Life in the monsieur tavern was becoming a terrible ordeal. Cassie's to-do list was never-ending. That week, as soon as she got her paycheck, she would forget about working as a maid. She would have to find another way to survive on Chabone until Jackie brought the ship into port. Why sooner or later Jackie was going to show up, wasn't she? She just had no idea how. And looking for Richard Morgan was not a solution to consider. Any torture in horrible tasks was preferable to needing or asking the miserable man for help. After all the stories told... There was Mayra. And the list of accusations weighing on her chest grew bitterly.
And that night... Heavens! She couldn't believe it! Was it the flag of Gaia that flew from the highest mast of that ship?
Gaia's arrival only made her life difficult. She couldn't be wandering around Chabone or they would find her soon. Cassie was afraid to even think about the possibility. They would kill her. The Council... It was very likely that he would show a certain captain that his ruses had not worked. Or aim your aim. It was infallible. She never missed a target.
If Cassie had a pistol...
And problems never come alone. She couldn't believe anyone was so unlucky.
It had to be the Black Coral with her bad luck! Philip managed to horrify her with the way he looked at her. It could have been the Unicorn. She gritted her teeth in anger, braced herself against the hot little cloak, pulled the hood over her head, and stomped down the dirt road. All she wanted to do was cry. Everything was much simpler on the deck of a ship.
- A good night, at least?
That hateful voice… It made him shiver. Hateful man.
-And why would it be a good night if I had the misfortune to find you here, monsieur Philip?
Philip shook his head in amazement. Even after weeks... The brave little wolf maintained her haughtiness. Perhaps Garro had misunderstood her request. Curse! that girl was worth a fortune with her inheritance. If only she could earn her trust and make her forget about Rick...
-Hey, it wasn't my fault for the castle mess. Philip's voice came falsely calm in his lies. He continued friendly- I tried to warn you. And help. I just didn't think it was fair to hear my adventurous brother bragging about how he'd taken advantage of a silly, infatuated girl.
Cassie took a deep breath, struggling to hold on to her pride. Despite all the weariness, anger burned. What right did that wretch have to throw salt in his wounds?
-Should I then thank you for all your incredible and precious help, sir? she asked haughtily.
And to think that Rick was so different from Philip.
She couldn't take care of a house. It was simply a disaster in the kitchen. She wasn't going to survive long in the kitchen. She walked away with a firm, purposeful stride without paying attention to the men who disembarked aboard on the docks farther on… And she wouldn't have complained about the vegetables that would need to be peeled. Her eyes widened at the new boxes. Why just then had she offered to shop for spices at the dockside market, sir?
-Cassie, I could help... If you let me...- Philip sighed.
-I have in no way given you the liberty to call me by name, sir.
A small fortune. He would no longer have to worry for the rest of his life. No more raids or taking care of the smugglers. The best way to live was to be smart. That girl's dowry was tempting. The old classic scam... If only he was still the eldest son... Oh, he wasn't going to waste the Lady of Fortune on that girl and the money she had.
-Just sum it up. Forget that I exist. You and your family. They could have had it all. - She spoke low.
And in that instant, her eyes gleamed an intense silver. Philip noticed the sudden cold draft with a shiver, disconcerted.
-You won't be alive until winter...I give you my word. Just walk away...Don't touch what belongs to you. They are cursed pieces. And you will pay the price.
Philip stared at her in bewilderment. It wasn't the image of a more tired or helpless girl in the square. He saw...
Hecate?
Cassie left the street and returned irritably to the tavern. The girls... Ah, they prepared a pepper-based sauce to accentuate the flavor of the food. Peeling peppers made the girl curse every man on the face of the earth. How could anyone like these things? Since the boundary burns were now burning so much, Mary, though unsympathetic, took pity and provided a milk compress to ease the pain of the painful burning.
The larger peppers had an even worse burn. The tavern was still full of customers. She was looking for excuses not to wait tables as Armada ships arrived in Chabone.
-Wine, sir? May I serve you a drink?
The camphor tray of wine was balanced very precariously by the way the girl managed to hold it. He was tired. And he could sleep a whole day. Or maybe a week. He declined lunch, the food didn't look appealing. The food there was terrible. Most taverns on the island… Rick sighed.
-I'd rather just...
"I should ask how I could serve you." His voice was low and silky.
He stiffened, choking. He was another sailor busy trying to make a living. And the stories of the old sailors… The cold hand that touched his wrist… Richard shivered, wrapped in images he'd rather not see. So were the visions that seemed to have become a terrible habit.
merciful God.
That woman was... was...
