Chapter 1 Hope #3
Julian took a deep breath. He put two fingers of his right hand on the center of a small soul gem and two fingers of his left hand on the dead bird’s chest. The ghost bird danced and rustled its feathers in eagerness. Those purple eyes closed.
“All right, here goes nothing,” Julian whispered.
The light in the soul gem flared and then went out. The ghost bird was no longer there. The formerly dead bird started to twitch. Its legs moved one at a time then it fluttered its wings and let out a soft croak. Julian’s eyelids flew open.
“Caemorn, did I do it?” Julian asked.
“You know you did!” Caemorn/Kaly’s voice was filled with warmth. “Now, let it up.”
Julian quickly removed his fingers from the bird’s chest. The crow got to its feet and immediately started fussing with its feathers with its beak, making sure that everything was shipshape. Julian gazed down upon it with warm, loving eyes.
“It’s beautiful,” Julian whispered.
“It’s amazing!” Christian cried, shaking his head.
The crow danced around until it was looking at Julian. It made a few chirps. Julian slowly reached out and touched the bird’s neck, caressing it. The crow rubbed itself eagerly against Julian’s hand.
“I think it likes me!” Julian laughed.
The crow immediately hopped up Julian’s arm and sat on his shoulder, continuing to clean its feathers and occasionally Julian’s hair.
“You did brilliantly,” Kaly/Caemorn said.
And Kaly had to agree. This appeared to be Julian’s first attempt at reviving anything and he’d done it effortlessly.
All that had been holding him back was the desire not to hurt the crow.
It showed what a brilliant teacher he was, but also, perhaps more importantly, what a good student Julian was.
Another amazing student considering Christian too.
“Did I miss it?” An arch male voice asked followed by the grumblings of what sounded like a bear.
“You haven’t missed the aftermath, Balthazar!” Julian called out.
Christian was heading towards the door where a very handsome Vampire emerged followed by a bone bear. It followed at the Vampire’s heels like an eager puppy. Balthazar immediately embraced Christian and kissed his right temple.
“Were you being brilliant? I bet you were!” Balthazar sounded like a proud father.
Ah, the Master! Does he realize he’s controlling that construct of the bear? He seems to be both irritated and amused by it as if he is not the one causing it to rub on his pants leg.
“Caemorn, call off BB, won’t you? I swear to the gods that I have cleaned every bit of mold and dried skin off of his bones, but somehow he comes back with more that he drops in Christian and my bed!
Like he’s rolling around in dead bits of himself which is a horrifying thought,” Balthazar complained, but he was smiling.
There was no bite to his words yet the pattern of them, the way he tossed his head, the way he grinned was all very familiar.
“I have nothing to do with that,” Caemorn/Kaly said mildly.
He doesn’t know he’s doing it. Balthazar has no clue he’s controlling the bear himself. How interesting!
“I did offer you a chance to join us for the lesson, Balthazar,” Caemorn/Kaly went on in that patient, mild way as if not to hurt the other man.
“Oh, yes, of course, you did! You always do! But I had a few things to do for the academy so I couldn’t sit and watch these two brilliant students of yours do their work!” Balthazar answered. “No matter how much I would have liked to.”
Christian gave Balthazar a sad smile. “You didn’t come because you’re out of excuses for why you won’t let Caemorn teach you about your Kaly gift.”
“I really don’t have one, Christian! That all passed to you,” Balthazar objected.
Christian rolled his eyes as if this was an argument they’d had over and over, which Balthazar would not fully engage in. Caemorn/Kaly said nothing.
Why doesn’t he want to know how to use his Kaly gift? Does he think he’s too good for it being an Eyros Vampire?
“Speaking of people who want to see what you’ve both been up to, Daemon’s upstairs. Go talk to him. Show him your new friend, Julian, and I’m sure he’ll be interested in your protectors, Christian,” Balthazar urged.
The two young men hustled towards the door with eager smiles on their faces. When they reached it, Christian looked back at them.
“Aren’t you two coming?” Christian asked.
“We’ll be right with you. I just want to talk to Caemorn for a minute,” Balthazar said with an easy wave.
