Sweet Legacy Read online

  He cocks one brow at me.

  A flash of heat burns my cheeks.

  Okay, I have almost no secrets. I haven’t been completely open and forthright about how I’m sorta, kinda, maybe dating his friend Milo. Maybe when I know for sure if we’re together, I’ll talk to Thane about it. For now I’m too afraid to mess things up. Besides, that’s hardly relevant to our situation here.

  I correct my statement. “I have no secrets about this.”

  He softens, just barely—there’s a slight drop in the rigid stance of his shoulders—but I can tell he’s battling this on the inside.

  “Grace-face, I—” He cuts himself off, frowning like he’s thought better of answering. “I can’t.”

  What a cop-out.

  “You can,” I throw back, “but you won’t.”

  He shrugs as if there’s no difference.

  I study him intently, trying to think of some reason that he wouldn’t want to tell me the truth. He’s not the kind to be embarrassed, so I’m sure that’s not it. He also wouldn’t keep something from me unless he felt he had to. The only other thing he’s ever been this secretive about is his past—the time before Mom and Dad adopted him into our family.

  He’d only been eight. What could that have to do with this?

  “If this is about your past,” I say, “it doesn’t matter. I don’t care about anything that happened before we even met. I love you. Besides,” I continue, “I know you. I know it can’t be anything bad.”

  He stares at me, unblinking.

  I whisper, “It can’t be that bad.”

  His cheeks flush with color, and I’m stunned by his re-action. He’s scared, of what he’s done and of me finding out. I don’t know what to say. Thane doesn’t have a bad bone in his body. Sure, he and Dad fight about his plans for the future, and he barely gets by in school, but he’s kind and loyal and good. He loves his family above anything. The idea that he ever did something so bad that he’s afraid to tell me . . . I don’t believe it.

  As I shake my head, he drops his gaze away. “Leave it, Grace,” he says. “Please.”

  That shocks me even more than his refusal to answer. Thane doesn’t beg—ever—which only makes whatever he’s hiding scarier. He’s my brother in every way that matters. I won’t push him to tell the secret that causes him so much pain as long as it’s not dangerous.

  I stiffen my spine. “Will it endanger my sisters or our mission?”

  He flinches, as if the very idea hurts him. “No. Never.”

  Thane and I exchange a look, and I know he understands.

  “Will it endanger you?”

  He shrugs again and drops his gaze.

  “Oh, Thane.” I step forward and pull him into a hug, relieved when he hugs me back tighter than ever. I’m scared for him, but I’m also amazed at his strength, at his willingness to shoulder all of this on his own. He’s incredible.

  “Excuse me,” a male voice says behind me. “Can’t a monoceratus get through here?”

  “Oh, sorry,” I say, moving out of the way of the entrance.

  Turning to see exactly what a monoceratus is, I’m smiling as I look up into the glowing face of a unicorn.

  “Holy goalie,” I mutter.

  “Yeah, yeah,” the single-horned horse says, walking past me into the cave. “Gretchen and I already went through this once. I’m a unicorn. Woo-hoo.”

  I turn to see if Thane is as awed as I am, but he has already disappeared back to Greer’s side. The unicorn walks past me, heading for the golden maiden. Something tickles at the back of my memory. Why do I feel like I’ve thought about unicorns recently? I can’t imagine why. It’s not as if they’re a part of everyday conversation like when I was eight. Maybe there was one in the monster binders I scanned before Gretchen’s loft blew up. That must be it.

  I return to the group at the heart of the tiny cave. Greer has almost recovered. Nick and I need to leave soon. We can’t afford to waste any time. We have to go save my biological mother from monster-realm assassins. I only hope we can get to her before it’s too late.

  “The line is heavily guarded,” the unicorn tells the group. “Not a chance of getting through without drawing their attention.”

  Gretchen swears. “There goes that plan.”

  “Isn’t there another way to get to our realm?” I ask. “A back door or something?”

  “Back door,” Gretchen’s monkey friend says with a giggle.

