"There's no guarantee this will even work. Me using this highly volatile power to defeat one archon won't make a difference when there is an entire army of them."
"Then direct it at Paris and his guards." Silver says. "Take out everyone and reclaim your throne before more people get hurt."
"No. I won't do it. I can't."
"God, you are so fucking stubborn! How can you be king if you turn your back on the people who desperately need you?"
Troy glares at Silver as his hands ball into fists. "Shut up! I'm not doing it and that's final. Maybe it's best if this entire universe was destroyed. If this much pain and hatred can dwell here, then it shouldn't exist."
"Now you're starting to sound like Paris."
"Good. If that's what it takes to get my point across, then so be it."
"You're losing your mind."
"I think he already lost it." Blice says. "Troy, you need to sit down and try to clear your head. This emotional trauma is getting to you."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Blice says. "You are falling apart. You have been pushing down the agony you're in because you think you have to be strong. Don't listen to Silver. He means well, but he's a mental nutcase as well. Don't end up like him because you refuse to ever deal with your loss. It's perfectly normal to break down."
Silver sighs and touches Troy's arm. "He's right, you know? I have suffered so much because I wouldn't face losing Jayce for so long. A man can only be so strong until he breaks. If you break now, we all fall with you. Before you completely rule this plan out, please look at it from every angle and make a sound judgment based on facts, not personal morals. Sometimes morals can do more harm than good."
Blice tosses a pebble across the room where it bounces off the far wall. "While we are talking, I have something to tell you, Troy."
"Well? Go ahead and say it."
"You know how you have one more fight like the ones you've been doing then you fight against Paris's champion?"
"Yes."
"I . . . I'm the champion. For the final fight, you will face me."
"Really?" Troy asks.
"Yes."
"We'll do . . . something."
"Haven't you thought about how idiotic this entire thing is?" Blice asks. "Why do you try to fight when you know that you can't win?"
"I came here to get close to Paris and make a plan with you guys while this was going on. But it seems that no one has any plans after all."
"What about Hector?" Gabriel asks. "You signed that contract. He is obligated to fulfill his part of the agreement."
"I have no way to reach him. He could have already tried to do something and failed."
Silver doesn't look amused at the idea. "How can you trust that evil bastard? You saw what he did to Paris. This is his fault! His abuse is what first implanted that darkness in that little boy's heart. And what was this contract? What did you give him?"
"Nothing . . . yet."
"Hector wants nothing good or holy. Tell me. What is Hector taking from you?"
The words feel like steel wool in his mouth as he speaks them. "My firstborn son."
Silver punches the wall. "Oh, perfect. Do the math here, Troy. Connect the dots. You've solved nothing. Sure, Hector might help you get rid of Paris, but what happens ten years from now? Fifteen years from now? Twenty years from now? You will have helped make another Paris. Only the next one will be a hundred times worse. You know why? Because Paris knew love and happiness at one time. Imagine if Paris had grown up with Hector from infancy? Congratulations, Troy. You've sold your future son's soul to the devil."
"Don't get all self-righteous towards me, Silver. I did what I had to do at the time."
"What you had to do? And what do you have to show for it? Absolutely nothing! You complain so much about the possibility of harming children, but then you do this? You don't have the right to gamble with the lives of your children!"
"Oh, you're one to talk. Fine. I'll admit it. I gambled with my possible, not even born or conceived yet, son. But at least I don't have plans to abandon all of my children for ten years."
Silver growls. "Nice. Kick me where it hurts, Troy. Don't you think I realize that I messed up? Why don't you get off your high horse and stop beating a dead one? Everyone knows I completely screwed up as a father. I don't need you judging me for my failures. I've made amends with my children. At least now I can die knowing that Zodiac can go on living without hating me."
"No, he won't."
Silver turns to Gabriel. "Why do you say that?"
"I got a call from Mistress earlier. There was an attack on the guild headquarters in Pax by those damn metal archons. Zodiac sacrificed himself to save her. He's gone, Silver."
