“If it’s between Aeternae, yes, no weapons whatsoever, despite the stunt Demetrius tried to pull. Otherwise, if it’s a mixed confrontation—say, between an Aeternae and a Nalorean, or two Rimians or whatever—then no claws and fangs, only weapons, much like in the tournaments. It’s about evening the playing field.” He stilled, raising his eyebrows. “Would you like to spar, Esme? The blades are all blunt here, for training purposes.”

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Sure. Let’s see what you’ve got, Lord Visentis.”

That wasn’t my self-confidence beaming. I had already seen what sort of fighter he was. There was a reason why he’d earned his reputation as one of the Blood Arena’s currently undefeated champions. That alone said enough. But I was still curious about his technique and agility with weapons, which I had yet to observe, especially given his preference for the longsword, which was not an easy weapon to master.

“I’ll go easy on you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kalon said.

“Oh, snap, I forgot. You don’t know,” I replied.

“Know what?” he asked, taking an attack stance as he raised his longsword with both hands, the tip of its blade pointed at me.

“About my military training.”

Without giving him the opportunity to respond, I dashed forward. He moved into a defensive position, anticipating my attack, but I slid to the side and swerved around him. Suddenly, his back was wide open.

I brought one sword down, but he was quick, moving like a shadow, as he turned and blocked my hit with his blade. Steel kissed steel with a dull clang, and I jumped back and went in for another blow.

Kalon defended himself almost effortlessly at first, but my stamina soon prevailed. We waltzed across the training hall, swinging our swords at each other. He managed to smack me over the arm twice, the flesh burning from the brief but heavy blow. I was faster and lighter on my feet, but his technique was illustrious.

His use of the longsword gave me a good runaround, as well. I wound up with my blades crossed in front of me, holding his back. Kalon smirked. “Military training. And what else? They don’t teach you this in the army, do they?”

I chuckled and kicked him in the stomach. He fell backward, taken by surprise, but got up quickly and charged at me with a full swing. I dodged and slid to my right, swiftly turning around so I could always see him coming.

“I’ve picked up a few more things along the way, I suppose,” I said, panting and having the time of my life. “Different tribes that my brother and I have studied have different traditions and fighting styles. You learn a little bit from everyone, in the end.”

He came at me again, and I continued to escape his attacks. I wondered how long it would take to wear him out. Soon enough, our physical differences began to emerge. The Aeternae lasted longer in direct combat. I was the one getting tired, while Kalon kept at it, his breathing ragged but his energy still way above mine.

His ability to foresee some of my movements didn’t help. Then again, he’d fought plenty of people in the Blood Arena. He must’ve learned some patterns. His experience was superior to mine, in that aspect.

“You’re very good,” Kalon said, as we circled one another around the broken dummy. “Though there is always room for better. I could train you.”

Did I want him to train me? Why the hell not? I had a lot to learn from Kalon, clearly. And he was offering. I doubted Crimson, the one responsible for champions like Valaine and Kalon, among others, would’ve spared a moment of his time to teach me, and I’d made it my mission to never pass up an opportunity to learn something.

Sweat trickled down my temples. “You would train me out of the goodness of your heart?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Because you’re not an easy creature to read,” I said.

He stopped, his brow furrowed as his blue eyes darkened. I wasn’t sure what to make of his reaction. Had I insulted him? Had I pointed out an uncomfortable truth, perhaps?

“Nothing in this life is easy,” he replied and kicked the wooden dummy so hard, it bumped into me. I lost my balance and focus.

It was all it took for Kalon to move like a flash of lightning as he jumped over the fallen dummy and pushed me against the wall. Before I knew it, my swords were on the floor, and his forearm pressed into my throat, while the tip of his blunt sword poked me in the stomach.

For a moment, neither of us dared to move, paralyzed by what had just happened. His face was inches from mine, and I had a hard time making sense of anything. Sweat dripped from my eyebrow, forcing me to shut one eye. His breath brushed against my skin.

The face I made with one eye closed must’ve been funny, because Kalon laughed as he pulled back and offered a polite bow. “My apologies, Esme. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and eyes with the back of my sleeve, my cheeks ablaze and my limbs trembling from the adrenaline. Kalon packed a solid punch, for sure. There was delightful danger lurking inside me, and I’d merely gotten a glimpse of it.

“I, for one, hope you didn’t go easy on me,” I said.

He shook his head. “Not at all. I wouldn’t have wanted to offend you.”

“Hah. That’s considerate. Thank you.”

