Elara is apart of a group known as Etorus. They work directly under the Queen of their solar system, Myōkh, where certain people are gifted with talents relating to the planet they were born on.
In the capitol, Solaris, Etorus is informed that there...
Etorus walked silently to the library, not any of us having to say where we were going. I didn;t wait for the doors to close before falling into the large couch in the middle of the room. I could see Nyla daintily sit in an ornate chair before putting her hands to her face, obviously in shock.
Fuck, that was her first time reporting to The Queen. It's usually not that bad, I wanted to say to her. But I knew that it wouldn't matter anyway. As much as I hated to think it, it was good if she started to get used to it.
"Fuck." Astor voiced my thoughts.
"I didn't think this would escalate that quickly." Dakel responded, falling into a nearby chair. Emil was still standing but had a far off look in their eye.
I managed to sit up and address the group.
"Guys, this isn't any different than any of the other cases that we've had so far. Granted, this one is definitely that most high profile," I say Emil visible gulp.
"But, not the biggest. Remember the Vayle case? That was definitely worse." I tried to be optimistic.
"Elara," Emil started. "That was a group of people, not two whole fucking planets."
Then to themselves they said. "It's like Libertas all over again." My eyes immediately widened. That was why the trio of the longest members of Etorus were so spooked.
Four years ago, Etorus had another member. Her name was Ophel, she was originally from Wyheim and had a supposed strange ability of luck. Astor used to tell me about her when I asked. They were together, when she was still alive.
He never outright called it magic, but the stories he tells go beyond the world of ordinary. She would narrowly escape death with terrible odds and always hit her mark even though she could never see the target.
He even said that she was The Queen's favorite, and would spend time with her outside of Etorus missions.
But it apparently all went wrong when the group was sent to infiltrate and take down a rebellion that called themselves The Children of Libertas, named after the ancient Kås god of liberty and freedom.
Astor said that that day Ophel was off, like she had lost all of her luck. She missed every shot she took. She had the best of odds but still didn't make it out alive.
Apparently she had looked straight into the eyes of their leader as he stabbed her in the heart, blood trailing down the side of her chin and neck and said, "You think that this means you have won, but you're wrong. We can still both lose."
Then she used the last of the luck she had, somewhere deep inside of her she had hung onto a small bit.
No one had seen the land mine that was right next to the pair, except for Ophel. All she had to do was move her boot two inches to the left to set it off.
So she did.
Sometimes I get the strange feeling that Ophel is watching me, like an all-knowing being that is looking over my shoulder at every turn. I can almost hear her whisper. "You think this is bad? I fucking died for them. I will live on in their stories and memories. Will you?"
The words have never been said out loud, but I can tell that they compared the two of us. Sometimes I catch Astor looking at me when he thinks I'm not paying attention. Like he's known me for a lifetime, his eyes act as impossible weights on my shoulders.
I get thoughts some of the time. That the only reason Astor has feelings for me is because I'm the next best thing, the second best to the original. A close enough copy.
I'm silent as the rest of the group sits around. I don't dare say something that I'll only regret as soon as I say it. Even though Ophel's death was years ago, the trauma of seeing someone you deeply care for in such a horrific way is still fresh in their minds.
"Libertas?" Nyla asks. I suck in a breath. Up until now Nyla has been rewarded with every question she asks with answers. But not this one. Not this time.
"Nyla, have you seen the gardens yet? We should go before it gets too dark." I rush to say as I stand up and offer my arm, not allowing Nyla any way out of it.
"O... Okay." She says before accepting my arm and standing up as well. As the pair of us leave, I look to find Astor's eyes of thanks.
I may never know you like you think I should, but I understand you.
I just hope that it's enough.
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"I didn't think there were this many colors of roses!" Nyla exclaimed.
I scoffed. "That's because The Queen had hundreds of different shades made just for the gardens, that's part of the reason I wanted to show you. The gardens are pretty exclusive unless you're with the right people." I nudged her with my elbow and grinned.
She smiled back, but caught on to my wording.
"What is the other part?"
My smile subconsciously falls. "Yeah. Well, the trio has had lives that we haven't been a part of. Lives that should stay buried where they are."
"About 20 feet under?" Nyla looked unfazed as she spoke. Maybe she wasn't the innocent doctor I initially thought she was.
A small smile returned to my lips. "Let's settle on 50."
The two of us were able to walk in the comfortable silence, looking out onto the endless variations of color.
"How long do the roses go for?" Nyla waves to the distance, and the appearance of rose fields goes on forever.
"It's an illusion," I look at Nyla. "Just like the rest of the inner walls of Solaris." Surely she knew that, being raised on the sun.
She saw my expression, quickly putting her hands up in mock surrender. "I guess I wasn't sure. The queen could very well have fields and fields of flowers if she wanted."
I shrugged, It was hard to see what lengths The Queen wouldn't go to to get whatever luxury she wanted.
The two of us continued to walk on the gravel path, the tall rose bushes angling in towards us. I stop to examine a vibrant green flower in my palm.
I heard Nyla stop as well. "Is it true that Shara is as dangerous as everyone on Solaris says?" Her voice was quiet.
I dropped my hand, the rose now forgotten. "I don't know."
I hate when I have to say that. Because when you don't know, you can't prepare.
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🌠 Author's Note 🌠: Remember when I said that Astor and Elara were messy? Yeah, well I really meant it... Also Nyla is the literal sweetest! In my mind she's the most innocent out of Etorus. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!!
