They should be more… scared.
Looking right into Kalon’s eyes, I got a feeling that he wasn’t the only one pretending he hadn’t heard that much about Darklings and their undead devices. Aganon and Simmon persistently stared at each other. Petra eyed each of us carefully. Tudyk and Moore were maybe too young to fully understand any of this, but I suddenly felt very alone… even a little afraid. It became harder for me to breathe, so I slowly pushed my chair back.
“Are you all right, Esme?” Petra asked. “You look a little pale.”
“I just need to use the washroom,” I murmured. “Excuse me for a second.”
I got up and almost flew out of the room, all my previous thoughts coming back to haunt me, paranoia swelling until I jumped from Kalon’s lies to the whole Visentis dynasty being in on the conspiracy. Suddenly, I was in over my head, unable to process the possibility that they all knew more than they let on. That I was the new kid on the block, figuring things out.
But if that was the case, then the Darklings’ reach and history was even more complex than I’d imagined. Taking deep breaths, I rushed up the stairs and went straight to my guest room, my heart thudding to the point where my ribs hurt.
“Telluris, Tristan!” I gasped, my eyes stinging. Tears welled up as I cursed myself for my inability to confront Kalon about his lies. Maybe if I’d talked to him about this sooner, I wouldn’t have ended up having dinner with the whole family under the shadow of what felt like grave danger. What the hell had I gotten myself into? “Tristan, are you there?”
“Esme, yes.” Tristan’s voice came through, like a soothing balm for my very soul. “Are you okay, sis?”
“I… I’m not sure,” I managed, my voice breaking.
“Talk to me, what’s going on?” He sounded so clear in my head, I held on to him even from afar. “Esme!”
“Yes. No, I’m here, I’m here,” I replied, trying to gather my thoughts. “I… Something’s off, Tristan. I should’ve told you sooner, but I’ve been working on figuring it out for myself, only now it’s gotten worse. I think I’m either paranoid or in some deep trouble.”
“What do you mean? Where are you?”
“I’m in the Visentis mansion. Kalon and I brought Ansel home,” I said. “Where are you?”
“Not far from the city, actually. We’re racing back, trying to get there before midnight,” Tristan replied. “What’s got you so anxious? Are you hurt? Did someone try to harm you?”
“No, no, no! It’s not that, it’s…” I paused and inhaled deeply, my knees shaking and my tears flowing freely. “I should’ve told you sooner. I overheard Ansel and Kalon talking the other night, Tristan. Kalon knew more about the Darklings than he let on. He wasn’t as shocked as we originally thought after that first attack on Valaine.”
Tristan didn’t immediately respond.
“From what I understood, Ansel despises Kalon for turning the Darklings down. He answered their call, instead,” I continued. “Eavesdropping is bad, I know, but… Tristan, Kalon knew about the Darklings. Most importantly, I remembered some things from that night in the basement. I think he killed one of the Darklings. The ginger chick. I told you about her.”
“He killed her? Why?” Tristan asked.
“I… I don’t know. I’ve been meaning to confront him about it, but now that I’m here with the whole Visentis family, I’m starting to get this feeling that Kalon isn’t the only one who knows more than he’s telling. His other brothers—Petra, too—I don’t know, their reactions are off,” I blurted. “Upon hearing about ghouls and death magic, they’re nowhere near as scared as they should be. Am I making sense, or am I just being paranoid?”
Tristan exhaled sharply, and I could almost feel his frustration piling up on top of mine. “Considering Kalon’s deceit? I don’t think you’re being paranoid, but it’s… ugh, you need to be careful. You should get out of the house as soon as possible. Meet us at the palace later, perhaps.”
“I should, shouldn’t I?” I murmured, my lower lip trembling.
“If you don’t feel safe, yeah. Get out. You’re still recovering from your wounds. I don’t know what to tell you about Petra, let alone her other sons, but if Kalon lied to you, Esme… it’s not looking good.”
