The crowd went wild. It felt like I was at a high school pep rally. I couldn’t be sure how many of the cheers were coming from Lost Herd members and how many were coming from the other herds, but one thing was for certain – all were pleased that there would no longer be a Lost Herd.
“I myself am a member of the Tak herd. Although there is much I do not know about the struggles our ancestors went through, I can tell you that we have had some generous benefactors for a very long time. The goddess Athena risked everything on our behalf, and we owe her a great debt.”
“There is a vacancy on the Centaur Council that has been vacant for too long. The head of the Tak herd will again join the other heads of families. I wish I had the opportunity to meet each of you in person, but I think even if I did, it would not change my selection to fill this vacancy.”
“My brother, Cameron, has proved himself a noble Centaur. I can think of no one else who would represent our family better.”
Cameron looked scared as he leaned in and whispered to me, “I’m not so sure about this.”
“I am." I turned back toward the crowd, so they could all hear me. "You will do our family proud. Athena believed you were important enough to all Centaurs to ensure you had your very own Guardian since birth. She was grooming you for this position before it was even possible for you to take it. I look forward to our years together on the Council.”
Cameron pulled me to him in a strong embrace. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” The crowd seemed to take my first selection without issue. Time for the second. “There is another vacancy that needs to be addressed.” I looked at Zandra’s clear blue eyes questioning me. I continued, “Zandra, you have given most of your life in service. If anyone has earned their retirement, it is you. During your tenure you held the Chairman position as well as the head of the Chiron herd. I will do the best job I am able to, but I don’t think I can do the job of two. Zethus, I would be privileged if you would represent the Chiron herd as the head of family on the Centaur Council.”
Zethus and Maggie both looked stunned. I couldn’t make up for forty years of Centaurs believing him to be a murderer, but I could make sure he got the chance to vindicate himself publicly. I wanted there to be no doubt of his innocence. Zandra leaned down over the raised platform and congratulated her brother. I felt like I was on a roll.
Cameron stepped down off of the raised platform, and he and Zethus shook hands for the first time. I returned my attention back to the awaiting crowd, “I’d like to tell you all a story.”
“I was raised as a human. When Mom died, I believed I was alone in the world. My best friend is the reason I survived those first few weeks after burying Mom. He is strong and noble, he’s brave and funny, and I wouldn’t be here right now without him.” My eyes scanned the room; Daniel promised me he would be here. It was a colossal deal when I insisted Katherine and Daniel both be invited to the ceremony, but people were learning quickly that there were certain things where I would not waver. Friends and family were one of those things worth digging my heels in for.
“Daniel? Are you here?”
The crowd parted as Daniel walked toward the podium with a curious look on his face. I hadn’t run this past him ahead of time. I glanced back at Drake, and he gave me a confident nod that what I was about to do was something that should have been done long before I was born. “You see, Daniel will always be my closest friend. Many of you look at him and call him human, but he is much more than that. His father is a pureblood and his mother is half Centaur. He was shunned by Centaur society his whole life, yet I owe my life to him.”
The Centaurs and Centaurides gathered around him smiled, and a few Centaurs patted Daniel’s back. “Does anyone in this room know a non-pureblood who has demonstrated their worthiness to be a part of our community?” Blank stares looked back at me. I had expected lots of Centaurs to stick their hands in the air in concurrence – none did. “Seriously? You all cut ties with your family members who started families with humans and never regretted they were gone from your lives?”
A British sounding Centauride stepped forward sheepishly. “I kept in touch with my brother. He started a family with a human.” She looked around as if embarrassed to share this revelation. “We were all on a picnic one afternoon watching a baseball game. A line drive was hit directly at my daughter. She had her back turned and didn’t see it coming. Neither my brother nor husband was watching, but my nephew moved as fast as any Centaur I’ve ever seen. He hurled himself in front of that ball and threw my daughter to the ground. That ball migh’ have killed her.” She looked to understanding eyes around her, “I don’t care what anyone says, that boy is my family.”
