The Leaden Arrow

by Queen Canary

When her sister is transformed into a laurel tree, Ina vows revenge on Apollo, who she believes the sole cause of the fear that drove Daphne to such lengths. Armed only with her strange brand of magic and hatred, she sets off on a quest to avenge Daphne.

The Leaden Arrow

Prologue

Eros and Apollo faced one another, nephew and uncle meeting by chance. The threads of fate wound invisibly between the trees of the wood they found themselves in. Great as they were, neither noticed the slight tension in the air, as if the world held its breath for what was to come.

Eros surveyed the bright god before him, wicked glee in his eyes. "I hear you are come from slaying the serpent Python. You must think so well of those arrows of yours!"

Apollo straightened his shoulders and glared at his young nephew. There was little love lost between Apollo and Eros. "Are you saying that toy you carry around is a match for my bow? Boy-child, you speak before thinking." Quick as a flash, he loosed an arrow. The eagle-feather flights brushed the love god's left ear before the sharp head stuck deep in a tree trunk. The miss had been deliberate--he dearly wished he could teach this impertinent child a lesson, but his sister Aphrodite could be a terrible shrew when it came to defending her darling son.

"I did not say I was a better shot than you, but when I shoot an arrow it can cause considerably more pain than yours can. Here, let me show you," he said, eyes glittering. He nocked a keen, gold-tipped arrow and shot it directly into Apollo's heart. A second arrow--this one blunt and leaden--he shot into the forest, where it buried itself into the heart of an ill-starred nymph.

"You will see how sharply my arrows sting in time," Eros said, and took his leave.