Page 23 of Ever Dark Academy, Vol. 7

“Weryn do not allow themselves to be petted. It is unseemly and disrespectful,” Ryder said with mock solemnity. “Remember that, my Childe.”

“Oh, they don’t, do they?” Grayson went up to the bigger man and scratched him under the chin, which Ryder, at first resisted manfully, and then tilted his head back and let out a purr.

“A little to the right,” Ryder murmured. “Ah, that’s good.”

Grayson laughed and kissed Ryder gently on the lips. Ryder’s arms moved around him, holding him in a light embrace. Grayson turned back to Elgar who was watching them with open curiosity and not with the tension he had before. He seemed unafraid of Ryder now. Not that he’d seemed afraid exactly, but more wary. Ryder was careful to keep his distance and not touch Elgar.

“Let’s just say, Elgar, that they like to be petted by the right people. I rather enjoyed having my bird head kissed,” Grayson admitted. “Though that’s what allowed me to finally shift, because I wanted a full kiss.”

Ryder grinned at him. “Were you worried that you would be stuck as a favored feathered friend forever?”

“No, just for a year or two, which would have cramped some of the things I need to do,” Grayson admitted. “It’s good to be in a bigger form again though I miss flying though I wonder…”

His gaze went speculative. He had been able to fly before as Ashyr. He would be able to again though he knew that conserving energy was important right now. Ryder couldn’t be feeding him hour upon hour. Especially, if they were planning a suicide mission. He needed to use his gifts only when absolutely necessary for now. He was very young even if he felt like his old self again.

Which brought him back to the present moment in time again.

“Are we certain that going into Solace is even necessary? Can’t you just practice on various gates, Fiona, and see what happens? I mean I know you have already, but perhaps with a bit more time it would work,” Grayson asked the group.

“That’s what I said. But no,” Eyros muttered. “She’s convinced herself and everyone else.” His gaze shot to Elgar and there was despair written large in it for a moment. “You have time. Plenty of it!”

But Grayson didn’t know that was true. “Eyros, we took their leader’s soul. They know where we went. They could be looking for a way into Destiny as we speak.”

“Opening the gate to Solace will allow that!” Eyros snapped.

“I don’t believe they’ll know we’ll head there,” Grayson said. “In a way, that’s the maddest destination that we could pick. But what I mean is that it’s best if we leave here and they know we’ve left so that they ignore you.”

“They won’t forget what I’ve done.” Eyros’ arms were crossed tightly over his chest. The storm that had raged the night before was still rumbling far out over the sea again, but it was also in Eyros’ eyes. “They’ll come for me regardless if you’re here or not.”

Grayson thought that was rather true as well. They eventually would in any case. That was Eyros’ fate no matter how much he wished it were not.

“I’m sorry to have brought trouble to your door,” Grayson said simply.

“It was my choice. Even though I did not know all the facts.” Eyros tossed his head, but then added in, “Yet it felt good to strike back for once. Being on the defensive–simply trying to hold the line–was rather pleasant.”

“I’m sure. Being on the back foot this whole time must have been hard,” Grayson said neutrally knowing that the word “hard” likely didn’t come close to covering what it had been. He turned back to Fiona and the others, “About Solace, while I would storm the Spire it to save Seeyr, we all know that she wouldn’t go with us even if we unlocked her cage and put a red carpet down so it’s hard to see that this is the best plan.”

“Her being in that horrible prison is necessary for Daemon to return.” Fiona shuddered. “I cannot imagine the strength of will it’s taken for her to do that. Especially knowing she’ll lose her eyes.”

Grayson clenched his jaw. The thought that Seeyr was trapped in such a place, awaiting such a fate and they could do nothing to help her was hard. Harder than hard. But he knew he was right. She would not leave. She would see it as the price she had to pay for their future happiness and success. Vampires, especially Immortals, were said to have a negligent view on time. But Grayson couldn’t imagine being so sanguine knowing there were millennia of torture ahead. His gaze slid to Eyros and Elgar.

Nor would it be exactly easy knowing that a Second Death and madness awaited either.

As the General, he had often had to sacrifice the few to save the many and go forward with the overall goals of a war. He’d done it many times. Hence, why he had likely withdrawn from connecting to people and then even to the Ever Dark in the end. Letting Weryn in back then had likely seemed the height of foolish indulgence. He knew that was not true now.

He realized that his love of Ryder, ironically, humanized him and was simply a better way to exist. Being Grayson had further taught him what it was like to be someone small and insignificant, someone others might sacrifice in the grand plan. He would no longer be able to view the battlefield so dispassionately again. And that was a good thing. It should not be easy to throw away others’ dreams and lives.

“I think we need to all go, too,” Fiona said, indicating the four of them. “Because it may be that the Nightvallen gate from here is not the one we need at all. And we’re bound to stir up a hornet’s nest getting to Seeyr. So best to be together to make a quick exit.”

“If we do it wrong,” Ryder said.

“Is there a way to do it right when the Kaly slices will all be there with various powers?” Fiona asked. “The original Roan is bound to be somewhere. Why not there? And what about Legion? You recognized his smell all these years ago, Ryder. I have a feeling he’ll recognize you.”

Ryder grunted and nodded. “Yes, you might be right.”

“And I’m betting that since Grayson now has Kaly as a part-Master in any case, there might be some connection between him and the original Artemis. He’s definitely going to be there,” she said.

“They aren’t at Lasting, that’s for sure,” Grayson admitted. “They’ve left that for the future folks. I assume they know they are there. I’m surprised that they haven’t been quizzing them endlessly for information about the future so that they might change it.”