A Race of Trials

  “I’ll see you at the feast.” I backed away hurriedly.

  Where is Tejus?

  I scanned the sentries, their tall frames and cloaks all blending into one, but usually I could spot Tejus—he was slightly taller than most of them. If I was perfectly honest with myself, there was something about Tejus that always drew me closer, as if I was constantly overly aware of his presence even when faced with a sea of people, my sub-conscious instinctively sought him out. Perhaps it was the mind-melding. I wondered if sharing so much with someone had left its mark within me, so that we would never quite be fully apart. The idea was confusing – and unsettling.

  I saw Ash and Ruby, moving back toward the castle, and noticed that it was the direction that everyone now seemed to be heading. Had Tejus gone on without me? It seemed highly unlikely.

  I stood back from the patio, hoping that I could gain some perspective. Again I scanned the crowd, but found no Tejus-like presence. I looked up at the royal balcony, but it was empty.

  I called his name self-consciously, and a few sentries looked over at me—but then continued on their way.

  Forget it, I muttered to myself. I’d go and wait in his living quarters. He couldn’t get mad at me if he’d been the one to leave me in the first place. I was about to walk forward when a low monotone voice caught my attention.

  It was coming from a small cluster of trees, slightly off from the main patio and lawn, out of sight from the castle. I was sure that it was Tejus’s voice that I was hearing, but there was another voice answering his that I couldn’t quite place.

  As silently as I could, I walked toward the trees. When I was close enough, the voices floated over more clearly and I could catch snippets of the conversation.

  “You are making your bias so obvious!” Tejus spoke curtly, and I could imagine the clenching of his jaw. I knew that tone well.

  Nothing but silence greeted his statement, and he continued, “What is it? I cannot even begin to understand this scheme of yours. To what end do you want the kitchen boy as the Hellswan king—and then would you put him in the running for emperor? Do you really believe that he has what it takes to lead Nevertide?”

  I could now guess who he was talking to, but I wanted to confirm my suspicions. I edged closer to the trees and peered through the soft prickles of their ferns. I couldn’t really see Tejus, as he was too close to where I was standing to be anything more than a black-robed figure, but the person he was talking to was easily identified as Queen Trina Seraq.

  “You are so arrogant!” she hissed at him. “It is time the Hellswans stopped getting everything handed to them on a platter, or are you afraid of a little competition, Tejus?”

  Tejus laughed cruelly. “This sounds like the ravings of a bitter woman. Did our parting hurt you so much that you’re now bent on destroying my future as king?” His voice oozed with contempt.

  Queen Trina looked as if he’d just punched her in the gut.

  “How dare you! How dare you think so little of me that you assume my motive is petty revenge? Did what we have mean so little to you? Do you think so low of me?” she cried back at him, and I could see tears forming in her eyes. Whether they were from rage and frustration or genuine sorrow, I couldn’t tell.

  “You left me in that castle, alone with my miserable old father. Of course you hurt me, Tejus! The moment your father called on you, it was like I didn’t exist. You chose your brothers, whom you hated, over me—and now you fawn over that stupid human girl like she’s one of us. It’s embarrassing for all sentries! Knowing all this about you, how would you assume that I would think you would prove to be a great leader?”

  “Don’t you presume to understand my feelings toward Hazel!” he retorted in disgust.

  His outburst only resulted in silence. Queen Trina was breathing heavily and clutching her stomach, as if his words had physically whipped her.

  Tejus’s back stiffened. He wasn’t saying anything, but it felt like he regretted the words that had escaped him.

  What does he even mean?

  What feelings? I wasn’t aware that Tejus had any feelings toward me that he would need to defend with such vitriol…but maybe he was saying it to purposely wound Queen Trina.

  Shoving my personal curiosity aside, I refocused on the scene before me. Tejus took a step toward the queen, and gestured helplessly as she remained turned from him—almost like a wounded animal, dreading the next attack of its predator.

