The Sibyl (7 page)

“Then give it to Elliot.” I started to hand
the mirror to my friend who backed away as if I’d threatened him
with a knife. “Oh, come on, Eli. You are the one who believes in
this crap. You were the one who wanted to experience the unknown.
Take my place.”

“He cannot, Ms. McRayne.” Cyrus locked his
hands together as if I tried to force the mirror onto him instead
of Elliot. “The Sibyl must be a woman.”

“You are sounding awfully sexist right now.”
I frowned as I looked between the two of them. “So what am I
supposed to do? Find another girl crazy enough to take my
place?”

“It is an option, yes.” Cyrus nodded. “But
remember, please, to do so will also be your suicide.”

“Suicide?” I felt as if there were a set of
invisible chains tightening around me the more he talked. I didn’t
like it one bit. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly.” He smiled at his little joke. “So
you do have another choice after all, Ms. McRayne. You can be the
Sibyl or find a new one, then die to release yourself.”

“That’s not much of a choice.”

“It’s not meant to be.” Cyrus pushed off of
the armoire. “Are you ready to listen?”

“We’re listening.” Elliot spoke up from
behind me. When I turned towards him, he shrugged. “We need to
know, Eva. I saw how you were when Carter gave you the mirror. I
saw how you panicked when you looked in the column. Besides, you
were talking in your sleep.”

“I don’t talk in my sleep.” I snapped, but I
had good reason to. This was a lot for me to take in and I hadn’t
even heard the full story yet.

“You did today.” Elliot leaned over the
chair, snagged my hand to pull me back down into my seat. “If we
are going to find a way to break this Sibyl thing, we have to hear
Cyrus out.”

“Fine.” I glared at Elliot and then Cyrus.
“I’ll listen. But only if you can give me a way out that doesn’t
involve suicide.”

“There is no other way out.” Cyrus tucked his
phone back into his jacket pocket. “This is a long tale, Ms.
McRayne. You may as well get comfortable.”

“I’m fine.” I snapped, crossing my arms over
my chest. “I don’t care about the history. I don’t care about any
tragedies or lost love affairs. Tell me what I need to know.”

I supposed nothing Cyrus could say should
have surprised me given the day I’d had. I mean, come on. I’d just
survived the first day of a convention filled with weirdoes and con
artists. I’d been attacked by a woman who committed suicide right
after my encounter with her. And I’d hit my head hard enough to
think I was seeing her ghost in a mirror. I’d changed my
explanation in the half hour Elliot and Cyrus had been with me.

After all, who wants to admit they’ve had a
psychotic breakdown?

My explanation made sense. It was rational.
I’d hit my head. The fact some strange man was in my hotel room
trying to convince me I was passed some sort of mythical abilities
was the insane part. Cyrus started pacing in the small sitting area
just across the room tapping his finger against the side of his
nose as he began.

“Sibyls are known as the daughters of Apollo
since He is the one who grants them their gifts of immortality,
beauty, as well as the ability to see and speak to spirits. They
are his messengers in the flesh.”

“Impossible.” I interrupted him. “Ghosts,
spirits, vampires – it’s all a lie to sell movie tickets. You
should be old enough to know this by now.”

“Ah, but you have already been exposed to our
world.” Cyrus smiled. “Twice. The first was the image in Carter’s
mirror. Apollo did speak to you, did he not? He has a tendency to
be dramatic. Then Carter herself appeared to you. I was behind you
the entire time, Ms. McRayne. I can see the spirits just as you
can. Don’t deny it.”

“I,” I paused long enough to get a sip of
water. I needed to get my story straight. My thoughts were all
jumbled. “I was delusional. It happens, you know, after you hit
your head.”

“True, but you said it yourself. Your fall
was not so bad it would warrant hallucinations.” Cyrus stopped
pacing. “Shall I continue?”

“Why not?” I mumbled. Elliot squeezed my
shoulder to let me know he was still there. He was still standing
behind me in case I needed him. “You’re going to anyway. Who am I
to stop you?”

