A Shade of Vampire 35: A Race of Trials
Bella Forrest
Contents
Also by Bella Forrest
The “New Generation” Names List
1. Hazel
2. Hazel
3. Ruby
4. Benedict
5. Hazel
6. Ruby
7. Hazel
8. Benedict
9. Benedict
10. Ruby
11. Hazel
12. Ruby
13. Julian
14. Hazel
15. Julian
16. Hazel
17. Benedict
18. Hazel
19. Benedict
20. Ruby
21. Hazel
22. Julian
23. Hazel
24. Julian
25. Ruby
26. Hazel
27. Tejus
28. Rose
Epilogue: Sherus
Read more by Bella Forrest!
Also by Bella Forrest
THE GENDER GAME
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Series 3: Ben & River’s story
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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Copyright © 2016 by Bella Forrest
Cover design inspired by Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The “New Generation” Names List
Arwen: (daughter of Corrine and Ibrahim - witch)
Benedict: (son of Rose and Caleb - human)
Brock: (son of Kiev and Mona – half warlock)
Grace: (daughter of Ben and River – half fae and half human)
Hazel: (daughter of Rose and Caleb – human)
Heath: (son of Jeriad and Sylvia – half dragon and half human)
Ruby: (daughter of Claudia and Yuri – human)
Victoria: (daughter of Vivienne and Xavier – human)
Hazel
I woke up once again to the misty orange sky of Nevertide.
My parents still thought we were enjoying a vacation on Murkbeech Island, not playing deadly games to win our freedom. I wondered how long it would take for them to discover that we were missing, and what they would—or, heck, could—do to find us. We still had no idea where this mysterious land was located.
Tejus had gone early this morning to talk with the ministers, no doubt to discuss the progression of the trials. The last one had gone horribly wrong, resulting in the deaths of three sentries and many more injured. Had it not been for Tejus, there would have been many more. We still didn’t know who was responsible for the disaster.
I dreaded what lay ahead. It wasn’t just me I was worried for—it was Ruby and the boys too. The threat of Jenus might have been laid to rest, but I didn’t trust anyone in the kingdom. Only a few days ago, a cloaked figure had tried to kidnap me from the castle, right from Tejus’s quarters where I was meant to be safe, and we still hadn’t discovered the culprit.
Looking around the empty, silent room, I suddenly had a yearning to see my friends.
Though I had promised not to, I headed for the door to leave Tejus’s living quarters. The ‘human’ quarters where Ruby, Benedict and Julian were staying were located in the belly of Hellswan castle, which was well-guarded—as the trials progressed, we humans had become a much more valuable commodity. After the kidnapping attempt, Tejus had insisted that I stayed permanently with him in his quarters until the trials were over, defying my wishes to join the others.
I made my way swiftly through the castle, surprising myself. I was actually getting to know some of its winding passages and nondescript hallways, which all seemed to work against simple navigation. One looked very much like another, so it was nearly impossible to pinpoint where you were. The idea that I was becoming familiar with it depressed me—clearly we had spent too long inside its imposing gray walls.
At the wide double doors of the human quarters, I came to an abrupt halt and looked up at the two guards standing outside. Both were heavily armed, but they recognized me. With silent nods of acknowledgement, they moved aside and let me through.
“Hazel!” Ruby stood up from the breakfast table and rushed over to me, wrapping me in a warm, familiar hug. Julian was too busy stuffing his face with fruit to do more than wave, and Benedict just looked sleepily over at me, his eyelids drooping. He’d never been much of a morning person, but this excessively tired state was unusual even for him.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Me?” He looked bewildered. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
I shrugged. I was probably being overly concerned.
I eyed the breakfast table with amusement. The food looked good—better than what was provided for the Hellswan royalty and dignitaries. Clearly being Ash’s champion had its advantages.
“Have you heard anything about the next trial?” Ruby asked.
“No, not yet. Tejus has gone to talk to the ministers,” I replied. “I guess we’ll find out later.”
“Ash has gone too,” Ruby said.
I sat down at one of the numerous spare seats around the table—there was enough space and food here to feed an entire army. I picked at a piece of cheese, too nervous to have much of an appetite.
“Hazel.” Ruby observed me. “If you don’t eat more than that
, you’re not going to be much help to anyone.” She poured me a strange-colored juice and piled some fruit on my plate.
