“How is that possible?” Kelara replied, out of breath.

“I don’t know. How’s my team coming along? How soon till they get here?” I asked.

“They should be with you by morning. I’ve put Rudolph in charge.”

“Seriously?” I croaked. “Sidyan was much better for this job. He’s got experience with dark places and Reaper wards. Rudolph’s more… corporate.”

Kelara sighed. “Be thankful. No one wanted to go to Visio for you. Sidyan is busy, but Rudolph said he will lead a team your way, as soon as he’s done with a mass reaping. A disaster is about to hit one of the worlds in his care tonight. He’ll head your way right afterwards. It’s better than nothing, Seeley.”

“Yeah, we need Death back at a hundred percent so we don’t have to deal with this crap again,” I said, shaking my head as I stared at the symbols that had been engraved into one of the cell locks. “This is ancient Reaper magic, Kelara. What’s it doing in the Aeternae’s possession?”

“I’m not sure, but we don’t want to go marching in on them,” she replied. “Death says you need to be careful and discreet. If something is going on there, it needs to be investigated without spooking any of the possible perpetrators—whoever they may be.”

“Yeah. I get it.” Looking around, I watched another guard pass me by, his boots thudding and splashing through the puddles. “I’ll speak to you in a bit.”

As the telepathic connection closed, I realized I had more questions than answers at this point. I knew there was something going on here, something aimed against Reapers, but I wasn’t sure what, and I didn’t understand what the Aeternae’s involvement was, either.

Taking my scythe out, I decided to do a little bit of work on the lock. It might’ve been warded against me, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t at least try to override the magic and look inside. I summoned my two other versions, for it would take all the energy I had left to focus on the lock.

Using the tip of my scythe, I scratched away at some of the symbols on it. I’d need some time, but I was confident I could open it eventually. Whatever they were hiding in these cells, it was important enough to want to keep even Reapers out of here. This entire development begged a new question, though, on top of the many others: How were the Aeternae aware of and even knowledgeable about Reapers and their magic?

Soon enough, another question poked me, and it beckoned me to stop everything that I’d been doing. If there was Reaper magic in this place, how safe was someone like Nethissis down here, even in her snake form? Catching up with her became more important than this door. I had to find a way to get her out of here. Then, I could come back to fiddling with the spells they’d put in place.

Sofia

Starlight glimmered in the night sky outside, as the shades had already been pulled from the study room windows to reveal a most breathtaking sight. Below, the city unraveled with its twinkling windows and streetlamps. Above, the night offered a full view of its endless indigo ocean, ruled by a giant pearly moon.

Derek and I had been by Amal’s side for most of the day. We’d spent the morning helping her collect blood samples from both Danika and Acheron, as well as Petra, Kalon, Zoltan, and even Corbin. Amal had decided that it was enough to work with, for the time being. She’d brought her equipment back from the shuttle, and she’d set it all up on the tables here.

Microscopes, a centrifuge, vials and coolers, and a plethora of devices and tools she needed to study and identify the protein in the Aeternae’s blood, by drawing comparisons to Derek’s. We’d gone over everything we’d seen and learned so far, and Nethissis had already sent a first report back to GASP with operational details. As far as I could tell, we were on the right track, and were thrilled to have gained the Aeternae’s support on this.

If, at first, we’d been reluctant to tell the Lord and Lady Supreme about the protein, Beryn’s malicious intervention during last night’s dinner had actually helped clear the air. It had felt awkward for a splinter of a moment, at most, but reason had prevailed on both sides of the discussion.

“It’s going to take a while for me to identify the protein,” Amal said after hours of painstaking study. “Their blood is so rich and different. I’ve spotted at least twenty enzymes that could be used in life-saving cures.”

“How is that possible?” I asked, getting up from my overly comfortable armchair. Derek was flipping through a manuscript he’d borrowed from the library, a series of papers on the benefits of drinking Rimian and Nalorean blood. Despite their less advanced technological state, the Aeternae had studied things profoundly, as best as they could.

“I’m not sure, but I think it might have something to do with the kind of blood they drink for sustenance,” Amal replied.

Derek nodded in agreement. “I think she’s on to something,” he said, pointing at the manuscript. “Here, it says that all the Aeternae who have tried to live solely on animal blood have developed various weaknesses and dysfunctions. There’s definitely a health-related reason speaking in favor of them drinking Rimian and Nalorean blood. Maybe it does much more to their blood than they thought.”

“It’s a strong possibility. Most of these enzymes do not seem to belong here,” Amal muttered, staring through the microscope at another batch of blood drops. “First of all, from what I’ve gotten so far, I can tell you that you won’t find these enzymes as they are in Rimian or Nalorean blood. They are the product of their blood absorbed into the Aeternae’s.”

“That’s why you asked your handmaiden for a sample,” I mumbled, slightly amused. My mind had wandered all over the place, and I hadn’t paid attention to everything that Amal had been up to during the day. We all trusted her to handle her affairs with as little interference or support from us as possible. “To make comparisons.”

“Yeah. There is definitely something about the Rimian and the Nalorean blood, something we won’t find anywhere else. But it’s the Aeternae’s blood that processes the best from these two species, as far as the enzymes are concerned. I’m sorry I took a while to study Rimian blood, but I had to be sure.”

