The Sibyl by Cynthia D. Witherspoon Page B

beneath my breastplate. My men chanted her
name with every victory, and begged to her for forgiveness if we
failed.”
    “What changed?” I yawned, harder this time.
“I thought the Sibyls were Apollo’s creation.”
    “They are.” Cyrus smiled again. “I see you
took my words to heart. You truly were reading the books I gave
you. Did you learn anything useful?”
    “Yeah, and you are changing the subject.” I
opened one eye to examine his shadow as the light from the window
faded. “Go on.”
    “I told you of the hunter who doomed the
first Sibyl of Cumae?
    I nodded.
    “That man wasn’t a hunter. He was me.” Cyrus
shook his head. “I was taking a short cut to the camp we had set up
outside of town when I heard a woman scream. She was begging not to
be harmed. When I came to the tree’s edge, I saw them. Apollo is a
master at taking the human form. This is how he appeared to me. I
unsheathed my sword, yelling for him to release the poor girl at
once or face the wrath of my blade.”
    “What happened? Did you have to fight a god?”
I leaned up on a single elbow. “What was it like?”
    He shifted in the chair as if uncomfortable,
but he continued. “Short. Apollo released the girl and turned on me
as a lion would his prey. Before I could close half the distance
between us, he fired a single arrow from his bow.”
    “Where you hurt?” I forgot all about my
sleepiness as I listened. Cyrus was a master storyteller. “What
happened to the girl?”
    “Hurt?” Cyrus gestured to the scar which
crossed over his face “I died, Little One, after taking an arrow
through my eye. My soul had disconnected itself from my body. I was
fading into the Underworld when he brought me back.”
    “Why would he kill you only to bring you back
to life?”
    “As punishment for interrupting his fun.
Apollo cursed me then to always be by the girl’s side. As I
regained control of myself, he told me quite clearly that since I
was so quick to protect the girl in life, then I would do so for
all eternity.”
    “So this is how you became the Keeper to the
Sibyl.”
    “Yes, but she wasn’t the Sibyl just yet. When
Apollo became pleased with her work, he changed her from the wild
woman she had become into a figure who could rival the goddesses
themselves.”
    “This is what I have become, then. A goddess
on earth?” I tried to make light of my words, but the teasing in my
voice faltered. “I’m going to need a crown or herald of trumpets to
announce my presence whenever I walk into a room now.”
    “In a sense, yes. You are a goddess compared
to other humans.” Cyrus leaned closer, studying my face as he
ignored my joke. “One look at your eyes would convince any man
alive of your power.”
    “Will they ever change back?” I shifted
beneath the covers. “Cyrus, will I ever change back?”
    “No, I am afraid not.” Cyrus shook his head
as he stood. “And you must rest. I am certain you have a full
schedule lined up for tomorrow.”
    I remembered my promise to Elliot. If all
went well, we were going to be leaving New York tomorrow night for
parts unknown. Parts filled to the brim with all the spooky ghosts
he could get his hands on. I was not excited, but I knew what Cyrus
was saying was the truth.
    “Oh, alright.” I sat up with a sigh. “I’ll go
to sleep. But you have got to stop calling me Ms. McRayne. It’s
going to get annoying in a hundred years or so. Call me Eva.”
    I was rewarded with another one of his
crooked smiles as he faded into the shadows. I couldn’t understand
the emotion which came over me when I saw it, or why I felt so
comforted by his presence, but I wanted Cyrus to stay with me.
    I snuggled back down into my pillow with
another sigh. How could I explain to Elliot the connection I felt
to Cyrus? As much as I detested the idea of having the strange man
following me everywhere, I was starting to feel as if I needed him
there. It wasn’t because of he was easy on the eyes, either.