“Yeah, I gathered that,” I replied, thinking of their faces when the chaos had erupted at the trial.
“Our bloodline has ruled Hellswan for many, many moons. The ministers’ own interests are very much tied up in our family remaining on the seat of power.”
“It seems a bit biased—why even have the trials at all, in that case?” My question came out snarky, but I was genuinely curious why the emperor hadn’t just changed the rules and insisted on one of his sons taking his place when the time came.
“The other kingdoms are powerful too,” he replied thoughtfully. “Had my father not promised to hold them, there would have been a full-scale revolt. It is a tradition of Nevertide Empire for all kingdoms to hold trials to ensure that the strongest, most deserving sentry is indeed appointed as ruler… It just happens that this person often tends to be derived from royal blood.”
I privately thought that there might be a revolt anyway—within Hellswan Kingdom—if Tejus won the next trial. From what I had seen today, we had the seeds of a working-class rebellion, and I wondered if Tejus could feel it too.
“The good news is,” he continued before I could ask, “that Jenus has been banished from the kingdom for his foul play against me. Had it not been for my father’s death that would never have happened—and I would never have been reinstated as the Hellswan family’s champion.”
His voice, when he spoke about his father’s death, seemed so calm and matter-of-fact that I wondered if it was genuine or a stoic exterior he thought he should show as a royal.
“Tejus, do you mourn your father’s death at all?” I asked hesitantly.
“No,” he replied bluntly.
“Oh.”
“I do find it curious though, and I am concerned about its implications,” he added. “My father was recovering well from the mysterious illness. The doctors and ministers expected a full improvement of his condition swiftly… and so his death was entirely unexpected. We had originally assumed he had been poisoned, though not fatally—but then he took a turn for the worse, and I don’t think the symptoms of his death were consistent with the poisoning at all.”
“Then what do you think it was?”
“That’s the worrying thing.” He ran his hands though his hair in agitation, and for a brief second his cool countenance was gone and replaced with a worried frown. “The symptoms looked as if he’d had his mind attacked… but that shouldn’t have been possible. As emperor he is, or was, the strongest sentry in Nevertide.”
A chill ran down my spine. I tried to ignore it, blaming it on the cool night air, but the truth was, a vague unease started to settle over me. I didn’t like the idea that there was a deadly sentry within our midst—if they were capable of killing the emperor, undetected, then none of us were safe.
“I’m telling you this because our fates are bound.” He eyed me warily. “Whether you like it or not. But I wish you to keep this a secret from your friends, especially the female. I don’t want it getting back to the kitchen boy.” There was a sneer in his tone when he referred to Ash, which I chose to ignore.
“Of course I will.” The further away I could stay from Nevertide politics the better. None of this information should concern us, though I would definitely be telling both Ruby and the boys to be on their guard. We could trust no one.
“So what now… with the trials? Will both you and Ash be in the next one?” I wanted to be better prepared for the next trial than I had been today. Had it not been for Tejus, I wasn’t entirely sure if Ruby or I would have survived it.
“Yes,” he responded grimly, “and they’ll be any day now, giving us less time to prepare—and I’m already at a disadvantage after apparently ‘losing’ to the kitchen boy today,” he said disdainfully. I wanted to remind him that it was I who had given him the words on the disk, but I kept my mouth shut.
“He may have survived today, but he will be out of his depth at the next trial. He doesn’t have a hope of emerging victorious,” Tejus muttered.
“I don’t know.” I spoke slowly. “There’s more to him than meets the eye, I think. He rescued my friends, so he got one over on Jenus. I wouldn’t underestimate him.”
“Well, I would,” Tejus replied shortly, “which is why I think that both you and the other girl should join me—help me win.”
“Ruby,” I responded with irritation. “Her name’s Ruby.”
“Ruby, then,” he corrected. “Can you persuade her to abandon the kitchen boy and join us? With the both of you it will be easier for me to overcome my current disadvantage.”
I already knew my answer. Ruby and I had discussed the possibility of Tejus being reinstated into the trials after his performance in the arena, and we had decided that we would remain divided in our allegiance—it was better for us to support two strong candidates rather than just the one. Plus, I wasn’t entirely sure that she would now abandon Ash. She seemed convinced that he could succeed, and I sensed that her feelings for him were starting to run a bit deeper than that. She saw him not just as a ticket out of Nevertide, but also as some kind of friend. It worried me.
“No. I’m sorry, Tejus, but we need to ensure our own safety. You and Ash are the best hopes we have to get home. We need to support you both.”
My response was met with silence.
“Fine,” he replied eventually, his voice terse. “I suppose that is reasonable. You are the strongest out of the two of you anyway.”
I didn’t know if that was true, but I didn’t say anything to the contrary. If that was what Tejus wanted to believe, then that was fine with me.
“So, Hazel Achilles, do you agree to serve me faithfully, to support and work with me to the best of your ability?” His eyes dug into mine, and for a moment I forgot the cold air, the late hour and all the perils that we faced.
