by Eva Brandt
She didn’t smile when she saw us. Instead, she nodded, greeting us with a coldness that made me ache inside. “Thank you for coming to see me,” she said. “I know it couldn’t have been easy.”
“The alternative was much worse,” I replied. “We’re so sorry, Selene. We shouldn’t have acted the way we did.”
“I don’t think you’re sorry about what you did, but more about me finding out. But that’s okay. I don’t… I don’t think I blame you as much for it as I used to. Gaia only knows I have my own faults. It’s not like I’m entitled to throw stones.”
“I don’t think anything you did can compare to their actions, Selene,” Jared chastised her. “Don’t beat yourself up just because you want to give them a second chance.”
I wanted to punch him in the face, to tell him to shut the fuck up. But at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to argue with him. He wasn’t wrong. We hadn’t done anything to earn her forgiveness, but it was in her character to discard our actions out of kindness and love. The problem was that we’d come to take that for granted. If we hadn’t, maybe we wouldn’t be here in the first place. Maybe we’d have trusted her more and through that, made sure she wouldn’t be in Gaia’s Haven during the attack. Or better yet, we could have pooled our resources and found a different way, something that didn’t involve us killing innocent people.
We’d done none of that, and now it was too late to take it all back. But despite it, I was still just as selfish as I’d always been and I still craved her like a chimera craved blood and fire. “Selene, you’re right to be angry. We did some pretty horrible things. We had a good reason for it. We needed the power of human lives to bring Charybdis back. But I don’t blame you for finding it repulsive anyway.”
“I don’t think it’s repulsive,” Selene answered. “It’s just… painful.” Her lips twisted, but that wasn’t a smile either, not really. “I’m such a horrible person, you know. I think I wouldn’t have minded it at all if you’d told me about it beforehand, if you had explained. How can I make something like this about me?”
“Because it is about you,” Knox pointed out. “Everything we do is about you. Surely, you must know that by now, Selene.”
She glanced at him, torn and wretched. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but the Great Mother pressed a hand to her shoulder, stopping her. “Before we go any further, I’m afraid I have to intervene. You’re all probably wondering why we decided to bring young Selene here and keep her with us. Well, it’s quite simple. She’s been chosen as Jar’yd’s mate and the future mother of his children.”
What the fuck? On some level, I’d feared something like this would happen, but I hadn’t expected this woman to dump it on us like that. And I would’ve never blamed Selene for what Jared had done to her, but a child was another thing entirely, a real complication that could do a lot of damage both to her as a person and to us, as a unit.
Knox’s eyes started glowing, the air around him blurring as the beast inside him threatened to come out. This time, Brendan was too distracted to calm him down. “Chosen by whom?” he gritted out. “As far as I know, she had no such plans.”
An aura of tachyon emissions bloomed around August, and I could taste his fury in my mouth, in everything that I was. “We’d just brought up the possibility of having a family with her,” August continued, “and she explicitly told me she had no intention of taking such a step anytime soon.”
“I’m aware of that,” the Great Mother replied without missing a beat. “But things change every day, and our decisions affect the plans and lives of our loved ones. You made a choice when you attacked those innocent Terrans. That doesn’t come without consequences.”
“We’re aware of it,” Brendan shot back, “but we also know it has nothing to do with the relationship between Jared and Selene. If any of you have a problem with us, that’s fine, but don’t use it as an excuse to hurt her.”
“Oh, the last thing I want is to hurt her. We’ve welcomed her on Eos, given her a new home at a very difficult time in her life. We can offer her the answers and acceptance she’d never find on Terra.”
Fury surged through me, as hot and all-consuming as the sun. “Somehow, I don’t think all those gifts will come for free. Tell me, is that the same offer you made my sister? Is that why she left everything and everyone she knew behind?”
“More or less, yes,” the Great Mother replied. “But can you really blame her? She died a horrible death at your parents’ hands. Why would she want to come back to Terra?”
She’d died? How did that even work? She was right there, in front of me, alive and well. Was it an apsid skill? If so, it might explain why our enemies hadn’t really reacted when we’d attacked the other crystallized units. If they could regenerate or be reborn, anything we did was just a minor inconvenience.
But if that was the case, why hadn’t the apsids destroyed Terra by now? A constantly regenerating species would be next to unbeatable, if only because they had an endless supply of soldiers at their disposal. They could have thrown battalion after battalion of crystallized units at us, chipping at our defenses, eliminating us one by one. They might have taken heavy losses in the process, but it wouldn’t have mattered.
“It would have mattered,” the Great Mother said, obviously catching onto my thoughts, “because of your chimeras.”
Ah. I could see where she was going with this now. If chimeras consumed apsids like they’d eaten the Terrans in Gaia’s Haven, the aliens would likely not be able to heal or come back to life. All of a sudden, the invitation to come here no longer looked like such a good thing.
“Don’t worry about me, Pollux,” Scylla said. “If they do attempt to kill us, they’ll only be able to destroy our metallic shells. I think that’s the whole problem and why they’re having so much trouble facing us.”
“You could be right, Scylla, but we’re not on our own turf anymore. Who knows what these people are capable of doing in a singularity?”
