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“What’s going on?” Grayson asked and Ryder could almost feel the hum of the young man’s power in the air.

“Not sure.” Ryder positioned himself between Grayson and this unseen danger. Demos joined him.

Two werewolves--they could be nothing else--stood on their hind legs, looking like a cross between man and wolf. They stood over seven feet tall. They were covered in gray fur, except for their considerable sexual organs that looked partially engorged. They lifted their snouts to the moons and let out howls of delight.

“Tarn and Farun!” Demos laughed. “Looks like this is part of the show.”

Demos clapped Ryder’s shoulder and snorted.

“Tarn and Farun? Are they Weryn?” Grayson asked.

He’d somehow managed to wiggle between Ryder and Demos and was staring wide-eyed at the werewolves.

“No, they’re creations of the Kaly. These two are Caemorn’s… pets? Friends? Who knows with that Immortal,” Ryder explained with a slight moue of distast.

“I thought the Kaly Bloodline controlled the dead,” Grayson pointed out.

“They can do a lot more than that, little one,” Demos answered. “Yet I don’t think the Kaly Bloodline is next. I think… ah, yes, I should have guessed.”

Tarn and Farun were not alone. They were herding creatures ahead of them.

“Monsters!” Grayson cried.

Dozens of Night Hags were harried ahead of the werewolves. They looked like elderly women swathed in ancient tattered robes, but they were deadly predators that could spring over twenty feet and take down prey many times their size. Night Hags, unlike the other monsters in the Ever Dark, were attracted to life so they surged ahead eagerly towards all of the humans, eager to feast on their flesh and organs, leaving only picked bones in their wake.

There were creatures resembling weeping willow trees only they walked and their branches were sharp as spears and dipped in blood. They sank those branches through their prey, pinning them to the ground and sucked them dry. They called them Weepers not only because of the types of tree they resembled, but also because they let out cries that sounded like the wailing of women and men.

Then there were the Rabid Hounds. They reminded Ryder of the dogs in a video game called Resident Evil where the skin was all peeled off and only raw muscle, slick with slime or blood or something, glistened on their bodies. They had no lips so their massive jaws and razor sharp teeth were clearly visible.

“Are you sure this is part of the parade?” Grayson shrank against Ryder’s side.

Ryder was surprised at the burst of pleasure that brought him. He slid an arm around Grayson’s back.

“Yes… I am pretty sure,” Ryder said with a glance at Demos who shrugged his shoulders as if to say he was keeping an open mind.

The creatures started to advance upon them. Hunger and actual evil seemed to radiate from them. The crowd reared back. Alarmed cries rang out. But then figures in elegant black emerged from the darkness behind the creatures. They crossed their arms and bowed their heads towards Balthazar before turning their gazes upon the slathering horde.

Which stopped.

In their tracks.

“What’s happening here?” Grayson asked.

They barely seemed to breathe. The eyes that had been illuminated by hunger and malevolence were now blank. They stared ahead but did not see. Their gaping mouths shut. Those that had arms had those arms hanging loose at their sides. The clacking of fangs ceased. The crowd crept back along the edge of the parade route to get a closer look.

Now, you know from experiencing my voice in your mind that the Eyros Bloodline has the power to speak telepathically. We can know your thoughts. Your deepest secrets can be laid bare for us, Balthazar sounded smug, but he had earned it from this display. But there is another side of our power, which is that of control!

Balthazar gestured for the creatures to be marched forward. And they marched. They were controlled. They looked neither right nor left. They moved in unison to the Eyros Vampire who had hold of their minds. A girl with short black hair, black lipstick, and silver eyes controlled the nearest Night Hag. The hag started to wrestle for control, blinking and snarling confusedly. The scent of her prey so near was causing her to yearn.

She lunged for a nearby male student that sank to his haunches in fear. But the girl lifted her chin and the hag jerked backwards. The girl made a circular movement with her right hand and the hag danced a jig. There was shocked laughter and awe. But there was also a touch of something else.

Was it fear?

Ryder glanced towards Grayson. The young man’s eyes were huge. He stared at this display with a mixture of awe and shock.

“The other powers were really cool, but this…” Grayson stopped and swallowed. “It’s different, isn’t it?”

It was.