Farn and Tarun surged ahead of them at that moment. The two werewolves were the first to enter Daemon’s old tomb. Ryder’s heart twisted as he walked through the threshold. Caemorn didn’t seemingly react. Balthazar grimaced as they entered and Elgar looked down at the skull as if to avoid looking at anything else.
He again thought,We haven’t come here to celebrate Daemon’s return. Everyone has behaved as if this place doesn’t exist.
Caemorn immediately kneeled down by the head of the white stone altar.
“Don’t tell me that the damned passage wasunderneathDaemon–ah, it was!” Balthazar shook his head. “Of course, it was.”
“I made it in case I had to remove Daemon from this place in a hurry to keep him safe,” Caemorn explained.
“Safe?” Ryder asked.
Even in his death-like sleep, who would dare try and harm Daemon in the Ever Dark? But he already knew the answer to that.
Legion. Roan. So many others would try if they could. They would have been unsuccessful, but still.
Caemorn inserted a large soul gem into a section of the decoration on the altar. There was aclickand then agrindingsound as the altar slid forward and revealed a staircase leading down into the earth. It wasn’t dark though. There were soul gems glowing below.
“Does the fact that it’s not dark and scary indicate this has been used a lot?” Balthazar asked.
“No, a soul gem’s light never fades so long as the soul is inside and not drained,” Caemorn answered. “These are ones I placed here before Daemon went to sleep.”
“Ah, yes, that’s why the Kaly Palace is so bright and cheery,” Balthazar teased.
“The light is ghostly, I admit,” Caemorn agreed.
“Tarn and Farun, you cover our backs. I will go in first with Ryder. Balthazar and Elgar, you should be in the middle,” Caemorn instructed.
“Ah, safe in the center! I’m all for that. I will be cowering behind you, Ryder,” Balthazar said.
Ryder snorted. “You took out Roan Tithe when you were barely turned, Balthazar. We should all be hiding behind you.”
“Master is strong and brave,” Elgar said.
“With such an exuberant cheering section, I actually justmightshow off some of my moves,” Balthazar grinned.
“Balthazar, you will go after Roan the moment you see him. I know this. No matter that you claim to be a coward. You are not,” Caemorn said. “But you must not do this.”
“Caemorn, I–”
“Youwillbecause your rage at him will overwhelm you. All he took from you. All he did to you and others. You will want to rip his mind apart,” Caemorn’s voice was certain and brookedno argument. “But you must not. He will anticipate this. He will have something terrible planned for you.”
Balthazar’s lips flattened. “I thought his work with the students would trip me up but it was simple. Easy.”
“Yes, your powers are much stronger now, especially as you accept yourself, but Roan won’t go where you’re strong. He’ll go where you’re weak,” Caemorn said. “Artemis was taken by surprise, because he never thought we would work together. Roan will not make that mistake.”
“Master is not the only one who will attack Roan Tithe,” Elgar said with a chilliness that Ryder wouldn’t have believed the soft-spoken man capable of.
Balthazar lightly pressed a hand on Elgar’s shoulder. “You don’t have to avenge me, Elgar. Especially if Caemorn thinks it isn’t safe.”
“Master was hurt. I was deceived. Those things must be redressed,” Elgar said.
“You are not wrong, Elgar. But Caemorn is right as to how we play this. Roan will lean into our weaknesses. Legion practically led me by the nose to Roan. I went out without even a fight,” Ryder said. “After all the battles I’ve been in, all the ambushes, all of it, and I justwalkedinto Roan’s trap. Underestimating him is just the wrong thing to do.”
“Weryn is wise, too,” Elgar said softly. “But they must still pay. We must make them pay.”
“We will,” Ryder said.
They started down the stairs. Like the ones he had with Legion. Pale stone. Perfectly cut. Not even a sheet of paper could fit between them. The ceiling arched several feet above their heads. The sconces held soul gems every five feet or so, which meant there were no shadows. Just the unwavering blue-white lights of the soul.
