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"Cadue

It felt right Obviously it was an old, old name and it should feel that way to ue as though it was meant to be there

Probably because it was Cadoddess But if we had been sent to Elyria for eternity, then as I doing here now? Why had I been acting as a Keeper of Fate for soThis was too much craziness for any one person to handle without ice cream I padded into the kitchen for some chocolate chip banana therapy I didn’t even bother with a bowl, I just sat with a spoon and the ice creas, the way my hair curled around my shoulder It felt so odd to know that I had been around for thousands of years and that apparently I was a goddess But noas human

What had happened in the meantime to put me here? I had no idea But I knew someone who did Annen

I set aside the ice crea Annen to appear

Nothing

I pleaded

Nothing

I sighed

Still nothing

I gave up and put my dirty dishes in the sink and returned to ot home I loved my mom like crazy, but I wasn’t in the ure out I started in the ical place of all

I dialed Gavin’s number and felt a rush of relief when his husky voice flooded into hed, settling back into the pillows ofcould helphis fa better I knew it Out of all the craziness in all of my lives, he had always been a constant Well, he and Ahain Cryptic words I sighed again

"What’s wrong?" Gavin asked He knewI just ot to craretful and I instantly recognized the huoddess and Gavin had been the King of Thebes, slayer of dragons And here ere in Pasadena worrying about high school What kind of hell was this?

"It’s okay," I replied softly "It’s al with you?" He sounded so concerned that it war?"

"No," I answered "I haven’t heard fro Really I just wanted to see you I’ll see you toh Want to pick me up for school?"

"Of course I do I want to et there in one piece I love you, you know"

"I know I love you, too"

I hung up the phone and laid it gently on the bed stand Gazing aroundmyself to do ho on

Crossing the rooh research ofwith od of war

Hours passed I heard my mother come home and barely lifted my head when she asked if I wanted any dinner Thankfully, she left ht with a friend My eyes had begun to burn fro by the time I finally closed the lid tohts flew back to Alexandria when I had saved Hasani’s (Gavin’sCadmus’) life At the tith from withinI knew, Hasani was opening his eyes It had to be because of who I was not because of the bloodstone at all, which is what I had thought at the tioddess, but still A goddess was a goddess It was a fact that kept running through my mind until the very minute the sleep overtook me

I was surrounded in blackness I stared around, frantically trying to get o I had been in the safety of my bed and noas elsewhere A drea,fro the stone wall to find where it was coh I wasn’t physically here, I could feel the da It was also so black that I couldn’t see a foot in front offurry and ht back a screah of relief

I approached the end of the hall and I found ed closer cautiously Silently, I opened it just a little and peered inside The first thing I noticed were a thousand candles floating throughout the roolow surrounded three cloaked figures and Ahmose

But Ahmose is who held my attention

The ancient priest was suspended in ony I couldn’t see what they were doing to him--their hands were not physically on hi pain He writhed and turned in mid-air, but stubbornly refused to even whih, the effort that it cost him Sweat poured in rivulets frohtly closed A tiny muscle in his cheek ticked as he stared down at his attackers

"You dared to defy us?" A hissing voice asked and I closed my eyes There was so much malice in the voice that the hs tremble as I hovered quietly outside the door I couldn’t stand not knowing, though, so I openedli, black dishtowel

"Answer htened his body out with a harsh groan