“Suffer, asshole.”
Jean-Claude, I only want what’s best for the world.
What’s best for the world? “By taking me over?” I’m not buying it, as they say. The elves are sore losers, and after they’d tried to overrun Dread, after they’d destroyed an entire forest, and put fear in those they deemed “deplorables,” the only safe place for said undesirables was EverDark. Elves are not interested in the common good. They are interested in their own good.
You never did ask me why it was you I chose to inhabit, he says.
I figured it was owing to the fact that I am the most powerful of creatures, the oldest, the strongest.
Your pride knows no bounds.
I only speak the truth.
He sighs. I must admit there is truth to your words but there is more to my reason.
Enlighten me.
I thought it only fitting that I embody you in return for the debt with which you left me.
Debt?
You forget so soon?
Let me please remind you that you are doing quite a good job of replacing my memories and overlapping them with your own.
Ah, yes. Well, let me remind you. It was you who first killed leagues of my own kind when you drove us out of Dread and EverDark when first we attempted to cleanse the city.
That was centuries ago.
Yes, but old grudges die hard, do they not?
I suppose so.
Regardless, I thought it would be quite… ironic for you to be the one who cleansed the city this time around…
I don’t respond right away. I pause to collect my thoughts. And this time, when I do speak, I speak aloud. Just to ensure I still can. “You won’t beat me with the madness of your abyss, the endlessness of these mazes.”
I can beat this—I can beat him.
It is not endlessness I want.
Try as I might, I can’t get a read on his emotions. His feelings are a jumble of sadness, determination, duty and a sense of justice. There is even a twinge of sacrifice within his depths. He really believes what he is doing is the right thing to do.
Let me in and we can change the world.
“For the better?” My sarcasm slips past him.
For good.
Elves. They’re all about good and evil. Right and wrong. Black and white. They have no visions of gray. No tolerance for different. An old race never changes. The old can get stuck in their ways. Which is why the young are so important. An elder’s reward for getting through life is to guide younglings, to live vicariously through new eyes, and even, at times, to covet.
Again I think of her.
Everly.
And this time I am not quick enough to hide the image of her.
Ah, you have fallen under her spell as completely as the others have, Faunus says.
Others?
The incubus and Riven. They are both quite enamored with our forest friend, are they not?
I don’t know. Nor do I care.
Faunus laughs. Then his maniacal laughter dies away until there is only silence. Unfortunately, he breaks that silence a second or so later.
We could have her, you know, he says as my stomach drops.
What do you mean?
I feel the same longing for her that you do and were I in charge of your body entirely, you could experience her through me.
I am responsible for her safety and I am quite aware that you would do her harm were you able.
There you are incorrect.
Explain.
He pauses for a moment. She is incredibly powerful. Gifted. Such is why Riven sent for her. He believes she is the only creature who can defeat me.
Is he correct?
Perhaps? Perhaps not. Regardless, I would be a fool to destroy that talent.
Then?
I want her. On my team. On our team.
I am most assuredly not on your team.
You have been forced into the position, my good sir. And using your connection to Everly, you could convince her to join us. And we could benefit from her knowledge, her power. Together, we could mate her. We could know her intimately.
A feeling of fury snakes within me and blasts away his voice. I feel a break with Faunus—my anger has pushed him out of my thoughts. For now anyway. The respite won’t be a long one.
♀♥♂♂♂♂
EVERLY
While I no longer have to worry about the count and Harlow getting poisoned, it still brings me no closer to finding the necromancer. I’m not sure if I should go to the count’s house or not, so I opt to stay in his forest.
Castle Raven Night’s woods are larger than I initially thought. The hill on the back side is steep, but it’s only half a mile to climb. Even trudging the hill is a relief from the deathly forest below. These redwoods are awake and buzzing. Life abounds in the roots and the trees, and the air itself has more energy than the counterpart across the river. It’s a far cry from the desolate place below.
Riddle sits on my shoulder. His demeanor is relaxed and he’s searching the forest around us. It’s the first time he’s ever seen a proper forest. As soon as I reach the place where I can see Castle Raven Night, I stop.
“I’m not sure what to do, Riddle.”
He looks at me and coos. He’s such a comfort even though he’s getting heavy. I set him down so I can think.
What would Priestess Kareen do? I focus and know immediately that it’s the elders I should ask. Fortunately, there’s a whole host of them here, though waking the trees and alerting them to my presence is cruel in the long run.
I didn’t want to create a Circle,
