7. Infiltrate #2
Ryder’s Vampiric-sight confirmed what his beloved was seeing.
He saw a few Ashyr Vampires using their gift to levitate items. There were plenty of glowing soul gems. But he heard sweet Siryn singing lifted up by the wind too.
A few Vampires teleported themselves around the Spire as well.
He was certain he would find Mirryr, Horys, and every Bloodline down there.
Charlie stepped up to them as well. He sighed.
“No, in the end, everyone got behind the banner of beings like Artemis Alucius and Roan Tithe. They didn’t realize they were Kaly slices, of course.
Just thought that they were the survivors who wanted to stop the violence.
As the Immortals were killed or went into hiding, the Vampires blamed them.
Not just Kaly or Weryn. But all of them.
Better for the Immortals to be dead and buried and never coming back. ”
Ryder grimaced. “They wanted to rebuild. Understandable. Back in Destiny, it felt like–”
“A dead end,” Grayson finished for him with another deep sigh. “The time of the Immortals is over here. Supposedly. These surviving Vampires think that they are creating a whole new society, one not based on the whims of gods drunk on their own power.”
Fiona crossed her arms over her chest. “I believed that. I held onto it so tight that what we were doing in the Order was right. We were the vanguard against the excesses of the past. We were going to keep things in check. There would be an elected council. No king. The Preceptor would also have to step aside when his or her term was over. It appeared as if there were always new people in charge. No one pulling all of the strings.”
“But all along it was always Kaly in charge. In their various incarnations,” Grayson said grimly.
“There’s still some dissonance for me finding out that I am one of the beings that I hated for so long.
” Fiona shook her head. Though her beaded hair could not be seen, there were faint clicks.
“And nothing was, of course, as clean and clear as I thought it was in any event even without that fact. Though I wasn’t wrong that the Immortals destroyed themselves in many ways. ”
“Fifi,” Charlie said cautiously, “you said to Eyros that he killed you, but Kaly claimed it was… ah, Weryn.”
His eyes slid to Ryder. But Ryder didn’t react. He had given Wyvern her Second Death, but Eyros had given him an assist in a way.
She let out a long breath. “Both of them did it. Weryn caught us. We were holed up together. And in order to save himself, Eyros used his gift to freeze me in place. While Weryn killed me, Eyros had time to escape. I can still see the guilty look in his eyes as he fled.”
Ryder remembered this moment. He had discovered Eyros and Wyvern meeting in, of all places, an ancient abandoned town in the wilds outside of Ashyr’s city. The looks on their faces when they both realized he’d surrounded them and that it was over. At least for one of them.
They’d been terrified. He remembered Eyros’ cowardice all too well.
Eyros could have stayed and tried to protect Wyvern, but Eyros had seen too many of his people ripped to shreds.
He likely told himself that he’d given over Wyvern to him to save his own people, not just himself.
One of them had to be a goner so it would be Wyvern.
“I always wondered why you met in person that time, Fiona,” Ryder said, keeping his voice carefully neutral. If she didn’t want to speak of it with him, he’d more than understand. But he was done avoiding the past.
She sighed. “With Eyros it wasn’t really necessary to do so if I had fully trusted him any longer. But I was starting to grow paranoid at giving him access to my mind. So I asked to meet in Ashyr’s territory. Neutral ground. Foolish.” She shook her head. “How did you find us?”
Grayson looked up at him from the face of a stranger, but he could still see his beloved in those silver eyes.
It was hard to admit these things in front of him.
To say how he betrayed everyone, especially Ashyr when he’d attacked the other Immortals.
It was one thing to go after Kaly, but Wyvern and Eyros? That had been his growing madness.
“Every animal is my spy,” Ryder answered with a shrug. “Especially in Ashyr’s territory. I treated it like a… a shrine. So I knew the moment that you both arrived.”
Khos slid between him and Grayson, begging for pets, which both of them gave. Ryder knew that the Dire Wolf sensed his unhappiness and was offering himself up for affection to ease that somewhat. He was grateful. Grayson’s hand covered his for a moment as they both stroked Khos.
“So in my paranoia not to be given my Second Death I just ensured it happened!” Fiona let out a bark of laughter that wasn’t exactly bitter, but definitely darkly amused.
“It was only a matter of time,” Ryder told her. “I was relentless. You were trying to survive, but I didn’t care if I did. I just wanted to enact my revenge on everyone and everything. You cannot fight that kind of insanity.”
“So you met with Eyros in my territory, Fiona?” Grayson asked.