Their laws and the way in which they could be dodged through the tournaments bothered me, but, like Derek had reminded us—it wasn’t our business. This wasn’t our land. We had no right to tell them what they could or couldn’t do.
Witnessing Krassus’s murder had opened my eyes, though. I could see that Valaine wasn’t happy with the referees’ decision, either. Not to mention Kalon, who was still boiling. Worst of all, he’d accepted Demetrius’s duel challenge. Understandably, the dinner atmosphere was gloomy and tense, as the full moon was tonight. After dessert, Kalon would walk out and fight Demetrius.
Acheron and Danika kept it low key for the evening. Just us and them, along with Valaine, Corbin, Kalon, Petra and Zoltan, as well as one representative from each of the other noble dynasties—including Demetrius’s father, Clayne Mefithi, whose presence I didn’t yet comprehend, given today’s events. Beryn and Maylin had also joined, a Rimian and a Nalorean, respectively, who’d become Aeternae. I had trouble not staring at them, as they had more in common with vampires than they did with the Aeternae. They’d been turned, which was quite rare here on Visio.
Words were scarce across the dinner table. Amal kept quiet throughout, barely eating the grilled vegetables and fruit tarts that followed. Nethissis pushed the raw meat cubes around her plate for a while, disgust still casting shadows on her face. Derek and Sofia did not refuse any of the mind-expanding blood, but I could tell they didn’t enjoy the flavors and the sensations that came with them as much as yesterday.
Esme didn’t have anything to say, either. Not out loud, at least. I knew her mind was frazzled. She hated the system. She would’ve gladly seen Demetrius’s head lawfully cut off for what he’d done in the Blood Arena. And she was worried about Kalon dueling him.
“Things will go back to normal,” Valaine said to me, her voice low as she poured more blood in my crystal goblet. “Once Kalon is done with Demetrius, true justice will be served.”
“That’s another loophole, right?” I asked, connecting the dots. “Demetrius got away with murder in the Blood Arena, and Kalon will kill him and walk off scot-free with a duel.”
She nodded. “Our laws are flawed, I know. But changing them takes a lot of time and many votes, which are extremely difficult to get. For all our progress, the Aeternae do not cope well with change. We see reason and order in what we’ve put together. I know it’s not a comforting thought, but for what it’s worth, incidents such as this don’t happen very often.”
“Do you trust Kalon to finish Demetrius off tonight?”
Glancing to my left, I noticed Esme listening. She stared at her glass, with Kalon next to her, but she was definitely paying attention to what Valaine was telling me. “Kalon is a true champion of the Blood Arena. One of the few who have yet to suffer defeat in the tournaments. He got his ass kicked early, which hardened him for the more dangerous fights that followed. Demetrius is an up-and-comer, but his arrogance will be the death of him, eventually.”
“Not to be rude, but Kalon’s quite full of himself, too,” I replied, smiling.
Valaine’s black eyes twinkled with amusement. “That’s only on the surface, Tristan. There’s a lot you don’t know underneath. Sides of him that will surprise you.”
There were sides of her I’d yet to uncover. Esme could handle Kalon. She could get to the bottom of it if she wanted to. Valaine was a different challenge altogether, and tonight she looked stunning in her black dress. The skirt and bodice were made of satin, and a lace bolero with long sleeves drew beautiful contrasts with her pale skin. Several rows of pearls covered the base of her neck, and her hair was pulled up in an artful bun, luscious and black and perfect.
“So, Maylin, Beryn… you two were made Aeternae,” Derek said, breaking the awkward silence that had reigned over the dinner table for the past half-hour. “When did that happen, and how?”
Beryn had been in his mid-sixties when he chose to become an Aeternae, and he would forever carry the fine lines, the wrinkles, and the long, white hair that had betrayed his age at the time. Unlike most Rimians I’d seen, however, Beryn was tall and rather well built, reminding me of Trev Blayne, Kalon’s friend. He smiled, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with a black silk napkin.
“I earned it,” Beryn replied. “I worked hard. I amassed my fortune.”
