She hesitated.
“Don’t you think Hazel and Ruby need to know about this?” she asked.
“Eventually yes—but I’ll just worry them both sick. Let’s wait until we know exactly what’s happening, then we can tell them.”
She didn’t look pleased with the arrangement.
“Please, Yelena. I-I need your help.”
“Okay,” she replied uncertainly. “I’ll do it. Just promise me you’ll be careful in the forests. I hear noises coming from them sometimes—horrible noises.” She looked out the window, her face still ghost-white with fear.
“Not as bad as the noises in my head,” I replied. “Trust me.”
She nodded slowly and I exhaled in relief. The whole conversation had given me a bit more hope. Maybe Yelena and I could get to the bottom of this and stop it ourselves without having to bother the others—they had enough on their plate with Julian and the ongoing saga with the barriers.
“Thanks, Yelena, I really appreciate it,” I said awkwardly.
She gave me a very small smile.
“Are you going to be less mean to me after this?” she asked.
I blushed.
“Yeah, well, you know…I kind of thought you were a bit out of your depth with all this stuff before—but I was wrong. Sorry,” I muttered under my breath while looking at the floor.
“That’s a terrible apology.”
I shrugged.
“Whatever.” She smiled properly this time. “It’s all cool. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“Good luck out there… You’ll need it.”
Ruby
Ash had asked me to wait for him in the garden that we’d visited together during the trials. It wasn’t exactly the perfect day for sitting outside—the sky was still as murky as it had been yesterday, but it was nice to get a second opportunity to be away from the castle, and finally, finally, we had some time to ourselves. The guards were continuing their search around Nevertide and we had exhausted ourselves looking in the castle and village. Unless we were willing to brave the forests—something that Ash had put his foot down on—there was nothing else to do but wait to hear from the guards.
I felt apprehensive. Not just about Julian—that was a constant worry that had sort of lurked at the back of my mind ever since he’d gone missing—but also about spending time with Ash. Being around other people constantly might have been annoying, but it also provided a safety barrier between us, neither of us having to acknowledge what our feelings were toward one another, or talk about what had happened after the disk trial. I still felt a twinge of guilt every time someone brought up the trials, annoyed that I hadn’t been able to help him more, that we’d come so far and yet lost at the last hurdle. It was a devastating blow for Ash, and though he tried to put on a brave face most of the time, I could see that it still pained him.
I’d never quite worked out how I’d managed to find myself in the hallway of the castle that night, nor why I’d woken with so little energy. I supposed it didn’t really matter now, but occasionally, when I happened to walk past the spot where I’d been found, I felt a sense of unease, like I could half-remember something, but then it would be gone, and I couldn’t keep a hold on the memory. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone since the trials, and I didn’t want to dwell on it when there was so much going on already…but the thought that I’d been lying, unprotected and unconscious, in the halls of the Hellswan castle in the middle of the night kind of freaked me out.
I smiled as Ash’s familiar form approached through a gap in the ivied wall of the garden. I was sitting right at the end of the overgrown pathway, on a small patch of grass beneath what looked like a sycamore tree—the same place where we’d sat the first time we visited. Ash looked up and waved, smiling to himself. In his hand he carried a large wicker basket. It dawned on me what was happening here.
“A picnic?” I asked teasingly.
“You owe me one.” He grinned back, plonking himself down on the grass and pushing the basket toward me. Before the trials had truly gotten underway, Ash had asked if I’d wanted to have a picnic with him, and I’d refused—wanting us both to keep our mind on the trials, and not each other. Now there was nothing stopping us…and I guessed this counted as our first actual date.
My face reddened.
“What did you bring?” I asked brightly, turning my attention to the basket. I opened it and found a loaf of bread, juice, fruit, and a bunch of other items all wrapped up in paper and tied with string. Ash—or Jenney—had outdone themselves. It was a feast.
“Everything I could.” He smirked. “Are you going to look at me, Shortie, or just keep rifling through the basket?”
I looked up at him, laughing.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “This feels kind of weird.”
“I know. It’s because we haven’t spent any time together,” he replied, taking hold of both my hands. His were quite warm, and he stroked the back of my hands gently. Suddenly the gray sky, the picnic and the dampness of the grass ceased to matter. All I was aware of was Ash, his pale face intent on mine, and the broadness of his body that seemed to shelter us both.
“I’m assuming that you don’t regret what happened between us?” he asked with a cocky smile. For a moment I wondered how he could be so confident, but then realized that without me noticing, my body had leant toward his, our faces now only inches apart. Evidently, my feelings were obvious.
“No,” I replied. “Do you?”
“Absolutely not. I wanted you the moment I saw your angry, dirty face through Jenus’ cellar—and I’ve wanted you more every day ever since.”
My stomach flipped, and I found myself struggling to respond.
I didn’t need to.
