head. “She’s a good mother deep down. I trust she will do the right thing.”
“All I can do is applaud your optimism,” Ansel muttered.
Amal slowly raised a hand, demanding our attention. “What if she sets up some kind of trap? It’s obvious we’re desperate to get Derek back, and I’m pretty sure she knows we wouldn’t hurt Thayen, so the stakes aren’t all that high.”
“We’ll be ready,” Sofia replied. “I’m expecting that possibility, too. As long as she brings Derek out, one of us should be able to snatch him and make him invisible before anyone can react.”
I hadn’t considered Amal’s concern, but it was an extremely valid one. We’d made a name for ourselves as pacifists and explorers among the Aeternae, certainly not the kind of people who would abduct children, let alone hurt them. Then again, we’d just done the former. What were the odds that Danika would now think us capable of the latter, as well?
Either way, we were treading a fine line here, and there was danger on both sides. But we had to get Derek out of Danika’s hold, and we had to make her understand that this avenue of hostility wouldn’t help anyone—especially the people of Visio. We were still working on the cure for the Black Fever. Or, more accurately, a way to beat the curse.
“I know we’ve asked Valaine this already, but how are you holding up, Sofia?” I asked, while Valaine moved closer to me. She leaned in, and I put an arm around her shoulders, hoping to give her as much comfort as I could. Valaine needed it, because I knew she was already blaming herself for the Black Fever. Even the faintest possibility of her being the trigger for the curse was taking its toll on her.
Sofia shrugged. “Derek and I have been through much worse. It doesn’t make this any easier, but I’m keeping my composure and my head in the game, so I must be doing something right.”
Minutes passed as we talked about our options going forward. We tried to cover as many scenarios as possible, knowing Ridan and his crew were already on their way to Visio. As the night settled over the hilltop with its starry sky and incomplete moon, we ran out of words and thoughts. We were all tired, worn out by the various events that had led us here.
Valaine gasped, throwing her head back. Her body suddenly stiffened, and I froze, unsure of what I could do. Sofia and Amal broke the circle and rushed to help, but Kalon motioned for them to stand back.
“No, leave her! She’s getting a message.”
I watched as her arms twitched, her eyes rolling into her head as she wheezed and struggled to breathe. “Are you sure?” I asked, breaking into a cold sweat. It didn’t look right.
“The same thing happened to the Lady Supreme when Valaine sent her message,” Kalon assured me. “I know it seems weird, but let her be. You don’t want to interrupt the process.”
So we didn’t. We held back, as much as I hated it. Valaine fell backward, every muscle in her body straining as Danika sent her reply. When it was finally over—several minutes later—Valaine relaxed in the grass, as soft as spaghetti. I inched closer, carefully checking her over as she took deep breaths, gradually coming back to us.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, waiting for her dark eyes to find mine.
When they did, relief washed over me. “Yes… It was intense,” she managed, and I helped her sit up, holding her close as she regained her senses. “Danika is expecting us at the palace for negotiations. She was angry.”
“Angry or boiling over?” Trev replied with a dry smile.
Valaine almost chuckled. “Worse. I think it’s why I took her message so hard. I felt as though the muscles were being stripped from my bones. She really put everything she had into that spell.”
“She’s pretty good with mazir, so that’s not exactly a surprise,” Kalon said.
Sofia got up. “We’re expected at the palace for negotiations. Was that the word she used? Not ‘exchange’?”
“Negotiations. She emphasized that we all needed to talk, saying this has clearly gotten out of hand, since we had the audacity to kidnap her son,” Valaine said.
Esme grunted, visibly disappointed. “That’s not good.”
“Why not?” Thayen asked, his brow furrowed with confusion.
“Because it’s a trap,” Sofia said, lowering her head. “She wants us to negotiate. That is, to talk. Even though we have you, she wants to… discuss things. It