Chapter 17
The Kill (Bury Me)
Aquarius stand outside, on the balcony and look out and down toward the town. It is dark, and Aquarius can see that every shop and venue is shut down for the night. She shifts uncomfortable, and the heavy breeze throws her hair back, away from her face.
She doesn't have to turn around to feel Nyla approaching her from behind. "What are you doing?" The Queen questions. She rubs her hands up and down her arm to keep heat there. "It's freezing." She says, before blowing heat into her hand.
Nyla frown and stand next to Aquarius. She looks out toward the town also and smiles. "We have come so far." She chooses to say. "The people are happy and The Four will bring back the Lost Children."
The wind blows again, softly this time. You can hear the trees dancing and the wind whistling. It is peaceful, but Aquarius is paranoid. As if she is reading her mind Nyla chooses to speak again, "I know you're worried about Calista." She pauses. Nyla is still trying to adapt to the fact that Aquarius loves another.
Paperwork keeps her busy but during times like this, her huge chambers can become lonely. There is silence between them and Nyla gives up and figures it is best to stop talking altogether. However, she tries one last time. "Will you come to bed with me?"
This gets her a reaction. More of a body movement than words. Aquarius turns her shoulder slightly and her fingers flex uncomfortable. Nyla sigh. "Just until Calista return. Standing here will not bring her back faster."
Aquarius yields.
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After the blackness of night, the sun-fire ignites to bring warmth to the creation and inspires people to rise and seek opportunity and beauty within. Aquarius rises gradually her body feeling sluggish. She forces her hand around the bed to feel for Nyla but there is no one there. She squeezes her eyes shut and forces them open.
The room is spinning and Aquarius bend over and releases last night meal onto the floor. She groans and buries her face into the pillow. "Nyla." She grunts. "Nyla." She calls again before falling onto the floor.
She drags her body to the bathroom and pulls herself up and onto the counter. She swipes her hand and pills begin to fall everywhere. She blinks her eyes several times and grabs the purple jar. She tosses three pills back and lays back onto the cold floor. Her heart begins to accelerate aggressively against her chest.
Aquarius eyes widen, and she can feel her powers returning, flowing through her veins. She lifts and a nearby explosion catches her attention.
She's been poison.
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Multiple flashes break out, lifting and spreading the incandescent fierce gasses, and then a great gush of flames rises. The next blast of flame, in an adjacent pattern, comes nearly ten thousand feet into the air blocking the sun and great rags of fire, changes from red to violet and back through the spectrum to red again.
Aquarius watches from the balcony, sadness in her bones. Suddenly, her dread turns into anger as she overhears the town below her scream in agony and pain.
Erik and Felix come into the room. "Aquarius." They call. "We are being attacked by Sir and his followers. I'm afraid to tell you that we have been betrayed by several from the inside."
Aquarius clenches her jaw. Everything was a set up from the beginning. There was never any Lost Children, to begin with. Sir followers wanted them to be distracted and if possible, they wanted The Four to be away in the dead zone and then, a perfect time to attack.
