The resulting pulse threw her back with considerable force, the air crackling with electricity around her as she struggled to get up.
“At least we know your latest magic works,” I whispered, giving Lumi an amused sideways glance. “I take it you picked up a new spell from the Word since Orvis?” I asked, knowing she’d have used it before, had she known about it. This had to be a more recent gift from the patron, the Word. It wasn’t even the first time that Lumi was picking up fresh spells along the way.
Lumi nodded slowly. “It’s been a while since it last taught me something new.”
“I think we should talk to her.” Sofia eyed me carefully. “With our pulverizers aimed straight at her, of course.”
Petra sniffed the air, her gaze wandering. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head before she called out, loud and clear, for all of us within earshot.
“I know you’re in there, Derek. Sofia. Esme. I can smell you!”
“Of course,” I muttered.
“We need to talk,” Petra added. Her eyes narrowed, as though they were smiling. “I have a lot to tell you.”
Derek shook his head. “We shouldn’t. As curious as I am to learn how she got here, maybe we’re better off just killing her.”
“You’ll have to explain your decision to Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore,” I said. “Not to mention Kalon. No, it’s not right.”
“We’ll still have to kill her to get the shard,” Lumi reminded me, even though I’d just boasted of emptying my pulverizer weapon cartridges into Petra. This was beyond confusing, mainly because none of us knew why she was here. That was the most important question. “We’re better off doing it now, rather than later.”
“Hold on,” Kemi said. “She’s alone here. There’s not a single hostile scent within a mile radius, at least. I’m able to sense an Aeternae, even if they’re cloaked with death magic. Trust me on this. She’s on her own.”
That was a good point he was making. Roano was guarded by two hundred Seniors, a couple dozen ghouls, and at least a hundred or more Orvisians who could put up a fight. On top of that, we had members of our crew and some Reapers ready to go, as well. Petra had come alone, so whatever she was planning, it couldn’t possibly succeed against so many of us.
Looking around, I gave myself a moment to think things through. I would’ve loved nothing more than to shoot her dead, right here, right now. But like I’d said to Sofia and Derek, such a decision would’ve put me in a difficult position with all the Visentis boys—Kalon included. Yes, they knew Petra was evil, and the younglings were angry with her, as well as deeply hurt, but that didn’t give me a carte blanche to just whack her. I glanced back at the north tower, visible from where we stood, trying to imagine what Kalon might say about this. It was a complicated situation, and I was right in the middle of it, stuck between a conniving, murderous mother and her innocent sons. She’d damaged them in so many ways. I didn’t want to let her anywhere near them.
But she was still their mother. The decision about what to do with her belonged to Kalon, Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore. The best I could do was try to get a read on Petra. Hear her out. Filter her demands and figure out what to do with her. Sofia and Derek were probably thinking the same thing, judging by their silence and the looks on their faces. It wasn’t a pleasant situation, but we had to choose whichever path led to the least number of casualties.
My personal opinion of Petra could not influence the Visentis boys. They’d already learned about the awful things she’d done. The lies she’d told. I doubted they would ever accept her again, but I had to be fair and reserved in my approach.
Should she try something stupid, I can just end her and call it self-defense. With that thought in mind, I took Time’s wrist and pulled him forward. “We’ll go talk to her,” I said. “Let’s see what she has to say when the odds are clearly against her.”
“Esme, wait!” Sofia tried to stop me, but it was too late. The Reaper and I had already gone beyond the protective shield, my pulverizer weapon pointed at Petra.
“You’ve got five minutes to explain yourself before I blow you to bits and… well, bits,” I said to Petra. “You’d better not waste my time.”
Petra grew still, her eyes wide at the sight of me. She looked at Time, briefly confused, then back at me, and smiled. I wasn’t sure what to make of her expression, but it couldn’t mean anything good. She’d come here with a mission, and she wasn’t the type to back away from a challenge.
