Page 57 of Ever Dark Academy, Vol. 7

I think that’s our best play. I can’t teleport us until we get out of the dungeon. Maybe not until we get out of the Spire to be safe. Imagine being teleported back in there. Fiona tipped her head to the still-open cell.

Charlie winced. Yes, that would be bad. So very, very bad.

It isn’t there in the future, Fiona mused. I know. I brought Julian here to see Caemorn.

That is likely because I will be too weak to withstand it in the future, Seeyr answered and moved slightly stiffly.

Both Fiona and Charlie flinched at her words. He did, too, but pretended he did not. He firmed his resolve. He was watching. He was doing nothing more. Besides, if Seeyr wished to be saved she could bloody well walk right out of that open cell door and help Fiona and Charlie escape to this miraculous future! If she wanted to suffer here as a pretend prisoner why was he to care? It was absurd!

I suppose… I suppose that may be right, Fiona answered carefully.

It is all right, my dear. I know most of what happens, Seeyr said with another grimace. You mustn’t suffer for me.

I–I wish I could, Fiona said suddenly. I so wish I could do something to take some of that suffering–

You already paid your price, Fiona, Seeyr said gently. And you’ve come back here to do more. No, this is my task. My task alone.

Fiona’s shoulders slumped. I know, but…

I am grateful that you think of me so kindly as to care, Seeyr murmured.

Fiona tensed. I can only imagine how we left things. You and I. If I was at odds with Eyros then I’m certain I was at odds with everyone else.

You sensed that things were heading in a dangerous direction, Seeyr admitted as she drew her arms around her chest. You just couldn’t figure out where safety was. Or if there was any.

There wasn’t. Fiona’s eyes drifted to Tanis’ body. I’m glad I wasn’t around to experience much of this.

Seeyr said nothing. There was likely a lot more to experience that would be mostly unpleasant. But Fiona and Charlie were going to run off to the future while the rest of them… Well, it didn’t matter. Eyros was safe. His people were safe.

Mostly.

If we aren’t going to teleport our way out of here then we must leave the old fashioned way, Charlie stated. Through the door and those two guards. If there are just two up there right now. I’m surprised that they haven’t stormed down here after that racket.

Fiona lifted her eyes upwards and he knew that she was listening carefully. Despite the alarm, I don’t hear more heartbeats, but I’m not sure… The alarm… someone must have heard it.

Why would the Kaly-slices have an alarm though? They don’t want any of their lackeys coming down here and seeing Seeyr, Charlie pointed out, forehead creasing.

Yes, well… Maybe it’s an alarm that only certain people in the Order are to respond to, Fiona offered with a shrug. There were many things like that in the Order when I was a member. We were all to play our roles and nothing more.

Yes, so a Spire-shaking alarm was supposed to be ignored? Charlie’s eyebrows lifted impossibly high.

Fiona sighed. You’ve no idea of the stupidity that we all agreed to. It was like we had no imagination or curiosity at all. Those things and critical thinking were discouraged at all costs.

Religion relies upon faith, not logic. Belief without facts. I imagine if you started to dissect it at all then you would feel unfaithful, Charlie offered and shivered. I stayed out of sight really until Caemorn became Preceptor. Under him, things were a little less Inquisition-ist. Until the last part, anyways.

Yes, when he was requiring Vampires without faith to join the Order, creating Blood Slaves and worse, Fiona said and curled her arms over her chest. But that wasn’t what he wanted.

No, it was Artemis’ plan, Charlie agreed. One wonders what Artemis is doing now.

With one last glance up at the ceiling, Fiona said, I, personally, don’t want to find out. We should go. Pick up Tanis and glamour her if you would. I will take out the two guards if they try to stop us. Then we head the hell out of here to the gate.

Right! Charlie nodded and leaned down to pick up the lifeless body.

Fiona turned back to Seeyr who was standing there, still looking at him with such kindness and understanding in her eyes. Eyros was not moved. In fact, his anger grew. How dare she look at him like that? She might want to be a martyr, but he had no intention of going into that good night! It was ridiculous! To sacrifice oneself! For what? A future that he would not see? All right, maybe he would see it, but he’d be someone else. And what was the price of that, the cost…

Seeyr, we truly need to know now how to use the gate to get back to our time, Fiona said.

But Seeyr was shaking her head. I know what you are going to ask, but I’ve already told you what I can and what you need to know.