"No!" Troy runs to Gabriel and shakes him violently. "You're lying. That's not true. Blice, make him tell the truth."
"It is the truth, Troy."
"No, no, no! I hate you. I hate all of you!" He pommels Gabriel's chest with his fists as he screams and feels his defensive walls crumbling. "He can't be dead. He just can't be."
"What can you do about it? You think you're the only one who cared about him? Well I'm his father and I absolutely did care. Be a man and do something worthwhile like Zodiac did. Don't let his sacrifice be in vain."
Troy wipes his tears on the hem of his shirt. "You're right. Help me put my armor on. I'm ready to what I have to do."
"You're going to use your nanobots?" Gabriel asks hopefully.
"No. I'm going to attack Paris and let the guards kill me. I'm done. While you might have given up on him, your son was my best friend, Silver. I refuse to be king without him at my side. You three can bitch about it all you want, but I've decided my own fate. If I'm lucky, I've done enough good in my life to go to the Elysian Fields, but that place is reserved for the honored dead. I'm the farthest thing from being honored."
Silver scoffs. "You won't do it. You're too much of a coward."
"Watch me."
16
The hot sand blows around Mistress as she speeds across the desert on Zodiac's motorcycle towards Athens. Her tears have long ago dried in the blazing sunlight, but the memories are still very much alive and raw, like exposed nerves. She continues to ride as fast as she can go in order to get far away from the inferno where she lost the one man she completely loved since losing her fiancé many years ago.
Just when Mistress was able to finally open up to love, Zodiac was stripped from her life as well. She swears that his sacrifice will not be in vain. Checking her sensor on her arm, she calculates how long it will take her to reach Athens. It's nine in the morning and the fight starts in thirty minutes. This is cutting it way too close. Not only that, but she has no idea how she is going to infiltrate the city and make it past the guards without being detected. Of course, Paris knows who she is and will undoubtedly have her either arrested or killed on the spot.
That is a risk she has to take. Mistress clutches the small black box to her chest. Gabriel needs this button so she will do everything in her power to ensure that he gets it. This bloodbath must end and Paris must face justice for his crimes. Everything rides on Gabriel shutting down the metal archon army and everyone else banding together to defeat Paris.
That's one opponent who definitely fights outside his weight class. Paris is not a man to be trifled with. He has many talents in combat that he used to practice with the other agents in the guild hall. He is extremely talented in illusions and distractions, making him a tricky opponent for even the most seasoned fighter, like Silver.
The fate of the universe weighs heavily on Mistress's shoulders. All the rebel allies that had once pledged their support to this cause have either been mysteriously murdered in the middle of the night, or have pulled out due to fears of meeting the same fate. Her one contact who had managed to pose as a member of Paris's guard has been found dead with a snake bite to his neck.
At least Silver is still alive. Mistress doesn't know what she would do without h
im. They've been friends for many years. He has helped her through so many rough times and even though their relationship never became romantic, they certainly had something special. She knew an intimate part of Jarred Cunningham that very few people ever know exists.
It is surprising that Silver was able to see though Paris's trickery yesterday. There is no doubt how much he has been missing Jayce. Sometimes that longing can cause a person to lose sight of reality, but not Silver. He saw straight through that illusion.
Today's fight will either be with Gabriel or Blice. While she doesn't know much about the secretive Blice McSage, he has proven knowledgeable about many things including the archons and nanotechnology. After all, he is a dark matter manipulator. But will he be able to push past whatever damage those drugs have done to him and use his dark matter for good?
Slipping her large sunglasses on to help disguise her appearance, Mistress leaves the motorcycle behind a marble pillar a few yards from the coliseum. She checks to make sure Gabriel's button is hidden securely in the front of her shirt, between her breasts. Hopefully the guards aren't perverts. Here goes nothing.
