The shield protecting Gration's house was a good one, but no better than Hekate could do on her own. It held one phrase that was of value because that phrase allowed the spell-caster to define the area to be shielded. However, Hekate thought Gration's spell could only be used in Olympus itself because it drew a huge amount of power. That didn't matter where the blood of the earth welled in never-ending fountains and flowed into veritable lakes of power. Elsewhere such a spell could dry up its source of power very quickly.
While she worked on Gration's spell, Hekate remained the guest of Artemis, Opis accompanying her to Gration's house and then back to Artemis'. She and Kabeiros were lodged in a comfortable room at the back of a long corridor that ran along the side of the woodland reception chamber. Hekate wasn't sure whether the hospitality was extended because Artemis suspected she would get into Gration's house alone and steal or because Artemis feared she would find another "god" who could cure Kabeiros and give that "god" her freezing spell. She asked no questions. She was safe and comfortable and well fed, as was Kabeiros.
Artemis' behavior implied to Hekate that the Olympians did not trust one another nor anyone else. This would have made Hekate vastly uneasy, except that Artemis' house was open and unguarded. Plainly, while she suspected she might be cheated, Artemis didn't fear any attempt would be made to hurt her. Whether that forebearance would be extended to those who were not native Olympians, Hekate couldn't guess.
On the evening of the second day, Hekate removed the shield around Gration's house. She called to Opis, and together they crossed the line where the overgrowth had stopped. Then she called Opis back and reinvoked the spell (actually it was somewhat altered for the better). Opis bellowed in protest but it was too late, and Hekate said blandly she would leave the house unguarded only in Artemis' presence. Her face was expressionless, but Kabeiros' tongue was lolling out with laughter. Hekate intended to show herself just as wary as the "goddess."
The sun was near setting when Artemis, bringing half a dozen maidservants, came to the house. Hekate dismissed the stasis with a single word and gesture, intending to impress Artemis even more without alarming her. Whether or not she was successful remained in doubt. The "goddess" only rushed into the house, calling for torches to be lit, and began a hunt for the Titan's strong room. For all Hekate knew, she may have hunted far into the night; Hekate found a comfortable bed and went to sleep.
By morning, Artemis was resigned to the fact that there was no treasure in the sense of a huge repository of metal and gems. Hekate helpfully sent Kabeiros to sniff for hidden rooms or areas disguised by illusion, but he didn't find any. Artemis was annoyed, but not surprised and said she thought Gration was a boastful liar. She busied herself with collecting all the jewelry in the house and all the bejeweled and golden artifacts. At noon the maids served a meal.
Having eaten, Artemis went back to scouring the place, all the while assuring Hekate that these were just toys to remind her of her victory—more hard won than she had first implied—over Gration, that her worshipers supplied her with jewels and gold in plenty. Hekate thought that Gration was not the only boastful liar, but she said nothing of that, only promising to tell Artemis if she found a treasure room.
She doubted Artemis believed her but sat down in the antechamber with Opis while Artemis searched. With the glittering gauds gone, she liked the room even better. It was simply a very large chamber, furnished with comfortable groups of chairs, divans, and tables, all in soft earth tones, lightened here and there with a dull gold or a flick of sun yellow. The walls were not disguised forest glades or manicured gardens; they were smooth, polished stone colored like pale sand, and they were hung with remarkable pictures.
A quick survey showed Hekate the beginning—a desperate battle scene, dominated by two figures, one of which was opening the earth to swallow the army of the other. The next picture showed the defeated fleeing (among whom, because of highlighting, Hekate was sure were Titans). A whole series of scenes followed the defeated on an incredible journey in which passes through mountains had been opened by a massive figure who seemed to be drawing heat from the rock, which was then pulverized by the hammer blows of the Titans. Then a valley was depicted; it was rocky and barren, but under the scrub brush and tangled hummocks of grass, the artist had depicted a red glitter that was surely meant to be earth-blood—the valley of Olympus as first seen.
Next to last was a picture of a city being built. The houses were of hewn granite rather than polished white or patterned marble, but Hekate was sure it was Olympus from the Titans' point of view. The last painting was not finished. It showed two crowds of men confronting each other. On one side was the man who had sucked the heat from the rocks; on the other was a man even bigger, dark-haired, dark-eyed with an expression of acute distress and one hand extended in a plea or a welcome to the first tall person. Behind the men were women, some standing proudly alone and others clinging together in twos and threes.
