Page 12 of Ever Dark Academy: Vol. 3
“Do all of the Ashyr know I’m their Immortal, Dani?” Grayson asked.
“Yes, yes, they do. But they wouldn’t betray your desire for secrecy,” Dani assured him, a touch of alarm on her face.
“Jill and her people can’t be the only ones with ties to the Sect of Dawn. There have to be others in the Vampire ranks,” Grayson told her carefully.
Ah, here is Grayson. Not so trusting after all. Not so certain of his own Bloodline, Ryder realized, picking up on where Grayson was going with this.
“You’re thinking that there might be Sect members in your Bloodline? No, no, Grayson, there are not,” Dani said with a firm shake of her head.
“We don’t even know what the Sect stands for. It can’t be anti-Vampire with Vampires in it,” Grayson pointed out. “And since we don’t know what it’s offering, we can’t know who will be tempted by it.”
“I see your point.” Dani looked disturbed. “We need to question Jill more.”
“We do. Add that to the list of things we need to do today,” Grayson said.
“What could they want?” Demos asked, his forehead bunching up. “My understanding of the Sect was that it was a myth, designed to keep young Vampires from going too far off the reservation. Fuck up too much and the Sect will get you. That sort of thing. Though the whole idea of Vampire hunters seemed a little bit of bullshit to me. Especially if they were just humans.”
“Overconfidence can make one weak,” Grayson said. “I’ve found that you don’t have to be the strongest in a fight. You just have to take advantage of the other side’s mistakes.”
Demos nodded. “I see your point. But still. What could the Sect possibly offer Vampires like Jill? She’s not self-hating so she can’t want to eliminate Vampires like you said.”
“She seemed arrogant as all get out,” Dani said. “She appeared to me like she believed she was better than everyone, especially humans.”
“It’s probably something to do with the War,” Ryder found himself muttering. “Everything always goes back to that.”
“But there’s also Daemon’s return. Those in power aren’t any longer. That never goes down well. And there’s also the return of the Immortals in general. We're not that popular in many minds,” Grayson said. “Yet Daemon has welcomed us back with open arms and not punishment. Some may have an issue with that.”
Ryder reached out and brushed his fingers over Grayson’s nearest hand. “You had nothing to do with the War, War Children or what happened after. So you shouldn’t put yourself in that group.”
Grayson looked up at him. Those green eyes should have been silver, but Ryder could still recognize that soul. His heart ached with love and loss though Grayson was right in front of him.
“Some might blame me most of all. My death was first. My death… started things, didn’t it?” Grayson’s gaze was gentle, but also asking.
Weryn, who had been silent up to that point, murmured in a broken voice, Ashyr…
Weryn had gone to war. Not just against Kaly, but all of the other Immortals. He didn’t understand why. The stories he’d been taught likely were not true. He could ask Weryn, but there were so many strong emotions attached to the War that if he did so, he could very well see himself losing control.
“My choices were my own, Grayson,” Ryder said firmly. “You are to blame for none of it. No right thinking person would even consider it.”
Grayson turned his hand over and they linked fingers. “Right thinking and people sometimes don’t mix.”
“So how are we going to tell whether someone is a Sect of Dawn member or not, if like with Jill there are traps for Eyros Vampires in their minds?” Dani asked.
“Those constructs that I felt. I think those may be the key. But I need to actually envelop someone with my power to feel them,” Grayson explained.
“Can you do that to everyone you meet?” Demos looked doubtful.
“Not if I want to do anything else.” Grayson grimaced.
“Plus it will exhaust you. King Daemon was clear that you shouldn’t be overdoing it,” Ryder reminded him.
Grayson grunted, not looking pleased about that. Ryder stopped himself from adding that if Grayson were a Vampire then this wouldn’t be a problem. But that required Grayson to be turned. And who would turn him… No, he could not talk about that.
“King Daemon was here?” Demos asked.
“He brought me dinner.” Grayson grinned. “It was a really good dinner.”
“What did he say?” Dani asked.
