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.
“Esme, honestly… what do you think of all this?” Sofia asked.
Lumi and I exchanged glances, and I had a feeling we were both on the same page. “I don’t trust Petra. I will never trust her. There’s always an endgame with her, and more often than not, those closest to her are the ones getting hurt,” I said.
“Even if she is being truthful, she’ll have stirred the wrath of Danika and Corbin. By now, we’ve all learned how cruel and spiteful the Darklings can be with the people they consider traitors or enemies,” Lumi replied. “Remember what they did to one of the Unending’s reincarnations. They killed her entire family for no reason at all. That alone should tell us everything about what kind of retaliation we can expect from the Darklings.”
I broke out in a cold sweat. “The boys will never be safe until we destroy the Darklings completely.”
“Do you really think Petra would kill Kalon?” Sofia asked, her green gaze fixed on me. That was a tough question. It certainly wasn’t impossible. Danika was proof that a mother could kill her own child, and she and Petra would be sharing the same motivation—sacrificing their sons to complete the soul shard ritual and ensure their own survival. For that to happen, however, Petra needed certain conditions.
Me out of her way was one of them. “Not while I’m still alive,” I said.
“I find it unimaginable.” Sofia sighed. “I still can’t believe Danika is coldblooded enough to commit such an atrocity. One’s own child… no. Just no.”
And yet, it was true and horrifyingly real. Danika was looking to kill Thayen. Why wouldn’t Petra do the same? After all, immortality could easily make people do crazy things. Selfish and awful things. For millennia, Petra had been serving the same cause as Danika. Had she really turned herself around this time? I’d have to find out. And in the meantime, I’d keep her in my sight. I’d watch her closely. If she was going to try something, I’d be there to stop her.
Ahead, Derek walked Petra up the main cobbled road. They were headed toward the western tower, and I tried to ignore the knot forming in my stomach. The western tower wasn’t much to look at, but Lumi had assisted with building a few rooms from its foundation. It was one of the more secluded parts of the city. Knowing Derek, he probably didn’t want the others to see Petra here—not yet, anyway.