these next few days.
Kalon, on the other hand, seemed like quite the firecracker. Opinionated, arrogant, and impressively self-confident. The mark of a warrior or a future ruler, and certainly not someone who would ever settle for second place. He got up from his seat, bowing politely. “I must excuse myself,” he said, looking only at Esme. “My mother requires my presence for certain issues. I shall see you all for dinner, later tonight.”
Esme didn’t reply, but Danika smiled. “Worry not, Kalon. We will entertain the guests while you’re away.”
Valaine gave him a worried look, but he didn’t seem too bothered. There were unspoken words between them. Their friendship ran deep—I could tell from the way they looked at one another. Like siblings, they spoke more through body language than anything said out loud.
I moved away from the conversation, as they went deeper into the subject of Aeternae blood and how it could be used to produce a day-walking cure. Chances were that Derek and Sofia were going to get what they’d come here for. Acheron and Danika did not strike me as closed off or unwilling to help. If anything, they’d expressed heartfelt pity for the vampires’ condition, their inability to walk in the sunlight.
Glancing up, I found myself in awe of the myriad of stars unraveling before my very eyes. A moon rose lazily in the east, as the last inklings of crimson sunset died to the west, in the Visio twilight. The ocean breeze brushed past me, cooling my skin. It was different in every world—the sunrise, the sunset, the sky, the feel of the wind. They functioned similarly, yet they were nothing alike.
Visio itself was a masterpiece. I was a fan of the gardens, especially. The trimmed hedge maze, the artesian fountains, the splendid blossoms… great care had gone into its construction and, most importantly, into its growth. It had taken patience, eons’ worth of patience, to create this stunning corner of heaven. No wonder Acheron was proud. It was never easy to accomplish such synergy with the forces of nature, which never bowed before any creature.
“Kelara, are you there?” I called out. No one else could hear me as I reached out to her through our telepathic link. It was the only way I could speak to Death, since the seals kept her down and cut off from the entire Reaperhood.
I needed to understand more about Visio before expressing certain doubts, especially regarding the absence of wandering spirits and Reapers. It was truly odd that I hadn’t seen any.
“Seeley. I’m here, yes. Is everything okay?” she asked, her voice echoing through my head.
Sighing deeply, I leaned against one of the fruit trees, about fifty yards away from the royal gazebo, where GASP and the Lord and Lady Supreme were still chatting and trying out small quantities of spiced blood. My gaze settled on Nethissis—she was the one I looked for, always. The only creature who could help me focus, without even knowing it.
“For the most part, yes,” I said. “The crew landed safely, and they were given a pretty warm welcome.”
I went on to give her details about the conversations and the discoveries made so far, which Kelara then relayed to Death, who had yet to formulate an opinion. After a while, I could hear her voice in the background. “What is it that worries him?”
That was odd. “I’ve never been able to hear Death through someone else before. How is this possible?” I asked.
“Maybe it’s got something to do with the second broken seal,” Kelara suggested. “But she’s right, Seeley. You sound worried. What’s wrong?”
“Technically, there shouldn’t be anything wrong. From what I’ve told you, there’s nothing to worry about. Derek and Sofia’s crew are making progress with the Aeternae, they’re well treated… hell, they might even walk out of here with the blood they need for their day-walking cure, but… Kelara, I haven’t seen a single Reaper in this place, so far.”
“What do you mean?” she replied, and I could feel the tension gather in her voice, almost instantly.
Looking at Nethissis, a knot formed in my throat. “I’ve only been around Derek’s crew on the way in from the landing strip and into the palace, and I haven’t seen any Reapers. No wandering, lost spirits, either. It’s a little odd.”
“You said the Aeternae can live forever. Wouldn’t that imply fewer deaths?” Kelara asked.
“Technically, yes. But they still die, just in much lower numbers. On top of that, it doesn’t explain the many Rimians and