Chapter 10 - Fractured
Elika woke up aboard the Derelict. She had planned to get up early and head back to the Tower but she ended up sleeping for 18 hours. It was restless sleep and she was still exhausted when she finally awoke. To her surprise it was already well past noon on Earth. She figured there was no use in rushing to leave at this point so she continued to lay in bed next to her partner. They were both awake but neither of them had said anything yet. Their legs were intertwined as they huddled up on the tiny, makeshift bed. Drifter reached over to Elika, who was still wearing his robe as she lay snuggly against his bare chest, and hooked his finger underneath the section that crossed her chest in a "v" before slowly pulling downward.
"What are you doing?" She giggled.
"I don't know, we're just layin' around so I thought…" He raised his eyebrows as his mouth curved into a sly smile.
"You're making it hard to leave." She placed her hand over his and interlaced their fingers.
"Then don't go."
"I have to, eventually. But first, can we talk?" Elika looked to him and he nodded in response. She needed to tell him about all the things that were flying through her mind after the Reckoning incident. She shifted her body and flipped to sit on top of him while he laid on his back. She sat up and he placed his hands on her thighs as they rested on the sides of his body.
Elika mainly wanted to make sure he knew everything that had happened to her before it became public. They had talked a bit after the incident but there was still more she wanted to tell him. So they stayed like this for a while and discussed her visions at length, what the words she heard could mean, all of it. Elika had a lot of connections between being the "Chosen One" and the Hunter Vanguard; there were plenty of people she could talk to that could possibly expound upon these revelations of hers. Thankfully someone she trusted and who she considered to be one of the most knowledgeable people in the galaxy was currently between her legs.
When it came to the war with the Darkness there were so many variables at play, most of which previously escaped Elika's comprehension. However, she was beginning to make sense of at least a few things. Drifter helped her decipher some of the visions which was a huge relief. Just talking things out with him saved her from obsessing over it in her mind for hours on end. For example, they talked in depth about what the vision pertaining to Mara Sov meant. That vision had opened a door in Elika's mind and she actually began to recall her time as a member of the Awoken Queen's guard. It was blurry but it was all slowly coming back, much to her relief.
Suddenly Elika remembered that she meant to leave long ago and moved to get up.
"I have no idea how you deal with all of this. I would have run far away a long time ago if I were you." Drifter chuckled. He did not envy her position.
"No you wouldn't. You may be a 'sneaky little rat man' but I know that you care. You'd find a way to help, like you always do, it just wouldn't be the way people expect." He laughed in response, unable to come up with a witty comeback or denial. She leaned down and kissed him before standing up.
"You could go back tomorrow. I'm sure the 'Hero of the Red War' could get away with playing hooky for one day." Drifter stood up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"You have stuff to do today too, you know."
"I could cancel the Gambit matches. It's nothin' for me, no one cares if I don't show up."
"Why don't we both do our jobs and you come by my place afterwards?" Elika responded as she leaned back against his chest.
"Alright, if you say so. How about I cook you something tonight then?" Elika's face lit up as he said this and she whipped around and kissed him with elation. The mere thought of eating a well prepared meal made her stomach grumble. She finally took his robe off and armored up, eventually saying goodbye before he called in a group of Guardians for Gambit. Sometimes she really hated being responsible.
Once she was aboard her ship she laid in a course for Earth and departed. It didn't take long before she arrived in the planet's orbit and prepared to dock at The Tower. Before she could contact the Hanger everything except life support suddenly turned off, leaving her to float in orbit. Elika frantically fiddled with the buttons on her console for a brief moment before Spaghetti appeared.
"What's going on?" She asked the Ghost.
"We need to talk. Alone." He responded.
"Is everything alright?" Spaghetti's behavior was unusual and Elika could immediately tell something wasn't sitting well with him.
"No, everything is not alright. You and I both died yesterday. Died, Elika. I know it's nothing new for you but that's never happened to me before."