I nodded, though I knew he couldn’t see me. “Here’s the thing, though… they’ve got Ansel here. If I leave him now, what will happen to him? How will we get any intel out of the kid? Petra might make him disappear or something. I doubt she wants to see her own son beheaded, and if I’m not around, there isn’t much stopping her, is there? I’m an official witness, after all.”
“She could claim he snuck out or something… right.” Tristan cursed under his breath. “We’ve got Darklings captured. Maybe Ansel isn’t our best lead, anyway.”
“A Visentis? Not a good lead? Think about it.”
He cursed again. “Ugh… you’re right.”
“Ansel has good intel that might get lost if I’m not around to hear it. Especially if my suspicions about Kalon and his whole family are true.”
“If your suspicions about Kalon and his whole family are true, then you’d be in terrible danger, Esme.”
“Kalon wouldn’t… I mean, all he’s done is protect me. He’s had plenty of opportunities to kill me and make it look like a Darkling incident, if that was his plan,” I replied. “I’m worried Kalon is keeping secrets for other members of his family, Ansel included, not for himself. He might tell me more if I could just get him to talk to me.”
Who was I kidding? I’d been tiptoeing around Kalon since I’d first overheard him and Ansel talking.
“I want the truth, more than anything. No one has threatened me. No one has even hinted that I might be in any kind of trouble,” I added. “It’s just this feeling… this suspicion that the Visentis dynasty is holding a lot of intel back while pretending to be astonished by these troubling developments, at least as far as the Darklings are concerned. Am I making any sense here, or am I losing my mind?”
“Esme, you have feelings for Kalon. That much is obvious,” Tristan said, and my tongue suddenly froze. “I suppose it’s not an easy thing to admit, but maybe it’s clouding your judgment. I don’t know. I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay?”
“I… Yeah.”
What was the point in denying it? Tristan knew me better than anyone. Yes, I had feelings for Kalon, and the prospect of his deception hurt me deeply. How would I get myself out of this black hole I’d tripped into?
“I should talk to him. I’ve been working up the courage,” I mumbled.
“Then do it, Esme. If Kalon has your best interests at heart, at least he’ll feel compelled to tell you the truth. I trust your judgment, sis. You just have to trust it, as well.”
Kalon’s voice cut through my consciousness like a red-hot blade. “If you have questions for me, Esme, you should just ask.”
I spun around, my head as light as a feather at the sight of him standing in the doorway. How much of my side of the conversation with Tristan had he heard? And why was I the one feeling terrible, as if he’d just caught me in the act, somehow? In the act of what, exactly?
“Kalon,” I whispered, his name heavy on my lips.
He didn’t move. With his hands behind his back, he just stared at me. His expression was firm, impossible to read. His eyes were dark, so dark that the blue was barely noticeable. My throat burned. This was it. The moment I’d been trying to get to, finally sneaking up on me. The moment of truth, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it might get.
I couldn’t avoid it any longer.
Tristan
“Esme?” I called out, but my sister had already departed. I could no longer feel her close to me, but I had sensed her emotions as soon as she’d heard Kalon’s voice. Telluris sometimes had a peculiar effect on us as siblings, though I didn’t mind it, since it gave me more from Esme than she would’ve wanted.
I understood her confusion and the heartache that had been trou
bling her. I wanted her out of that house, and not being able to reach her anymore made me anxious.
“Tristan, what is it?” Valaine asked, bringing her Vision horse closer to mine. I’d gone ahead in order to speak with Esme, in an attempt to keep the conversation private. “What’s wrong?”
Looking at Valaine, I wondered whether I should be more distrusting of her. But why? She’d been nothing but kind and welcoming, honest and open, all the way. More importantly, she was a victim of the Darklings—unlike Nethissis, she was still breathing, but even that was subject to change.
“I was talking to Esme, but she got cut off,” I said. “I’m worried about her.”
“Why? Where is she? Can I help?”
I glanced down at Zoltan, who was still in the cage with the other prisoners. They were being pulled by a couple of Vision horses just a few yards behind us. There was no point in keeping any more secrets, especially from Valaine. We’d been in this together from day one, and given how well she knew Kalon and the Visentis dynasty, I hoped she might even shed some light on their nature and allegiance. There was clearly something dark beneath the surface—I just had to figure out whether it was a threat to my sister or not.
