Soul Bound by Courtney Cole Page B

she held Branwyn’s arm up for me to wash beneath it.  “I warned you, Empusa.  As you can see now, I was right.  Never let your guard down.”
    “Lesson learned,” I said calmly.  “Do you know what the next challenge will be?”
    Circes shook her ancient head.  “No.  I know not whether it will be announced or if it will be unexpected again.”
    “I’m not that fond of surprises,” I said off-handedly.  Not that it mattered.  I knew that Zeus was going to do whatever he felt like doing.  My opinion certainly wouldn’t be considered. 
     

 
    Chapter Eleven
     
    Branwyn burned on a pyre that lit up the night.
    My half-sister lay in the middle of a sacred circle in the center of the stone altar.  The priestesses murmured prayers and chants to my mother as they offered Branwyn’s soul to the gods.  What they didn’t know was that Branwyn’s soul had already been taken…by me.
    We had spent the day solemnly, in silent reverence, as each priestess had come to pay their respects to Branwyn.  Each one offered her something, a trinket, a ring, a smattering of herbs.  Each one had cried, each one had hugged her, each one had grieved.  I had sat stoically, trying not to reveal my own sadness and despair at what I had done.  But with each minute that had passed, my guilt grew.
    “Are you alright?” Brennan whispered as he grasped my hand.  I knew he could feel my pain, my grief.  His fingers were warm and strong.  For a moment, they reached the icy depths of my heart, but then fell away.  I didn’t want to be reached.
    “I’m fine,” I answered, keeping my eyes on the altar.  I wasn’t fine.  But there wasn’t anything Brennan could do to fix it.
    As what was left of Branwyn continued to burn, I watched the dark tendrils of smoke curl towards the heavens.  Idly, I wondered where her soul was now.  If nothing else, her death just spurred me even more to win this game.  Once my curse was reversed, Zeus would release all of the souls that I had ever consumed…from wherever they were being held. 
    The breeze was cold and it carried with it the scent of burning flesh.  Both things combined made me shiver.  Brennan wrapped his arm around my shoulders and drew me to his side. I tried to absorb his warmth, to draw strength from his, to ignore the reality that was in front of us lying on the stone. 
    A pale priestess that was kneeling next to the altar uncurled from her crouch to face me. 
    “Princess, Branwyn left a bundle for you.  She instructed me to give it to you after she was gone.”
    The woman’s face was calm and impassive, as though she didn’t know that I was the reason that Branwyn was dead.   They all acted that way, calm and quiet, and completely oblivious to the fact that I had killed their leader.  But they knew.  I knew that they did.  It was in their eyes.
    “What is it?” I asked.  “What did she leave?”  I asked.  I was tired, cold and emotionally drained.  But this definitely piqued my curiosity. 
    The woman shrugged.  “I do not know.  I was instructed not to open it.  It is only for you.  I also need to reassure you that even though Branwyn is gone, you still have the complete cooperation and hospitality of this entire group.  We are at your disposal, princess.”
    “Thank you,” I murmured.  I didn’t deserve it and their loyalty choked me up.  It wasn’t for me, though.  It was for my mother.  And once again, I was thankful to have her.  I’d been blessed in the maternal department.  She more than made up for the fact that my father was a psychopath. 
    One by one, the women filed past Branwyn and within the hour, everyone had finished paying their respects and saying goodbye.  Her pyre would burn into the night and throughout the day tomorrow, but weren’t going to stay and watch it tonight.  I was so physically tired that I felt I might collapse. 
    The priestesses made their way back into the village while Brennan and I