I was going out on a limb, but I hoped this Centauride would prove my point. “And does your nephew know about his Centaur ties?”
The Centauride looked right at me, her voice strong, “He does. He would never say a word, but his father had to explain to him why he couldn’t play high school sports with humans unless he pretended to be slower.”
Smiles and nods were speckled throughout the crowd when I asked, “Huh, that’s the same thing Centaur fathers have to tell their Centaur sons, right?”
Another Centauride I’d never met stood shoulder to shoulder with the first Centauride. “I’ve got an uncle who is a half-breed. He raised me when my own parents were in a car accident and left for the pasture. It was hard on him not being able to be a part of a herd and having to get used to our ways.”
Others in the crowd were thinking of non-pureblood relatives who had done something courageous – I knew because I could hear their thoughts. Riding the wave, I continued, “I believe any non-pureblood who demonstrates their worthiness should be welcomed into our family. A single drop of Centaur blood is sufficient if they carry the heart of a Warrior.”
A collective gasp sounded; Daniel’s louder than everyone’s. I heard Chiron's words from the mountain top echo in my head, "The loss of those family members who have been shunned is a far greater tragedy than any damage that could have been done by discovery.” I patted my hand over my heart, then pointed to Daniel. “You carry the heart of a warrior. You are welcome in our society. You belong with us.” I looked out into the crowd, "This is more than just my belief, Chiron told me he does not want any more Centaurs shunned just because their blood is mixed with humans. He called it a tragedy and it needs to stop now."
Jessica made her way through the crowd to Daniel’s side. She must have heard the same concerns I did floating through the minds of Centaurs and Centaurides throughout the room. “Chairman, some may fear the Centaur blood could become diluted and our powers could wane.”
Daniel looked into Jessica’s eyes, with hurt showing on his face. Was this why she wouldn’t run off with him when he had asked? Jessica made a good point, but there was something she and all the others needed to know.
I cleared my throat so my voice would ring out loud above the whispers in the room. “In some aspects, maybe – but in others, welcoming those we love back into our society will make us stronger. When Drake was on his way to the pasture, the magic I learned as a human kept him from leaving. Had I grown up believing my duty was to my race before my heart – I am sure he would be waiting for me in the pasture, instead of standing beside me right now.”
Many confused stares looked back at me, so I clarified, “Centaurs all over the world will be a stronger race if they are permitted to follow their hearts instead of blindly following traditions that were meant to preserve our race a millennia ago.”
I had come close to not having Drake in my life at all; I didn’t want another Centauride to have to overcome the same obstacles I had to. I didn’t relent, “The arranged marriages need to stop. There is something to be said for finding the right person, falling in love with them, and building a life together.”
I motioned to Drake standing behind me. “Drake and I met and fell in love despite everyone telling us it was forbidden.”
I turned and gazed down into Drake’s eyes, “But the heart wants what it wants. I almost lost Drake over a betrothal he didn’t want and a Blood Debt that was absurd. No Centauride will ever again be put in the same position I was. Ladies, as long as I have a say – you have a say. Gentlemen, the same goes for you: love who you want. You are not mindless, senseless warriors like our ancestors – you are free to be who you want to be.”
The smiles that had welcomed me after Zandra’s kind words were gone, replaced instead by gaping mouths and furrowed brows. All the pent up frustration I had felt since first learning of the antiquated Centaur rules continued rolling out of me, “Brent? Where are you? Tell everyone why I feel the way I do.”
Brent stood close to our family off to my right and his voice rang out clear, “I think you believe what you do because you saw me fall in love with a human.” Gasps sounded in all directions.
“Assuming you and Katherine decide to marry, do you believe your children will somehow be substandard?”
“No.”
“Assuming we both have children, would there be any value in keeping your children away from mine?”
“I can’t think of a reason, no.”
