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He found himself taking one step then another and then another towards the throne.

He reached towards the nearest bony arm of the throne.

His fingers brushed the top of it. For a moment, Ryder could almost grasp hold of the past. The answers to all his questions.

The why. The how. The way it went. He just needed to sit down on this throne of enemies to know.

But the blackness inside of him that would have confirmed all he desired to understand would consume him.

He snatched his hand back, he turned, and he ran. For the price of such knowledge would be the destruction of all he held dear.

“When he wakes up--and he will wake up--will he be Ryder or Weryn, Balthazar?” Grayson asked the Eyros Vampire.

“Technically, Ryder is Weryn and Weryn is Ryder. He is one person,” Balthazar answered.

“But he certainly didn’t act like it. So are you making sure that he’ll come back as him?” Grayson asked.

“I can give him time to digest the memories. Maybe then he’ll be able to slowly reintegrate them rather than having them overwhelm him, but I can’t guarantee anything,” Balthazar answered.

Balthazar was crouched by the pile of furs where Ryder was lying down, still unconscious.

They’d moved him from Daemon’s Palace and taken him to the Weyrn quarters as the weakness that Daemon had held at bay returned with a vengeance.

Daemon and Julian had remained behind to deal with some other matters.

Grayson had a feeling that Daemon didn’t want questions from all of them that he either couldn’t–or wouldn’t –answer.

Grayson grimaced. His head was throbbing. Even being away from the Palace wasn’t really helping. He’d used so much energy. Only his fear for Ryder kept him on his feet.

“You should sit down. You’re trembling,” Balthazar said kindly.

“I’ll be okay, I just need to know that Ryder is…” He found that he had no words.

“Come sit here. I have juice and cookies for you,” Dani said. “I normally need blood when I’ve used my powers extensively. I assume sugar will be the human equivalent.”

“From your own stash, I see, Dani,” Balthazar remarked, having glanced at the wafer cookies that were topped with a solid hunk of dark chocolate.

“I didn’t have time to go to one of your kitchens, Balthazar. I wasn’t going to stray very far.” Dani gave the Eyros Vampire a meaningful look.

Grayson looked between them and frowned.

He wondered what was going on there. Maybe she was mad that they hadn’t told her that a human could use telekinesis too.

But she didn’t seem angry at him about it.

In fact, she appeared intent on staying near him and making sure he was okay.

Hence, the cookies and juice. He found that he didn’t mind her concern even though he’d just met her.

Though it seemed incongruous to have someone so noble and definitely powerful taking such a personal interest in him.

But, then again, he’d had so many Immortals and Vampires do so that maybe he should stop questioning it.

Or question it a lot more.

But he grimaced as his head throbbed again. He would just take advantage of her kindness. He was too out of sorts to worry about this now.

She smiled at Grayson then and patted a seat at the long table which appeared to be the only other piece of furniture in Ryder’s room. “Sit and restore yourself. You can see Ryder from here.”

“If he wakes up, do you think you can hold him, Dani? I’m feeling a little… weak at the moment,” he confessed.

“I’ll do what I can. But I hope it won’t be necessary,” she said.

“I feel the same way. I hope it's Ryder on top when he opens his eyes.” Grayson got up to his feet and swayed. Caemorn steadied him, moving with liquid fastness from leaning against the wall, to Grayson’s side.

“You do need to sit down,” Caemorn said quietly.

Grayson gave a reluctant nod and let Caemorn help him to a chair. “Normally, using my power like that would take me out for a day at least. I don’t think I’ve ever used that much power actually. I’m surprised I’m on my feet at all. Maybe I’m getting better at this. Maybe it's the Ever Dark.”

“You’ve had this ability since you were a child?” Dani asked.

“Yeah, really it kicked in when I reached puberty and there were… reasons I needed to defend myself,” he answered.

He’d already dug up his mother and stepfather today. He didn’t want to repeat it.

“I’m glad you had it to keep yourself safe,” she said.

“Me too, though sometimes it’s been difficult.”

He sank gratefully down onto the chair. Dani pushed a bottle of grapefruit juice and a cookie in front of him. Grayson eagerly took a sip and bite of both. The sugar was making him feel a little better. But then he looked at Ryder’s unconscious form and that good feeling faded.

“He’s strong. He’ll be all right,” Dani said and urged him to eat the cookie.

“Yeah, he’s strong,” Demos said. He sat in a chair beside Grayson. “You were right, Grayson. Immortals are 1000 times stronger than Vampires. I don’t think I really understood that. You two have been hiding your strength, haven’t you?”

He asked that of Caemorn and Balthazar.

“Would it have made you feel better to know that the two Vampire Bloodlines you fear the most have Immortals that could crush you like an insect?” Caemorn asked as ran his hands over the head chair’s top.

“I suppose not.” Demos grimaced. “But maybe it would have made Lawson less eager to face you down.”

“Lawson was a liability waiting to happen. And Ryder needed to accept his place as Weryn,” Balthazar said. “You know this. There was no other way this could go.”

“Did King Daemon bring all those Vampires down to the Ring just so they could see the power of an Immortal unleashed?” Grayson asked.

“Probably. As part of it. He has many reasons,” Balthazar answered with a shrug. “But they are all good ones.”

“Well, seeing Ryder as Weryn definitely changed minds. I mean Immortals aren’t just stronger, but they have more powers, too, right? That thing with the animals…” Grayson shivered. “Normal Weryn can’t do that, right?”

Demos shook his head. “I did not know that anyone could do that.”

“You didn’t see King Daemon use Armageddon at the Spire,” Caemorn said dryly. “That should have kept everyone respectful. But, obviously, another lesson was in order.”

The others shivered this time but Grayson had no idea what Armageddon was. They didn’t look inclined to explain at that moment either.

