“I killed him!I killed Roan Tithe!”Balthazar spat out.
Grayson’s lips parted in confusion.
Ryder leaned over and whispered, “Roan Tithe was a Kaly slice.He inhabited an Eyros Vampire’s body and turned Balthazar.He was sadistic… horrible.Balthazar killed him to save his House.But then… then he came back.And Balthazar faced him again, but… but, evidently, he still lives somehow.”
Grayson nodded in understanding as his eyes flickered from one person to another.
“I do not die,” Caemorn reminded him sadly.“Not that way.”
“No!No!NO!”Balthazar shouted.
He was pale-faced and shaking.Christian rose up to take his arm.He stroked it.
“Are you saying that the slice of you that was inhabiting Balthazar’s Master is still out there?Working with the Sect?”Julian asked.He gripped the back of the sofa so hard that the wood creaked.
“I have searched my memories for our time together, Balthazar.I wanted to know…” Caemorn scrubbed a hand through his pale hand.“I wanted to know what I’d done.So I could somehow make amends to you and to–toavoidany triggers.I worried that even saying I was–what I was–am–to Balthazar would cause him pain, but…” His voice drifted off.
“So you have no memories of that slice andthatis the reason you think Roan tithe is not absorbed?”Grayson asked carefully.
“I don’t.Which makes no sense.I havesomeas Roan, but not those.And the work in the structure.I sense myself in it.And also a master of the Eyros gift,” Caemorn explained explained.“Roan Tithe was a War Childe made in the early days of the conflict between all of us.I had no other slices in that Bloodline for anywhere near that duration.”
“That’s why everyone thought Balthazar must be Eyros reborn,” Fiona whispered softly as she looked upon Balthazar’s haggard face.“Roan was so very strong and yet a Vampire with hardly a few hundred years on it, killed him.”
“Yes, I thought that Balthazar had played a trick to do it, but I knew that could not be so,” Caemorn admitted sadly.“I was so jealous of him.I couldn’t imagine how he could take down a Vampire like Tithe who seemed to be Artemis’ equal.”
“You have all of Artemis’ memories though, don’t you?”Christian asked softly.“He was your Master, but he was so cruel to you.And you know every bit of it.”
Caemorn frowned.“IthinkI do, but… there are holes in my memory.Ones that I am not purposefully avoiding. My… myweaknessbrought us all to this terrible point. If I had but eliminated Artemis earlier and–”
“You couldn’t have!Not until you were older and stronger!”Fiona cried.“Caemorn, without you, we could never have defeated them at all.Everything would have been lost.So don’t blame yourself for not acting sooner.”
“I don’t.Not exactly.”Caemorn gazed upon Balthazar’s bowed head.“I think of what Ishouldhave done for others.I think of what Icouldhave done.Everything worked out, but it still seems to have done soin spiteof me, Fiona.And so much damage was done as I dithered.Now, I fear there will be more with Tithe still out there.”
“I killed him!”Balthazar cried, his head snapping up, his cheeks flush with blood then paling.“You don’t understand, Caemorn!He is dead and gone and… You are not him!”Then with a ravaged look, his hands pulling at the front of his shirt, he asked, “But is that only because you haven’t absorbed that part of yourself? Or… or all of Tithe?I…”
Caemorn shook his head violently.His expression was haunted.“No!No, I… Balthazar, I would never… No, that is not true.”He covered his face with his hands for a moment.More emotion there than Ryder had ever seen him emote.“We all know what I am capable of.But returning that piece of me would not change me back into him. It would only remind me more keenly how little right I have to any peace or happiness, let alone your friendship–”
“If he’s still out there–or part of him is–then we’re not safe.We’re none of us… Christian and all of my House and all of the Eyros…” Balthazar started to hyperventilate.
The Eyros Vampire curled forward, drawing in shuddering breath as if unable to get enough air.Caemorn took a step towards him, but stopped himself at the last moment.Christian stroked Balthazar’s back.Julian stared at the shaking figure stricken.Grayson’s jaw clenched.
We called Kaly many things on the battlefield.One of them was Cruelty,Weryn whispered.Another was Death.
Fiona came over with a cup of blood-wine.She helped Christian get Balthazar back onto the couch.“We should never have let him hurt you and the others.Caemorn is not the only one who sat back and didnothing.Only Arcius saw what was happening clearly and moved to help.”
She spat the word “nothing” and Ryder guessed she shared quite a bit of that scorn for herself.She had been a Confessor of the Order, the Vampire religion that had demonized the Immortals, but had actually been just a front for Kaly to try to control everyone after the War.
“Arcius!I have to warn Arcius.I can’t seem to gather my thoughts to reach him though,” Balthazar admitted between gasps and sips of blood-wine.
He was rocking on the sofa.Ryder had never seen him so undone.Julian came up behind him and held his shoulders comfortingly.
“Daemon is not surprised by this revelation,” Julian said quietly.“I’ve just spoken mind to mind with him and… and he sounds sad, but not shocked.”
“Why the bloody hell did he not mention it earlier?!”Balthazar yelled then shook his head.“Oh, gods, I’m sorry, Julian!He does not know–not really–what it was like.He thinks of Tithe as just another Kaly slice to clean up, but… but…”
“It’smorethan that,” Julian said and squeezed Balthazar’s shoulders.“I know.I do know that.And I’ll make him understand.”
“Our king does nothing without purpose,” Grayson said stiffly.“I know that is cold comfort right now, Balthazar.But this may aid in us ending this conflict with the Sect.As hideous as it is, Roan Tithe is a known quantity.”