"I'm so sorry you had to go through such a traumatizing experience. Do you want to talk about it?" Elika spoke empathetically. She realized this wasn't a dramatic gesture on his part but rather a desperate one. She and her Ghost rarely had time to connect anymore. It used to just be the two of them but between Elika's friends, Ulric, Drifter, and her job the two of them barely spoke, it seemed.
"There isn't much to talk about, I guess. I don't really remember much." The Ghost looked apprehensive, as if he wanted to elaborate but seemingly couldn't.
"Did you see anything after your Light went out?"
"No." His response was bitter. His shell briefly expanded and orbited the sphere inside of it quickly before snapping back in place, indicating the Ghost's resentment.
"That must bother you."
"I always thought I'd be with the Traveler after death. Seeing only darkness was… unsettling. I don't really know how to feel about it."
"Maybe you saw nothing because of where we were. Since Light couldn't exist there, then maybe the Traveler was too far out of reach." Elika offered an explanation to ease her Ghost's worries and to her surprise it helped.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. All I know is that I never want to go through that again Elika. Ever."
"You won't have to, friend. I swear it." Elika smiled and reached her hand towards Spaghetti, allowing him to rest on it.
The two of them talked for a while. Spaghetti shared how he felt and how he hoped that if he were to ever die permanently that he would be with the Traveler. He believed they both would end up in some sort of afterlife in the Light. Life after death was never something Elika thought about but she also never considered her Ghost's opinion on the subject. After some light philosophical discussion Elika asked to regain control of her ship but Spaghetti didn't comply.
"There's something else we need to talk about. After your meeting with Shin Malphur you said that you weren't afraid of the Darkness. What did you mean?" The Ghost inquired.
"I meant that I'm not as scared of it as everyone else, I guess."
"Why?"
"I don't really know. I should be scared though, right? I should be terrified but I'm not. You know what I am? I'm tired. I'm tired of dying. I'm tired of being a pawn in a game I don't even know the rules for. The way I see it, the Light and the Darkness are two sides of the same coin. We are only afraid because we think the Darkness brings destruction while the Light brings creation. But we don't actually know what it's intentions are and even so, destruction isn't inherently bad. Maybe we can use the Darkness to defeat our enemies. Maybe the Darkness seeks to help us do something the Traveler refuses to do itself. Just imagine if we could wield Light and Dark, Spaghetti. We would be unstoppable." Elika leaned forward and held her hand out in front of her face to look her Ghost in the eye.
"So it's power you want, then?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Here's the thing: what if the Darkness could answer the questions the Light has left for us? We need that kind of knowledge, Spaghetti. Maybe I'm actually losing my mind after all but I'm thinking we should approach this whole Darkness thing differently. Instead of fighting it, maybe we can embrace it along with the Light. It's possible that it doesn't have to be one or the other."
"I can't just become a being of half Darkness and half Light, Elika." Spaghetti protested.
"How do you know that you can't?" Elika narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. Spaghetti became peeved as he considered her question. He didn't really know, not for sure, but it's likely that he was right. Then again, what if she was actually the one who was correct?
"I guess I don't." He finally responded.
"For the record, I would never ask you to do that. I love you buddy and I don't want you to participate in something that you're uncomfortable with or something that could hurt you. If you don't want me to, I won't participate in it either. You mean so much to me, more than all the answers to all the questions. More than any power I could ever gain." She rubbed the side of his shell with her thumb as she spoke, reassuring him. She may have ideas that venture beyond what most Guardian's who consider safe but she would never willingly endanger her Ghost. He was more than just a tool, more than a friend, he was her family.
"Thank you, Elika. You've given me a lot to think about and I'm not sure what conclusion I will come to but I'm glad you're considering my feelings too."
"I will always consider your feelings, Spaghetti. I know I take you for granted sometimes but I care about you more than you'll ever know." The Hunter leaned forward and planted a small kiss on her Ghost's shell. He hovered above her hand again as the ship powered back up.
The two of them had been together for so long that they had developed a bond that couldn't be broken by a few secrets or a brief lack of communication. They always found ways to make it up to each other no matter how bad things got.
