Tribe by Jeremy Robinson

Author:Jeremy Robinson [Robinson, Jeremy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Breakneck Media
Published: 2019-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

30

“This is so boring!” Henry said, pacing amongst the bodies. “And you guys smell like shit. Like literal shit.”

He’d already perused Helen’s entire collection. Being part of such an epic heritage thrilled him, but the feeling didn’t last long. Compared to the rest of the previous day and night, his ancestry was far less exciting.

He yawned. Eyes heavy. His body wanted sleep, but his mind craved action, and his spirit desired battle. “I’m a Spartan,” he told himself, willing energy into his muscles. “I don’t need to sleep.”

It was a lie. He knew it. He’d slept all his life, and whatever part of his DNA could be traced back to Zeus was still dormant. Or partially dormant. Something like that. He was still human. Not yet a demigod. So…he yawned again.

His thoughts drifted to the hammock. He would have preferred a bed, but if it was good enough for a woman accustomed to the best life had to offer, he could probably deal.

Still, he fought it.

Leonidas wouldn’t have given in so easily, he thought. He swung the kopis, which he had yet to put down. Saw himself in slow motion, fighting off waves of Persians at Thermopylae.

I should have been there. He swelled with pride. Someday, people might make a movie about his story. About the overwhelming odds he’d faced and overcome.

But not alone, his subconscious whispered.

“Shut up,” he said. The sword whooshed through the air. Part of him recognized that his attacks lacked form and skill. Instinct guided him, but he was more like a Viking berserker than a highly skilled Spartan Hoplite. He imagined that some of the most famous Vikings must have been his ancestors, too. He didn’t see any in the bedroom museum, but Helen had to have other homes, and other collections.

She’ll train me, he decided, after I’m a demigod.

He tried to imagine what he would do with his life. Would he live forever, as Helen had? Would he inherit her wealth and power? He envisioned a life of mansions, half naked women, and battles with the Culus, or anyone else who got in his way.

You sound like a bad guy, the small voice said, and this time it even sounded like Sarah.

“Bite me,” he said, but a building guilt lingered.

Of course, he had lied to her.

Of course, he had sent her away.

He knew it was wrong. Knew that she might even be more deserving than he was. But there was nothing to stop him from making that choice. It would be better for her, he reasoned. She didn’t like the killing.

You shouldn’t like killing, he heard her say.

“She couldn’t handle the killing,” he said to his reflection in the window. Beyond his face in reverse, Boston glowed with life. The city felt different. Smaller. Afraid. But also alive with greater possibilities.

If demigods were real, so were the gods that gave birth to them, and maybe even all the other legends. Who knows what else was out there, waiting for him?

Thinking about the possibilities gave new life to his impatience.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.