Rivers of Orion by Dana Kelly (a court of thorns and roses ebook free .TXT) đź“•
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- Author: Dana Kelly
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“I’ll get to that in a moment.” Ellylle returned to her reverie. “Of course, I was discouraged by the Council’s shortsightedness. As a sapling, I’d heard stories about the elder races. The Caretakers, the Stillness, and the Howling Legions of Thlu—beings of immense power that once savaged our galaxy. There are as many legends about how they were driven out of the Milky Way as there are starfaring nations, so I researched the matter. Exhaustively. It turns out they all got part of it right, but… My own research led me to just one conclusion.”
Faint static filled the air.
Reggie cleared his throat. “And that was?”
“Each of the elder races understood they were out of balance. In response, the Stillness now lingers in the places between galaxies. The Howling Legions of Thlu invaded the nightmare, while the Caretakers slipped into hibernation beyond the galactic plane.”
“Where else would they go?” asked Reggie.
“Mock me again, and I’ll mute you,” said Ellylle.
“I wasn’t…” Reggie drew a deep breath. “Please continue.”
“Since the Council effectively disavowed me, I decided to enlist the aid of the only other beings wise enough to understand the urgency of my mission—the Caretakers,” said Ellylle.
“Those guys in black,” said Reggie.
“Correct. We treated, and the Caretakers distributed my world seeds equally amongst their ziggurats,” said Ellylle. “On the eve of my conquest, as we planned the last of their fleet movements, I received word from the Forest of Worlds that the Council of Ormon had reconsidered my proposition. Seeing the need to restore the balance, they pledged the Beocrann Armada to my cause, and to ensure the success of the Caretakers.”
She swooshed gently. “Joyfully, blindly, I accepted their offer, but they tricked me. They lured me to the edge of a nightmare gate, where they ambushed me. They descended upon me and tore away my nightmare body. When they were done, they imprisoned me for treason, where I languished for centuries.”
“Fast forward to today, and now look at you,” said Reggie. “You’re their Prime Minister. Seems treason ought to preclude you from that pool of candidates.”
“Normally it would, but I’m the Eternal Vanam,” said Ellylle.
“You expect me to know what that is,” said Reggie.
“I’m trying to explain it! Listen, and don’t interrupt.” Her branches creaked and snapped. “Not until very recently did the Council admit how bad things had gotten under their watch, and only because my people rose up as one and demanded we take action. Unfortunately for them, the Council couldn’t decide on what to do about it. At such moments of impasse, it’s tradition for the Council to seek the leadership of a Vanam, a hero chosen by the people with absolute executive power during times of crisis. Overwhelmingly, my people voted for me.”
“Lucky you,” said Reggie.
“Luck had nothing to do with it,” said Ellylle. “The others who accompanied us on our extragalactic journey to the Caretakers’ resting place belonged to the Council of Ormon, the Forest of Worlds’ supreme ruling body. They pardoned me, and they installed me as the Eternal Vanam, as well as acting Prime Minister until my death, or until the balance has been restored. They also gave me command of the Beocrann Armada”
“What’s a beocrann?” asked Lomomu.
“I am beocrann,” said Ellylle.
“Why’d you bother hiring us if you’ve got command of an entire armada?” asked Reggie. “Seems like they’d be plenty happy to fly you wherever you want.”
“My armada is precisely where I need it to be,” she said.
“I’m sorry to pry, but it’s been eatin’ at me ever since it happened,” said Lomomu. “Why did you kill all your friends?”
“Ah, yes,” said Ellylle. “Some were my friends, but others were not. A better question would’ve been why I destroyed the Council of Ormon, and I will answer that. I destroyed them because they posed an existential threat to my agenda. Every day I mourn the passing of my friends, but I must do what’s needed to restore the balance. That’s what it means to be the Eternal Vanam.”
Silence followed. Lomomu’s throat bobbed. “I’m, uh, sorry you lost your nightmare body. That must be awful to be cut off like that.”
Ellylle laughed musically. “My dear Lomomu, I was only pruned. I’m hardly cut off. As my roots continue to spread, I feel connected to every binary across the whole of the Milky Way. I have an especially strong connection with a certain binary, though I doubt he knows it.” She hummed quietly for a moment. “He’s as powerful as me, but he’s young, and his potential is as yet unrealized. He’s drawn to me, as I am to him, and even now he influences his friends to look for me. One day soon our paths will cross, and the nations of the galaxy will tremble.”
“Hey,” said Reggie, and he tapped Lomomu’s mask. “Zella’s ready.”
“Excellent,” said Ellylle. “Do your part, gentlemen.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Reggie. He retrieved the digital paper and hurried to Zella’s side. Lomomu entered in each character exactly as Reggie read them off.
◆◆◆
Four days earlier on the countdown planet of Arsenal Bay, Shona and Malmoradan were heading back to Cherry Grove. They returned the buggy to its station and took the tram back to the residence tower. With heavy hearts, they prepared to show Casey the footage of the mound of discarded prosthetics…
Within the confines of Hector’s lobby, Casey listened to Malmoradan’s report. Shona fumbled with the camera for a moment before playing back the footage she had captured. Orin and Mike helped Nimbus over as everyone on Casey’s team gathered close to watch it.
“My god,” whispered Casey. “They processed everyone here and dumped anything that was artificial.”
“Even from what’s visible, I can see so many critical prostheses,” whispered Edison. “Ocular, pulmonary, cranial, cardiovascular, spinal…”
“I believe those are Hector’s legs on top of the pile,” said Mike.
“It almost feels like they’re sending us a warning,” said Orin.
“Judging by when he left, it’s possible Hector was the last one to arrive at the ziggurat,” said April. “If so, it stands to reason it
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