Petra moved slowly toward us, stopping in front of Derek and Sofia for a moment. The guards seemed on edge, but they didn’t move or say a thing. I could hear their hearts drumming, though. Their pulses quickened. Their sharp eyes fixed on the high priestess as she measured Derek, then Sofia, from head to toe.
She circled our group once, her expression shifting from restraint to childish curiosity. “You are all quite fast, even though you’re not from the same species. You’re fighters, too. I presume good fighters.”
“What makes you say that?” Derek asked.
“Your posture. The confidence with which you speak. The mere fact that you came out of your shuttle unarmed. I’m inclined to believe you have physical abilities that give you an upper hand in combat, since you didn’t think you’d need weapons. I mean, let’s be honest here. Who is insane enough to walk up to a completely unknown civilization without some form of defense? What guarantee would you have for survival, unless you had something to rely on for your defense?”
Derek chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. “Your assessment is impressive, High Priestess. We do have our abilities, yes. But we do not wish to use them here. Not unless we have to defend ourselves,” he said, briefly acknowledging Corbin, in particular.
Petra followed his gaze. “Worry not about the master commander, Derek. He leads the armies of Visio, but he cannot harm you without the council’s consent. Besides, our lord and lady would be furious if you were hurt before they even had a chance to meet you.”
She and Corbin didn’t seem to like each other very much. Then again, Zoltan wasn’t her fan, either, as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “High Priestess, perhaps we should move this conversation somewhere else. I’m sure our guests don’t appreciate standing in the sun for too long, regardless of their protective garb.”
“We’re your guests now?” I asked, smiling.
“Well, you’ve come all the way here, haven’t you?” Petra replied. “It would be a shame to turn you away without getting to know you better.”
“Besides, I’m thinking that if we’re good hosts to you, then you might welcome us to your world, someday, should we become curious enough to get out of our broad comfort zone,” Kalon added.
His confidence was intriguing. The way he spoke carried scents of danger and mystery, and I was already wondering about methods of getting inside his head. I was willing to bet he had some of the best stories to tell, but his interest in me was a tad worrying. Part of me was on high alert—Kalon Visentis could be a deceitful figure in this quest of ours. He could become an ally and purveyor of precious information, or he could just as easily turn into a threat. For the sake of us all, I hoped for the former.
His coat fit him tightly, outlining his broad shoulders and narrow hips. He wasn’t of a muscular complexion, but I could tell he was an athlete. A fighter. Light on his feet, confident in his strikes. And if he had even five percent of our vampire abilities, or anything remotely resembling that, then Kalon was definitely a fearsome killing machine. But there was also beauty in those cold eyes, a playful glimmer lingering in the icy blue pools. Vivid thoughts behind his sly smile, inviting me to take a stab at untangling and revealing them.
“We are thankful for your kindness and hospitality,” Derek said, wrecking my train of thought. Only then did I notice Tristan staring at me in bewilderment. My eyes must’ve been stuck on Kalon for quite a while for my brother to give me such a look. “We will do our best to be equally gracious guests. Should you decide to visit Earth, rest assured, our people will be more than pleased to welcome you, as well.”
“Come, let us walk,” Petra said, motioning for the soldiers and the golden guards to step aside. Almost instantly, they all moved, lining the road that linked the landing strip to the rest of the city. The stone slabs fit neatly against one another, forming an asymmetric pattern up the road. “We’ll take the scenic route toward the palace and talk on the way.”
Derek pressed a button on a small control he’d kept in his pocket, and the shuttle shut and sealed itself with a long hiss. Only we had access to it, and that gave me a certain sense of comfort. I did not trust the Aeternae enough to allow them in there, just yet. They were still gauging us, and we were still gauging them, too.
“You have a beautiful city,” Derek said.
“And a splendid world,” Sofia added. “We saw some truly breathtaking sights on our way down.”
“Oh, yes, nature has blessed us plenty,” Petra replied as she led the way up the road. Derek and Sofia walked with her, while Kalon settled in the back behind them, next to Tristan and me. Amal and Nethissis were last, and Zoltan and Corbin flanked our group, keeping ten feet’s worth of distance from us on both sides.
The golden guards followed us closely, while the silver-armored soldiers spread out through the outskirts of the city. I didn’t know whether they’d gone for good or they’d simply been advised beforehand to stay away and only return in case they were needed. As the city opened up before us, I found my breath stolen by its elaborate works of architecture and sensible urban planning.
