Page 61 of Ever Dark Academy: Volume 6

Are the others almost here? Charlie asked Eyros.

Yes, they’re bringing death, too, Eyros answered.

Good. I’m going in. Charlie grabbed the door handle.

We’ll lose contact while you’re inside, Eyros warned again.

I know. Just… just be here when we come out again, Balky, Charlie said.

There was a momentary pause. I will be, Charlie.

Charlie’s two forms smiled and he turned the handle. The door was not locked. Of course, it would not be. Such a thing would have shown weakness. He hoped that Artemis would be too enamored of his prey to have heard these noises outside. He went inside.

The room was darker than it should have been. There were spilled burning soul gems on the ground. They smoldered and gave off noxious fumes that had Charlie’s lungs seizing. What the fumes were doing to Grayson couldn’t be fathomed.

Framed by the orange glowing light, he saw one figure lying prone on his back while another, slighter form perched on top of him. The smaller figure drew a sharp fingernail along the inside of his wrist. Blood was dripping down it and pattering on the prone figure’s lips.

Oh, no.

“Stop!” Charlie called out of two mouths.

The slender figure–Artemis–spun around to look at him. Seeing his two guards standing there, ordering him to stop had the Kaly slice frowning.

“What are you doing here? You idiots, get out…” And then his voice stopped as he must have caught sight of the dead bodies as the door closed behind Charlie’s two forms. Or maybe he actually heard the shouts that were building in the street outside. “Who are you?”

“You must stop,” Charlie said in those two voices.

“It can’t be you,” Artemis whispered. “You died.”

“I am me,” Charlie said in two voices, but from one person.

Artemis did not debate him. Instead, he ripped open his wrist more and slammed his bleeding arm against Grayson’s lips. Grayson struggled, but it was weak and he had no choice, but to drink.

No…

Charlie took a step forward, but before he could do anything, a figure flew through the air and caught Artemis around the middle and slammed him into the far wall. The wall buckled under the pressure, nearly breaking altogether. There was a crater a foot deep. Artemis snarled and spat as Ryder pinned him by the throat.

“Too late!” Artemis laughed. “Too late! Are you going to kill Ashyr’s Master? Will you condemn him to a life of pain and madness, Weryn?”

“No!” Ryder’s head snapped towards where Grayson lay on the divan.

Grayson’s lips were parted and smeared with blood. Blood rained down his chin and cheeks. It coated his tongue. Artemis’ blood. Kaly’s blood.

“NO!” Ryder screamed.

“Fifi, you need to undo it!” Charlie cried as he advanced upon the young man, losing the two figures and becoming himself again.

Fiona flew to Grayson’s side. “What? Charlie, I don’t know how to turn back time!”

“You do, Wyvern. You know how. You can do this. You could have stopped the War before it began if you had been with Ashyr in this place so long ago,” Charlie told her. “You must do it now. You must!”

“I can’t! Daemon–Daemon can do it! Or he can use Armageddon to reverse this and Ryder can turn Grayson–”

“That won’t work on an Immortal, Wyvern,” Charlie said. “It would rip him apart. You must do this or it will begin again. We won’t be ourselves, but other people. Bad people. We must not let this happen again!”

“Fiona, please!” Ryder screamed.

“It’s too late! It’s too late! It’s too late!” Artemis sang like a demented school child.