Elika finally landed in the Hanger and quickly made her way over to her workstation. There were a few Hunters already there, just sitting around and talking with one another.
"I know, I'm late. Sorry everyone." Elika powered on the console at her desk and began assigning tasks and shifts to the Hunters. Lor-5, the Guardian that Elika had assigned to keep tabs on Kaiden Kellas, waited until the others were gone before approaching the Vanguard. "So, any news?"
"He's staying out of trouble, ma'am. Got a job at some restaurant, I think he's bussing tables or doing dishes. Maybe both. It's a nice restaurant and I stand out too much at a place like that so I didn't go inside." Lor-5 spoke softly. She definitely looked like the kind of Hunter who slept in a cave, which she probably did, so it makes sense that she felt a little uncomfortable in a high end establishment.
"Glad to hear he's staying out of trouble. That's good news. I'd like you to continue keeping tabs on him but you don't need to dedicate too much time to it." Elika passed the Guardian a folder with a few bounties in it. All rewarded triple the normal amount of glimmer. "Before you go, I need one more thing from you."
"What is it, boss?"
"Contact Petra Venj. I need her to set up a meeting."
"A meeting with who?"
"Queen Mara Sov."
"R-right yeah, okay." Lor-5 didn't even know the Queen was alive but there were rumors and Elika just confirmed them. She fidgeted a bit before adding, "That's a big ask, you sure Petra can even do that?"
"She has a way. If not then she better find one quickly." Elika nodded at Lor-5 who nodded back before transmatting away. Elika stayed at her desk for a little while longer and finished up some work. After a while she asked Spaghetti to send a message to Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala, requesting a meeting. It didn't take too long before they heard back from the other Vanguard members and Elika began making her way to Zavala's office.
When she arrived she saw Zavala standing behind his desk looking over some papers in his hands. Ikora was pacing back and forth on the right side of the room and as soon as she saw Elika she stopped in her tracks and looked to the Hunter. She started to say something but then stopped, considering her words before finally speaking.
"How are you feeling?" Ikora was clearly concerned. Elika had Spaghetti tell them some basic information about yesterday's events in the message. They didn't know everything but they knew that Elika and Spaghetti had died after being contacted by The Emissary and The Nine.
"I'm alright, just tired. Everything okay here?" Elika sensed an air of indignation in the room which seemed to be emanating from Commander Zavala.
"Everything is fine, yes. Unless, of course, you consider that our Hunter Vanguard was taken by the Emissary of the Nine and then killed along with her Ghost." Zavala looked at Elika with a spark of ire in his eyes.
"It's not like I planned for that to happen, I jus-"
"What if your Ghost couldn't be brought back? What if you died permanently? You should not have been messing around with 'Reckoning' in the first place. You have become reckless, Elika. More reckless than you should be. It borders on carelessness." Zavala cut her off, raising his voice to chastise her.
"I didn't ask for any of this, Zavala!" Elika shouted back. She was entirely too tired, too hungry, and too pissed off to be the one getting yelled at here. "I'm not being careless. I was trying to help a friend and then was basically kidnapped, I don't see how that's my fault."
"I never said it was your fault. You're putting words in my mouth."
"You're yelling at me like I'm some reckless fool and you won't let me explain myself, I don't see how that's much different than just outright blaming me."
"Both of you, calm down." Ikora stepped in between the Titan and the Hunter, who were now inches away from each other. "Zavala, stop instigating. She's only just arrived and this incident happened yesterday. She needs time to process everything."
"It happened yesterday and where has she been since then? Probably with that snake she calls a..." The Titan stopped himself from continuing that sentence and instead he pursed his lips before sighing.
"With the snake I call a what, Zavala? I dare you to finish that sentence." Elika snapped as her balled fists glowed with Solar heat. She knew where he was going and wasn't about to stand idly by while he laid into her and then her boyfriend for no good reason. Zavala stood silently for a moment, contemplating how to continue. Eventually he spoke up again.
