Ryder had been feared greatly more for his ability to turn War Children back to the path than for his prowess killing them. It was almost as if he could reach into the souls of the War Children and remove their will to fight. Knowing now who Ryder truly was, it made sense that he could do this.
He was Weryn.
He was their Immortal.
Their leader.
Their maker.
And only he could offer absolution.
But Ryder was so different from Weryn. That was why Legion hadn’t recognized him. The madness, the grief, the raging loss was not there. Ryder smiled and laughed. Ryder took care of people around him, caring even for those that didn’t deserve it. No brooding, violent, acid-tongued Immortal was he. No, he was warm and strong and loyal.
That’s who Weryn used to be. Before losing Ashyr. Before the War. I never knew him at all.No! NO! I did know him. I sensed this within him. And now he is the person I always knew him to be.
Not that this version of Weryn wasn’t without flaws. He had arguably let Lawson live too long and bring weak members into the Bloodline. He had not taken any fledglings for his own, separating himself from others, not acting as pack. But now with Lawson gone, he was rectifying that latter point too. But he’d chosen a pretty–if weak and vapid–human boy, Grayson, as his next fledgling. He was letting those who had simply run away from the War to rejoin the Bloodline without any punishment.
Perhaps he does not know what they did. His memory is uncertain. But I could remind him. I could make him remember everything. The soul gem will only give him the ghosts of his past, but I could make them real.
“You–you–YOU!” Roan shrieked as he cradled his injured hand to his chest.
Shaela had taken a step away. Her eyes widely flickering between the two of them as if she wasn’t sure where the true danger lay. Legion swallowed the fingers. Their long tongue slithered out to lick up the blood that stained their jaws and teeth. Their stomach rumbled. Wanting more.
Due to their need to hide their activities in the Ever Dark, Legion had not been able toindulge. They always drained theirprey eventually, but what gave them the utmost pleasure was eating them alive. The soft parts first. So many soft parts. Legion wanted more of those now.
“You shouldn’t have said those things to me, Roan,” Legion said in a small, light voice.
Insane rage was pulsing through Roan’s eyes. The veins in his temples were pulsing. Spittal collected on his lower lip. He was shaking. But in this rage, he was weak, because he couldn’t control himself or his gift. Despite being in an Eyros form and being powerful with the mind control gift at times, Roan could lose that control. Slip. And he was slipping.
I should kill him. He will not forgive this. But killing him does not rid me of him. Then I will just have the other hims after me.
“You fucking moron! You really have done it this time!” Roan raged. “You think I won’t destroy you, Legion? That I won’t use you as a goddamned finger puppet? People may follow you, but just as many will be relieved if I get rid of you!”
“You’re right that I came here because I want Weryn to find me,” Legion said quietly. “I told you from the very beginning what I wanted. But you wouldn’t give it to me. Or perhaps youcouldn’tgive it to me.”
And that was why Legion hesitated now. Were they right that Roan could not use the Eyros gift to turn Weryn towards them?
“I put that bastard in a gem for you! You had him in your pocket for thousands of years!” Roan roared.
“I didn’t want him in a gem. I wanted himaliveand with me,” Legion said with a shake of their massive head. “Only you would think having a gem was the same thing as having a person with you.”
“It’sbetter!” Roan spat. “Because people will sorely disappoint you. Each and every damned time.”
Legion advanced on Roan. A simple shuffle of clawed feet. They needed to be a bit closer before they truly lunged if they had to. Roan was trying to collect himself. He seemed to need that quite a lot these days. If they were close enough, Roan wouldn’t be able to grab their mind before they had his throat.
If he is no longer useful to me… is he? Isn’t he? Is he truly just withholding Weryn from me because we haven’t completed our goals? But what are our goals now? Daemon has returned and nothing, not even the artifact that Roan retrieved, can truly eliminate him.
“I used to think that you would resurrect him as you promised. Caemorn–Kaly–brought back two people at once,” Legion said. “So itwaspossible. But then I realized that maybe itwasn’tfor you. Maybe you’re too weak to do it.”
Roan’s eyes narrowed. “You really want to get intomoretrouble with your mouth tonight, Legion?”
“You are not Kaly,” Legion said. “Not anyone. You are a shadow of a shadow. So I do not believe that you could have resurrected Weryn for me back in the day.”
“Why would I waste effort and energy bringing him back after I got him in the soul gem?” Roan asked.
“Because you promised me. But you lie,” Legion answered simply. “Yet even if you could have restored him to a physical form, you could never have completed the other part of your promise.”
“To make him love you?” Roan smiled grimly. “You think that has something to do withmypowers?”
