case more crap hit the fan. The whole room felt like a gunpowder keg about to go off.
Corbin remained frozen in place, gawking at his daughter.
“Valaine,” he said.
She roared again, breathing heavily. Tiny black veins surrounded her eyes. She was far off the deep end, and I was worried.
“Focus on my voice,” I said. “Valaine. Focus on my voice.”
“Daddy?” Thayen cried out again, inconsolable and lonely, even in the soldier’s arms. No one else dared get close to him because of his proximity to Valaine, but several people looked like they were afraid for his and the guard’s safety. They were all fools, I thought. Valaine would never hurt the child.
“She’s out of her mind,” Danika mumbled, then looked at me. “Maybe Zoltan was right all along, and we should’ve listened.”
“No. No, Your Grace, don’t let him get into your head,” I said. “This… This is just her dark side. All the Aeternae have it, okay? You have one, too.”
“Not like this,” Danika replied, her gaze drawn to Valaine again. “My husband was murdered. The Darklings seem willing to do whatever it takes to get their point across. To destroy her before she destroys us.”
“Your Grace, please.” Corbin tried to console her. “Allow yourself time to grieve.”
“No. There is no time for that.” Danika slowly stood up. Acheron’s blood dripped from her fingertips. “My husband needs justice, yes… but my people need protection.”
“You can’t possibly believe Zoltan Shatal, of all people!” Sofia burst from her seat. “No, Your Grace, please think this through!”
“How can Valaine be the source of the Black Fever if she’s only five thousand years old?” I asked Danika, trying to get her attention before she did something she might regret.
Valaine didn’t move. I could see clarity returning to her as she listened to the conversation. I worried Danika’s impending conclusion might trigger another episode, and I had to find a way to keep Valaine safe.
“You heard Zoltan,” one of the Aeternae in the audience said. “We all know the Black Fever is coming back. We live in the palace. We know the people who’ve already fallen ill. An outbreak is upon us much sooner than usual. Zoltan said that if we kill her, someone else will be sacrificed in another ten thousand years.”
“It must be a cycle of sorts,” another Aeternae replied. “One of us dies as selected by the Darklings, and the Black Fever stops!”
“Are you hearing yourselves?!” Corbin shouted angrily. “Lending credence to the words of a Darkling! A traitor! No! The science has been clear! My daughter is not infected, nor is she a carrier!”
Danika exhaled sharply, her hands still trembling. “Well, I know differently,” she said, stopping me in my tracks. “I know a connection was discovered in additional tests performed last night.”
Oh, no…
The study room must have been spied on. Danika knew what we knew, and that was a problem, considering what had just happened.
“I think Valaine should be taken into custody,” Danika continued. “Further tests will be performed until she is either cleared or proven to be the true source of the Black Fever. If her death saves us all for another ten thousand years, then so be it.”
“Your Grace, please don’t,” Corbin managed, suddenly faced with the prospect of arresting his own daughter. I didn’t want to imagine what that felt like, just as I didn’t want to imagine how Thayen was faring at this point.
“Arrest her,” Danika commanded. “And sequester Derek and Sofia’s team. They’re not to leave the palace until this situation is resolved. They are to stay here and assist us until a cure for the Black Fever is found. Whether it takes them a week or a year or five thousand years… I don’t care. I have had enough of this dillydallying around. There is no room for diplomacy in times of war,” she added, raising her voice for everyone to hear. Her words appeared to find ears in the room, as people began to nod and murmur their agreement. “Because we are at war! The Darklings won’t stop until she’s dead! Until the Black Fever is stopped! If that’s what it takes to stop the Darklings, then I will sanction it.”
“Your Grace, you cannot do this!” I said. “Valaine is not the source!”
“Well, then… find out what is,” Danika hissed, fury burning in her blue eyes. She’d been through too much. She wasn’t thinking clearly. And that was a massive problem for all of us. “Cuff them all. Put the study room under constant