Page 72 of Tears of Tungsten
Jared didn’t team up with the rest of his group, instead choosing to hitch a ride in one of Scylla’s tentacles. Once he was in position, the helix behind the throne started to spin. The Great Mother brought her hands together and in her eyes, I could see the birth of a star.
The next thing I knew, we were out in space, and the shields of the Sphinx were going crazy, the sensors screaming in protest at the attack they’d just perceived. It hadn’t actually been an attack, of course. It had been a way to transport us to safety and we’d gotten to our destination in one piece. Brendan’s private vessel, the Venom, was right in front of us.
When we landed on the ship, I half-expected my lovers to start fighting again. I left the cockpit of the Sphinx quickly, ready to intervene if needed. I shouldn’t have worried. They all seemed perfectly happy—or at least willing—to go through with our plan.
“We’ll take you to Terra and if anyone asks, we’ll claim our trip was because we got impatient and we wanted to pick Selene up,” Brendan told Jared. “But be careful and keep a low profile. Selene’s mother might be able to help us, but she has her limits and with Penelope there, I’d rather not dump too much on her shoulders.”
Jared nodded. “Don’t worry. I know how to mingle with the Terran population. I won’t stick out in New Washington.”
I didn’t question him on that one. If he’d managed to stay under the radar at Chimera Academy, as a tamer, he’d be able to fool the Unblessed Terrans who’d never had contact with a Heliad in their lives.
“Do the High Priestess and Lady Welton know about your bolder plans?”
Brendan shook his head. “No, and I want to keep it that way. It’s still treason and the less people know about it, the higher our chances are to succeed.”
“I agree. I’ll keep my mouth shut then and wait for your message.”
As planned, we left Jared in the outskirts of New Washington. As he made his way toward the city on foot, we headed to the temple.
The Venom was too massive to land anywhere near my previous home, so instead, upon our arrival, I used the Sphinx to travel to the surface. My lovers didn’t come with me, having decided to give me a few moments in private with my mother.
“Just make sure you let her know you’re coming back to Tartarus Base with us, all right, Selene?”Sphinx requested.“I wouldn’t want her to get the wrong idea.”
“I’ll tell her. Don’t worry, Sphinx. I’ve made my decision and I’ll see this through.”
I fully intended to keep my promise, but it was a little hard to do so when my mother greeted me inside the temple.
She took one look at me and her shoulders slumped. “Oh, Selene. Was it the Sun-Dweller?”
It didn’t take a genius to realize what she was referring to. “It was. I think I’ll be keeping it, although… Mother, I have no idea what I’m doing.”
She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me close to her chest. I buried my face in her shoulder and allowed myself to cry.
In a few hours, I’d have to return to Tartarus Base and be Acting Pilot Renard. In a few hours, I’d have to resume my fight and start mending my relationship with my lovers. But for now, I could just let go and fall apart.
If I wanted to win the battles that were ahead of me, I couldn’t afford to be just a human being. I had to be steel, tungsten, and diamond, like a chimera, and I had to be fire, like a Heliad. I could only hope these tears would wash away my weakness and help me rebuild myself anew.
