Page 57 of Destinies of Diamond
The man on top of the Aello complied. The Harpy jerked and her wing flashed through the air. It was almost like a reflex, not an actual conscious response. Either way, her aim was true. The soldier fell from on top of her—in two separate pieces.
A new wave of panic exploded through the hangars. “What the fuck? What the fuck?”
“Guys, get back!”
“And where are we supposed to go? The Sphinx is right there.”
This was my chance. I now had an opening that would hopefully help me escape. “We won’t hurt you as long as you don’t get in our way. Let us pass and you’ll live.”
After having seen their coworker being hacked to pieces in front of them, the guards were far more agreeable than the earlier ones. If they wanted to save their leader, they didn’t mention it. Instead, they complied with my request and got out of the way.
Sphinx carried me to a small vessel and opened her cockpit. As I climbed out, the hatch of the ship opened too, allowing me to enter. It was a small, star fleet fighter, nothing like a chimera. I’d never piloted one before. How in Gaia’s name was this supposed to get me from here, to safety? “Sphinx, I have no idea how to pilot this thing.”
“Get inside and you will.”
Her cryptic comment didn’t reassure me, but I obeyed. As I slid into the pilot’s seat, the systems came alive. The displays of the small vessel looked different from Sphinx’s, but not as much as I had expected.“Brace yourself,”Sphinx murmured. “I’m sending you the frequency of the Venom. The systems at Tartarus Base are still inaccessible, but your lovers escaped in Brendan’s ship. You can catch up with them.”
How did she even know that? Her consciousness had been suspended ever since we’d left Tartarus. She couldn’t have kept track of my lovers’ actions. I wanted to ask her about it, but she didn’t give me the chance. A wave of power flowed through the metallic floor, emanating from her and echoing into me.
All of a sudden, I knew everything she had told me I would. I knew how to pilot this machine. And I also knew what Sphinx was planning and why she wanted me to leave so quickly.
Tears filled my eyes and it took everything in my power to not protest, to not scream at her and tell her to stop this. But I remembered what she had told me all those months ago, when we had argued about me being too soft-hearted. She’d told me I needed a soul of steel, that without it, I wouldn’t survive Chimera Academy.
I wasn’t worried about my own survival, not anymore. I had something far more important to protect.
“I’ll see you again, Sphinx,” I promised. “Take care of yourself.”
“Of course,”she replied tightly.“Don’t worry.”
She was still standing there, holding onto King Philip, when I took off in the shuttle. I’d wanted to take him with me, because he could have come in handy as a prisoner. But Sphinx had already been on the edge and she wouldn’t have let me have him.
It was beside the point. As soon as I was out of harm’s way, in space, a heavy explosion erupted in the distance. The void that surrounded me kept me from hearing anything, but its strength still echoed into me, into my very soul.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to control my connection with Sphinx. I refused to shut it down completely like I had in the past, but I couldn’t leave it like this either, since I risked getting hurt in the process.
It was easier said than done, and I still felt the echoes of Sphinx’s destruction into my very core. But even as my vision blurred with tears, I could still feel her consciousness lingering, lurking at the back of my mind. I knew she’d survive this, in some form, as would all the others, and at the same time, I could feel her relief at having been freed from the shackles Brendan’s father had imprisoned them in.
It was not enough. I wanted them back. I wanted my family to be whole and safe. Furiously wiping my tears, I focused on piloting my vessel and headed toward the coordinates Sphinx had given me.
I could only hope my lovers would forgive me for having been unable to save their old friends.
Extreme Circumstances
Jared
When I’d left New Washington after I’d found out the truth about Tanya Renard, I hadn’t expected to return so quickly. At most, I’d believed that if I did come back, it would be to accompany Selene in a possible confrontation with her mother.
I definitely hadn’t expected having to come here to ask for help. But our list of allies was slim, and both Brendan and Archibald believed Tanya could be included in it. We couldn’t trust her, but we could at least rely on her to want to free Selene.
That was what brought me to the Temple of Gaia that day. This time, I didn’t bother with stealth. I didn’t think I could have hidden my presence anyway. After the effort I’d made taking out three groups of chimeras and transporting myself through space not just once, but twice, I was almost completely drained. Unless I approached the sun a little more or we followed Brendan’s insane plan, it would take me a little while to get my strength back.
The temple priestesses intercepted me in the courtyard, barring my entrance to the inner sanctum of the building. I shot the five young women an unimpressed look, knowing I could easily turn them to ash even in my current condition. “I want to see the High Priestess. It’s about her daughter and it’s urgent.”
One of the women took a step forward, glowering at me so fiercely I half-thought she was a Heliad. “And why would we approve such a request from a stranger? Whatever relationship you have with Selene, your business with the High Priestess can wait until we’ve verified your identity.”
They didn’t seem to realize my nature, which made sense. I didn’t look inhuman per se. I’d changed since I’d left the academy and had returned to the Apsid Quasar, but my Heliad body remained similar enough to a human that no one would deem me suspicious. If I hadn’t been male, the priestesses would’ve allowed me to pass without too much fuss.
In any case, I didn’t have time to truly explain the situation to them. Selene had been taken by Brendan’s father and whatever plans he had for her couldn’t be good. We had to stop him, at once. “I’m not asking for your permission. Get out of my way, or I will remove you.”
