Page 23 of Destinies of Diamond
“And did they?”
“The Great Mother isn’t sure. She said there wasn’t anything in your body, but you were sterile before she got to you so that might not mean anything. Helios only knows what’s inside the bodies of those who do have permission to reproduce.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner, Jared? My mother could be in danger.”
“Your mother is a healer, Selene,” I reasoned. “If something was done to her, she would have known it.”
Selene frowned. She didn’t seem that surprised or shocked at what I’d told her about her potential background, but she wasn’t happy about it either. “So you think I’m the product of an experiment, like August? But what’s the point of that?”
“I can’t answer that question. There’s still a lot I don’t know and the information I was looking for is well hidden.” It had also almost gotten me caught and killed, but that was beside the point right now.
Selene plopped down on Sphinx’s paw and leaned against the metallic leg of the chimera. “What does this mean for me, exactly? How am I supposed to control all my outbursts of power?”
“There are ways of meditating, of channeling the gift of a deity and using it to clear your mind. I’m not sure if they work the same way for a Terran, but I could show you if you—”
Before I could finish the phrase, Sphinx let out an angry hiss. “There’s someone nearby. Another chimera.”
Another chimera? That wasn’t good news. Chimeras could detect Heliads in their natural form, especially here on Terra. I didn’t have enough time to hide or resort to Helios’s assistance. “Who is it?”
“A Harpy,” Sphinx answered. “Aello.”
Vincent. This was just wonderful. Out of all the possible people who could have come after Selene, why did it have to be my cousin?
Sphinx grabbed me with her paw and opened her cockpit. “Stay inside. The Harpy shouldn’t be able to see past my tachyon shields.”
It was a good plan, although it grated on me to leave Selene to face Vincent on her own. Whatever he wanted couldn’t be good, not if he’d come all this way with the specific purpose of finding her.
It took less than a minute for the Aello to show up on the sensors. The Harpy landed in front of Sphinx and her cockpit opened, allowing Vincent to emerge from inside.
Selene got off Sphinx’s paw, and the change in position seemed to reassure her. “Can I help you, Flight Lieutenant Glass?”
“Actually, I’m the one who is supposed to help you,” he replied. “His Highness notified us that you’d gone to Terra alone and you might need reinforcements.”
“And he picked you to come help me?” Selene asked in disbelief. “No offense, Flight Lieutenant, but we don’t exactly get along.”
“Even so, I’m a professional soldier and I’m entirely capable of setting my own feelings aside to fulfill my orders.”
“Well, that won’t be necessary. I’ve already looked into the issue I was sent here for. According to High Priestess Renard, there have been no signs of any attacks, and Gaia is quiet.” She knelt on the ground and brushed her fingers over the barren soil. “If anyone came here intending to hurt us, they’re long gone.”
For the most part, her actions were only theatrics, a simple explanation to why Selene had stopped here in the first place. She was powerful, but she couldn’t communicate with Gaia so clearly or distinguish any attack on Terra just through touch.
But Vincent didn’t know that. “I see. Then that means you and I can have a conversation.”
Selene tensed and got up. “What about?”
“Jared. What was your relationship with him, exactly?”
I’d have expected anything but that. My cousin was pretty observant, but I’d thought I’d done a good job in disguising my real interest toward Selene. And even if I hadn’t, there was no reason to suspect Selene might have known about it. I’d let my facade of hostility drop in the labyrinth, but she’d been the only one present then.
“My relationship with him?” Selene repeated. “He hated my guts. You know that, Flight Lieutenant Glass. I don’t think you’ve forgotten our infamous bet. I certainly haven’t.”
“The bet isn’t what matters right now,” Vincent answered without missing a beat. Using Aello’s wings, he dropped onto the ground and made his way to Selene’s side. “I knew him very well, better than he thought I did. And I saw the two of you fight in the labyrinth. I watched that recording over and over. And no matter how I look at it, I can tell that he was holding back. He wasn’t fighting to win. The question is… Why?”
The recording. Of course! The drones had been everywhere and supervised every single inch of the stadium. I’d known it even then, which was why I’d been so careful to put up a front when I’d been fighting her. But apparently, to the people who knew me, I hadn’t been convincing enough.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Flight Lieutenant Glass. Realistically, I’m aware I wasn’t a better fighter than him. Maybe he did hold back, or maybe I got lucky. But even if you’re right, I have no idea what his reasons might have been. Our relationship was never romantic, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I knew very well that she was lying, but the words still struck me in a way I wasn’t ready for. After all, could I call the bond between us romantic? It was sexual, of course, and maybe even romantic on my side, but she’d never claimed to have such feelings for me. She’d asked me to come with her, but she hadn’t made me any promises on what that would mean.
