The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber Read Free Book Online Page B

eyebrow. “Destiny cannot hold your hand; you must find and make it for yourselves, else it will not hold,” she retorted. “Fate means nothing if you do nothing to embrace or honour it. You ended up here together. That’s what matters.” Percy translated, attempting to exchange the caustic tone for something more gentle, so as not to escalate Alexi’s irritation. Her beloved sat, grumbling.
    “But…I recognize you,” Rebecca murmured, still standing.
    Beatrice sized up the headmistress. “The vast mental catalogue that is your gift, Headmistress Intuition, serves you well. Indeed, you of all people must have seen me most. Though I tried to stay out of your way, I did work to make sure the sacred bricks of Athens Academy would fall under your capable auspices.”
    Rebecca’s mouth opened at Percy’s translation, and her body tensed as if there were a torrent of questions waiting to spring forth. But Beatrice continued. “Do you recall your first charge, the day you received this fate?” She looked at each one of them, evaluating them, and they nodded. “You served my circle that day. That woman in the hospital was our Healer.”
    “But why did none of you say?” Josephine murmured. “We could have helped each other—”
    Beatrice held up a hand. “Our tongues were literally shackled. Our powers gone. Our work done. When you arrived, we were again normal citizens. You see, two Guard are never in the same city. It has never happened like this, there has never been a Prophecy as such, the goddess, Our Lady, never took such a chance as this. It is an unprecedented time. An unprecedented future is before us. And the next phase of battle is at hand.” Percy’s heart sank as she translated.
    “Haven’t we fought enough?” Michael murmured.
    “It’s just begun,” the spirit replied. “The Whisper-world is a hazardous place, and war must be brought into your mortal hands to settle the score once and for all.” Here Beatrice looked at Percy, which did not go unnoticed.
    “And this secondary score commences when?” Alexi asked coolly. “And how may we avoid it? I’ll not put my bride anywhere near further danger.”
    Beatrice fixed him with a deep stare, profound sadness on her face. “You know as well as I that there’s no avoiding this. We were bound to serve vengeful gods.” She turned with a look that was neither amenable nor even kind as Percy repeated her words, breathless, shrinking from that witheringstare. “Tell me something, my lady.” Beatrice leaned in, narrowing her eyes. “Do you remember anything of your former existence—the one you relinquished to become what you are now?”
    “No,” Percy answered, recalling that Alexi had once posited the same question. “I am no divinity. Please, I’m flesh and blood and don’t understand what’s happened to me or why, so please don’t expect knowledge of a woman I never was, a woman I’m not,” she blurted, visibly shaking as she clutched the tablecloth. Alexi stilled this by placing his hand atop hers.
    Beatrice sighed, and her hard stare softened.
    “Then you, too, are nothing more than a pawn.” Her piercing gaze found the rest of The Guard. “But we’ve a duty, friends, to free your fellows overtaken by Darkness’s vengeance. You’ve a call to arms. The sooner you take to it, the sooner this damnable business will end. My part will begin past purgatory’s walls. When it’s time, you’ll do yours.”
    Percy tried to mitigate Beatrice’s tone. It was familiar, though, a quality she recognized in her betrothed. Perhaps leaders shared a certain profile.
    “And shall we simply intuit our parts?” Alexi hissed. “Query destiny until she unfolds herself, or deign you to give us a bit of direction, Mrs. Tipton?”
    “Do what I tell you, when I tell you,” the spirit replied, folding her arms.
    As Percy repeated this, Alexi straightened in his chair. “Indeed? Well, to my knowledge, I remain the leader.” Blue sparks