  The creatures around me exchange mocking laughs and skeptical glances.

  “Not one that you would survive,” the golden maiden answers diplomatically. “The only ways of exiting Abyssos are through the door or through the godly realms.”

  “Godly realms?” Gretchen asks.

  The golden maiden explains, “Hades and Olympus.”

  “What’s wrong with them?” I ask. “Can’t we use one of those entrances?”

  She shakes her head. “The path from Olympus to Panogia is more heavily guarded than even the door. With an army at your side you could not succeed.”

  She doesn’t have to voice the implied, You would not survive.

  “That’s why we’re going through the abyss to get there,” Gretchen says. “It’s the only way to bypass the tough security.”

  “Hades then?” We can’t just let the assassins find and kill our mother; I can’t, I won’t—not when I haven’t even met her yet. Not when we’re so close. I have so many questions.

  “The underworld is worse,” the unicorn says. “Airtight security to keep the dead from returning to life.”

  “And the journey through Hades itself would be no easy task,” the golden maiden adds. “Most likely you would not even make it to the Panogian path.”

  “Where does that leave us?” Greer asks. “There is no way home?”

  She doesn’t sound as freaked out as I am. “We’re trapped here?” I gasp. “Forever? We just give up?”

  “Of course not,” Gretchen says, but without her usually infallible certainty.

  The group falls silent, and I scan the crowd for any signs of an idea. Anything. There has to be some hope, some way we haven’t thought of.

  Greer clears her throat. “What about autoporting?”

  We all turn to face her.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Autoporting,” she repeats, checking her fingernails. Yep, almost back to normal now. “Maybe you can use your power to get home.”

  Why didn’t I think of that? I have this power—for just this kind of situation, I hope.

  Encouraged, I turn to Gretchen.

  “Maybe,” she says, considering.

  “It must be possible,” I say. “Euryale autoported to me that night on the pier.”

  “Not her body,” Gretchen argues. “You said she wasn’t really there.”

  “She wasn’t, but . . .”

  “If her powers are tethered,” the golden maiden suggests, “that might explain her incomplete autoportation. It is likely her captors took precautionary measures.”

  “That she could still project even her image at such a distance,” Nick says, sounding impressed, “is a sign of her tremendous power.”

  “Let’s do it,” I say, clapping my hands together. “It can’t hurt to try. If I can autoport me and Nick back to our realm, then once you rescue Euryale, she’ll be able to get everyone else home.”

  “Your power must be well honed,” the golden maiden warns. “Travel between realms is not easy.”

  What about this life is easy? Fighting monsters out to kill or capture me, watching my sister almost die, being trapped in this dark smelly place? Everything is hard compared to my life before meeting Gretchen, when I spent most of my time in front of a computer screen. It’s all hard. I bite back the sarcasm and focus my energy on positive thinking.

  “I can do it,” I insist. I have no choice. We have no choice.

  Gretchen hesitates, studying me. Well, she won’t find any doubts. I’m confident—or at least confident eno
ugh to try.

  Finally, she says, “Get your bags.”

  Minutes later, Nick and I are standing at the center of the group, each of us carrying a backpack of extra supplies. He doesn’t have to go with me—his allegiance is to Gretchen—so I appreciate his coming to help, especially since he already knows the boss and his prized assassins. That information might come in really handy.

  Gretchen stands before me, Sillus sitting at her feet, her hands on my shoulders. “You take care of yourself. Find our mother, get to the safe house, and stay put. We’ll meet you there when we get out.”

  “I will,” I promise. “You stay safe too. Find the gorgons and get Euryale to autoport you all out of here.”

  She smiles, like she’s a little amused by my concern for her safety. Or maybe she’s uncomfortable having someone worrying about her for a change. Well, she’d better get used to that. I’m brilliant at worrying.

  I see her glance at Nick, who gives her a look full of longing. I’m glad she doesn’t doubt his loyalty anymore, because that one exchange tells me how he feels about her. She’s his sun, moon, and stars. As soon as we get through this mess—this war—I’ll make sure she does something about that.