  “I didn’t know how you felt,” he muttered. “I… suppose I wasn’t being perceptive enough to realize you were in pain. Why did you never say anything?”

  “Would it have made a difference?” she scoffed.

  Tejus paused before answering, and Queen Trina’s face fell a fraction more.

  “No,” he replied stiffly. “It wouldn’t have. But don’t think it wasn’t hard for me. I didn’t like that the choice had to be made. And I don’t want you to continue resenting my decision. What’s done is done.”

  His voice was firm, but it wasn’t without its own slight tinge of melancholy. I wondered what had gone on between the two of them—some sort of romantic relationship, that was obvious, but I just couldn’t get my head around Tejus in that role… What kind of boyfriend would he have made? Was he different back then, before the trials and before the Hellswan brothers turned against one another?

  Even the way he was speaking to Queen Trina was different to how he usually spoke to others. Though heated and angry and then bitter in turns, it sounded intimate—like I was intruding on their small, private world.

  “Allow me my feelings, Tejus,” Queen Trina warned him. “It doesn’t affect my wishes for the outcome of the kingship. As you say, what’s done is done.”

  “I don’t believe you. What other reason could you possibly have?” Tejus retorted.

  “Whatever the reason, it is my own. Let us leave it at that.”

  She clutched her cloak tighter around her frame, and turned to leave. Tejus suddenly jumped into action, crossing the space between them in two short strides. He pulled her back by the upper arm and gripped her body to his.

  For a moment I thought I was going to be subjected to even more intimacy between the former couple, and I felt bile rise at the back of my throat. But then I got a clear look at Tejus’s face.

  It was contorted in fury.

  “I am sorry,” he whispered in her ear. “But if you keep cheering on the kitchen boy and swinging the trial his way, I shall expose you as the attempted kidnapper of Hazel. So help me gods, I shall.”

  Queen Trina’s face drained of color, and she struggled free of his grasp.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” she hissed.

  Tejus spat back with a condescending laugh, “Don’t test me, Trina.”

  She flounced off toward the border of trees, and I hastily scurried off toward the gate I’d seen everyone leaving through. I should have waited for Tejus, but I needed some alone time. My head was swimming with the information I’d just gleaned.

  I hurried through the main hall, weaving in and out of the milling crowds and the food stalls, trying to find a part of the castle that would be quiet. I spied a small wooden door off the main hall and pushed against it. It opened into an empty corridor, and I slammed the door against the crowd.

  In the silence I heard my breath coming in short rasps, and I leaned back against a stone wall.

  Queen Trina was my attempted kidnapper.

  When I had first heard her voice through the trees, high and taught like it had been in Tejus’s room during her attempted kidnap, it had half-conjured up a memory – but I’d not been able to properly place it and had pushed the thought aside.

  No wonder Tejus didn’t care about finding the culprit.

  I recalled the day that it had happened, and how afterward Tejus had connected with my mind to get a front-row seat to the events as they’d unfolded. Before I’d shown him what had taken place, he’d seemed desperate to find out the identity of my attacker—and I’
d presumed it was so he could hunt them down and stop them. Afterwards, he’d completely backed off, changing the subject and ignoring the situation completely.

  Well, at least now I know why.

  I was furious with him. In the past Tejus had struck me as honorable, no matter what I thought of some of the particulars of his personality. But letting my attacker roam free when he knew who it was left me feeling utterly betrayed.

  And lying about it!

  Twice now Tejus had lied to me. First by keeping the identity of my kidnapper a secret, and then when I’d asked about Queen Trina and her obvious bias toward Ash.

  Was he keeping their relationship a secret because Tejus thought I had no right to know about it, even though it clearly affected me? Or was he trying to protect her because he still had feelings for her?

  I felt hot all over, my skin prickling against the silk of my sentry robes. I recalled the almost tender tone of Tejus’s voice when he’d apologized for hurting her, and the admission that he had also found their separation hard.

