Page 24 of The Tanglewood Witches (The Three Sisters 1)
Chapter Eleven
Alena flinched at the intensity of the sound when Orpheus heeded her request and sang. His voice rang like a bell used to call out the spirits of the dead. The melody made her want to cry, but the tone bolstered her. This song was a weapon, and he was wielding it like a sword.
The guards froze in place and the snakes poured from the book, seeming to dance to his music. They coiled and snapped. Swords clattered to the floor. Soldiers collapsed.
Alena had never seen this variety of viper, but they must be poisonous. Black veins had already extended from the place of Cleopatra’s bite, and she clutched her throne as if she was in pain.
Orpheus’s voice gave out, cracking from weakness and thirst. He took Alena by the arm and dragged her toward the exit. Where he got the strength, she had no idea. She was so tired she could hardly stand upright. Howls of pain behind her told her the snakes had done their duty.
“Come. Quickly,” Orpheus said, ushering her around a corner and into a dark corridor.
More guards were running toward them, called forward by the screams.
“This way.”
A golden glow shone from a hidden doorway. Alena slipped into a secret passageway where Isis herself greeted them. The goddess glided through the walls of the palace, the stone arranging itself at her will. A few moments later, they emerged through a narrow doorway onto the streets of Alexandria.
Night had fallen, and Alena welcomed the cover of darkness as they slipped into the city. Already they heard a commotion and screams coming from the palace. Cleopatra was dead. The country would soon be in turmoil.
“My home is this way,” Alena said, pointing toward the river.
But the goddess shook her head. “Every soldier and citizen of Egypt will come looking for you. The guards will blame you for her death. It is easier to do than to tell the truth. If you stay here, they will kill you.”
Alena darted a worried glance toward Orpheus, but he’d gone still as midnight water. Tears welled in her eyes. “Truly, I can go no farther.”
“How do I keep her safe?” Orpheus murmured, wrapping his arm weakly around her.
When his gaze settled on her, there was no mistaking the intention behind the question. Her heart wrenched at the realization that he’d sacrifice himself for her again and again if he had to. They’d shared a deep connection in Hades. Was it possible it was all genuine and would continue now that they were back in the real world?
Isis removed a stone, shiny and veined with gold, from the folds of her dress. She held it out to them. A symbol of a tree was carved into the surface. Alena moved closer, curious about what it was.
“When the goddess Hera married Zeus, Gaea gifted her with the Garden of the Hesperides. Once you are inside this garden, your safety is assured. The creatures who live there, the garden nymphs, will see to your every need.”
Alena swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest. She was tired, so tired. “Once we’re inside.Ifwe can get past the dragon.”
“Dragon?” Orpheus asked.
“Yes, a dragon guards the entrance,” Alena said. “Hera isn’t keen on having uninvited guests.”
“Hera,” Isis said, “is too busy chasing after Zeus to know what’s happening in her garden. She will never know you are there. And as for the dragon…” Her eyes focused on Orpheus.
He shook his head. “I can’t sing. I have nothing left.”
Alena believed him. He’d paled, and his knees were shaking. Escaping the palace had drained him.
“Orpheus, you have been called a cheater, a bastard, a louse charmer. Don’t you think dragon charmer is more fitting? After all, your ancestor Medea once sang a dragon to sleep to help her lover. Won’t you do the same for yours?”
“Oh, we’re not—” Alena stopped short when Orpheus gave her an injured look. “We’re not ready. He’s too tired.”
“I’m afraid we’re out of time,” Isis said. “If we are to have any hope of saving the lives that grow inside you, we must leave now.”
“Lives?” Alena shook her head.
Orpheus was staring at her, lips parted.
“I am the goddess of life,” Isis said. “And I see three burning candles within you. Three bright lights.”
Alena could not believe what she was hearing. She placed her hands on her abdomen, then looked to Orpheus for an explanation.
He turned to Isis. “I am strong enough for this. How do we get there?”
“Simply touch the stone and it will take you home.” Isis extended her hand to them.
Orpheus reached for Alena, and she slid her fingers into his. She must be dreaming. All this would fade with the sunrise. People didn’t talk to goddesses or travel by stone. But when she laid her fingers on the tree, the darkness seemed to wrap tighter around her, like a black blanket that squeezed out the light. When it unwrapped again, Isis was gone and they stood in the middle of an empty field.
And stared into the golden eyes of what appeared to be a very moody black dragon.