It was near evening again when Artemis came back, several bundles improvised out of cloaks being carried by her women servants. She looked around, commented on what a dull room it was, and then said that Hekate could have the house furnished as it was if she wanted the furniture, which was terribly old-fashioned, for the freezing spell.
Hekate had given the matter thought and was ready. She held her hands before her breast and in them grew a silvery sphere. This she held up to Artemis' face and said, "Drink."
The "goddess" stared at her, mouth thin with tension.
"Do not fear. Remember, I depend upon you to bring me into favorable notice of the other gods. I assure you, this is only the freezing spell you desired, bonded to the renewing spell so that as long as you have power or can draw power, the spell will not fail. You can use it as often as you like, but I warn you again, that if you use it too often you will grow empty and weak. That's nothing to do with the spell. That's only dependent on your own power."
It wasn't the whole truth, for Hekate had also bound to the renewing spell a very gentle compulsion to like her. The compulsion would not prevent Artemis from being angry with her nor induce any strong fondness, just encourage a mild friendliness. Aside from that the spell was harmless.
A moment of tense silence passed, then Artemis bent forward and put her lips to the ball of silvery light. It disappeared quickly.
"Now bring the spell to your mind, point your finger at whomever you want to freeze, and say, 'Teleia stigme.' " Hekate grinned as she saw Artemis' hand rise. "Not at me. The spell won't work on me or on Kabeiros."
Artemis swung around and pointed at a maidservant. "Teleia stigme," she said, and began to laugh with delight as the girl froze. Then she blinked and whirled to confront Hekate. "What have you done?" she shrieked. "You've seduced me into freezing one of my maidens! Release her. Release her at once!"
"Lady Artemis, be calm. You can release her yourself. I'm not the king of tricksters that would teach you a spell you couldn't reverse. Now, simply point at your maiden again, see her in your mind going about her normal business, and say, 'Thialuo.' "
Release accomplished, the girl who had been frozen finished the step she had been about to take and then stared around at her companions, who were crying out with relief and delight and rushing forward to embrace her. Artemis grinned, looking suddenly like a young girl herself. Then a speculative gleam lit her eye.
"Is it permanent?" she asked Hekate.
"No. No spell is permanent."
That wasn't the truth, because the renewal spell, attached in a different way, would make any spell permanent; Hekate wasn't about to tell Artemis or any "god" that. If Artemis was any indication, these powerful yet totally untaught and quite uncontrolled Gifted individuals should be trusted with as little as possible. Perses had taught Hekate how dangerous spells could be in the hands of a monster without conscience.
"Oh." Artemis sounded rather disappointed, the gleam in her eyes dimming. "How long would a spell last? I mean, if I hadn't released Britomaris, how long would she have remained frozen?"
"I can't tell you that." Hekate laughed at the expression on Artemis' face. "I don't mean it's a secret I don't want to reveal, I mean I don't know. Different spells wear off at different times. It depends on how much power is needed to keep the spell active and how much power you are able to invest in the spell when you cast it. Spells can be renewed by touching the bespelled person or thing and adding power—"
Artemis shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't know how to explain it better." Hekate sighed. "I was taught from a child. How do you make the arrowheads?"
"I . . . I wish for arrowheads, and then they are in my hand."
She wasn't telling what she actually did, but Hekate didn't blame her. She herself was divulging as little as possible.
"I hope it will work the same way," she said. "When you cast the spell, wish as you do for arrowheads, but wish harder or only lightly. Then see how long each freezing spell lasts. You needn't be concerned for whoever is frozen. The spell does no harm—unless it were to last for several days because you have so much power. A person needs to eat and drink and void. The freezing lets them wait longer, but not too long."
"Is there a way to freeze the body but not the mind?"
Hekate shuddered at the thought of being aware and unable to speak or move. "I don't know. I never tried."
"Think on it," Artemis said, smiling slowly. "If you can give me a spell like that, the house is yours."
"And in the meantime?" Hecate asked, quite prepared to be told to go.
