My Tattered Bonds by Courtney Cole Page A

body until I emitted a soft glow from head to foot.
    He smiled, still holding my hand.
    “You have a pure heart,” he said as he closed his eyes.   “There is no subterfuge or malevolence here.   You are brave and true.”
    He reopened his eyes and dropped my hand.  
    “You are free to go.”
    “Where should I go?” I asked tremulously.
    “Anywhere in the Underworld that you wish,” he answered. “You have no restrictions.”
    He looked past me dismissively.  
    “Next?”
    I stepped to the side as Cadmus walked forward.   He was handsome as he stood quietly in front of Rhadamanthus, waiting to be judged.   I realized once again that there was nothing that he wouldn’t do for me. He was literally traveling to the depths of the underworld just to accompany me- to help me save our daughter. My heart overflowed with warmth, just as Rhadamanthus spoke.
    “You are a worthy mate for your wife,” he rasped.   “Your heart is strong and brave.   You do not shirk from that which you are meant to do.   You may enter.”
    The second that he released Cadmus, my husband strode to my side.
    “See?” he asked quietly. “Everything is fine.   We will be on our way soon.”
    We watched quietly as everyone else was judged.   I was not surprised at all to find that every member of my family and each Amazon warrior were judged with the same traits… brave, strong and true.    
    Finally, it was almost finished and only Hecate remained to be judged.
    “Hecate?”
    Rhadamanthus held out his hand and Hecate lightly placed hers within it, standing proudly in front of him. She had been judged by him thousands of times before so this process was routine to her.
      I watched as her body lit up and every vein was exposed, the warm glow reflecting from the angles of her lovely face.   Rhadamanthus grew still as he examined her and with his free hand traced a vein from her wrist to her heart.
    “This is very strange, Hecate,” he muttered.   “Very strange.   I’m sorry.”
    Her eyes snapped open.
    “Sorry for what?” she asked curiously.
    He dropped her hand quickly as if he no longer wanted to touch her and moved back behind the table, rejoining the other two.
    “You have deceit and betrayal in your heart,” he announced.   “Your soul is not pure.”
    He snapped his fingers and low wails emitted from the corners of the room.   Quickly, from each dark corner, shadowy figures emerged and grabbed Hecate, wrapping dark arms around her and dragging her away. A shroud of cold air fell on us all.
    “This is not right!” she shrieked. “Rhadamanthus!”
    He turned his head away and Hecate focused instead on me.
    “Harmonia!   This isn’t what it seems.   I need to explain…”
    But they dragged her through the back wall.   The second they were gone, the wailing stopped and the sudden chill lifted.
    We were left staring in horror at each other.
    A weight seemed to descend from my stomach into my feet.   My visions had actually been true.   There had actually been a traitor among us.   And it had been Hecate all along.  

 
    Chapter Four
    The silence in the room was deafening.   It took a minute before I felt strong enough to speak. Even still, my legs were shaking and I felt instantly numb from the magnitude of the betrayal. This couldn’t be right.
    “Rhadamanthus,” I began hesitantly.   “What did Hecate do?   Who did she betray?”
    He leveled his icy gaze at me and I almost didn’t want to hear the answer.
    “She betrayed us all.   You must fix what she has done.   Go quickly.   You will soon reach the river Leche.   You must drink from it before you continue.”
    “Leche?” Aphrodite piped up.   “The river of forgetfulness?”
    Rhadamanthus nodded.   “Yes. When mortals drink from it, it erases their memories.   It reacts differently in the gods.   It might take some of your memories, none of them or all of them.   It is dependent on you—on how strong your mind is.   But