anymore, along with freedom and choice. Things worth living for. Things worth dying for.
“Where do you think your brother is now?” I asked idly. I half expected him to not answer, since the response could lead the Enforcers to Nikos’ hiding spot.
But then he spoke, softly, barely audible. “There’s a place… just a legend, probably. It’s called Elytherios.”
I repeated the word, uncertain I’d heard him correctly. “That’s in the old language, isn’t it?”
Eos nodded, a crooked smile playing at his lips. “It means ‘freedom.’” When I simply looked down, he continued, “It’s a safe haven for refugees, a place the geroi can’t find. Supposedly the renegade scientists went there first, the ones whose research violated the teachings of the geroi. It’s a secret valley, hidden deep in the Petrodoi Mountains. And,” he moved his eyes to me without moving his head, a sideways glance, “I know it sounds crazy, but they say the scientists found a way to make the plants grow again. And if the plants grow, then the atmosphere… they might be able to heal Iamos.”
“You’d be amazed how easy it is to trick a mind that’s become so reliant on the System.”
I stared at Eos, bewildered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He smirked. “It’s just something I heard one time.”