In the nearest corner of the garden a tangle of black hellebore as far across as I was tall bloomed, showing us their bright canary-yellow centers. The entire gathering of plants twisted back on itself, revealing a waist-high rectangular stone structure.
A box.
Persephone slowly examined it and a moment later called out to us. 揧ou won抰 believe what this is.?
As I approached the structure the hellebore pulled back to reveal a single word etched into the stone wall above the box.
Medea.
No one said a single word. The box was a sarcophagus, and in it were the remains of the woman whose story had defined the Colchis family.
揥ho put her here??Marie asked.
Circe shook her head. 揑桰 don抰 know.?She pulled out the moon clock and held it in her trembling hand. Its ticking fell in time with the beating of the caged piece of the Heart. 揥e don抰 have much time left.?
As we moved away from the grave, the hellebore fell over it like a shroud, hiding it from view. But as Medea抯 final resting place was hidden, something else was revealed.
As if on command, the deadly foliage shifted in the moonlight, revealing a mound in the very center of the garden. At its peak stood what could only be the thing we had gone there to find梩he Mother. The last piece of the Absyrtus Heart.
It stood like a petrified monument to Medea抯 slain brother, Hecate抯 only son桝bsyrtus. It was triple the size of the pieces we抎 seen that still retained their anatomical shape. It sat atop an onyx stalk as thick around as my leg. The roots laced through the earth, breaking the surface like the tentacles of a sea creature every few feet and extending all the way to the wall.
揇o you know where we are??Circe whispered. 揋ods 厰
My breath caught in my throat. It wasn抰 that we were in the presence of this rare and deadly plant, it was that we now stood in the spot where Medea had laid her brother to rest. Where she had, no doubt, wept over his grave, where she had spilled her own blood to keep these shattered pieces alive. We were again sharing space with Medea across the centuries.
揂ny idea what we抮e supposed to do now??I asked. We抎 done the impossible. We抎 gathered the pieces of the Heart together in the same spot, but what now? I took the vial of the Living Elixir out of my pocket and rolled it between my fingers. 揗aybe we pour it on top of the Mother??
Persephone quickly moved to one of the cages and opened the metal door. She retrieved the intact piece of the Heart and set it in the dirt beside the Mother near the top of the mound. The roots immediately anchored themselves in the ground, and while the beating of the Heart had dwindled to once or twice a minute, it stood tall, like it knew it belonged there.
Everything around us was steeped in shadows. The dense foliage made voids of corners, and the abyss of fading purple above us made night-lights of the stars. We had no time left. We had to figure out how to combine the pieces of the Heart and hope that Marie and Persephone抯 presence was enough to count as bringing them together.
Circe unlocked the other cage and took out the flat red stone. She handed it to Persephone, who buried it in the mound near the foot of the Mother. Circe made a sound. Like a short quick gasp梐 sob. But as I turned to look at her, Marie swept in and turned my face to hers. Persephone walked behind me and took Circe by the arm, pulling her away.
揥hat抯 going on??I asked.
Marie slipped her hand around my waist and pulled me close. 揌ave I told you how much I care about you today??
I stared into her big brown eyes as she let her gaze move over the contours of my face like she was trying to memorize every part of it. A sinking feeling settled over me. 揥hat抯 wrong??
Marie shook her head and gently pressed her lips to mine. She tasted like honey. Her breath was warm and sweet, and she held me like this embrace would never ever be enough. Normally, I would have been swept up in being with her like this, but this was different. There was an urgency in that moment that made me uncomfortable. When she pulled away, I readjusted my glasses. I thought she抎 be smiling at me, happy we抎 finally come to the end of our journey, but the expression that met me wasn抰 that at all. She was on the verge of tears.
A gasping sob sounded from behind me, and I turned to Circe and Persephone. They were caught in an embrace, their faces buried in each other抯 shoulders. Circe抯 tearstained face twisted into a mask of sorrow, of anguish.
揥hat is it??I gave Marie抯 hand a squeeze and went to stand with them. I put my hand on Persephone抯 arm. 揧ou guys okay? What did I miss??
Circe didn抰 move to wipe her face or let go of Persephone. She simply exhaled a shaky breath as another torrent of tears cascaded down her cheeks.