“Rio is she lying?” Marcus asks.
“No but she does have secrets,” he replies.
“I never said I didn’t” Chance retorts.
“Let her finish,” Jay says.
“As I was saying, the story is real. But at the same time, the story is untrue.”
“I don’t get it,” Miku says.
“Demetri and Isis did fall in love. They did have triplets and The Council did tempt Demetri with infinite power. What isn’t known is that the Amulet contained nothing. The Council had tricked Demetri.”
“Great, so this guy killed his three daughters for nothing,” Jay says, clearly disgusted.
“Demetri was a smart Demon. He was sure the Council would never give him that kind of power. Still he wanted to see what was inside. When he was finally able to open the Amulet, there was no power to be found.”
“So, even if the story was true, there’s nothing in the Amulet,” Marcus says, mostly to himself.
“Yes, but he was victorious in that he was able to open it.”
“He had to kill his daughters, how is that victory?” I ask.
“His daughters are alive and well.”
“How do you know?” Marcus asks.
“I am one of them,” she smiles sweetly and signals off to the side. Just then two other girls appear on the elevated platform. Aside from different hair styles, all three of them look exactly alike.
“This is my middle sister, Choice,” Chance says.
Choice’s shining silver hair frames her perfect face and cascades down her back. Judging from the smirk on her face, she is enjoying the attention as she takes her seat in the throne beside her sister.
“And this is my youngest sister, Charity.”
Charity is a carbon copy of her older sisters, except her silver hair is in a mass of shimmering, loose curls. She is biting her nails as she heads to her throne. She never looks up at us, only at the floor. Once they are all seated, Chance addresses us:
“We are the daughters of Isis and Demetri. As you can see, our father cast the Dy out of us safely. We will show you how to do the same for the one you love. The question, First Guardian is this: If we help you, will you help us?”
“I will give you anything,” Marcus vows, still shocked at the sight of the triplets.
Bemused, Chance answers him.
“No, Guardian. We don’t require anything
from you. We require everything.
”
CHAPTER SIX: ADAM CITY
“My father was worried that we weren’t born with wings. He thought maybe they would appear later. That was not the case. As the years went on, we simply never gained the ability to fly. My father was certain we were cursed by the Council for the actions he and my mother took.
“Than one day, he stumbled on to this area and was shocked to discover that his daughters weren’t the only ones who had powers but no wings. Thousands of beings were created the same way.
“It was then he uncovered the secret that the Council had been hiding: humans and Angels have been mating for several Cycles. Their offspring are Angel/Human hybrids called ‘Quo.’ The Council feared the Quos would put the world off balance. In addition, they didn’t want breeding between Angel and human to become common practice.
“So they cast the Quo people out here only miles from the violence and lawlessness of Terra. Our family is the only one to have had wingless children born of two winged beings. That made us much talked about. In addition, my father helped build the city and worked tirelessly on behalf of the Quo people.
“So when it came time to elect a leader, naturally they chose him. My father had a best friend and advisor. The advisor became known as the Godfather of Adam City. Together the two of them built a thriving place where outcasts were made to feel welcomed. They raised us to believe that even though the Council had deserted us, we were not worthless.
“They instilled in us the notion that we are only as limited as our minds. There is nowhere wings can take us that sheer determination cannot. Together they were strong, resourceful, intelligent beings. They lead us for many Cycles.
“The Council put a Trimeter at the entrance of Adam City. This was done long before our family came to live here. The Trimeter reads our DNA. No one who is Quo can leave Adam City. For years my father and Godfather tried to find a way to free us. It took them many Cycles, but finally they were able to combine the right mixture to fool the Trimeter. They poured the mixture into the Amulet for safekeeping, and planned on freeing the city the next day.
“Unfortunately, my father became seriously ill. We did all we could to tend to him. Godfather was beside himself with worry. The entire city prayed for their ruler’s health and well-being. But nothing worked. Soon, my father was stricken with a serious case of dementia.