Ash leaned down, closing the inches of space between us. I felt the soft brush of his lips against mine, holding me in a sweet chaste kiss for a moment, before I leaned into him, deepening the pressure—wanting more of his body against mine, and to taste the warmth of his mouth. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me up sideways on to his lap. He ran a hand down my spine, and I gasped into his mouth. Our bodies entwined more closely, so that we almost became one. I never wanted his touches to end, to have to suffer the loss of his mouth melded around mine. My breathing hitched, and our kisses deepened, his hands pushing against me firmly, tracing the outlines of my form, running along my ribcage, and gently brushing against my breasts till I was shivering all over in anticipation.
“We need to stop,” he whispered hoarsely against me. “We’re outside.”
A soft moan escaped from the back of my throat.
“Yeah, I know,” I replied reluctantly, recovering and moving back slightly, but still clasped within the cradle of his arms.
“You drive me crazy, Ruby,” he murmured into my hair.
The feeling was mutual.
I’d had crushes on other guys my age in The Shade and had kissed a few of them. But none of them had even come close to the effect that Ash had on me. I didn’t know whether it was the mind-melding or all that we’d been through together, but I’d never felt so close to another person outside of my friends and family before. Even though there were things that were unsaid between us, and a divide caused by our worlds being so far apart, I felt like Ash saw me differently to the way other people did. Even at my worst, and those days in the cellar had definitely been my worst, Ash still wanted me. Still saw the best in me.
“Ash, have you thought about coming back with me, to my world, once the borders are down?” I asked hesitantly.
He looked into my eyes, pushing a lock of hair back behind my ear.
“I have thought about it,” he replied slowly.
“And?”
“I don’t know. Would you want me to come back with you?” he asked.
“I think it could be good. There are lots of jobs where I come from, more alternatives for you than just servant or minister… plus you’d get to watch that TV thing I was
telling you about.” I smiled teasingly.
He laughed, and kissed my collarbone. It sent another round of shivers cascading through my body.
“That doesn’t really answer my question,” he replied.
“I want you there.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they were true. I did want Ash to come back with me when we returned to Earth. He might have been born in Nevertide, but Ash was more human than a lot of humans I’d met. He deserved the chance at a life outside of this dimension—and I wanted to be with him when it unfolded.
“Am I interrupting something?”
I jerked away from Ash at the sound of an invasive, feminine voice splintering through the peace of the garden.
Queen Trina Seraq stood a few yards from us, looking imperious in her royal blue robes, and covered in glittering jewels. Ash and I hastily untangled ourselves from one another.
“Your Highness,” Ash acknowledged.
She smiled down at him, nodding her head gracefully. As Ash moved to get to his feet, she turned to stare at me, her eyes cold, but the smile remaining fixed in place.
“Ruby, a pleasure to see you again… though I would have thought you’d have left by now?”
I hesitated, wondering how much I was meant to divulge about the borders, but it seemed strange that Queen Trina wouldn’t know about them.
“The borders remain,” Ash replied, taking the onus off me.
Queen Trina laughed. “Oh, how silly of me. Of course. Such a mystery…the Hellswan ministers are so cloak and dagger, aren’t they?”
I returned her smile weakly. I didn’t believe for a second that she’d ‘forgotten’ that the Nevertide borders hadn’t yet come down—so what had been the point in that brief charade?
“Ashbik,” she continued, moving swiftly on from the subject, “I have a proposition to make to you. I was so impressed with your performance in the trials—genuinely, truly impressed with someone so young and of undistinguished birth having such abilities—that I wanted to offer you the position of royal advisor in my kingdom.”
I gaped at her.
That was a double-edged compliment if ever I heard one.
What a cow!
Ash stood silent for a moment. I looked up at him, trying to read his expression, but it was impassive. I felt relieved that he wasn’t jumping at the offer.
“I could use a man like you,” she continued. “I don’t want the Hellswans getting another chance at Nevertide rule—the imperial trials will start soon. Assist me, and it’s your chance to make a real difference in all the kingdoms, not just your own.”
“It’s a generous offer,” Ash acknowledged.
“It is,” retorted the queen, her eyes flashing. “And it won’t be on the table forever.”
“Understood. I would like some time to think it over.”
Queen Trina’s glare then shot to me, as if I was the reason for his hesitation. I kept my expression impassive—I wasn’t going to be intimidated by her. She wasn’t my queen, and though she’d been helpful to Ash in the trials, I didn’t feel that either of us owed her anything. Abelle’s warning rang in my ears.
“You have till tomorrow. Then the offer is off the table.” She spun around, heading in the direction of the garden’s entrance. “Oh, one thing.” She flashed a smile. “You might also think about getting your humans home, Ash—it doesn’t look like the Hellswan ministers are capable of doing what needs to be done. If those borders were to remain in the power of the Hellswans…well, you might never lift them.” She shrugged, her eyes gleaming, and then turned to leave us.
“What do you think?” Ash turned to me as soon as she’d left, his eyes bright.
“I don’t know… I’m not sure how much I trust her…” I hedged, not wanting to cast a complete downer on the offer without knowing how Ash felt first.
Ash turned to look in the direction she’d just exited.
