18. Callum #2
“Elion has been frequenting the Temple of the Eternal every morning and night since the two of you began scouting Solis Quarter, waiting for a word—the next set of instructions from Aeternus.”
“And?” I prompted.
“And Aeternus has spoken.” Eleana’s tone was more somber at the statement.
“Well,” Axel grumbled as he drank his coffee. “Are you going to tell us what he said, or are we playing the guessing game here?”
“That depends,” she answered. “What am I reporting back to Elion?”
My eyes narrowed at her, wondering why she wanted our report before answering us.
Eleana simply held my gaze, and after a moment or two, I stated, “I don’t know what Aeternus has conveyed to Elion at the Temple, but what we have found in the Quarter thus far is not promising in the slightest. We will continue to investigate to determine the extent of the corruption, but from what we’ve seen, the entire Quarter is shrouded in depravity and darkness, primarily stemming from the way those in power have controlled the narrative.
We’ve noticed that the sacred rituals of worship have been altered; they have attempted to bury all knowledge of the creation of Aurelia and Aeternus.
They have even gone so far as to corrupt the affinity markings.
Not to mention, Lucanus appears to be attempting to harvest affinities for himself in some vain attempt to elevate himself to the status of a god. ”
“Plus, the few remaining Remnant we have spotted throughout the Quarter still appear to be warning citizens to turn from their gods and the darkness and turn to Aeternus.”
“And has that worked?” Eleana asked as she glanced between us.
“No,” we answered in unison.
“The citizens left in Solis are too lost to their own corruption . . . too focused on elevating their own statuses in their false temples,” I answered.
Eleana was silent after my report, her eyes widening in shock before a single curse fell from her lips, and she shook her head.
“What was Aeternus’s instruction for Elion and the Aurelian Guild?” I questioned again when she didn’t answer.
Eleana audibly swallowed, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the island counter, her nails clicking against the surface before she finally spoke.
“He instructed that he would be delivering Solis Quarter into the Guild’s hands.
That if the two of you reported back that you find the Quarter to be filled with corruption, we will move forward with plans to take the Quarter. ”
Axel and I both froze, staring at the female in our living room in shock.
I could feel my heart racing in concern as a multitude of thoughts ran rampant around my head.
The most prevalent being that I now understood why she wanted our report before voicing the answer to what Elion had been instructed.
“What exactly do you mean?” Axel eventually inquired.
“I mean,” Eleana began, “that once I report back to Elion, and the two of you return to Aurum Quarter, we plan to take Solis Quarter and eliminate the corruption spreading through Solis.”
“So, war?” I confirmed.
“Of sorts, yes,” Eleana replied. “Elion didn’t provide me with all the details. And I suspect he won’t until the two of you return to Aurum.”
I rubbed a hand through my hair, shaking my head as my muscles tensed.
“Not all have fallen. The small number of Remnant who remain—those here who have been fighting for the light even in the darkness—will need to leave. Not to mention, we will need a little bit more time to get to the bottom of exactly what Lucanus has been doing—how far this corruption has spread.”
“What have you gathered so far?” she questioned.
“The corruption seems to have spread to all those in positions of power, and those who mark as highers—mainly those with multiple affinities and aetherial affinities. The more privileged in the Quarter.”
“All the members of the Royal Solis Guard as well,” Axel chimed in.
“From what we’ve gathered, Solis Quarter believes in five gods as opposed to one, with parents now choosing to tell their children about Aeternus as if he’s more of a child’s tale as opposed to the Eternal being who created Aurelia.”
“How much more time do you need before you return to Guild headquarters?” Eleana asked, her eyes focused on me.
“Is a week asking too much?” I questioned, hating that she had more knowledge in this context than I did, but understanding that it was the way of the Guild when spies were on scouting missions.
Axel and I existed in a state of need to know until we returned to headquarters, in case our cover was exposed.
“Fine,” she answered after doing a calculation in her head. “But a week means back inside the headquarters, Blackwood. Not crossing The Rift, not just departing the safe house. Both of you—in front of Elion—in one week,” she confirmed.
“We can do that,” I replied, nodding my head in understanding. “But if that’s the case . . .” I turned toward Axel, who grumbled.
“I’ll go get ready,” he answered before I could say anything. “Evidently, sleep waits for no one.”
Eleana laughed. “You can get all the beauty sleep you need once you’re back in Aurum.”
I huffed a dark laugh at that. “Can we even do that, since it seems we will be preparing to overthrow a corrupt crown?”
She grimaced, “Well, maybe not. But I’m sure you can find sleep at some point along the way.”
“Oh well,” Axel muttered as he turned to head toward the back room, already beginning to assemble his gear for the next phase of our scouting mission. We needed to figure out what Lucanus was doing—why he was aiming to gather more power and what he wanted to do with it.