  For now, we each have our missions.

  Taking Nick’s hand in mine, I suck in a deep breath.

  “See you soon,” I say.

  Gretchen backs away.

  I close my eyes and focus. The times I’ve autoported before have always been in really dangerous situations, when I was fueled by fear. I try to channel those feelings of desperation. Every ounce of my energy, my concentration, my very being is funneled into autoporting us home. Home. Home, home, home.

  Bright light penetrates my eyelids, and I sense the world around us shifting. We’re moving, traveling through the portal. It’s working! I’m sending us—

  Nick’s arm is around my throat before I can breathe.

  “Move an inch and I’ll snap it like a twig.”

  The menace in his voice is unmistakable.

  “What?” I gasp. How could I have been so wrong about him? Gretchen will never forgive him. She’ll never forgive herself.

  CHAPTER 5

  GREER

  Ready to go?”

  Gretchen moves the instant Grace and Nick disappear, slinging a backpack over her shoulder and heading across the cave. All right by me. The less time spent in this wretched place, the better. If I hadn’t truly needed to rest, I would have insisted we proceed sooner. Besides, any longer and I’m sure Gretchen would toss me over her shoulder and push on. Good thing I recover quickly.

  “Right as rain,” I say with an ambitiously cheerful smile.

  Mother always says if you project the image you wish the world to see, eventually it will become reality. I don’t wish to be miserable and in pain, so I will pretend I’m not.

  As I push to my feet, my body no longer feels like it’s melting from the inside out. The hellebore Thane used to counteract the venom was hard on my system, but apparently it worked. I’m not dead, in any case, and that has to be a point in favor of the antidote.

  Thane hands me a backpack that feels lighter than before. He doesn’t meet my gaze as he hefts his own pack into place.

  “You didn’t need to carry any of my load,” I say.

  “I know,” he says, adjusting his straps.

  I’m not a wilting flower who needs a boy to carry her gear, but my legs feel like overcooked spaghetti at the moment, so I choose not to argue. “Thank you.”

  Gretchen stands at the cave entrance with several of the creatures who brought us here. A few plan to accompany us on our journey, to see us safely to Olympus. No, I am not ready to think about Olympus yet. I’m not ready to worry that far into the future. One step at a time. Stepping out of the cave and into the great vast cavern beyond without tripping over my tennis shoes will be an auspicious start.

  I will face the future as it comes.

  Gretchen nods as Thane and I approach, then turns and leads the way out through the tunnel. The portal was only the doorway here. This is the real first step of the journey.

  The golden maiden follows in second place, along with the little furry monkey who came through the portal with Gretchen the other day and an oceanid named Petraie who looks like she’s made out of water. She’s fascinating. Her skin is dark gray, rippling like the sea beneath a storm. I wonder what it feels like.

  As strange as these companions are, they are welcome additions to our group. The idea of the five of us—let alone three now that Grace and Nick are gone—fighting the great monster horde had me somewhat concerned. If there weren’t a vastly bigger saving-the-world picture and a millennia-old legacy at stake, I might have signed up to stay home.

  But the gorgons need our help. So does the human world. It’s our destiny, our responsibility, to carry on the tradition. I push the fear aside, put one foot in front of the other, and follow my sister out of the cave.

  With Thane at my back, I actually feel safer than I have in weeks, since before I found out about my sisters and the previously hidden world of myths and monsters exploded around me.

  Thane is strong, yes, but that’s not why he makes me feel so safe. He’s dedicated. Driven. No, devoted.

  That’s the word. He’s devoted—to Grace, to his family, to Gretchen and me.

  I get the feeling he would do anything within his power to keep us safe and make sure we succeed. Unlike Nick, who clearly is interested in Gretchen but also believes in the cause, I think Thane couldn’t care less about the cause. His motivation is us—Grace, especially, and, for some reason I don’t quite understand, me.