Artemis laughed. "Stay, if you like, as long as you like. I saw your face when I asked about freezing the body and not the mind. I would use it as a punishment, but not unreasonably. When you realize I'm not a monster and are willing to trust me, I'm sure you will be able to create the spell I want."
"I will think about it," Hekate said.
She would need to discover how long a spell cast by Artemis would last. If it were not too long, being frozen for some hours or a day would be better than being slain. Still, she would do no more for Artemis until she fulfilled her part of the bargain over the freezing spell.
She said firmly, "And now for Kabeiros' trouble. Will you make me and his problem known to the other gods and goddesses and ask if any are willing to help me?"
"If you do not give any of them the freezing spell."
Hekate hesitated, then nodded. "That's fair. I'll not give the freezing spell to any other . . . well, I have it, but I won't use it unless it means my life or Kabeiros'."
"If you have time, I would rather you called on me and I will come and protect you."
"Call on you . . . how?"
Artemis grinned. "Oh, there's something you don't know? Can you speak mind to mind?"
"With Kabeiros."
"Can you scry?"
"If I must. I don't like to spy on people."
"Well, Calling is like scrying, but with voice only, no vision. When I've got home, you can Call me and see if I hear you."
"That's very kind, Lady Artemis, but I would be afraid to Call at an inconvenient moment. At your own best time, if you would Call me, I will answer if I hear. But about meeting the other gods—"
"You are fixed on letting a man have this power?"
"It's a Gift he was born with, and his right. He's taking nothing from me nor from anyone else."
Artemis made a moue of distaste. "Very well, that was our agreement. You've fulfilled your part. Tomorrow I'll take you to my mother, Leto. There's no one in Olympus she doesn't know, and her greatest delight is to help people."
Hekate signified her satisfaction with that arrangement and Artemis departed with her maidservants. When the house was quiet, she and Kabeiros explored it thoroughly. They even found a substantial stable off to one side, and Hekate laughed heartily as she established their one small mule in a huge stall, clearly meant for a horse able to carry a heavy man. After she had spread oats and barley in a manger, piled hay in a crib, and carried water from a stream diverted to supply the stable, she said to Kabeiros. "Either we must be rid of the mule or get a groom."
*It's a big house,* Kabeiros pointed out. *We need more than a groom. We need servants to cook and clean and go to the market.*
*And how do I pay them?* she asked, shouldering two packs and draping the third over Kabeiros' back; he held it steady with his teeth fixed on a strap.
*Probably not at all. I'm sure that all the 'gods' are served by slaves. You'll buy those you need with spells from whatever 'god' has too many. I'm more concerned with paying for food and drink—*
Hekate winced.
*What's wrong?* Kabeiros asked anxiously.
*Drink. Dionysos. When you said 'drink,' I felt a drawing toward Dionysos. I wonder why? He's too young—*
*Not now. We've been away from Ka'anan a long time. If your binding to Dionysos is drawing you, we must go at once.*
*No, not yet.*
Hekate put her hand on Kabeiros' shoulder, but he trotted forward so suddenly, it slid away. She looked down at her hand, and her eyes misted with tears. It was almost as if he hated her in this form. He would talk to her, but he wouldn't let her touch him. Blinking back the tears that obscured her vision, she found the back door and opened it. They entered a huge kitchen, spotlessly clean, with shining pots all ready to be lifted from their hooks and used.
*What do you mean, not yet?* Kabeiros' voice was loud and sharp in her mind, impatient, as if he had asked the question before.
*First we must see what the 'gods' can do for you. I'm not sure I even felt a draw to Dionysos, just . . . for a moment an uneasiness . . . *
*In the name of the nameless Mother, are you mad? It took us how many years to get here? It isn't as if we are within an hour's walk of Ka'anan. Who knows what will have happened or how painful your binding will be by the time we return?*
She stared at him, then shook her head. *You told me these 'gods' had a way to leap from one place to another. Perhaps I can buy a spell for us that will take us to Ka'anan in the blink of an eye. They don't know magic, but they have these Gifts. At least we can wait for tomorrow and see what Lady Leto says.* She hesitated, then looked away and added, aloud but very low, "I know you cannot bear to be with me much longer. I'm sorry, Kabeiros. I don't know what I've done. Perhaps when you can change your shape again and are not bound to me, when you are free to go if you wish—"
The dog lifted his head and fixed his white eyes on her. *Are you mad?* he asked again. And then, *Oh, you fool!*
He dropped the pack that had been balanced on his back and ran out the door. Hekate looked after him, but he had already disappeared into the shadows of oncoming night. After a few moments she lifted the pack that carried their food to a huge table of polished marble in the center of the room and began to unpack their supplies. Miserable as she was, the sight of the few pieces of dried meat, the small bags of barley and millet, the carefully wrapped wedges of cheese, and low pile of flat, hard, journeybread huddled together on that enormous table made her laugh.