* * *
Troy traces the engraved owl that he carved into the hilt of his gladius. If Athena is watching over him, now would be the time for her to make her presence known. What is he supposed to do? One option has the possibility of hurting these people right now. The other harms them in the long run. Troy needs all the wisdom and divine guidance he can get. What kind of king can't make a decision like this, one that should be easy? But Troy is coming to the realization that no decision is easy when other people are dependent on you to make the most beneficial decision all the time. He will have to get used to that if he is going to have any chance of being the leader this galaxy needs.
The magnitude of that sinks in deeply. He won't only rule Olympus, but the IGR as well. No Nymph king in history has ever ruled over that much. Both Nymphs and humans will look to him for guidance and decisions that will benefit both races equally. Humans need relationships and financial security whereas Nymphs value religion and culture beyond everything else. Nymphs have a greedy preoccupation with space travel and exploration. Humans develop technology in other areas like medicine and everyday gadgets that make daily life easier. Although Nymphs have a lifespan on average fifteen years longer than humans, both need proper healthcare and medical facilities. Maybe humans and Nymphs aren't so different after all. They can help each other and breed peace for the new future to come, rather than hatred and discord. Troy has never hated humans, but humans generally have a deep-seated avoidance for anything that did not originally come from Earth. Though, the most tolerant and compassionate man Troy has ever known is a human. If humans can be rated on a scale from one to ten like so many other things, Silver would be a ten. Sure, they have their differences and argue, but that man has a heart of pure gold.
Could that be what religion does for someone? Silver is one of the most devout people, to any religion, that Troy knows. Not necessarily devout in the way most people would view it, but on a different level. His beliefs have become part of his soul, not simply something he does. In a way, Silver embodies his beliefs. That is a quality Troy admires. No one can change Silver's opinions or make him question things. Even the few humans Troy has heard mention the old church doctrines of Silver's Earth religion that had generally not approved of his sexuality still had such high respect for his dedication to the faith.
That's who Troy wants to be. He wants to be someone others can admire and who can carry on despite anyone telling him he is wrong. That takes a unique kind of bravery that Troy wants badly. All of that can wait. It has to wait because gaining the throne and any form of lasting bravery is contingent on him winning this next fight and finding a way to kill Paris while not getting himself killed in the process.
Troy follows the guards up the ramp to the arena as he weighs his options once again. He almost decides to take the risk and remove the earrings, but then he steps out into the cheering sounds of the crowd of thousands of people. No. He can't do it. Even if he wanted to, he knows he couldn't watch all of these people die.
Today, Paris's strange clothing choice is surprisingly stranger than usual. His black cloak is covered with raven feathers and the black mesh over half his face is that of a funeral veil. He has very dark eyeliner and thick mascara that has already run down his cheeks as if he has been crying. "Welcome everyone to the arena! Today's fight will be to save the life of the archon you see chained in the glass box. His name is Gabriel. Gabriel is an angry man who apparently doesn't know how to smile. Do you want to know why he is in that completely sealed glass cage? So he can experience the opposite of flying. And what is the opposite of flying, you ask?" Paris snaps his fingers. "Drowning."
The water begins to fill the bottom of the glass cage as Gabriel pulls against the shackles binding his wrists to the corners of the box. Troy watches in horror as the water quickly rises above Gabriel's feet. "No! Paris, stop this. You're going to kill him."
"I know! That's the point, silly man."
"Where's the metal archon I'm supposed to fight? Bring him out here so I can try to save Gabriel. That's how this works, right? Hurry!"
"Not today, Troy. There has been a change of plans. Guards, bring her in."
Her? Troy turns around to see the woman in jean shorts with her long black hair in a ponytail being dragged into the middle of the arena with a gag in her mouth. "Mistress!"
"Yes . . . Mistress Cleopatra. My guards found her trying to sneak into the coliseum. I figured if she wanted to fight that badly, that I would help her get here. That's how kind I am. You'd better get to killing her, Troy. Gabriel doesn't have much longer."
