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Caemorn brought out the soul gems. They glowed as they neared the translucent forms. He put one in each hand and stood between the two potential bodies. He looked into Julian’s frantic and hopeful face before shutting his eyes.

He lifted his hands up above each of the figures’ chests and he started to feed energy from the palace into the gems and through them into the bodies. Though his eyes were closed and he didn’t see this, the others told him that golden light suffused the gems, making them close so brightly in his clenched hands that they could see his bones through his skin. They told him they had to shield their eyes from the light. Well, all of them, except Daemon.

The gems were fragile now. About to powder in his hands. No longer prisons. He lowered his hands until they were inside of the translucent forms and opened his fists. He felt the gems disintegrate and the souls get released.

Instead of the souls going to that gate that was always nearby, they stayed in the bodies that rapidly became materialaround them. Caemorn kept filling them with energy until people were gasping and Daemon said, “That’s enough, Kaly. You’ve done it.”

Caemorn nearly collapsed, but Julian was there to catch him.

“Whoa! Caemorn, are you all right? Of course, you aren’t! You just created two people!” Julian laughed slightly hysterically.

His eyelids opened and he saw two human beings lying on top of the sarcophagi. Their chests were rising and falling. Their hearts were beating. They were alive!

“Their eyes are still closed. Is that normal?” Balthazar asked.

“Y-yes, they are settling in. Give them a moment. Better yet, Julian and Christian, you should touch them,” Caemorn got out.

“First, we have to keep you on your feet,” Julian said and Caemorn felt a wave of warmth towards the young prince. He knew how much Julian wanted his parents, but he was worrying about Caemorn first.

We will be friends. More than that. I will owe you my loyalty,Caemorn said.

You owe me nothing. You’ve given them back to me,Julian said.

“Let me take him from you,” Balthazar said and easily slung Caemorn’s arm over his shoulders. They then shuffled out of the way of Christian and Julian.

Julian’s fingers flexed as he and Christian both stood between the bodies, facing one another.

“We can do this, Julian. They’re waiting for us. They want to wake up,” Christian said and nodded as if hearing something. He confirmed that by saying, “I hear them. Their souls are calling to you.”

“To us,” Julian corrected.

“Yes, to us,” Christian agreed with another nod.

Julian stretched out his hands so that when he lowered them they would land on his parents’ bare shoulders. Christian did the same, though he would touch their hands. Julian breathed in deeply and glanced at Daemon. The Vampire King smiled at him and nodded. It was time.

Both Julian and Christian lowered their hands. There was an electric spark the moment that skin touched skin. The Harrows drew in sharp breaths as if emerging from deep water and their eyelids flew open. They stared upwards, at first, with no recognition in their eyes.

“M-mom? D-dad?” Julian asked, his voice cracked.

The Harrows blinked. Caemorn was holding his breath. He felt that Balthazar was doing so as well. Only Daemon seemed calm.

And then both parents turned their heads towards their son and Christian.

“Julian? Christian?” Joanna Harrow asked.

“Oh, my God, son! Christian!” Jack Harrow cried.

“You’re back.” Julian was crying and smiling. “You’re back!”

CONFIDENCE

One week later…

“Tell me that this is going to work, Seeyr,” Balthazar asked the other Immortal.

“It will work,” Seeyr answered with the same grace she had the past dozen times he’d asked.

Julian smiled at the patient tone she took with Balthazar. He understood how much was riding on Balthazar’s shoulders that night. Others might argue that Daemon was there, too, if things got out of hand so there was nothing truly to fear. Hell, theyallwere ready to pitch in against the Kaly slices. But the instructions--the plan--that had been left behind by Kaly and Eyros was clear that the two of them had to make this work on their own.