Sorceress, Interrupted - By A. J. Menden Page 0,98
not know and you did?”
I brushed away her concerns. “We can go over all of that later. Right now we’re going to put a stop to her before she destroys the world with whatever harebrained scheme she’s running.”
Kate gave me another long look, then passed through the wall without another word. I followed, taking care to grab Cyrus by the arm and pull him afterward.
We were met by a wave of cold that seemed to chill us to our very bones. There was complete darkness, and then a bright light. Things gradually began to slip into focus again.
“Where are we?” Cyrus whispered.
“Olympus,” I said. “The realm of the gods.”
Everything exuded an otherworldly glow. There were buildings, roads and even trees, but everything seemed made of a combination of crystal, glitter, diamonds and gold. Everything was just so bright—and off. I didn’t know how the gods could stand it.
Kate touched my arm. “Are you sure you can handle this?”
I nodded. “I haven’t been scared of her in a long time.”
“I’m going to go talk to him, so he’s aware of the situation,” she said, motioning toward the biggest and brightest building of all. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“You know where to find us,” I said.
“Last place on the left,” Kate said, and hurried off.
I hefted the sword I still carried and started off toward Mneme’s house. Cyrus followed after me, surely confused. He was hiding his frustration well.
“I take it that you and this Muse of remembrance go way back?”
“Waaaaaay back,” I said.
“And you don’t get along?”
“That’s an understatement.”
“So, we’re going to show up at her door, surprise her with your unwelcome presence and then tell her to stop her evil schemes or . . .”
“Or I cut off her head. Yup, that’s pretty much the plan.”
“So, she’s the one that put the hex on me.”
“Yep.”
“She’s pretty powerful then.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“And we’re not.”
I eyed him and shrugged. “But we have one advantage.”
“Which is?”
“We’re sane.”
He shook his head and laughed. “That’s debatable, considering that we’re charging in like this. And being sane isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.”
We stood in front of the final building. It was done in the style of Grecian nobility, all columns in glittering white. I turned back and brought my lips to Cyrus’s, giving him a long, lingering kiss, one that he returned wholeheartedly, which seemed a good sign. If you can’t make out in the face of death, when can you?
“Hey,” I said softly, trying to give him a reassuring smile. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“God, I hope so.”
I winked at him. Then, without another word, I turned and blasted the door with a spell.
Sword at the ready, I rushed in and faced the woman inside. She was gorgeous in the way that all goddesses are, with that strange, ethereal quality of perfection that makes people nervous, especially because it never changes. Like me, she would never age. What she looked like now was what she would look like a hundred years from now.
Her skin was like flawless cream. A faint blush swept her cheeks, and her eyes were a warm brown, wide like a doe’s and framed with gorgeously thick lashes that most women would need three tubes of mascara to perfect. Her lips were a natural cherry, perfectly plump in a way that never would require collagen. Long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her back and shimmered as it caught the light, warm hues of amber, chocolate, auburn and blonde.
She was wearing a long, flowing white gown in the typical Grecian fashion that dipped low enough to flaunt her perfect cleavage and clung to her curves to show off a tiny waist and hips. A slit went up the side of the dress, showing an indecent amount of thigh. Women everywhere would weep at her perfection, knowing they would never be anywhere near as beautiful, no matter how much dieting and plastic surgery they suffered. Men would commit murder just for the chance to be with her.
I just glared.
Her gorgeous mouth curved into a smile, despite the fact that I’d just knocked down her door. “Why, hello, my darling!” Her voice was just as I remembered it: almost ordinary, despite coming out of that perfect body.
I gave her a malicious smile in return. “Hello, Mom.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Cyrus stared from me to her. “ ‘Mom’?”
My mother gave me a cool look of appraisal. “The last time we saw each other, you swore that if you ever saw me again you’d kill