"I have spoken out of turn, Elika. I am sorry. It's just… There is so much happening lately and we are all feeling overwhelmed which isn't made better by your constant absence. Maybe if you spent less time out with your friends and more time doing your Vanguard duties I wouldn't be so perturbed."
"So now I can't blow off a little steam? It was one day, Commander. I'm still allowed days off, right? In case you forgot I'm the one busting my ass out there every day trying to power up these damn Seraph Towers so that Rasputin can destroy the Almighty, which is hurtling towards us intent of destroying life as we know it. On top of that I'm the only one handling the "Uldren" situation. Did you guys forget about him already? Plus my brain just got invaded by The Nine and their Emissary and then died. Oh, I forgot to mention I'm also the Hunter Vanguard now and am filling a role that was vacant for a year so I have to play catch up every single day on top of everything else I'm doing." Elika growled in frustration before stomping over to one of the chairs in front of Zavala's desk and throwing herself in it.
"You're doing great work out there, we see that. We both understand how much pressure you've been under lately." Ikora sat in a chair next to Elika and placed a hand on the Hunter's shoulder.
"Do you? I'm sorry, but while we're all here and it's on my mind I want to bring up how, all the other shit aside, I'm doing two huge jobs at once. You both expect me to be the Hunter Vanguard but you also keep sending me orders to go out there and do what I used to do as the "Chosen One" or whatever." Elika shrugged Ikora's hand off her shoulder and looked to Zavala, begging the Titan for a reasonable answer. He did not deliver.
"We need you out there being our eyes on the ground. No one else is capable of-"
"No one else is capable? There are thousands of Guardians just as capable as me. I am so tired. I haven't eaten in days. I can't remember the last time I got a truly good night's sleep. I came to you looking for support and instead I get my ass handed to me because you are the ones feeling overwhelmed? Give me a fucking break." Elika's expression changed from anger to exhaustion.
Ikora sat silently, considering everything she had just heard. It was difficult for her because she has felt so despondent lately. She knows she relies too heavily on Elika, expecting her to do all the hard work that the Warlock felt she could no longer do herself. She knew this was wrong, that they needed to spread the workload evenly between the three of them. Yet she couldn't think of another way around it. Elika was so talented and strong, Ikora didn't trust anyone else to get the job done at this point.
Zavala turned his back on the other two and stared blankly out the window behind his desk. He looked over the Last City and then up to the Traveler. The Vanguard Commander was the only one who could argue that he had more on his plate than Elika. He may not be out there doing what she does but he is still busy. He coordinates everything within the Tower, keeps contact with all the outlying planets and moons currently inhabited by friends of the Light, and has made it his job to know literally everything that is going on out there. He knows he can't juggle tasks the way Elika does. He expects a lot of her; maybe too much. However, he also knows she can handle it.
A few moments of silence went by and Elika resigned herself to resting her head on Zavala's desk. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before eventually letting out an exasperated sigh.
"I hear you, Elika. I understand you have a great weight on your shoulders, one we have not offered to share with you. We also add to this weight on a daily basis, I'm sure. But this doesn't change the fact that you need to be more careful. Without you I fear we will lose whatever sorry foothold we have out there." Zavala knew that no matter what he said he wouldn't be able to tell her what she wanted to hear, so he told her what she needed to hear instead.
"I know it's too much to ask, it always has been, but we need you Elika." Ikora added.
Elika lifted her head slightly, letting her chin rest on the desk. They had a point, and she understood, but it was becoming too much. She couldn't continue to do everything at once when it obviously wasn't good enough anymore. The Hunter let their words hang in the air for a moment before she changed the subject entirely.
"We need to talk about the upcoming war." Elika said as she blankly stared out the large window behind Zavala's desk.
"What war?" Zavala looked confused.
"The war between the Light and the Dark. I know it's not something we previously considered but I have it on good authority that it's definitely happening. I think we need to get out ahead of it."
