“It was our duty to join you,” Valaine said.
“Well, I’m glad you did!” I chuckled. “So, what have we here?” Looking around, I counted about twenty Rimians we could send to prison. They were the only ones still breathing, and most were in desperate need of serious medical assistance.
Kalon took out a small whistle from his vest pocket. As he blew, no sound came out, but my ears tingled, nonetheless. Whatever that contraption was, it worked on a different frequency. Minutes later, the square was inundated with silver guards, each looking more alarmed than the other as they observed the scene.
“These are Red Thread faction members,” Kalon said, loudly enough for all the soldiers to hear. “Take them to prison and make sure they’re given the care they need in order to live. We’ll be interrogating them soon enough!”
“Yes, milord!” one of the guards replied.
“And try to identify the dead ones, as well. We need to understand how deep this conspiracy goes. The last thing we need is another enemy right now with the Darklings running loose,” Kalon added, visibly disgusted. “Raid their houses, all their neighborhoods, if you have to. We must nip this in the bud.”
The guards all nodded and quickly got to work. They had a mobile medical unit brought in, loading the Rimians onto stretchers and carrying them to the prison, whose silver-gray towers rose past the Nalorean neighborhood. Fortunately, they didn’t have a long walk ahead of them.
“There was another attempt on Valaine’s life, as you know,” Tristan said. We’d briefed each other in handfuls of words along the way and throughout the day, using our Telluris connection. Kalon and I nodded, each of us giving Valaine a concerned look. “We’re counting three in less than a day.”
“It’s probably going to get worse,” I replied. I’d yet to tell my brother about our conversation with the Rimian, so I went ahead and brought him up to speed regarding the Darklings and their desire to sacrifice a certain Aeternae in order to stop the Black Fever.
“Oh, dear.” Valaine gasped when I was done relaying what the Rimian had told us. The soldiers were still moving around us, the occasional whimper or pained moan coming from the Red Threads they gathered off the ground. “They’re fanatics. They’re insane. What will killing me accomplish? It’s not how the Black Fever works! It’s a virus.”
“We all know that. They probably know it, too, but they just don’t care for facts,” I said. “That’s the thing with fanatics and murderous cults. They fabricate their own reality to justify their killer instincts, and they never set foot outside that carefully defined area.”
“And now we’ve got the Red Threads, too?” Tristan asked. “I swear, Visio looked really nice in the beginning.”
“With all due respect, I think that goes for all peoples,” Kalon retorted, somewhat offended by my brother’s conclusion. Frankly, I was split between the two as far as Visio was concerned. A beautiful world, yes, but ripe with so much trouble. “There are secrets and there is darkness in all societies. More in some than in others, but I doubt we’re the only ones with such issues.”
“We usually have GASP to intervene and maintain peace,” Tristan said, standing his ground.
“Either way, we’ve got our hands full here,” I interjected. “Worst of all, we’re nowhere close to figuring out who killed Nethissis. We only know it was most likely the Darklings. That’s it.”
“Listen, let’s head back to the palace,” Valaine suggested. “We’ll rest for a bit, drink some blood, talk this through, and put together an action plan for later today or tomorrow. I promise you, Esme, just like I promised Tristan, that we will not rest until we find Nethissis’s killer.”
It felt a little reassuring, though I knew she had no control over the situation. Her intentions were what mattered most, much like Kalon’s. The four of us made our way out of the square, leaving the silver guards to handle the Red Threads. Tomorrow, Kalon and I might have to start asking the survivors some hard questions.
Kalon and I…
How quickly he’d become a fixture in my life here, on Visio. I no longer envisioned going anywhere alone. I woke up looking forward to seeing him again. His smile as I joined him for whatever activity made my heart flutter. How strange to feel such things in the midst of so much mystery and danger.
Even now, he stayed close to me, stealing glances every other minute, whenever he thought I wasn’t looking. I did the same, and our gazes frequently ended up meeting by fortuitous accident. Every time, we both looked away but couldn’t resist peeking again whenever we thought we could. A sweet but vicious circle, in which many words were left unspoken, as we led the way back to the Lord and Lady Supreme’s palace.
Esme
At one point, approximately two miles from the palace, the hairs on the back of my neck began to frizz. I took deep breaths, trying to analyze whatever scent available, while Valaine, Tristan, and Kalon discussed today’s events. We were nowhere close to a plan, since we were understandably tired and somewhat dismayed, but our desire to resolve this had not faded.
I caught a familiar whiff. It wasn’t the first time. I’d sensed it before the square and afterward. Someone was following us, and I knew I wasn’t going to see who it was unless I gave that person an opportunity to get closer.
Giving Kalon a discreet nudge, I decided to part ways with my brother and Valaine. “I forgot, we’ve got one more place to visit before we get back to the palace,” I told them. “You two go ahead, and Kalon and I will meet you there.”
“Where are you going?” Tristan asked. I wished he hadn’t. Now I had to lie some more.
“Just a flower shop I saw in the area a couple of days ago.”
“You’re stopping for flowers?” my brother replied, thoroughly unimpressed.
I grumbled a slew of profanities before raising my voice. “Will you just mind your own damn business and meet us later in your room?”
“Tristan, let’s go,” Valaine said, visibly amused. She hooked her arm around his and pulled him away. She’d used several handkerchiefs to clean the blood from her hands, but the shade of crimson still persisted on her pale skin. It seemed to matter to Valaine, as her gaze darkened whenever she looked down at her hands.
I grabbed Kalon’s hand and jerked him onto the nearest side street, while Valaine led Tristan toward the palace. Kalon was well within reason to be a tad confused about this, but it did not explain that surprised half-smile on his face, until he opened his mouth.
“If you wanted some privacy, you should’ve said so,” he muttered. “There are plenty of prettier alleys in this area for a romantic walk.”
“We just mowed down two dozen Rimians. I can still smell their blood on me. And you’re thinking about romantic walks?”
His smile faded. “I may have misunderstood the purpose of this detour.”
He made it difficult for me not to laugh, sometimes. There were so many facets to Kalon, and he was so quick to change between them, that being around him was a true delight. He kept a certain distance, for the most part, but then he swooped in, either by closing the distance between us or by making an off-handed remark, continuously keeping me on the tips of my toes.
“We’re being followed,” I said, feeling my cheeks rise with a smile. “It’s been going on since before we reached the square, based on the scent, so I know we’re the targets, not my brother or Valaine.”
“And you thought separating us from them would be a good idea?” he replied dryly.
“Whoever is following us is getting closer now,” I whispered as we kept walking down the tight alley. Another street opened up to our right, and I made the turn, swiftly joined by Kalon. “I don’t think this pursuer is out to hurt us. They’d have to be an idiot.”
“Wow, look at you, all fierce and sassy.” Kalon chuckled, but quickly changed his expression when he, too, caught the scent. “I know who it is…”
I waited for him to tell me, but he didn’t. Instead, he positioned himself behind the street corner and brought a finger up to his lips, basically telling me to shut up. I couldn’t help but put my hands on my hips, glowering at him. I’d thought this was my operation, my initiative. I was planning to lead our pursuer on for a little while longer, ideally in a slightly more private setting.
There were still a few people going up and down this street.
