“Stop!” Jenney yelled. “Hazel, try me.”
The connection broke, and hastily I wiped away the tears of pain that had formed at the corners of my eyes. While the pain slowly ebbed away, Jenney went through the same experience, though she seemed to last longer than I did before grimacing and then crying out.
Jenney and I looked at each other, both pale and exhausted.
“I’m so sorry,” Hazel whispered after a while. “I’m so, so sorry.”
I shook my head, “Honestly, don’t worry about it—it’s fine.”
“You are not fine!” Ash bellowed from the door of the kitchen, looking from me to Jenney. “What the hell has been going on?”
Ash
As soon as I entered the kitchen, I could sense something wasn’t quite right with Ruby—it felt like all her energy had been nearly sucked dry, and she was as pale as a ghost. I looked at Jenney in disbelief. Surely she wouldn’t have…
“Stop looking at me like that!” Jenney exclaimed, glaring back at me.
“Sorry,” I retorted. “But what’s going on, Ruby?”
She was looking up at me guiltily, and didn’t say a word. I looked at Hazel for answers, but she had her head in her hands, avoiding looking at any of us. I heard Tejus striding in behind me.
“Hazel?” he asked, his voice full of concern. Tejus’s complete one-eighty personality transformation around Hazel was taking some getting used to. It was so weird to hear him sounding caring and gentle toward someone. The only time I’d ever heard him adopt that tone in the past was with his bird.
“It’s not going very well,” Hazel muttered from behind her hands.
I’m missing something.
“Ruby? Will you please tell me what’s going on?” I asked again.
“Why don’t you ask Tejus?” she retorted, scowling at him. I looked at Tejus. The rest of us might as well not have existed—he was staring at Hazel like his world was falling apart, and even I could feel the tension radiating off his body.
I’m going to lose my temper.
“Will someone tell me what is going on?” I asked for the umpteenth time. Ruby sighed, nodding.
“You should sit down.”
Ruby proceeded to tell me the story, and I sat awkwardly, not wanting to look at either Tejus or Hazel as their private life became public knowledge. Tejus paced up and down the kitchen the entire time, and I imagined he was blacking out our discussion as much as he could. When Ruby was finished, my only thought, other than concern for Hazel, was where in Nevertide that left Ruby and me.
I had never heard of anything like this happening. I still didn’t understand how it could, but this wasn’t the time or the place to ask questions. I would have to wait till I could speak to Tejus on his own. Maybe there was a way that it could be stopped, or reversed somehow.
Please let there be a loophole.
“We need to leave,” Tejus announced coldly.
In that moment I pitied him. I might have envied Tejus all his life for his privileged upbringing, his confidence and self-assurance, and then his rise to king. But if he loved Hazel the way I loved Ruby, then he would never forgive himself for this.
“Where are you going?” Ruby asked.
“We’re removing Jenus from his banishment,” I said. “I need to beat him in another trial if I am to be named king.”
“Are you kidding?” Ruby exploded. “That’s insane!”
“After everything he’s done?” Hazel asked Tejus, her expression horrified.
“There was nothing we could do,” Tejus replied. “The only way the Impartial Ministers will accept Ash is if he is victorious over Jenus. The fools don’t know what they’re doing.”
Hazel and Ruby were both silent for a few moments, no doubt reliving the nightmares that Jenus had put them through. Suddenly Hazel grinned.
“Well… at least I’ll have someone to feed off of,” she murmured. “I have no moral issues about syphoning as much as I want off him.”
“Then let’s get going. Hazel, you need to come. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be left alone,” Tejus commanded, opening the door to the kitchen for us all to file out.
“Great,” she muttered, “a road trip.”
“If Hazel’s going, then I’m going too.”
Ruby jumped off her chair and walked toward the door. Tejus rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. To be honest, I would be glad of the company—I wasn’t exactly looking forward to a long ride with Tejus and Hazel being excruciatingly awkward with one another.
We left, Tejus taking one last look around the kitchen with an intrigued expression.