Free With My Last Breath, Book Three by Cori Chaffee Page B

right, even as the king’s sister. And certainly not when he is so disgusted with you.'
    She clenched her jaw and I could tell that I struck a nerve. She had used her position as Arthur’s sister to her advantage on more than one occasion. It annoyed her that it was a perilous position now, even though it was of her own doing.
    ‚And you ,' she snarled. ‚You act so pious and wise, yet I have seen that you will be undone by a child. A child! All that you are, everything that you value, will rest in the hands of a child. Yet you speak to me as though I am the fool.'
    My heart slammed in my chest. I would be undone by a child? What the hell was she talking about? I focused on her malicious face, pushing the troubling thoughts away. I could think on them later.
    ‚I did not speak to you as a fool,' I corrected. ‚You are not a fool. You are evil, but not a fool. However, your back is to a wall now. You have boxed yourself in with your brother. What will you do?'
    ‚I do not answer to you,' she hissed and she disappeared, leaving me alone in the damp darkness of the musty room.
    I stood for a moment, gathering my thoughts, before I looked around. Thick books of magic with weathered covers were scattered about, a large mirror was lying in the center of the room surrounded by a circle of ash. Clearly, this was her hideaway where she dabbled in witchcraft. Or, at least, she thought it was witchcraft. What she didn’t know was that any supernatural ability that she had was a direct result of her true identity.
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    With My Last Breath, Book Three
    As I ruffled through parchments filled with writing, I came across one that stilled the breath on my lips. An entire parchment was full of notes about mythology and Morgan’s theories about Zeus’ sword. Her thoughts about his sword would not have been alarming but for one minor detail. No mortal was aware of its existence.
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    With My Last Breath, Book Three

Chapter Eight
    Harmonia, where are you?
    I heard my mother’s question in my head, her voice strangely sharp. Instantly, I imagined myself with her and within a second, I appeared at her side in her bedchambers.
    ‚You shouldn’t do that,' she observed, her long hair pulled over her shoulder.
    ‚What if someone walked in at just the right moment and saw you?'
    ‚I know, I know,' I dismissed the concern, ‚But you sounded upset and we have an issue.'
    ‚Of course we do,' she sighed. ‚We have many issues.'
    ‚This one is pressing,' I replied and I told her of what I had found.
    ‚Now I’m upset,' she responded, rising to stare out her window. She tapped her finger furiously along the bricks of the sill, the rapid cadence a clear indication of her agitation.
    ‚And that’s not all,' I continued.
    ‚Of course not,' she muttered. ‚What else?'
    ‚I… er… interfered.'
    ‚Interfered?' she turned with a raised eyebrow severely. ‚What do you mean, interfered? With what?'
    ‚We should sit,' I suggested and led her to her bed. Sinking into the softness, I shared what had happened with Arthur in the chapel. When I was finished, her face was a rigid mask of frustration.
    ‚Harmonia!' she exclaimed in her best mother’s voice. ‚We’ve talked about this.
    We don’t know what will happen. You cannot interfere.'
    ‚But I already did,' I pointed out. ‚It’s already done.'
    ‚You can just turn right around and go back to him and tell him that you changed your mind. That you do not want to interfere.' My mother’s face was stubborn and set mulishly.
    ‚Tell the king that I’ve changed my mind?' I asked doubtfully. ‚I don’t think that would go over so well. And mother, you should have seen him. I couldn’t bear it. He’s in so much pain. And once I said that I would help, that I would talk to you, he lit up like a light. I can’t crush him. I can’t.'
    Guinevere sighed. ‚You’ve got a soft heart, daughter. I suppose I shall have to do what you cannot.'
    ‚What do you