The Zodiacs

62. Elimination Match

Asarte looked between the older Zodiacs who had come to the conclusion on their own, offering no input to any of the others because they sensed the urgency in the matters. She didn't dare object, knowing it was the lives of dozens of people who rested on their requirement to do what was necessary.

"We leave at dawn," Tau announced, finally seeming to seize his role as their eldest now that circumstance required him to. "It's the week of the Sed Festival, meaning the capitol will be occupied with preparing for the celebration just enough to allow us to slip in. One we're in, we'll find a residence to remain hidden in until the day of the celebration when Chione will help us safely move past the Pharaohian guards and enter the palace."

Aharon spoke up from his place beside Suma on the stone table. "Then what are we going to do? Celebrate the Pharaoh's health with the royalty and hope that, once he sees our lack of malintention, he'll pardon us for being born stronger than him?"

Tau didn't offer any reaction to Aharon's unkind tone, answering the question at the same time Chione did. "We will get our families out of there before he has the chance to kill any of them the next day."

But the princess didn't seem to share the same understanding with the Taurus as everybody had expected. "We kill the King."

Everyone's eyes immediately flew to her, including Tau's. "What?" He spoke in baffled shock, unsure when that idea had been introduced into the plan. The oldest Zodiac furrowed his eyebrows at her words. "When was- no, nevermind, we're not doing that."

"I think it's a good idea," Suma mumbled.

He quickly turned to her, pointing his index finger to silence any encouragement she was giving the Capricorn. "No," he stated clearly.

"Why not?" Aharon shrugged with his arms crossed over his chest from beside the girl who pressed her lips together at Tau's rejection. "The Pharaoh will only come after us and our families if we just run. I say we kill the tyrant, too; get rid of him once and for all."

"And if we fail? That'll only make it more impossible to save our families," Keket answered with a tone inferring that her point was merely a voice of common sense.

"I think it's worth a shot," Seth spoke up from his place beside the wall, lazily leaning back against the solid surface. He threw one arm into the air as if to hurrah at the idea with lazy encouragement. He raised his voice into an optimistic shout, "Let's kill that son of a-."

Tau turned to glare at the boy. "Seth," he interrupted him before he could continue on with the language the oldest continuously tried to shield Asarte from. Seth grumbled, glancing over at the young girl who looked between them innocently, not understanding what it was that made Tau silence Seth and easily convinced the albino not to go on. "The Pharaoh can't hurt any of us if he has nobody to threaten us with."

"He always has somebody," Omari spoke up after listening intently to the conversation that he was apparently also included in. All the Zodiacs turned to him as he sat up, an instinctive reaction to all the attention he'd been taught to hold as a Knight --the Knight he no longer was. "Don't take your families out, he'll kill them. Take your families out, he'll find somebody else to kill."

Aharon shrugged, not seeming fazed by the idea. "That's none of our business."

"That's prejudiced," Lotus answered, addressing the fire sign for the first time since they'd broken apart by the mountain side. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow as if he was doubting that it was him who she was speaking to, but Lotus only continued to speak. "Just because they are our families, doesn't mean their lives are worth more than those of others," she reasoned.