“She’s with Kalon, at his house,” I said, then proceeded to tell her the details of my discussion with Esme, up to the point where Kalon’s voice had come through, rendering my sister silent. “She’s not answering anymore.”
Valaine looked at me for a while, without saying anything. After an earlier gallop, our horses were now trotting at an even pace, the imperial city rising over the distant hills. The sky was clearing, though more clouds were coming in from the north. It would rain again, soon enough.
“Tristan, it sounds like Esme needs to have an honest conversation with Kalon about all this,” Valaine concluded.
“You’re not worried he might harm her?”
“He’d never,” she replied firmly. “Kalon would rather die than let Esme get hurt in any way. You shouldn’t fear for her safety while he’s around. Even she sounds like she knows this.”
“He lied to her. To us.”
Valaine nodded, a frown briefly settling on her brows. “That he did… and we’ll talk to him about it when we meet. I’ve known the Visentis dynasty for a long time. They’re complicated. They keep a lot of secrets—that comes with the territory, since they’ve been high priests of mazir for generations. Kalon, however, is different. He’s a good man.”
“A good man doesn’t lie. And he certainly doesn’t kill a Darkling who might hold valuable intel,” I said. “There’s something fishy here, Valaine. And you stand in the middle of it as a potential victim. I think you should be more worried about yourself and about the people you supposedly trust.”
She smiled, gazing ahead. “We’ve got Zoltan in chains, trapped in a cage. I made his brain bleed a little, and we’re about to bring him into the imperial city. After days of traveling and raids, we’ve finally returned with a small victory under our belts. That tells me the Darklings can be defeated, and that all those who stand with them will soon fall, just like Zoltan.”
“What if Kalon falls, too? What if you’re wrong about him?”
I loved my sister too much to see her suffer. I’d noticed the looks she and Kalon had been giving each other. I’d noticed the amount of time they spent together and how Esme’s eyes lit up whenever his name was mentioned. I knew she’d fallen for him, and I simply didn’t want her heart to get broken. She wasn’t the type to easily open up to other people, and the fact that she’d become attached to Kalon made her vulnerable, more fragile than she’d ever been before.
“I’m willing to bet my own life on his honor,” Valaine said. “I’ve known Kalon since we were children. If he’s keeping secrets, if he’s lying about something… it’s to protect someone. I want the truth as much as you do, Tristan, but I am not ready to give up on him. Not after more than five thousand years of knowing him.”
I let out a heavy sigh and glanced over my shoulder. “We should stop by the Visentis mansion after we deliver Zoltan.” I watched the disgraced Scholar as he huddled in a corner of the cage. He was a mere husk of the Aeternae I’d first met weeks earlier. A shadow of his former self. Defeat was not a good look on him, but it made me feel incredible.
“We will,” Valaine assured me. “My father will see to Zoltan’s lockup, and you and I will go check in on Esme and Kalon. Besides, Ansel might be a better source of information on the Darklings than Zoltan ever will. The boy is young and impressionable. This old hound would rather experience true agony and even die before he abandons his cause.”
She had a point there, and it further supported Esme sticking around Kalon and Ansel. It didn’t relieve any of the pressure building up inside me, but it was a truth I had to accept. As much as I disliked Kalon’s dishonesty, I also trusted Valaine’s judgment. She spoke with great passion and conviction—I couldn’t let my personal opinions get in the way of the truth. To be fair, Kalon had been nothing but helpful and protective toward Esme since day one. I could only hope that Esme might get him to talk.
“You don’t think Zoltan will snitch on the Darklings? Not even after that Veliko fella threw him at us like an old bone?” I asked.
Valaine shook her head. “Each Darkling is a cog in a greater machine. Zoltan is protecting the credo. The belief behind their faction. The idea that if they kill a certain Aeternae whenever the Black Fever comes back, it will stop it from wiping out our entire species.”
“And it’s your turn to die this time around,” I muttered. “It’s awful.”
