“It wasn’t easy for her, Diantha. Believe me, she prayed to me and my mother many times asking for strength and guidance.”
“Did you help?” I ask, almost afraid.
Hecate leans forward and her eyes—all three pairs—open wide and turn their attention on me, stalling my breath. “Of course, but it was too late. She’d shaken his hand. She’d accepted his terms.”
My shoulders drop under the weight of her words. “And there was only so much you could do.”
“Exactly. And that brings us to the second part of their agreement.” She flips over another card from the deck. The Empress. “Your mother put her soul on the line. She promisedhim that if you were ever to begin to show powers and abilities, he could take her soul as collateral.”
“That’s why she started getting sick…”
“She tried to hide you, to shield you. But the demons were fast and strong, and you…” She smiles. “You are so brilliant. It was worth the sacrifice.”
“So this wasn’t a family curse,” I whisper. “He trapped her soul here to remind her of the time she spent wandering.”
“She knew this would happen. And she knew you would try to save her, to help her, and she knew that would bring you to the truth.” Hecate’s face breaks into a smile. Her teeth are dazzling. Bright and straight. On either side of her, her two other faces rest peacefully. “You are special, Diantha. Born from a simple human witch wonderful enough to seduce a god and powerful enough to make himfall in love.A father may take many lovers, but no matter who he lays with, any fruit of that love affair isalwayshis. There is no way to break the chain. There is no blood bond stronger than family.”
“Hecould have killed me in an instant, but he didn’t. He wanted my mom to suffer. He couldn’t face me,” I say, strength building in my voice. “His own hubris was his undoing.”
“You showed him his own weaknesses, again and again. First, you took from his well of power, and then you stole his heart.”
This stuns me. I actually pull back like she’s slapped me in the face. “You think helovesme?”
“He has no choice.” She pulls another card from the deck. The Chariot. She pushes it toward me.
I pick it up, watch the stars dance in the gold foil. The card of triumph. My destiny. “Now what?”
“You have to finish your mother’s work. Do not let her sacrifice be in vain. Take your throne. Face him as an equal—goddess to god—and set your mother’s soul free by sacrificing his scoundrels in my name.”
“Your name, not Asteria’s?”
She reaches across the table and takes my hand in hers. It’s not a human touch. I see her fingers moving mine—unfurling them to stroke my palm—but her touch is like air. “In my name. For both our mothers, both survivors.”
Her words are an instant vise grip on my heart.Survivors. Warriors in a battle with no foreseeable ending. “Where’s my mom now? Is she okay?”
Hecate smiles softly, gently. “She is safe with your ancestors, Diantha.”
“They’re trapped too?” I try not to let my voice crack with anxiety.
“No. They are here to protect her. We never abandon each other. So, you focus on the task at hand. Return his foot soldiers as dust, and then the universe will be hers.”
“I can’t do this alone,” I reply in a hurry. “I can’t do any of this.”
“You don’t have to. You have everyone you need—they’re all around you, as we speak. Tell them what you are andtrustthem.”
I swallow. “Like Orfeo?”
“And others.” Her eyes glint. “But you want to know about the Italian vampire.”
I nod. A quick, curt nod. “Please.”
She flips another card. “The Fool.” A smile pulls at her lips. “A fresh start, a new beginning—this time with no fear.”
Diantha
“Diantha.”
“It’s not going to work,” a feminine voice replies. “How many times do I have to tell you?”
