Kalon was telling a half-truth here. The gardener had not specifically requested that his name be kept out of such conversations, but he was terrified. The need for anonymity was implied by his body language, far more powerful than words.

I wanted to believe Trev, but I couldn’t. His heartrate was frantic. I could hear his pulse throbbing in my ears. However, I doubted we’d get much more out of him today. It dawned on me that surveillance might be a better option in his case, and I was eager to suggest it to Kalon, as well.

“Then how can I defend myself from such accusations,” Trev said, “if you can’t even tell me the name of my accuser?”

“No one accused you of being part of the Red Threads, specifically.” Kalon sighed, hands resting on his hips. “Someone simply heard a rumor about you being in cahoots with them.”

“Well, I’m not!” Trev snapped. “I would never betray the empire, and you know it.”

“I do,” Kalon muttered, stealing a glance at me, as if I’d made him do a most horrendous thing. It was an interesting dynamic for me to follow—Kalon softened visibly when he was around Trev. These two really were thick as thieves, and this whole line of questioning made Kalon extremely uncomfortable. He didn’t like causing Trev such distress. I could almost sympathize with his torment, had it not been for the deception I was clearly capturing from Trev. Then again, Kalon should’ve been able to sense it, too. After all, his hearing and smell were as good as a vampire’s, if not better.

“I do apologize for making you feel this way,” I said, offering a polite bow. “We just had to make sure.”

I decided not to pursue him directly anymore. With every second that passed, I became increasingly convinced that secrecy was a better path. Kalon reached out a hand, and Trev shook it firmly, his expression mellower.

“You got the trophy and the coins, but what did you choose for your grand prize?” he asked the Rimian.

“You know what I want,” Trev said. “You’ll be receiving a letter from the Blood Arena with my official request, soon enough.”

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be glad to welcome you among the Aeternae,” Kalon replied. “You’ve most certainly earned it.”

They bid each other goodbye, and we left Trev to finish cleaning his armor, making our way out of the arena and back toward the palace. By the time we reached the main boulevard surrounding the Blood Arena, there were barely a few souls left around, most of them uniformed staff members cleaning the steps.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I said after a while.

We walked down a side alley, flowers bursting from ceramic pots on both sides. The afternoon was settling across Visio with its bold pink and red streaks, the haze thickening in anticipation of the evening. This was powerful magic, I thought, to keep three planets blurry from curious outsider eyes. I’d often thought about its purpose, and it still reeked to me. I hadn’t brought it up again, but I did keep it in the back of my head, ready to whip it out if needed.

What sort of nation would want to live like this, secluded from the rest of the universe? Were they hiding something bigger than our minds could even comprehend at this point, or were they simply fearful, despite their apparent prowess and evolutionary superiority?

“My momentary discomfort is nothing compared to what Nethissis must’ve gone through,” Kalon replied, looking straight ahead.

“You do know he was lying, though… right?”

Suddenly, his eyes found me. “You’re quite observant, Esme. Those ears of yours are very good, indeed.”

“It’s not news. We’ve already discussed our biological similarities.”

“Still, allow me to marvel at all the wonderful things about you,” he said. “And yes. I know he was lying.”

“Yet you let us leave without pushing him more.”

He smiled. “I know you want to suggest surveillance—following him around. Or am I wrong?”

I couldn’t help but laugh lightly, pulling my mask off as we entered a darker, shaded neighborhood. “No, you’re absolutely right. I think he’ll lead us to the Red Threads, eventually.”

Trees stretched their thick branches overheard, blocking the setting sun from casting its soft light upon the three-story buildings that rose on both sides of the alley. We moved slowly, taking in every detail as we walked. There weren’t many people around, mostly Naloreans coming back to their homes, carrying baskets filled with fresh, strange-looking fruit and braided breads and square cheeses neatly wrapped in thin linens.

