“Fucking politicians…” Leta growled as the image of Elston flickered out.
Saying the man had been less than helpful was being generous.
Leta had begun by asking about what countermeasures would be taken against the Blessed and what they would be doing to hunt down the Gargoyle that took her mother.
Elston went on some long, drawn-out speech about other areas that needed protecting, then backtracked when she brought up the lack of safety for herself as their ‘Queen.’ Then the Governor would try to point out that she was healthy and safe in the Athens Sect and then backtracked again when she brought up that she’d been attacked on Sect property.
He’d say he didn’t have the men to spare to find her mother, then he turned around and said that finding her mother was his top priority when she questioned his sincerity to protect humanity.
The more he talked, the more she realized he reminded her of an infant unable to hold his head up on his neck, his head flopping this way and that as he went on and on as if her suggesting he do, his job was an insult.
In short, Atreus and Leta were finally able to drag out a promise of some reinforcements; a small contingent compromised of a Gladiator, Animal Herder, Archer, and a Messenger would be dispatched from , Albania.
Elston cautioned that, should there be an emergency in that region, the Albanian team would need to return. It was something that seemed trivial until the Governor also slipped in that he would recall them anyway once he’d secured at least two other Arisen to be stationed in Athens.
He sounded like he was being strong armed into the decision when he finally agreed that he would be ensuring communications were back open between the Sects.
After an hour or so of the back-and-forth exchange, Elston made up some excuse to drop out of the conversation, his hologram image dissolving into tiny light particles that faded from existence.
“How, in gods name, did that man get the job?” Leta grumbled, her head dropping as she gripped the edge of the table.
“Unfortunately, when the man comes to civil disputes, he’s very good.” Atreus sighed. He kept Bulgaria and Serbia from becoming a bloodbath during the Cold War, so he’s got a bit of clout.”
Leta’s brows furrowed in confusion at his offhand remark. “The man doesn’t look older than fifty. How could he have had a hand in anything happening during the Cold War?”
Atreus looked up to Allister with a raised brow as the giant put his hands up in surrender. “Donne’ look at me. This hasn’t come up yet.”Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Leta looked between them, her confusion turning into apprehension. “What hasn’t come up?”
Allister groaned as he ran one hand over his neck as if about to confess to eating the last cookie on the plate. “Well, lass. You know how we heal quickly, aye?”
“Yes…” Leta pulled the word out slowly as if she were trying to pry it free from syrup.
“Well, Arisen are… very healthy, let’s say. We get sick, and if we break a bone, it’s healed completely in a few days. After we Rise, our… aging slows down. A lot.”
Her frown deepened, hearing what he was saying but unwilling to believe it. “What do you mean by a lot?”
“It varies between the Arisen, but our best guesses are that we age about one year for every ten or so years that pass.”
She blinked in surprise, “What?”
“Allister, here’s over 300 years old, pushing 400,” Atreus remarked, his arms crossed as he leaned his hip against the hologram table as if they were discussing the weather.
“What!?” Leta’s raised voice echoed slightly off the stained glass as she looked at the giant Scotsman in shock. He didn’t look any older than his mid-fifties, his red hair only just showing a few strands of gray.
She remembered how Afra had said the Healer was ancient, but she looked like a lovely woman in her mid-seventies.
“Holy shit…”
“Died valiantly in battle, my body never returned home.” Allister nodded to himself with a smile as if he were pleased with himself. “The stomach wound I could have done without, but I donna regret it.”
“So, everyone here’s…”
“Old, aye, lass. At least in terms of Mundane life spans.”
Leta looked to Atreus, who shrugged. “ War for me.”
“Holy shit!” Leta’s expertise was Mesopotamian cultures, but she was pretty sure the War wrapped up around 1791.
“It’s not immortally.” Allister was quick to remind her, “Just a long existence. Losing your head is a sure way to go, and you can still bleed to death if you get seriously injured.”
“There’s always one new Arisen that wants to test it, though.” Atreus sighed, then frowned, “However, from my reports, you might be fine if you did. Kudela said that you healed extremely fast, even for an Arisen.”
“Crowns are built a bit differently.” Allister shrugged.
Leta winced before taking a deep breath.
She needed to rip the band aid off and tell them the truth.
Keeping this secret was becoming too dangerous, and her parents had paid the price.
If she’d told everyone up front that she wasn’t a Crown, maybe things would have been different.
She opened her mouth when a thought crossed her mind that had her muscles freezing in panic.
The Golden Rule.
The rule that killed any Arisen that exposed their true nature to humans.
What did that mean for her?
She hadn’t been shy with showing her powers to the Arisen,
While she’d been able to use her abilities in front of her parents without repercussions, did that extend to the Arisen?
Everything she had done had been unnatural to the Arisen but explained away as a Crown ability.
Talking about the nanites was a different matter. If she came out and talked about the System, would that trigger the rule?
The Atlantians had kept the humans in the dark for literally thousands of years, reigning as gods and happy to be treated as such.
She didn’t think the ancient architects of the System, who’d engineered their machines with such a deadly fail safe, wouldn’t have taken her System into consideration as well.
What limitations were put on her in order to keep the Atlantian secrets?
‘Gada?’ She was almost hesitant to ask the machine.