Chapter 18
Done
“You should be comfortable here. Private with a view of the sea and all that,” Eyros said as he waved to the inside of a tower room.
Ryder was still carrying Grayson even though his beloved claimed he could walk now. But he did not have to walk and Ryder had to admit he couldn’t quite be away from touching distance at this moment. He peered into the room. It was indeed private and beautiful.
Khos did not hesitate, but loped inside and was immediately sniffing everything.
There was a sweeping antechamber with two chairs done in dark brocade before a set of several steps that led to a combination bedroom and living area.
A large bed heaped high with pure white linen was in the center of the space with a large fireplace at its foot.
There were three sets of doors. One likely leading to a bathing area and another to a dressing one.
There was also a large balcony overlooking the sea.
The white curtains stirred in the cool night breeze.
He could see the moons reflected on the water.
Only the sounds of the waves reached them up here despite the city being packed with Eyros Vampires partying loudly.
It always amazed him that for people who could speak telepathically, the Eyros were the Vampire World’s most talkative bunch.
Eyros and Elgar had taken them the back way into the city, but the laughter and conversation had washed over all of them.
Yet, if Ryder were to characterize what he was hearing, it wasn’t joy though it was desperately pretending to be.
There was a certain frantic edge to it. Ryder hadn’t needed to read minds to know that these people were trying very hard to have a good time.
It was as if they feared if they stopped laughing and being witty they might start sobbing uncontrollably and never stop.
They’re hunted and in hiding. This is the end of the road for them. They do not feel safe, Ryder had realized.
“Forgive me for not taking you through the main gate,” Eyros had said almost apologetically as they had slipped into a back entrance to his palace. “But I think that there might be some–some concern if people knew you were here.”
“It’s all right. We understand,” Charlie had responded even as his shoulders drooped when they turned away from the fun and laughter.
Ryder wondered if Charlie had ever been inside Eyros’ palace in Destiny.
He had never been. He’d found Eyros fussy and pretentious if he were honest with himself.
He’d laughed that Eyros would rather be caught dead than in the woods where he loved to be.
Considering they were immortal, he had meant it would never happen.
But he’d never actually asked Eyros to join him.
He’d never made a single attempt to befriend the other Immortal.
No, he’d kept a wary distance. The only place they’d ever interacted was Nightvallen when Daemon demanded it.
He thought now how crazy that was. Balthazar could be a bit pretentious and, like Charlie, was definitely a city Vampire rather than a country one, but he wanted Balthazar to hang out with him and Grayson.
He even wanted Balthazar to come on a camping trip into the Ever Dark with him.
He’d make sure it was as comfortable as possible.
A home away from home. But he’d never made such an effort with Eyros.
The hallway was made of that pale white stone that all Ever Dark buildings were.
The hallway had high arched ceilings and allowed four of them to walk abreast easily without touching one another.
It was well-lit and scrupulously clean. There were tapestries that hung every few feet or so.
While those in his palace showed hunting scenes, these were of another sort entirely.
Picnics by the lawn. Sailboats out at sea.
Forest scenes where Eyros walked with his people in deep conversation.
He can know everything there is to know about what every single person thinks yet he still wants to talk to them. He always asks questions as if looking for something. I would only ever respond in one word grunts when he tried it with me.
But while he had been darkly amused at putting Eyros off back in the day, now he only saw it as petty and rather sad.
Perhaps Eyros would have used the conversations against him like he’d thought he would, but he knew Balthazar wouldn’t.
Balthazar would remember everything he said, to be sure, but would use it–if he did at all–simply to make things more pleasant between them.
“I could Whisper, Master,” Elgar offered. “If you believe that would assist in keeping the peace–”
“No, Elgar. There’s no need for that. I think our people are a little too stressed for that to work as successfully as it should,” Eyros answered with a wave of one hand as he led them down the hallway lit by everglow torches to a set of wide stone steps.
“This is the south tower. No one is living here… anymore.”
Eyros shifted his shoulders. These were prime rooms upstairs, they must have been held by people close to Eyros.
