Empire of Night

Chapter Fifty-Three

The Finer Details

For all the friends and family she had lost, Inerys had only witnessed a true funeral a handful of times in her life. There hadn't even been one for her own mother, for among the Hounds, there had always been a quiet belief that those claimed by the deepwoods became a part of the forest itself. There were no bodies to bury, only memories to hold. Even those who died elsewhere were turned to ash and spread within the Fringe to join with the spirits of the mists. To smother them within the earth itself was, in a way, unthinkable.

Though she had assisted where she could during the process of laying Vesryn to rest, her role in the whole affair had been minimal. The majority had been left to Cydan and Inet, whose complimentary affinities allowed for a swift, dignified burial beneath a willow tree along the far side of the lake. While he moulded the earthen tomb, his bondmate carefully maneuvered the roots to both lower him within when the time came and avoid unnecessary harm to the tree. The grasses and moss were restored where the ground had been disturbed and once they were finished, there was no trace left to suggest the site had ever been touched.

Whether from lingering shock or conflicted feelings, no words were spoken. Everyone had done their duty to the dead with a silent acceptance. A last respect, despite all which had transpired.

Inerys sat with Ayduin a short distance away, Ephaxus wrapped around them in a great half circle as he kept careful watch of Tanuzet's position across the lake.

"Do you think Rhydian's going to be all right?" She asked quietly.

Ayduin sighed softly through her nose, "Eventually, but that doesn't mean you can't worry about him. Skies know I do. He hides it well, but he was a wreck for weeks after what happened in those woods when we first found you. None of that was his fault either, but he'll punish himself for it regardless. This . . . I can't imagine this will be all that different. Might even be worse."

Inerys bit her lip, "Because Vesryn died at his hand?"

She picked at the grass as she spoke, "He may not have been a friend, but he was a member of our flight. There's a certain kinship in that."

"You Talhavar aren't all that different from Hounds, in that respect," she sighed, "What I don't understand is why he attacked Rhydian in the first place. I knew the two had their disagreements, but I never imagined him capable of doing something like this."

"Right now, your guess is as good as mine."

Inerys glanced over her shoulder, not that she could see anything past the opalescent wall that was her bondmate. What little she could sense of Rhydian was still hollow and distant. Much as everyone might want answers, now was not the time to press. He needed time, space.

"Do you know what he meant when he said Vesryn was on the ship?" She asked.

Ayduin shook her head, though Cydan politely cleared his throat as he approached.

"I'm afraid I do," he said.

The women briefly exchanged looks.

"It's not often you know something I don't," Ayduin said, watching him expectantly.

"You knew the important bits," he said, "but looking back, some of the details may have carried more weight than either of us thought."

The secondrider narrowed her eyes, "In that case, you best start explaining."

Cydan sighed as he rubbed at his face, "I was with Rhydian during one of his conversations with the Wardeness. The short of it is she mentioned a ship having crossed the stormwall in the Sylvallian sea. Whomever they met on the other side weren't exactly friendly. Apparently, there was a skirmish that resulted in most of the crew being killed. Those who survived mentioned a man who fought with his hands and teeth. It's how the rumors of the northern cannibals started."

Inerys' skin prickled, "Someone like me?"

"It would appear so. One of the survivors had a bite wound on his neck, though he didn't endure the same changes you have. The Wardeness never said who the man was, but between Rhydian's mention of a ship and the scar on Vesryn's neck, I think we may have found him."

"So that's why he– Why didn't he say something before?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, but the Wardeness said the men's minds had been altered, somehow. If a vocal technique similar to yours had been used to erase memories, it's possible his recollection was too fractured to understand what was happening. He'd been acting strange ever since we left Mistwatch. The sight of you might have triggered something even he couldn't make sense of."

"Those new eyes of yours must have sent him off the deep end," Ayduin muttered, "The moment you stepped out of that annex, he turned tail and ran like his life depended on it."

Inerys tried to swallow past the dryness in her throat, "I had no idea."

"None of us did," Cydan said.

Indirectly or no, this whole thing had likely been her fault.

"If the rest of the world is really as large as you say it is, how did he end up at Mistwatch, of all places?" She asked.

This time, it was Ayduin who answered, "It's remote. Quiet. Far from the sea. From what I understand, he was one of the few permanent residents. The Talhavar likely sent him there for his own good. The fact another vampire showed up there was likely nothing more than a cruel twist of fate."

Inerys felt as though she were going to be sick. She wavered where she sat as she attempted to make sense of it all. Knowing what she did now, it was no wonder the man wanted nothing to do with her.

Ayduin's hand found her shoulder, "Don't go spilling your guts in the grass. None of this was your doing."

"But–"

"Were you the one who attacked him all those years ago?"

"No."

"Did you ask to become what you are now?"

"Never," she breathed.

"And did you go out of your way to antagonize him or mess with his head prior to when you had no choice?"

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She swallowed. Hard.

"No."

"Then don't blame yourself. And don't deny that you are. I can read that face of yours like an open book," Ayduin said.

"I'm beginning to think you know me too well," she said, cycling her essence in an effort to recenter herself.

"It's almost as if I've spent the last several months with you," she drawled, "You're traumatized. I get that. We all are, but you need to realize you're not the monster you think you are."

Inerys remembered a time not all that long ago when the woman had held her own reservations toward her. To have her not only accept her, but trust her enough to embrace her was . . .

"I'll try," she said.

Ayduin studied her face a moment more as if searching for a lie, but eventually gave a single, satisfied nod.

