SFR Brigade Presents: Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales

SFR Brigade Presents is a regular feature where authors posts snippets of their published works and WIP. Click here to check out the other authors and read their book excerpts!

This is an excerpt from a short story in my book, Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales. In this short story, Roots of Deception, Shera Kuhani is a religious leader of the Tellurians.

For over twenty years their planet had been occupied by troops from the neighboring planet, Kellia. Her people have recently  won the war and freed themselves from occupation. Shera has assumed power and is inspecting the gardens of the monastery.

The early morning sun was the color of blood, the same color as the flower she held in her hand. Shera Kuhani sat in the monastery gardens, examining the small flower she held between her fingers. 

There were no thorns on the delicate stem, and the fragrance was deceptively inviting. Though it appeared that there was nothing to stop a predator from destroying it, the plant was poisonous if eaten.

Knowing its true nature drew Shera to it more than if it had been just another pretty flower. She knew that beauty could be bait for the trap. Appearance could obscure the truth and draw the victim in before he realized he was ensnared.

The delicate petals were soft as whispered prayers, and excessive handling could cause them to break apart. They were rare blooms, requiring the most expert cultivation. She wondered how they got here in the midst of the weeds that had overrun the garden during the years of the Kellian occupation.

It resembled a jungle more than a place of contemplation, but she was determined to change that as soon as possible.