as instructed and entered the western tower. Once we were in the room, Esme linked a chain to the ring connecting the cuffs, which she then attached to a curled spike in the wall.
I crossed my arms, watching as Petra scowled at Esme. “Are you going to bring me a chair?” the high priestess asked.
“It’s all yours,” Esme replied, pointing at the floor. “One big chair.”
“Start talking,” I said to Petra. “Where are the other Whips?”
“I’d like to see my sons first.”
“I told you, that’s not up to us. Sofia is with them. Should they wish to see you, they’ll come here. In the meantime, start talking.”
Petra let out a heavy sigh and settled on the floor. She looked uncomfortable with her hands bound behind her back, but it was one of the few things that gave me comfort. I couldn’t afford any compromises with this Aeternae. None whatsoever.
Her cold blue gaze settled on me. “I know Trev Blayne gathered a significant amount of intel when he was pretending to be a Darkling initiate. Since he was ousted, however, the Whips have changed their movement patterns and safe houses for their own security. You see, Derek, we’ve become very good at anticipating the enemy’s movements. The moment word of your escape reached my ears, I knew you’d tell your people everything—including what you learned from Danika and me.”
“It wouldn’t take a genius to figure that one out. How did you hear about my escape? You had already run off,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean I’m isolated from my empire. I have eyes and ears everywhere. Death magic has made a lot of things easier for me.”
“Okay. Then what can you tell me about the Whips’ more recent movements?”
Petra scrunched her nose, frowning slightly as she thought about my question. I had a feeling she was doing some kind of math in her head. “Let’s see… well, Drezel, Rodique, and Icklas are dead. Danika was very effective on that front. That leaves us with Ramus Malfa, Fennel Ferris, Marios and Silla Levantes, Lyriana Amos, Jolie Jasperstone, Rennert Gauss, yours truly, and of course Thayen. Each of us listed carries a shard of the Spirit Bender’s soul.”
“I’m not interested in you or Thayen. I asked about the Whips.”
“I know, Derek. But I felt you could use a small recap.” Petra chuckled.
“The Whips, Petra. We only need the Whips,” Esme replied. “What can you tell us about the remaining ones?”
“Ramus Malfas has a few properties he’s kept off the record. His dead mother is still listed on the deeds, and he has yet to change them in the imperial registry,” Petra grumbled. “Of these properties, there is one I think he’ll consider safest now that Danika is after him.”
I remembered Ramus from when he’d first come into my cell along with the other Whips. A handsome fellow with a dark, piercing gaze and an affinity for fine silks and velvets. Of course, all the noble Aeternae shared that affinity, but Ramus had an extra sartorial flair about it that made him easier to remember.
“Where is this property?” I asked.
“North of here and deeper into the mainland,” Petra replied. “Fifty miles past Azten, there’s a road that leads up to the snowy mountains. As you follow the road deep into the woods, it splits into two paths. One will lead you around the peak, down the other side of the mountain, and into the next town, which is called Mayn. The other, however, will take you into the very heart of the forest. Ramus’s father cleared that path when he first built his house there. You can’t miss it. It’s the only one on the ridge, surrounded by trees and jagged rocks.”
“And you say Ramus will be there,” I said, eyeing her carefully, searching for signs of deception. Speaking of good liars, Petra was an expert.
Her means and ends were equally nefarious, but I had to appreciate her talent for deception. Perhaps it was part of the reason why she loathed Esme with such passion. In certain ways, Petra and Esme were more alike than they thought. They fought for different causes, but they both put their souls into their work. They were devoted. They were excellent manipulators and smooth talkers. They were beautiful and fierce. Maybe Petra didn’t want someone who was so much like her to take her son’s heart. But if so, she was wrong—Esme and Kalon were made for each other. I couldn’t imagine building a better bridge between our civilizations.
Had