by Eva Brandt
Beyond Cerberus’s shoulder, through the thick clouds of smoke, I spotted Scylla. My stomach turned as she grabbed a man with one of her tentacles, snapping his spine and instantly killing him. Once the stranger had stopped struggling, the tentacle dropped the man in the mouth of one of the wolf heads. At least she hadn’t eaten him alive, but that was a small mercy.
If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have thought this was all a horrible nightmare. But it was true. It had to be true, because my imagination could have never spawned something so horrific. The sharp scent of blood tinged the air, metallic and nauseating, mingling with the smoke and the fumes coming from Typhon. Screams echoed around me in a cacophonous symphony of grief and terror. At that moment, as I took in the horror of it all, I wanted to die.
The Grand Chimeras were killing people. This wasn’t a battle of any kind. It was a massacre, brutal and senseless violence, innocent families being trampled and destroyed by the overwhelming might of the monsters I loved.
I couldn’t see anymore. My vision was blurred with tears. How had I misjudged my lovers so badly? I’d been convinced that, despite their flaws, they had good intentions at heart. They’d been put in bad positions before, but they’d tried their best. Or so I’d thought.
I wanted to believe there was some kind of explanation, that some other force had taken over the Grand Chimeras. But in my heart, I knew it wasn’t true.
“Sphinx?” I tried anyway. “Tell me they’re not here, that the men I love aren’t the ones doing this.”
Trying to speak to her like this hurt, but it was worth it, because it got me my answer. “I wish I could say that, young Selene, but your males are inside the chimeras. They’re the ones piloting. But they have a good reason…”
I intended to hear her out, but that was when I saw her. That was when I saw Sphinx coming.
She was a little further away than the others, but she’d undoubtedly been present for the massacre too. She must have been in charge of a different part of the settlement.
A wave of clarity swept over me. She’d joined them because August wouldn’t have been able to come otherwise. He was the one piloting her right now.
The idea of August acting as her temporary tamer didn’t bother me. I wouldn’t have minded sharing Sphinx’s time with him, just like Pollux didn’t mind sharing Charybdis. But this wasn’t about me and Sphinx.
The blood of these people was on the hands—and claws—of my friends and lovers.
I had to stop it. There had already been a lot of deaths, but maybe, just maybe, if my lovers saw me, they’d still listen. Maybe I could still save at least a few of these innocents.
“No, Selene!” Sphinx shouted in my head. “Stop!”
I ignored her. It hurt to push her away, but I had to do it. I’d trusted her. I’d believed she was on my side, that I could rely on her to support me in my fight to change the world. I’d been a fool.
And maybe I still was, a little, because I couldn’t believe everything I’d shared with my lovers had been a lie. I’d touched their souls with mine. Our minds and bodies had been one. We’d made love so many times, and I’d sensed their honesty and dedication in every second we’d spent together.
“Was it really love?” a voice whispered at the back of my mind. “Half the time, when you’re together, they treat you like trash. You’re their slut. You might as well be selling your body in Tartarus City.”
I furiously shoved aside the thought. They hadn’t forced me into anything I hadn’t wanted or enjoyed. I couldn’t think that way. Even if they’d come here and killed all these people, that didn’t have to mean our connection was false.
My heart hammering, I rushed straight toward Typhon, dodging the people who were still trying to escape. “Stop!” I begged them. “Stop it now! Please!”
As expected, they didn’t hear me, not at first. Compared to Typhon, I was only a tiny, insignificant gnat, and dressed in these robes, I was unrecognizable. I jerked off my hood, but that didn’t help either. In the chaos the chimeras had unleashed upon Gaia’s Haven, one Terran woman looked just like any other, red hair or not.
Frustrated, I reached out and channeled the tachyon particles in the air, summoning them inside me. It was a bad idea, since I was risking tachyon overload. But right now, I didn’t care about the danger to myself. I had to give these people one more chance, even if I bought it at the expense of my own life.
