Page 48 of Destinies of Diamond
“Yes. But I can’t leave you.”
“And I can’t leave Selene and the others. It’s fine. I’ll work something out.”
I was already willing her to open the cockpit but she resisted. “There’s nothing to work out. You’re just one man, and an apsid at that. You’ll get caught. I’m staying.”
“Don’t be stupid,” I said, echoing her earlier words. “If I get caught, so will you. And this isn’t your responsibility. It’s mine.”
She’d already done her best to help me by conveying my message to the Grand Chimeras and through them, to Selene. Beyond that, I could ask no more of her. “You’re not asking,” she said, having obviously caught onto the thought. “I’m offering. Besides, I doubt there’s any weapon that can defeat a chimera.”
She wasn’t nearly as sure as she was trying to sound. “You know that’s not true,” I told her. “Nothing is unbeatable. And if there’s something out there that’s scary for the Grand Chimeras, you have to be wary of it as well.”
In the end, Zephyrus was forced to agree with me and released me from the cockpit without arguing with me further. By then, I had already started feeling more and more like something was very off.
When I emerged from Zephyrus, I expected the sensors to start screaming like she had said. Nothing happened. The other Harpies in the Lower Chimera Unit remained silent and the hangars were dark. But that didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, I was even more concerned.
Moving quickly, I rushed to the control panel and opened the hangar bay doors. From there, I trusted Zephyrus could save herself and her fellows.
Or so I thought. The Harpies never did manage to rush out of the building. Their metallic limbs seized and they froze with their wings extended and their bodies glowing.
A feeling of impending doom assaulted me and I turned toward the main door of the hangar. I should have been more surprised than I was when I watched King Philip walk inside.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Jared Glass. I’d like to say I didn’t expect to see you here, but that would be a lie.”
“Your Majesty,” I greeted him. My mind was working furiously as I wondered what his angle was. “I’m pleased to hear you say that. I was concerned you might be unaware of the reason why I left the way I did.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I know the reason, although it’s probably not whatever bullshit you’re planning to spout at me.”
The profanity took me aback. I didn’t know the king all that well—in fact, I’d only seen him a couple of times throughout my stay at the academy—but he hadn’t struck me as the type of guy to casually swear.
It wasn’t something I should have deemed too alarming, but somehow, I knew it was a bad sign. Either way, it was clear I couldn’t pretend to be just another human who’d staged his own death for the good of the dynasty.
“So be it, Your Majesty. I won’t bother lying then. I’m all out of patience anyway and I have no interest in continuing…”
I didn’t finish the phrase. Instead, I used it as a distraction, all the while summoning Helios to my aid. As far as I was concerned, the king had been foolish to start holding a speech instead of attacking me outright. I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Fire bloomed at my fingertips, almost as powerful as the energy emanated by a chimera. I knew better than to underestimate any member of the Chimera dynasty and was pretty sure the king must have members of his guard somewhere nearby. I had to take advantage of what little time I had at my disposal. Pooling as much power into my arm as I dared, I threw a tachyon blast at the king.
No guards came and he made no move to dodge my attack. He didn’t need to. All of a sudden, Zephyrus was in front of me, taking the blast in his stead.
A voice echoed in my head, distant, but very clear.“Run. Run, Jared.”
But I didn’t run, not even when it was obvious that I needed to. The blank emptiness in Zephyrus’s eyes made my hackles rise. The king laughed, and on his cue, Zephyrus reached out to me, trying to catch me.
I ducked, turning my photon manipulation skills into a speed boost. I already knew my chances of escape were slim. Zephyrus wasn’t the only chimera affected by whatever had caused her to turn on me. Her sisters blocked my path to the open hangar gate, their claws already glowing with Tartarus fire.
This could be a problem. I wasn’t afraid of dying, as I was fairly confident Helios would bring me back. But if that happened, I’d lose my chance to track down Selene. It would take me forever to get back to the academy from the Apsid Quasar. By then, she might already be dead.
Fortunately, King Philip didn’t deem me a threat and was intent on gloating and lording his success over me. He cleared his throat and, following the hidden command, Zephyrus picked him up and held him in her claw.
It was a dangerous place to be in, but he showed no concern. Then again, maybe that was for a reason. I’d never seen a Harpy cradle anyone as carefully as Zephyrus did the king. What the fuck was going on?
It must have been my lucky day, because the king decided to provide an answer to my questions himself. He produced a tablet from his jacket and caressed its edges, almost like it was a lover, not an object. “Do you know what this is?”
“No, but I’m sure you’ll explain,” I replied, trying to hide how shaken I was.
“It’s a special control tablet, containing the core of the very first chimera. You see, Mr. Glass, ever since chimeras have started working with us, we’ve noticed a mild problem. It just doesn’t seem right to give them such a large degree of independence. They’re tools, but even with the tamers involved, they can’t be fully relied on. They can disappear whenever you need them most. And so, we decided to take things a step further and squash their foolish rebellions before they even occur.”
As ridiculous as I’d earlier deemed the king’s tendency toward rhetoric, I now found it very useful. “You and who else?” I asked, half because I needed to stall and half out of the genuine need to know.
