Page 34 of Tears of Tungsten
“I could join you,” Sphinx offered. “It wouldn’t be a perfect fit, but we’d adapt. And it’d be easier with the four of us. Since Selene isn’t on Tartarus Base, it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
I didn’t know who was more surprised by the offer, me, August, or Sphinx herself. She’d never been that inclined to trust us, especially since she was well aware of our original plans for Selene. But maybe this time, she realized that we truly did want to protect her charge, and that was why she’d decided to offer us her unconditional assistance.
“Thank you,” August said. “I really appreciate this.”
“Don’t thank me, Flight Lieutenant Cavallero. I’m not doing it for you, or for Terra. I’m doing it for Selene and Charybdis.”
I couldn’t have agreed more. Our duty to protect the planet wasn’t nearly as important to me as my friends and my beautiful lover. It was nice to know Sphinx had the same priorities as we did.
Together, our small group made its way to a large transport shuttle. We didn’t use the Venom, since it would’ve been too eye-catching. A smaller ship could carry our mechas too, although it wouldn’t be as fast as my private vessel.
Since there was no one else in the hangars to monitor the launch operations, August helped us with that. He had to do it remotely, through his technopathy, but he managed well enough. Meanwhile, Pollux took position in the pilot seat of the shuttle and started the system.
As the displays of the shuttle flared to life, a strange feeling erupted over me. Maybe it was just the lingering remnants of my conscience, but all of a sudden, I couldn’t help but think something bad was going to happen.
I couldn’t turn back, so I grabbed Knox’s arm and pulled him aside. “Listen, Knox. If this goes downhill, you take Cerberus, Sphinx, and August, and you leave. Find Selene and make sure she’s safe.”
“You think we’re missing something, don’t you?”
“I know we are, but I can’t tell what it is.” I stared at the back of Pollux’s head, a shadow stirring in my heart. “I’m afraid, Knox. I’m afraid that no matter what I do, it won’t be enough, that I’m taking too long to get rid of that man. If I’d just killed him sooner, maybe—”
“Don’t think about that now,” Knox cut me off. “It was too dangerous to act then and it’s still too dangerous now. We’ll deal with him when we’re in a better position.”
“A lot of people will die because of my vacillation,” I replied with a sigh.
“People die, Brendan. You and I both know that. What’s important is to make sure the right peopledon’tdie.”
I nodded. Fortunately, the list of people we wanted to protect was very small. Selene was safe with her mother, so we only had one another and the chimeras to worry about. We’d be fine.
Even if we had to spill innocent blood, we’d bring Charybdis back and take over the crown. After that, all bets were off, and we’d finally be able to build the future I envisioned.
* * *
Selene
“Where are we going today, Mother? To another terra-forming location?”
“Not exactly. Today, I have a surprise for you. It’s further away than usual, but I think you’ll find it educational.”
We were once again in one of the shuttles owned by the temple of Gaia, heading to an undisclosed destination where I’d learn more about my gift. It was the seventh time I’d come to Terra since the beginning of the term, and I’d grown a little more accustomed to the rituals my mother used while terra-forming. I was no longer so unsettled by the difference between my power and hers. I was unique, and there was no point in using anyone else as a standard.
That didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate all her help. Without my mother, I wouldn’t have been able to get a good feel of my Gaia-oriented powers at all.
In fact, it was because I appreciated this help so much that I felt very excited about this surprise of hers. “Don’t tease me like this, Mother. I should know these things if I’m going to help.”
My mother chuckled but didn’t offer me a satisfactory reply. “I’ll tell you everything soon.”
As it turned out, the settlement my mother took me to was located somewhere in The Ural Mountains, in Russia. The area had been badly affected by The Apsid Wars, and not just because of the aliens. In the wake of all the nuclear explosions and the fighting, the polar ice caps had once melted and many icy areas had suffered from heavy flooding.
We’d had similar problems in my country, but after all this time and with the effort of the priestesses of Gaia, the continent had finally started to heal and stabilize. The situation was similar here.
My mother only gave me the real details on it when we entered Russian territory. “This settlement isn’t on the list of cities approved by The Grand Judiciary,” she explained. “People usually come here when they don’t approve of the more severe dictates of the government. They want to start families, and they can do so here without risking attacks from The Grand Judiciary. We help them, insofar as we can, in exchange for keeping the settlement under control and not allowing the situation to escalate.”
I could understand and approve of that. Not every woman was like me, and some would doubtlessly feel resentment for being refused the chance of becoming mothers. It was a testament to their kindness that they hadn’t picked up arms against the people who’d taken such a fundamental right from them.
Either way, it made sense now that my mother had been secretive at first. As far as we knew, The Grand Judiciary didn’t have spies in New Washington, but it was better to not talk about the topic until we left the zones where they were most active. They didn’t supervise this region as closely as they did my home continent or Western Europe.
The settlement itself was small, if beautiful. From up above, I got a good look at the whole village, and the first thing that struck me was that most of the houses seemed to be made out of wood. The lights were discreet, provided by torches lit with Gaia’s light, instead of the power of Tartarus.
