Page 20 of Destinies of Diamond
“I have some herbal remedies for you, yes. Wait here.”
I did, relaxing on the cot while my mother left to procure the remedies. “At least we know there’s nothing too problematic going on with the pregnancy,”I told Sphinx.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can be lax,”she chastised me.“We have to consider a real plan and course of action for this whole assignment business and for future missions.”
“I think Commander Trevor would be willing to help me, but I’m not sure how much he can be trusted. What do you think, Sphinx?”
Before my chimera could reply, my mother returned to the room. I got up to my haunches and smiled as she handed me a small package. “Thanks again for the help, Mother. I have to go now. We’ll keep in touch.”
“Of course, Selene. Keep that dry and out of sight. I’m not technically supposed to provide any medicine without the prior approval of The Grand Judiciary.”
Right. Everything that came from Terra went through a very careful vetting process. The food was rationed and the substances used for medicine taken to special storage facilities. Fortunately, the package was small enough that it fit in a section of my uniform, against the strap that was supposed to hold my phaser. “Don’t worry. I have permission to go in and out of Chimera Academy without passing through Charon’s Barge and the only ones who ever see my things are the members of my unit. They won’t say anything even if they do notice.”
My mother hated my lovers since the incident at Gaia’s Haven, but trusted my assessment on their character anyway. Together, we headed out of the room, back toward the Sphinx.
It was as we exited the temple that my day took a turn for the worse. Much to my surprise, I found Penelope Welton waiting for me next to my chimera. “So, you’re back,” she said without preamble. “The information from the tablet was useful.”
“It was,” I replied curtly. “Thank you.”
I was uncomfortable talking to her out in the open like this. When my lovers had told me about the help she’d given them, I’d been under the impression my mother would hide her within the temple, at least until it was a little safer for her to roam about. But apparently, that had been a little too much to ask for.
Then again, the whole debacle wasn’t my mother’s fault at all. “Lady Welton, it’s dangerous for you to be here,” she said. “Please return to your quarters.”
“I refuse to be locked in there forever. I understand the necessity of precautions, but I should be allowed to at least take a damn walk at night. The people who regularly visit the temple at this hour are already informed about my presence.”
“That may well be, but other people can still drop by unexpectedly.”
If Penelope had been anyone else, she’d have probably snorted. The disdainful twist of her lips was the Chimera nobility equivalent of that. “If that happens, I’m confident that you can let me know in time, Your Holiness.”
My mother twitched in irritation. Clearly, this was not the first time she was having such issues with Brendan’s would-be fiancée. I’d have liked to help, but I was the last person Penelope would listen to.
It was a little cowardly, but I decided that the best approach in this case was removing myself from the situation. “Was there something you wanted, Lady Welton?”
“Actually, yes. I need you to give Brendan a message. I can understand that it’s not in his ability to help me much right now, but I expect him to put a little more effort into finding a permanent solution for my future. If not for me, they’d have never found you. And there are still other avenues I can pursue if he goes back on his word.”
Wonderful. Now, we had a blackmailer to deal with. “If you had other options, Lady Welton, you wouldn’t still be here with my mother,” I pointed out.
“I admit the idea of going back to my father doesn’t appeal to me. But I’m sure Prince Archibald would like to know his nephew committed treason for the sake of his Terran mistress.”
I took a deep breath, struggling to control my temper. “Treason? You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“So you expect me to believe that they just walked into the home of the apsids and retrieved you?” Penelope scoffed. “Please. I might not be a soldier, Acting Pilot Renard, but I’m not an idiot either. If you’re here, it’s because the apsids allowed it.”
Compared to everything that had happened, her veiled threat was insignificant, and not something she could pursue. But the tension that had kept piling up finally got to me and I snapped.
An outburst of purplish power struck Penelope, shoving her against the metal paw of the Sphinx. My chimera was unfazed, but the same could not be said about Brendan’s mouthy ex. Twitching in pain, she stared at me with wide eyes. “What are you—?”
“Listen to me very closely,” I cut her off, gripping her shoulder in a tight hold. “You’ll keep your mouth shut about this, or you won’t need to worry about your future—because you won’t have one. I’ll personally make sure you die in the most excruciating way possible.”
I intensified the threads of tachyons coursing through her bloodstream. She had Tartarus’s Gift too, but hers was latent, unpracticed, and she had no chance of fighting me off. “Please,” she whimpered. “Please, stop.”
I realized what I was doing only when the coppery scent of blood filled my nostrils, mingling with the stench of charred flesh. It snapped me out of my fugue and I let go of her, stepping back. Penelope slid to the ground, drained of strength.
The whole exchange couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, but it still left me dazed and lost. My mother rushed to us, pasty white. She knew how uncharacteristic it was of me to attack someone like this out of the blue, for nothing except conversation.
Penelope was far more injured than I was, but my mother still stopped by my side and cupped my cheek with a gentle hand. “Selene? Selene, can you hear me?”
“Of course, Mother. I’m fine.” My power was still buzzing through me, restless and out of control, so I moved away from her. “You should help Penelope. I’ll be fine. You know what this is about.”
