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 immediately 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