“You never told us you could mimic the music of other Lineages, Quinn.” Adrian spoke, staring his friend down as his dark brows drew into a line. “That’s not a regular Vampire power.”
“It’s a Summer Fae ability.” Dusk spoke as he stared at Quinn also, nearly as hard as Adrian. “Summer Fae can mimic any Lineage’s music once they’ve heard it, because their magic is ruled by the Music of the Spheres – Ascendant power they once descended from.”
“It is.” Quinn spoke quietly back, still watching the Revenants intently. Gradually, they were turning from Dusk’s music and staring at Quinn’s swirling copper-red aura – and at Quinn. “I have lived among the Summer Fae in Florence for centuries; study their power long enough and learn a few things. All magic is the same at its origin – the ether. Just like you are learning to share each other’s Dragon-powers, I learn from the Fae.” But without explaining more, Quinn abruptly said, “I have their attention now. Dusk, vary your magics to find a harmonic that can get through to them. See if you can wake them up to their saner minds now rather than just pause them.”
With a nod, though he still lifted an eyebrow at Quinn’s cryptic response, Dusk turned back to the three Revenants, circling slowly around the barrier. As Dusk began a new harmonic, Quinn held his version of the old one, and Layla could feel the intensity of the Master Vampire’s stare as he locked gazes with the Revenants. Like a Siren, Vampire mind-magics became more potent by eye contact, and Layla could almost feel Quinn pour his harmonic deep into each Revenant via his focus. Suddenly, all three of them stopped directly before him.
Staring Quinn down in a battle of wills.
“Dusk, you might want to hurry.” Adrian spoke now as he and Layla felt power heave between the Vampires. But as Dusk modulated his own music more quickly to find a harmonic that would allow them to communicate, the Revenants were almost listening more to Quinn, as if Quinn’s magic was intriguing to them – and desirable. A deep shiver had taken Quinn, a sweat beading on his brow as his onyx eyes seared a bright cinnamon-red, heating with vibrant gold. The same colors sparked through his smoky aura as it whirled with power; but Quinn did not break his concentration on the Revenants as Dusk continued modulating his magics. Layla could feel the Vampire Revenant’s minds pressing in now, seeking to take Quinn and eat the strangely bright magic he was manifesting.
And with a wave of dark fury, Quinn shut them out.
Suddenly, Dusk settled into a harmonic so deep that Layla’s consciousness – and nearly her entire body – was blasted far out into the ether. Reeling where she stood, Adrian barely caught her; for he was flooding out to the etheric state with her as Dusk hit that particular vibration. Layla felt her Dragon’s aura coil around Adrian, and his around hers in the ether now, deep. Dusk’s shuddering, almost unbearable harmonic was so low, Layla felt like he had somehow hit the ground vibration of the entire universe – the song planets and stars made as they were born and died. As he did, all three Revenants turned to look at him as one.
And suddenly, one of them had a mind.
Layla felt more than saw it happen as that Revenant’s eyes cleared from red to a startling gold-white. Slowly, it blinked, and she could almost make out dark eyelashes in its swirling black smoke, then a face. It was a haunting coalescence, as if the Revenant was having trouble pulling itself back into being. But slowly, she saw that swirling smoke and all its tentacles pull in and in.
Assuming the shape of a man.
Who are you?Layla heard a voice speak inside her as that Revenant stared Dusk down.How do you know the song of my death?
“Lucky guess, I suppose.” Dusk was cheeky as he watched the Revenant, astonished to have finally communicated with it. As Layla watched, she saw the man’s shadowy form swirl briefly as if re-losing his humanness, then steady. As Dusk frowned at the Revenant, holding his sub-universe harmonic and still flooding it through everything, the Revenant’s companions suddenly both coalesced into a man and a woman rather than just swirling darkness. Their eyes cleared from red to a vivid emerald for the man and a dark blue for the woman as both blinked now.