-It is an admirable place here. Look at them... humans. I cannot help but be amazed at human pleasures and miseries. Looking for the girl... Despite all the anger... Why? Revenge?
Richard stiffened, looking around.
Everything around was suddenly cold. He avoided disturbing thoughts with all his might. She wasn't human! Could not be! It's fine at this point. He'd even seen a lich. Why so much surprise? He set the mug of drink on the table, unable to ignore the prickling sensation at the back of his neck.
-Like...?
-How do I know? the woman's voice asked.
And it was the sound and fresh breath of the mountains on those coldest days at dawn.
-My keys... The Pieces of 4... They must return to the sanctuary... The destiny traced by the Moiras does not change. Not even me. The Cruz dos Caminhos must not be used. The life of the sorceress who walks among the wolves...
Rick looked at his wrist. A trickle of blood ran there. He didn't remember being clumsy or cutting himself. Not now. The chill ran through his bones as he lost himself in the glint of those eyes. A first image assimilated the ethereal image of a young woman with flowing black hair and shining eyes that seemed deep as if there was no end. It made him sure could get lost in them. The vision faded at the irrelevant touch of her skin.
-You have the protection of the ancient gods...- The goddess spoke softly. But the child to come... Needs the Sanctuary's protection to avoid the terrible creature they've summoned... Or mother and children will die...
God! She was simply...she gave off a scent of nature...fresh like the flowering field in the forests. They were like stars that glow with incandescent flames. He stiffened, stunned. It was a sight!
-What do you want? He wrapped his arms around his freezing body.
Had she already managed to complain about the horrible day? It was much worse. That creature commanded... Ichichos? They supported themselves with magic, draining sorcerers, and maintaining their presence as undead. A strangled scream caught in her throat.
-I don't control these creatures. They're not from our world... They're cursed forms that...
-I need rest. - Rick sighed heavily.
He was having a hard time convincing himself that magic didn't exist in a logical, rational world.
-There's nothing...- he continued and stopped...
-Love! - She smiled. - Once upon a time there was a beautiful witch. And a man is chosen by her to become the alpha and lead a pack. Love! So beautiful. So powerful. So ephemeral. These things were not made to last. Human envy...
-You don't know...- he started to protest and had the impression that his body didn't obey any of his commands. He wanted to leave and just...
Dieu Sacre!
That vision... It wasn't just real... Skin as white as the purest ivory...
-I can guarantee you the realization of your most secret dreams. Anything else you want? She smiled to extend her hand and he saw the image of Cassie on the deck of a ship reflected on the table. - A happy life, a family. Live next to the ones you love. - I don't ask so much to guarantee the happiness of a blessed one like you. The time will come... The time when you will know the power of the ancient gods... I just need you to hold the lead justly. The lives of innocents...
He looked around... No one there seemed to have noticed the unreal image of the guest. He looked at her suspiciously, his face twitching.
-What do you want?
The question asked and the smile on her face made him scold himself.
"Don't talk to... to..."
No one who had a love of life would speak. Disconcerted, he let his body weigh in the chair, reflecting that if he had chosen rum, he would be drunk and tipsy by now.
-The blood in your veins... is special. It's ancient blood...The lineage of the ancient gods in the sorceress...
-Blood? But how...- Rick started to tell himself that he needed a doctor. Maybe it was a symptom of the plague? hallucinations?
-No one achieves happiness with the pain of his fellow man. And the old gods will not accept... Neither pact nor offering. The sorceress who walks among wolves will not remain with the traitor, or come to my domain. I will look for it myself. The time of the Harvest has arrived. And if the seed sown in the earth was not one of peace and germinated with pain... No one escapes the law of return, my dear...
-A blood curse from generation to generation haunts the family...
-Like: "Need Sanctuary's protection to avoid the terrible creature they summoned... Or mother and children will die..." What do you mean by that?
Her eyes dropped in desperate horror at the unreal sight. For the first time, he experienced the feeling of fear in his stomach and tightening as his breath quickened in his chest. He was unable to hide the horror he caused. Curse!
Did she offer a pact? He touched his forehead in a daze as if he were numb and unable to feel his body.
-An heir with a pure heart. A child conceived with the blood of an alpha... and a half-blood. A traitor threatens...
"Do you know where Cassie is?" He interrupted abruptly.
-You'll find her. And learning that even the most trusted of your friends aren't all that trustworthy...
and suddenly, everything around seemed to oscillate between time and space. He felt himself falling into an endless abyss, unable to hold on... The sands of Time...
The goddess smiled. An heir... Blood curses were cast and passed from generation to generation... this time the gods had decided to intervene...