passion.
“The power inside of me craves the light,” I say again, Beatrice with me. “Bring me the warmth of fire and take from the powers to my right.”
“The power inside of me craves the light.” We speak with one voice, casting together. This will not be the only time we do magic. This will not be the only time we use our powers for the good of the realms. We will return to this place, again and again. It is only the beginning. “Bring me the warmth of fire and take from the powers to my right.”
The casting of the spell takes my breath away. My powers feel like water, rushing through me and out to every realm.
It will burn bright until I return.
Hades
One kiss.
It is not enough and yet, I allow it to linger because it must be.
Eventually, I get to my feet and wander farther into my bedchambers. They’re as empty as they were before Hecate granted me passage to Olympus.
My fingers slip against the ancient wood, and the memories of Persephone’s time here are drawn to me. The images offer me a sense of peace I desperately need. I take the seat Persephone prefers, looking out the windows over my realms. Nothing tempts me in her absence. I don’t feel like eating. I don’t feel like drinking wine.
Cerberus circles the room, then comes to lay his heads on my leg. I stroke one head absently, wishing my heart would stop aching for Persephone. She’ll return.
I will choose.
She looked at me when she made her wishes clear. The pride and acceptance of her judgment was nearly as consuming as my love for her.
In those minutes, it was as if there was no one else in that hall. We could have been in bed, Persephone leaning over me to kiss my cheek. Her words felt like they were mine and mine alone.
Half of them are. I let out a frustrated sigh, and Cerberus lifts his head, reminding me that he’s here.
“I could not forget you,” I tell him. “I would have liked to have you with me on Olympus.”
Six months of this out of the year. Of every year. Half of all of my life I will be apart from her. I swallow thickly, understanding her decision and her duties apart from ruling by my side. The pain of her absence does not relent though.