It has never been in his nature or his training to kill women, but sometimes he has to do what is for the greater good. Troy draws his gladius and runs at Mistress. He has to do this. There are no excuses now. Without a second thought, he plunges his blade all the way through her stomach. Mistress coughs and falls forward, driving the blade deeper.
"No! What have you done?" Silver runs out from the side gate and catches Mistress in his arms. He wipes the blood from her mouth. "Cleo? Cleo, say something. Talk to me. Damn it! She's dead."
"Well, this is a surprise." Paris giggles and walks up to the glass cage where the water has risen above Gabriel's knees. "What are you doing out here, Silver? Where are my guards?"
He lays Mistress down on the ground and stands to face Paris. "They're dead. You let me keep my knife after yesterday like an idiot. I killed them all. Now, I'm going to kill you too!"
Gabriel hits his fists against the inside of the box. "The button! Get the button!"
Paris dashes over to Mistress's body and pulls the black button from inside her shirt. "You mean this button? Oh, Gabriel . . . you aren't very smart, are you? Now, how to destroy this thing?" He pulls out a dagger with a jeweled hilt from his cloak.
Troy can't let that happen. In a flash, he runs at him, but Paris is ready for him. He drops low, tripping Troy and wrapping his arm around Troy's waist. He twists his hand in Troy's hair and pulls his head back. Gabriel's button and Troy's gladius fall to the ground a few feet away.
Troy feels the razor edge of Paris's dagger pressed firmly against his throat. He watches the shadow on the ground as Silver grabs Paris from behind and secures him there with his combat knife on his throat. Paris giggles as he holds Troy in the same way.
Paris's breath is hot on the back of Troy's neck as he speaks softly. "Don't do anything stupid, Silver. If you slit my throat, I will slit Troy's throat as well. It seems we have gotten ourselves into a rather puzzling situation. Ouch! Not so rough, Silver."
Troy's breathing quickens as Paris's dagger draws a thin trickle of blood from his throat. "Silver . . . don't act hastily. Think about what you're doing. A country doesn't have a future without a king. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"
"That depends, Troy." Silver says. "Are you going to take the risk?"
; He has no choice now. "Yes. I'll take the risk. Dear Athena, don't let me die here."
"Fine. Paris, if I let you go, you have to let Troy go as well. If you try anything tricky, I will not hesitate to kill you. Then you won't be able to carry out your ultimate plan. On the count of three, we both let go and move away. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"One . . . two . . . three!" Silver releases Paris and takes a step backwards.
Paris drops Troy back into the dust. "What now?"
"We fight like men. No tricks, no magic, nothing but our bodies and our blades. Can you handle that, boy?"
"Boy?" Paris spins his dagger in his fingers as he skips around Silver, his eyes moving over his body. "Are you saying that a mere boy was able to dominate you?"
"You'd better hold that tongue of yours before I cut it out."
"You're so violent for a woman."
"Woman? And what could possibly make you think I'm a woman?"
"You moaned like a bitch when I had my way with you."
Troy pulls himself to his feet and watches what is transpiring in front of him. What is going on? Did yesterday have more of an effect on Silver than he previously thought? Or did what Paris did to him finally take its toll?
Silver is crying. He throws down his combat knife in the hot sand. "Is this what you wanted? Is this what you wanted to see? Tell me, Paris! No, I'm not always strong. The fact is . . . I'm weak. I struggle every single day to not drink myself into oblivion. I hate myself more than anything else in existence. What you did to me was inexcusable and unforgivable. Just because you were abused that way doesn't make it okay to do to other people. Then to make a joke out of it? You hurt me, you humiliated me, and made me endure something horrific. I would have rather you killed me right there than do that."
Paris grins darkly then starts laughing. His laughter grows louder until he doubles over and holds his stomach. "Oh my gods! You really are a woman. Listen to you complaining about how bad your life is. No one, literally no one, gives a damn. Is it your time of the month? Is that why you're so emotional? I can get you a tampon. I have absolutely no idea what they are, but I can get you one."
Paradise Forgotten Trilogy Page 57