I grinned at her. “We’re on opposite teams, remember? You should be encouraging my weakened state.”
“It’s so weird,” Benedict said. “Why can’t you both just help Ash? Then you could stay with us, Hazel.”
Ruby and I glanced at one another. We’d made the decision to do this—to each champion a different sentry in the kingship trials to increase our chances of getting out of Nevertide and back to The Shade. But yes, it would have been good if I’d been able to stay here with them. Instead, I was relegated to the bolt-hole of mystical energy crystals that Tejus still asked me to sleep in to increase my mental energy so he could milk it… I guessed I knew now what it felt like to be a cow.
“You know why we’re doing it,” I said.
“We’d better hope that Tejus keeps his word to let you go if he wins,” Benedict muttered.
“Yes, I believe he will,” I replied. I trusted Tejus to keep his word, and I trusted him over Ash— perhaps just because I’d spent more time with Tejus. As strange as it seemed, Tejus and I had grown closer as we overcame the countless hurdles that Nevertide seemed to be throwing our way. It felt perplexing to be planting ourselves on opposite sides, but Ruby and I were doing the right thing. It was the best we could do in our dire situation.
“Well, I don’t,” Julian burst out. “I think we’ve spent too long helping the sentries with their stupid trials—and it’s about time that we actually tried to figure a way out of here on our own.”
“We have tried,” Ruby replied. “The barriers are up, remember? And it’s going to take a power greater than the four of us to get them back down again.”
I agreed with Ruby. We didn’t have a hope in hell without a witch or warlock, and I had yet to see one in Nevertide. The trials were our only chance of getting back home. Julian’s outburst surprised me though; I’d thought we were all behind this plan, but evidently not.
“I don’t think they’re going to be as deadly as the first trial,” I said, thinking that perhaps fear for my and Ruby’s safety was behind his frustration. “That was a mistake—someone had tampered with the disk.”
“And we don’t know who,” Julian shot back, “so what’s stopping them from doing it again?”
“Tejus is back in the running. I think we’ll be safer with him around,” I replied, although I knew my argument sounded weak.
Julian was right. We hadn’t found the person responsible for meddling in the first trial, and there would be nothing to stop them from doing it again.
“Don’t you think it’s convenient,” Julian continued, “that Tejus was out of the trials till he managed to save the day, and now he’s been reinstated?”
I chewed my lip. I knew what Julian was insinuating—that Tejus had something to do with the faulty disk, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe that. Tejus was not exactly high up on my best friend list, but he seemed honorable… I couldn’t picture him stooping that low. That was something Jenus would have done.
Julian slumped back in his seat, still frustrated, but apparently willing to let the matter slide for now.
I looked over at Benedict. He hadn’t said a word throughout the exchange, and looked as if he were close to falling asleep in his porridge. I was about to continue talking quietly to Ruby, when the guards swung open the front doors and Tejus strode into the room.
His dark eyes found me instantly, as if none of the others even existed.
“Come, Hazel. I’ve heard news about the trials.”
Good morning to you too.
Sighing, I rose to my feet. “I’ll see you later, guys…” I glanced around the table, my focus settling on my sleepy brother. “Benedict, you should get some rest.”
He nodded wearily.
Ruby gave me a brief hug goodbye, and then I trailed off behind Tejus as he began his brisk walk back up the tower to his living quarters.
“So what did you learn?” I asked as I trotted to keep up.
“Not here,” he replied shortly.
As soon as we entered the hallway that led to his rooms, Lucifer, his moody feline, crept up and started winding his sleek body around our legs. Clearly I’d gained some sort of acceptance with the creature.
Tejus ignored him and didn’t drop his pace until we reached his living room. Letting both Lucifer and me inside, he slammed the door and locked it.
He motioned for me to sit down on one of the velvet-covered sofas while he walked over to the windows and resumed his habitual position, staring out across the kingdoms—a sign I was beginning to understand meant something was bothering him.
I observed his profile as I waited patiently for him to speak—the towering and well-built frame, the Roman nose, the shadowed, deep-set eyes and long, dark brown hair that was tied at the nape of his neck. He wore his warrior’s uniform of black shirt and loose silk trousers, along with the black robe that he adopted whenever he was due to meet with royal officials. Tejus no longer intimidated me in the same way he had when we’d first met, but objectively his presence was an unsettling one. I couldn’t imagine Ash, or anyone else for that matter, coming up against him in the trials and winning.
