A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,55

need on our side.”

“If they want blood slaves, they’re free to go out there and get some,” I grumbled, crossing my arms. “Since it’s not illegal here. But they should certainly not be funding the Darklings just so they can get a living midnight snack every now and then.”

I noticed Thayen watching us, his eyes wide and filled with curiosity and… admiration. I was pretty certain we were saying things he’d already considered, as well, despite his young age. Danika followed my gaze and smiled at her son. “What do you think, darling?”

Thayen blinked several times. “What… me?”

“Of course, dear boy,” Acheron replied. “We would appreciate your input, since it’s clearly two of us against two of them on this topic.” He chuckled, relieving some of the tension that had been underlying this exchange.

Thayen was old enough to make up his own mind on certain things. In this instance, I was confident we’d given all the information and arguments necessary for him to form an opinion. He struck me as an intelligent young Aeternae, with great potential and a hungry mind. Surely, that would someday translate into an exceptional leader.

This had to be one of those crucial points in his development, too. His vote on this matter could very well sway the Lord and Lady Supreme into taking action against the Darklings’ blood slave trade.

Thayen looked at me, then at his mother. “I think that… if you want to drink from a blood slave, you can go out and get your own,” he finally said. “The Darklings have killed a lot of good people. They’re trying to kill Valaine, and she’s my friend. They don’t serve the empire; they serve their cause, and… I mean, they’re obviously looking to stop the Black Fever and save millions of Aeternae, and I see why they’d think their cause is just, but how sure are we that it is, since it involves murdering innocent people?”

I, for one, was floored by his statement. Simple, coherent, and remarkably effective, as Danika and Acheron raised their eyebrows at us. The boy was definitely more evolved than many of his peers. In a way, Thayen represented the future of Visio, and it felt good to see his mind so strong and inclined toward kindness and justice from such an early stage.

“Besides, there is no shortage of blood on Visio. Why even get blood slaves, when the Rimians and the Naloreans give us their blood in vials?” Thayen added. “I never understood that.”

“It’s the luxury of having a live source of blood in the house, at all times,” Danika tried to explain, her cheeks flaring red. She certainly seemed fine with the practice, visibly more comfortable than Acheron, anyway. “Fresh blood tastes much better than bottled blood.”

“Well, I think it’s elitism, and not the good kind,” Thayen replied, raising his chin.

“There you have it, my love,” Acheron murmured, downright amused and impressed. “Our son has spoken.”

“Does that mean you’ll do something about it?” I asked.

Acheron looked at me, pride beaming in his eyes. “What kind of father would I be, what kind of ruler, even, if I didn’t show my son that his opinion matters?”

I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for Thayen’s response, for he had convinced his parents to finally take action against the Darklings’ blood slave trade. It was bound to annoy the elites, sure, but like the little prince had said, they could always go out and get their own sources. Why funnel money into violent Darklings, purely for the sake of convenience?

Frankly, their discomfort was trivial when compared to the many lives lost because of the Darklings—including our Nethissis. It felt nice to be able to do something about this, even from a mere consultant’s position. I only hoped that Tristan and Esme would both return victorious from their missions.

I had no intention of leaving Visio until we settled the score with the Darklings, and Derek felt the same way. If we were to leave this planet behind in the near future, we could at least leave it a better place than we had found it.

Esme

Past midnight, Kalon, Ansel, and I reached Kalon’s lakeside cabin. It was a beautiful spot, resting on the water’s lip and surrounded by a dark and lush forest. We were miles away from the nearest road, with nothing but a giant moon and millions of stars offering their twinkling light through the rarefied layer of cotton-puff clouds.

It was quiet out here, except for the occasional cricket-like insects chirping.