揙h, I did,?Persephone said. 揟hat抯 exactly why I抦 going in.?
揟hat makes no sense,?I said.
She disappeared inside and Circe followed her. Marie and I went in but stayed near the door in case we needed to make a quick escape.
The inside wasn抰 what I thought it would be. I抎 never actually been inside a lighthouse so I didn抰 have much to compare it to. It was dimly lit by dancing firelight and so warm I抎 already begun to sweat. There was a big open space in the center, a neatly made bed near the back, and a small kitchen with a table and chairs. Narrow windows were cut into the stone walls and were covered in blue-green glass. In the corner sat a large staff carved with two intertwined snakes running its length. A thick, sweet smell lingered in the air, and I pinpointed its origin in the dozens of potted plants the lighthouse caretaker had scattered around the interior. They were all Crocus sativus, bright purple blooms with crimson stigmas.
The man stirred the logs in the woodstove and gestured for us to sit at the table. A pulsing white light filtered down from the glowing orb high above our heads, and it lit up the space like daylight every few seconds.
Circe sat and rested her elbows on her knees. 揥e have come a very long way,?she began. 揂nd we don抰 have a lot of time but棓
揥ho are you??Marie jumped in. 揂nd is this the Great Eyeball or what??
Circe rolled her eyes and let her arms flop at her sides. Persephone scowled at Marie but the man grinned.
揥as there a younger guy with the group that came here before??I asked, hoping he抎 forgive Marie抯 little outburst. 揌e would have been injured. His jaw was broken, I think.?
揑n fact, there was,?said the man. 揌e looked like he抎 seen better days.?He lowered his lanky frame into a rocker by the woodstove. His long coat caught on the runner and for a split second I thought I saw a flash of something gold on his foot. He quickly readjusted himself. 揌e was here along with three others. They have not been back since and I don抰 expect they ever will be.?
揧ou said they were sailing the Black Sea,?Circe said. 揇o you know why??
The man cocked his head to the side. 揑 can see that you are already aware of what they were looking for. You抮e looking for the same thing. I have yet to figure out why or if you even realize how pointless it is.?
Circe stared at the man and something in her expression changed. Her eyes went wide. Her mouth turned down at the corners and she pressed her hand into the top of the table.
The man stared into the fire. 揥hat is it you seek on the island??
Persephone clasped her hands together in front of her. 揥ho said anything about an island??
揑t抯 the only reason anyone would travel to the center of the Black Sea.?
揥e never said that抯 where we were going,?I said.
He glanced at me. 揃ut it is where you are going, isn抰 it? Didn抰 you come here looking for a way to get there??He laughed, and the deep, throaty sound echoed off the walls. 揑 don抰 much care for games. For trickery.?
揥e抮e not trying to trick you,?Circe said. 揥e need answers and time is not on our side.?
揙f course it isn抰，？he said dismissively. 揧ou抮e mortal.?
The way he said mortal made it clear that he himself was not.
揅an you help us??I asked. If he could help, I didn抰 care what he was.
揗y advice would be this梔on抰 go. I don抰 know why you or that other group have taken such interest in that place, but they aren抰 coming back and neither will you if you press on. I抦 doing you a favor. Believe me.?
揥hat do you think happened to them??I asked.
揟he waters are treacherous, vengeful. They抮e probably at the bottom of the sea by now.?
揥hat if they made it to the island??I asked.
He chuckled. 揑 hope they drowned. It抯 a much kinder fate.?
Persephone rose from her chair and slowly approached the man. 揟he Great Eye is said to reveal all. We came here hoping it would point us in the direction of the island.?
揂nd so it seems you抳e failed before you抳e even begun,?he said. 揟he Great Eye does indeed see much梑ut not all. That place is one thing it cannot show you.?
My heart sank. 揥hy not? Why can抰 it show us how to get there??
揃ecause magic was worked on the place. A kind of magic that no longer exists in this world. It is beyond the reach of men.?
揂nd gods??Persephone asked. 揥hat about them??
The man was suddenly out of his chair, gripping Persephone抯 left wrist. Circe scrambled to her feet, lunging at the man, who immediately sidestepped her. Marie抯 eyes turned black as she launched herself at him. He still held tight to Persephone抯 wrist but somehow managed to catch Marie by the front of her jacket with his opposite hand and toss her against the rocker. He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a gleaming golden sword the length of my arm.