Chapter 7 Regret #2
But instead of brave and willing Weryn, three people were standing by a statue of a Gydr–a creature that stood nearly twenty-feet tall with arms and legs as big and strong as old tree roots and a penchant to batter their prey to death–and talking in sharp, low tones.
“It was a mistake to come here!” Roan snarled at Legion. “The soul gem contained remnants of Weryn! It will bring his memories to the fore! This will be the first place he looks for us!”
Indeed. We are here. We know where they are! Let us go! Weryn thought with triumph and sought to withdraw from this vision and tell the others.
Wait! Ryder insisted. Let’s hear what they’re saying! We need intel on them and what they’re planning not to mention what they took from the Kaly Palace.
We can pry it out of their dead hands, Weryn growled, but he did not try to pull back. For while he had always trusted his great strength and cunning, he knew that mistakes–however small–could turn the tide of a battle decisively.
Roan is wearing modern human clothing, Ryder said. A three-piece suit. Doesn’t wear it as well as Balthazar. I’m betting he’s copying him on some level. Kaly was always jealous of Eyros. Probably believes that the clothes make the man.
As Ryder had noted, Roan had on a three-piece suit in all shades of gray. Light gray tailored slacks and suit coat with a slate colored vest and nearly black shirt and tie. His slicked back hair was messy, locks of it fell over his forehead as if he’d been running.
I care not for what he’s wearing! Weryn scoffed.
Don’t be foolish. He has on dress shoes. He’s not skulking around in the Ever Dark’s wilderness in dress shoes, Ryder insisted. All of this matters!
Weryn looked at Roan’s footwear. It was as this “Ryder” said.
The shoes showed no sign of wear and tear.
Nor were they clumped with mud or stained by water or grass.
He could not have been wandering in any woods for long.
There were some scuffs, but they were minor and recent.
So he, at least, had not been hiding in the woods surrounding Nightvallen.
So they have been staying in the cities rather than in the wilderness? Weryn found himself asking Ryder.
A human city, Ryder corrected. That suit’s been pressed. Those shoes were recently shined. Be a little hard to keep up that kind of look in an abandoned city or in the catacombs beneath Nightvallen.
You are right. He would need access to many flipperies to keep himself looking so neat and many servants as well, Weryn agreed reluctantly. That would not have gone unnoticed.
“It was Shaela who took us here!” Legion whined. “Why are you blaming me?”
Despite their large, monstrous body, Legion’s voice–when agitated–had always become high and querulous like a child that had not yet reached puberty.
A child? Ryder whispered. Is Legion a child? No, surely not. I wouldn’t have turned a literal child into a War Childe.
You claim to be me. Why are you making that a question? Weryn snarled, feeling a trace of shame spiral down his spine.
But why should he feel shame? Children had been turned since time immemorial!
Life for mortals was brutal and short. Not turning them until they were fully matured risked them being maimed or killed.
And it wasn’t like he’d had time during the War to hesitate!
Besides, Legion had not been a true child when he’d found him.
What do you mean? Ryder pressed. Explain this to me!
I do not answer to you!
If you’re so copacetic with what you did then why won’t you tell me? Ryder snapped back. Everything I say you have an excuse to ignore even when you know it's right! Don’t you see what you’re doing?
What I’m doing–
You’re ashamed! I’m ashamed! Tell me who Legion is!
You were the one that said we should listen. Now you are shouting over them. How can we know their plans when you are so upset? Weryn pointed out.
Damn you, Ryder hissed. Fine! But you will tell me! I will know!
Shaela–a female Wyvern Vampire–with almond shaped eyes and a sweep of black hair scowled at Legion. “I could only take us to wherever was in your head, Legion!” Her gaze snapped to Roan. “Because you won’t let me in yours, Roan!”
“Excuses, excuses!” Roan mocked. “You don’t deserve the freedom from Daemon I’ve given you! We were nearly caught half a dozen times and then you brought us here!” Roan stretched out his arms to the side to encompass the Hunter’s Path. “It’s a shrine to Weryn’s ego!”
Weryn’s upper lip writhed back from his teeth.
Kaly had gotten plenty of dead creatures from Weryn’s hunts.
They’d used the bones, sinew, blood and organs in spells.
They’d revived them to act as sentinels.
He remembered Kaly trying to wheedle him into giving over the Gyre’s corpse as they were so rare and valuable.
Something about the eye fluid being especially useful for Seeyrs.
Now he mocked the very hall that showed a fraction of Weryn’s hunts.
“It was where Master would tell us stories,” Legion muttered. “About the times before. About what we would do after the War.”
