Page 17 (1/2)
"I don’t knohat to do to get him to come," I admitted
"He’ll come," Jade assuredelse that I feel I feel like we should leave Do you feel that? It’s like so"
And in thatwas pullingto do," I murmured as I looped rabbed our purses and the book and practically ran to rier than ever and was rapidly turning as black as night The wind had picked up, the trees whipping every which way Anyone else would think just what my mother did, that it was a storm But I knew otherwise
I backed quickly out of the driveway and started driving in the direction that I felt the pull
"Do you knohere we’re going?" Jade asked
"No You?"
She shook her head "This is all so strange to h I should be able to do so, but I can’t remember how"
I knew the feeling
I blindly drove to the outskirts of town to a wooded hiking area I looked around and stared nervously at Jade
"This can’t be good We’re isolated out here"
"That’s probably the point," she pointed out
"So not coot out
There was no one here, but I suddenly felt the need to walk into the forest and as I did,for us, I had a strong feeling that it would be ga
As we entered the labyrinth of trees, the branches alht and so it seemed that ere in a mossy, daoddess senses had eed even more Here, in the quite solitude of this s sticks, the wet earth and even the freshly cracked branches The woodsy aromas flooded my nose in a way that they wouldn’t have before I could hear forest life scurrying, even tiny bugs I could hear their tiny legs scraping as they walked along the underbrush It was incredible
We walked to a s which was encircled by trees Wildflowers bloorass waved And suddenly, here in the stillness, ere surrounded
All around us, nificent women were seated on massive horses They were fierce and beautiful and inti at its side These weren’t nor scant clothing made from leather and a bow and arroas strapped to each of their backs Their hair was long and wild and they had bulging muscles in their arms I suddenly simply kneho they were
"The Amazon," I breathed
Jade nodded as she stood back to back with me as we pivoted in a slow circle There reatly outnumbered The Amazon were not known for their kindness The fact that they were here at all was alar They didn’t typically venture outside of their holy and I felt recognition stirring I knew her
"You require our assistance, sister," she said stiffly Her name was Ortrera, an Amazon queen And when she called me sister, it was the truth Her father was Ares, also She was my half-sister
"We’ve been called here," she announced "I believe it has to do with our father’s imprisonment You will need our assistance to release him"
"Why do you care?" I asked curiously The Amazon did not concern themselves with matters of men They were a very female oriented society In fact, they scorned ed
"He gave ht er and watch these atrocities against our own It ? You knohat the Moirae have done?" I asked
"Of course Everyone knows it, but it would have been futile to intervene before We do not shirk from war, sister, but it would not have been a wise battle Now, though, we feel that the ti when action is required or ill all perish"
"I think you are right, Ortrera," I murmured "Do you knohere Ares is?"
"No, that I do not know," she ad her heavy bow to the other side of her back Her ine a war horse would Her white face was painted with blue paint I was sure, if I examined all of the other horses, I would find them to be mares as well The A
"Do you knohere Eris is?" I asked hopefully, but again she shook her head
"I had a vision, Harmonia, and I could clearly see a house, yet I know not who is in the house or the location"
"But we do"
We all turned to find Annen stepping through the circle of warriors with two other priests
The priest on the left had spoken Annen stared atAs always, I shivered He sed, silent smile and they crossed the circle to join us in theAres, as well as a few other key pieces of information,"
the priest continued as they stopped at erly share it with you But youthat I had been taught But I kneithout any doubt whatsoever that we had no other choice