Page 66 of Destinies of Diamond
“All right, guys. We need to take a step back and reassess this. We aren’t getting anywhere.”
They all turned toward me, eyeing me with clear suspicion. “I don’t see how this is any of your business, Sir,” Knox said with a sharp smile. “You’re only here out of loyalty to the true crown, not because you care about us.”
Pointing out that I did care about them—or at least about Selene—would have been really stupid, so I didn’t. The Grand Chimera tamers were jealous enough of Jared and suspicious of me. It was better to be practical and hope that Selene would listen.
“I think my loyalties are beside the point here. We all share the same goal. We want to bring down The Grand Judiciary. And we can’t do that if we’re constantly arguing, with each other and with the Great Mother.”
“Commander Trevor, with all due respect, this is none of your affair,” Brendan snapped at me. “Our problems are related to our relationship and you have no right to interfere.”
“I beg to differ. Your relationship is affecting your actions and has been doing so ever since Acting Pilot Renard joined the academy. You understand the Great Mother’s suggestion is dangerous, but what you can’t seem to grasp is that it’s just as dangerous to keep going the way you have been until now. You’re sick, Your Highness. You need to stop pretending, or it might get you all killed.”
“You don’t even know what happened, what any of us did,” Jared answered with a bitter smile.
“I don’t have to know anything. What matters is what you know. And I assume, what Selene thinks about this whole situation. Unless, that is, you think her opinion doesn’t matter either.”
It was a bit of a low blow since I knew for a fact that they did care about her opinion. But if I wanted to push them, there was nothing I could use except this—except her.
Selene didn’t seem to mind. She hummed thoughtfully, scanning her lovers’ faces with eyes that could have very well held the same skills mine did.
“Does it? Does anything?”
“What do you mean, Selene?” Pollux asked slowly.
“Does my opinion matter?”
“Of course it does,” August argued. “How could it not? You’re so important to us. Surely, you must know that.”
“I do,” she replied. “I mean… You’ve fought for me, defended me, loved me. But I can’t help but feel…” She rubbed her chest, as if there was an ache there she couldn’t reach. “Maybe everything we did was a huge mistake. All my decisions, all my determination… Where did it lead us?”
“None of this is your fault, Selene,” Jared replied. “You tried your best. If anything, I’m the one you should blame for most of this mess.”
“I could do that, yes, but that would be lazy and selfish. Look, Commander Trevor isn’t wrong. We have to leave aside our dispute. And the last time we came here, we made each other a promise. We said we would try to set everything aside. We haven’t made much progress since then, but it seems stupid to not try.”
There was something she wasn’t saying, a secret knowledge I saw on all of their faces. I heard it even if they refused to acknowledge it.Before it’s too late.
It was very possible that at least one of them would die in the imminent conflict with The Grand Judiciary. They were sick and they’d lost their chimeras. The only real advantage they had was Selene, but Brendan didn’t want to use her, because it was too dangerous.
I couldn’t encourage them. I couldn’t tell them to not give up hope. There was something in my heart that burned and refused to let me say the words. Instead, I said, “You have a little time. Make good use of it.”
As silence fell over the room, I turned on my heel and left. They were right about one thing. I didn’t belong here and I couldn’t help them fix their broken relationship.
I found refuge outside, in one of the plazas. As I sat down on a bench, the Heliads gave me space, probably sensing I was upset.
It wasn’t just the Grand Chimera tamers I was frustrated with. I had issues too, and I still couldn’t understand my feelings for Selene Renard.
The Great Mother showed up out of nowhere and plopped down next to me on the bench. “You worry too much, Wesley Trevor,” she said. “I promise you things will become clearer in time.”
“Do you always talk in riddles?” I asked her, too tired to remain respectful.
“Of course,” she replied with a light laugh. “For what it’s worth, I can tell you this. Feelings aren’t always what we think they are. Sometimes, they’re just meant to guide us in the right direction.”
“That might be true, but they’re not helping me a lot.”
“They are. You just don’t realize it yet.” The Great Mother took my hand and squeezed it. “Don’t be afraid, Wesley. Your path is difficult to tread, but you’ll find your answers in time. Believe in yourself. Your future is out there, waiting for you. You just have to fight for it.”
Looking into her unfathomable eyes, I felt a secret knowledge stir at the back of my mind. “Thank you… Gerema.”
She smiled at me, and the weight of my confusion dissipated a little. I was still worried about my future, about everything we’d have to do. I still wondered if we were strong enough to face The Grand Judiciary. But at the same time, I had faith. Somehow, we’d get by. We just had to.