“They have all been reinstated,” Tejus murmured without looking at me, “all those at the first trial. Three passed away, another dropped out of their own volition.”
“How many are there now?” There had been quite a few at the first trial, men and women from all over Hellswan who were all hoping to be crowned king or queen of the Hellswan kingdom, but I’d been too preoccupied to count exactly how many.
“Twenty men and women, including me,” he replied, “and we all start on zero points, except Ash, who has twenty points from the first trial.”
“And what about the first trial—have they found out who tampered with the disk?”
“No,” he replied curtly, “announcing a new king is the priority.”
That seemed short-sighted of the ministers. If the trials continued to be jeopardized, then they’d be left with a bunch of dead wannabe kings.
“When does the next trial start?” I asked, beginning to feel frustrated by the lack of forthcoming information.
“Tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?
“They want to get going as soon as possible,” he continued, apparently unaware of how anxious I’d suddenly become. “The next trial will begin tomorrow afternoon. And before you ask”—he furrowed his brows—“no, I have no idea what it will entail.”
Hazel
At around noon the next day, Tejus and I followed the procession of ministers and the red-robed ‘watchers’ who had attempted to referee the last trial. They led us through the castle courtyard and through another wide arch in the defensive walls that surrounded the grounds. We passed a heavily armed gatehouse with a raised portcullis. A wide bridge over the moat lay ahead, and then greenish-brown meadows dipped and rose down to a large lake.
The crowd had already gathered there, waving banners and chanting for the champions. As we reached the lake, I could see that wooden seating had been set up to surround the water, with the royal box at the far end filled with the most finely dressed sentries. I expected to see a black flag covering the box—or something to indicate the Emperor’s passing—but I saw nothing.
“You should stay behind me at all times,” Tejus instructed quietly, “and don’t get lost in the crowd.”
I nodded, distracted with looking for Ruby and Ash. I couldn’t see them anywhere, but a roar of approval from the crowd soon alerted me to their presence.
Ash stepped out into the clearing with Ruby at his side. They waved to their fans, those seated in the lower tiers of the benches— servants and castle staff—before the ministers hustled them both over to the rest of the waiting champions.
They were too far ahead for me to see Ruby properly, but every so often I got a glimpse of her blonde hair and calm expression, her blue eyes focuse
d on Ash.
“Is she a friend of yours?”
A voice behind me made me turn around, and I looked up into the smiling eyes of a very handsome sentry with short, cropped blond hair and grayish eyes. Weirdly, he reminded me a bit of Wes.
“Uh, yes, she’s a friend. Why?” I asked, confused.
“No reason,” he replied. “I’ve been racking my brain the last few minutes for a way to start a conversation with you, and that seemed as good an opener as any.”
He winked at me, and stupidly, I found myself blushing.
“You’re competing in the trials,” I commented—he was dressed in robes, and laden down with weapons.
“I am… I’m the son of one of the ministers. You’ll see my mother up there.” He pointed to a ferocious-looking, tight lipped minister wearing a thunderous expression. “She’s proud of me—though you wouldn’t know it to look at her.” He smirked.
Something nudged him and he looked down. “Oh, this is my human helper, Chris.” A young boy had appeared around his robe, and looked up at me nervously. “Chris, say hello,” he prompted the boy, and gently pushed him forward.
“Hello,” Chris whispered, and then disappeared back behind the sentry.
“My mother took him,” he explained on seeing my disturbed expression, “but I plan to send him back home as soon as the Hellswan borders are re-opened—“
“Hazel!” Tejus called to me before I could respond. He was standing five feet away, seemingly irritated that I wasn’t right behind him.
“I’m Nikolay, by the way,” the handsome sentry said as I turned to leave. “Good luck in the trial, Hazel.”
I waved awkwardly goodbye, slightly relieved to be getting back to the relative comfort of Tejus’s presence. Tejus glowered at me as I approached, and I shrugged innocently. I didn’t understand what his problem was – was he now going to try and forbid me from talking to the other champions? I suspected that if he thought he could get away with it, he would.
Up ahead, one of the ministers cleared his throat and motioned for silence. I recognized him as the same one who had announced the first trial.