But as the first Revenant watched its fellows, it seemed to cock its head. Suddenly, with a massive sucking-in of its swirling black shape, it shot tentacles of black smoke out, piercing its companions and flooding them with its power. Though both swirled for a moment as if disturbed, they soon coalesced again. Quinn had been holding out against them with stalwart intensity, his aura sparking a hot red-gold-copper now, and with a deep shudder, he was given reprieve. Shaking, he let out a relieved breath as his power dropped.
The first Revenant watching him for a long moment before looking back to Dusk.
Your universal tone has woken us, Sapphire Dragon.It spoke then, breathing through all their minds like darkness and mist.My younger kin and I are Original and know the sound you create. It has woken us back to ourselves, and we are grateful.
“Do you have a name?” Dusk asked, watching the Revenants warily but with curiosity now, as all three seemed to have awoken to their right minds. Though Quinn hissed at the creature’s statement, his eyes wide, the trio of Revenants weren’t trying to attack anymore. But the press of ancient awareness emanating from them now was almost worse, the one with bright gold-white eyes seeming the most clever, though the other two watched the interaction with cunning intelligence also.
I never had a name, the lead Revenant cocked his head now at Dusk’s question.But there were those who called me Gold-Eyes long ago, after I fell into darkness.Why do you come here, trying to wake myself and my kin?
“We were hoping you’d be amenable to doing a task for us.” Dusk spoke back now, glancing at Quinn though the Vampire remained silent. After hearing the creature’s description of itself, Quinn had raised his magics again – and Layla felt him trying to mimic Dusk’s second harmonic, though she didn’t know why.
A task.The creature mused now, swirling slowly in its man-shape.Long ago, one such as yourself commanded us to do a task for him, to remain and guard this place. The Illuminate One wrangled myself and my brethren’s minds to his power, then bid us haunt these Ways – to guard what was precious to him in times long gone.
“You guard something? Like King Lorenz DuVir’s halls nearby?” Adrian spoke up now as he watched the creature intently.
We guard ancient Treasure.The thing breathed through all their minds as its eyes glinted cleverly.It is not the Sapphire King’s palace we protect – he bent others to his commands. We were bested by the Illuminate One, long ago. The Sapphire King’s Revenants kept us away, for a time. But now we guard all passages once more – until you woke us.
“Clearly, your existence is ancient,” Adrian spoke reasonably now with the Revenant. “And though we have not your longevity, we fight for our own freedom, just as you now enjoy yours from whomever this Illuminate One was who snared you long ago. Like you, we want freedom for ourselves and our people, from a tyrant who ensnares us.”
Who is this tyrant you oppose?Gold-Eyes spoke, its man-form swirling again before it stabilized.
“He calls himself Hunter, but his real name is Orrin Alumedi.”
At Hunter’s true name, the Revenant before them suddenly snarled. All at once, Layla felt the creature thrust its mind inside Adrian’s with a deeply coordinated strike of its mind-magics, reading the entirety of the Bind’s story. As Adrian gasped, startled and unable to raise Reginald or Fury’s magics in time to thrust the creature out, Layla felt all their history this past year with Hunter tumble out from his mind in a fast shuffle of images, which the Revenant instantly absorbed. It finished with an image of Hunter’s true face from Layla’s encounters, and as the creature ceased, Layla watched the Revenant pause.
His face deeply eager before it swirled away.
You oppose the Illuminate One.It spoke carefully now.He of a thousand faces was the one who first bid us guard these Ways. In ancient times, these passages were guarded by Crystal Dragon dead, but we drove them out at the Illuminate One’s behest. He placed his Treasure in the Ways, and bid us keep it safe.
“Fuck.” Dusk spoke now as he blinked at the Revenant. “You work for Hunter?”
To war with the Illuminate One is most unwise.The Revenant continued, sweeping them all with its golden gaze. Its companions nodded as if in agreement, paying attention to the conversation with their leader.You will lose, and then you will suffer… as our Dark Havens did of old.But you have wrested my mind from the Illuminate One’s bonds, Sapphire Dragon. Tell me… are you strong enough to do this for all my kin, confined down here in the Ways by him?
