Page 73 of Ever Dark Academy: Volume 6

“Elgar, what have we talked about in terms of your following my commands? You’re making me look bad in front of Weryn,” Eyros chuckled sadly.

“Of course, Master, I will do as you say,” Elgar answered with great and evident reluctance. He stared hard at Ryder. “I will be back very shortly.”

Ryder smiled wanly at him. “I’m sure.”

The threat was made. Both he and Eyros watched as Elgar turned and hurried away. Both of them let out breaths when he was gone.

“You know what happens to him, don’t you? I saw it in Wyvern’s mind, but you know too!” Eyros stuck a finger in his face.

Ryder stared at it then focused on Eyros’ eyes. “I do know. I’m not sure how it all goes down, but you’re in some big battle, which you…”

“Lose! I LOSE!” Eyros hissed. The pacing had begun again. “And Elgar, watching me fall, grasps my dead body to himself and digs into the earth to remain there for how long?”

“I’m not quite sure. But a very long time even for us,” Ryder agreed.

“What about the people here? What happens to them?” Eyros asked.

“Some of them must survive as there are Eyros Vampires in the future even without you and Elgar playing any active role,” Ryder said.

“How does this happen? How do I die? Why am I in Solace? I’m not going to Solace!” Eyros stuck a finger into the air this time. “I am not going anywhere! So that is not going to happen! I’m not going to fall in battle! Elgar is not going to go mad and become–become–what he becomes! Not for me!”

“Obviously, I am imprisoned in a soul gem so I don’t know what happened to you. Who it was or how it happened. I only am thankful that it wasn’t me who did it,” Ryder said then he grimaced.

“What? What are you thinking?” Eyros demanded to know.

Considering he could just read Ryder’s mind and know it was rather sweet of him not to. “Legion.”

“Legion? Oh… that… ah…” Eyros’ mouth twisted with disgust, but also there was a touch of sympathy in his eyes. Legion was more Ryder’s monster than anyone else’s.

“I gave them their final hunt, but they are still alive now,” Ryder said quietly. “It’s like I can’t get away from them.”

“You think Legion will find me?” Eyros hissed. “You think Legion is strong enough to kill me?” He slammed a hand against the center of his chest. “Not possible!”

But Legion was able to trick Weryn. They had worked long with Roan to take out the others, too. So would it be that hard to imagine that they wouldn’t play some role in Eyros’ demise? No.

“The group we met are refugees from the future,” Ryder said slowly. “You killed another Artemis in the future so this must be a slice of him.” His head hurt just thinking about it. “There might be others. Roans and Artemises and whoever else. Legion will be with one of them.”

“But not connected to these refugees, right? So then even though I helped you the ones of this time won’t know so it will be fine.” Eyros almost looked pleased.

“Ah, maybe. If they aren’t working together then yes. I’m not sure. Grayson tried to explain it based upon what Artemis said to him. But I didn’t want to press it as he was so drained,” Ryder explained.

“And you were running for your lives. So there’s that.” Eyros ran a hand through his hair. “Have I made a mistake letting you in here?”

Ryder’s head lowered. “I don’t know.”

Eyros shook himself. “Well, it’s done! If it is a mistake then it is what it is.”

“Eyros…” Ryder reached out to him then lowered his hand. “I know that I can never apologize enough to make up for what I’ve done, but I…” He let his head drop. “I am so sorry. I am so sorry. You’ve no idea… It scares me what I did. What I am inside. Deep inside. What I can be pushed to do and what I embraced within myself.”

“Saying sorry for slaughtering so many of my people, trying to kill me, is a little trite, Weryn,” Eyros said.

Ryder’s shoulders curled forward. “I know.”

There was a long silence. “But you do mean it. And you weren’t wholly yourself. Or something. We all did things…” Eyros paused again and said, “Wyvern and I used to laugh together. Have these long discussions that would last nights. Drinking so much blood wine that I couldn’t bear the taste any longer. But I didn’t want the conversation to stop. But, in the end, as the War raged, I stopped speaking to her. I stopped trusting her. I cut her off and then she was cut down.”

He was staring out the balcony door. His expression was so bleak that it robbed Ryder of any words he might have spoken. He rose from the bed and gently placed a hand on Eyros’ shoulder. Eyros shivered, but allowed it. After a moment, he covered Ryder’s hand with his own much like he had done with Fiona.

“Seeyr foresaw all this, didn’t she? All of our pettiness. All of our betrayals. The depths to which we would sink,” Eyros breathed.