~~

Trinity

~~

The day that Reece left was, by far, the worst one yet. I tried my best to concentrate on work, but I just couldn't do it. The kids were at school and Reece was off on the plane somewhere, flying to a meeting with some corporate bigwigs.

I never usually interacted much with them when I was working, but I always knew that someone was there for me. This time though, none of them were there.

Yeah, OK, Lila, Mom, Dad, Grandfather, Nikki, all of them were here with me, even Juniper was here at the castle. But that didn't mean that they were near me. And for some reason, their presence in the castle didn't calm the voice as much as my mate or children did.

With everyone gone, with me being truly alone for the first time since the voice started, it just grew worse and worse until it got to epic proportions.

'Everyone is going to die, Trinity. They will all die, and it will all be your fault. Thousands, no millions of deaths and it will all be your fault. You are going to be responsible for the end of your people. You will be responsible for destroying them all. You will murder them with your own hands. You will have their blood on your hands. Run now, Trinity. Run, run away now, before you kill them all. Leave! Go now! Don't let them die because of you.'

At first, it was the same old words that it had repeated time and time again. I could ignore those because they were familiar, like background music. But when they started to change, when they started to become something different, I just couldn't ignore it anymore.

'Trinity, you need to listen to me.' This voice sounded different than the last one, this voice was new. Dammit! This meant that I really was crazy. I wasn't just hearing a voice, I was hearing multiple voices.

"Great, I am certifiably insane.

" I said the words out loud, even though I didn't mean to.

"Welcome to Crazy Town, Trinity, population: you.

"

"I'm sorry, Queen Trinity, did you say something?

" Roisin asked me at the same time that the voice spoke again.

'You're not crazy, Trinity. I am here to help you.' The new voice said.

"What the hell?

" I jumped and yelped. I actually think that I scared Roisin for a moment.

"Are you alright, my Queen?

" Roisin's voice was on edge when she spoke to me this time.

'Go somewhere private, or make her leave. Just do something quickly. We need to talk.'

"U..uh, uhm, I..I'm sorry Roisin. I think I started to nod off there for a minute.

" I rubbed my head and laughed.

"Can you get me some coffee, please?

" I asked her with as calm of a smile as I could muster. I even gave her an embarrassed little laugh and forced a blush onto my cheeks. Actually, the blush was real since she had heard me talking to myself.

"Yes, of course my Queen. I will go right now.

" She bowed a little and started toward the door of the office.

"Vincent, can you wait outside for a moment. If I do happen to nod off again, I don't want to embarrass myself by letting you see that.

" I tried to get him to leave as well, but he seemed a little more firm in his stance at the door.

"If you are that tired, Trinity, then please just go and take a nap.

" I could tell that he was worried about me.

"I'm sure that I will be fine.

" I gave him that same embarrassed laugh, but he wasn't swayed.

"Please, Trinity, just let Roisin help you to bed. You need to sleep.

"

Well, if he was going to insist on it, then I guess it was a way for me to be alone. This might just be the opportunity that I needed to talk with no one else around me.

"Alright, I think you might be right. I will go to bed for a little bit.

" Visible relief seemed to wash over his face when I agreed with him.

I let Vincent guide me up the royal tower and to my room. He was being exceptionally careful with me, like he thought I was going to break, or snap, at any moment. That was a little annoying, but I know he was just concerned.

I decided to just let the two of them fuss over me. I was helped to bed and even given a glass of calming tea to help me sleep more soundly. What were they trying to do, make me sleep until morning?

The moment that they were gone, literally the moment that the door shut behind them, the voice started inside of my head again. First, it was the original background track, same old voice from before.

'Everyone is going to die, Trinity. They will all die, and it will all be your fault. Thousands, no millions of deaths and it will all be your fault. You are going to be responsible for the end of your people. You will be responsible for destroying them all. You will murder them with your own hands. You will have their blood on your hands. Run now, Trinity. Run, run away now, before you kill them all. Leave! Go now! Don't let them die because of you.'

Following that voice, I could hear that new one, that one that actually answered me.

'Good, you're alone. You need to hurry, Trinity. You have to stop her.'

"Stop who?

" I asked her out loud, not knowing if she could hear me inside of my head.

'Hekate.'

"The Goddess of magic and darkness that used to be married to Thoth?

" I felt the shock wash over me. That was unexpected.

'The very one. She is trying to escape from the underworld. She has nearly succeeded. If she gets out, she will kill everyone. She will destroy the world for having imprisoned her for so long.' The voice was frantic as it answered me.

"How? How is she getting stronger? What happened to make this a possibility?

" I just couldn't comprehend this at all.

'There were so many things that happened. The battle with Edmond that happened in the spiritual plane, and when you absorbed Thoth. Both of those weakened her restraints until they were nearly gone. Now, as time moves on, she is nearing her escape. You can't let her get out, Trinity. You have to protect the world. You have to protect your people.'

I felt goosebumps spread across my arms and the back of my neck. If Hekate got out, she would massacre millions of people, and the reason behind it would all be my fault. That voice wasn't lying. It was my fault. I was going to be a murderer.

"How can I stop her? How can I make this right again?

" Dammit, there were tears in my eyes as the reality of the situation hit me.

'Follow me, Trinity. You need to follow me. I will guide you.'

I heard the voice, but it sounded like it was getting further and further away from me. It was moving toward the door to my room, the door that led to the stairs and the elevator.

I didn't hesitate. I got to my feet and followed the voice. I wasn't going to let this happen to my people. I wasn't going to let Hekate get away with this.

As I thought that, a sickening thought hit me. Hekate, the wife of Thoth and mother to Witches and Warlocks, was actually another blood relative of mine. Seriously? Was there an ancestor of mine that wasn't totally bat** crazy? This was starting to make me wonder what would happen to me over time. Was I going to become this megalomaniacal evil Queen that was bent on taking over the world?

Please, anyone who might be listening and that could help a goddess in the midst of an existential crisis, tell me if I can keep that from happening.

The voice was still talking but I could tell that it was moving, fast.

'Follow me, Trinity. Come on now, follow me.'

I followed it out of the Royal tower and into the main castle. It seemed like it was leading me toward the throne room, but something changed my course along the way. I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

There, just barely visible and moving quickly, were three little imp-like creatures. They were hard to see and all I could tell for certain was that they had jet black hair and were all identical to each other.

Those little imp-like creatures were running away from me and toward a door. Only this door wasn't one that I ever remember being here before.. It was also just standing there in the middle of the hallway not supported by anything.