“During the ancient times, Apollo was known
for his conquests with women.” Cyrus smiled as if remembering
something. “Those who could afford to do so would lock up their
daughters for fear the god would take notice of their beauty. Those
who couldn’t would leave offerings for him on his altars or pay his
priests to ensure the god was blind to them. Yet, Apollo was still
able to find women of his liking.”

Cyrus resumed his pacing. I relaxed in my
chair as I waited for him to continue. Mythology wasn’t one of my
interests. I liked facts. I could count on data to be reliable.
Gods and spirits did not fit in this description.

“The great god came across a beauty picking
herbs in the woods of Cumae. As the account goes, she refused him.
Day after day he would return to find her in the forest. Finally,
he cornered her by a small lake and begged to have her. The maiden,
flattered by the words of love from the god, set her basket down
upon the sand. When she stood, she held a large mound of sand with
both palms and told him she would grant him his wish if he would
grant her one in return.”

Cyrus stopped long enough to make sure I was
paying attention. And I was, but just barely. His voice was soft.
Soothing. He was making me very sleepy.

“Of course, Apollo jumped on the opportunity.
He promised her anything she desired. So she wished to live for as
many years as there were grains of sand on the earth. It was done.
With a single snap of his fingers, Apollo granted the girl her
wish. As he began to woo the girl, she began to scream. A hunter –
a hero we presume – came out of the woods to confront the girl’s
attacker. Apollo killed him, but left the maiden alive. He never
returned to her.”

“Sounds like the typical myth.” Elliot
shifted to sit on my armchair. “What does this have to do with
Eva?”

“Because this maiden was the first Sibyl.”
Cyrus gestured towards the mirror. “Apollo had been tricked by the
beauty. She was granted her wish, but denied him his own. The girl
was granted beauty. Immortality, since the grains of sand covering
the earth cannot be counted. As she lived, those who resided in
Cumae became suspicious. Children not yet conceived on the day her
wish was granted aged and died. The beauty was banished from the
village by those frightened by her lack of aging. They called her a
monster. Many believed she was a witch in league with Hades
himself.”

“So what happened to her?” I tried to hide my
yawn, but it was hard. “Where did she go?”

“The only place she could. The girl hid out
in the forests of Cumae. She found solace in the nature around her.
The years began to pass. When she felt it was safe, the girl would
return to the lake where Apollo granted her wish with only her
reflection for companionship. It was during one of these trips
Persephone took notice of the maiden and pitied her. The Queen of
the Underworld convinced Hades to give the girl the ability to
speak with the dead. When the maiden returned, she began to see
faces of her deceased relatives and friends in the water. They
spoke with her about their memories. The girl was grateful. She
returned daily to the lakeside to visit with her loved ones until
she was spotted by a passing merchant who was taking a short cut
through her woods.”

“Again, what does this have to do with me?” I
curled my legs beneath me. “And at what part do you tell me why
you’ve decided you’re my keeper?”

“Keeper?” Cyrus looked surprised. “Why, yes,
I suppose I am. I will shorten my tale, though. I can see you are
getting tired.”

“We’re all tired.” Elliot patted my hand. “So
if you can wrap this up, we’d appreciate it.”

“Indeed.” Cyrus moved across the room to look
out the window. “Word got out about the mysterious prophetess
inhabiting the woods in Cumae. Her story was floated through the
highest circles and people began to flock to her in earnest. They
believed she could contact their loved ones for them. The maiden
could, and often did for a price. Her story became twisted as
generations came and went. The girl began to truly give prophecies
to those who visited her. Her wealth grew. But so too did those who
dedicated themselves to the service of Apollo.”

Cyrus turned back around to face us.

“Apollo was thrilled by his newfound
resurgence with the people of Greece. He rewarded the girl in two
ways. First, he gave her a golden mirror so she would not have to
travel to the lake anymore. More importantly, he gave her a way to
die. The girl had lived for centuries. Everyone she had ever loved
had passed through the veil long before. Despite her wealth and
visitors, the maiden longed to join her family in the Underworld.
This is the chant you recited earlier this afternoon. It has been
passed down from Sibyl to Sibyl since this time.”

“So let me get this straight.” I stood and
crossed the room to stand in front of him. “You are telling me this
Carter woman was a prophetess. She could speak with the dead.
Foretell the future. She could live forever. Yet she chose to pass
it onto me? I don’t get it.”

