Page 58 of Ever Dark Academy: Volume 6

A woman who looked like she belonged on the prow of a ship with long, silvery hair and eyes appeared between the two buildings just after Khos bounded through them. She wore a pale toga-like outfit that wrapped over one shoulder while leaving her other bare. The flowy material draped to her feet. It was gathered at her waist with an elaborate set of black ribbons that held a sheath for a dagger and some other pouches. Her feet were clad in sandals that wrapped up to her knees.

The Dire Wolf made it to the treeline and looked over his shoulder as if to satisfy himself that she was still there. The Kaly Vampire though was not advancing. Instead she fished something that glinted out of one of the pouches.

Soul gem! Eyros warned.

Despite Ryder’s desire to save his clothes, there was no time for him to strip before he acted. Just as the Kaly Vampire drew her soul gem out, ready to capture Khos’ soul and do who knew what with it and the empty body, Ryder shifted into a murder of crows. He surged out of the forest right at the Kaly Vampire, who was too stunned at the converging flock to act in time.

He struck her from all angles. She dropped the soul gem, which he caught up in one of his bird’s talons and took away while the others slammed her into the ground. Ryder shifted into his human form on top of her. One hand was over her mouth while his much bigger body pinned hers to the earth. He saw a momentary shock in her silver eyes.

Do you need her conscious, Charlie, to do your thing? Ryder asked.

I don’t even need her alive, dear boy, but let me just touch her first and then I would get rid of her. Nasty piece of work, I’m sure, Charlie told him.

The Mirryr Vampire had glided out of the woods and crouched beside Ryder and the Kaly Vampire. Her eyes flickered to Charlie. There was no recognition in them, nor fear. Then Charlie pressed a hand against her forehead and closed his eyelids. He murmured something and Ryder heard her speaking against his palm. It was muffled and soft enough that she wouldn’t be heard but still he wasn’t fond of this.

Then Charlie didn’t look like Charlie anymore. And it wasn’t just his face and figure that had changed. His entire outfit, his height, his presence had become hers. He smiled at Ryder and there was a coldness in it that wasn’t Charlie. Seeing his reaction, Charlie softened the look.

So sorry, old chap, but she’s got a face that doesn’t lend itself to friendliness and I’m trying to channel her, Charlie apologized.

Makes sense. Wow. I’ve seen Mirryr change, but… wow, Ryder repeated. You are her.

Yes, I am. For a time. He drew out a soul gem from the pouch at her waist. She glared at him. There was an angry mirth in her eyes. She clearly thought that he was incapable of using soul gems. He held it up. Instead of killing her, Ryder, let me do this.

Her eyes went wide with fear and shock as her soul was pulled right out of her body and sucked into the soul gem that began to glow a ghostly orange. Charlie held it up for him and Fiona to see.

You did it! Fiona gasped. You have the Kaly power!

Like I said, it doesn’t last and I’m nowhere near as powerful or good at it as the higher level Kalys. But, I admit, that I have never really wanted to practice this particular power, Charlie admitted.

Ryder jumped to his feet. He picked the lifeless body of the Kaly Vampire up and hid her among some trees. He grimaced as he walked back out completely naked.

Is this going to be a problem, Charlie? He gestured down to his nakedness. I see that you created clothes or the illusion of them, but what about me?

Oh, don’t you worry! By the time I’m done you’ll be the best dressed Kaly here, Charlie laughed. Now stay back while I go wander out there for a moment and locate some targets.

Charlie moved just as the woman had. He wasn’t just wearing her form through a glamour. He truly was her. It was stunning and unnerving. Ryder really wasn’t sure he would be able to tell them apart. Even the smell was right.

He suddenly clutched his chest and nearly fell to his needs. He felt as if he had no breath. No ability to move. Fiona was catching him and holding him up.

Ryder?! Ryder, what’s wrong? She cried.

Ryder lifted his head and stared towards the central ziggurat in Lasting, the place where Eyros was telling him that Grayson had been taken.

He’s dying, Ryder said.

Who–

Grayson. He’s dying. Right now.

I Am Me. We Are Us

Earlier…

Charlie sauntered out onto the streets of Lasting. His movements were those of the woman whose form he had taken. The tilt of her chin was his. The sway of her hips was perfectly recreated. The way he drew his left hand along his waist and fingered the pouch where his soul gems were held could not have been differentiated from how she would have done it by those closest to her. From afar or up close, Charlie was her. She was Charlie.

Sometimes, if he spent too much time in any particular form–especially after absorbing a significant amount of the person’s essence–he could lose himself. He became them. He was them. He was no one else. Except there was the faintest voice that would tug at him, remind him that he was not them at all. He was not his last form either or the one before that or the one before that or the one millionth before that.

It was easy to forget himself, herself, themself. And he’d spend a long time not being himself, herself, themself. He was Charlie and maybe no one else. Except for deep down where that voice said: I am me. But it was better–safer–to just be Charlie. To be small and silly and mostly unnoticed.