“These enzymes you mention probably form the foundation of their rapid self-regeneration, as well,” Derek said, flipping through the manuscript’s pages. “This also talks about wounds healing much more slowly if the Aeternae subsists solely on an animal blood diet.”

Amal gave us a brief nod. “Everything they are is thanks to Rimian and Nalorean blood. The Lord and Lady Supreme were truthful when they said they simply couldn’t revert to living off animals. It would weaken them.”

“It would leave the door open for rebel factions to grow.” Derek sighed. “Everything they’ve built would rush down the drain. I guess risking a Black Fever every ten thousand years is worth it, if we look at the greater picture.”

I walked over to the service table, where a valet had left a full pitcher of fresh Nalorean blood for us to dine on. We’d politely rejected a dinner invitation from the Lord and Lady Supreme tonight, since we had our blood work to focus on. Frankly, there wasn’t much that Derek and I could do to assist Amal, but we’d decided to stay with her for her own protection, more than anything else.

As reasonable as we’d tried to be in our discourse and assessments, we knew we couldn’t fully trust the Aeternae, even the upper echelons of their society. There were eyes on us almost at every corner—guards, nobles, servants… they all had an interest in watching us, in studying our movements. It was our duty to make sure Amal made headway with her projects, and that we didn’t spend too much time on Visio. Most importantly, we had a day-walking protein to walk out of here with. Naturally, our scientific work was of paramount importance for this.

I poured myself a glass and one for Derek. We took our time with the blood, allowing the memories and foreign sensations to rush through us. Lost summer dreams. Secrets that the Naloreans we’d drunk from had never revealed to anyone. Thoughts of days long gone. The emotion of calm anticipation as night came with its starry indigo skies…

Every time we drank Rimian or Nalorean blood, we got closer to understanding why the Aeternae could no longer conceive an existence without it. “I feel like I’ve been living a lie with the animal blood.” Derek chuckled softly.

Amal gave us a curious look. “Mind if I take some blood samples from you?” she asked. “I want to compare them to earlier versions, prior to you drinking from Naloreans and Rimians. I’m curious about whether you process those enzymes like the Aeternae.”

“Sure. But what about the protein?” Derek replied.

“Still working on it,” she said, pointing at a device. Its dull whirring had become part of the background noise, and I hadn’t even paid attention to it. Still going, the device had been breaking Danika’s blood down, searching for the day-walking protein. It was a lengthy process. “I’d like to look at these enzymes in the meantime.”

“What do you think of this place, so far?” I asked Amal, while she took out a syringe and drew blood from Derek’s vein.

She thought carefully before she responded, gazing through the windows for a long moment. “It’s beautiful. It’s… romantic, even, with its hazy sunlight and star-ridden night sky. The city is superb, an architectural masterpiece that makes me want to see more of Visio—more cities, more towns and villages. From our shuttle, I could tell that they have some truly breathtaking landscapes out there. The people are interesting, to say the least. I find the whole empire thing a bit chilling, but hey, they made it work for them.”

“What about the Aeternae?” I replied.

Amal shot me a cold grin. “I don’t trust them, if that’s what you want me to tell you.”

“Why not?” Derek shot back, somewhat amused.

We’d all talked about these people, over and over, but this was the first time we were getting some candid thoughts out of Amal, who’d stayed away from sharing her personal opinions, having chosen to stick to the facts and the figures.

I wanted to hear what she had to say, knowing that Nethissis was probably already roaming through the palace in snake form, and that Tristan and Esme were hours away from popping invisibility pellets and checking out the hidden parts for themselves. Naturally, Amal’s impression was equally important. Even without Amane by her side, she was a brilliant and logical creature, sometimes trumping our more emotional reactions.

“They’re hiding things from us,” Amal said. “Not because they fear us. I think it’s because they just don’t want us butting in. Acheron made it pretty clear last night. He didn’t say those words without a reason. He’s worried we’ll stick our noses where they don’t belong.”

“What kind of things do you think they’re hiding?” I asked, genuinely intrigued by her assessment.

“Things they’re probably ashamed of. Their deflections and rules don’t betray a fearful nation, but rather one that has bent the rules of ethics, more than once,” Amal replied.

Derek crossed his arms, leaning back into his chair. “Do you think we’re dealing with another Neraka scenario, in any way?”

Amal shook her head. “No. The Rimians and the Naloreans are willing. They’ve been indoctrinated to comply, and they will react poorly to change, if you propose it. Mind-bending was literally mind control, and the Imen had no choice, no defense against a Mara’s influence. This is where Neraka and Visio stand drastically apart. The Rimians and the Naloreans have free will, no one is mind-bending them. They’ve been raised into a system where the Aeternae rule, and they get paid well for giving their blood to them. Maybe someday they will rebel against the system. But as long as the Aeternae consume their blood, they will be too powerful to stop.”

“Do you think we should intervene, nonetheless? Bring over the whole of GASP?” Derek asked. We’d already talked about this, and we’d agreed not to even consider such an option. I figured Derek was trying to get into Amal’s mind, more than anything. Invading Visio had never been on the table.

Amal sighed. “No. It’s not our world. We can’t go around policing the universe as we see fit. If the Rimians or the Naloreans ask for our help, maybe we can discuss it with the rest of GASP. Other than that, no.”

“I see. Thank you, Amal. I appreciate your input. I’m glad we brought you with us on this journey,” he said, smiling at her.

“I hope I don’t let you down,” Amal replied.