Page 155 of Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1)

The Artist

I did not know what I expected

at the other end of the cave.

But it was not what I found.

At the last crystal there were urns,

purple and red and yellow,

the light shone off the paint

that had carelessly dripped

down these urns like honey.

And there, under the glowing light

was a man with a long dark beard

and wild eyes the colour of the night.

He was on his knees, painting,

wild slashes of his brush

and hands that were old,

yet still strong.

But there was something

about his presence,

a pride mixed with a strange fury.

I hesitated for the briefest of seconds

but it was too late to run.

He had already seen me.