I needed to stand my ground and assert myself. I was done being chased around by Petra Visentis, hated by her because I’d fallen in love with her son. It was time to put an end to this threat, because too many people had gotten hurt already. Her children were suffering, and they didn’t need any more pain.
Esme
“Where are Derek and Sofia? If I remember correctly, they’re the decision makers around here,” Petra said.
“They’ll hear you out. But first, convince me not to kill you,” I shot back, my finger on the trigger and itching to pull it.
“Who’s this?” Petra asked, nodding at Time. “New friend?”
“I’m the Time Master, one of the First Ten and a loyal soldier of Death,” he replied. “Anyone fighting against your kind is a friend of mine, because you’re all abominations developed at the expense of my sister’s suffering.”
“Oh, I see you’re one of those serious types.” Petra chuckled.
I clicked the safety off my weapon. “Tick tock, High Priestess.”
“I’m here to be with my sons, you wench,” she said, visibly disgusted by my aggressive persistence. Clearly, she was still unhappy with me. “I’ve had enough of the Darkling garbage, and I have no intention of dying or getting anyone else killed for the Spirit Bender to return, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Last time you saw Derek, you were running away to find your sons so you could implant your soul shard into one of them, solely for the purpose of sacrifice and extraction without putting your own life on the line,” I replied. “Am I supposed to believe you’ve had a change of heart?”
Petra smiled, but it wasn’t genuine. It was a tense, flat smile that spoke of all the things she’d do to me if she could—and none of them were pleasant. She put her scythe away and held out her hands. “Cuff me if you wish. Just hear me out. Whatever I told Danika was merely to buy myself some time so I could get out of there. The bitch was trying to kill me.”
“Why should I trust anything you say?”
“Because I’m a mother first!” Petra snapped. “Something you couldn’t possibly understand, which is why I’d much rather have this conversation with Sofia and Derek. At least they’d get me.”
“I’m afraid that won’t happen unless you prove your intentions are as honorable as you claim,” Time said. “Surrender your scythe. Surrender yourself. Then, we’ll consider listening.”
Petra exhaled sharply, her shoulders slumping as she rolled her eyes in frustration. “Fine. Take it.” She scoffed, tossing the scythe on the ground between us. “I don’t want to die by Danika’s blade, okay? I just want to take my sons and get them as far away from here, as far away from the empire, as possible.”
“How did you find this place?” I asked.
“Finally, a pertinent question. The Seniors all had tiny magical trackers implanted in them when they were shipped off to the island. They’re not aware,” Petra said. “Only a few of us know about the implants. As a Whip, it’s been my duty to occasionally keep an eye on them, so I’m able to find them wherever they go.”
That added a new item to our collective to-do list—finding and removing those trackers from the Seniors before other Darklings thought to use them against us. My stomach churned at the thought of all the malice that had gone into the Seniors’ punishment. All because they’d wanted to return Visio to normal and release the Unending from her tortuous prison.
“Where are the implants?” I asked, hoping to get more details for Kemi to immediate
ly act upon. Either way, staying in Roano had just become even riskier. Ironic, I thought, since we’d initially considered it safer than most other places.
“They were ingested with blood and likely lodged somewhere in their stomachs. They’re made of minuscule crystals that the Aeternae’s organism doesn’t reject, hence why they’ve been unnoticed. It’s a proprietary spell created by the Spirit Bender and detailed in his chronicles,” Petra said.
“Chronicles?” Time muttered, his gaze darkened.
“Oh, you didn’t know.” Petra giggled. “He left us a treasure trove of documents. Spell instructions. Secrets to use against anyone among his peers who might want to come after us. I will tell you all about it if you let me see my sons.”
Derek’s voice cut through the brief silence. “Why should any of us trust you, Petra? All you do is lie. You tried to kill us more than once.”
He’d come out, joined by Sofia. I didn’t mind, since they were the ones Petra wanted to talk to, and I could use the assistance in case she decided to attack. I didn’t put anything past her.