"I won't lie, though, that thing in your head has me worried. Do you think you can keep it under control?" She asked.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "it only seems to come out when I'm in danger. Well, aside from the incident in the annex."

"Whatever it is, it clearly wanted you to drink that woman's blood," Cydan said.

For obvious reasons, Inerys was inclined to agree.

"Did the blood memories ever come?" Ayduin asked.

After Vesryn had run off, what hours had passed before his attack on Rhydian had been spent evaluating her changes and meditating in an attempt to recall anything more from the blood. Unfortunately, she hadn't learned a thing. The memories did not flow the way they usually did. Which, thinking back, was likely due to her passenger. Consuming the blood of the woman who'd made her what she was now had changed it.

"There's still nothing," she said.

Her lips thinned, "That's not entirely comforting, but it is what it is, for now. I wouldn't try to force it. Might be best if we leave this friend of yours alone until we reach Cyllicia too. If danger to you is the trigger, we'll just have to take extra care to keep you out of harm's way. Which means no more running off on your own, yeah?"

Inerys' cheeks warmed, "Trust me, I learned my lesson with the drake."

Beyond that, she was fairly certain Ephaxus wouldn't let her out of his sight for the foreseeable future.

"Good. As far as I'm concerned, the Wardeness is the only one qualified enough to handle this parasite business from here on out. No more experimenting. We have you healthy and stable and I'd like to keep it that way," Ayduin said.

"You'll hear no argument from me."

Cydan hesitated for a moment before he said, "If she doesn't have answers, I'm sure her guest will."

"Guest? What guest?" Ayduin asked.

He winced, "During that same conversation, she mentioned an emissary from across the sea. A vampire. She's staying at the Wardeness' private residence," he said.

Ayduin cast the man a particularly withering look as she pointed a finger in his direction, "You and I are going to have a little chat about details after this."

"Rhydian said he would tell you once things calmed down. He didn't want to scare Inerys any more than was necessary."

There was a time when the thought of meeting another of her kind would have frightened her, but after all that had happened, she couldn't deny the fact she needed to speak with one. She needed to understand what she was, how to fully control herself and how to move forward. Perhaps they could tell her why she'd changed in the first place?

"Ayduin's right," she said quietly, "it's time I stop being afraid of what I am. Vampire or no, this emissary might actually be able to help me."

"Can't say I'm eager to meet another one of your kin, but they're bound to know plenty we don't. Can't say there's a better alternative either, aside from the Wardeness."

"One way or another, we'll get you some answers," Cydan said.

"Agreed," Ayduin sighed, "In the meantime, we need to make sure we're all on the same page. Once Rhydian has some time to recover, he needs to know about this passenger of yours."

"I know. I should have told everyone sooner. It's just, I was afraid of how you might react."

Suffering in silence helps no one, Viper, Ephaxus murmured.

"While I don't entirely blame you, these are the sorts of things we need to know. We can't keep everyone safe if we don't know the extent of what we're dealing with," Ayduin said, fixing her with a look.

"It won't happen again, I promise."

"If it does, trust I won't be so forgiving in the future. I wasn't lying when I said we'd be settling it in the sparring ring next time."

Inerys didn't doubt it.

The other woman sighed and ran a hand down her flight braid, "We should get back to camp. We've lingered long enough."

Cydan nodded his agreement.

"Should we wait for Rhydian?" She asked.

"Do that and we may be waiting here until sunrise. If you want to stay longer, I won't stop you, but someone needs to go check on camp before those little fire spirits decide to burn everything down," Ayduin said.

"That's probably a good idea," she said, then looked to Ephaxus as she sensed his desire to remain aligned with hers, "Ephaxus and I will wait a bit longer, I think."

"In that case, I'll go check in with Sorisanna and see if she'd like a ride back to camp," Cydan said, running a hand along Inet's lowered snout before moving to her offered wing.

Ayduin stretched her long limbs as she rose, then peaked around Ephaxus' wing to spy Vaelor.

"If the sun starts to rise, I expect you back at camp," she said, "until Rhydian is more or less back to himself, command falls to me. I don't need you turning to ash because you were too stubborn to leave him out by himself."

I will ensure she is safe, Ephaxus said.

"I know you will," she said, eyes softening, "I know holding back was hard for you today, but you did well."

Inerys glanced between the two with a mounting guilt. Ayduin gave him a small smile, then patted his wing before she stepped off. She watched her go with a small sigh and tucked her legs in closer.

I'm sorry, she murmured some time after the others took wing, For placing myself in danger like that.

His nostrils whistled as he sighed, You saved not only Rhydian's life, but Tanuzet's in turn. That is no small thing, Viper.

If she focused, she could still feel the erratic beat of his heart reflected in her own. For all his outward nonchalance, the majority of his attention had settled upon her. Not out of suspicion, as she'd initially feared when she'd finally revealed the presence of her passenger, but anxiety. He'd flinch at the smallest of sounds and while he masked it well, those spikes of alarm echoed through their bond.

Maybe not, but I still hurt you in the process.

He lowered his head until his snout was mere inches from her face, You did what you believed you had to. In this, you are not unlike Keishara. What wounds it may have opened in my heart will mend.

She leaned into him, chest aching at the mention of his fallen bondmate.

All I ask is that you do not hide things from me, he said.

I won't. I promise.

He purred softly, offering a comfort she'd needed since this whole ordeal began.

How's Tanuzet? She asked.

Shaken, but relieved. She has no intention of allowing Rhydian out of her sight.

Much like you, I imagine?

Indeed.

She smiled a little, For all your teeth, you're not all that different from a mother hen, are you?