We ended our walk in a small room populated by only a couple of chairs, a trunk for storage, and a small mat for sleeping. Sitting in the chairs were two human-dragon chimeras. The first was a female with sea blue scales and golden hair, the other a male with light-brown hair and red scales. Both were dressed in the neutral-colored draping robes we'd seen adorning most chimeras here. They were bending over something. They looked up to observe us as we entered, and I was given a full view of their bundle. A tiny baby chimera slept peacefully in her arms. She quickly drew her bundle back, blocking us from view.
With the first bit of warmth I'd heard from him, Augustus said, "It's alright. This is the prince and princess of the Dragon and Phoenix kingdoms. They came to bless her." He pointed at Sera and Aeolus, respectively.
The two chimeras had a quick, silent conversation before the women spoke. "Really?" She croaked, looking at Sera and Aeolus. Sera and Aeolus were speechless.
"Really," Augustus confirmed, "Aquila mentioned it to them." She was truly a holder of power here, and her name was a magic word that instantly relaxed them and brightened the entire room. Radiant smiles crossed the couple's faces, all suspicion and concern dropping from their posture. The woman tilted her baby, shifting her forward and showing off her face. Unlike most chimeras, though the infant had an occasional scale decorating its face, the skin around it was not scarred nor painful looking. Rather, all the extra appendages blended together naturally.
The mother gestured us over to take a closer look, "Her name is Mariana." She said gently, a look of utter adoration on her face. Her finger trailed along Mariana's face.
Perhaps recognizing our collective confusion, her husband explained. "I was from the Dragon Kingdom, and my wife was from the Phoenix kingdom. With our bodies as they are, we never thought we'd be able to get her blessed in the bi-annual processions. For our beloved daughter to be blessed by both of you–it's a dream come true!"
"Originally from?" Aeolus asked, unreadable.
The man replied hesitantly. "Yes…" He trailed off, looking nervously at Aeolus and Sera, who hadn't so much as twitched.
Stiffly, Aeolus was the first to give her his blessing. He stepped forward, raising a hand in the child's direction. "May your daughter know no sadness, may she encounter no poverty, and may she feel no harm." He dropped his hand, then stepped back.
Expecting more than a ritual blessing, I was disappointed and felt my spark of excitement die. The reverse was true for the couple, whose joy shone even brighter after Aeolus's blessing.
Sera stepped forward next. Making the same hand motion as Aeolus, she stated, "May you be blessed with limitless wealth, boundless joy, and perfect health," before stepping back as well. The couple thanked them profusely, either blatantly unaware of Sera and Aeolus' mood or blatantly ignoring it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed blood dripping from beneath Augustus' clenched fist and onto the cold stone floor. Our eyes met, and he glared, unclenching his fist. I turned away. Task complete, Augustus motioned for us to leave, nearly prying the stone Sera and Aeolus from the couple's enthusiasm.
The mood was dark and contemplative as we winded back down our path. As there were no chairs and everyone else was standing, I leaned against a wall to listen.
Once we were all settled, she asked Augustus, "Is it done?'
"It is, milady."
Pleased, she turned back towards us. "Very well. I shall begin with your 'disappearances.' As you may know, after the chimera attack on the Sea Serpent Kingdom, their King convinced everyone his 'traitorous' mage, Servius, was the source of all their problems. He summoned Servius' apprentice, Hilarius, in order to 'repair the relations between kingdoms.' A summons was sent to the remaining chimeras. Hilarius was supposedly there to help keep my brethren in line and prevent us 'mindless beasts' from attacking the general public.
"In actuality, however, Hilarius has been raising a new chimera army of his own, recruiting volunteers to be turned into chimeras, luring them with promises of increased strength and vitality.
"Many of us residing here originated in the Dragon or Phoenix kingdoms and have no desire to leave and live in the Sea Serpent Kingdom. Servius controlled us, turning us into mindless puppets. We do not trust that his king was as uninvolved as he claims.
"Chimeras, who claimed to have been healed by him, begged us to send severely injured or ill individuals his way. Many of my people ended up convinced by them, claiming that even if they lie and we will be used again, life as a chimera is better than no life at all. Ultimately, I agreed with them and designated a team of chimeras tasked with making an offer to the severely injured, the poor, the disabled, and the ill people. Most of your screams are from shock as the public encounters us."
Distrust was evident on everyone's face.
"Most?" Sera asked. Aquila sighed.
"Some of my more desperate chimeras have been leaving against orders to conduct supply raids on your farms. As you might imagine, keeping our community fed is difficult." Her robe shifted, revealing the muscle underneath, and I wondered if the muscle was visible because she was fit or because she ate so little she had no fat.
"And then," she continued, "there are those who wish revenge for their fallen brethren. I promise we don't allow unprovoked attacks on innocents, but it is difficult to weed these chimeras out of our midst until they've already caused harm. For that, I am sorry." Sincerity lined her body and her words. I couldn't help but recall how closed-mouthed many in the city had been on this subject, the lack of fat I had attributed to physical labor but now believed to be starvation, and Augustus' reactions and wondered if perhaps what she was saying was true. From the reactions around me, the others did not have the same thought process. Luckily, they weren't stupid enough to throw accusations about chimeras while in a den of them, and they politely, although reluctantly, thanked Aquila for her time and for the information.
"I have one additional piece of information for you before you go. It pertains to you, Princess Seraphina. Chimeras are being kidnapped by your royal military, Augustus' brother among them. We would be forever in your debt if you could give us any information regarding them."
An angry flush adorned Sera's face. "You wish for me to spy on my father?"
Aquila was unphased. "No, princess. I wish for you to help us discover the fate of Augustus' brother."
"My father is a good man."
"I've often found that the kindness of a 'good man' only applies to those they see as people. I can't help but wonder if your father even perceives us as people." She leaned over to leer at Sera. "You still didn't. Like father, like daughter, I imagine."
Sera shook, face reddening with restrained rage. She and Helia protested at the same time
"They would never–" "We would never–"
Aquila cut them off, her own rage a fire beneath her words, manifesting itself as an angry, flickering ring of fire burning in her eyes and dripping from her wings "You think of us as mindless beasts."
"We didn't know–" Sera protested.
"No, you didn't ask." Aquila spat.