“Believe me, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the concept. I don’t see how I could be causing the Black Fever,” Valaine said. “My blood is clean. No one’s gotten sick around me. How would it work, if it were true?”
It was my turn to shake my head. “I don’t know. But I’m certain we’ll get to the bottom of it. I didn’t come all the way here to end up burying you, Valaine.”
“Tristan… that is the sweetest thing that anyone has ever said to me.”
I looked at her. There was warmth in her dark eyes. A smile on her tender lips. Pink roses blooming in her porcelain cheeks. As evening settled over the land and winds blew from the north, I felt shivers spreading through my limbs, rapidly traveling under my skin. I became unable to break eye contact. Valaine had this hypnotizing effect on me, and whenever I got trapped, I experienced a quiet bliss.
“That I don’t want to see you buried?” I chuckled, trying to regain some of my senses.
Every time our eyes met, the rest of the world disappeared, like a distant dream waiting to slip back into our consciousness.
“Yes. It means a lot, considering there’s a whole faction out there that’s trying to get me killed,” Valaine murmured, sadness lowering her gaze.
I pulled on my Vision’s reins and moved closer to hers until I was able to take her hand in mine. The gesture surprised her, but she didn’t pull her hand back. I brought it up to my lips and kissed her knuckles, without much control over myself. Her skin felt cool and soft, like silk stretched over bones and flesh. Breathing her in, I closed my eyes for a second.
I saw her hair dancing in the wind against a perfect moon. A vision of sorts… or a figment of my imagination. Whatever it was, it embedded itself deep inside my mind and refused to leave. Opening my eyes, I found her gaze fixed on my lips.
“You’re not dying, Valaine. Not while I’m alive and breathing,” I said, meaning every damn word. We hadn’t known each other for very long. We didn’t even know what tomorrow might bring, or what significance this bond between us had for the future.
All we knew was that we were stronger together.
“Sometimes I think the universe plans these things,” Valaine replied, peering straight into my soul as I let go of her hand, my horse tempted to trot faster.
“What things?” I asked.
“Our encounter, for one. Your presence here is the result of certain decisions.
Certain factors influenced you. Certain factors influenced me. Our roads have led us to this point, and I’m not sure any of it is a coincidence.”
“You think the universe is rooting for us?”
She smiled, and my heart nearly exploded. “I know I certainly am, Tristan.”
The road unfurled ahead of us, wide and straight and flanked by wrought-iron lamps. This was one of the main routes into the city. The closer we got to the capital, the brighter the lights that welcomed strangers and friends alike.
Behind us, gold, silver, and Crimson guards rode together in triple file, with two prisoner cages and Corbin Crimson at the very end. Thankfully, we weren’t alone for what would come next. The Darklings weren’t done trying to kill Valaine. Until we brought them all down, her life would remain in danger.
Whatever fate threw at us, I was certain of one thing only: no one else was dying on my watch. Especially not Valaine.
Nethissis
The beauty of death magic existed in the intricacy of its spells. Once Sidyan had locked onto Veliko and the Darklings who’d fled from Tristan and as long as the fiends stayed within a generous but limited radius, we could follow them while keeping a safe distance. None of us wanted to be discovered or to get trapped again.
Seeley had tried reaching out to Death for further clarification regarding my role in all of this—particularly my ability to wield their magic—but to no avail. Additional seals had to be broken in order for his telepathic connection to Death to strengthen.
In the meantime, we stayed on course with our mission: following Veliko and the Darklings around until they led us to the top of their organizational pyramid. I was willing to bet that the Whip they’d mentioned was not the leader, but rather a higher-ranked lieutenant. Either way, if we got to her, she was more likely to lead us where we needed to go.
The Darklings were headed west, following a less-traveled road, by the look of it. Unpaved, the road was overflowing with weeds and wildflowers in a few places and was pocked with holes that had filled with water from the last rain. It was muddy and difficult for carts and even horses, but the Darklings were able to move quite well with just the boots on their feet. The ghouls had no trouble whatsoever, given their in-between status as neither living nor dead.
A Shade of Vampire 81: A Bringer of Night Page 14
