Page 44 of Destinies of Diamond
“I’ll be able to handle the assassination part,” my mother piped up. “That was the whole point of me approaching him the way I did. But The Grand Judiciary is an entirely different matter. If King Philip falls, they’ll try to take control and they won’t work with us. We need to strike at the same time in two different places.”
It was nothing I hadn’t heard before, a million times, from Brendan. The knowledge that The Grand Judiciary could topple the crown altogether was among the factors that had stayed Brendan’s hand all these years. But if Archibald was on our side and we divided our efforts, we might have a better chance of success.
“Or we could take them out while they’re in the same place,” Brendan said. “Right now, as far as I know, they should all be at Hades Base, dealing with that whole emergency meeting business.
“That’s just it,” Odette said, shaking her head. “Philip very rarely goes to Hades Base in person. I don’t think he went there this time around either. He doesn’t really trust them and he’s not always where he’s supposed to be. We can’t rely on that. Besides, we’d like to avoid talk of foul play if possible, at least when it comes to Philip. I’m working on a more discreet method. You just have to be on standby and prepared to take over when we’re done with him. Once he’s dead, The Grand Judiciary will most likely try to attack you and take you out of the picture. They don’t need more than a little DNA to keep the dynasty going and that can be harvested even if you’re dead.”
Everything she said made sense, except for one little tidbit. I tried to control my temper, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I let out a sharp bark of laughter. “So you expect us to just trust that you’ll kill your lover when the time comes? After everything that’s happened? After Stella?”
My voice cracked when I spoke my sister’s name. Even if I knew she was still alive, the wound of her loss had never truly healed. I couldn’t just pretend it hadn’t happened and my parents couldn’t turn around and act like they hadn’t handed her over to be a broodmare.
“I know you can never forgive us for that, Pollux,” my mother said seriously. “Believe it or not, we… We didn’t expect it. We all thought it would be for your sister’s own good, that she would be able to persevere and contain the power that was given to her. We thought that maybe, she was the key to proving women could move further in this society that forces us down. But we paid the price for that arrogance.”
Her gaze landed on Selene and she clenched her jaw in anguish and frustration. “There finally is someone now, someone who can help us crawl to the surface. And maybe this is a horrible idea. We’re all risking our lives for a plan that might not work. But do we really have another choice? We can’t go on this way.”
“She’s right, Pollux,” Selene answered softly. “We need to move forward. I don’t know how much help I can be, considering my condition, but I’ll do my best. We…”
Selene never got the chance to finish the phrase. The doors of the med bay suddenly exploded, cutting her off mid-sentence.
A thousand different things happened at the same time. Knox jumped over Selene, shielding her with his own body. August and Brendan shot forward, taking most of the blast themselves. Prince Archibald shoved my mother down and Commander Trevor shielded me.
Meanwhile, my chimera started roaring in anger at the back of my mind.“Those traitors! I will consume them all!”
The lights in the room flickered and the ground shook. Brendan and August were thrown back by the blast, their bodies smoking and broken.
Selene screamed. “No!”
“Yes,” an unfamiliar voice offered.
Shadows drifted into the room, amorphous, but crackling with energy.“No, no, no,”Scylla chanted in my head. “How did we miss this? Stay safe, hatchling. We’re coming.”
Another explosion sounded, and even if this one was distant, I felt it echoing all the way into my bones. “No one will be able to help you,” the shadow said, as if it had overheard my exchange with Scylla. “Your friends are a little distracted.”
“What?” Selene asked. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Revenge,” one of the creatures replied. “Two members of the Chimera dynasty, the Grand Chimera Unit and you—Selene Renard. It’s almost too good to be true.”
“You’re making a mistake,” Prince Archibald said, getting off my mother, but still blocking the creatures’ view of her and Selene. “I know you’re angry, but this isn’t the way.”
“On the contrary, this is the only way. We listened to the Grand Chimeras once. We won’t do it again. We have to start over.”
Archibald smiled, and in the dim light, his teeth suddenly look very sharp. “Well, you’re going to have to go through me to do it.”
“With pleasure,” the creatures said—and lunged.
At the same time, Commander Trevor retrieved his phaser and sent a powerful blast in their direction. The shadow absorbed it like it was nothing, but it did have an effect.
It gave the creature more substance and the amorphous shadow became more distinguishable. Tachyons crackled over its surface, and I finally recognized the face and shape of our opponent.
It was a Centaur, a member of the Lower Chimera Unit. We were so fucked.
****
Selene
When I’d had that vision on Earth, the last thing I’d expected was to have to face chimeras in battle. Yes, that dream had filled me with doubt and uncertainty, but I’d never thought any chimera would attack me outright. It just didn’t seem like something they’d do. Chimeras had physically hurt me before, but it had always been by accident, and I no longer blamed them for it.
This was an entirely different matter. These creatures had come here with the specific intention of hurting us, and I was included.
