Hell, I accept it. Makes sense,” I replied. “And you’re right. They’re better off satisfying their lust for violence in the arena than out in public, where innocents could get hurt or worse.”
“To many among the Aeternae, the thrill of dying is more exciting than living forever,” she murmured. “It satisfies many emotions that they would otherwise channel into less constructive activities.”
“Were they violent before the tournaments were established? I assume there was a time before the prize fights, before they reached the conclusion that they needed the Blood Arena.”
Zurah shrugged. “I don’t know, milady. I am young and know little to nothing about such ancient history. The Blood Arena has been around for more than two million years, and the Aeternae do not like to speak about the time before it.”
That sort of answered my question. If the Aeternae didn’t want to talk about it, then it had probably been awful, a stain on their seemingly illustrious history. From what I’d learned up to now, the Aeternae tried to market themselves as superior, truly evolved creatures who’d achieved a peaceful balance with the creatures they’d conquered.
Fighting in the Blood Arena was an outlet for them. Winning the tournament finals was always a cause for celebration, and the champions were given great honors, along with trophies and various riches. But such synergy had not happened easily. It couldn’t have.
The society we were seeing today was the result of many years of troubles and bloodshed—it was a pattern found in many of the civilizations that my brother and I had come across, if not all of them. I could appreciate the bitter irony, though, knowing that the thought of dying made many of the Aeternae feel most alive.
Us vampires had been taught differently, and it probably had something to do with the fact that we were all made, not born. We’d learned to appreciate immortality for its perks, not its downsides. Vampirism did not exist for as long as the Aeternae, either, so there had yet to be a case of a truly bored vampire among us. It made me wonder, would we be the same, four million years from now?
Tired? Bored? Eager to throw our lives in the fire for a second’s worth of adrenaline in the Blood Arena? It got me thinking that some insights from the Aeternae elders would’ve easily answered my questions.
“Zurah, is there any chance I might be able to visit the oldest Aeternae?” I asked, still seated as she finished arranging my hair. I looked like the vampire version of Scarlet O’Hara, and I didn’t mind it one bit. The way the dark curls fell down my back and over my shoulders made my neck look longer and thinner.
“No, milady,” Zurah replied, moving to apply a delicate skin-tone powder to my face with a large brush. “The elders are off-limits to everyone, even most Aeternae. Only the lord and lady supreme, along with the ruling council, the high priestess, and the master commander are allowed to see them.”
“Hmm. I see. Where do they live, exactly?”
Zurah shot me a warning glare before brushing pink blush powder over my cheeks. “Milady, I don’t think it’s wise to ask such things. Especially since you are not of this world.”
“I’m just curious. Don’t worry, Zurah, I have no intention of sneaking out and breaking into the retirement homes of ancient Aeternae.” I chuckled softly.
She looked at me for a while, as if trying to ascertain whether I was joking or not. “There are six islands off the eastern coast,” she finally said. “Gated communities guarded by some of the deadliest Aeternae soldiers and tournament champions. The latter are offered the honor instead of riches and titles, should they wish to protect the elders, instead.”
“Protect them from what?”
“The curious folk. Sometimes, the younger Aeternae like to challenge the system. They make bets or dare one another to sneak onto one of the islands, to get a good look at the elders. It never ends well for them, but they never learn,” Zurah explained. “Sometimes, people with grievances against the lord and lady supreme look to hurt the elders in order to punish our rulers. Again, that always concludes in death and disaster for the attackers. So, yes, the ancient Aeternae are protected.”
“I understand.”
I was being honest. I did understand why they’d chosen to keep the oldest Aeternae away from the rest of the population. But it also made me want to ask additional questions, because there had to be more