Page 47 of Destinies of Diamond
“I suppose we’ll just have to help one another, then,” I said.
“That’s the spirit,” she offered. “Don’t worry about the rest. As long as we work together, we can do this.”
“Let’s contact Sphinx and the others for now,” I replied. “They’ll be able to convey the message to Selene in a way I can’t.”
It was easy for Zephyrus to do that. The two chimera units might have been at odds, but they still had the ability to communicate independently through their private frequencies. I didn’t hear what Zephyrus told Sphinx, but whatever it was, it seemed to work. Mere minutes later, the coms flared to life and Brendan’s voice echoed in the cockpit of the Zephyrus.
“We’re going to the infirmary,” he said. “Stay put. We’ll make sure Selene is safe.”
A worm of discomfort and suspicion niggled at the back of my mind. “Why do you need to go to the infirmary to do that?”
“There’s been an incident earlier,” he replied. “We’re not sure what happened, but she was brought in by Commander Trevor.”
An incident. The vague word could have described countless things, but I instinctively knew what must have happened. “I’m too late,” I murmured.
Brendan didn’t provide any empty reassurances. “We’ll keep you posted. Don’t leave Zephyrus. Once we know more and we make sure Selene is safe, I’ll arrange something to get you out of here.”
Right now, I didn’t care about myself. Selene was far more important, and unless I was mistaken, she might be struggling between life and death. But even if I’d been by her side, I couldn’t have physically helped her. I was no healer. I could only pray to Helios to watch over her and our child, but beyond that, my hands were tied.
Brendan ended our conversation without saying anything else and I was left waiting in the dark cockpit. My skin itched and burned at my utter helplessness. I needed to do something, anything, to figure out Selene’s condition. But how could I do that if I was stuck here?
Mercifully, Zephyrus agreed to stay in contact with the other chimeras and they, in turn, agreed to tell me what was going on. “Looks like she almost miscarried, probably because of whatever substance her mother gave her,” Zephyrus said. “Both she and the baby managed to get over the fit.”
“Thank Helios,” I whispered, torn between anguish, fury, and relief. My bones ached with the effort it took to hold back and not rush to her side. “The others are with her, I take it.”
“Yes and apparently making plans for where we’ll be headed next.”
Zephyrus paused, and the moment of hesitation drew my attention. “Zephyrus? What’s wrong?”
“It’s the dean, Prince Archibald. There’s something about him… Something unsettling. He claims he wants to topple his brother, but I’m not sure it’s safe to trust him.”
I didn’t know Prince Archibald very well, but I was well aware that he hadn’t exactly supported Selene’s arrival at the academy. He also didn’t have an ideal relationship with his nephew. If he’d turned to Brendan and the others, it couldn’t be good.
“Please don’t tell me Brendan is buying his lies.”
“He’s considering it. Cooperating with Prince Archibald would help his long-term goals. And Archibald seems willing to hand over the throne to Brendan.”
Okay, this was quickly escalating way beyond reasonable levels. I might have acknowledged that my presence in the infirmary would make things worse, not better, but if Prince Archibald was now involved, I couldn’t just stay here and do nothing. As far as I knew, Brendan cared about Selene, but he could very easily prioritize his desire to lead the dynasty over her well-being. I couldn’t allow that.
“Don’t be stupid, Jared,” Zephyrus screeched at me. “You might have been able to stay under the radar before, but there are all sorts of sensors in the academy that would detect your presence. The shields I’m keeping up are the only reason why you haven’t been found, and even that wouldn’t have worked if not for the generator damage.”
“That’s just it, Zephyrus. Don’t you think this is all very suspicious? The generator explosion, Tanya wanting to hurt Selene’s baby, and now this—Archibald Chimera’s mysterious decision to work with his nephew? You said it yourself. We can’t just—”
“Stop,” Zephyrus suddenly cut me off. “Wait. Don’t say a word and don’t move a muscle.”
Before I could continue my protests, the belts tightened around me again, pulling me against the seat and pinning me in place. When the neural interface between me and Zephyrus connected, I couldn’t suppress a flinch. Naturally, we’d done this before, but I’d always forced a barrier between us and she hadn’t pushed, not like a Grand Chimera would have.
She pushed today and the overwhelming feeling of connecting with her temporarily paralyzed me.
It was exactly what she’d intended, although not for the reasons I expected. Two seconds after my chimera had assaulted me and forced her way into my mind, I caught a glimpse of the outside world, this time through her senses. And what I heard in her head was not encouraging.
“What in Tartarus’s name—?”Cerberus growled.“What do they think they’re doing?”
“They have some kind of weapon,”Typhon piped up.“I don’t know what it does, but it’s…”
“Run!”Sphinx cried.“Anyone who has a way out—run! Try to help Selene and the others!”
After that, the voices of the Grand Chimeras trailed off, and in the ensuing silence, horror settled over me. “You have to get out of here, fast,” I told Zephyrus. “If the Grand Chimeras are under attack, you’re next.”
