“Excuse me, your Highness.”
Go away.
“Yes?” I replied, slowly lowering Ruby to the floor as I faced Lithan and Qentos.
“The trials are due to commence shortly.” Lithan smiled, looking like a cobra about to strike. “New rule - no humans this time, and no Tejus. Just you.”
Just me.
Great.
Let the games begin.
Ruby
After I’d said goodbye to Ash, we set off for the cove.
I was flying on the back of a vulture with Lieutenant Ragnhild. I had been initially surprised that he was joining us until he informed me that Ash had commanded that he go as my protector. I’d scoffed, telling the lieutenant that I really didn’t need one, but secretly glad that Ash had thought to do something like that.
Tejus was flying with Julian, and Hazel was on her own bird, though it was being controlled by Tejus. It made the journey a bit slower, but it was the only way that we could be sure Hazel wouldn’t start syphoning one of us mid-flight.
I knew it was for the good of us all, Hazel included, but it wasn’t great seeing my friend being treated like she was a threat or a danger to us.
It will be you next.
The thought came unwelcome into my mind, and I shoved it away. I wasn’t ready to contemplate that yet. I needed to talk it through with Ash…but I wasn’t ready to do that either. I’d been teasing Hazel about her living in denial land, but clearly it was something that we were both experiencing in our own way.
I looked around at the aerial view of Nevertide as we began our descent. It was almost dusk now, and off in the horizon the sky burnt bright orange. I hoped Ash was okay. I didn’t like not joining him for the trials. Even if I couldn’t help, I wanted to be there. My imagination kept running away with me when I thought about the potential tasks the ancient ministers might put him through—the fact that Tejus had been so badly wounded he’d been unable to continue didn’t fill me with confidence.
The vultures landed on a small cove covered in black rocks that jutted out from the sand. Lieutenant Ragnhild helped me off the bird, and I started to walk further up from the shore. I stared around in amazement at the bits and pieces of old Viking artifacts—half a rotted longboat, upturned chests and rusted weapons that had turned green with age.
“This is amazing,” I murmured as Hazel came to walk beside me.
“I know. Tejus didn’t know this was Viking stuff though—he said it was from the first sentries.”
“Were the first sentries Vikings then?” I asked in amazement.
“Maybe.” Hazel shrugged. “For all we know, Vikings could have been sentries. Might explain why they were so good at pillaging settlements…and why they were always described as so big.”
“Huh, yeah—I guess so.”
That would be an interesting development. It was possible, I supposed. They could have been the first to discover Nevertide. Maybe some of them settled here, though at least one account of them would mention syphoning abilities, surely?
My brain swirled with the possibilities. I hadn’t really thought about the origin of the sentries before now. I just figured they had always existed only in this land, separate from the rest of both the supernatural and human dimensions.
“By the way,” I interjected before I got completely side-tracked, “I spoke to Abelle at the coronation – she’s a friend of Ash’s, a bit like an apothecary I guess. Anyway, she said she might have some herbs that could help, stuff kids take when they’re younger to stop syphoning.”
Hazel look at me in surprise. “That sounds good…though a part of me thinks I should learn to control it by myself, not rely on medicines or whatever…”
I could see what she meant – it was better that Hazel had full control over her sentry abilities without relying on something to dull the effects.
“Think about it,” I replied.
“I will… This is the way to the temple,” Hazel announced as the earth started to dip down at the back of the cove as if there had been a landslide at some point, with tree roots left exposed along the walls of a small passageway. It led down to a solid stone door.
“He’s in here?” I asked.
Hazel nodded.
Julian appeared at the top of the landslide, peering down at us. I beckoned to him—Benedict would want to hear his voice.
After Tejus used his True Sight to reassure Hazel that Benedict was in the temple, he and Lieutenant Ragnhild kept their distance, standing a few yards behind us.
“Benedict, it’s Hazel—can you hear me?” Hazel placed her cheek against the stone, her palms flat on its surface. We waited for a few moments, and then I caught the sound of his voice.