tell me she’s—”
“She’s come to get the shard transferred to one of the boys. I’m certain of it,” I said. “It’s the only reason why she’d try to mess with us like this.”
“Derek. Crap, he’s been pretty much alone with her in the western tower,” Sofia said, gasping.
“I doubt he’ll be able to do much if she’s found a way to set herself free. I think Moore did something else. I think he helped her, somehow. Look at his face,” Ansel said, and we followed his startled gaze. Indeed, the youngest Visentis boy was still grinning, but there was a glimmer in his eyes. It told me he knew something we didn’t. “We should all go back to the western tower,” Ansel added. “Whatever Mother is planning has already begun.”
Kalla took hold of Moore, hoisting him up and over her shoulder. “I’ll hold on to this little rascal. Tudyk, Ansel, you’d best stay with me, boys. I hope you understand why we can no longer let you anywhere near your mother.”
Neither objected—except Moore, who flailed like a miniature demon in Kalla’s hold. Despite her being a Nalorean, she definitely seemed to have what it took to keep him in check, at least while he remained bound.
Sofia and I looked at each other. “We need to head back to the tower,” I said.
We both took off running. Moving as fast as our legs could hold us, we glided breathlessly across the worn cobblestone. Overflowing with adrenaline, my mind started working faster than ever, knowing that, in the end, Kalon was still vulnerable, despite Time’s protection. Even if he stayed inside that interdimensional pocket, it didn’t mean his mother couldn’t find a way to get to him.
I’d been foolish to think she’d actually care about her children. That the prospect of her own death might’ve changed her mind. No. Petra had come here with a plan, and so far, she’d succeeded in executing it. We had to stop her before it was too late.
Derek
“I’m not buying your remorseful attitude,” I said, leaning with my back against the wall.
Petra was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, hands cuffed behind her back as she smiled up at me. “And I’m not buying your sanctimonious attitude,” she shot back. “Your past is full of blood and darkness. It’s written all over you.”
“I’ve grown,” I replied. “Unlike you. Hundreds of thousands of years, and you still do nothing but harm to those around you.”
“Please don’t make me repeat myself. Everything I have done has been for what I thought was the good of my people. I don’t have any regrets.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “None whatsoever? Your sons despise you, Petra. Your own children, alienated by your lies and machinations.”
“My sons will forgive me one day. When all this is over, they will understand everything I did and why. You’ll be gone by then. You will be… dust.”
I was missing something here. Petra’s statement was ominous, and I had a feeling she was holding back. “If you know something, now’s your chance to share. While your information about the Whips will be useful, we can both agree there is more you can tell us.”
“Oh, there definitely is. But my question is, do you really think you’ll live long enough for that information to help you?”
“What do you mean?”
She chuckled softly. “Derek, if you think you’re going to win this battle against the Darklings, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
“I thought that’s why you came here. To help us.”
“I came here to see my sons, and I gave you intel in return. I don’t want Danika to kill me, sure, but what are the odds the rest of you will survive? Let’s be honest here. You’ve all met her. You should know better.”
“Where are you going with this, Petra?”
She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “From what I remember, you’re a man with a pretty big family, right? A daughter and a son. Grandchildren. Great-grandchildren. Some great-great-grandchildren, too, if I’m not mistaken. A brother, a sister, each with their own families and equally stellar progenies.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I watched her closely, waiting for the punchline. There had to be one coming, sooner or later. I just didn’t understand where it would all lead. In the darkness of the room, moonlight pierced through the window, glazing the floor in an iridescent glow. Petra glanced down, the shimmer reflected in her blue eyes.
“If you keep going with this so-called war against the Darklings, it won’t