Chapter 10 Protect #2
“Death is not the end as my Grandsire would tell us and I have all the help I need. Roan Tithe,” Elgar pronounced Roan’s name as if it were the beginning of a curse. And as he spoke more, Weryn realized that it was a curse. “You will imprison your soul in a soul gem.”
“What?!” Sana gasped. “You can make him do that, Elgar?”
Roan’s expression tightened. The glee vanished. Sweat poured down his face. He reached into his right front pocket and took out a large ruby. His lips writhed back from his teeth and then closed again.
He is going to do it, Weryn breathed.
Yeah, holy shit, Ryder agreed.
The Eyros are dangerous, Weryn added.
They are, but they’re our allies. Our friends. Our family. They’re on our side, Ryder reminded him.
“Imprison yourself, Roan Tithe,” Elgar repeated. His silver eyes were glowing like stars in the darkness.
More undead burst from the earth. Sana teleported behind two Neyfrunn and smashed their skulls together before she teleported away from the swipe of Vampire claws.
She reappeared behind a Rotbrute and kicked its spindly legs out beneath it before yanking off its head and battering the creature with it.
Demos was jumping from the back of one monster to the next wresting limbs from bodies, crushing other monsters beneath his feet, decapitating others.
He was a whirlwind of cat-like grace. Weryn, too, was moving like a madman to keep the creatures at bay, shifting into various animal forms one after another, before becoming human again as he waded into battle.
Blood and sweat coated their bodies even as their wounds healed.
He felt Legion’s excitement for the hunt.
His War Childe wished to be unleashed. Weryn didn’t think that they would actually try and run.
Legion loved to kill. It was what motivated them as much as breathing and more than even feeding.
But Elgar held him and Sana while he compelled Roan Tithe to do the unthinkable.
“Imprison yourself, Roan Tithe. Do this,” Elgar commanded, unblinking and unwavering.
Roan was shaking, sweating, anguished, fighting against Elgar tooth and nail. But he was going to fall. Weryn knew it. But then Elgar was knocked by a creature and his concentration was broken. For just a moment.
“NO!” Roan shrieked.
Demos took out the Ashbrute who had gotten past their defenses with a single blow to its chest, shattering its ribcage and punching through its spine. The Ashbrute folded in on itself. Elgar righted himself and immediately got control once more on Roan, but he was just able to keep him still.
He needs more time, Weryn realized.
We’re fighting as hard as we can! Ryder gasped.
Maybe you are me, Weryn muttered. I have forgotten that I never fight alone.
Weryn threw his head back and howled. The sound split the night in two. The monsters coming after them all cringed down as that howl echoed over and over and over again.
Come to me, come to me, come to me, the howl commanded.
And it was answered. There were howls and croaks and shrieks and shrill piercing hoots as everything living–every living animal–surged out of the forest and the city to come to their aid.
They ripped through the undead, tackling many to the ground before ripping off their limbs, beheading them, or dragging them away.
They fight for me! Ryder sounded awed. All of them… I can feel them… I know them all… They fight for me…
“Whoa!” Sana gasped, wiping sweat and blood from her eyes. “The animals… this is you doing this, right, Ryder?”
“This is the true strength of my Bloodline,” Weryn said.
“Unbelievable!” Demos whispered as he took in the animals that were now fighting for them. “It’s not just shifting, it’s… it’s this. A connection to all of them. We are one with them.”
Weryn thumped Demos’ shoulder. “Yes, Demos, we are not separate. We are one.”
Demos shook his head and let out a watery laugh. “I can feel it. I can feel it, Ryder. This is amazing. Other people have to feel it too.”
“They will. I promise,” Weryn said.
That same promise was echoed by Ryder at the same time. It didn’t seem like a separate voice at all. In fact, it seemed like the only voice.
“Finish him, Elgar,” Weryn said. “You have the time. But it is bought with precious blood.”
That’s right. These creatures are dying for me. I mustn’t abuse this. I feel every one of their losses. They give their blood, their bones, their lives for me. I honor them. I will always remember their sacrifice.
Just as I will remember all those who I sacrificed in the War. I will not forget. I will not run from this. I will embrace it and remember.
Elgar nodded and turned back to Roan before intoning, “You will do as I say, Roan Tithe. Your will is mine. You will do what I want. You will. You will. You will.”
Roan’s silver eyes went from gleaming with hatred and madness to a dull sheen of dumb acceptance.
He brought up the soul gem. Weryn remembered a similar one being used against him.
