Page 141 of Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1)

The Voices of Serpents

What startled me was that,

though they were serpents now,

they had not forgotten

their divine voices,

nor how to use them,

and so I stepped back in shock

when Cadmus spoke.

‘Welcome, old friend,’

he addressed Hermes,

‘I trust your journey was safe?’

The corner of Hermes’ mouth lifted

in a crooked smile towards me.

‘For me, it was good as always.

I even gathered a cousin

as a companion on the journey.’

At this, Harmonia’s glittering eyes

turned to me, ‘And you, child?

I can see the golden Titanide

in you. Was your mother Mnemosyne?

Or are you the child of Tethys of the water?’

It was hard for me to say

my mother’s name. The rush

of pain that filled my throat forced me

to speak it in less cadence, more croak.

‘I am Asteria’s child. My name is Hekate.’

Cadmus and Harmonia

looked at one another and

an unreadable thought exchanged.

Then, with a hiss, Harmonia whispered,

‘You are welcome here,

child of War and Falling Stars.’