“I do have an emotion going on,” he replied.
“And?”
He exhaled. “It’s frustration. I am frustrated that I can’t kiss you, or touch you, or be near you without you wanting to feed off my energy.”
“You’ve lost your kingdom, and that’s all you can think about?” I asked, trying not to let my reaction to his words show. Perhaps I had been living in denial. His frustrations were mine too, and all I wanted to do was get swallowed up in his arms again.
“That’s all I can think about, yes.”
“I’m flattered,” I replied, teasingly. “Who knew you were such a romantic?”
He snorted with derision, folding his arms across his chest.
“Hardly.”
“I know one when I see one, trust me.”
I thought of my addiction to romance e-books…or my past addiction. Obviously, I hadn’t been able to get hold of one here, but the girl who liked nothing more than to curl up on a sofa with a romance seemed so far removed from who I was now. Like we were a million light years away from one another. I guessed that along the way, the dimensions which separated my normal life from this one had started to become more than just geography.
“Are you still here?” Tejus asked, smirking at me.
“Sorry.” I blushed. “I was just thinking…so much has changed. It’s weird.”
“It doesn’t have to be ‘weird’ forever. Later we’re going to practice syphoning—and we’ll continue to do it until you get your hunger under control. You’ll be able to live an ordinary life. I promise.”
I nodded, not really knowing if I was capable of having an ordinary life. Whatever that was.
“I really don’t want to hurt you,” I objected. “Can’t I practice on Lithan or someone equally mean and pointless?”
Tejus laughed out loud.
“We could try, but trust me, you’ll have a far more pleasant experience with me.”
I believe that.
“I also need to see my brother,” I reminded him. “It’s been too long since I spoke to him properly.”
Tejus nodded. “I thought about that—it may be worth doing as the sun sets. If we stay there, we might be able to see what happens… where he takes the stones, what he does with them, if anyone joins him. There’s still so much we don’t know.”
“Good plan. But let’s get there a bit earlier than sunset—I want to be able to speak to him before…you know, he changes.”
“All right… Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” I took one last look at my dress, smoothing out the flow of the material. I hoped I wasn’t overdressed.
“You look incredible,” Tejus murmured as he opened the door.
Despite the lack of official announcement and celebration at the actual trial, word had clearly gotten around. The hallway was buzzing with villagers, kids running about the place and men cheering for their hero—Ash.
Tejus stalked through the crowds, and I hurried to stay by his side. The villagers parted as we approached, falling silent as their old king passed. I cursed my sentry affliction, not for the first time. I wanted to comfort Tejus more than I could bear—even just a brush of my hand against his to know he wasn’t alone.
When we entered the coronation room, it was packed. The obligatory ministers stood at the front, a mass of black robes and solemn faces. The villagers had crowded in at the back, jostling for the best vantage point. It was crowded, and I started to panic. With this many minds gathered in one room, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to control myself.
“Hazel, follow me, hold on to my robe if you need to,” Tejus commanded.
Like in the hallway, the crowds parted when they saw him coming and I was given a bit of breathing space as we made our way to stand against the left-hand wall of the room.
I leaned against the stone wall with Tejus next to me. Here we had a good view of the throne that Ash would be seated in. There was no second chair, and I wondered if Tejus had insisted on it during his coronation. I scanned the room for Ruby, but I couldn’t see her—she was probably waiting with Ash.
The minister of ceremonies, whom I recognized from the trials, stood up on the dais.
“Sentries! Please be seated for your king, Ashbik of Hellswan!”
The minister certainly sounded more positive calling out Ash’s name than he had in the past—clearly he realized that there would be a lot of sucking up to do in order to redeem himself in the eyes of the new king. He wouldn’t be the only one. Lithan and Qentos sat right at the front. Lithan’s face was like thunder.
Ash entered to applause, and Ruby crept in from the back of the room. She looked for a seat, but couldn’t find any, so I gave her a small wave and she came to stand next to us.