There were stools under the table and she pulled one out, sat down, and, because she couldn't bear to let herself think about Kabeiros, she looked around. On the wall that held the door through which she had entered were three large hearths; each had some complicated erection of metal rods and chains. Hekate smiled again at the thought of hanging her little pot on any of the massive hooks attached to the chains or of roasting her one-rabbit supper on a spit plainly meant to hold several sheep or deer or even a couple of oxen.
One side wall had a single door, the other two, and the wall opposite the outer door, had one. Hekate looked toward her supplies, realized she couldn't see them, and called a mage light into being. Then she shook her head; she hadn't eaten since noon but she wasn't hungry. Her eyes turned toward the open back door. Impatient with herself, she rose and turned her back on the temptation to run out and call Kabeiros. Instead she walked to the door to her right.
Behind it the mage light illuminated a long passage with doors along the way. She opened two, which were identical bedchambers, small and austere but not grim. Each had a window, a narrow bed, a plain but sturdy chest, and a three-legged stool. Near the door, the corridor formed an L with another. Sending the mage light down that, Hekate saw several larger, more ornate doors, which she assumed closed off the bedchambers of Gration and his family.
She went back to the kitchen and opened the first door on the left wall. There was a tiny antechamber that had doors at right angles to each other. The nearer one, on the inner wall, opened into a dry storage chamber; the chamber behind the other door was at the outer corner of the house and had a clear stream running through it, providing a place to keep milk and cheese and even to cool wine or beer.
The farther door opened into a narrow serving pantry that led to a huge dining room. Hekate did not bother to send the mage light far into the room. A glimpse of the immense table surrounded by tall-backed chairs made her back out. They were a convivial people, the Titans. Tears came to her eyes again and she forced them back. She would never have any use for seating for so many guests.
The wall opposite the hearths had a single door that opened into the back of the reception chamber. Serving tables flanked it, providing space for the servants to place food and drink for visitors. Hekate sighed and closed the door, returning again to the kitchen where she picked up the bundle that held her clothing. This she took to the bedchamber nearest the reception room in which she had slept the previous night. Kabeiros would look for her there first . . . if he came back at all.
Eventually she went back to the kitchen and ate. The back door stood open, but the black dog did not appear in it. She wept a little, finding it very difficult to swallow. He might come back—probably he would because he had nowhere else to go and no other hope of regaining the man's form—but when he recovered his full powers, he would leave her. The tears fell a little faster. It had been so good, so warm, not to be alone. She wiped away the tears angrily, moved her supplies to the storeroom, which was warded against pests both insect and vermin.
Hekate left the door of her bedchamber open as well as the back door, but she was very tired and despite her misery she fell asleep. She had no idea that Kabeiros had returned until she went into the kitchen and saw two dead rabbits on the table. She would not let herself search for him, partly because she was too afraid she wouldn't find him. She began to gut and skin the rabbits, hoping the odor would tell him she was awake and bring him to her, but even after she cleaned up, he didn't come. She made some tea and choked down some journeybread to break her fast, wondering what she should do next if Kabeiros had left her, until Artemis' voice rang in her head.
*Come to my house, and I will take you to Leto.*
She couldn't tell Artemis that she didn't know where Kabeiros was, so she said, *I'll come as fast as I can, but remember Gration's house is at some distance.*
*You can't leap to the marketplace?*
*I can't leap at all, except on my two feet.*
Hekate was aware of an odd pause, which somehow reminded her of a physical sigh. Then, *Perhaps I should take you to Hermes first. He can sell you a leaping spell that will take you to the marketplace from wherever you are in Olympus. This time I will come to Gration's house, since Hermes is closer to you than to me.*
*Should I meet you there? That would be halfway for each of us.*
*Have you done something to Gration's house that you don't want me to see?* Artemis asked suspiciously.