Another bell chimed in the distance, marking the time. I looked away from Tejus. The fact was, I wasn’t entirely sure that Ash was powerful enough to win the trials—if the other kingdoms had candidates who matched the strength and ability of Tejus, then Ash’s chances seemed slim. And I wasn’t yet entirely sure we could trust him. In truth, the only person in the entire kingdom I felt I could trust was standing in front of me. I believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would send us home once the trials were over.
I looked back at Tejus. He looked slightly unsure, as if he hadn’t expected me to so carefully consider his request.
Without warning, I suddenly felt determined to show him the sincerity of my promise to stand by him through the trials. It was a way, I guessed, of saying thank you. Despite the fact that it was he and his brothers who had gotten us into this mess in the first place, I felt genuinely fortunate that Tejus and I had been paired. He was an honorable man, regardless of his prejudices toward humans, and he had started to treat me with consideration.
Rather than put my feelings into words, I reached out to him with my mind. I found his easily, open and willing to let me in. We connected almost immediately, and the bright colors of his emotions started to meld with mine, entwining around each other like rope.
I pushed the feeling of unity I felt toward him. It took the shape of a golden ring, its form thick and strong.
As the image flitted along our connection toward him, I felt suffused with a warm glow and saw the colors of his emotions transform into bright golds, yellows and soft pinks. His gratitude. I let it wash over me, and I could feel my tiredness draining away to be replaced with a gentle tranquility. And even though it was a calm feeling, it was strong as well, a steadiness and surety.
I looked over at the landscape of Nevertide. In that moment it no longer seemed strange and mysterious, but as if the entire realm lay at my feet—a land to be conquered and its people led toward a brighter, better future.
I realized I was sharing Tejus’s thoughts, his hope for the outcome of the trials, and his eventual victory and rise to the position of emperor. It was a heady feeling, and I felt as if I could almost dive off the edge o
f the parapet and be carried away on the wind like a bird in flight. I could feel Tejus’s response, with a warning not to try that.
Another image flickered into my mind. It wasn’t of my own imagining—it was an old memory, the vision faded and confused as if it hadn’t been brought up in a long time. When I could see the image properly, I understood why.
It depicted two young boys, no older than six or seven, both dressed in the black silk uniforms they still wore today: Jenus and Tejus. I could make out the other Hellswan brothers in the background, but they were even more faded and difficult to see.
Tejus was easily recognizable—the shape of his face, and the dark-eyed, solemn stare had hardly changed a bit. Jenus, on the other hand, looked completely different. He was smiling for one thing, something I’d never witnessed him do. He looked carefree, waving a stick about as if it were a sword, and I could hear a woman’s laughter in the background.
The image was tinged with sadness and regret.
I reached out to comfort him, but I couldn’t help but let my bafflement seep into Tejus too. What happened? I asked him soundlessly, but my question was shrugged off and vanished into the Technicolor rope of our thoughts. He didn’t want to answer. Or maybe he just didn’t know.
We stayed like that for some time, each sharing one another’s hopes and dreams, or just basking in the warm glow of our unity. Tejus stood at one end of the parapet, and I had risen to stand at the other. We were physically far apart, but in our minds at least, we were as close as two people could be.
Ruby
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fall back to sleep.
Hazel had been gone for hours, and the boys and I had resumed our sleeping positions on the sofa. I knew I should have been trying to get rest, but I couldn’t stop worrying about Ash. I felt partly responsible for the poisoning of the emperor—Ash had done it to rescue us, and if he was found out they would most likely sentence him to death. Or worse. I was pretty positive that the sentries had all sorts of interesting ways of making someone suffer.
My stomach rolled over, and I felt queasy.
Sitting up on the sofa, I looked over at the two boys. They were fast asleep, though Benedict was making strange whimpering noises that I didn’t like the sound of. He was probably having nightmares—I couldn’t blame him. He had knocked his blanket off with all his tossing and turning, and I picked it up off the floor and covered him with it again. His skin felt damp.
Julian was looking better. In sleep he had lost the worried frown that seemed permanently etched onto his face during his waking hours, and I wondered if he was dreaming of playing Hell Raker, or watching movies in his parents’ den with Benedict, both of them scarfing down ice cream and popcorn.
Soon, I promised them silently. We’ll be home soon.
I picked up a woolen throw that I’d discarded off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around me, trying to be as quiet as possible. I couldn’t sit here any longer—I wanted to see Ash and check that everything was all right. Dawn was almost starting to break, and if the trials were going to start again tomorrow, then Ash and I would have to work on our game plan.
I looked out of the windows that edged the living room. From here I could see the surrounding villages, the bright lanterns that were dotted along the small streets, the barely perceptible sounds of music, feasting and dancing—the celebrations held in Ash’s honor. It seemed crazy that here in the castle we were all in such turmoil, with their own champion fearing for his life. I envied them their one night of celebration. It had been a long time since I’d danced carelessly or laughed with my friends without a sense of doom hanging over our heads.
Some summer holiday this turned out to be.
