Chapter 6 Truth-Telling
TRUTH-TELLING
The gate to Forsworn was in the lowest level of the Weryn Palace. The white stone wall was carved with an archway of leaves and vines where the doorway would open once the symbol was sketched in blood upon it.
Around the archway were carved scenes of animals in the woods.
Demos recognized many of the creatures from Earth, but there were many others with sinuous bodies, multiple heads, or monstrous sizes that he had never even imagined before and guessed that they were denizens of the Ever Dark.
Forsworn was supposed to have the most variety of plant and animal life of all the Ever Dark cities.
Ryder–or Weryn–passed a hand over the smooth stone within the archway. “Will this be your first time to Forsworn, Demos?”
“Yes, my Immortal. It has been closed to us since you… Well, since the War ended,” Demos explained.
He was normally one to speak plainly even if such speech caused consternation.
It gave him no satisfaction to hurt anyone, but truth had a greater weight than even pain.
Ignore the truth and the price to pay would grow larger as the truth never went away.
It just waited to be revealed. So, in that way, pain was never avoided by lies, but simply delayed and multiplied.
Yet speaking the truth to Weryn–that Forsworn had been closed since his death–when he was in this condition and they were about to go after Legion and Roan seemed ill-advised. Weryn was already suffering from the mental dissonance of seeing people and places transformed from what he remembered.
Doesn’t this mean we should be staying here rather than going after Roan and Legion? If he’s not in the right headspace, he could be running into danger, Demos thought.
But he already knew Weryn would not be dissuaded from this course even before Elgar telepathically responded, Weryn would not be contained.
Both Balthazar and I believe this must happen to help him reintegrate himself.
He is strong, stronger than you know. No matter how powerful Legion and Roan are, a full Immortal outstrips them. Trust in this.
So there’s no stopping him and it’s bound to get messy is what you’re saying? Demos sent.
Yes.
He smiled at Elgar. The Eyros Vampire ducked his head, not meeting Demos’ eyes, but he smiled too.
It was progress. After that first time they had met in Balthazar’s dungeon, he and Elgar had gotten together a few times.
At first, Demos had thought it random that Elgar would be lingering outside just when he was passing by someplace like the fountain or returning from hunting in the woods.
But by the third time they had “accidentally” run into one another, he had realized Elgar was seeking him out.
It was both flattering and a little consternating as Elgar was not like the people he normally surrounded himself with.
In truth, Elgar was not like anyone else at all.
While there were some introverts in the Weryn Bloodline–Siban was a good example of this–most were extroverts with a deep desire to surround themselves with those they cared for at all times.
Loud laughter and constant talking–along with quite a bit of blood feeding and sex–was the norm.
Too many people being around seemed to pain Elgar even though he assured Demos that he could close out all of their minds.
Yet when Demos had invited Elgar to come with him to a Blood Den, the Eyros Vampire had clearly been miserable throughout the whole evening though he’d tried to hide it.
So their other “dates” had been walking around the streets of Nightvallen just the two of them, strolling under the trees in the surrounding forest, or finding a cozy nook at the bookstore and talking there.
Mostly Elgar was quiet, but he could be a chatterbox if Demos got him speaking about something he particularly enjoyed.
Demos had slowly, but surely introduced others to Elgar like Siban, who Elgar decidedly liked, but Elgar seemed happiest when it was just the two of them.
People didn’t pair off even when they were a couple in the Weryn Bloodline, but either brought that person within their pack or even combined packs. In fact, most Weryn were polyamorous. While Weryn clearly was pair-bonded with Ashyr, that was actually the rarity.
Demos often was with multiple partners that not only knew about one another–cheating when one had a Weryn’s sense of smell was a quick way to get oneself ostracized by everyone–but were often involved with one another as well.
But it had always been casual. Elgar was not casual.
And Balthazar had made that clear. He had showed up one night just before Demos and Elgar were to meet up.
“Demos, what a coincidence finding you here!” Balthazar had laughed, but his narrowed silver eyes said differently.
“Coincidence? Somehow I don’t think coincidences happen to you,” Demos had responded.
He had been sitting on the fountain. The melodious splash of water was peaceful as was the night churr of insects.