"Our first priority is the Almighty, Elika. Once that's taken care of we can talk about the Darkness." Zavala put his foot down on the issue as Ikora sat silently. Elika sighed and stood up. She'd had enough of this conversation and was in desperate need of some fresh air. She got up and turned to leave before stopping in the doorway of the room.
"Understood. We can talk later then. I have a lot to do apparently." She looked over her shoulder and saw Zavala and Ikora staring at her, looking nearly as defeated by this entire conversation as Elika. "I want you both to know that as soon as Ulric is ready I'm going to pass the Vanguard position to him. I don't think I can do this anymore. You'll have my report on yesterday's incident on your desk first thing in the morning, Commander."
Elika turned away, not really keen on seeing how either of them reacted, and walked out. As she left the office Spaghetti popped out.
"Well that wasn't very productive, was it?"
"It never is." Elika huffed as she pushed forward.
The Hunter Vanguard made her way back to her workbench in the Hanger and attempted to catch up on what she missed over the past couple of days. Zavala made it sound like she was some irresponsible lout which had gotten under her skin more than it should have. She wasn't careless, she just wasn't infallible. The fact that Zavala was mad at her for what happened yesterday made her furious. A few hours went by while she chugged away at her backlog, staying busy to keep her mind off of the growing resentment. The weight of everything that was expected of her had become suffocating as of late.
She put together welcome packets for new Guardians, organized a strike, coded a few patrols, and spoke with her contact in the Dreaming City about the status of the curse. All in all Elika was rather productive which lightened her mood. She was far from caught up but she put in the time to get herself on the right track. After a while she took off her gloves to stretch her fingers out. She looked down at her hands, which were so soft now that she had been restored to a body she hadn't seen in years. All the callouses and scars were gone, the nail polish she had hastily applied a few nights ago had vanished, and her joints felt less stiff. Zavala didn't seem to care, maybe Ikora didn't either, but for Elika the whole 'reset' thing was eerie.
Suddenly the terminal on her desk beeped as she received a coded message from Lor-5. The Guardian had made contact with Petra Venj and her message simply said "tomorrow, noon." That was quicker than Elika expected and her stomach turned at the thought. She wanted a little more time to plan out what she would discuss with the Queen. The Hunter sat down on the stairs next to her workbench and put her head in her hands. She was so tired that she could hardly think straight at this point. Her stomach growled loudly before Spaghetti appeared, informing his Guardian that she had a call.
"Hello?" She answered.
"It's me, qīn'ài de." Drifter's voice came through the speaker on Spaghetti's shell.
"Hey, you. What's up?" Elika was glad to hear from him. Sometimes when she was out on the job and feeling stressed she would call him up just to hear the sound of his voice. It was soothing.
"Just got to your apartment, bought some groceries. Gonna start cooking soon. Ulric is here and he's got a friend. Figured I'd make enough for the four of us."
"He's got a friend? Who? One my fireteam?" It took Elika a moment to connect the dots. It finally dawned on her that he had been talking about someone special recently. "Oh, wait. Is it his boyfriend?"
"Seems that 're bein' all cutesy with each other. I don't know him, though."
"No worries, that's fine. I've been meaning to meet the guy. I'll be home soon to help you out. What are you making, anyway?"
"Oh, little of this and a little of that. Pork buns, steamed dumplings, Sichuan pork, and a noodle dish. Also got you something for dessert: yuèbing." As Drifter was listing off dishes Elika's stomach began growling again. She hadn't had more than simple rations this past week and even then she hadn't had much of those.
"Yuèbing too?! That sounds so good. I'll be home ASAP, okay?"
"No problem, see you soon." Elika wrapped up her work as swiftly as she could and started jogging back to her apartment.
She opened the door of her apartment and saw Drifter in the kitchen. The delicious smells swirling through the apartment made her mouth salivate.
"Need any help?" She asked as she walked into the kitchen and kissed him.
"From you?" He responded with an arched eyebrow. "No offense, honey, but you would only make it worse. I've seen you burn a grilled cheese sandwich."
"Okay, okay. I just thought I'd ask." She laughed. He was right, she was a horrible cook.