*No, my lady. I was only—* she hesitated, her eye having caught a shadow moving by the door; her heart leapt, beating double time as joy flushed her cheeks *—trying to save you some effort. You are welcome here at any time.*
A sense of satisfaction, even a mild pleasure at the warmth of Hekate's welcome, came across although Artemis said no more. And then Hekate was aware that the communication was ended. She looked down at Kabeiros, who was sitting, facing her from beyond the table. He showed no sign of remorse for the pain he had caused her. Hekate gave him a sour look.
*I'll thank you in the future to tell me that you're going hunting. And what took you so long? I had to go to bed with the back door open. Anyone could have walked in.*
*Here? Nonsense. And I had to go out past the tilled lands to find game. That's what took me so long. I heard Artemis. Do you know where to go?*
*For a wonder, I do. Artemis pointed out a number of the 'god's' dwellings and I remembered.*
Hermes' house was larger than Gration's, all of the ubiquitous white marble. The servant who opened the door to her was plump and bright-eyed. He was polite, but Hekate kept her eyes on him. There was something about him that promised mischief. He did nothing; however, that might have been because Hermes was waiting at the entrance to the reception room and could see them.
Although his coloring was similar to that of Artemis, Hermes could not have been more different. He, like Artemis, had golden-brown hair and a handsome nose with clean-cut nostrils. His eyes were also large and almond-shaped of the same light brown, but with enough green to let them be called hazel. The major difference was in the mouth. Artemis had hers too firmly under control, the lips tucked back so hard that the lovely curve was spoiled. Hermes' mouth was made for laughter.
He was laughing when Hekate was shown into his reception chamber. This might have been a small square in a prosperous city. An elaborate fountain played in the center of an area of marvelous tiles. At a safe distance from water droplets but close enough for the sound of falling water to be soothing were several small tables with chairs around them. Behind was the facade of an elegant drinking house, and the surrounding walls showed stalls full of merchandise with alleys and streets stretching away into the distance.
"So you are Lady Hekate the fearsome spell-caster," he said. "I don't believe I've ever seen Artemis so awestruck. An altogether rewarding experience."
"Yes, I'm Hekate, and this is Kabeiros. I thought Lady Artemis would meet us here."
Hermes chuckled. "She said she had other business, and I couldn't tell whether she was afraid of you or didn't want to see me make a better bargain than she did. I understand you traded her a single spell for Gration's house. That does seem a rich reward for one spell."
"Only for the right to live in Gration's house; I don't own it. And Lady Artemis will never need to barter for another spell for that purpose. She can use the spell as often as she has power enough."
"I see. She didn't mention that. So what spell did Artemis find so valuable that she would want to use it over and over?"
Hekate smiled. "You will have to ask her that, Lord Hermes."
"Well, will you trade that spell to me for a leaping spell?"
"Not that one. That's my agreement with Lady Artemis. I will not offer the spell I bartered to her for the use of Gration's house to any other person in Olympus. Nor will I myself use the spell in Olympus, except in a great extremity of need. But I have spells enough." She grinned. "How would you like to walk unseen through the city streets you seem to love so much?"
"You have a spell of invisibility?" The jocularity was gone from Hermes' voice; he sounded a little breathless.
"Invisibility is greatly overrated and, because of the amount of power needed to keep the spell active, often useless. I have a simple spell that hardly draws power, which I call the look-by-me spell."
On the words, she murmured the key and took two steps sideways. Kabeiros remained where he was. Hermes gasped.
"Where are you?" he cried, then laughed in amazement. "If that's not true invisibility, I don't know what is."
Hekate walked quietly to the place she had been standing beside Kabeiros. Hermes' glance skittered this way and that avoiding her. She whispered, "Eimi oraton." Hermes gasped again as his gaze became able to fix on her.
"You were invisible," he said.
"No. I merely made you—and everyone else, although no one else was here—unwilling to look at me. I can put the spell on you and you can test it—"
"I am sure Artemis tested the spell you gave her, so I won't bother. What do you want for it?"
He was very eager. Hekate smiled. "For that spell, because it is small and nothing, I would like the ability to leap from wherever I am to Gration's house."
