Spirit Bender was never alive in the first place. It takes dying to become a Reaper, you abominable tool.”
“Semantics!” Ramus snarled. “The truth remains! The Spirit Bender shall come, and he shall save us all!”
“Except you.” Danika rammed her mechanical hand into his chest. He froze, his eyes round and glassy, as blood spurted from the wound, splattering on the wooden floor. No one moved. No one even breathed as Danika pulled his heart out, her metal fingers glazed in a darker shade of crimson. “This feels like progress.”
“Wow…” Kelara gasped.
Danika shrugged. “He kept trying to get under my skirt, since before I even married Acheron. I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go.”
She’d just retrieved the fourth shard, and I doubted we had any chance of taking it from her. We were surrounded and outnumbered. Ramus was dead, though still standing for another second or two. The thud that followed made my stomach churn. He’d died a fool. And now Danika was one step closer to resurrecting the Spirit Bender.
The potential horror this entailed made my skin prick, shivers rushing down my spine as I looked at Amane. All we had were a couple of pissed off Reapers and some pulverizer weapons. Well, and we also had my inner dragon, which was now roaring… all fired up and eager to make some noise.
Whether we’d survive this moment or not remained to be seen, but as Amane gave me a confident half-smile, I remembered other terrifying situations she and I had found ourselves in before. We’d nearly died, more than once, yet we’d always managed to pull each other back to the surface. We’d fought, tooth and nail, not only to live, but also to be together and happy and free.
She was with me, and I was with her. It would have to be enough.
Esme
I left Petra with Derek for the rest of the interrogation. Not only could I barely stand to be in the same room with her, but I also felt I’d be more useful checking on her sons. They had to be rattled by seeing their mother after the rift that she’d driven between them.
The northern tower loomed above me like a silent giant as I walked out. Looking up, I wondered what Tristan and Valaine were up to and how far they’d gotten with their work. Making my way through the city, I tried to imagine what life here must’ve been like in Roano’s prime with the cobblestone streets flowing up and down the low hill the city been built atop. The white watchtowers and the buildings rising proudly all over. Aeternae living and thriving here. Children laughing and playing.
As I walked through the streets, I could almost see them. To my right, merchants opened their shops, displaying rivers of colorful silks and twinkling jewels, elegant hats and fine leather shoes, glasswork and ceramic objects, perfect for the most discerning homes. To my left, there had to be at least one seller of Rimian and Nalorean blood. In a bid to make the conquered people more comfortable with their new lives as blood suppliers, the Aeternae might have opened up regular food stores next to theirs.
That way, the Rimians, the Naloreans, and the Aeternae would’ve shopped for food in the same district. Sustenance would have been treated equally, regardless of who required it. At least, that was what I’d noticed in the imperial city, and it was what I would’ve done, too, as a conqueror. The Aeternae had set up an interesting system with the Rimians and the Naloreans being remunerated for the blood they surrendered. Granted, it wasn’t a fair system, because they didn’t have any other option. They were denied the right to refuse.
Farther down the road, I pictured neighborhoods with three- or four-level houses and small front yards. They would’ve had flowering trees and brightly colored shrubs. Perhaps some decorative statuettes and dainty little fences. It must’ve been a beautiful place once, but no more. Death had been here, merciless in its advance. The innocent and the guilty had all perished with no discrimination until Roano had become… this.
All I imagined disappeared like a mirage in the middle of a scorching desert, and only old stones and faint impressions of a road remained. Ahead, I saw the boys. Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore sat cross-legged in front of their makeshift shelter. Thayen was with them, and I could tell they were in a foul mood.
Sofia and Kalla were nearby, giving the boys some