I offered him my hand, and he shook it, relieved.
“Ashbik, you should know”—he hesitated, glancing around the hallway— “not all want you in power…you will have enemies within the ministry. Might I suggest that you deal with them swiftly? Know that I am at your service.”
This time my thanks were genuine.
I had always known from the beginning that if I were ever to succeed to the throne, there would be many within the ministry who would not want me there. I would have to watch my back…though I had expected that threat to come from the Hellswan family themselves.
Ragnhild left, and we changed course, going back to the human quarters. I didn’t really know where else to go. If the ministers needed to find me, they knew where to look.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Ruby whispered as we continued down the corridor.
“Don’t worry. I always knew that would be the deal. I’ve also got a few more supporters than I thought I would have,” I replied, looking straight at her.
She smiled, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere.
“Are you thinking about the trials?” I asked.
“Queen Trina.”
I shot Ruby a reassuring smile, but if I was perfectly honest with myself I was worried about that too. I had seen the power that she had shown during the trials so far, and the woman was deadly. Fast, vicious, determined. Sometimes I had wondered if she was receiving help from the Impartial Ministers. She always seemed to be prepared, even when the others weren’t. The only time I had seen her truly affected was after the first trial, where they had taken the hallucinogens. I had no idea whose beating heart she had gripped in her fist, but it had hurt her. Badly.
Originally, I had turned a blind eye. I hadn’t wanted to believe that she was getting help from them—all I had cared about was bringing the Hellswan rule to an end. Now my primary goal would be keeping her out of power.
“Ashbik?”
I heard the quivering voice of Qentos behind me, and turned to face him. Lithan was at his side, his beady little eyes fixed on my hand holding Ruby’s.
“Yes?” I retorted. They had already started to irritate me.
“I take it you’ve h-heard the good news?” stuttered Qentos. “We are to take you to the Impartial Ministers at dawn…you should…look the part.”
The sentry was actually starting to sweat now, and I took pity on him.
“I’ll wear the right robes, Qentos.”
Jenney will have to swipe some for me…
“The other kings and Queen Trina will also have an opinion on this,” snapped Lithan. “I doubt that Queen Trina will agree, to be honest.”
“Maybe,” I agreed mildly, knowing that it would infuriate Lithan.
He glared at me. “You should be more concerned than that—she holds substantial sway over the Impartial Ministers.”
I knew that, and I didn’t need Lithan’s reminder. But I also knew that Queen Trina had been concerned about coming up against Tejus in the trials—she thought he was a worthy opponent, whereas I had a feeling that she would underestimate me. That would work to my advantage.
“Maybe,” I agreed again, smiling at Lithan. “Maybe not.”
My words had the desired effect, and Lithan turned away from me in disgust.
“We will need Tejus to attend too,” muttered Qentos as he watched the departing figure of his fellow minister. “He hasn’t yet explained himself to the Impartial Ministers…they will have a lot to say about this, a lot to say!”
“I’ll see you later, Qentos,” I replied, wanting to leave the sentry to his own panic. I had enough of my own to deal with.
Ruby and I carried on to the human quarters, both of us silent for a while as we observed more horrified and confused looks from passing ministers.
“I really need to get them replaced,” I muttered.
“Qentos and Lithan, or the entire lot of them?” Ruby replied with a grin. “I’m totally behind either decision.”
I laughed. “Lithan and Qentos for now…maybe the others later.”
I was joking about it with Ruby, but I meant every word. If Lithan was against me, then he would be a problem—a dangerous one. Whether Qentos was on my side or not was irrelevant. He was weak, and would side with Lithan on all matters. The only problem was, I didn’t know who else I could trust in the current Hellswan ministry. I didn’t trust Tejus’s judgment on the matter either. Like most people who had been brought up in the seat of power, Tejus always felt he could rule by force—I didn’t think he’d even considered the idea that his ministers might not be behind his every rule and decision.
Maybe I could get rid of them all?
The idea was tempting, but I wasn’t going to seriously consider it—not yet. I was far from wielding that kind of power. Right now, I was still seen as a kitchen boy.
“I think you’re going to be great, by the way.” Ruby looked at me sideways, a small smile playing on her lips.
“At being king?”
“King and emperor. I know you can do it, Ash. You’re the most impressive sentry I know.”
“You don’t know that many sentries,” I pointed out.
“I know enough,” she rebuked. “You’ve wanted this ever since you were a kid. Don’t let Queen Trina or anyone else get in the way—this is your chance.”
The fact that she believed I could survive the trials and knock Queen Trina out of the running was humbling, but I couldn’t quite share her optimism. Tejus had been wounded so badly that he’d had to step down. That didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. Before the kingship trials, I’d believed that I could beat him—not easily, but that it would be possible. After hearing and seeing all that he’d faced in the trials and within his own kingdom with the entity, Tejus had gone up in my estimation, and I felt like I paled in comparison.
“I feel like I already had my chance, and I blew it,” I replied, thinking of the kingship trials.