“And he was able to buy himself an Aeternae ticket to… eternity.” Maylin chuckled, her nose high. She was a curvy Nalorean woman, with pale skin and an hourglass figure, further outlined by the tightened blue velvet corset of her dress. She wore her pale blonde hair in a loose braid down her back, with diamonds and pearl strings tied around the tail.
“Don’t be jealous,” Beryn said, giving her a sideways glance. Maylin had been in her early twenties when she was turned. Her youth and arrogance seemed to have persisted. Beryn shifted his focus back to Derek. “Yes, I bought my transcendence. It took me years to make the decision. Unlike Maylin here, who killed people for it.”
That drew some glares from our crew as we looked at her. Maylin smirked. “I won a tournament in the Blood Arena. Everything I did was justified.”
I wanted to believe that that made it all right. But it didn’t. It was still wrong. Not your business, remember?
“Did you fight in the tournament for this opportunity, specifically?” Sofia asked, and Maylin nodded, beaming with pride.
“I almost didn’t make it into the final,” she replied. “To be honest, though, I did train with some of the greatest fighters among the Aeternae.”
She looked at Corbin when she said that, which led me to draw a reasonable conclusion. “You trained her,” I murmured, gawking at Valaine’s dad. It didn’t take long for me to remember that Valaine fought in the Blood Arena, too. “I suppose you trained your daughter, as well?”
Corbin sighed, crossing his arms. It made him look too big for his seat at the table, but he didn’t seem to care. “Maylin showed promise from the very first day she came to me for help. I was ready to maim her just to prove she didn’t have what it takes for the Blood Arena, but she surprised me.”
“I knocked him on his ass, is what he’s saying,” Maylin interjected, and emptied her chalice, reaching for the half-full pitcher.
“That’s an exaggeration.” Corbin chuckled, though I could still sense the strain in his tone. Maylin didn’t fear him one bit, but he still had to assert himself. He was the master commander of Visio’s armies, after all. “As for Valaine,” he added, frowning at his daughter. “I had no choice. If she was to win these tournaments, I had to make sure she learned everything it took to be undefeatable.”
“He trained Kalon, as well,” Valaine said. “My father is, by far, one of the greatest warriors of the Aeternae.”
“And one of the most seasoned, as well. Almost a million years spent fighting for and defending our empire,” Acheron replied, smiling at his friend. “Long before Danika and I even sat on this throne, before we were even born, Corbin has had nothing but the empire’s best interests at heart.”
“You’re too kind, Your Grace,” Corbin replied.
“How many Rimians and Naloreans turned into Aeternae are there?” I asked. “I suppose you keep a record, don’t you?”
Danika smiled. “We do. Approximately five thousand.”
“Will their children be born Aeternae, too?” Amal asked. I’d almost forgotten what her voice sounded like. She’d been quiet and brooding for so long.
“No. Unfortunately, those who are turned do not inherit the full scope of our species’ genetic pool. Their children will manifest some Aeternae traits, such as enhanced senses and heightened reflexes, but they will have to be turned, as well, if they wish to be like us. Otherwise, they will be mortal.”
“So, you have children of your own?” Amal asked Beryn and Maylin.
They both nodded, but they didn’t seem too keen to answer. I had a feeling it was a touchy subject for them.
“Mine were born before I was turned. I’ve had to watch them die of old age,” Beryn said, sadness heavy in his voice. “I’m looking after my great-great-grandchildren now. They will soon be gone, as well. No one in my family has wished to be turned, though they have had that opportunity, thanks to me.”
“They don’t want immortality?” I replied.
He sighed. “No. They think it’s unnatural.”
“The Aeternae are obviously not offended by this mindset,” Petra sought to assure us, while Zoltan eyed us carefully from his seat next to her. “We understand that not everyone appreciates a forever life. It does have its downsides, which Beryn here has experienced on a deeply personal level.”
“Watching your loved ones die around you, not just other Rimians and Naloreans,” I mused. “Yes, I understand. What about you, Maylin?”
