“King and Queen Memenion, please accept my apologies for the intrusion,” Varga said, approaching the couple.
“Not at all, Varga. We have heard about the fires at Hellswan—a sorry state of affairs,” the king replied, beckoning us closer. As we approached, both of them smiled warmly, and I relaxed.
“Who is your companion?” the queen asked, her eyes lighting on me.
“This is Ruby, a human of Hellswan who assisted Ashbik in the trials,” Varga replied.
“Ah!” the queen exclaimed, her bright blue eyes sparkling. “You are quite popular among my people. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ruby.”
I smiled back, not really knowing how to address either of them or if I was meant to speak at all.
“I was seeking sanctuary for Ruby while the fires continue,” Varga explained.
“Of course,” the queen replied. “Ruby, you are more than welcome to take one of our guest rooms here and rest—I imagine it has been a trying time for you.”
“That’s very kind,” I replied quickly, before Varga could speak for me again, “but I have to get back to the castle—back to my friends.”
The queen looked surprised. “You must wait. From what I hear the whole of Hellswan is engulfed in bizarre ice flames! Why not wait a while, and then Varga can escort you back?”
I hesitated. Getting some rest did sound tempting—it had been a long time since I’d had a full night’s sleep, and if I really couldn’t get in to Hellswan castle, then my options were limited anyway. Varga took advantage of my silence.
“Ruby, please. It is the best thing you can do right now.”
All three of them were looking at me, waiting for an answer.
“Thank you—that would be… great.”
The queen smiled brightly, and I felt Varga relax next to me.
“Then it is decided. I will fetch a minister to take you to your room, and then you must join us for dinner—you too, of course, Varga.”
I felt relieved that he would be staying as well. I didn’t know Varga in the slightest, but I felt safer having someone around who had connections to Hellswan—as strange as that was. I supposed to me, Hellswan was now familiar.
Moments later, a minister appeared and I followed her from the room, after promising the queen that I would attend the dinner later that evening. I thought it was strange, having a minister escort me – surely it was the job of a servant? Though Memenion’s castle was a lot smaller than both Hellswan and the Seraq palace…perhaps they doubled here. That, or they wanted to keep a close eye on me.
We entered the main hallway again, but then took a turn which led to a staircase and then more hallways on the second floor of the castle.
“Are you tired?” the minister asked.
I was taken aback by the question. I didn’t think a minister had ever asked me a direct question, let alone a question about my personal welfare.
“Uh…I’m fine, a bit tired, I suppose…long day,” I rambled.
The minister smiled at me, and I noticed how gentle and soft her appearance was in comparison with the other ministers I’d come across.
“I can imagine,” she replied. “The things that are happening at Hellswan…they’re terrible.”
I nodded, not wanting to go into detail about just how bad things were.
“How long have you worked for the Memenion kingdom?” I asked, attempting to change the subject.
“Oh, since forever. My family have lived in the kingdom for generations. I’m so grateful that they have.” She glanced over at me. “We’re the smallest kingdom in Nevertide, you know. But I think we are also the happiest, and the most peaceful. The kingdom as a whole tries to stay out of Nevertide politics.”
“Is King Memenion not running for emperor?’ I asked, curious. I had thought that all the Nevertide royals would be desperate for that title.
The minister nodded sadly. “Yes, he is. The queen is very reluctant to have her husband take part…but he’s doing it to ensure certain royals stay out of power more than anything else.”
“Tejus?” I asked. “It seems the whole of Nevertide hates the Hellswan family name.”
The minister looked at me with a perplexed expression.
“No,” she replied, “it’s Queen Trina we fear.”
Oh.
I felt another pang of guilt for leaving Ash with her, alone. I was about to ask the minister why she feared Queen Trina so much when we turned a corner into another smaller hallway. I took a few steps, and then stopped dead.
“What’s…what’s this?” I asked, feeling sick.
The minister’s gaze followed my finger, pointed at the stone tiles on the floor. Each tile was painted with a rune that I recognized all too well. It was far more artfully done, but I recognized the inverted triangle, the snake wrapped around the thick line and the setting sun. The last time I had seen it, it had been scrawled in goat’s blood in a barn.