Page 38 of Destinies of Diamond
“No,” I told her. “I suppose it’s not. Hello, Zephyrus. It’s been a while.”
It had been a risk to come here like this. Zephyrus and I were nowhere near as close as the members of the Grand Chimera Unit were to their mechas. Harpies were a little more aloof, not as picky regarding their tamers and less prone to form tight bonds with them.
There had been a real chance that I’d land on top of a new tamer, since with me gone, Zephyrus had needed a new pilot. But apparently, she hadn’t picked anyone yet, or if she had, the man wasn’t here now.
The hard part was only just beginning, though. Even if I’d sneaked into the academy without being spotted, which was still questionable, I had to convince Zephyrus to stay quiet and give me a hand with my task.
“So… You’re an apsid,” she said slowly.
“I’m a Heliad,” I corrected her. “I don’t mean you any harm. I just need your help. Please.”
There was so much more I wanted to say, so many words that burned on my lips. Zephyrus stopped me before I could elaborate. “Let me guess. This is about the female, Selene Renard.”
My breath caught and I clutched Zephyrus’s controls to anchor myself. “How did you know?”
“Everything is about her these days. Don’t worry. She’s not hurt or anything. Not yet, at least. But that might very well change soon. Which, I assume, is why you’re here.”
“More or less,” I replied. “Does that mean you’ll give me a hand?”
Zephyrus didn’t immediately answer. I waited, giving her time to think about this. I knew it was a bit of a long shot. The damage the Lower Chimera Unit had received during the first incursion in the Apsid Quasar was still fresh in her mind. It was presumptuous of me to even make the request.
But Zephyrus and I still had a bond and she gave me the benefit of the doubt. “Maybe,” she drawled. “Just answer me this. The female’s egg… It’s yours, isn’t it?”
It was dangerous to admit anything like that to her, but at this point, I had no choice but to trust the Harpy. “It is.”
Zephyrus chortled. “I knew it! Excellent! You can count on me, Jared. I’ve been waiting for a new egg in the nest for decades.”
I had no idea what was happening, but I decided to embrace the madness anyway. Chimeras had their own motivations and as long as Zephyrus’s goals aligned with my interests, I was more than happy to play along.
“Well, someone intends to kill that egg, and kill her in the process. And honestly, Zephyrus, I don’t know how to help her properly.”
As I proceeded to tell my Harpy everything that had happened since our separation, her amusement faded into anger and determination. “I think it’s time to end this, Jared. This is a sign. We chimeras have been slaves long enough. I will help you, as long as you help us.”
“Deal.”
Poisonous Secrets
Selene
A weapon and a target. It should have surprised me more to be called that by my teacher, but at this point, very few things could do that. It stood to reason that my abilities would turn me into a person of interest for The Grand Judiciary, even if they didn’t know about my relationship with Jared.
Somehow, though, I had the feeling that Commander Trevor was referring to more than that. A dark, regretful light shone in his eyes, and it made me want to run and hide. What had he done that warranted such regret? As far as I knew, he’d never hurt me, but I didn’t know everything.
I opened my mouth to ask him to elaborate, but the inquiry never came out. All of a sudden, a wave of wooziness flowed over me. A sharp cramp of pain erupted through my midsection, as if a dagger had just pierced my abdomen.
With a startled cry, I crumpled against my teacher. Another spasm of agony swept over me. Tachyons flared around my hands as I desperately clung to him. “Help me. Please, help me.”
I knew enough about pregnancies to be aware this wasn’t good. The Great Mother had insisted my pregnancy wasn’t that frail and could endure great strain, but she could have been wrong. My earlier fit had been weird and alarming, but this wasn’t about me. This was about my baby and I was suddenly terrified that I would lose it.
Commander Trevor didn’t need to be told twice. Within seconds, he took me in his arms and carried me back to the shuttle. He lay me down on the nearest seat and lowered the chair, making sure I was as comfortable as possible. “Breathe. I’m afraid I’m not qualified to see to prenatal care, but we’ll go back to the base and have Dr. Bell tend to you. Everything will be all right.”
He had no way of knowing that, but the certainty in his voice still anchored me a little. Or maybe it was just the solidity of his presence. He left my side only for a few seconds, needing to launch the shuttle and set it on autopilot. When he returned, he had a first aid kit with him and throughout our short trip, he did his best to keep me calm and normalize the levels of tachyons in my bloodstream.
Threading our fingers together, he allowed his gift to flow into me. “Right now, what you seem to be experiencing is some uterus cramps caused by a severe hormonal imbalance. I’ll try to level things out a bit, okay? Close your eyes and relax.”
I obeyed, although it wasn’t easy. When another wave of pain swept through me, I clutched his hand even more tightly and prayed. “Please, Gaia, don’t take my baby from me.”
Maybe Gaia heard me, because slowly, the agony started to fade. Or maybe it was just Commander Trevor’s aid that helped stabilize my condition. Either way, it was only a momentary respite. No matter how hard Commander Trevor tried, he couldn’t control whatever was wrong with me.