“After the War?” Roan laughed darkly. “Surely you can’t believe he was going to let you live after the War, Legion? I’ve shared with you his real thoughts about you! You listened to his disgust yourself! But here you still prattle on about stories!”
“You promised to make me the Childe of his Heart,” Legion said in a low hiss. “But the human is. The frail useless thing.”
Roan tapped his own chin. “Yes, odd that he wasn’t taken out.”
“Wyvern teleported him away from your monster,” Shaela reminded them.
“Oh, you think she could teleport away from mind control?” An ugly light appeared in Roan’s eyes.
Shaela said nothing in response, but her shoulders were tense.
“Teleportation is useful, Shaela, but it is a weak gift,” Roan said with a wave of his hand.
“I move you between Ever Dark cities without a gate,” her voice was crisp. “Mind control cannot do that. Nor can turning into creatures. I can get us anywhere.”
“Then take us away from here!” Roan snapped.
Shaela’s lips flattened. “I cannot. Not yet. Moving between cities like you’ve had me do is tiring. If I make a mistake even your soul might be severed in two.”
She’s exhausted so they aren’t going anywhere, Ryder said. I need to tell Sana what she looks like. Maybe she’ll recognize her.
I will be the one telling her! Weryn snapped.
Fine. But make sure it happens. Remember all of this, Ryder retorted.
“So now our last move for some time took us to Weryn’s fucking cradle.” Roan tossed his head back and stared up at the sky. “Unbelievable.”
“You were rushing me! And Master was near! I could only think of him!” Legion whined and rocked back and forth on their clawed feet.
They sound like a child, Ryder whispered. Like a child wanting its father.
Do not be fooled, Weryn grunted. Legion killed their parents and their siblings. Slaughtered them.
What?! Did they tell you… No… No, you knew this before you–you turned them?
I found them the night they’d done it. Their family weren’t their first victims, Weryn explained. In fact, their family had to die because they’d found out what Legion was up to at night. And they tried to stop Legion. Mistake.
A serial killer? Legion is a serial killer. That’s what you’re telling me, Ryder sounded utterly shocked. And you turned them. You just turned them on purpose, knowing what they were–
I needed killers, Weryn reminded him.
Soldiers! You needed soldiers–
No, I needed killers, Weryn cut Ryder off. We were well past needing soldiers.
There was a long silence as Ryder understood why he was saying that.
Soldiers wouldn’t just go and slaughter their own kind, would they? They were sickened by our bloodlust, Ryder sounded despairing.
You claim to be me–you claim to be an Immortal–and here you are wailing about killing and bloodlust, Weryn snorted.
But still his shoulders wanted to curl inwards. He wanted to lower his head. When Legion had shown him his first “form” he had known what a mistake he’d made. A monster. He’d made a monster. Not a Childe.
I need to end them. I need to undo them. They cannot be allowed to live, Weryn thought. If Daemon sees…
He’s already seen! Ryder cried. He already knows! You coward! You utter coward!
I am not–
You deserve–no, I deserve–whatever punishment is coming to me for this! Ryder hissed. Caemorn and Balthazar fear their pasts, but theirs are nothing compared to mine! No wonder this still haunts us. What I did–
Winning wars is not clean! Weryn growled. There is no honor in losing to someone like Kaly! Do you not understand? In the end, the greater good must survive the War. No matter what!
I don’t think I’m the greater good. Kaly might have started all of this, but I finished it with horror, Ryder whispered.
You are weak. I am weak. It was my pity for Legion that stopped me from ridding myself of them long ago, Weryn muttered. Why didn't I see their duplicity even when I knew what they were. But I felt guilty! Guilt for making them. Guilt for wanting to kill them. Guilt for all of it.
“I don’t need to read your mind to know you want Weryn to find us, Legion!
That’s it, isn’t it? You still think that Weryn will love you.
” Roan hissed. He’d put a finger under Legion’s elongated jaw as he mocked the Weryn Vampire.
“You complete moron! You utterly useless piece of garbage! You–ARGH!”
Moving so fast that Weryn hadn’t even seen them do it, Legion had bitten off one of Roan’s fingers.
Blood spurted from where the missing digit.
Roan clamped a hand over it. Vampiric healing was already staunching the bleeding.
The pain was likely already a memory. But the look of rage on Roan’s face was unhinged.
Weryn’s eyelids flew open. He was staring directly into Elgar’s eyes. The Eyros Vampire had seen it all. And he sent that information to Sana and Demos.
“Hot damn! They’re fighting each other,” Demos grinned.
“Distracted. This will make things easier,” Elgar agreed.
Sana brought them all in for what appeared like a group hug, but was merely necessary to teleport them. “We go. Now.”