“I agree,” he said eventually. “But I don’t know if I trust Tejus any more than I do her. Or the Hellswan ministers.”
I nodded. We agreed on that point, at least…but still, there was something about Queen Trina that unnerved me, that I couldn’t quite place a finger on. It could have just been Abelle’s warning, and that I’d been swayed by her concern, but I thought she was right to be wary of the woman. And I’d promised that I’d look out for Ash.
“I get that, but I just wonder if she’s got…other motives,” I finished lamely.
“Everyone’s always got other motives,” Ash reasoned. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t take advantage of the offer. It would be a big step up for me. And she’s right—I don’t want the position of emperor going to a Hellswan. I could help make a real difference – you need to understand; the whole of Nevertide has been suffering for a while. We’ve been having near constant bad crop yields. Nothing seems to be growing anymore. Taxes are astronomical, and no one can keep up. Sentries all over Nevertide have it bad, not just in Hellswan .”
“I do understand that, but what about you, Ash? What about what we were just talking about—you leaving Nevertide?” I asked softly, feeling like I was out in the cold a bit and not really part of Ash’s decision-making process. I knew I had no right to be, really, it was his life, but I’d thought a moment ago he’d seemed keen to return to my dimension.
“It would be until then,” he replied hurriedly. “Unfortunately I’m not holding out much hope for the borders anytime soon, what with Tejus left in control.”
Okay. Not what I wanted to hear.
“We don’t know that for sure. Hazel’s doing everything she can,” I retorted.
He came and sat back down next to me.
“I’m sorry,” he replied more gently. “I know. I just think that this could be a good opportunity. Like you and Hazel in the trials, spreading your bets so that you had a better chance of returning home. If we align with the queen for a short while, it might help you in the long run.”
His ‘you’ didn’t escape my notice. Had he changed his mind so quickly? I didn’t want to believe that. Ash was impulsive, but this impulsive? I preferred instead to put it down to the initial excitement of the job offer. Maybe when he had more time to think, he would consider his options more carefully.
“And I guess you would stay in Queen Trina’s kingdom?” I asked, suddenly realizing that we might be separated. I didn’t know if I could bear Hellswan castle without Ash.
“I was hoping…that if I took the job, you would come with me?”
“I can’t leave my friends, Ash,” I said quietly.
There was no way I could abandon them—not while Julian was still missing, which also left Benedict without any of us around while Hazel remained with Tejus in his quarters.
“I understand,” he sighed. “I suppose I need to know more. Maybe I could have another talk with Queen Trina, work out the details before I make my decision.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” I replied slowly.
Selfishly, I wanted him to refuse the position outright.
“Aren’t you offended by what she said about your birth?” I asked.
Ash smiled wryly. “That’s royalty for you, Shortie. They’re all like that—if I want to better myself at all in this world, then I need to get used to it.”
“It’s not like that in my world,” I replied. “You wouldn’t have to ever get used to it there.”
“But I’d have to get used to a whole load else.” He laughed, leaning back against the tree. He pulled me back with him, resting my head against his chest. I listened to the regularity of his heartbeat, knowing that the conversation was over—for now.
Don’t go, Ash, I pleaded. Please don’t go.
Hazel
I’d stopped to look in the human quarters this morning, to see if I could find Benedict to relieve him of the stone, but he wasn’t there, and none of the kids had seen him. Ash and Ruby were also absent – Jenney murmured something about Ash looking into new job offers – so I hoped he
was with them. Not sure what else to do, I left a note in his room telling him to come and find me as soon as he was in, then I rejoined Tejus to continue going through the old volumes of the ministers, hoping that we could find mention of the ‘entity’ that was currently holding Nevertide on lockdown.
“We’re going to go to the castle library,” Tejus told me as soon as I ascended the winding staircase to his rooms.
We went back the way I’d come and crossed the main belly of the castle into another wing.
“This was Danto’s favorite place. I never visited it much,” Tejus commented as he wrenched open the cobwebbed door to the room. Clearly no one had been here in a while. It was no wonder the ministers didn’t know a thing, if no one was willing to take an interest in the history of their land.
Tejus held the door open for me, and I stepped into a huge room. Here, the gray stone of the rest of the castle had been partly replaced with red-veined marble. The room was divided by huge arches, and books lined every available surface. To the left of the entrance, there was a stained-glass window, reaching upward to the eaves of the ceiling. A reading table was positioned beneath it, with unlit chandeliers running along its length. I wished I’d known about this place earlier—it would have been one of the places in Hellswan castle that I would have enjoyed spending time in.
“Wow,” I breathed.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Tejus looked around with disinterest. “Though I’m not entirely sure where we start looking.”
“In the history section,” I replied.
Tejus glanced at me with a questioning expression. “What do you mean?”
“A history—or nonfiction—section. You must have one?” I repeated slowly, wondering why Tejus was choosing to be so dense.
“Hazel, this is all history. We don’t keep ‘fiction’ here. Made-up stories are for children.”
I burst out laughing, mainly because I thought I might cry otherwise—I’d never heard anything so tragic.