“I swear, Derek, on my life—on my children’s lives—I was just playing Danika back there,” she said, her eyes suddenly wet. “She’s insane. She put the shard in her own son. She will kill her own son to bring the Spirit Bender back, and that is something I simply cannot accept. I might understand sacrifice for one’s cause, if necessary, but it must be personal. Derek, Sofia… I would never kill my children. I’ve already lost a son and a brother to this conflict, and my soul is forever broken. I cannot take losing another child.”
“You’re a habitual liar, Petra,” Derek replied. “You make it hard for us to believe you.”
“I was wrong. I was wrong to bring my boys into the Darkling circles. They would’ve been better off not knowing, living blissful and carefree lives as nobles.” Petra sighed. “That way, once they learned who I really am and what I do… maybe they would’ve appreciated my decision to shield them, to protect them from the foul things my peers and I have done to preserve our species. I cannot go back to fix that, but I can do better in the future.”
“Your sons would’ve been better off if you’d left them alone,” I said in a low voice.
Petra gave me a cold stare. “I still don’t like you, Esme. Don’t expect me to sugarcoat things simply because you’re pointing that weapon at me. Your opinion of my parenting skills still means nothing. Just so you know.”
At least she wasn’t trying to play nice with me. I had to appreciate the honest approach. It made her slightly more believable in my book. Her hatred of me was so strong that Petra couldn’t even fake liking me to improve her own position.
“We can’t just let you walk in,” Sofia said. “And we definitely can’t just let you take your children out of here. The Visentis boys are under our protection, and they will continue to be under our protection for as long as we see fit.”
“Fine, Sofia. What do you want from me? What else do you need me to do in order to prove myself? I’ve given you my scythe. I’ve come here all alone. You’re free to kill me, if you wish. My life is yours,” Petra replied.
“Information,” Derek retorted. “Tell us everything we need to know about the Whips and where to find them.”
I glanced his way, surprised by his angle. This was war, and we had to adjust or redraw our strategies where needed. The Senior implants changed everything, so we would eventually have to prepare for a swift relocation before anyone else thought of tracking them. Kemi was likely already with his people, looking for ways to extract the bones from their stomachs and toss them far into the sea, thus leaving Roano safer than it was at this point.
The uncertainty of this situation put me on edge, but I needed to focus on the principal thread here: Petra and her intentions. I couldn’t bring myself to trust her. For Kalon’s sake, however, I had to at least try to give her a chance.
“I’ll help you find the Whips,” Petra said. A single tear rolled down her cheek, her lower lip trembling. “I’ll help you, just so this can all end.”
“If you help us, we’ll win. The Unending will be free, and you’ll likely lose your immortality,” Time replied. “Are you sure you want that?”
“As long as I get my family back, I don’t care. In hindsight, I should’ve found more comfort in knowing that there is something beyond death,” Petra declared. “Reapers, Death, ghouls, ghosts… they’re all proof of an afterlife. We tend to fear dying because we don’t know what exists beyond it. Or if there’s even anything there. Truth be told, it’s time I prepare myself for this passage. If the Unending lets me die of old age, I’ll be fine. I just want to see my boys grow up.”
Derek looked my way. “Esme, please cuff her.”
I didn’t hesitate, taking out a pair of wrist bands with Word magic inscriptions. I approached Petra carefully as she put her hands out once more, watching me like a hawk. My heart was beating faster than ever. I hadn’t been this close to her since she’d tried to kill me back at the Visentis mansion.
“Don’t flinch,” Petra whispered as I put one cuff on her left wrist. I heard the metal click, with only a half-second left to see her right hand coming up, claws long and sharp and eager to slice through my carotid.
“Esme!” Sofia shrieked.
I caught Petra’s loose hand and swerved around, twisting her arm in a painful maneuver in the process. She cried out as I jerked her hand upward, nearly dislocating her elbow. I reached for my pulverizer weapon and pressed its nozzle into the back of her head. “Try that again, Petra. I dare you.”