"I can give you a home point at Gration's house, but whether you would be able to leap there from 'wherever' you were I don't know. That, too, is a matter of power. If you have enough, you go; if you don't have enough, you will be drained to no purpose."
"Ah, I understand. The power is related to the distance. For example, if I wanted to go from the market to Gration's house, that would take little power. To get to the house from outside Olympus would take much more power."
Hekate didn't mention that she thought there was enough power in Olympus to carry her to the moon. Hermes seemed no more aware of the flood of earth-blood, so rich she could see it right through the paved floor of his house, than Artemis had been, and she had no intention of telling him or any of the others about it. They were powerful enough. She wondered briefly from where the Olympians' power came. Did they absorb it unaware from the earth?
"Exactly," Hermes said.
Hekate brought her attention back to the immediate situation. "Now," she said, "what we have been talking about is a one-time use of a spell, to you the look-by-me and to me one leap from anywhere I have power enough to Gration's house. Before we go ahead, I must tell you that I have a spell of renewal that I can attach to the look-by-me so that you can use it, as Lady Artemis can use her spell, whenever and as often as you desire and have power."
Hermes' beautiful eyes narrowed and Hekate was amazed at how shrewd they now looked. "And you would add the same renewability to my spell so you could use it over and over." He smiled. "But you could have done that without telling me."
Hekate's lips thinned with distaste. "No. In trading, I am honest. When I sell a spell, you get exactly what I describe, nor do I take more than I bargained for in payment."
Hermes looked down, and to Hekate's surprise a faint color rose in his cheeks. Then he asked rather defiantly, "Would it be possible for me to attach that renewal spell to spells I received from other people?"
"You would first have to separate it from the look-by-me spell." Hekate grinned at him. "If you think you can do that, then it should be possible to bud it and attach it to any other spell. However, I work with magic, with spells that are created not with an extract or a distillation of a Gift. I would be glad to teach you—"
"How many years would that take?" Hermes laughed. "Could I buy the renewal spell separately?"
"Certainly, but I would not agree to keep that spell for you alone." Then Hekate laughed also. "Let me discover first whether my renewal spell will bond with the essence you provide me for leaping. If it will, then we can talk about whether you would be able to do the bonding yourself for any spell you received."
She gave him the look-by-me spell and taught him the key words to invoke it and to dispell it. Then he called for servants to bring refreshments to her while he tried out his new toy and disappeared. She ate and drank, fed Kabeiros. Hermes reappeared suddenly before her, laughing with delight, his hazel eyes sparkling with pleasure and mischief.
"I must see Gration's house, see the place where you want my spell to bring you," he said, then looked at her sidelong. "But I must warn you that I am a thief. If you show me your house, I could leap there wearing my look-by-me spell, and steal—"
"If you can steal anything from Gration's house, I will stand by and cheer you on. There is nothing left in it except the heavy furniture. Artemis went through and removed whatever she and her maidservants could carry. And I have nothing, except some worn travel clothing."
"Ah, but you won't be poor for long. For the spells you sell, the other Olympians will shower you with gold and jewels and every kind of adornment for your person and your house."
"I had rather they showered me with food and drink. And speaking of food and drink, do you have any extra servants?"
He shook his head. "My people are all family to me and are trained in ways that would not be suitable for your household. You might ask Aphrodite if any of her children are ready to go into service with another household, or Hestia will know. And your spell has given me so much pleasure already and will provide so much in the future, that I'll give you two for one, a spell for the market as well as one for Gration's house."
The essence that Hermes drew from himself appeared very much like any of Hekate's spells, formed into a silvery ball between the young "god's" lips. Mischief gleamed in his eyes as he leaned forward to put his mouth to Hekate's, but she didn't respond, stepping back, all her senses fixed on the spell—only it wasn't a spell. To her, a spell was made of strands and knots, the strands twisted and curled around each other, the knots catch-points that fixed the shape. Patient teasing could find a loose end and then open the mass so that Hekate could sense each individual word that made up a strand and see the symbols that formed the knots.