“Me either, Brent.” I looked out toward the crowd. “I’m not telling you that you have to give up all the traditions you believe in. What I am telling you is that there will be no repercussions if you choose to go your own way.”
A single set of hands clapped. Not in an applause sort of way, but a pompous sound – clapping slow and loud. The person clapping was in the very center of the warehouse. As Centaurs and Centaurides turned to see who was clapping, they moved away, scattering toward the walls of the warehouse. When my line of sight was clear, I studied the woman whose hands continued to clap. She wasn’t one of the Centaurs I had been introduced to. She was tall and thin, with a ghostly white complexion, long dark stringy hair. Her face was long, her nose narrow, and her eyes were set wide on her face.
“Bravo, young Chiron. Centuries of traditions flushed down the drain in a matter of minutes. What else would you like to do? Maybe you could play a trick on the gods for an encore?”
Unsure who I was addressing, I refused to waive in my stance. “I don’t believe we’ve met?”
Not another sound could be heard in the warehouse. Angelo broadcast his thoughts to me in high definition – he was laughing. I stole a glance in his direction. Angelo’s full attention was on the woman in the middle of the room; he looked thrilled.
The woman’s voice brought my attention back to him, “Ah, well, I would love to introduce myself to you, but I have been banned from this realm. Due entirely to your meddling, I might add.”
Banned from this realm? What else was out there that I didn’t know about? I took a step forward on the podium, angling myself in front of Zandra slightly. The nervousness in my voice that I heard when I first began speaking was gone. “It has been an exhausting few months; maybe you could tell me which meddling you are referring to so that I might know who you are.”
“That won’t be necessary, Chairman.” She dragged out the word “Chairman,” as if merely saying it gave her a bitter taste in her mouth. “We will not meet again.” Her arm drew an object from her side so rapidly my mind couldn’t process the movement to react. For a fraction of a second, I saw the dagger flying directly toward my head. The next second everything had changed.
The uninvited guest disappeared in a puff of smoke from where she stood, while her hand still hung in the air from releasing her weapon. Horror gripped me as a blur from behind shoved Zandra and me hard to the floor. I watched as a second blur emerged from the crowd, jumped high in the air in front of where I had stood: my brother Ben frozen in mid-air, as the dagger struck his heart, and he fell to the floor. Centaur Enforcers piled on top of Zandra and me in the same moment as other enforcers grabbed at the puff of smoke that used to be the woman in the middle of the room.
Screams shrieked as Centaurs pushed Centaurides to the concrete and protected them with their bodies. A bright light flashed behind me; Drake’s body morphed into a warrior a split second too late. He vaulted over the raised platform where Zandra and I were now sprawled out, the top of his tuxedo shirt, bow tie and jacket still intact as his massive horse body stood in the center of the warehouse where the enforcers stood grappling at the smoke.
“Let me up,” I demanded.
It was Cameron’s body that lay atop Zandra and me. When Cameron gently peeled himself off of us, an enforcer held out his hand to help me up. I pushed his hand away and sprung past him and onto the floor next to Ben. Blood flooded out of his chest. I gripped his hand, staring into his brown eyes with no idea what to say.
His voice rasped, “Best Chairman in Centaur history.” He coughed as blood spattered out of his mouth. “Will tell Angela. . . how incredible you are.” I held Ben’s hand as it went limp in mine, and he died on the cold cement floor.
I was paralyzed, kneeling beside Ben’s lifeless body. Ben thought of everyone before himself. He had stood up for Cassie when no one else would. He pleaded with me to make things better for Brent’s unborn children. Without hesitation, in his final act of bravery, Ben threw himself in front of the flying dagger to protect me. Gretchen shrieked from across the room, “Nooooooo!”
Gretchen’s pain erupted in the stunned warehouse. Her shrieks echoed off the metal walls. My family encircled Ben’s still warm body while I remained on the floor holding his hand. A gentle hand squeezed my shoulder. I turned, expecting to see Drake’s supportive hand on me, but it was Ben who comforted me. Gesturing to his body, he said, “You can let go. I’m not in there anymore.”