Balthazar was dressed in a red and black plaid, three-piece suit.
He even had a black cane with a silver knob at the top.
Anyone else wearing such an outfit would have seemed vaguely ridiculous to Demos who wore his comfortable jeans and leather vest that exposed the vast expanse of his muscled arms and shoulders.
Yet Balthazar wore the outfit with a confidence that made it seem avant garde rather than old-fashioned and sleek rather than fussy.
“True, true, true.” Balthazar tapped his cane on the stone pavers. “I wished to speak to you about Elgar.”
Demos was and wasn’t surprised. Elgar was Balthazar’s Childe. But he was also very old yet Demos was definitely getting protective papa vibes from Balthazar.
“What do you have to say? If you wait a moment, you can say it in front of him,” Demos rumbled.
“Ah, you think that I am like Lawson who would interfere with his Children in negative ways,” Balthazar guessed, or likely, knew.
Having Lawson as his Master had made it dangerous to grow too attached to anyone lest Lawson do something to them if he disapproved.
Demos had only allowed himself to get so close to Ryder because he had sensed from the first that this was a man to whom he would always owe his loyalty and Ryder had been strong enough to take Lawson if need be.
“I don’t hide things from people I care about,” Demos said. “So know that whatever you tell me, I’ll tell Elgar.”
Balthazar actually smiled genuinely. “I have to admit that most people hide things from everyone despite their best intentions. But you–you actually mean that and–for the most part–follow through. Besides, unless I truly messed with your mind, Elgar would know what I spoke to you about anyways.”
“Yet you’re still here when he is not,” Demos pointed out.
A nod. “Yes, because sometimes it is easier to say things when the person you’re saying them about is not present. Especially when I want to say things clearly and without contradiction.”
“I see. Well, go ahead. Talk.”
Balthazar tented his fingers, balancing the knob of his cane between his palms, as he paced. “Elgar is… special.”
“Yep.”
“Elgar has suffered a great deal.”
“So I’ve heard. He hasn’t really talked about it yet but–”
“He doesn’t speak of it. I keep finding out surprising and awful things every once in a while and I can read minds!” Balthazar grimaced.
“Some things take time to surface,” Demos said, feeling more warmth towards Balthazar for his evident distress on Elgar’s behalf.
“The point I am trying to make is that Elgar is still… surfacing,” Balthazar explained. “And it would be very easy to have a setback.”
“You think I could set him back?” Demos’ voice was decidedly chilly.
“Not on purpose.” Balthazar waved away the suggestion. “But you have a reputation, Demos.”
His eyebrows lifted. “A reputation?”
“How shall I put this? Love them and leave them. One and done. Casual. And there is nothing wrong with that. I was quite the same until Christian,” Balthazar said.
“If there’s nothing wrong with that then why–”
“You cannot do that with Elgar,” Balthazar cut him off and the silver eyes drilled into him.
The foppish lord was gone and the Immortal was very present.
“Right now if you end this, Elgar will be disappointed, but he will rally and go on as before. But if you pursue this, whether as a friendship or more, it cannot be like what you’ve had with others. ”
“I am friends with most of my exes, Balthazar. Even those I’m not close to anymore are perfectly fine without me.
We were all clear what we were getting into,” Demos said with a touch of defensiveness.
“I might be casual as you say in terms of my commitment to my lovers, but I am not an asshole. I care for them. I care for each of them even now. That I have not found someone or someones to settle with as you have does not make me any less of a partner.”
“Elgar will know what you want and he will give it to you even at the expense of himself. And he will mourn forever when you end it regardless of what he says. Believe me, I know,” Balthazar sighed.
“Look, I don’t think you’re giving Elgar enough credit,” Demos pointed out. “I get that you’re very protective of him, but he’s older than both of us combined. This life anyways. He can make his own decisions.”
“He’s spent most of that time underground with my skull.” Balthazar cleared his throat.
“He had a whole existence before that, Balthazar. He was your Second. The greatest Whisperer of all time so they say,” Demos reminded him. “I don’t know what–if anything–will develop between him and I. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met and, I admit, that intrigues me no end.”