“The offer stands,” he said, his eyes glimmering with anticipation. That black leather looked wicked on his athletic form. My mouth was dry. “I can train you. Help you improve certain skills. Your speed is exquisite, and your technique is certainly varied, but you need to tie it all into something more fluid.”

I thought about it for a moment. For as long as I was here, I could certainly spare an hour or two a day training with Kalon Visentis, one of the Blood Arena’s highly acclaimed champions. I had nothing to lose, only to gain from such an arrangement.

“Is there an endgame here?” I asked him, tired of all the guessing I’d done from the moment we’d met. If I was to trust him with my training, I had to be able to look at him and not see a potential enemy.

Kalon grunted, a shadow settling between his eyebrows. I’d made him angry, and I almost regretted raising the question, but it had to be done. Like a band-aid, it had to be removed quickly. The pain was sharp, but it would only last a split second before the benefits emerged.

“I resent the implication,” Kalon said, his voice rough and low.

Had I been paranoid this whole time? He was clearly offended, and the last thing I needed was Kalon Visentis holding a grudge against me.

“No offense intended,” I replied. “But, like I said, you make it difficult for me to trust you. After all, we’ve only just met, Kalon. If I’m to trust you with anything, my training included, I need to be able to… you know, trust you.”

As if suddenly enlightened, Kalon seemed to relax, his shoulders dropping slowly. His expression changed, and a faint smile danced across his face. “Sometimes, taking a chance on someone is all it takes to change your life for the better,” he said. “I made it clear last night that I value honor above anything else. I see potential in you as a fighter, and I wish to amplify it, that’s all. You can choose to say no, or you can pick up your swords and get ready for another round, Esme. It’s pretty simple.”

Kalon didn’t feel the need to justify himself. This was the best I would get out of him regarding his trustworthiness. Then again, what should I have expected? I had never trusted anyone outside my family who’d ever told me to “trust them.” Anyone who said that raised a red flag in my book. So what more did I want from Kalon, in this instance, in terms of reassurances?

Nothing. Settle for what you got.

And I did. With a brief nod, I picked the twin swords up and took my defense stance.

“All right, then. Show me what you’ve got, teacher,” I said.

Tristan

I lost track of time in the library. Having planned to only spend the first part of the day in here, I was quickly absorbed into the dozens of leather-bound volumes that documented the Black Fever and its devastating effects in painstaking detail. Derek and Sofia were busy with Amal in one of the study rooms, having collected enough Aeternae blood to begin their tests and analyses, while Nethissis was busy compiling a more comprehensive report of our first couple of days here.

Esme had mentioned something about the training halls, and I didn’t mind her keeping busy like this at all. I did appreciate the freedom we had as guests in the palace. Of course, I knew everyone was watching us—servants, valets, handmaidens, gold guards. They all had their eyes on us, as did the nobles living in the many other rooms of this enormous building. But we were respectful and didn’t bother anyone. From that angle, I didn’t see anything wrong with my scholarly endeavor. Besides, I needed something to wipe away the memory of the bloodshed I’d witnessed last night in the Black Square.

Everything in this place was meant to be read. I assumed the more delicate documents were kept separately, in a secure and secret location.

Reading about the Black Fever was more emotionally ravaging than I’d imagined. It was one thing to hear about it killing millions of Aeternae every ten thousand years, and something else entirely to take in the accounts of doctors and shamans who had fought tirelessly against the disease’s rapid spread.

It was late afternoon, and I’d reached the fifteenth such document, enclosed in a third volume surrounding the Black Fever. Its author, Merus Corinth, had been on the forefront of the outbreak five hundred thousand years ago—though, to be honest, I had already lost count of those before him. There were just too many.

Merus talked about the first symptoms, which he’d witnessed in his own daughter. The fever set in at first. The Aeternae girl’s skin had become pale, and she’d begun to lose weight while she burned on the inside. Eventually, she could no longer get out of bed.

By then, fifteen more cases had been identified in the capital city, and many more in the provinces and even in the principates, where thousands of Aeternae were stationed as part of the government forces and administrative personnel—the Aeternae might’ve conquered and subdued Rimia and Nalore, but that didn’t mean they could just let the locals handle their affairs. No, the Aeternae were deeply embedded in the core of each principate, approving laws and regulations, signing treaties and trade deals with Visio and on behalf of Visio. Personally, I found that a little shady, but it was still none of my business.

“By the third week of fever, Clara’s skin was almost translucent, the veins black as they spidered across,” I read from Merus’s account. “I put a needle in a thicker one. My daughter didn’t feel a thing, too weak to protest, anyway. Blood came out, but it was no longer of the crimson color. Instead, it was as black as ink, and as thick as oil.”