I shot a glance at my sister, wondering if Stella could provide us with clearer answers. She looked back at me, meeting my eyes without flinching.
I hadn’t told her I didn’t blame her for her choice. I wanted to. I wanted to tell her so many things, to clear the air between us at least a little. But when our gazes locked, a sudden knowledge invaded my mind.
I turned toward Jared, finally knowing what I needed to do. “In the name of the Grand Chimera Unit, I challenge you and yours to a trial by fire. You’ve stolen a valued member of our team and that trespass cannot go unpunished.”
Jared’s ice-blue eyes flashed with sharp anger. “I accept your challenge. I will fight you.”
I was more than ready to wipe the floor with him, to crush him from the inside out. Brendan refused to allow it. “No,” he said, taking a step forward. “You will fight me. I am the one responsible for Selene, and for all of this. If it has to end in a battle, it’s better for it to be just between the two of us.”
He was trying to protect Stella, and perhaps keep me and August from having to face my sister. I appreciated it more than I could ever say. And maybe Jared acknowledged this necessity too, because he agreed.
“Very well. Let’s fight then, Your Highness. But be advised. This time, I won’t be holding back.”
Brendan grinned, and just like that, all signs of his previous calm demeanor vanished. “I’m counting on it.”
Shit.
The Agreement
Brendan
I’d never been a very emotional person. Self-preservation had forced me into a routine of constant discipline and the weight of my mother’s death had never truly disappeared. But there were things that surpassed my noble goals and my necessity to survive. My relationship with Selene was one of them.
I’d failed her. This lying asshole had used her in the worst way, taken advantage of her grief and forced himself on her. For that, he had to pay.
Honestly, I’d never wanted to kill anyone more, not eve
n my father, my uncle, or Paul Welton.
It was a minor miracle I was given the chance to try, and not just because we were in the presence of apsid royalty. Knox was hovering on the edge of beastly insanity. He hadn’t taken the news of Selene’s possible pregnancy well. The Great Mother hadn’t actually told us if she’d accomplished her goal, but based on Knox’s reaction, I could make some educated guesses. His senses had always been more acute than those of a regular human being and he could see things we did not.
But Knox still held back, respecting my position even now, at such a difficult time. I hated myself a little for claiming Jared’s death and denying Knox his revenge. I’d have to compensate him in some way later.
For the moment, securing Selene took precedence. As far as I could tell, she still cared about us and she wasn’t completely averse to coming back to us. She still saw Terra as her homeland. If I could remove Jared, we might have a chance at taking her back.
I was actually unsure on how this whole trial by fire business worked. Pollux was the one who’d mentioned it, but I suspected he’d only found out about it just now, perhaps from his sister. Either way, I was grateful when the Great Mother was kind enough to explain a little. “The purpose of this challenge is simple—to prove yourselves to Helios. Whoever wins is allowed to make any request of the loser. The only exception involves treason against the Heliad Empire and Helios. You are allowed to attempt to kill each other if you prefer, in which case the winner will make the request to the person closest to their opponent. I will stand for Jar’yd. Prince Brendan, who will stand for you?”
“My second-in-command, Knox Alexander. If for whatever reason, he is unavailable, August Cavallero.”
I was tempted to pick Typhon, but he was a chimera and I wasn’t sure our bond would be respected here. The presence of Pollux’s sister made things very difficult for him. August had known and cared about Stella too, but if Knox lost it, he’d be able to do some damage control.
Of course, as far as I was concerned, their involvement wouldn’t be necessary at all, because I would win. There was simply no other acceptable option. We had to get Selene back, and this unexpected opportunity had landed in my lap. I wouldn’t waste it.
I knew better than to underestimate Jared, though. He’d said he wouldn’t be holding back and I could see that was more than an empty boast. I couldn’t rely on my past experience in fighting him. He wasn’t human, and whenever we’d sparred, he’d either lost on purpose or had been unable to access his apsid abilities. This time, he wouldn’t have that problem.
Jared’s team took several steps back, giving him room. Knox, Pollux, and August mimicked them, although they didn’t look all that thrilled. Meanwhile, the Great Mother pulled Selene away, back toward the throne.
The gesture was almost symbolic and I’d never been more aware of how close we were to ultimate disaster. I didn’t let it get to me. Instead of staring at Selene like an idiot, I focused solely on my opponent.
Silence fell over the spire. In the past, Jared had always been a vocal fighter, often throwing derisive comments at whoever was unlucky enough to run into him. He didn’t seem inclined to say anything now. We just looked at one another, each of us waiting for our respective opponent to make a move.
It took everything in my power to not lose my patience. I craved the taste of his blood almost as much as I desired Selene’s heart and body. But taking stupid risks wouldn’t win me this battle. If I got restless or cocky, I might lose this chance Pollux had bought for us.
At last, Jared took a deep breath. His uniform vanished in shards of light, and fire licked over his now exposed skin. It reminded me a little of the crystallized apsid unit, and it was obviously not good news.
“For what it’s worth, Your Highness, I didn’t want things to be this way,” he said. “You shouldn’t have pushed me. Selene shouldn’t have had to see this. But I have no choice now and neither do you.”