That flash of light then darkness. Darkness for so long.
Endless darkness. And nothing. No one and nothing to speak to or to hear.
No one and nothing to love. Only his own memories to reflect upon.
He’d held onto the ones of him and Ashyr tangling their legs together in bed, laughing as they danced, hunting together in night shrouded woods, laying out under the stars and just talking.
Talking endlessly or simply being together.
But then there were other memories. Memories of the War.
Seeing beloved Children slaughtered by enemies who had once been friends.
Sending others to their Second Deaths because it was necessary for some strategic move or simply to get revenge.
Seeing love turn to distrust and then to fear and loathing.
How many had said that they didn’t recognize him anymore?
“You’re not the Master I’ve loved!”
“The Master I serve would never do as you did!”
“You’re killing us! For what? For nothing!”
“I loved Ashyr too! He wouldn’t want this!”
“You need to stop, Weryn! You’ve become worse than our enemies!”
“You’re ill! Just like Kaly!”
“We’re afraid. Afraid of you.”
Those voices had haunted him for so long. How long? He didn’t know. In the end, all he had become was a mass of seething self-hatred. If he’d had a body, he would have torn himself to pieces.
“Roan Tithe, do as I say,” Elgar whispered.
And he did.
There was a flash of light as the soul gem was filled. Roan’s body fell to the ground. Lifeless. Empty. Soulless. Elgar slowly walked over to the corpse and picked up the filled soul gem. He held it before him for some time, silent, and then slipped it into his pocket.
Sana and Demos were shocked into silence, too.
Even the sounds of snarling and battle around them dimmed as they all watched Elgar.
Shaela’s expression was dazed. Legion was not only still because Elgar willed him to be, but because at least one of the slices they had followed–one of their leaders–had just fallen. Not with a shout. But with a whimper.
“We can go,” Elgar said quietly, but then his head was snapping up. “Wait! Wait! The others are coming!”
At that moment, Caemorn, Balthazar, Fiona and Christian appeared in their midst.
“Fiona!” Sana cried out.
“Sana, you are all right! Balthazar said it was so but I…” Fiona’s gaze swept to the battle of the creatures around them. There was a “wall” of dead creatures surrounding them. “I was worried. But you did well.”
“Thank you!” Sana beamed. “But I did the least of anyone here. Shaela didn’t have enough strength to teleport them anywhere so–”
Fiona’s gaze shot to Shaela. “Shaela…”
Her tone was unreadable. Her eyes were shadowed. She stared hard at Shaela who, though she could not look away or move, seemed to curl into herself. Fiona said nothing, but her judgment was clear. Shaela had betrayed her to the bone.
“And then Demos and Ryder kept the undead off us while Elgar worked on Roan. All the animals came to our aid. Still are from the sound of it,” Sana said with an uncomfortable shrug.
They continue to fight. They continue to die and join our enemies. They continue to sacrifice. To keep us safe? That is worth it. But for anything else?
“Elgar… Well, he… he… ah, killed Roan.”
Sana’s voice dropped off as she gestured towards Elgar. Elgar turned towards Balthazar, Christian and Caemorn. He was pale, as he alway was, and clearly exhausted, but there was a peace on his face that had not been there before. He smiled.
“Master, Grandsire, Brother,” Elgar said and inclined his head.
“Elgar, are you… you all right? You look… I don’t understand what you did here.” Balthazar’s gaze kept flickering from him to the dead man. “Is that… but it can’t be, because I… I killed him. I killed him.”
Balthazar swayed, which had Christian grasping hold of him and steadying him.
“It’s okay, Balthazar,” Christian said. “He’s gone.”
“Yes. Again,” Balthazar joked weakly.
“He brought the Roan form back just as I did with the Harrows,” Caemorn said with another steadying hand on Balthazar’s shoulder. “That is all that has happened here. You did kill him.”
“I could well believe he could gaslight me into believing I had when I hadn’t, but… yes, you’re right. He brought his Roan Tithe form back,” Balthazar let out an uncertain laugh. “Good grief.”
“Yes, and this shows that he is not you, Grandsire. To use so much power simply to look as he once did with Master when it is not his original face and he can inhabit many forms? He does not even think of himself as such,” Elgar explained to Caemorn and the others. “He sees this face as his.”
“Elgar, you are trying to see light in this darkness,” Caemorn said.
“No, I am being quite factual. But you can see yourself, Grandsire. You can question him.” Elgar took out the ruby soul gem and offered it to Caemorn. “Christian will make sure he tells the truth when you do.”