Page 16 of The Last Aquarius
“What’s cool?”
Engrossed in Ishtar’s revelations, Aquarius hadn’t noticed Sage returning with Aries.
“Hey, boss, was just having lunch and an interesting conversation with Ishtar. The woman who fixed the nanobot.” As Aries extended his hand and began to say, “Nice to meet you,” Aquarius added, “And she’s also the Queen of Mars.”
Sage must have warned Aries because he didn’t freeze but clasped Ishtar’s hand for a firm shake. “I am very glad to make your acquaintance, Your Highness.”
Ishtar snorted. “Call me Ishtar. That title lost all meaning a long time ago.”
“Boss, you won’t believe it, but Tower, real name of Nimrod, was built by Martians and was imbued by an Astraeus that lost its constellation.” Aquarius couldn’t help but blurt out what he’d learned.
Aries arched a brow. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”
“And the aliens have names. The ones we poisoned are…” He blanked and glanced at Ishtar who murmured, “Saursu, and their masters are the Kukakk.”
“I’ll have to let Asterion and Carlos know. They’ll find something about them in the library archives.”
At Aries’ statement, Ishtar shook her head. “Doubtful they’ll find anything. The humans never encountered them.”
“But the Martians did.” Stated, not asked by Aries.
Her lips pressed tight. “Yes.”
“How did you defeat the Kukakk? It claimed it couldn’t die.”
“Oh, it can die. We killed four on Mars.” Ishtar offered a bitter laugh. “But our success came at the expense of our planet. Hence why the schematic for the weapon was destroyed.”
“That seems unwise, given the possibility of their return,” Aries pointed out.
“What is the point of killing the enemy if it comes at the cost of everything?”
“You speak as if you remember.” The boss tilted his head, and his eyes narrowed.
Her lips twisted. “Because I do.”
“How?” Aquarius blurted out. “Scientists claim Mars died like a billion years ago.”
“Not quite. More like fifteen thousand. Once our atmosphere disappeared, the decline of our planet proved rapid.”
“You’re thousands of years old?” He couldn’t help but squeak. The Zodiac could be long-lived, like Aries at over five hundred, but multiply that a few times and holy insane.
“This body is only a few centuries.” Ishtar looked down at herself before quietly adding, “But I have the memories of that time.”
Leading Sage to murmur, “The heavy weight of the past lands on the shoulders of the heir, a mantle that is passed on in perpetuity to ensure nothing is ever forgotten.”
Somehow that proclamation made it worse. What must it be like to never be allowed to forget the worst thing to ever happen in your life?
“Did Aquarius tell you about the prophecy?” Aries fixed Ishtar with a contemplative stare.
“I thought your name was Reece.” She glanced at him and clucked her tongue. “Of course, I should have known your true identity by the dais we landed on.”
“I use a shortened version when I need to mingle with regular peeps,” his sheepish reply. “But you knew I was a Zodiac.”
Ishtar pinched her lips. “I guess which constellation doesn’t matter.”
“Actually, it might, seeing as how Aquarius is specifically mentioned in the foretelling,” Aries interjected.
“And what exactly did your seer prophesize?”