  I wondered how long they’d been together, and how serious the relationship had been. Judging by the dramatics of Queen Trina, I assumed that it had been fairly serious. Was that part of the reason that Tejus was the way he was—cold, distant and taciturn? Was she in any way responsible? Or was Tejus a different man entirely when he was in a relationship or—and I could hardly comprehend the idea—when he was in love?

  Questions buzzed relentlessly in my head. Many that I suspected I would never get answers to.

  One thing I knew for sure was that my captor was a greater enigma than I’d ever imagined, and that he was keeping secrets from me—important ones that could affect the outcome of the trials.

  That makes two of us, I thought. I reached into my robes and felt for the stone. It was warm and tingly, inviting me to rub my fingers over its smooth surface and latch onto its immense power.

  Taking a deep breath, I re-entered the bustling hallway. Tejus was a few yards away from me looking around the crowd. I closed my eyes briefly, and when I opened them I fixed a faux smile in place.

  “Did you miss me?” I quipped.

  Ruby

  The coals of the fire were glowing warmly. Ash was dozing in one of the battered old armchairs and I was in the other. When the kitchen was cleared of all the servants, and the household staff had left for the day, this was still our favorite place to come. It was the only place in the castle where I felt truly comfortable, where the Hellswan family’s presence was almost non-existent.

  Ash stirred in his sleep, and then slowly opened his eyes.

  “I dozed off?” he asked, looking around the darkened room and spying the dying fire.

  “Almost the second you sat down,” I confirmed with a smile. “At least you don’t snore.”

  Ash yawned in response and stretched out his long physique. I curled my feet back under me on the chair and continued staring into the embers. It was late, but I didn’t much feel like going to bed. Though the additional humans we were picking up at a rapid pace in our living quarters were sweet, and badly needed our care, I also needed a break.

  “I was thinking about Queen Trina Seraq.” Ash interrupted the silence.

  “In your dreams?” I cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

  “No!” He blushed. “Not like that. I was thinking about her behavior at the trials—how she keeps sticking up for me, and putting Tejus down. It’s weird. I used to see her a lot around the castle. I thought that she and Tejus were close. Apparently not.” He frowned and poked at the fire.

  “Maybe she doesn’t think he’ll make a good leader.” I shrugged. “It’s not that weird. The Hellswans are hardly Nevertide’s most popular family—look at how the crowd cheers for you!”

  “Yes, but royalty usually stick with royalty. I don’t trust her,” he declared.

  I thought Ash might be overacting a little bit, but I could see his point. I had noticed how strange it was that she stuck up for a kitchen boy. She was clearly royal blood after all—and the way she’d so passionately denounced Tejus’s efforts today struck me as odd. But we also had a lot to thank her for. She was the reason Ash was ahead in the trials, and the sole reason that he’d won the disk trial.

  “Well, I can’t help but be a fan,” I replied. “She’s done a lot for us—no matter what her motives.”

  “Just be careful,” Ash muttered darkly.

  I was about to respond when Jenney peered around the kitchen door.

  “Can I have a word?” she asked politely, looking at me.

  “Sure,” I said, dreading what messy incident had befallen the kids.

  She entered the kitchen, and Julian came in behind her. They both looked strangely somber.

  “Where’s Benedict?” I asked hastily.

  “That’s who we’ve come to talk to you about.” He held out his hands in a gesture to stop when I instantly jumped to my feet. “Nothing’s immediately wrong… it’s just… he’s doing weird stuff.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “Tell them.” Julian nudged Jenney forward.

  She looked at me with a worried expression on her face, chewing her lip.

  “I don’t know if it’s anything serious—it’s just that this morning I think Benedict was sleepwalking, and I saw him standing over Yelena, one of the younger girls, with his palms outstretched… I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but it was the look of his face—like it wasn’t him, just an empty shell.”

  Jenney shivered and pulled her shawl closer to her.

  “Lots of people sleepwalk,” I murmured. “Are you sure it wasn’t just the shock of seeing him when he should have been asleep?”

