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.
“About the enzymes… Amal, do you think we could use them back home, for various cures?” I interjected, now standing next to her and the microscope, where she’d placed a new sample from Derek.
“I think so, yes. If we’re smart about this and help them cure the Black Fever, our chances of establishing a blood trade with Visio will grow significantly,” she said. “Of course, we wouldn’t need more than a few gallons every month to synthesize cures, especially if the witches help us. But we could do a lot of good with the enzymes I’ve come upon so far. We could easily upgrade our healing potions, too. There is a lot of untapped potential here, well beyond the day-walking protein.”
There it was. The key conclusion I’d been floating in my own mind about all this. As uncomfortable as their social and political system made me feel, I couldn’t deny its benefits. Most importantly, I couldn’t ignore the fact that our progress was directly dependent on our ability to “play nice” with the Aeternae and to respect their wishes.
It was quickly becoming obvious that their blood had many wonders to offer, testing our ability to compromise and to set our GASP values aside in order to reap the kinds of benefits that could change Earth and the whole federation forever. At the same time, I couldn’t stop wondering… what was it that they were hiding from us?
Tristan
After visiting the Black Fever patients, Valaine and I slowly made our way back to the more populated areas of the palace. The evening had set in, and all the candles and oil lamps had been lit, their flames flickering across the elegant tapestries and marble panel walls.
Everything was dressed in a soft yellow hue, making me feel like I’d walked into an ethereal dream, amber glimmers warming my eyes. I couldn’t get my mind off what I’d just witnessed, though. The Black Fever was making a comeback, sooner than expected, and the Aeternae were not ready for it. Then again, one could never truly be ready for a deadly plague to just swoop in and kill hundreds of thousands of people, no matter how many times it had already happened in the past.
“Do the Lord and Lady Supreme have any plans for this?” I asked Valaine as we walked through one of the main corridors leading to my chambers. She’d been kind enough to escort me, and I didn’t mind it one bit. I found that I enjoyed spending time with her—there was a gentle tranquility about Valaine that somehow made every moment worth more. “I mean, any contingency at all?”
“Besides the quarantine in the infirmary halls? Not really, no,” Valaine replied. “They will probably instruct the silver and the golden guards to watch out for symptoms manifesting among the people. And messages will be sent to all the physicians, as well.”
“Hopefully, Amal and Nethissis will be able to work something out, in terms of a cure, or at least a vaccine, to prevent contamination,” I said. “But we’ll definitely need you to get the Lord and Lady Supreme to approve our intervention. Amal will likely request blood samples from the sick Aeternae.”
“And they’ve yet to admit we have any sick Aeternae to begin with,” Valaine reminded me, nodding slowly. “I’ll request an audience with our leaders, first thing in the morning.”
“I’m sorry this is happening again,” I offered. “Given your personal loss to Black Fever.”
She sighed. “I think it was easier growing up the way I did, not having met my mother at all. I probably would’ve missed her a lot more, had we actually known each other.”
“You can’t truly miss what you’ve never had, right?”
She gave me a faint smile. “So to speak. Yes.”
Shadows moved at the end of the corridor. I stilled, the hairs on the back of my neck rising. Reaching out, I stopped Valaine from moving forward, and she gave me a confused glance. My instincts were on fire, the air moving and brushing against my face. Something was coming, but I wasn’t sure what it was, exactly.
“Tristan?” she asked.
“Wait,” I whispered, my muscles twitching, my stomach tightening with anxiety. I’d rarely had such sensations rushing through me. Esme would call it a weird sixth sense whenever it happened. I was her personal danger radar, my instincts picking up on trouble shortly before it crossed our paths. I’d felt this way before so many times, it was impossible to ignore or to brush off as just a fleeting thought.
A blade left a sheath with a bloodcurdling zing, somewhere behind us. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw four figures dressed in black bolting toward us, long knives swinging. I pulled Valaine to the side and quickly turned around to face them. My fangs and claws came out as they attacked us.
“Watch out!” I shouted, as two of the attackers went straight for Valaine’s throat.