“Why is Ryder different as Weryn, but you guys are yourselves?” Grayson asked. “I mean… I’m assuming you’re different from your old Immortal personalities. You’re not all laying waste to your Bloodline and starting again, right? Or did I miss that part?”

“In a way, you did miss that part at least for me,” Caemorn answered as he crossed his arms behind his back. “But you are correct. All the Immortals--except Seeyr--are not as they once were. The personalities we have from our latest life are on top . Who we were is lost to the ages.”

“And from what I saw in Ryder’s mind, maybe that’s best,” Balthazar muttered. “The War happened. It’s in the past. And it needs to stay there.”

He had a hand on Ryder’s forehead. Hopefully, he could give Ryder that time he needed to reintegrate.

“If you wish it to stay in the past, that’s rather difficult with Weryn returned,” Dani replied softly. “My experience with him is that he won’t let the past remain past. He holds grudges like a dragon hoards gold.”

Demos’ head jerked up. “You--are you…” He glanced strangely at Grayson who was crunching a cookie. “Are you Ashyr’s--”

“Childe? Yes, yes, I am.” Dani stared hard at Demos now as if he had greatly disappointed her. “I was made before the War. Well, obviously.”

What does she mean obviously? Grayson wondered.

“You never said.” Demos’ shoulders hunched.

“Because speaking of the past is painful,” she said.

“So you were there for the War? You know how it started?” Balthazar asked.

Caemorn went stiff.

“If you wish to know what happened, why haven’t you asked your own fledgling. Elgar was there?” Dani pointed out and shook the cookies at Grayson again.

“Elgar’s mind is fragile,” Balthazar said with a sigh. “Asking him about the past sends him into a catatonic state.”

“Then why not ask Seeyr or Sophia?” Dani asked. “There are even some still among the Weryn that survived that would know.”

“Siban is the only one from that era. They are allegedly Weryn’s Childe, not that he cared. He put them with the rest. The garbage,” Demos muttered.

“Was Ryder wrong to do that?” Grayson asked into the silence that fell.

Everyone stiffened. Grayson drank the rest of the tart, sweet juice and wiped the wetness from his mouth.

“You saved them, Grayson,” Dani said softly.

Grayson’s arms curled tightly around his chest. “Yes, and I stand by what I did and said. But there was something that I left out. Weryn didn’t seem like he was doing nuance right then.”

He’d thought about this long and hard regarding his mother.

He knew she was in a bad spot with his stepfather, but she’d dragged him into it too.

His stepfather hadn’t just turned on a dime.

There had been signs that she wouldn’t see.

And one night, when his stepfather had gone after him when he’d been protecting her, for a moment, she’d look relieved.

Relieved not to bear the brunt of his rage and fists.

She’d immediately launched herself between them, but he’d seen that look.

It had never left him. Her actions were understandable on one level but unforgivable on another.

“What did you leave out?” Dani prodded.

“That while they weren’t worthy of Second Deaths, maybe they aren’t worthy of being Weryns either,” Grayson answered. “Weryns are pack, right, Demos?”

Demos nodded. “We think we are stronger together, not just as Houses, but as a whole.”

“Except you’re not if you can’t trust each other,” Grayson pointed out. “It’s actually worse than if you thought you were alone. People you believe in who you can’t trust are more dangerous than enemies.”

Demos’ shoulders slumped. “You might have a point there.”

“You have Ryder’s back. He remembered that even when he didn’t remember anything else,” Grayson said as he moved to take the second to last cookie. “Dani, you should have the last one. These are your favorites.”

“I would give you all I have,” she answered. Grayson blinked. She looked incredibly upset. Blinking back tears upset. “Something terrible happened to you in this life, didn’t it?”

This life? This is all I’ve had, but okay. Vampires do believe in reincarnation. Well, more than believe. They have proof.

“Ah, well, uhm, it doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago and I’m over it. But it taught me not to assume you can trust anyone, not even the people you’re supposed to be able to,” Grayson answered. “So maybe Weryn has a point not wanting people he can’t trust in his Bloodline.”

“That is a hard thing to know for one so young,” she said quietly.

He didn’t like seeing Dani upset. She seemed so nice. She seemed more than that. When he looked at her he actually felt a kind of warmth fill him. He didn’t want to ever see her hurt or angry. He wanted her to be happy. He looked away from her, feeling confused. His head really ached.

“But I knew that Ryder would never forgive himself if he hurt them, if he hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it.

I don’t know if he should ever trust these Weryn, but at least he gets to make that decision when he’s himself.

At least, if he comes back as himself,” Grayson said with another worried look over at Ryder.

“Weryn has no one to blame but himself for the state of his Bloodline and every other Bloodline.” Dani’s expression went dark.

“Why?” Grayson asked.

Balthazar held up a hand almost as if to stop her. “I’m sure he had a good reason for… for it.”

“For what?” Grayson asked.

“For starting the War,” Dani answered grimly.

“Wait! Are you saying that Weryn started the Immortal War you guys are always going on about?” Grayson asked.

“We’re not always going on about it. Clearly, we hardly talk about it all,” Balthazar said with a wave at Dani.

“I suppose some would argue that Weryn merely retaliated against Kaly, but he went after everyone. He embroiled them all in his hatred and need for revenge,” Dani said.

Grayson looked over at Caemorn. His shoulders were slumped. Balthazar came over to his side and touched his elbow.

“You weren’t yourself,” Balthazar said.

“It does not matter,” Caemorn answered. “I did whatever I did. What did I do?”

He asked that of Dani.

“You killed the love of Weryn’s existence,” she said quietly.

Grayson’s heart fell into his feet. Ryder had a great love? A love of his existence? “Who?”

She looked sad and something else he couldn’t really put into words as she said, “Ashyr.”