“Your magic is eternal. Is that what it means?” Sofia replied.
Petra smiled. “You could say that. We do not lack anything. After Rimia and Nalore were conquered and became principates of Visio, we gained access to their resources. There is a steady flow throughout the kingdom. People don’t go hungry. They do not suffer without roofs over their heads. The Nalorean scholars are some of the brightest minds we have, responsible for their sky studies and the ships that were built to facilitate transport between the planets.”
“The Rimians provide us with plenty of food, along with unlimited access to their stone quarries. The finest marble and limestone come from them,” Zoltan said, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “We’ve achieved a certain synergy, of which we are very proud. Before the Aeternae, there was nothing. Now there is everything.”
“Do you have knowledge of what was before the Aeternae?” I asked, intrigued by his phrasing.
An enormous plaza opened around us, framed by a line of majestic pink marble columns with broad arches, covered in thick and colorful flowery vines. In the middle, a fountain rose proudly, with an angelic figure holding a pitcher, through which the water gushed out and filled the bowl-shaped space beneath.
Birds sang in the nearby trees, soft trills that sought not to interfere but rather amplify the stunning view. The sun was beginning to slowly set, momentarily hiding behind one of the tall, dark gray limestone towers. Its rays hit the giant bell mounted beneath the conical roof. I wondered what the bells were used for. In other cultures, they served as warning sounds or religious chimes. Which was it with the Aeternae? Did they worship a god, or did they fear invasions?
There were hundreds of people here, but, much like the others before them, they did not dare get any closer. The sight of the golden guards was enough to make them want to stand back. It gave me a good opportunity to further observe them. Tristan and I were mesmerized by this culture, ripe with elegance and mystery. There was so much to unpack here, so many things to understand, including where the similarities between our species stopped.
Vampires drank blood for a living. What gave the Aeternae their much-needed sustenance? Much like many other points I’d saved in the back of my head, this was a question for later.
“There was nothing before the Aeternae,” the chief councilor insisted, his voice harder than before. It was a sign that he wasn’t willing to tell us more about what predated them.
“What Zoltan means to say is that there is no recorded history, only relics we couldn’t make much sense of,” Petra said, wearing a strained smile, her eyes throwing darts at him. The animosity was clearly mutual, but I had to admit, I had more appreciation for her than for Zoltan. At least Petra gave us information, despite the riddling aura that she carried herself with. “Therefore, we know little to nothing about our distant past.”
“When did Rimia and Nalore become principates?” I asked, trying to establish a timeline, given we’d already been told that the Aeternae had been around for four million years.
“Two million years ago, approximately. I admit, I’m not very good with dates, but I’m sure our Nalorean scholars will reveal whatever tidbits you wish to know regarding the conquests,” Petra replied. “We’ve been at peace ever since.”
“Did Rimia or Nalore challenge you, in any way? What was the purpose of taking them over?” Sofia asked. It was a good question, but I worried we were wading into GASP territory, which was exactly what we’d said we’d do our best to steer clear of.
Corbin Crimson shot her a steely gaze. “The kingdom expanded. The Aeternae needed a source of nourishment, and Rimia and Nalore needed to do something with their resources.”
“I’m confused,” I thought aloud without even realizing it.
We stopped in the middle of the square for a while, and the golden guards took their positions along the rose columns in order to keep the curious folk at bay. Mist began to slip through the surrounding alleyways as the sun continued its lazy descent.
Petra sat on the edge of the fountain, looking at Sofia. “What do vampires feed on?” she asked. I took a moment to study her expression, the thin blade of her nose, her thin lips, and the pearlescent sheen of her skin.
“Blood. We cannot stomach food anymore,” Sofia said.
“The Rimians and the Naloreans eat food. Whatever they find or grow themselves. They cook it. Steamed, fried, baked, with all kinds of wondrous seasonings. I’m told the fruits of Visio are wonderful, but I’ve never had the possibility of trying them, because, like you, the Aeternae only consume blood. It’s our life force.”
Silence took over, stunning us all. We’d considered similarities all the way up to nutrition, but, even though Petra had confirmed some of our own suspicions, we were still taken aback. It was one thing to theorize about something like this, and a wholly different thing to face it as a fact. The Aeternae consumed blood, much like vampires and Maras. They lived forever, if given the opportunity. Unlike the vampires and the Maras, they had no problem being in the sunlight—that must’ve been why Ta’Zan had used their protein to fix Derek.
I looked at Amal. “If this is where Ta’Zan got the protein from, why didn’t he use Aeternae genes to make his Perfects, long before the vampires came along?” I whispered.
