Praetorian Rising, стр. 50

Her heart fluttered madly to change directions, to comprehend Vesyon's explanation, but it was slow, trudging work.

"LeMarc never wanted to destroy the Chimera virus. He was the distributor. He used Praetorians to remove those that would challenge his right to retain power. It was never his intention to protect the people and give them a future of growth and rebuilding. His desire has always been to rule not just Aspera but all five shores, all Kingdoms. He was going to use us Praetorians to make his desire a reality. The Chimera virus was a means to an end. Instill fear in your subjects, and they will follow you blindly without question."

"This tyranny can't continue," she stated simply.

Vesyon smiled slightly, a ghostlike action that dwindled away as quickly as it surfaced. Everything about the conversation ripped at Camille's conscience, and her hands gripped tight to Vesyon's as the past threatened to take over again. She focused on the image of their fingers intertwined and the strange reassurance she felt in running her thumb in a small circle over his knuckles. She wasn't alone in her struggle to push the past away; she could hear the depth of pain in his voice as he spoke. She wasn't the only one to experience something horrible that long-ago night. Vesyon was battling his own swarm of demons.

"The Chimera and Charlie Town, how do they fit in with this rebellion?" Camille questioned.

Vesyon took another deep breath and leaned his head against hers. It felt comfortable and secure, unlike the storm of nerves and emotion that bloomed in her stomach when Theo got too close. She didn't back away but instead embraced it.

"In following LeMarc's orders, you discovered the truth of his plan, the lies and deceit he'd spread. The rebellion began because you allowed us to see the ugly truth of his intentions.  LeMarc has never been, nor will he ever be for the people. His actions are to further his agenda, nothing more."

Camille rolled this new information around, filling in the gaps of her memory with facts instead of shifting flashes. It helped her regain some control over the raw red welts of pain inflicted on her overly sensitive emotions.

"Camille—you have to understand what it is we're dealing with. LeMarc demands power, control, and he's convinced he has the divine right to rule the five shores and the five Kingdoms within them. He singlehandedly destroyed more than half of Aspera's population to gain balance over those against his rule and those willing to fight for his cause. The problem has never been his determination to grow his power, it was that he murdered hundreds of innocents to achieve it, and no one was willing to step forward and accuse him of his crimes. Fear has run this kingdom for far too long and it's time we fight to take it back."

Vesyon readjusted his shoulders, causing Camille to lift her head. Their faces were a breath apart as his stare glided from her eyes to her hair, and finally her lips. He leaned in close, so close that she could smell the rich musk of his skin, the salty cedar, smoky tobacco, and sweet pine. His forehead connected with hers in a light tap of needed contact before he pulled away, grabbing his pipe and putting significant distance between them.

He prepped the pipe end again, appearing desperate for a reason not to look at her as he spoke. "Fear is what kept Asperians blind to the truth," he went on. "They didn't want to see what was truly there, and they didn't want to fight an enemy who'd cause more pain and destruction."

He seemed flustered and agitated, but she wasn't sure if it stemmed from what he was telling her or because of the intimacy they'd just shared. For some reason, she didn't feel troubled or uncomfortable, only intrigued by the difference in how his closeness affected her compared to the riot of emotion Theo caused.

"When LeMarc realized our intentions after the fall of Charlie Town, he spread the rumor that Praetorians were dangerous. The slaughter was blamed on uncontrollable anger, a symptom of being a Praetorian: blood rage. Of course, it's ridiculous," Vesyon snorted in annoyance. "We knew LeMarc forced you to kill those innocent people. But unfortunately, Praetorians aren't immune to human emotion, and when something like grief, anger, or love is strong, it can be crippling to the point of insanity."

"Praetorians feel emotion differently?"

Again, Vesyon smirked, his glance slicing back up to her face to assess her features as though trying to figure her out. "It's not my expertise, but from what I understand it's a chemical imbalance within our Praetorian system. We don't feel it differently, just more intensely. The Praetorian virus we were given when chosen by the High King stripped our brains of specific regulating hormones, so we have no controlled base level of emotion. When we're sad, we're crippled with depression, when we're happy, we're ecstatic, and when we're angry, we're filled with rage. We're taught to accept and handle these emotions in our preliminary training when becoming a Praetorian, but there's always a breaking point. Somehow, LeMarc was able to find yours."

"Which was what?" Camille asked, uncertain of whether Vesyon would tell her.

His grey eyes found hers, the depths brimming with wariness before he spoke. "Your mother," he said, glancing away toward the misty treetops. "He told you your mother had been murdered by a riot in Charlie Town."

Camille's insides coiled sharply at his mention of a woman she couldn't remember, a face she couldn't place. "Everything that happened in Charlie Town was a reaction to extreme emotion?"

"Not necessarily," Vesyon said with a sharp shake of his head. "You would've been able to control basic emotional turmoil, but you were compromised. You should've never been allowed to go to Charlie Town alone in search of your mother, and LeMarc knew this. He used the absence