A Power of Old(33)

“Hazel.”

He sounded weak and frail, but it was definitely Benedict’s voice. Hazel exhaled in relief.

“I’m here, I’m here. Are you okay?” she replied hastily.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s late, isn’t it?”

“That’s okay—we’ll leave before…well, you know.”

“You should leave now.” He sounded desperate.

“I’m not going to do that,” Hazel replied firmly. “We’re just going to stay and talk for a bit. It’s okay. I’ve got Ruby here, and Julian.”

“Julian?” Benedict asked.

“Yep, Queen Trina locked me up,” Julian answered his friend. “But I’m out now…and soon, you’ll be out, too.”

“I’m glad you are,” Benedict replied, sounding slightly more upbeat. “Hi, Ruby. Thanks for coming. How’s Ash?”

“Well, Ash is king now, so that’s cool,” I replied with a smile.

“That’s good. Ash will be a good king. Any other news I should know about?”

I looked at Hazel and she shook her head. I nodded in understanding. I was glad that we weren’t going to have to tell Benedict that his sister was a sentry.

“That’s it,” Hazel replied with faux joviality.

“So you should go now, please—it would be better if you left. I don’t know what will happen later…but I know it’s coming.”

I felt nauseated. Benedict was so frightened. I could hear it in his voice. I couldn’t bear that he’d had to deal with this all by himself, being locked up in an underground temple for days, just waiting for some evil creature to start using him as its puppet whenever it felt like it.

“We’ll go,” Hazel agreed.

“Remember we all love you, Benedict.”

I placed my hand on the stone in a goodbye gesture. A moment later, all three of us walked silently back to where Tejus and Ragnhild stood.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” Tejus instructed. “We don’t know how long we’re going to have to wait.”

I looked around for a comfortable spot, and settled against a grassy dune. There was very little light left in the day, and the moon’s glow started to grow stronger above the ocean’s horizon. Julian sat down on a rock, huddling against it and making his body as small as possible. I wondered if it had been a good idea to bring him—I partly felt like he should have remained at the castle, but he had been insistent. I also didn’t know, in my heart of hearts, if Benedict was ever going to make it out of this. It was important for Julian to be able to speak to his friend, however briefly.

“I’m going to wait by the door,” Hazel announced, standing up.

“No, you’re not.” Tejus corrected. “It’s not safe.”

“None of you are safe if I stay here. Benedict doesn’t have much energy.” Her voice wavered and she paused before continuing. “So it’s nice to be near him—I don’t get hungry.”

Tejus was silent for a few moments.

“Fine,” he snapped. “If I call you back, you come back, understood?”

“Understood.”

Hazel strode back to the temple, her body tense with misery and frustration. I hadn’t realized how hard it had been for her being around us.

I shifted position in the dune, trying to get into a more comfortable spot. As I did so, I was reminded of the letter in my pocket as the paper crinkled against my robe. Pulling it out, I looked at the handwritten scrawl on the front. I wasn’t sure if there was enough light to read it by, but it was worth giving it a try.

Varga.

I hated that he was gone.

Pulling open the envelope, I unfolded the letter. It was short, making up one side of the paper. Taking a deep breath, I began to read.

“Ruby,

Forgive me for this—I hope to deliver it myself, or tell you in person, but the chances are slim. I have halted my journey for a brief moment to write. Some may call that madness, but I know I am being followed and may not get out of this alive. As a dying man’s last wish, please can you do me the great honor of passing on a message to Tejus that he won’t want to hear? You are the only person left, with the exception of Tejus, whom I trust. Please make him listen to what you have to say. I am glad I will not have to take this to my death—it has weighed heavy on my heart for years.

As a young boy, I grew disillusioned with the way things were in Hellswan. Before my fifteenth year, Trina made me an attractive offer—the Acolytes. She promised power and riches beyond my imagining, and an understanding of my place in the world. We reformed the forgotten cult and kept ourselves secret, preparing for the day that the trials would commence. I will not divulge all the horrific things we did, just that I was responsible for Tejus and Trina Seraq starting a romantic relationship, pushing him in her direction as she asked. After a time, when he returned to his family and left her, I saw that he had done the honorable thing and I had not. Ashamed, disillusioned, I left the Acolytes.