“There were notes in his old journals about this. Something about incompatibilities with other genetic samples—possibly from this species—that forced him to wait until he discovered the vampires,” Amal murmured. “We don’t have any of Ta’Zan’s papers left, though, so I wouldn’t be able to give you more details. Something just didn’t click in the gene pool with whatever Aeternae material he had, as opposed to the vampire material.”
Again, my pulse went on a frantic race, as the truth settled in my mind. Ta’Zan must’ve tried to build his Perfects using Aeternae genes, but it hadn’t worked, for reasons we might never understand. But he’d managed to isolate that day-walking protein, at least, which he’d put into Derek… and probably the Perfects, too, who had vampire genes in them.
“We take our blood from animals, mostly,” Derek said. “On rare occasions, humans, which we all once were, as well, give it to us. Where do you get yours from?”
Upon hearing the question, Petra struggled not to laugh, while Kalon kept watching me, searching for a reaction despite not being able to see my face. Zoltan avoided eye contact altogether, seeming rather nervous, while Corbin never took his eyes off Derek and Sofia. He’d already acknowledged them as leaders of our group.
“That’s why Rimia and Nalore were conquered. They give it to us in exchange for goods and services, housing, and many other advantages,” the high priestess said. “It took Visio a long time, and there was plenty of initial resistance, but we’ve attained a precious balance which benefits all parties involved.”
“You feed on people?” Sofia replied, understandably concerned. Derek gently squeezed her wrist, though he was just as disturbed by Petra’s words. It was a discreet reminder that we needed to be careful so as not to offend our hosts.
“They sell their blood,” Corbin said. “We never go hungry, and neither do they. Our society thrives because of this relationship. If you do things differently in your world, then good for you. I hope you haven’t come here to judge us for how we run our kingdom.”
“No, we wouldn’t dare,” Derek intervened, trying to smile. “We’re simply impressed by what you’ve accomplished. We didn’t think it was possible.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Petra replied. “Like I said, they were reluctant at first. Once Rimia and Nalore were conquered, however, their options became limited. As the years went by, they got used to it. They learned to accept it as part of how things are and will be for as long as the Aeternae exist. And we plan to make that an eternity.”
“Mind if I ask how this entire process works? Do you feed on living people, or do they sell you certain quantities of their blood?” I asked, trying to get a better picture before suggesting some GASP policing options to Derek—after we got all the original source of the day-walking protein that we needed, of course.
“It is collected weekly from harvesting centers,” Zoltan said. “The people come in, give their blood, and are paid accordingly. It’s a simple process, really. A cultural norm.”
“And the blood is then shipped to Visio from Nalore and Rimia, right?” Tristan replied, following my lead.
Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed a couple of skinny Rimian females—much thinner than others I’d seen before. They wore elegant dresses, quite different from their peers. I’d already noted that the Rimians and the Naloreans did not seem as wealthy as the Aeternae, but these two girls seemed to contradict my observation. Their dresses were beautiful, made from smooth silks and adorned with gemstone embroideries—a little over the top, if I were to be honest, as if they were trying to compensate for other things they were missing. I’d seen this before in what my brother and I had called “the nouveau riche” across different civilizations. People from poor backgrounds who’d stumbled upon a fortune, eager to blare their opulence in public.
There was something odd about these two girls, though. They were worryingly thin, their skin paler than most Rimians we’d spotted so far, with dark rings around their eyes and shaky hands. There wasn’t enough expensive silk and brocade to cover an ailing body, unfortunately.
“Once a week, our ships come in from Rimia and Nalore with gallons of blood, carefully kept on ice until it’s consumed,” Petra said.
The Rimian girls wore scarves that covered their necks. A thought crossed my mind as I shifted my focus back to the high priestess. “You never feed on live people?”
She didn’t answer right away. I had a feeling she was trying to choose her words carefully, having already noticed Sofia’s aversion to drinking blood from our humans.
“We do not seek to harm our food source,” Petra finally said. “Of course, some Rimians and Naloreans might want to increase their fortunes and may decide to offer their blood in a more direct way to wealthy Aeternae. Our kingdom does not condone such a practice, but it’s rather difficult to police.”
I nodded slowly, catching the drift. Therefore, the two Rimian girls I’d spotted were likely displaying signs of anemia, a weakness that came from having too much of their blood drained. Given that the system the Aeternae had put in place was touted as being well-regulated, I had to assume that they wouldn’t have allowed anyone to weaken themselves to such a point.