  From the moment he opened the door at Grace’s apartment and his dark gray eyes looked into my silver ones, our connection has been undeniable. I know I’m safe as long as it’s within his power to protect me.

  We emerge from the tunnel, and the group huddles up before proceeding.

  “We move in silence,” Gretchen says. “Nothing above a whisper from here on out.”

  Now why is she looking straight at me as she says that? Grace is the one with the tendency to talk too much. I choose to ignore her implication.

  “Keep close, in tight formation.” She scans her gaze over the entire group. “Use the buddy system. I’ll pair up with the golden maiden. Sillus and Petraie, and Greer and Thane. Keep track of each other. Whistle if there’s a problem.”

  My eyes roll instinctively.

  Gretchen scowls. “Problem, Greer?”

  I want to say, This isn’t kindergarten, but I don’t think she’d appreciate the snark. Besides, the statement is all too true. This isn’t kindergarten. This situation is serious and dire. Extra precautions are warranted.

  I swallow the attitude. “No,” I reply. “No problem.”

  “We go without pit stops,” she continues. “Until it’s an emergency, keep moving.”

  “How long?” I ask. “How far is it to Mount Olympus?”

  Gretchen looks to the golden maiden for the answer.

  “There is a shortcut,” she says. “We can reach the entrance in perhaps a dozen hours, if we encounter no trouble.”

  No trouble? Only if our luck improves.

  You are good to be cautious, a voice echoes in my mind. Trouble seeks you.

  Did I just hear that? I blink and shake my head. Perhaps it is a side effect of the hellebore. Thane said it would be hard on my system.

  I keep the voice in my head and my cynicism to myself as Gretchen turns and starts walking, the golden maiden at her side. The monkey and the oceanid take the middle, while Thane and I bring up the rear.

  “Twelve hours,” I mutter.

  “Can you make it?” Thane asks. “If you’re still too weak—”

  Gretchen cuts him off with a glare over her shoulder. I glare back, but she’s already turned back around and begun marching on.

  “I’m fine,” I reply with a whisper. “It’s just a long walk.”

  “It is,” Thane says, not whisperin
g, but somehow still quiet enough to avoid Gretchen’s wrath. “We’ll make it.” He glances sideways at me. “Together.”

  “Together,” I whisper.

  I can handle that.

  Our hopes of traveling without trouble evaporate in the first hour.

  We’re just rounding a big black rock formation that looks like any of a dozen we’ve passed since starting out when Gretchen pulls to a sudden stop. There, not twenty feet from our path—not that there is an actual path to see, just a general direction we’re heading in—at the shore of the inky black river we’ve been following, is a pair of ugly beasts splashing themselves with water.

  We all shuffle to a stop behind her, trying to be as quiet as possible.

  Following Gretchen’s motions, we tiptoe around the outcropping, pressing ourselves as close to the rock as we can, staying deeply hidden in the shadows.

  I even hold my breath, as if the rasp of air from my lungs will somehow alert the creatures to our presence—although I’m not entirely certain why we are bothering with stealth, considering some monsters obviously already know we’re in the abyss and these two wouldn’t be much trouble to take care of.

  Still, I don’t voice my opinion. I think the idea that our venom actually kills the monsters in this realm really bothers Gretchen. Not that she’s said anything, but I don’t imagine she likes being a killer. Huntress, yes—a mythological bounty hunter, so to speak. Killing is different.

  But arguing with Gretchen is like arguing with a brick wall, and just as effective. For the sake of traveling in peace, I keep my mouth shut—and my breath held—until we are well out of range of the bathing beasts.

  Besides, I suppose the last thing we want is to draw any unnecessary attention. Our goal is to travel through the abyss quickly and quietly. My recovery period has already set us back several hours. We want to avoid any more delays. Our real mission lies beyond. We don’t need the distraction of fighting two random monsters.

  I sneak a glance at Thane, walking silently at my side. He’s been stealthy as a mouse since our first steps into the abyss, whether there were monsters around to hear or not. It’s unnatural how quiet he is.