She giggled between agonized gasps. “Had to give it a shot, Esme. I hate you too much for taking my sons away to let you off the hook that easily.”
“Well, I’m the one with the power to kill you now. Don’t be stupid. You said you wanted to see your sons, and that means surviving. How do you plan to do that if you’re trying dumb stuff just to get to me, huh?”
“Okay, I yield!” Petra retorted, no longer able to take the pain.
I briefly released her and slapped the second cuff on, deciding she’d be a safer bet with her hands bound behind her back. A chain formed between her wrists. It appeared to be made of solidified light, glowing. I nearly burned myself touching it, so I moved around to face Petra again and gave her a warning look.
“Is that supposed to intimidate me?” she asked.
“No, it’s supposed to remind you that you’re on my turf now,” I replied dryly and pushed her over to Derek. He took a firm hold of her upper arm, while I lifted the scythe off the ground and handed it to Time. “Here. Best to keep it away from her. I should check for other weapons.”
“Go ahead, you won’t find any,” Petra said.
Time came closer after putting her scythe away and measured the high priestess from head to toe. “I think she’s clean.”
“You think?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “I will strip this monster bare, if I have to!”
“She’s clean. I don’t sense other weapons,” Time insisted. I took it as a mild reassurance. It was the best we could get in these dark times.
The protective shield shimmered as we approached it, reacting to our presence. Lumi’s hands came through as she pried it open. It looked like she’d simply pulled back a pair of curtains, allowing access for outsiders like Petra. Derek went in first with the high priestess still in his grip, followed by Sofia, Time, and me.
As soon as she set foot in Roano, Petra stopped, gazing around in fascination. “Wow, I haven’t been here in at least a couple of centuries. The ocean and the winds are doing a real number on this place. In about a thousand years or so, I doubt there will be anything left.”
“Your people caused this,” I reminded her.
“The Black Fever caused this,” she replied, raising an eyebrow as if I truly was the dumbest, most loathsome creature she’d ever had to deal with. It irked me, but there were many things I’d do for love. Putting up with her scheming ass was just one of them.
�
�The Darklings are responsible for the Black Fever through their pursuit of keeping the Unending bound to Visio,” Time said. “You pride yourselves on protecting and saving the Aeternae, but all you do is kill hundreds of thousands every ten millennia. You’ve killed millions over the years, solely to preserve immortality for those of you lucky enough to not get infected. It’s a pathetic ploy, and the only reason it has worked so far is because Death has been unaware of your activities. The Spirit Bender taught you well.”
“That he most certainly did,” Petra said, sneering.
“It ends soon enough,” I said. “Those who die will have free souls. They will be reaped and sent on their way, not fed to the ghouls. Those who live will do so in harmony with the others. No one’s life should have more value than anyone else’s. The Darklings will be destroyed. And the Spirit Bender will never come back. The world is better off without him.”
“We might actually agree on that,” Petra mumbled. “Now, let us talk. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Derek obliged, while Sofia stayed back to talk to me. “Esme, we’re not letting her see the boys yet,” she whispered.
“You can’t tell her about Kalon, either. There are two ways this could go,” I told her. “If she’s being honest, learning about Kalon’s situation will devastate her, and she might try to do something foolish to Valaine. I don’t know. If she’s lying through her teeth, that would make Kalon the easiest target. Remember, she’s a Whip, so she has additional knowledge we don’t know about. That makes her extra dangerous, even to the First Tenners.”
“But Kalon and Valaine are in Soul’s interdimensional pockets. How can she get to them?” Lumi asked, her brow furrowed.
“I’m not sure. But I wouldn’t put it past her to find a way,” I said.
“I’ll stay with Kalon, just in case,” Time replied. Moments later, he’d vanished, and I felt a sense of relief washing over me at the thought of my beloved being under his protection. With Petra lurking around, even in cuffs and without her scythe, no one was really safe.
A Shade of Vampire 84: A Memory of Time Page 17
