Chapter 31
Thirty-one
Zellie
We’re ready. Orion has assembled a small team of trusted individuals to help us break into the trove—consisting of him, myself, Seb, and an Astral named Lando.
I was weary about allowing an outsider in, but Ri trusts him, reassuring me he’s known him most of his life.
Lando was with him through his parents’ death and the entire ordeal with Portia—that’s supportive enough for me.
He’s tall, his tanned skin glowing gorgeously, with brown hair, deep as chocolate.
It’s pulled away from his face and tied back, much like my own hair.
He’s scruffy-looking, in a “don’t fuck with me” kind of way.
Lando has thick brows, sharp cheekbones, broad shoulders, and a shadow of a beard that looks like it is permanently part of his features.
Even his eyes are grim, a deep chestnut that can appear like coal, given the light or his mood.
But it’s not just the color; it’s the type of darkness that is created by a person scorned.
He wears head-to-toe black, as all of us do, as we circle the dining table in Orion’s apartment while double-checking our persons for weapons and tools.
“No star-shooting. Seb discovered they can track the transports if they occur within a one-hundred-yard radius of the edge of the trove. We don’t want to give them any indication that anything is amiss.
Two guards stand at the entrance—well-trained, so be ready.
We get in and split into two teams; no one is ever to be alone.
There are four levels in total. We split them to cover our ground quickly.
Scan the levels swiftly and efficiently.
We’re looking specifically for moonstone.
But weapons, secrets—anything we can use against the Kosmos is worth grabbing.
Twenty minutes max, got it, guys? That’s ten minutes a level.
Any longer and we’re sitting ducks. Understood? ”
I stare awestruck at Orion. I’ve never seen this side of him—his level of precise planning and commanding.
He had told me that he had learned military tactics, but this is something else.
He’s composed, steady, brilliant. This is all a reminder that this plan is bigger than me.
Orion has been waiting, plotting, and maneuvering himself for years.
Seeing this new side of him… so removed from the flirty banter I’m used to, has me realizing there’s more to him than I thought—and I want to know it all.
“We access the trove by walking through the training grounds, into the uncharted territory… here.” Orion points to a position on the map.
“When I tailed the official, he dropped down cliff-side, right about here. Seb confirmed that this is our point of access.” He looks to Seb, who nods, removing small items from his pocket as he clears his throat.
Lying them on the table, he explains, “These are whisper wisps. They’re magicked pieces of obsidian that will allow us to communicate with one another.
They’re like our own personal void.” I stare at the semi-transparent ebony strand, indeed getting lost in the endless darkness as if it were a piece of a void itself.
It’s long and loose, almost like a thin piece of hair.
“You tuck it behind the ear, curling inward towards the lobe like this.” He demonstrates before sliding the remaining strands towards us.
I pick the earpiece up, the weight of what we’re about to do hanging in the moment as I stare at the strand.
“Here, let me help you.” Orion murmurs, tucking my hair first before plucking the wisp from my palm.
Face to face, we search each other’s faces, determination and fear shining in both.
He loops the whisper wisp behind my ear before cupping my face, the rest of our team and his apartment fading away.
Gently, he presses a kiss to my forehead before capturing my lips, and my fear is all but forgotten.
There is only this. Sighing, he stops himself, leaning his forehead to rest against mine.
“If something happens…” I start, but he shakes his head, his soft hair brushing against me in the process.
“No goodbyes,” he whispers. “Today, we will take what we need; one step closer to our goal.”
I smirk, the familiar saying washing over me in comfort. “Today, we will.”
“I love you,” he tells me—a promise.
I don’t return the sentiment. Not because I don’t mean it, but because the word scares me. I’ve loved before, and it’s been ripped from me. I won’t allow Orion to be taken from me, too.
Instead, I smile, kissing him in return.
The only sound beneath the open sky of swirling stardust and drifting planets is the soft crunching of our feet, stepping in rhythm.
Inhale, step, exhale, step, repeat.The familiar training grounds trails in our wake, nothing but an open darkness yawning, swallowing us whole.
The scattered orb lights lessened in quantity until the only guiding light came from the stars beyond the edge of the dome.
The field endlessly pours outward, nothing but dirt and dust.
No one dares to speak, not when we walk towards the looming unknown.
Hours pass, or it could be minutes; time seems to extend meaninglessly when all there is to do is put one foot in front of the other.
Ever so slowly, the ground simply runs out.
We’ve reached the very brim of Astralis, with nowhere to go but out… or down.
The four of us stand at the edge of the world, engrossed by the vastness in front of us.
The only separation between us and losing ourselves in the cosmic expanse beyond the glass barrier.
Apprehension, dread, and excitement thrum through the males beside me.
Silently, Orion removes objects from a pack slung over his shoulder.
One by one, he hands us a pair of handheld spikes.
Softly, he mutters, “They slip over the top of your hand like this,” he demonstrates, his fingers slipping underneath a fabric that stretches over his skin.
“They’ll give us a sturdy grip while climbing down.
Whatever you do—don’t fall.” That’s reassuring.
“Seb first, then me. Zell next, followed by Lando. Slow and sure.”
One by one, we lower ourselves to the ground, scooting our bodies over the edge.
My eyes meet Orion’s briefly before he descends out of sight, those bright hazel eyes full of love and promise.
I muster as much energy in my returning glance, but it’s likely a grimace with how full of knots my stomach is.
Ensuring the straps are secured on my hands, I push my lower half off the cliff, blindly feeling for purchase.
Once I have a foothold, my arms follow, and I push into the side of Galatea with all my might. I refuse to die today.
Then, way down we go.