The fire Cerberus had summoned started to diminish, swirling around me like an obedient snake. “Stop!” I cried out again.
This time, it worked. The Cerberus howled, and then went silent. Scylla dropped one of the men seconds before she could devour him. In front of me, Typhon went very still. “Hatchling? What are you doing here?”
I wanted to answer him. I wanted to tell him that was my line and they were the ones who needed to provide an explanation. But the fumes he emanated had grown so thick. My muscles ached. The tachyons in my veins suddenly felt like they were burning me, and I couldn’t control them any longer.
“Selene!” somebody screamed. I recognized the voice as Brendan’s. When had he opened the cockpit?
I tried to look for him, for any of them, but the fire around me had grown. It was an impenetrable wall, so tall I couldn’t even spot the Typhon anymore. I dropped to my knees and curled into a ball, wondering if this was the way I was going to die. How stupid. I’d had so many dreams, so many hopes and plans. I’d wanted to master my power so I could help my loved ones. I wouldn’t get the chance to do any of it now.
A tear trailed down my cheek and evaporated before it could hit the ground. “Why?” I asked, although no one could hear me. “Why did this happen?”
“Because the world is cruel, Selene,” a familiar voice answered. “And three-quarters of the time, nothing is black or white. You might think you know who your friends and your enemies are, but it’s all a lie.”
I cracked my eyes open again—when had I even closed them?—and looked up at the figure of Jared Glass. Wreathed in flame, he reminded me of the avenging angels I’d read about in one of those ancient books my mother had given me.
But he wasn’t an angel, or any kind of paranormal being. He was dead, yet another victim of The Grand Judiciary. I didn’t know why I was seeing him now of all times, but if I’d gotten this chance, I needed to say something, to tell him what I’d never managed when he’d been alive. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have died that way. I hoped I helped you with your mission.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You did. You helped me more than you know.” He knelt by my side and pulled me close. His skin smelled like ash and smoke, but I didn’t mind it. “It’s all right,” he whispered. “I’ve got you. You can rest now, my Selene.”
He leaned in and pressed his mouth to mine. The last thing that occurred to me was that his lips tasted awfully familiar, and then the world went black.
Stolen by Flame
Jar’yd
When I’d come to Terra, I’d known finding Selene would take time. Here in the depths of The Ural Mountains, I was safe from the reach of The Grand Judiciary, but also far away from her.
The settlement nearby had grown since the last time any of the Heliads had been here. A group of rebels had decided to settle down in what had once been the ruins of my home. It was no coincidence, but I had not approached.
I’d stayed underground, knowing none of them would be able to see me. Regular Terrans couldn’t perceive the light I emanated with the naked eye, so even if I was there, affecting the terrain, they’d walk right past me, none the wiser.
All that changed when I felt her. Selene. I knew she was here from the moment her foot first made contact with the ground.
She could feel me, hear my call and see my light. She needed me as much as I needed her. She hadn’t forgotten our kiss, the moments we’d shared on Mercury.
Compared to her intimate relationship with those bastards, those stolen seconds should have been meaningles
s. But they weren’t, because she could see me.
I didn’t know what had brought her here, but it could have been a million different things. Either way, it was a chance I couldn’t waste. I would steal them from those undeserving assholes if it was the last thing I did.
The Great Mother had already told me Selene was to be my female, that I was to breed her and make her mine. This was a sign. Helios was finally on my side.
My connection to Selene remained in place, although she didn’t completely understand it. It made her uncomfortable, and I made a mental note to ensure that problem was fixed, as soon as possible.
I’d have to break her bond with the Sphinx first, but it was doable, with the Great Mother’s help. Selene’s cooperation would be harder to secure. Or so I thought.
I didn’t expect everything to fall apart as spectacularly as it did.
The chimeras came out of nowhere. I should have felt them long before they landed, but I must have been distracted, because their attack took me by surprise. One moment, I was reveling in the knowledge of my imminent reunion with Selene, and the next, the ground started to shake. Everything turned into bright flame—and not in a good way.
