Tired? Bored? Eager to throw our lives in the fire for a second’s worth of adrenaline in the Blood Arena? It got me thinking that some insights from the Aeternae elders would’ve easily answered my questions.

“Zurah, is there any chance I might be able to visit the oldest Aeternae?” I asked, still seated as she finished arranging my hair. I looked like the vampire version of Scarlet O’Hara, and I didn’t mind it one bit. The way the dark curls fell down my back and over my shoulders made my neck look longer and thinner.

“No, milady,” Zurah replied, moving to apply a delicate skin-tone powder to my face with a large brush. “The elders are off-limits to everyone, even most Aeternae. Only the lord and lady supreme, along with the ruling council, the high priestess, and the master commander are allowed to see them.”

“Hmm. I see. Where do they live, exactly?”

Zurah shot me a warning glare before brushing pink blush powder over my cheeks. “Milady, I don’t think it’s wise to ask such things. Especially since you are not of this world.”

“I’m just curious. Don’t worry, Zurah, I have no intention of sneaking out and breaking into the retirement homes of ancient Aeternae.” I chuckled softly.

She looked at me for a while, as if trying to ascertain whether I was joking or not. “There are six islands off the eastern coast,” she finally said. “Gated communities guarded by some of the deadliest Aeternae soldiers and tournament champions. The latter are offered the honor instead of riches and titles, should they wish to protect the elders, instead.”

“Protect them from what?”

“The curious folk. Sometimes, the younger Aeternae like to challenge the system. They make bets or dare one another to sneak onto one of the islands, to get a good look at the elders. It never ends well for them, but they never learn,” Zurah explained. “Sometimes, people with grievances against the lord and lady supreme look to hurt the elders in order to punish our rulers. Again, that always concludes in death and disaster for the attackers. So, yes, the ancient Aeternae are protected.”

“I understand.”

I was being honest. I did understand why they’d chosen to keep the oldest Aeternae away from the rest of the population. But it also made me want to ask additional questions, because there had to be more to these gated communities than just the need to ward off the curious or spiteful folk. What were the Aeternae hiding that they didn’t want anyone to see?

What were the ancient ones like, that they had to be secluded and isolated like this? Naturally, I immediately thought of asking my brother for advice. Maybe we’d even find a way to go there, to sneak in ourselves and see. After all, we had invisibility potions readily available for such endeavors. No one would even know. Not even Derek and Sofia, in case Tristan and I decided not to tell them—since they could easily tell us to stay out of the Aeternae’s business. There was no harm in looking, though.

“Milady, you are ready for the evening now,” Zurah said after a minute’s worth of heavy silence. “Might I ask that you don’t wander through restricted areas of the palace, if you’re to go out for a walk?”

I couldn’t help but frown at her. “Restricted areas? Which are those?” I asked.

“They’re dark, milady. Anything that isn’t illuminated in this palace is off-limits to the guests and the handmaidens.”

Clearly, Visio had its share of secrets. While part of me wanted to follow the rules and focus solely on getting the day-walking protein from the Aeternae, I was dying to uncover and study everything that they were trying to keep from us. It was in my nature to question everything, to dig deeper, and to burrow through the darkest corners until I got to the truth—no matter how terrible or wonderful it could be.

In this case, I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation. “I’ll be on my best behavior, Zurah,” I said, lying through my teeth as I gave her a comforting smile.

Esme

After Zurah was done with my evening style preparations, she tidied the bathroom and left, promising to be here when I returned after dinner. A bit overdressed for my taste but feeling strangely fabulous, nonetheless, I left my chambers and barged into my brother’s, finding him seated in an armchair by the window, reading some history books that the Aeternae had left under his coffee table, as well.

“Have you never heard of knocking?” he blurted, having been so focused on the pages that he hadn’t even heard me coming.

I grinned. “Dude.”

“Right. Sorry, you surprised me.”

“That doesn’t happen very often,” I said, noticing his apartment was strikingly different from mine. The embroidered wallpaper in the lounge room evoked a nocturnal scene in the woods, in shades of dark brown and green. The furniture was sturdier, more masculine, with dark tapestry and lacquered wood frames. From where I stood, I could see the nautical color palette in his bedroom, with a four-poster bed and dark-blue-and-white linens. “Nice digs,” I observed. “Mine are…”

“Different? More to your taste?” he replied, raising an eyebrow.

He wore a suit, much in the style I’d seen on Kalon and the other Aeternae males—a three-piece combination of dark blue coattail jacket and pants, and light gray vest, complete with a white shirt and a silvery scarf loosely serving as a tie. “You look dapper as hell!”

