Page 50 of Ever Dark Academy, Vol. 7

The Kaly-slice seemed not to even consider Charlie the smallest of threats despite him being an Immortal. She barely glanced Charlie’s way. And, for his part, Charlie cringed against the wall as if afraid of even brushing against the Kaly-slice’s robes. Truly, he appeared overcome with terror and dismay. But she knew Charlie too well to believe any of this.

We have always underestimated Mirryr. To our peril, Fiona thought. He has something planned. He will get us out of this. I know it.

Wanting to give Charlie as much time for whatever he was planning, Fiona continued speaking, “Let us say that you are right and that the future can be changed.”

“Yes, let’s.” The Kaly-slice gave her a sly smile.

“Why don’t you want this future I speak of if it sounds so good to you?” Fiona challenged.

“According to you, I am groveling for forgiveness so I’m not certain it is so good for me.” The Kaly-slice put a graceful hand against her chest.

Fiona remembered those hands well. How many times had they given her comfort? How many times had she seen Tanis use them to strum an instrument or write a letter? Every movement was graceful. Every movement was precise. The Kaly-slice had similar economies, but it was all wrong. Like a discordant note.

Maybe Tanis is gone forever.

But she thrust that from her mind. Kaly did save souls. She had said so herself. Tanis was somewhere and Caemorn could fix this. He’d brought back the Harrows and even Heath. Elena, Ridley and Heath weren’t in Nightvallen, but instead were helping Arcius on Earth with whatever secret mission he’d been given. Timothy and Selene had not been brought back. But Heath was so grateful for his Third Life that she was certain he would give everything he was for Daemon and the mission. But she focused on this moment. The future was out there. She just had to get to it.

“You have been forgiven by Daemon, me, all of us. You have friends, family, and a Bloodline that respects you. Daemon is back and happy. We are on the verge of changing humanity forever,” she told the Kaly-slice. “That you have to eat crow for a moment makes that future non-viable for you? That sounds rather shortsighted.”

And it really did. But these Kaly-slices were incredibly proud, arrogant really. They wanted to bow their heads to no one. Not even Daemon. Not even if they were wrong. Or maybe especially if they were wrong. It was strange. Because a moment of self-reflection could work wonders. Caemorn was constantly thinking about things, maybe too much so, and trying to unpick where he had gone wrong.

“How do you know the future I have in mind isn’t better than the one you lived in?” The Kaly-slice asked.

“Because it’s you who is trying to make it happen,” Fiona scoffed. She didn’t even have to think before that comment.

Indeed, her mind was on her companion. Was Charlie shifting his feet? Getting ready to lunge? Could he physically overcome this Kaly-slice? Tanis had always been quite athletic and nimble even for a Vampire, but that had as much to do with her keen awareness of her surroundings at all times. Unfortunately, like many women, she knew what it was to be prey. But an Immortal like Kaly wouldn’t know that, wouldn’t have that awareness of risk. She would be completely unmoved by it really.

The Kaly-slice’s eyes narrowed. “I have more imagination than you give me credit for, Wyvern. I made this happen.”

“Ah, yes, this funhouse mirror version of our world. So wonderful!” Fiona actually laughed.

How can she not see how tainted and wrong this reality is?

“This future you come from is simply to ensure that Daemon is happy. Not the rest of us. Tell me that we aren’t all suffering in some way,” the Kaly-slice insisted.

“We aren’t. I mean, of course, we have regrets. There’s been hard times to get where we are now. But we’ve learned from it. Our better from it. And besides, you love Daemon. You want him to be happy, don’t you?” Fiona lifted an eyebrow, surprised that the Kaly-slice would know that she was choosing herself over Daemon. That had always been the case with all of this, but that was surprising self-awareness.

“I want him to be happy, yes. But happy for the right reasons. Why should some former mortal delight him more than us?” Again, the Kaly-slice pressed a hand to her chest. “We should be what gives him happiness. Not some boy that has lived a little over a quarter of a century!”

“You don’t understand. Or you’re refusing to. Like some record on repeat,” Fiona muttered.

“My thoughts are my own and they are well-considered!” The Kaly-slice lifted her chin defiantly.

What Fiona had said had been more of a throw-away statement of frustration than a real criticism, but it had hit home. Fiona considered this. Maybe there was a way to get this Kaly-slice more off-balance. That might give Charlie a better opportunity to attack.

If Charlie lunged at the Kaly-slice would she attempt to teleport? A natural reaction by a Wyvern Vampire to being attacked. Move. Constantly move. One couldn’t be hit if one wasn’t where the punch or kick landed. But the black soul gem must affect her, too. And she was Kaly. Soul gems and her own gifts would be what she reached for first. Could the Kaly-slice use any of that gift in her current body? One would think she could since her powers, in part, had passed down to Balthazar and through him to Christian. So really it was the Kaly gift that Charlie would have to be wary of. She really had to get the Kaly-slice distracted. So back to her plan.

“I have been assuming that you are consciously choosing not to adapt to the new information that we are telling you,” Fiona mused. “But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m not understanding you at all. Maybe you can’t adapt to it.”

The Kaly-slice lifted an elegant eyebrow. It was a movement that was similar–but not at all the same–to something Tanis would do when Fiona would challenge her on something. But her eyebrow lift would have been accompanied by a small smile as if she expected nothing less from Fiona and welcomed her arguments being pressure-checked. She doubted that the Kaly-slice would feel the same.

“Your new information is of no use to me–”

“No, no, that’s not it.” Fiona’s brow furrowed. “You’re… limited.”

“I am not!” The Kaly-slice hissed and surged forward slightly.

Fiona forced herself not to look at Charlie. She couldn’t draw attention to him if this was going to work.