Selene and her companions left the crag where I’d made my shelter. Unseen and unheard, I followed. She was too horrified and distracted to spot me and the others didn’t have the ability.
By the time we reached the village, at least half of Gaia’s Haven had already been destroyed. A pang of anger and sorrow rushed through me. Some things never changed and the forces of The Grand Judiciary had always been efficient in wiping out their foes.
Was this my fault? Had I accidentally drawn the government’s attention to this refuge? It was a possibility. And yet, the explanation didn’t quite fit. The Grand Chimera Unit had made no attempt to track me down, and they would’ve had a chance to do so through the specialized sensors of the mechas. The humans of Gaia’s Haven must have been their target.
I understood the reason when I saw Scylla start to eat. Ah. So that was the problem.
Grand chimeras weren’t built to exist in times of peace. Left without a regular food source of the Heliad variety, they’d been forced to turn to other expendable beings, Terrans.
This was probably not very pleasant for Prince Brendan and the rest of his team. I might hate him, but up to a point, I respected him. I knew this sort of attack wasn’t his style.
But at the end of the day, the chimeras took precedence over Terran life, and he’d made a choice to sacrifice these innocent people for the sake of his creatures.
It would’ve been hypocritical of me to claim I’d mourn these Terrans. I didn’t know them well enough to care about their lives. I experienced some fleeting regret over their fate, but nothing deeper than that. I had another, very serious problem and that was Selene.
As expected, Selene didn’t take the appearance of the Grand Chimera Unit well. For a few seconds, she stared, as if unable to believe what was happening. The grief she emanated was almost as bright as the sunlight that had birthed me anew.
Her lovers’ cruel action broke her heart and, because of that, I hated them even more than I already had.
When I saw the Sphinx in the distance, I flinched. It had been bad enough that the rest of her unit had come here to massacre these people. The fact that her chimera had joined in was an even bigger betrayal.
But Selene had never been a person to just stand by and watch. The moments of horrified shock passed and she rushed forward, disappearing into the crowd.
She must’ve done something, because the Sphinx jerked and dropped like a rock. The sight distracted me for a few seconds, and I paid a dire price.
She vanished in the chaos in front of us, swallowed by the smoke and death. If she was trying to communicate with her lovers in some way, I couldn’t hear her. Neither could anyone else.
Sphinx had known Selene was here, but she hadn’t gotten the chance to inform the others of her presence. If they’d known about it, they likely wouldn’t have continued their assault. Right now, they weren’t holding back, doubtlessly wanting to get this whole messy affair over with. But this wouldn’t be something they could sweep under the rug like they had with countless other attacks. The price they’d pay for their callousness would be high. It would be so easy for Selene to get herself killed like this.
As the poisonous green of Typhon’s toxic breath swept over the village, I tasted terror in my mouth and desperately followed Selene. Distant memories flashed through my mind, of a different time, when I’d lost other people to the chimeras—when The Grand Judiciary’s cruelty had killed me, my existence wiped away like it was nothing.
I hadn’t been the target of the attack that had ended my life, and I wasn’t the target today either. Even so, I didn’t care about myself. I cared about her. I’d been involved in plenty of operations since becoming a Heliad, and I was well aware that The Grand Judiciary’s disregard for life knew no bounds. If history repeated itself, despite everything I’d done to stop it, I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle it.
I desperately tried to find Selene, scanning the village for her unique presence. It didn’t take me long to spot her, but by then it was already too late.
A whirlwind of fire surrounded her, tachyon particles she’d summoned to her aid just so that she’d become visible to her lovers. “Stop!” she cried.
They stopped, as she had hoped, but it did nothing to help Selene. She was already beyond their aid. Blood trickled from her nose and ears, as crimson as her long, beautiful hair.
Selene’s fire blazed out of control. “Brendan!” I heard August Cavallero shout. “Help her! Absorb the tachyons!”