Favored Children who were now likely dead and gone forever.
Ryder was certain if he searched his memories that he could find many of them that he had taken out himself, likely with vicious glee.
Grayson touched his cheek. Ryder smiled down at him.
“You okay?” Grayson asked softly.
“Of course. I just want to get you situated,” he said, which was only half a lie.
Grayson nodded, but the worry didn’t leave his face.
“What should we say if we run into any of your people on our way up?” Fiona asked, gesturing about her almost meekly at the empty hallway and steps.
“Oh, we won’t. I’ve sent out a silent command to keep people away from here. Elgar and I will see to your needs, which I imagine is someplace to feed and rest before you get on your way,” Eyros said firmly.
And the sooner, the better is left unsaid, Ryder thought. But can I blame him? We’ve brought trouble to his door literally. Will the Kaly stay away? Or will they seek to get in here?
Charlie was fussing with the soul gem that contained the Artemis slice.
That had been their leader. Would they simply let him be taken like that or would they try to get him back?
In a way, Artemis had already accomplished his goal.
Grayson had Kaly powers. He’d felt Grayson use them in the hallway.
He looked down to see Grayson rubbing the Ashyr Bloodline tattoo that had appeared.
He was relieved it had. There had been some risk that Grayson wouldn’t have his own powers after being turned by another Bloodline, but that apparently was not true.
Ryder frowned a little as he thought he saw some faint coloration above the Ashyr tattoo.
Would he get the Weryn symbol, too? And what about the Kaly death’s head?
He pushed that from his mind. It wasn’t a problem to solve.
“It makes sense to keep our arrival here secret. The less people who know about us the better,” Ryder said, which had Eyros turning towards him. “In the future, no one knew about this either because they didn’t see us here or you–you took their memories.”
Eyros’ eyes slid to Elgar and then away again before he gave a tight smile. “The future! The glorious future! Nothing must happen to ruin that, must it?”
Fiona grasped his arm gently. “Eyros, I wish we could change things here. I know–well, I can imagine how hard it’s been for you. And we’re asking you to do yet more. Truly, thank you for helping us.”
Eyros stared at her hand. She was about to let go, but then he put his own hand over it. “Yes, well, yes, no worries. I chose to help. Just like this is the present we all chose, isn’t it? The one our actions created?”
“And the future is too,” Grayson said. His eyelids had been shut but opened now. His eyes were silver and softly glowing. “Eyros, while Seeyr may have foreseen the future, we all created it, too. We end up choosing it.”
Eyros twitched at his crimson shirt with one hand. “Yes, well, there’s not a lot of choices left, Ashyr. Whether because Seeyr had a hand in it or we simply narrowed our choices down to one…” He shrugged. “Come. You need to be fed and to rest, which means that Weryn requires sustenance too.”
Ryder’s stomach rumbled then. He was hungry.
He needed to feed for two. He’d forgotten what this was like.
This being responsible–deeply responsible–for another person.
He was always responsible for his Bloodline, but a fledgling was different.
And Grayson was very different from a simple fledgling.
He was a fellow Immortal and the Ashyr Bloodline was relying on him to get Grayson up to full strength.
“We appreciate that,” Ryder said.
As they had been led to their quarters, all in the southmost tower by the sea, Fiona had said, “One thing I do need is to look at the gate to Nightvallen as soon as possible.”
Eyros’ shoulder had stiffened. “Nightvallen? Is there something special about that gate? Is that the only one that can return you to your time?”
“I’m not sure to be honest. I don’t really know how to get us back,” she admitted. “I’m hoping something will come to me.”
“You turned back time so brilliantly in Lasting, Fifi! I know you’ll figure it out!” Charlie encouraged her.
She smiled at him. “Yes, I think I will. But I’m not actually sure how I did that, let alone how I’ll use the gate to get us back to our Nightvallen.
But I do sense that, at least mentally, it will help me to use that gate.
It’s where we want to go. Maybe figuring out how to get to when we want to go will be aided by that. ”