“Thanks. Turns out I have a valet. He did most of the work you see on me,” Tristan replied dryly, clearly uncomfortable in his outfit. I couldn’t help but smile.

“I have a handmaiden, so I don’t know, perks of being guests in the lord and lady supreme’s palace?” I replied, glancing down at my dress.

“Whoever your handmaiden is, do give her my compliments. She turned you into a spectacular vision,” Tristan said.

I did like the way the suit looked on him. It made his dark stubble stand out, giving him the air of a handsome nobleman—and not the tee-loving, tree-hugging unshaved explorer he usually was.

“Thank you very much. The same goes for your valet, it seems. I’m betting a lot of hearts will be broken as soon as we walk you out that door tonight.”

We both laughed, and Tristan pulled a second armchair close to his, so we could sit by the window together. By then, the sky had taken on a dark purple hue, with barely a thread of red and orange still gleaming on the horizon. His room smelled of leather and musk, and I had the inclination to blame the fragranced oils for that. The Aeternae definitely had an appreciation for fine scents and toiletries.

“What do you think of this place, so far?” he asked me, setting his book aside. He fumbled with the scarf for a while but gave up quickly, since he risked ruining a perfectly styled knot that the valet had made for him, no doubt. This was all unlike him, and it was truly hilarious to watch.

“I smell secrets, little brother,” I said. “Lots and lots of secrets.”

“I’m only a year younger than you, Esme. Cut the ‘little brother’ crap.”

“Never,” I replied, delighted that our banter hadn’t changed, even after all our years spent exploring the weirdest corners of Earth together. “Anyway, like I was saying. They’re hiding something.”

“Of course they are. Every civilization, every nation, every household will hide things, especially from strangers and newcomers such as ourselves,” he said, slightly amused. “But do you have something more concrete?”

I nodded. “The Aeternae elders are definitely off-limits,” I replied. “Only the highest of the upper echelon are allowed to see them. Zurah, my handmaiden, told me a little bit about it. Apparently, they keep them in gated communities on six islands off the eastern coast of this continent.”

“Which, by the way, is called Droyo,” he added.

“I’ve also been told not to go into the restricted areas of the palace. They’re left dark on purpose, so everyone knows to stay away,” I said, beaming at him. I knew his interest was beyond piqued, at this point.

“We’d be asking for trouble if we went outside the mission’s parameters.” He sighed, his lips pressed into a thin line. That was his way of resisting temptation, and such an easy wall to break. Tristan had come to Visio hoping to stick to our discovery mission, but I’d already warned him that he might not be able to resist digging deeper. It was in our nature to peel away at the layers of every society we studied until we figured out everything that made it function the way it did.

This was no exception, regardless of how hard he fought to resist the itch.

“I’m not saying we should go out now and get into trouble, Tristan. I’m merely suggesting that we make good use of those invisibility pellets we brought along for the trip, at some point. That’s all,” I said, wearing a most innocent expression.

“Esme.”

“You know there’s more beneath the surface!” I insisted. “We can talk to Derek and Sofia about it, if you want. Surely, they must’ve noticed a few things off in this place, just like you and me.”

“This isn’t like Neraka. We can’t mess with their organization or their people,” Tristan said. I understood his cautiousness, but I knew it was a feeble thing, and that it would soon snap. Tristan had never had that much regard for the rules, though, bless him, he’d always tried.

“We agreed not to interfere, sure,” I replied. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t just, you know, look around. I don’t want us to make any kind of diplomatic mess, obviously, but don’t you think we’d be better off if we knew exactly what kind of creatures we’re dealing with? I mean, let’s be honest. We keep saying it’s not like Neraka, but in many ways, it kind of is. I’m starting to feel like there’s a pattern. Species like ours seem prone to subjugating those they deem inferior. Like the vamps of The Shade used to do. These creatures look nice and all. They dress beautifully. They feed off their living, conquered people, and they are immortal. Come on, you can’t tell me you’re not curious to see what’s under this neatly crafted façade.”

“I am. But I’m worried it’ll jeopardize our mission.”

“Invisibility pellets. How many times do I have to remind you?” I retorted, trying not to laugh. In my mind, the plan seemed easy, as long as we remained unseen. We could move through the palace as we wished. Hell, we could even go to the islands and observe the ancient Aeternae for ourselves, if we wanted to. “No one needs to know. If you want, we can even keep this from Derek and Sofia and the others, though, honestly, the thought of them not knowing doesn’t feel right.”

He nodded slowly, gazing out the window. “We should at least talk to them about this. Get their thoughts before we even propose going stealth through this place.”

“But you understand why I need us to do this, right?”