The gothic vibe was impossible to ignore, cemented into my perception by the wealth of brick arches, slim towers, and elaborate masonry on every façade. The wind blew softly down the road, ruffling the boxed trees that bordered it. Tiny white blossoms trembled between the waxed leaves, their scent quickly reaching me.
Many of the locals were out in the streets, but they kept their distance. They watched us, though, with a mixture of interest and concern—naturally, for we were the foreigners. The strange creatures that had come from another world. They knew nothing about us. I wondered if they had any alien invasion lore keeping their young ones awake at night with tales of horror and destruction. The thought alone was enough to make me smile beneath my sun mask.
“Look at their clothes,” Tristan said slowly, looking to our right. A mother held her children close outside a store, its windows filled with all kinds of potted flowers and miniature sculptures. A few customers lingered by the doorway, as well. “High-quality fabrics,” a shop keeper was calling out.
The ladies were dressed in a similar fashion, with tight corsets beneath velvet or leather tunics, and broad skirts, reminding me of Earth’s nineteenth century—the romantic flourishes and embroidered details, the stiffened petticoats that completely transformed the female figure, and the elegant accessories that accompanied each outfit. In this case, I could see their love of hats and fascinator-like implements, along with the liberal use of pearls, precious gemstones, silver, and gold.
“They’re beautiful,” I murmured.
“Straight out of a Victorian brunch or a Bram Stoker novel,” Tristan replied.
The Aeternae men were dapper, most of them wearing custom-tailored suits with silken vests, tailcoats with embroidered coattails, and fine leather gloves. There was a general sense of etiquette, a certain culture of respect between the Aeternae. Among those out on the street, I was able to identify three different typologies, two of which could not be Aeternae.
“Notice the differences,” I said to my brother, looking at a group of adolescents outside a boarding house, its shutters painted dark green. “The Aeternae are a lot like us, in terms of physical features. Soft skin, symmetrical build, light-colored eyes… mostly well-dressed.”
“Right,” Tristan replied, his gaze wandering across the group. “The young male there. Tanned skin. Dark complexion. Brown eyes. Black hair. Slender build.”
“Oh, that’s a Rimian boy,” Kalon interjected, following our gaze. “Rimia is mostly deserts and stone quarries, so they’re built for its savage climate.”
“I see a few live here,” I said, and Kalon nodded.
“We facilitate their transport, yes. You’ll find Visio to be a very welcoming place.”
“What about the bigger, pale types?” Tristan asked. Next to the Rimian boy, there were two siblings, likely twins, with bright blue eyes, almost-white skin, and pale blond hair. They stood out when compared to most Aeternae.
“Naloreans,” Kalon replied. “By contrast, Nalore is freezing cold throughout most of the year. Its people are built to live comfortably in its constant snows and blizzards. They can withstand ridiculously low temperatures that would make the rest of us freeze.” This reminded me of the Dhaxanians, only I doubted the Naloreans had the ability to manipulate ice like Nevis and his people could.
The air felt heavy, keeping me on edge. The locals were mostly suspicious and curious about us, but some of the Rimians and Naloreans seemed downright fearful. I wasn’t sure if we were to blame, though. I put the thought aside, nonetheless, because we were not here to police the people. We had a delicate and deeply personal mission, and we’d been instructed to keep out of their business. I did, however, take mental notes to bring up with Derek and Sofia later, once we got to a more private location.
“You mentioned your lord and lady,” Derek said, walking in front of us with Sofia and Petra. “Are they your leaders?”
“Acheron and Danika Nasani. Lord and Lady Supreme of Visio,” Petra replied. “You will meet them soon enough. They assembled this welcoming group for your arrival.”
“Yes, they had to choose between a social or military approach,” Kalon cut in, giving me an amused sideways glance. As if greeting us with swords and pitchforks would’ve been funny in any way. I wasn’t sure what to think of him, but he made the hairs on the back of my neck rise stiffly.
“We are a peaceful people,” Petra sought to assure us, giving her son a stern, menacing scowl. “Given the size of your vessel, we assumed you’d be a small party, likely exploring our world. It would’ve been rude to attack you without first knowing what your objective was.”
“We certainly appreciate your approach,” Derek replied. “Mind if I ask… How does Visio run? What sort of resources do you have?”
“It is mostly a combination of natural means and mazir. It’s our occult science, a magic of sorts, if you will,” Petra explained. “It’s how we put the haze out there, around our world. The word mazir comes from our ancient language, which hasn’t been spoken in millennia. It means ‘eternal,’ so I suppose there is a bit of poetry in there.”
