Chimera Academy The Complete Collection

by Eva Brandt

  Earlier

  “Are you sure about this, Zephyrus? I don’t know about you, but I don’t really think the other Harpies will be that happy to see me.”

  “Why? Because you’re an apsid?” Zephyrus snorted, although it sounded more like an irritated squawk. “That doesn’t matter.”

  “Doesn’t it? So many of you died in the war.”

  “And that’s not your responsibility. You weren’t even an apsid at the time. Or born, for that matter. And even if you had been, it was our choices that got us in this mess in the first place.”

  I sighed and leaned against the seat, trying to not feel suffocated by the belt around me. As far as I could tell, Zephyrus was being honest, but I’d deliberately sabotaged our bond throughout my stay at the academy. I could be wrong. Besides, Harpies were known to be vindictive. I couldn’t believe that she’d just let our past go.

  “And you’re not angry with me for what I did? For lying?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Zephyrus replied. “You were my tamer and you should have been honest with me. But even a Harpy isn’t petty enough to let that kind of resentment get in the way of more important things. You’re not the only one who wants to save their family, you know.”

  A wave of guilt swept over me as I understood what she meant. I’d been so busy worrying about myself, my fellow Heliads, and especially Selene that I hadn’t spared a thought to the Lower Chimera Unit. And that had maybe been understandable when I’d been trying to keep myself apart from the Harpies, but now that I’d turned to them for aid, it was a hypocritical stance to have.

  “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.”

  “Yes. But I can’t leave you.”

  “And I can’t leave Selene and the others. It’s fine. I’ll work something out.”

  I was already willing her to open the cockpit but she resisted. “There’s nothing to work out. You’re just one man, and an apsid at that. You’ll get caught. I’m staying.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” I said, echoing her earlier words. “If I get caught, so will you. And this isn’t your responsibility. It’s mine.”

  She’d already done her best to help me by conveying my message to the Grand Chimeras and through them, to Selene. Beyond that, I could ask no more of her. “You’re not asking,” she said, having obviously caught onto the thought. “I’m offering. Besides, I doubt there’s any weapon that can defeat a chimera.”

  She wasn’t nea
rly as sure as she was trying to sound. “You know that’s not true,” I told her. “Nothing is unbeatable. And if there’s something out there that’s scary for the Grand Chimeras, you have to be wary of it as well.”

  In the end, Zephyrus was forced to agree with me and released me from the cockpit without arguing with me further. By then, I had already started feeling more and more like something was very off.

  When I emerged from Zephyrus, I expected the sensors to start screaming like she had said. Nothing happened. The other Harpies in the Lower Chimera Unit remained silent and the hangars were dark. But that didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, I was even more concerned.

  Moving quickly, I rushed to the control panel and opened the hangar bay doors. From there, I trusted Zephyrus could save herself and her fellows.

  Or so I thought. The Harpies never did manage to rush out of the building. Their metallic limbs seized and they froze with their wings extended and their bodies glowing.

  A feeling of impending doom assaulted me and I turned toward the main door of the hangar. I should have been more surprised than I was when I watched King Philip walk inside.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t Jared Glass. I’d like to say I didn’t expect to see you here, but that would be a lie.”

  “Your Majesty,” I greeted him. My mind was working furiously as I wondered what his angle was. “I’m pleased to hear you say that. I was concerned you might be unaware of the reason why I left the way I did.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I know the reason, although it’s probably not whatever bullshit you’re planning to spout at me.”

  The profanity took me aback. I didn’t know the king all that well—in fact, I’d only seen him a couple of times throughout my stay at the academy—but he hadn’t struck me as the type of guy to casually swear.

  It wasn’t something I should have deemed too alarming, but somehow, I knew it was a bad sign. Either way, it was clear I couldn’t pretend to be just another human who’d staged his own death for the good of the dynasty.

  “So be it, Your Majesty. I won’t bother lying then. I’m all out of patience anyway and I have no interest in continuing…”

  I didn’t finish the phrase. Instead, I used it as a distraction, all the while summoning Helios to my aid. As far as I was concerned, the king had been foolish to start holding a speech instead of attacking me outright. I wouldn’t make the same mistake.

  Fire bloomed at my fingertips, almost as powerful as the energy emanated by a chimera. I knew better than to underestimate any member of the Chimera dynasty and was pretty sure the king must have members of his guard somewhere nearby. I had to take advantage of what little time I had at my disposal. Pooling as much power into my arm as I dared, I threw a tachyon blast at the king.

  No guards came and he made no move to dodge my attack. He didn’t need to. All of a sudden, Zephyrus was in front of me, taking the blast in his stead.

  A voice echoed in my head, distant, but very clear. “Run. Run, Jared.”

  But I didn’t run, not even when it was obvious that I needed to. The blank emptiness in Zephyrus’s eyes made my hackles rise. The king laughed, and on his cue, Zephyrus reached out to me, trying to catch me.

  I ducked, turning my photon manipulation skills into a speed boost. I already knew my chances of escape were slim. Zephyrus wasn’t the only chimera affected by whatever had caused her to turn on me. Her sisters blocked my path to the open hangar gate, their claws already glowing with Tartarus fire.

  This could be a problem. I wasn’t afraid of dying, as I was fairly confident Helios would bring me back. But if that happened, I’d lose my chance to track down Selene. It would take me forever to get back to the academy from the Apsid Quasar. By then, she might already be dead.