“Forever is a very long time, Ms. McRayne.”
Cyrus smiled sadly. “I’ve been by Kathy Carter’s side since she
took the mirror from the Sibyl before her during a Spiritualist
session in 1842. The world she knew, and loved, had disappeared
long ago. You too will discover the truth in my words someday.”

I refused to believe I would be in this
position tomorrow, much less a hundred years from now. “Which
reminds me. You still haven’t gone into your part in this little
tale.”

“I am assigned to the Sibyl. It is my duty to
Apollo. My service, if you will.” Cyrus stuffed his hands into the
pockets of his jacket. “Where you go, so too do I. Power is a
dangerous possession. You will be in danger from vengeful spirits
who wish to return to the living world. You will need guidance and
learn how to control them.”

“Ok. I’m done.” I stormed around Cyrus to the
bathroom. “I’m going to show you once and for all I’m not the girl
you think I am.”

“I would advise against any impulsive
actions.” Cyrus was staring at me so hard I could feel his eyes
boring into the back of my head. “There are a great many
precautions we must take for you.”

“Precautions.” I turned to face him as I
reached the door. “What sort of precautions?”

“You must not look into any reflective
surface until you have created your door to keep them out. The
spirits of the Veil are more than willing to use your powers
against you. They can – and they will – pull you into their
realm.”

“Oh, now you’re just being ridiculous.” I
opened the door and stepped inside, more than ready to make my
point. “Glass is glass. It’s solid. You can’t be pulled through
it.”

The bathroom attached to my room wasn’t
massive, but it held a floor to ceiling mirror. I stopped in front
of it and studied my reflection. Eli was right. My eyes had turned
into a bright gold, which went contrasted nicely with the dark
rings underneath them.

“See?” I pointed to myself. “Just like I told
your Ms. Carter. All I see is myself.”

I started to come up with some snide comment
about how his mythology was mistaken until my hearing faded out. I
could hear nothing except the whispering from my dreams. I turned
to face the mirror just as my image faded and the scene before me
changed.

A wild woman was sitting on a rock in the
dark, muttering to the object in her hands. Even from here, I could
see it was the mirror now sitting on my dresser. Her blonde head
jerked up the moment the fuzzy edges around the image became
solid.

She was me. I recognized my own features
beneath the dirt and grime which covered her face. Granted, her
nose was longer, and her cheekbones were gaunt, but our resemblance
was uncanny.

“Eva. Pretty, pretty Eva.” The woman smiled
at me. “You are now one of us.”

Every fiber in my being was screaming to run
away. I even tried to take a step backwards, but ended up going
closer. “Who are you?”

“Why, I am the first. Delphine, first
daughter of Apollo. Messenger for the dead. Or at least, I was.”
The woman moved closer to the glass. “You are not afraid?”

I wanted to be afraid. I needed to be afraid.
But I wasn’t. I felt nothing but a sense of peace overwhelming any
common sense I had left. I shook my head.

The woman’s grin widened. “Then take my hand,
child. Join me here and all of your questions will be
answered.”

I reached for the glass when a loud commotion
broke through my sense of peace. I felt someone wrap their arm
around my waist, and then jerk me away from the glass. I stumbled,
falling flat on my back for the second time that day.

My sense of peace was destroyed.

“Cover the mirror!” I heard male voices over
me, but I couldn’t make out all that they were saying. Their words
were muffled. Distant. It was as if I was underwater and they most
definitely were not. The longer I stayed still, the more I could
hear the commotion around me. Finally, when the sounds around me
quieted, I opened my eyes.

I was surprised to find Cyrus on top of me. I
looked to him then to the mirror, but it was too late. It was being
covered by the standard hotel comforter from my bed.

The woman and the peace she brought with her
were gone.

“It would be in your best interest to get off
of her.” Elliot was standing by the door, his voice colder than the
tiles I was laying on. “Now.”

Cyrus shifted his weight off of me while I
tried to explain to Elliot how I’d pulled the man down with me as
my friend knelt beside me. I couldn’t speak. Instead, I sat up to
reach for the mirror again.