“I blew it, remember?” Ruby replied earnestly. “I’m starting to think that Benedict might have sucked my energy dry the night before the trials—it would explain why I had none for you to syphon off, and why I woke up alone in a random hallway of the castle. Creepy, right?”
“Right,” I muttered darkly. It was more than creepy—it made me incensed with rage that the entity had harmed Ruby in that way, and used her friend to do it. She was putting on a brave face now, but I remembered how devastated she’d been after the disk trials…and that kiss.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked curiously.
“Nothing. Just… remembering.”
“Remembering what?”
“When I look back on that day, it’s not really the trial I remember—it’s you.”
I pulled her body toward mine, sliding my hands around her waist. I didn’t care that we were out in the middle of the hallway, and I no longer paid attention to the disbelieving looks of the ministers.
“Ash, we’re in…”
“I don’t care,” I interjected.
“Okay,” she breathed as I lowered my mouth to hers. She lifted up on her tiptoes, and our lips met. It was a chaste kiss, but it was enough—enough to make me want to carry Ruby off to a room somewhere and let the trials, the ministers, the kings, the crowns, everything continue without me. If I could remain in Ruby’s arms, then that would be enough for me. It would be enough for anyone—kitchen boy or king.
“Come on.” She smiled dozily at me. “We need to get Jenney to steal you some appropriate clothes.”
I laughed against her forehead. “How do you know I don’t have any?”
“I just do—unless you’re planning on wearing an apron.”
“It’s tempting. It would really give the ministers something to stare at,” I mused.
“If that’s your only game plan, then I have a much better way of getting those results…”
Ruby pulled on the collar of my shirt, bringing me down toward her. She kissed me again, more deeply this time, her tongu
e nudging against mine and her hands winding around my neck.
I was too entranced to notice, but I think we put on quite a show.
Hazel
When the raised voices had died down, I leaned back against the bedframe in relief. I’d hated shutting Ruby out—literally—but I didn’t know how to tell her what had happened. I knew I would eventually, but I just couldn’t make sense of it myself yet. Honestly, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to fully make sense of it. Now that the initial shock had sort of died down, other realities reared up to face me. How was I going to explain this to my mom and dad? What would happen when I returned to The Shade—would I be a danger to people? Also, more immediately, had Tejus known this would happen? Was this why he had asked me to stay away? And if so, why the hell hadn’t he warned me explicitly?
I recalled the shocked expression he’d exhibited when I first started syphoning off him. Perhaps he hadn’t expected it exactly, but the look of horror that had replaced it kind of indicated to me that he had known what had happened almost immediately.
Reluctantly, I accepted the fact that I needed to speak to Tejus. Hopefully he could answer some of my questions—and if he couldn’t, then I would make damn sure that he got the answers from somewhere.
I looked around the room, trying to locate my clothing. I found my pants and shirt, and then the black robe I’d been wearing for warmth. I wanted a bath, desperately, but I wanted answers more. Comfort would have to wait.
The hunger I was feeling had settled down into a dull ache ever since I’d been alone in the room. I expected that it would flare up again as soon as I got close to Tejus, but I was ready for it. I would have to learn to control it, or spend the rest of my days avoiding my friends and family in case I sucked their energy totally dry. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be a baby vamp… I’d witnessed the insatiable hunger that those new to the lifestyle experienced, and this didn’t seem much different. There didn’t seem to be enough energy in the world to satisfy me. I could only hope that, like vamps’ hunger for blood, it would fade over time—and that I would learn to control it, just like Tejus did.
Slowly, cautiously, I opened the door to the bedroom.
Tejus was sitting on the sofa, head in hands, surrounded by the devastation that Benedict had caused. The lights of the stones in the lock cast the room in ever-changing colors, suffusing with the soft light coming from outside—dawn could only be a few hours away. It had been a long night.
My instant reaction was to fly into Tejus’s arms to find comfort. It wasn’t a good idea. Not after what had happened last time. And I could already feel the hunger tugging at the corners of my mind, making me feel hollow inside and desperate to be filled.
Tejus turned to face me, his face bleak and gray. The sharp, distinct lines of his face seemed to be etched deeper, the hollows under his cheekbones more pronounced than I’d ever seen. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and I was once again reminded of the damage that the last trial had caused him, both physically and mentally.
I wasn’t the only one suffering.
“I’m so sorry, Hazel.”
His voice was hoarse and broken. It hurt me to hear it.
“Forgive me. I didn’t know that it could happen that way,” he continued.
Happen that way?
I stayed silent, waiting for him to elaborate. I felt the old distance seeping in between us—and the worst thing was that I felt powerless to stop it.
“I had heard a rumor, an old tale really, that when a sentry married outside their species, the non-sentry would transform into…one of us. I half-believed it, and checked with a minister to see if it was true. He told me that it was—that part of the marriage ceremony bonded the couple in a certain way. It was why I told you to stay away.” His breath hitched. “I didn’t want this for you.”