Hermes' ball of light was just that, a ball of light. All Hekate could sense within it was a twisting swirl of energy. Ignoring the young "god's" mischievous invitation, she reached toward him and pinched the spell from between his lips. To her relief, it held together. She cast the renewal spell and bade it spread itself over what she held; obediently one silvery ball spread flat and slid over the other, but Hekate sensed that the moment she relaxed her will they would slip apart. She reabsorbed the renewal spell and cast the binding spell. That did cling to Hermes' ball of light, and then she added the renewal spell outermost.
Now the whole spell felt solid and Hekate drew it within her, fixing it in the outermost layer of her crowded repository. She had a feeling that, if it worked at all, it was a spell she would use frequently. When she looked outward again, Hermes was staring at her, wide-eyed.
"I should not have laughed so much at Artemis," he murmured. "I never believed you could change my spell. How did you do that?"
Hekate smiled at him and said, "If you want to learn, I'll teach you—for a price. Now, how do I invoke the spell?"
"You say 'Dei me exelthein agora' and . . . No!" He grabbed for her arm as she repeated the words, crying, "Wait!" but it was too late. He was caught up in what felt like a blast of lightning and dropped, rocking off balance with the force of arrival, in front of his favorite drinking house. He breathed out, a whoosh of relief and exasperation. "Well," he said, as Hekate looked around in a dazed sort of way at the people calmly giving their orders and drinking what the servers brought to them, "you certainly have enough power."
"I never lack for power," Hekate said absently, and asked, "How is it that no one is surprised to see two people appear out of nothing?"
Hermes laughed. "I often come here. They are accustomed."
"Oh." Hekate grinned and looked down to where Kabeiros usually sat to see if he were equally amused. He wasn't there! Her eyes went wide and wild and she grabbed for Hermes, her nails digging into his arm in her anxiety. "Where is Kabeiros?" she cried. "Is he lost otherwhere?"
"He's back in the house," Hermes said, frowning and prying at her fingers. "Unless you gave him the spell and he didn't know where we were going."
Hekate was white with shock. "Sorry," she murmured, smoothing Hermes' arm where spots of red showed how deeply her nails had dug into the flesh. Then she sighed. "How stupid of me. I can't give Kabeiros the spell—I can't give him any spell. He's totally resistant to magic."
"Well, then, leave him at home or put him in a kennel if he's destructive."
"Put him in a kennel!" Hekate echoed in horror. "He is a man!"
As she spoke she realized that, unlike Artemis, Hermes hadn't sensed that Kabeiros was more than a dog. So not all the Gifted had that ability. Likely that meant Hermes would not be able to help cure Kabeiros' condition; on the other hand, by his indifference to her statement she understood that shape-shifting must be a common enough thing in Olympus.
"Hmmm." Hermes had been following his own thoughts about bringing Kabeiros along. He shrugged. "Just grip him firmly by the neck and he should be transported with you. He's heavy, but you brought me along without any difficulty. And you don't have to use that much power to leap a short distance. I'll take you back now." He took her hand. "Watch what I do. Then we can all go to Gration's house so you can pick out where you want to arrive."
An instant later, at Hermes' house, they could hear Kabeiros' frantic barking. Hekate ran from the hall into the reception room, hoping Kabeiros hadn't savaged any of the servants in his frustration over being unable to find out where Hekate had gone. He hadn't yet, merely menacing them with exposed fangs, trying to frighten them into telling him what had happened. She called to him to stop, and he whirled around, so angry he didn't speak. In fact, like a dog, he snapped at her. Then he backed off, snarling.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I thought there'd be more to it than just the words."
Kabeiros still didn't speak, just turned again and sat with his back to her. Hekate had wanted to throw her arms around him and apologize for leaving him unable to communicate and frightening him, but his snarl reminded her of his fit of temper the previous night and the horrible time she had spent wondering to where he had disappeared and whether he would come back at all.
"Didn't like it, did you?" she snapped at his unresponsive back. "Well, I didn't like it when you took off last night without a word to me. When you turn civil, so will I!"
Hermes raised his brows and glanced from one to the other with a knowing smile; then, however, he frowned and asked, "Why didn't he just shift back to a man and ask my servants where you and I had gone instead of barking at them and threatening to bite them?"
