Warrior Queen - Karpov Kinrade Page 0,4

go,” I tell Nefeli as I sling Apollo’s bow and quiver over my free shoulder. “We’ve got someone to find.”

The raven ruffles her feathers. “Lead on,” is all she says.

I pause, and with one last look at my old room, my own remains, and now Apollo in his chair, I wheel around, open the door, and head deeper into the Dungeons.

Outside in the stone passageway, I see several of Hailey’s lamps hanging on iron hooks. I grab one and run through the Dungeon halls that are now as familiar to me as the back of my own hands.

Three levels down, I nearly collide into Homer the Cyclops emerging from the mouth of a cave. He’s wearing a scarf over his blinded eyes, and his furry legs and hooves are wet. Behind him are pools of water. There are several scaled humps and a few snouts sticking out from the water on the left, but before I can get a closer look, the humps and snouts vanish under the water’s dark, shiny surface.

"The glowing sun healed you," the cyclops says, looking relieved.

“Yes,” I say. “I’m well. As strong as ever.”

Before I can give him the news of Apollo’s death, he turns his head to one side and sniffs. “Nefeli? Is that you?”

As the raven shifts and caws a ‘Yes,’ on my shoulder, the cyclops’ shoulders sag. He knows what it means.

“Apollo has passed on to his next life,” I murmur.

A range of complex emotions twist his lips. I guess all of Apollo’s relationships were complicated. After a few seconds, Homer bows his head. “I feared as much.”

More memories surface, images of hunting with Apollo in the forest, dining with him at a nereid feast, but I shove my returning recollections aside. I don’t have time for nostalgia right now.

“I’m heading deeper in,” I say.

There’s only one reason to head deeper into the Dungeons from here, and Homer's body tenses with fear. "To the monster that all others fear?"

“Yes,” I say, but I don’t fear him. He’s someone I know well. And someone I hope remembers me like Homer did.

Homer draws a deep breath. “I cannot join you. That cave is dangerous, for even me.”

“Especially dangerous for those who cannot fly,” Nefeli observes.

I nod, but I’m counting on the past. I turn to Homer, “That’s okay, I don’t expect you to. I understand.” I lean forward and give his arm a squeeze. “Now, I must be off.”

I leave him there and head down into the darkness, using all my godlike speed to run like I never have before. With my injury healed, my strength has returned along with a sense of renewed hope. I can undo the damage Clay has inflicted on the world. I’ve been dealing with Epimetheus for centuries, and after all this time, his tendency to jump headlong into things obviously hasn’t changed. And that means opportunities to stop him.

As I descend, the sounds of skittering feet and scales scraping against rock echo around me as a stench of sulfur wells up from below.

“How can he still smell of sulfur after all this time?” I muse aloud.

Nefeli doesn’t respond, and then, I’m rounding a particularly sharp corner to see the dark mouth of a cave rising before me.

At my third step, I hear the ferocious growls, the kind even the dead fear.

I lift Hailey’s lamp, and there before me in the cave’s great maw, I find who I’m looking for: six eyes glowing in the darkness. Three mouths baring their sharp teeth at me.

I take a cautious step forward, hoping my scent is as familiar to them as it was to Homer. Beneath my feet, bones snap, and from the corner of my eye, I see the guts and carcasses of their victims strewn around the rocky floor.

The beast rises on its haunches and towers over me, its shaggy fur gray, and its massive heads each alert and attentive to my every move.

"Hey there," I say softly, dampening Hailey’s lantern somewhat. I know how much the beast still hates daylight, but I want it to see me. I take another step, holding out my hand. "Remember me?"

The monster lunges.

My heart leaps, but I hold my ground, my Prometheus memories giving me courage. Nefeli digs her talons deep into my shoulder but doesn’t fly away.

The chains rattle and stretch taut as the monster strains against the shackles on all its throats.

Then, the beast stills, and I hear a great intake of breath. All six pairs of ears perk up as