"Why don't you go take a shower, relax a bit. We've got some time before this is all done." He glanced back to see her going for the yuèbing and reached back to lightly slap her hand. "Not yet, you need to earn those by eating a proper meal first."
"Fine." She fake pouted and made her way out of the kitchen, blowing a kiss at him before leaving. She turned the corner to see Ulric and his guest sitting at the table in the dining room. "Hey Ulric."
"Hey, Elika. This is Jolyon Till. He's the guy I've been telling you about." Ulric gave her a shy smile before looking over to Jolyon.
"Nice to meet you, Jolyon." Elika reached her hand out and Jolyon hesitated before finally shaking it.
"Likewise." The Crow seemed a little terse but friendly nonetheless. Elika let Ulric know she would be cleaning up then excused herself to the bathroom.
After her shower Elika took some time to look over her body in the mirror. She hadn't really had a chance to see the entirety of it since Spaghetti brought her back. She looked slightly younger, there were fewer bags under her eyes than usual despite how tired she was. Her skin glowed a little more than usual too. All the marks and scars she had collected over the years were gone. So was the elaborate tattoo she had gotten on a dare from Cayde-6. She ran her fingers along her skin and sighed. It was silly but she missed all the imperfections she had acquired over the years. Every mark told a story and now it was all gone.
After some thought, Elika finally smiled at her reflection. She figured her body was once again a clean slate and given what was coming, she knew she'd fill it up with more cool marks and scars. She could even get a new tattoo if she wanted. She got dressed in some casual clothing, leggings and a baggy sweater, and made her way back out to the dining room. Jolyon and Ulric were at the table, talking amongst themselves. Drifter was still in the kitchen cooking. It was a simple evening but also kind of perfect.
As she sat down Ulric got up and went to the kitchen. He ended up staying in there for a while, trying to learn how to cook from Drifter and no doubt annoying the man in the process. This left Jolyon and Elika alone together. It was silent for a few moments until Elika spoke up.
"So I hear you two were an item before… well, before everything."
"Yeah, we were. I'm glad I found him again." Jolyon's eyes, which had been sharp, softened as a subtle smile crept across his face.
"I'm glad too. He needs someone, you know? I can't always be there for him. He also can't stop talking about you, it's really sweet." Elika looked down at her fingers as they rested on the corner of the table, manipulating a loose piece of wood.
"I feel like there is a bit of an elephant in the room here, Elika." Jolyon narrowed his eyes and stared at her. She looked up in confusion and he continued. "You killed him, didn't you?"
"Yes. I told him that already." She was unsure where he was going with this.
"I know you did, and I know why you did it. I don't blame you, he had become… Well he was… It wasn't good. I have to ask, did you take pride in it? Did you wear it like a badge of honor when you came back from The Reef?" Jolyon repositioned himself and awaited her response, arms folded across his chest. She paused and thought his question over before responding.
"No, I didn't. Though that didn't stop people from hanging it on me like one. I never felt good about any of it. Killing him may have been morally right given what he was doing but it didn't bring Cayde back and didn't bring me happiness. It actually hurt. At the time I didn't tell anyone about it because I didn't really understand why it felt so bad to put a bullet in him. I kind of lost my mind after. Drifter saved me. Life moved on I guess." Elika looked down again, somewhat melancholy now. Suddenly a thought occurred and she asked a question of Jolyon. "Did you know me back then? Before my rebirth as a Guardian?"
"Yes. It's not like we were buddies, but you and Uldren were kind of close. He didn't hate you like he hated most people, anyway. I guess you were one of the lucky ones." The two of them laughed for a moment, easing the tension that had been building. "After you died we lost contact, obviously. Not that you reported to me or anything, you were an "honorary Crow" because Mara wanted you there but you were one of her guards first and foremost."
"Makes sense. You'll have to tell me about it sometime." She smiled at Jolyon, who returned the gesture with a smirk of his own. He seemed more relaxed now that they got the unpleasant conversation out of the way.
"Will do."