"Because he can't," Hekate said, sighing heavily. "He's trapped in the form of the dog. That's really why we've come to Olympus. My magic won't touch him, but a strongly Gifted woman was able to reach the spell. It's—" she hesitated, afraid to mention that the spell causing the disruption of Kabeiros' power was a draining spell, and went on "—it's tangled up in his organ of power so he can't use the power and the power feeds the spell so it won't die . . ."
"I'm very sorry," Hermes said to Kabeiros, who had turned to look at him. "I didn't know." And then to Hekate, "So why didn't this Gifted woman remove the spell?"
"Because it would have been easier to kill Kabeiros than to take the time to disentangle the spell from his power. I could stop her from killing us, but I had no way to control her."
"You have nice friends."
"Medea was no friend."
Hermes took in her expression, shuddered slightly, and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I have to be in Egypt this afternoon," he said. "Let's get over to Gration's house so I can give you the second spell."
The now-bland voice and expression confirmed that he would ask no more questions about Medea or the spell holding Kabeiros to the dog form—at least, Hekate thought, he would ask her no more questions. His inquisitive nature wouldn't allow the subject to die.
As they walked, Hekate asked how to find Leto, saying she hoped that Artemis would have remembered to tell her mother that Hekate needed introductions to other Olympians. Hermes grinned and said he thought she would, adding he thought Artemis believed Hekate would turn her into a statue if she didn't. Hekate was too clever to respond to that provocative statement, and asked about Leto again.
"Oh, sorry. You leap to the market and go up the right-hand path toward Zeus' palace. There is a cross path leading to the palace doors, which will be open—Zeus' doors are always open, but I don't think you want to draw his attention yet. The lord of all gods isn't too enthusiastic about his subjects learning magic. He's aware of our Gifts nearly from birth and thinks he can control them, but created magic is too unpredictable. Likely that's why Kronos drove out the Titans." He cocked his head on the side. "Are you a Titan, Hekate?"
"Artemis asked me the same question," she said. "I don't believe so. In the land I came from, use of magic is far more common than being Gifted—in fact, being Gifted, as Kabeiros was, is a quick way to die. However, I know my mother was no Titan. She was a woman native to Ka'anan. I know nothing about my father."
"You don't know him?"
Hekate shuddered visibly. "I know him all too well, but he never spoke of his past. Are Titans forbidden to come to Olympus?"
"No, not at all." Hermes laughed. "Maybe in Kronos' time, but not now. Zeus' mother Rhea was a Titan, and Leto is a Titan, the daughter of Koios, who was their leader." He sighed. "I was told that Kronos mutilated Koios horribly, and kept him prisoner for a long time. Finally when he saw that his own people were disgusted, he sent Koios into the Underworld, but that was all long before I was born."
Hekate recalled the paintings on her antechamber walls. If she was interpreting them aright, the "gods" and the Titans had been allies, had been defeated together, and had found Olympus together. She also recalled Koios' outstretched hand, as if he was pleading with or welcoming a friend.
"But the gods and the Titans came together from . . . from wherever and found Olympus together. What was the war about? Why did Kronos want to be rid of them?"
"I don't know. I told you all that was long before I was born, but if you want my opinion it was because the Titans' magic was growing stronger and stronger. The Gifts of Kronos and his party had always been more powerful than the magic of the Titans, and Kronos dominated the entire group. When the Titans found this valley, however, they insisted on staying here. Kronos wanted to settle among the natives so he and his people would have their choice of slaves. Instead, they captured a large group of natives and brought them back to Olympus. Then they found that the Titans' magic was increasing in strength. If you really want to know, though, ask Eros. He actually came with Kronos."
They had reached Gration's house by then, and Hekate took Hermes to the reception room. He laughed when he saw the pictures and said he had been thinking Hekate omniscient as well as a master sorceress, but now he knew where she had her information about the start of the Titans and Olympians.
Then he wasted no more time, but drew forth a new spell, which she treated as she had the first.
"For this one you must say, 'Dei me exelthein katoikia,' and it will take you here."
"What does katoikia mean?" Hekate asked.
"Home," Hermes responded.
Hekate sighed and then smiled. "I have never had a home before." She looked around the handsome room. "It would be wonderful."
"You will have to arrange matters with Zeus if you mean to stay here permanently." He shrugged. "I would offer to help, but Zeus is annoyed with me . . . as usual." He sighed. "I really do have to be in Egypt this afternoon."
And he was gone.