At one point, he’d emerged from the Sphinx and he was trying to make his way toward us on foot. He was too slow.
His advice was pretty useless too, since Cerberus, Scylla and Typhon were all trying to absorb the flame. For unknown reasons, they couldn’t. There was something anomalous about the blaze, a strange power the chimeras couldn’t fight off.
It was Gaia’s magic, twisted within Tartarus’s fire, entangled together like an unbreakable web of energy. It sapped everything and everyone of any ability they might have had to intervene.
“Selene!” Tanya Renard shouted from somewhere in front of me. “Control it. You can do this! Gaia is with you.”
Knox Alexander opened the cockpit of the Cerberus. “Selene! Don’t do this, beautiful.”
Pollux Donadieu emerged from his own mecha, looking as white as a ghost. “Selene, stay with us.”
The Typhon opened as well, and Brendan Chimera joined the rest of his team. The prince was notorious for ability to remain calm and emotionless even in the worst situations. There was no sign of that fabled composure now. He clutched the edges of the cockpit so tightly I expected him to snap his own fingers. “Princess, please!”
Under different circumstances, it would’ve been satisfying. He was panicking. They all were. Pollux in particular was taking it very poorly, which was unsurprising considering the loss of his sister. I’d have deemed it a well-deserved lesson, but I took no pleasure in this. At the end of the day, this wasn’t really about them, but about Selene.
She couldn’t hear them anymore. They couldn’t hear her either. I could, and I refused to allow her to get hurt.
She was so alone, so afraid, so lost. She didn’t want to die, but she had no way out. She’d been overwhelmed by everything that had happened to her lately—not just the attack on Gaia’s Haven, but also my presence and the effect my power had had on her.
I took one step forward, then another. They had yet to see me, but it would happen soon.
Somewhere beyond the wall of fire, Selene mourned the senseless losses in this battle. “Why did this have to happen?”
Why, indeed? It was a question I’d asked myself many times, when I’d been younger and had yet to grow accustomed to the hidden filth of our reality. I wasn’t that person anymore and I’d have liked for her to find out
the truth in a different, less brutal way.
But the world wasn’t so kind and my wishes had very rarely been fulfilled. That didn’t mean I’d just give up on her—on the dream I hadn’t realized was so important to me until the Great Mother had told me to follow it.
I was one man, and here, I didn’t have the power I wielded in space. On Mercury, when I’d been close to the sun, the star had fed my unique abilities and had allowed me to immobilize the two chimeras. On Terra, I didn’t have that advantage. But I was still a Heliad, and Selene was one person I wouldn’t lose.
She might hate me for everything I’d put her through at Chimera Academy, but she deserved better than to become a tool in the hands of The Grand Judiciary. I could protect her. I had to.
Plunging into that inferno after her was insanity since I couldn’t be sure what effect Gaia’s magic would have on me. But it was the only way.
“Great Mother,” I whispered to myself, “don’t abandon us.”
Fire blazed around me, as bright and blinding as the sun’s corona. Just like that, my presence became obvious to every single person in Gaia’s Haven.
“A Sun-Dweller!” one of the few survivors of the disaster cried.
“The apsid!” Typhon hissed in fury. “Hatchling, kill him!”
“Stop him!” Knox shouted. “He’s after Selene.”
They weren’t fast enough. I plunged into the flames, hoping and praying that Selene wouldn’t reject me and get us both killed.
She didn’t. For whatever reason, the power keeping everyone else away allowed me to pass. Maybe she instinctively knew that I wanted to help her. Or maybe she didn’t realize that, deep inside, I was just as dangerous as the men who’d disappointed her so badly.
Her question still hovered in the air between us. Why had this happened? It was the easiest question in the world, and yet, I ached when I replied. “Because the world is cruel, Selene. And three-quarters of the time, nothing is black or white. You might think you know who your friends and your enemies are, but it’s all a lie.”