I turned away from the windows and tiptoed across the living quarters, trying not to trip over the low tables in the gloom. I stubbed my toe on the corner of another sofa and gasped at the pain, trying not to yelp.
Eventually I made my way to the door without any further accidents and pushed against it gently.
Two of the guards I had seen on our way in immediately stood to attention, holding their weapons aloft.
“You should be sleeping, human,” one of them growled at me. “There’s no reason you should want to leave these quarters at night.”
“I need to go and see the champion, Ash,” I replied, with more confidence than I felt.
The guards looked at one another.
“We cannot allow it. We have been told to keep you here—the castle is not safe at night,” the other barked.
“Are you keeping me here for my own safety? Or am I a prisoner?” I asked angrily. I had thought that things would change here once Ash proved himself, and that the sentries saw more value in humans. Perhaps I had been wrong.
“We are following orders—orders of the ministers,” the guard replied, but he sounded less sure of himself.
“Am I a prisoner?” I repeated the question, glaring at them both.
“No,” one of them declared sullenly, “you are not a prisoner, but we have been instructed that you are to stay put.”
“I’m going to see Ash. We need to prepare for the trial. Would you obstruct his victory by keeping his human from him?” I asked, playing the only card I had.
“Err… no.” The guards gave each other another look before one of them finally spoke again. “I suppose you may pass. But hurry back. Not all of the people in the castle are so happy with the outcome of the first trial. Don’t say you weren’t warned.”
I didn’t doubt them.
“Thank you,” I replied as graciously as I could, and hurried on down the corridor as swiftly as I could in case they changed their minds.
The lights had been lit in the corridor where our living quarters were situated, but as I navigated the maze of the castle I found this wasn’t always so. I tried to go in the direction of the kitchen, but kept hitting dead ends, or locked doors at the end of narrow hallways that were only moonlit, the ornate vulture heads and ominous tapestries cast in shadowy gloom.
Eventually I neared light again, and stumbled into a large banquet hall where fires blazed in hearths at each end. A group of sentries stood by the table—I understood them to be ministers by the looks of their robes and the ornate jewelry they were adorned in.
I stared at them, my heart pounding, ready to run. They gazed back at me, noting my human form, but said nothing. Without thinking I held up my hand in greeting, and they stared back impassively.
“I’ll… I’ll just be on my way…” I stuttered, slowly backing out of the room.
As soon as I reached the exit and turned back the way I came, their whispering continued.
Things had changed. How long that would last I didn’t know—but for now, for the first time since I’d entered Nevertide, I was untouchable. And it was a relief.
I passed more sentries as I made my way to the kitchen. They stared curiously at me, but didn’t say a word, and neither did I.
Eventually I found a set of stairs, unlit, but at the very bottom of them I could see a glow and feel the warmth that emanated from the servants’ quarters. I hurried down, but couldn’t hear a sound coming from below—the celebrations of the trials had obviously come to a close.
Quietly I swung open the door to the kitchen. The fire had been lit, but now only its dying embers gave the room any light.
As I neared the fire, I could make out Ash sitting in the large easy chair where we’d first mind-melded, his head in his hands.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered without looking up at me.
“Ash, it’s going to be okay.”
Slowly I came and sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the fire. I had never seen him look so dejected.
“It’s not going to be okay,” he replied, pushing back his hair. “Tell me, how is it going to be okay?” His eyes met mine and they were reddish, his brow creased into a worried frown.
“Nobody has to know what happened. We’ll take the secret to the gra
ve,” I replied earnestly. “I know Benedict and Julian won’t breathe a word—and neither will I.”
He sighed and gave a huff of cynical laughter. “Shortie, we’re in a land full of mind-readers—trust me, secrets don’t stay hidden long here.”
“Maybe not long,” I replied, “but maybe just long enough for you to gain the throne. Then we can put it all behind us. You’ll be ruler, answerable to no one.”
“It’s optimistic, but remember I’m going up against Tejus now. Perhaps before I might have had a shot, but not now.” He stared morosely at the stone tiles of the kitchen floor, and sighed heavily. “I just don’t know how it could have happened. The dosage I gave him—it wasn’t enough to kill him. I made sure of that.” Ash shook his head in bewilderment.
“I believe you, but what do you think happened?” I was just as confused as he was. In my heart of hearts, I knew that he wouldn’t have poisoned the emperor—not a lethal dose anyway. I just didn’t believe he was capable of such a thing, nor was he capable of such a deep deception now.
“I don’t know. The other servants were saying he was making a quick recovery. Maybe in his weakened state…” He hesitated before shrugging. “I just don’t know. I wish I did. I know Tejus already suspects me.”
I thought about it for a moment.
“Look, Tejus is preoccupied with the trials right now—that’s all he cares about. He’s probably working with Hazel right now; we should be doing the same.”
It was time to get down to business. We didn’t know if Ash would ever be found out, and he had a much less likely chance of that happening if he became king, and an even less likely chance if he became emperor. We needed to focus.
“You’re kidding, right?” He looked up at me, suddenly furious.
“What? No—I’m not kidding, why would I be?” I jerked back in my chair.