“Well, that can’t be good!” Widow concluded.

“Here’s a question. If there aren’t any Reapers on Visio, where do all the souls go?” the Soul Crusher asked, looking at me. “You said Seeley didn’t see any Reapers or souls there. So where are they, if no one’s taking them into the world of the dead?”

“That’s what I’d like to know, as well,” I murmured, forcing my weary mind to focus on Seeley. I reached out to him through our telepathic connection, finding a sliver of comfort in being bound to him like this. Of all the Reapers I’d ever dealt with, Seeley was, by far, the one I trusted most. “Can you hear me, Seeley?”

“Yeah. Any news?” he asked, his voice soothing the storm I’d just endured.

Looking at Death and the First Tenners, I nodded slowly. “There aren’t any Reapers assigned to Visio, for some unknown reason. There haven’t been Reapers there in at least two million years, if not longer.”

He didn’t answer right away, and I knew it had come as an understandable shock to him. “How can this be?”

“We have no idea. But Soul made a good point. Even if there were no Reapers, there should at least be souls on Visio, probably more than on other worlds,” I said.

“But there aren’t any.”

“Which is why you must be careful in your investigation. Something is fishy there, and you need to get to the bottom of it,” I replied.

“Should I approach Derek and his crew about this?” Seeley asked, and I relayed his question to Death.

She shook her head. “Under no circumstances. There is to be no fraternization between the living and the undead. Not to mention the dead!”

“You heard her, right?” I said.

“Yeah.” He sighed. “I don’t like this, Kelara.”

“Me neither, but let’s be honest. There’s nothing Derek or his people could do for us. There’s no need to involve them in any of this,” I said. “We’ll have to handle it ourselves.”

“I’ll be in touch,” he replied.

“Remember, Seeley. Be extra careful, going forward. Whatever is going on there, it is not good. I’ll assemble a team of Reapers from our circle to assist you. I’ll let you know when they’re on their way, okay?”

“Thanks, Kelara.”

I felt him slip away from me, our telepathic connection dimmed. You shouldn’t thank me yet…

I had no idea what he was dealing with. And it scared me. After all the stunts that the Spirit Bender had pulled behind our backs, being taken by surprise like this was quite a blow to the entire Reaperhood. Whatever was happening on Visio, it needed to be dealt with swiftly. Whether it was the work of ghouls or something else—what, exactly, I didn’t know—we had to resolve it before things got out of hand.

For the first time in ages, I felt genuine fear. I worried about Seeley.

Esme

The dinner was pleasant, as we got to drink more of the Rimian and Nalorean blood that had expanded our senses like an out-of-this-world nirvana. We learned more about Visio and their working relationship with their neighboring planets and principates. Acheron and Danika enjoyed telling us about trade routes and the political history of the empire, while Corbin Crimson took his time explaining the role of the gold and silver guards around the city and the palace.

Zoltan Shatal did not speak much, but we did get a better understanding of how the Aeternae’s government worked. Later that evening, as varieties of sweet blood were served for dessert, Petra Visentis explained the logistics behind the blood farms. As the high priestess, she was the upper-most responsible figure in the Aeternae’s ruling elite, where procuring blood was concerned. On Visio, it was treasured as the life-giving force, beyond its physical properties. It had a powerful spiritual significance, as well, thus bringing Petra to the forefront of the entire process.

They’d put together an impressive system, for sure, but both Tristan and I were convinced that they were not telling us everything, so we’d stuck to our original discussion, already making plans to go invisible and explore the palace one of these nights.

Throughout the evening, I kept stealing glances at Kalon. I couldn’t help myself. There was just something about him that warranted an in-depth investigation. Of course, his physical appeal played a huge part in my fascination, but I had also begun to wonder what he was hiding beneath that arrogant playboy façade. I’d heard good things about him from Zurah, my handmaiden, but I still couldn’t let go of the possibility that he had his hands in some pretty nasty pies. Creatures like him had a tendency to fit into a particular pattern, and I was rarely wrong about this.

I spent the night tossing and turning in my giant bed, listening to the songs of nocturnal birds outside my window. I wondered about the Aeternae, the Rimians and the Naloreans, and this so-called balance they claimed to have achieved. I thought about the blood farms and how the people were treated there. The origin of the Aeternae, too. Where did they come from? How had they developed to this stage?

Did they have something in common with the Elders of Cruor, somehow, or were they simply a separate species, superior to our vampires through their ability to walk in the sunlight? Danika had suggested running some blood tests to ascertain the similarities and differences between our species, and I knew Amal was more than ready and willing to do them. It would take some days, at least, to get conclusive results, but I was already dying to better understand where we stood, next to the Aeternae, unable to shake off the thought that maybe we were related in some way, no matter how small.