Jolyon never hated Elika for what she did but it was difficult for him regardless. He knew she had to do it but it still meant the death of someone he loves. Jolyon and Elika conversed a while longer before Ulric and Drifter brought the food out. The four of them ate, joked, and had a great time together. Eventually everyone grew tired after such a filling meal and the two couples split up to get some rest in their respective rooms. Elika did the dishes and eventually plopped down on her bed next to Drifter who had been looking over a datapad.
"You forgot somethin'." He spoke in a sly way, like he was hiding something from her. She looked to him with a confused expression that was laced with annoyance. Elika was too tired for games. After a moment he reached over to the nightstand and brought the box of mooncakes over to her.
"The yuèbing!" She exclaimed. Drifter leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before encouraging her to dig in. She ate three of them swiftly before giving up, being entirely too full to continue. She got up to bring the last of them into the kitchen, writing her name on the box as a warning to any who may think they are a late night snack.
As she exited the kitchen she remembered that she had forgotten to tell Ulric about the meeting with his sister. Elika walked over to his door and knocked, waiting for a response before entering.
"Come in." Ulric responded.
"Hey guys." Elika walked in and saw Jolyon sitting up in bed reading something on a datapad with Ulric's head resting on his lap. "So Ulric I totally forgot but we have somewhere to be tomorrow. We're meeting Petra in the Dreaming City at noon."
"Oh, what for?" Ulric looked a little confused. Due to his notoriety she usually discouraged Ulric from visiting the Dreaming City.
"Well," She looked at Jolyon before continuing, unsure if she should say it in front of him. Ulric sat up and nodded, indicating that it was quite alright to continue. "We have a meeting with the Queen."
The two men were silent for a few moments while the weight of what she just said sunk in. Jolyon assumed, like most Awoken, that their Queen had died years ago by Oryx's hand. He wasn't wrong, after Mara's fleet was decimated by the Taken King in the rings of Saturn she was presumed dead. The reality of the situation was much more complex. Mara sacrificed the Awoken, and in a way herself, in order to hold back the Taken King's incursion. She succeeded because in his attack he also destroyed a large part of his own fleet, stalling him enough for Elika's fireteam to take their fight to him. Elika and her team killed Oryx, the Taken King, making Mara Sov's sacrifice worthwhile.
However, Mara Sov was technically still alive. She didn't actually survive the attack, not in the way one would think anyway. Mara was pulled into the Ascendant Realm during Oryx's attack which split her soul from her body. She used Hive Sword Logic to her advantage and was able to survive and carry out another hidden aspect of her plan which has yet to be revealed. She has been able to use the Oracle Engine in the Dreaming City to communicate with Petra Venj and Elika in the past. After Elika's team defeated Riven of a Thousand Voices the contact with Mara stopped but Elika assumed there was still a way. Seems she was correct.
"Can you come?" Ulric looked up to Jolyon after a moment, then directed his desperate expression to Elika, "Can he come?"
"Do you want to come, Jolyon? It's entirely up to you." Elika responded. Jolyon thought for a moment, placing his hand on his chin.
"Yes, I'd like to be there. For you, Ulric. This will be hard for you." He looked to Elika with concern in his eyes. Jolyon never got along with Mara but he knew he needed to be there to support Ulric.
"Okay, cool. We can talk more in the morning. For now, just get some sleep." Elika smiled and left the room. She was so wrapped up in her personal reasons for wanting to see Mara, she hadn't really considered if Ulric was ready for that. Having Jolyon there would definitely help him, which eased Elika's mind.
Elika made her way back towards the bed, practically crawling due to exhaustion. She snapped her fingers and Spaghetti replaced her clothes with pajamas. She dragged herself into bed and rested her head on Drifter's chest before falling asleep almost immediately. Tomorrow was yet another big day for the Hunter and she was far from ready for it. Frankly, Elika had become so accustomed to winging it that this felt pretty on par with everything else going on in her life. She'd get through it like she got through most things: with clenched fists and a great deal of discretion.