Soul Bound Read Online Free PDF Page B

that Brennan is tied to you, he wishes for that tie to be broken.  He had no wish for your curse to be lifted. He does not want his son endangered- he hopes for a strong alliance between himself and Brennan.  He used the argument that if you cannot control your combined powers, it would trigger an apocalypse in the mortal world.  It was a strong argument and Zeus could not decide who should prevail, so it will be settled with a game. 
    “You and Brennan will be faced with tasks that you must face together, which means you must control your magic.  These tasks will not only test your magic, but your mettle.  You must prove that you are worthy to be a god.  If you succeed, Zeus will grant Brennan immortality, per Apollo’s request. Per mine, your soul will be separated from your moonstone and your curse will be lifted.  Each time you fail, a mortal will be dropped into the arena.  If the mortal lives, each side will fight to claim him.  At the end of the game, whoever retains the most live mortals will win.  If Apollo wins, he wants your death as his prize.
    “I am sending Circes to you with a package and instructions written by Zeus himself.  You and Brennan must endeavor to complete the challenges.  For each challenge you complete, a mortal will be released unharmed.  If you complete every challenge, Zeus will handle the situation however you wish.  If you fail some, but we still retain the majority of the mortals, he will defer to your wishes.  But if you lose, Apollo and Mormo will have their way and all will be lost.”
    Branwyn opened her eyes and for a moment, I stared into my mother’s ice blue gaze. 
    “Why would Zeus do this?” I whispered to her. 
    Branwyn shrugged and spoke again in my mother’s voice..  “The gods grow bored.  They feel invincible.  Whether an apocalypse occurs or no, makes no difference to them.  They will be entertained either way.   Empusa, do your best.  Focus as you have never focused before, my child.”
    At that moment, a shadow as large as the meadow descended upon us in the shape of a raven.  It quickly grew smaller and dwarfed into the shape of a stooped woman.  And then Circes materialized in front of us, her black cloak swirling. 
    “The gods play games, princess,” the old witch told me, her faded eyes cloudy.  “It is up to you to win.”
     

 
    Chapter Four
     
    Over a flickering bonfire, Circes shared with us the rules of the twisted game.  Amid the cracks and pops of the fire and the moving shadows from the trees, the old witch was an unnerving presence.
    “Once the gods have entered the arena,” she said, her voice creaking eerily in the dark. “Their powers are rendered impotent and they cannot die from any wound they receive.  It is a game and the mortals are mere balls in their court.  Zeus and the other Olympians will watch from the stands above, but they will not interfere.”
    The old woman was perched on a gnarled wooden chair, her shoulders stooped and her voluminous cloak gathered around her legs.  Her ancient face was creased and pale and for the first time in my life, I saw a concerned expression on it.
    “Circes, I don’t understand this,” I said in frustration.  “Why does Apollo even care?  I thought he was a decent god.  My mother told me that he was.”
    She studied me for a moment, appraising me with her spooky, sightless eyes.  She could not see, but she turned her face toward you in a way that indicated that she could.  It was unsettling at best.
    “All of the gods have the ability to be decent,” she acknowledged with a slight nod.  Her white hair rustled in the breeze around her like stringy cotton.  “But all of them have the ability to be ruthless, as well.  And every one of them grows bored from time to time.  Immorality wears on a person, even a god.”
    “But he didn’t even know I was his son,” Brennan protested, his forehead wrinkled in agitation.  Even in his anger, he was