  What Jenney had just told me sent a cold chill running through my bones, but I wanted to check this story out before I jumped to any conclusions or overreacted. It potentially sounded like an overactive imagination. Sleepwalking tended to be far more unnerving for the people who witnessed it than for the sleepwalkers themselves. Benedict had never mentioned that it was something he did—but that didn’t mean something was wrong. I knew that sleeping in a new house or a change of lifestyle could also bring on sleepwalking habits.

  “Ruby, I’ve seen many strange things in this castle, and so I don’t scare easily. I swear to you there’s something wrong with Benedict. That face—that face wasn’t normal.”

  I nodded. I trusted she believed what she saw.

  “Julian?” I turned to him. “Have you noticed anything odd about Benedict?”

  “Other than him looking tired and withdrawn and pale every day?” he replied. “You’ve seen that too, Ruby. We’ve all seen it, but we’ve ignored it. He’s been complaining that he’s not getting enough sleep. I’m worried that something’s seriously wrong.”

  He was right. I had noticed that Benedict didn’t look well, but he’d shrugged off my concerns and I had been so preoccupied with the trials that I hadn’t pursued it.

  “Have you told Hazel?” I asked. “She needs to know. We all need to understand what’s going on.”

  Julian shook his head, face flushed with annoyance. “We can’t find her anywhere—and we’re banned from Tejus’s living quarters. She’s too wrapped up in the trials anyway.”

  “That’s not fair,” I replied sharply. “You haven’t given her a chance.”

  Julian shrugged, not bothering to reply.

  Just then the door to the kitchen swung open again. Benedict sauntered into the kitchen, stopping dead when he saw us all looking back at him in silence.

  “What?” he asked, confused.

  “Um… nothing—what are you doing still up?” I asked.

  He looked at me strangely. “Getting a glass of water?”

  Oh.

  He filled up his glass from the nearest jug, and held it toward us.

  “Now I’m going to bed,” he announced. “See you bunch of weirdos in the morning.”

  Julian

  I didn’t understand why it was necessary for Benedi
ct and me to attend the Champions’ Feast. It was probably my fault. Since I’d told Ruby that there was something wrong with Benedict, she had insisted that we were both within eyesight most of the time—except when she was off with Ash, doing that weird mind-meld thing, which, as far as I could tell, entailed looking deep into each other’s eyes and then sitting in silence with blissed-out expressions on their faces.

  I thought it was creepy.

  Jenney had gotten excited about us going though, and found some brand-new sentry robes to dress us in. Which was why Benedict and I were standing in boxers and t-shirts in the middle of the living room while the other kids snickered. It was hardly Hell Raker material.

  “Lift up your arm, Julian, I need to wrap the robe a bit—it’s too long,” Jenney commanded.

  She wrapped the silky material around me and then tied the robe once at the back and then again at the front.

  “Have a look!” she exclaimed, dragging an old mirror over that she’d found especially for the occasion.

  “You look ridiculous,” Benedict deadpanned.

  “So will you in a minute,” I retorted. “Can you start on him now?”

  Jenney rolled her eyes at us, then took the second robe off the sofa. She started to dress Benedict while I sniggered at him.

  Yelena walked in from the bathroom and began laughing.

  “Isn’t that a bit big for you?” She gestured at the robe that fell past Benedict’s feet and swamped his body completely.

  “Yelena, that’s not helpful,” Jenney chastised her.

  “What are you doing here anyway?” Benedict scowled at her. “Shouldn’t you all be practicing your mind strengthening?” He glared at the kids sitting round the living room, ogling us and snickering.

  Yelena rolled her eyes and flung herself on the nearest sofa. Benedict had a problem with her, but I didn’t really get it. I thought she was quite funny.

  “Okay, I think you’re ready.” Jenney stood back and surveyed us both. Benedict looked better—she’d managed to pin in the extra material, so neither of us looked quite as ridiculous as everyone was hoping we would.