The two boys clattered away like puppies. It was quiet in their wake except for the bubbling of liquids in the alembics. Caemonr/Kaly began to clean up from the lessons while Balthazar stood there, biting his lower lip.
“You need not worry I’ll be offended, Balthazar, if you do not wish to learn the gift you got from me,” Caemorn/Kaly said in a gentle voice. “I know that as Eyros Reborn you have enough to handle recalling your own gift.”
Eyros Reborn? I am the Master of Eyros in this future?
Kaly wished he could laugh. He would have been rolling on the ground in tears if he had the power. But Caemorn was not doing that. He seemed to view this conversation–this whole state of affairs–as deadly serious and very important to handle well.
Balthazar lifted his head. His lips parted. “No! That’s not why I…” He grimaced. “Having the Kaly gift is amazing. If I could actually use it, but there’s no guarantee–”
“If you do not try then you can never know if you can use it,” Caemorn/Kaly said.
“I know! But what if I try and I am no good at it?” Balthazar gave him a bitter look. “I’d embarrass you.”
Embarrass me? Why would Eyros care about that? Why does he look at me–at Caemorn–as if he cares very much about that?
“You would not embarrass me, Balthazar,” Caemorn/Kaly sounded quite certain.
“Even when I was learning to use my own powers I was hardly perfect at them! Roan used to…” Here Balthazar swallowed hard. “If you made a mistake, he… Well, he made sure we didn’t make the same mistake twice.”
“I would never do that–”
“I know! I know you’re not Roan–”
“But I am,” Caemorn/Kaly sounded inexpressibly sad. “I am and that must be why you fear me teaching you again–”
“No, no, Caemorn,” Balthazar chuckled mirthlessly. “Roan Tithe was you in a fun-house mirror. What makes you who you are was lacking in him at the most fundamental level.”
Roan Tithe. One of my slices. Interesting. I think I recall making him.
“The truth is that even the thought of learning a new gift fills me with dread,” Balthazar admitted as if confessing this deep, dark weakness was wise.
Bone Bear moaned and rubbed against his leg.
He absently reached down and petted its skull.
“It’s not you. It’s not your gift. It’s the thought of learning any gift that… I just can’t yet.”
“I understand,” Caemorn/Kaly answered.
Balthazar searched his face. He reached over and lightly touched his left forearm. A brief squeeze and then gone. “Please know, Caemorn, that I trust you beyond anyone to help me.”
You trust me? Then you must not know who I am, but…
“I know you are speaking the truth,” Kaly/Caemorn answered, “and it still stuns me that you can feel that way.”
“I’m right to, aren’t I, Kaly?”
“Yes, absolutely. I will let nothing happen to you, Eyros,” Kaly/Caemorn answered.
What… What is this? I… He… I am telling the truth too. But that means… that means…
“We’re a pair, aren’t we?” Balthazar grinned. “Now let’s go see Daemon. He’s going to go nuts over Julian’s bird.”
The future slipped away in a swirl of color and lights. Kaly gasped and staggered backwards. His gaze snapped to Eyros who had put up a hand to shade his eyes. No one said anything for a long time.
“Now you see what you can have,” Seeyr said. “Now you see why we must stay the course. Keep to the plan. No matter what.”
Eyros looked over at Kaly who looked back. Both their expressions were blank, but Kaly knew they were both feeling the same thing. Shock. But also… hope.
Now, in the killing field, looking up into a slice;s familiar eyes, Kaly said, “You call yourself Roan Tithe, do you not?”
The Kaly slice that sauntered towards him, hands in his pockets, easy smile on his lips, but dead, dead eyes nodded. “I am! It’s good you remember me. It’s always good to know who is going to destroy, isn’t it? And I am going to destroy you, Kaly.”
Kaly had a soul gem in his right pocket. It was a gem that could have drawn in every single slice here. But he doubted now that all of the slices were there. Yet it most certainly would have captured Roan Tithe.
But that’s not the plan. And if I don’t follow it then Eyros won’t turn into Balthazar/Eyros. And all that I saw–all that hope–won’t happen.
Kaly closed his eyes and didn’t reach for the soul gem. He would accept his fate now, because his future depended upon it.