Kalon invited us to watch a tournament in the Blood Arena in the morning, which made it all the more difficult for me to actually catch even the tiniest of Zs. As the sun rose through the hazy sky, I smiled, thankful to Zurah for having pulled the semi-transparent curtains, shielding my bedroom windows from direct sunlight. Shortly before breakfast, she came to my chambers with a new dress for the day.

While I wasn’t exactly comfortable with wearing dresses on a regular basis, I wanted to adhere to the local styles so I could blend in better. Today’s outfit was a chic and elegant combination of a full gray skirt with a softer crinoline underneath, a white shirt with collar ruffles, and a matching gray jacket with velvety laces, which Zurah tied in a neat pattern, creating a beautiful overall effect.

“I think you’ll enjoy the Blood Arena,” she said, as she pulled my hair into a tight bun at the top of my head, adding a smidge of fragranced oils to keep it smooth and shiny and light. She fitted a small hat on the side, with silk flowers and colorful beads and lace ribbons. “While I’m not a fan of violent sports, I do appreciate their rules.”

“What rules?” I asked.

She applied a delicate pearl powder to my skin, which illuminated my expression and allowed the following layer of peach blush to stand out. “There are no claws or fangs allowed in the tournaments,” she replied, dabbing a finger in a thick and soft red wax, which she then spread over my lips. It smelled of sweet roses, and I had to admit… their natural beauty tricks were charming and enticing. “Only weapons and physical strength.”

“That’s interesting,” I murmured, admiring myself in the mirror, while Zurah mounted a mother-of-pearl brooch on a silver inlay at the base of my neck, making it seem as though the lace ruffles poured out from it. Again, I recognized echoes of English Victorian fashion, wondering if there was some sort of collective style consciousness that went past the confines of time and space. There were just so many things here that I’d already seen on Earth, as well as in Eritopia and other parts of the In-Between and the Supernatural Dimension.

“I believe Lord Visentis invited you?”

I nodded. “He did, yes.”

“He’ll tell you more about the tournaments and their history, since he’s one of the greatest champions of the Blood Arena.” She giggled, fitting a pair of low-heeled boots on my feet. “Oh, I brought you these, as well, to shield you from the sun.”

Zurah brought out a short velvet cape with a large, stiff hood, big enough to cover my head and keep me under a decent shade. She’d added a gray linen umbrella and matching gloves, as well. Her thoughtfulness made me smile as I rose from the vanity chair to face her.

“You are too kind, Zurah. Thank you.”

“Fortunately, you won’t need the hood for too long today. The sky is strange on Visio, and the sun doesn’t burn much. However, we don’t want you to risk it.”

I left her to tend to my room, putting my hood and gloves on before I walked out. I had the umbrella in one hand, my comms piece in my ear, and a handful of emergency items in a hidden skirt pocket. We might’ve been guests here, but it was still a good idea to have some magic handy, at least.

Kalon was already at my door, waiting quietly and patiently, his hands behind his back. His face lit up at the sight of me, while my heart skipped a few beats, the temperature suddenly rising between us. Oh, I was definitely attracted to him, but I was also aware of the danger looming beneath the surface.

“Good morning,” he said, while I took a moment to fully take in the sight of him.

Nothing he wore would ever look bad, given his frame and toned muscles. His three-piece suit for the day was dark gray with a white shirt, the silk vest tightly fitted around his torso.

I bowed curtly. “Good morning to you, too, Lord Visentis.”

He raised an eyebrow, his cold blue eyes scanning me curiously. “Lord Visentis?” he replied. “Did something happen at dinner to push us back to such irksome formalities?” I shook my head, aware that this was the umpteenth time that I’d blushed in his presence. I needed to find a way to resist this effect he had on me, because I did not like any kind of vulnerability in front of someone to whom I was attracted. “Then please call me Kalon. Lord Visentis is such a stiff moniker, especially at this hour.”

I smiled as he offered me his arm and hooked mine into his. We walked down the hallway, and I gazed around, wondering where the rest of my crew was.

“Tristan and the others are on their way to the Blood Arena, as well,” he said, reading more from my expression than I would’ve thought. “They’ve got about twenty minutes on us.”

“Thank you for the opportunity, by the way. The tournaments do sound interesting, despite their brutality,” I replied, trying not to stare at him. Whenever he looked at me, I froze, my mind wandering in all the wrong places.

“Like I told you yesterday, Esme. The fights serve as an outlet. They’re one of the principal reasons why we don’t have wars and skirmishes with rebels or among the principates of Visio.”

Outside, I was pleased to realize that my hood was definitely doing a good job of shielding me from the soft sunlight, but I was downright ecstatic when a Rimian stable boy came to the bottom of the palace steps, leading two gorgeous Visio horses. I stilled, staring at them. These creatures looked even more beautiful from up close.