his voice. It reminded me of the Word itself, my soul humming whenever the Reaper looked at me. I was forming some kind of attachment to this guy, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Was this a sign from the Word? Was I supposed to interpret this dynamic of ours in a certain way? Was the universe trying to tell me that I was on the right track? I did not have the answer to any of these questions, but I hoped it would turn out to be a resounding yes.
I’d had enough of death and loss and heartache. Still reeling from the Hermessi debacle, I desired peace and tranquility, above all. I knew I wouldn’t find that until we figured out what was happening on Visio—Darklings, ghouls, and Reapers. There was something here. Something dark and deeply troubling.
Fortunately, I had Sidyan and Maya on my side. The Aeternae’s secrets would not stay hidden for much longer.
Sofia
As the night took over the empire, we decided to spend more time with Acheron, Danika, and their son, Thayen. Given the events that had occurred during the day with Esme and Tristan, Derek and I decided to skip past the pleasantries and cultural exchange topics. After everything that the Vaughn siblings had reported from their travels so far, I had to admit, I was growing increasingly worried. Amal and Amane were pursuing both the day-walking protein and a cure for the Black Fever, but I had a feeling we’d have more problems on our plate by the time we were ready to leave Visio behind.
I didn’t share the Ansel Visentis revelation with the Lord and Lady Supreme—not only because Esme didn’t want the Lord and Lady Supreme to know about it yet, but also because Kalon preferred some discretion on the matter, at least until he was able to get some information out of his Darkling brother.
Thayen settled by one of the windows of the grand salon, reading a comprehensive history of the Rimian nation pre-conquest. He didn’t seem like he had much interest in our conversation, but I knew he was listening.
We were out on the terrace, the doors wide open and the wind making the organza drapes seem fluid. At night, this place was stupendous. I wondered what it would feel like to go out there in the daylight and get a full view of the dark blue ocean. Provided we get our protein, I might have a chance to experience such things again.
Derek and I occupied one of the sofas with gilded armrests, while Danika and Acheron sat in matching, elegant chairs. Between us, fresh blood was served in a crystal pitcher and glasses on an oval, glass coffee table.
“How are your Faulty scientists coming along?” Danika asked. It had become a regular question whenever we met. I knew it was pure curiosity that drove her to inquire, but I couldn’t help but wonder if she was asking in order to get a better idea as to when we might be on our way.
The more time we spent here, the more uncomfortable she seemed to get. That had become a predominant feeling since Nethissis’s death had been ruled foul play, and since Zoltan Shatal had been revealed as her murderer.
“We’re almost there,” Derek said. “I’m unable to reproduce Amal and Amane’s explanations in a way that makes sense, since it involves molecules and genomes and splicing and other equally complicated scientific terms, but I’m told we might have some results by the end of the week.”
“With a little bit of luck, we’ll be testing a synthesized serum in a few days,” I added. Eagerness barely scratched the surface of how I was feeling with regard to this matter. We’d all agreed to stay and finish the job on Visio despite what had happened with Nethissis, mainly because we understood how important this was to Derek.
He’d tried to send us away, of course, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave him out here on his own in pursuit of the vampire’s day-walking dream. None of us could. We had GASP troops on standby, in case we needed them, though I hoped such a scenario would not come to pass. On top of that, we had promised to help them with the Black Fever. It wasn’t in our nature to go back on our word.
From what I could tell, the Lord and Lady Supreme were aware of the Darklings and their assassinations, but they didn’t grasp their agenda and the