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Daemon hummed happily. Julian shook his head, realizing he likely wouldn’t get much more out of Daemon about that right now.

Hand in hand, Julian led him towards the opposite wall of glass, but stopped short as he saw that the “sectional walls” were not just there to break up the flow of the space, but had other purposes. He realized that many of the walls hadweaponson them. And not just any weapons, butmagicalweapons.

The hair on the back of Julian’s neck stood on end as the magic rolled down the blade of a longsword that hung on one of the walls with the hilt towards the ceiling and the blade hanging Damocles-like towards the floor. The blade was almost four feet long and three inches wide with a hilt and guard a mix of silver and gold set with a single diamond at the end. The diamond was the size of a golf ball and its facets twinkled at Julian as if daring him to stroke them. The blade was inscribed with symbols that glowed softly like moonlight on water.

“Symbols of all the Bloodlines,” Daemon explained. He caught Julian’s hand before it closed upon the hilt to bring it down. “Reaper is a powerful weapon.”

“Reaper?” Julian asked.

Daemon nodded. “One strike--onescratch--from it and one’s opponent dies inevitably even if they survive the battle.”

Julian shivered. “There must be a cost to wielding such a powerful weapon.”

“Yes,” Daemon answered, but he said no more and his mind was black.

“Why do you keep it out like this where anyone could take it?” Julian asked as he took a respectful step away from Reaper.

“Because I would want to know who is foolish or brave enough to touch it,” Daemon explained.

“Good point.” Julian nodded.

They started towards the other set of windows and crossed a rectangular, open area where there was a multi-tiered chandelier over the entirety of the space. Julian looked up at the crystals hanging there and frowned. He thought the lights coming from inside themmoved.

“A gift from Kaly,” Daemon murmured.

Julian swallowed. “Soul gems? Filled soul gems?”

“Indeed.”

“You could free these people,” Julian said with more passion than he had intended.

But, then again, how could he not be passionate when his parents were currently trapped this way?

“They’re my enemies,” Daemon answered.

Julian blinked and looked up again. “Oh, they…”

“They deserve to be where they are, Julian. You must trust me on this,” Daemon told him simply.

Julian wanted to get out from under the chandelier though. “What is this space used for? It looks big enough to dance in.”

Not that he would want to dance under the ghostly glow of people’s souls, enemies or not.

“It has been used as a more intimate place to dance than the grand ballroom,” Daemon said as they finally passed out from under the ghostly lights.

They’d reached the far wall. Julian’s steps quickened as they neared the fall wall. This wall of floor to ceiling windows looked out upon the Ever Dark’s vast forest. There were hills, upon rolling hills of trees as tall as the California redwoods. Julian imagined an intricate root system connecting them all down deep beneath the earth. They weren’t many trees, but simply branches of a single large organism. His Vampiric eyesight allowed him to catch something gray and white loping along the edge of the forest nearest them before disappearing into the darkness.

“Werewolf,” Daemon said.

“Like Tarn and Farun,” Julian murmured. “But free.”

“For now,” Daemon remarked.

Julian turned towards him and lifted an eyebrow. “You want a pet werewolf?”

“All serve the king in the Ever Dark, but no, if they come too close to the city, one of the Vampires will capture or kill them,” Daemon explained. “Without me fully present, the cities in the Ever Dark have become islands of safety in a sea of danger. The creatures here will settle down and keep a respectful distance in time.”

“Do you think Tarn and Farun are done with Caemorn? He does have his bear now,” Julian remarked.