“I’m not letting that happen. You’ll die, Ruby. Hellswan is no place for you right now.”
I wanted to protest more. It might not be the best place for me, but Hazel was there, and so were a bunch of scared kids. I couldn’t abandon them again. Avoiding making eye contact with Varga, I kept my gaze on the landscape—we were getting further away from the fires, but my surroundings had started to look unfamiliar.
“Are you taking me back to the Seraq kingdom?” I asked. I’d been assuming that was where we’d been heading, but I didn’t recognize the route.
“No,” he replied firmly. “I’m taking you to another kingdom. It’s ruled by King Memenion—he’s a fair man, he’ll offer you sanctuary while the fires last.”
“What?” I exploded. “I don’t know him! You can’t just take me to a foreign kingdom full of sentries!”
Commander Varga laughed.
“He’s not like the others—you’ll be safe. I promise you.”
Oh, sure.
“Okay, I don’t know you, so I’m not really in a position to trust you. Plus, you’ve basically just kidnapped me.”
“Or saved your life,” he replied amicably.
“I didn’t want to be saved.”
He didn’t reply, and I glanced at him, only to see an amused smirk playing on his lips.
“We’re almost there,” he replied. “You might want to at least pretend to be gracious when we arrive.”
I huffed silently, gazing at the approaching castle. It was smaller than the one at Hellswan, but much more inviting. Where Hellswan appeared jagged and dark, with its dull-colored stone and imposing gates, Memenion’s castle was squat and round, made of lighter, brighter stone that reflected the small amount of sunlight left in the Nevertide sky. At every window, plants grew and spread across the stonework, and instead of the heavy iron portcullis and stone barricades, this castle had miles of lush gardens and fountains.
Commander Varga loosened his grip on me a little when he realized I was going to behave myself. I attempted to look as presentable as possible, slightly nervous about meeting more Nevertide royalty. The ones I’d met so far hadn’t exactly left a very good impression.
As we approached the castle through a broad gravel pathway, guards stood to attention outside the main doors, and then more still appeared at intervals on the stone balconies. I had assumed, from the lack of physical barricades, that this castle wasn’t as hot on protection as Hellswan was, but maybe I was mistaken.
Commander Varga stopped the bull-horse as two guards approached us.
“Are you ready?” he whispered to me. I nodded, and turned to smile winningly at the guards.
“Commander Varga,” acknowledged one of the guards, and they both bowed low. I was surprised that the guard had such reverence in his tone—why would they respect a commander of a different kingdom so much?
“We have come to meet with the king. I am hoping he will offer us both sanctuary.”
“Of course, Commander,” the guard replied dutifully.
Varga dismounted and helped me step down from the bull-horse, then handed the reins to a stable hand who appeared out of nowhere, also bowing low when he saw Varga.
“Follow me.” The guard gestured toward the opening doors of the castle.
We entered into a very large hallway, painted with beautiful bright murals of countryside scenes. Everywhere I looked, sentry servants were scurrying about, appearing and then disappearing into the multiple rooms that opened off from the hall. Everything about it was different from anything I’d come across since arriving in Nevertide—it was a million miles away from the doom and gloom of Hellswan, and completely unlike Seraq’s lavish ghost kingdom.
“Wow,” I whispered to Varga as we followed the guard. “This place is actually amazing.”
He nodded. “It’s considered one of the more beautiful kingdoms in Nevertide. Small, but well-run.”
A lot of the female servants who passed us smiled shyly at Varga, and each time he returned a polite and courteous nod.
“Why is everyone here acting like you’re a celebrity?” I hissed.
“Because I am charming,” he replied, deadpan, “unlike some I could mention.”
“I can be charming,” I muttered.
He gave a snort, but before I could say anything more, we came to a stop in front of a set of large doors right at the end of the hallway. The guard opened them and ushered us through, closing them back behind us.
“Commander Varga, what a pleasant surprise.”
A woman’s voice echoed across the room. Two figures sat on a raised dais, both dressed in light blue robes. Commander Varga bowed down, and after an urging side glance from Varga, I did the same.