The air smelled of delicate blossoms, and the taste of blood had finally left the tip of my tongue. Fenyx’s Aeternae blood spill had left an impression on my senses, and I was only becoming aware of it now that I was away from it. It didn’t take long before I remembered similar sensations looming after Demetrius had been killed. It dawned on me then that there was definitely something special about the Aeternae’s blood, and it went past its ability to heal or its day-walking protein. These people were different. I wanted to understand exactly how deep this mystery went.

“I don’t think it’s wise for us to follow him around, however,” Kalon said. “He’ll smell us from a mile away. Unfortunately, I’ve taught him well. But I’ve got a couple of people I can trust to keep tabs on him.”

“But you’ll turn him into an Aeternae regardless?” I asked.

“He’s earned that right. Yes.”

I nodded slowly. “What if he turns out to be a traitor?”

“As much as it might pain me, I will kill him myself. But not before we get the whole truth out of him.”

“I have to admit, I’m impressed by your dedication to our cause,” I replied. “Nethissis wasn’t one of yours—”

“But she was one of yours, and a guest here, on Visio,” Kalon cut me off. “There is no greater insult to me and my people than to defile our honor as hosts like this. Even if she’d done something wrong, we would’ve had council meetings. We would’ve discussed it before taking appropriate measures, and rest assured, none would involve killing her. What happened to Nethissis is genuinely infuriating, Esme. Justice must be served.”

“I suppose you’re right. Nevertheless, thank you, Kalon. It’s good to know we have your support.”

He stopped and caught my hand. Stilled, I looked down at his grip on me, then up at him. There were thunderstorms gathering in those eyes, and my blood rushed like a swollen stream, headed straight for a steep waterfall.

“You’ll soon understand what kind of person I am, Esme. You may not like all of me right now, but if there is one thing I can guarantee, it’s that I support the concept of justice more than anything. I only hope we get to the bottom of this before it’s too late.”

“Before it’s too late?” I asked, frowning slightly.

He thought about it for a moment, his gaze wavering. “Before the killers get away, I suppose, would be a better choice of words.”

Was it, though? Or did he mean something else entirely? I didn’t know him well enough to recognize deception when he spoke, so I kept my guard up, ready to consider him an enemy, if needed. But part of me longed to trust him. He seemed genuine in his actions, in his dedication to finding Nethissis’s killer. He also had to have secrets—the kind of stuff he wouldn’t have wanted me to uncover.

That just made me all the more curious. Perhaps time would tell me more…

Behind him, someone moved. I saw a flash of red vanishing behind a wooden door. His eyes searched my face, trying to understand what was going through my head. “Esme, is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” I said quietly, though my senses were already flaring.

The air moved close to my face. His hand shot up, and I froze, as he caught a flying dart. It was small and made of steel-like metal, with bright yellow and green feathers. He stared at me for a moment, his eyes wide with shock.

“What the hell is—” I wanted to ask, but he slipped an arm around my waist and quickly pulled me away from the street, cramming us between houses in a space so narrow that our bodies were virtually glued to one another.

Everything happened so fast, I didn’t even realize how close we’d gotten. But I could hear the darts whistling through the air, and I could see them shooting from different directions. We were out of their reach, and I knew they were all for us.

“Poison,” Kalon whispered. “Not enough to kill us, but definitely enough to knock us out and make it easier for others to cut our heads off.”

“Who’s—”

“I don’t know,” he hissed, nervously looking around as he tried to think of a way out of this. It was only a matter of time before the darts reached us. Our attackers were bound to try new angles.

From where we stood, I could tell that they were shooting from above, likely the upper levels of the houses flanking the cobblestone alley. Glancing up, I could see a service window just above us, leading into the first level of the villa behind me. My ears twitched as I tried to listen carefully, beyond my frantic heart. My nostrils flared. I caught a scent…

“Kalon,” I said, pointing above me. “We can go through there. One of them is inside, up on that floor.”

He nodded firmly and gripped my waist, pushing me upward with enough strength to launch me toward the window. I twisted myself as I raised my arms and caught the wooden sill. Pulling myself up, I looked inside. The window led into a modular staircase between the first and the second floor.