As soon as he finished the sentence, he lunged forward. I blinked, and suddenly, he was right in front of me, his hands alight with vengeful flame.
If I hadn’t trained in tachyon manipulation since before puberty, he’d have probably killed me on the spot. But no matter how fast he was, he was still slower than tachyons. And Tartarus only knew that after sparring with Knox so many times, I was used to fighting fast, strong men.
I didn’t see him coming, and yet, I did. Dancing to the side, I avoided his first attack. I made a grab for his arm, but he jumped back at the last moment, and I ended up missing him.
I didn’t let that deter me. Taking advantage of the fact that he was off balance, I pounced on him, tackling him to the ground.
After that, everything turned into chaos and pain. Making contact with Jared was dangerous and I’d known it from the moment I’d chosen to attack him like this. Wherever our bodies touched, my skin was scorched off.
But I was not alone, and not new at handling such pain. Typhon was with me, and even if he couldn’t physically help me in battle, his gifts never abandoned me.
My wounds healed as soon as Jared made them. My burns vanished, and my skin grew back. The end result was very painful for me, since my newly formed cells and nerve endings weren’t accustomed to taking that much of a beating. I endured it anyway, because it was worth it.
The stench of burnt flesh filled the air, but it combined with another scent. Green fumes emerged from my pores, surrounding Jared in a poisonous cocoon.
According to Typhon, his fumes could kill anything and anyone. Naturally, the toxins I emitted weren’t as potent, but that was fine. After what had happened in Gaia’s Haven, I had no desire to use Typhon’s skill anywhere near Selene.
My fumes weren’t as dangerous, and they wouldn’t reach Selene or harm her. But they would harm Jared. Maybe he wouldn’t die from it, but an induced paralysis was just as good, if not better.
It was a painstaking, agonizing process. At first, my efforts seemed to have no effect. Jared’s fire regenerated him, just like Typhon’s gift did to me. The constant pain I was in didn’t help, and at one point, he almost pinned me down.
But I kept fighting, even when things started to look bad. And finally, Jared’s light began to dim. The fire was being extinguished, suffocated by my fumes. Encouraged, I finally dared to assault him with tachyon manipulation. I’d avoided that method before, since the amount of energy he was channeling could have easily crippled me. Now, I had an opening and a better chance. Forcing him down, I clutched his shoulder as tightly as I could, reached for my core, and pulled.
Jared started making choking noises. Somewhere to my right, I heard one of his men let out a low cry. It sounded like a muffled curse word. I took it as a good sign, but didn’t lower my guard.
The heat between Jared and me increased as he tried to destroy me. It was a good thing my fumes weren’t flammable, because otherwise, we would have blown each other up ten times by now.
Jared headbutted me in the face, but even then, I didn’t stop. Unfortunately, the move did give him a minor advantage and he managed to shove me off. He was far weaker than he’d been before, but he pressed me down, squeezing my windpipe in a tight hold.
Spots started dancing in front of my eyes. My vision darkened, and then cleared again. My body fought him with everything it had.
At the back of my mind, I could feel Typhon’s anxiety and desire to intervene. “No, you can’t,” I told him. “This is just between me and him. If anyone else steps in, it’ll be an all-out battle. Selene will be in danger and I have no doubt that we’ll lose.”
“That’s the only reason why I haven’t already eaten that bastard,” Typhon replied. “Come on, hatchling. Get up. You can beat him.”
At this rate, it would be down to which of us could suffocate his opponent first. I was confident that it would be me, since my ability to heal was stronger than his and Typhon could, in theory, keep me functioning even when I had small amounts of oxygen in my lungs.
Jared’s hol
d on me started to loosen, his muscles going slack. I was considering the merits of attacking him with a tachyon blast when it happened. A familiar voice sliced through the air, reaching me through my haze of anger, pain, and determination. “Stop. Please, Brendan, stop. Jared, don’t do this.”
Still trapped in Jared’s hold, I couldn’t say anything. I wished I could have explained, told her why this was necessary. But I could not, and my failure burned me as sharply as Jared’s flame.
To make matters worse, Jared was far more coherent and able to communicate than I was. “There’s no other way, Selene,” he said, his voice husky and raw because of the fumes. “We have to end it.”
Selene let out a heavy sigh. “I agree. We do.”
The next thing I knew, a bright purple power surrounded us and pulled us apart. It was gentle, but determined, and it walled us in, keeping us from reaching each other again. I got up on my haunches and tentatively poked the shield with a miniature tachyon blast. No reaction. The purple shield didn’t even flicker.
I could have tried again, but I refrained and turned to face Selene. “Princess?”
Selene crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at me. “Would you look at that? It’s over now. And guess what? I’ve won the trial by fire, and so, the two of you will have to do what I say.”
“The challenge doesn’t really work like that,” Jared offered, his voice thick with apprehension. He obviously didn’t want to upset her, but he wasn’t willing to abandon the battle either. “One of the two fighters needs to win and decide.”
“It’s fine, Jar’yd,” the Great Mother intervened. “Yes, this approach is a little unusual, but we could make an exception, this time around. Tell us, young Selene. What do you want?”