A flood of emotions washed over me. “Ben, I’m so sorry. I never meant for anything to happen to you.”
“This was my choice, Cami.”
I looked between his translucent figure standing behind me and his body lifeless on the floor. “Can you get back in? I can summon Athena, or Aphrodite, or someone – one of them will help. Ben, don’t go.”
“No. It’s too late for me, but it’s just the beginning for you. Take care of our family.”
Gretchen walked over and offered me her hand, pulling me upright. She turned and faced Ben’s spirit, “I’ve never been more proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you all again.” He turned and looked over his shoulder. “Tell Dad I love him.”
“I will.”
“Tell Brent I said to stop being such a wimp and to marry Katherine.”
Gretchen laughed as tears streamed down her cheeks, “Okay. I won’t paraphrase.”
“I’m not worried about Beau or Bruce, but if Bart doesn’t get picked, tell him I said he doesn’t have to go it alone. I would have been fine with a human wife, and I wouldn’t have thought I was settling. Tell him I said he has to make a life with someone who loves him, okay?” Gretchen was too overcome to do anything but nod.
Ben turned back toward me, “Don’t let anyone sway you. Keep thinking for yourself.”
Will stepped forward in between Gretchen and me. “Son, I know you’re still here. You kept our society from falling into chaos today. You will never be forgotten.” Will’s voice cracked, as his voice became barely more than a pained whisper, “I look forward to seeing you in the pasture.”
Ben glided toward Will, looked at me and said, “Tell him not to rush it. I’ll be waiting, but I don’t want either of them coming to see me any time soon.” Ben’s hand was translucent as he put his palm on Will’s face. “Bye, Dad.”
Ben began fading away, his hand still cradling Will’s face. He gave me one final look and said, “Tell Cassie I said goodbye, too, okay?”
“I’ll tell her.”
Ben faded away before my eyes, and I heard the echo of hooves on the pavement. All the Centaurides turned toward the sound of him galloping off to the pasture. Most had heard the exchange, and there were few dry eyes within ear shot.
Behind a crowd of enforcers just a few feet away stood Cassie. I hadn
’t seen her standing there. She blew a kiss in the direction of the sound of Ben galloping off. “Good-bye. I promise I’ll never forget you.”
Athena appeared with a crack, still wearing her body armor. She took in the scene as an anguished look overtook her. She strode over to me, “I am so sorry, Chairman. I got here as quickly as I could.”
Stunned at the turn of events, I could only ask, “What just happened?”
“Zeus found Eris and Ate. Both were banished from Mount Olympus and the human realm. Eris took a detour on her way to the underworld. Discord couldn't resist living up to her name one final time. I didn’t learn of her plan until it was too late.” She somberly reached down to Ben’s cheek, “Sleep well, brave warrior.”
Bitter rage spewed from me. “I want no more interference from the gods. The Centaur have sacrificed enough.”
Athena nodded solemnly. “I will lobby Zeus myself. You have my word that you will only see me again if you ask for my help. But Camille,” she paused looking around the room, focusing on my Uncle Angelo, “do not be reluctant to ask for help if you ever need it. I am no longer the Shepherd to the Lost Herd. I am the Shepherd to all Centaur; you have my word that I will protect you against all enemies for the remainder of my immortal life.”
I should be grateful, and in time, I’m certain I will feel indebted to the goddess who had risked everything for my race. The grief in this moment was all encompassing, and I refused to feel anything but the loss of a brother who willingly sacrificed himself so that I might live.
Drake eased beside me, taking my hand in his large one. “There is nothing more to be done; he is already in the pasture. Don't let his death be in vain. Celebrate his life and give the freedom he longed for to all of our kind. Be the Chairman he believed you to be.”
Drake was right. I bowed my head toward the goddess. “I am beholden to you. Thank you for all you have done.”
Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) Page 26