  Fortunately, King Philip didn’t deem me a threat and was intent on gloating and lording his success over me. He cleared his throat and, following the hidden command, Zephyrus picked him up and held him in her claw.

  It was a dangerous place to be in, but he showed no concern. Then again, maybe that was for a reason. I’d never seen a Harpy cradle anyone as carefully as Zephyrus did the king. What the fuck was going on?

  It must have been my lucky day, because the king decided to provide an answer to my questions himself. He produced a tablet from his jacket and caressed its edges, almost like it was a lover, not an object. “Do you know what this is?”

  “No, but I’m sure you’ll explain,” I replied, trying to hide how shaken I was.

  “It’s a special control tablet, containing the core of the very first chimera. You see, Mr. Glass, ever since chimeras have started working with us, we’ve noticed a mild problem. It just doesn’t seem right to give them such a large degree of independence. They’re tools, but even with the tamers involved, they can’t be fully relied on. They can disappear whenever you need them most. And so, we decided to take things a step further and squash their foolish rebellions before they even occur.”

  As ridiculous as I’d earlier deemed the king’s tendency toward rhetoric, I now found it very useful. “You and who else?” I asked, half because I needed to stall and half out of the genuine need to know.

  “The Weltons, of course. The alloy they invented helped quite a bit. It’s quite unfortunate that the girl had to go and disappear. Ah, well. I’m sure she’ll turn up. In pieces, if she has to.”

  If he was expecting me to show concern for Penelope Welton, I was about to seriously disappoint him. I owed her nothing. Without her, the others would have never shown up in the Apsid Quasar. I couldn’t say for sure if that would’ve been good or bad, since the confrontation with Brendan had reminded me what I really wanted for Selene. But by the same token, if I’d had more time at my disposal, I might have been able to protect Selene better.

  King Philip’s confession did draw my attention to something very important. First of all, I’d seen Brendan with a similar tablet while I’d been here as a student. It had a very particular, old-fashioned look, and even when we hadn’t been close, it had been an issue that had drawn my eye. I’d actually had tentative plans to steal it, but I’d never gotten the chance before I’d been forced to leave my post.

  Also, based on the king’s words, Paul Welton was supposed to be involved in this. And yet, he was nowhere to be seen. That was suspicious as fuck.

  The tablet. The Weltons. Selene and her mother. The chimeras and their tamers. Everything was a piece in a huge puzzle. I just couldn’t figure out the bigger picture yet, and I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  The Harpies were compromised. Based on what we’d heard earlier, so were the Grand Chimeras. Selene was presumably in the infirmary. I had to get there and get her out as soon as possible.

  Hoping and praying this would work, I summoned the powers of Helios to me again and allowed them to consume my flesh.

  Several of the Harpies tried to stop me, but they moved too slowly—far more than they should have. It only took me a couple of seconds to transform. They were the longest seconds of my life, but it was worth it.

  In the blink of an eye, I’d left my regular body behind and flashed past Zephyrus, past the king, out of the hangars. My mind burned with a single thought. The cluster of photons I’d turned into swept through the academy, heading toward the med bay.

  When I got there, dread swamped me, as potent as Helios’s gift. The door was ripped open, as if an overwhelming force had blasted through it. Blood and ash littered the floor. More chimeras popped up in my path, even less friendly than Zephyrus and the Harpies.

  But in my heart, I could not accept I was too late. Fuck it. Fuck everything. If I had to destroy myself to find Selene, so be it. Nobody would keep me from her, not ever again.

  * * *

  Wesley

  If there was one thing I’d learned throughout my lifetime, it was that losing a limb hurt. But there were other things that hurt more, and never had I been more aware of this than at that moment, when I had to face the remnants of
the Lower Chimera Unit.

  Standing there, in front of the Centaur Herd that was like a nightmare from the past, I clutched the bleeding stump where my hand had been and struggled to think. Even knowing how dangerous it was, I shut down the mental processes that registered the pain. The clarity I received in exchange was worth the possible permanent damage.

  Selene and Knox had made their escape through the back of the med bay. Pollux had been attacked while trying to help me, but his mother had intervened before he could get injured too badly. Prince Brendan was on his feet again, although I had no idea how he’d recovered so quickly from the original attack.

  This was the good news. Unfortunately, the bad news overwhelmed what little advantages we still had. My main concern was Prince Archibald, who was in no condition to fight off a chimera. And the Grand Chimera Unit wasn’t doing much better either. Like Archibald had said, there were consequences to being a chimera tamer and they’d started to show up more and more as of late.

  I should have seen it much sooner, when Brendan and Knox had started acting so weirdly. But I hadn’t and now it was too late.

  We had to face a swarm of angry Lower Chimeras with deteriorating, out of control skills.

  Well, I’d never let low chances of success stop me and I suspected the others felt the same. Now that Selene was gone, I could afford to take some risks.

  The Centaur Herd wasn’t open to conversation, but I decided to make an attempt, regardless. As our two groups clashed once again, I came face to face with a female Centaur. She lunged at me with just as much savagery as her male counterparts, and I knew the stories about her were true. “You’re making a mistake. We’re not your enemies.”

  “Oh, aren’t you?” the Centaurid—Hylonome—snarled. “I beg to differ. Every human is an obstacle in our path and needs to be squashed.”

  To point out what she meant, she tried to trample me under her glowing hooves. I ducked out of the way just in time. As Hylonome made contact with the spot where I’d been before, the metallic floor of the infirmary was carbonized. She wasn’t kidding around, but neither was I.