He dragged his hands through his hair, his expression tortured.
“I-I don’t understand,” I stuttered. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I knew that you loved me. I didn’t want you to have to make that choice. I knew you had a life mapped out for yourself—one that didn’t include me or Nevertide. And then… I couldn’t bear for you to choose your life, and destroy mine by leaving.”
It was selfish of him – taking away my choices like that, but I couldn’t say he didn’t warn me about that aspect of his character. He had warned me time and time again, and I had ignored him, I had loved him anyway and not taken no for an answer.
Where does that leave me now?
Still in love with him.
I’m an idiot.
“You had no right to make that choice for me. You should have told me—even if you thought it was just a marriage ceremony, you should have said something. You knew there was a chance something like this could happen.”
“I know.”
“And you did it anyway.”
“Yes.”
At least he was honest.
When he looked up at me, I could hardly meet his eyes. There was so much sorrow in them—only a few hours ago they had been looking up at me from bed, sparkling. Now they were black, endless wells of misery.
“I… I have fallen in love with you, Hazel,” he stated, calmly. “It was never my intention—I tried to protect you.”
“But you don’t know how to! You treat me like I’m incapable of making up my own mind! And now you’ll never know—you’ll never know if, despite knowing what I would lose, I would still have chosen you.”
Would I?
I didn’t know anymore. I couldn’t see the choice clearly. I felt like he hadn’t trusted me enough to love him back, not really – he hadn’t trusted me to make the choice on my own. Now all I felt was a raging need for his energy, and for the past few hours to be completely wiped away—for me to be back entwined in his limbs, his body touching mine.
The fight went out of me.
I wasn’t sure I entirely liked what I had become, but there was no point trying to pretend that if he had given me the choice I would have completely dismissed the chance of a future together…
“What happens now?” I asked. “The hunger—does it remain like this? Will I always feel this way?”
“No. It will fade. I’ll help you overcome this, Hazel – I promise.”
“And when will I be able to be around my friends?”
“It might take some time to be near them without wanting to syphon off them. You need to learn how to control your urges. We can practice. You can use me.”
“Not without hurting you, I can’t,” I pointed out.
“You’ll learn.”
I was hesitant to accept his offer. I at least wanted to wait till he was back to full health—Tejus himself had told me that sentries had rapid healing powers, but as far as I could see, he hadn’t recovered from the ghoul attack yet.
“When Benedict came into the room, he tried to syphon off you and then stopped, like your energy wasn’t strong enough. What was that about?”
“I’m still not healed.”
“But you must have more energy than someone like Yelena. She’s only a kid.”
“Children are often more potent—that’s why many of the humans captured from Earth were young. It makes sense that Benedict would choose her, especially as he has syphoned off her before. As you know, it makes the process easier the second time around.”
I nodded, understanding, but it still felt like he wasn’t telling me the full story.
“I don’t know why I’m still wounded,” he continued. “I was certain that Queen Trina was harmed by the ghouls, but she seemed fine at the meeting. It’s infuriating.”
His jaw tightened, and he glared down at the floor.
“Is there anyone you can see? I know you didn’t want to get the ministers involved earlier, but maybe it’s a good idea?”
Tejus grimaced.
“They’re not actually my ministers anymore. No doubt one of them could take a look, but I really don’t think they’ll be a
ble to help. It will go away in time—like your hunger.”
Nice diversion.
Clearly Tejus no longer wanted to talk about his injury. I also knew from experience that there would be no way I could force him to.
“Maybe tomorrow I’ll try syphoning.” I swallowed. It was difficult for me to get the words out—to try to restrain myself when all I wanted to do was drain him.
Tejus stood up from the sofa, and I backed up against the bedroom entrance.
“Don’t come closer, Tejus,” I warned.
“Trust me.”
He took the few steps across the room to reach me. He came to a stop about a foot away from me, staring down, his eyes calmer but no less troubled. The desire to syphon off him was starting to grow intolerable. A tingling spread across my body, as if every cell was reacting to my need for Tejus’s energy.
“Trust me,” he repeated.
But you don’t trust me.
“I can’t!” I cried, feeling the flicker of my mind as it snaked toward his—I wouldn’t permit myself to make whatever the ghouls had done to him any worse. I jerked backward, wrapping my arms around myself. “Please just leave. I’m worried I’m going to hurt you – I should be alone.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he retorted.
“I don’t care—it’s what’s happening.” I stepped back into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it.
I might not like what I’d become, but Tejus was right about one thing—I needed to learn to control it. I wasn’t going to lose myself in my newfound sentry powers, and I wasn’t going to let it alienate me from my friends. If that happened, Nevertide would have beaten me—and there was no way in hell that was going to happen.
Tejus
“Are you ready, King Tejus?” A guard appeared at the door to the living room, staring in barely concealed astonishment at the whirlwind of devastation that Benedict had left in his wake.
I nodded. “Wait in the hallway,” I commanded.