A Shade of Vampire 37: An Empire of Stones(31)

“It’s Yelena,” Hazel whispered. “He came back to claim her.”





Ruby





The next morning Varga and I were in the stables, preparing the bull-horses. Memenion had kindly offered me one of his to ride back on, and I was grateful that I wouldn’t have to rely on Varga to get where I was going. My plans had changed.

“I’m going back to the Seraq kingdom,” I announced once the saddles were in place.

“Have you gone mad?” Varga barked. “Were you not listening to a word I said last night?”

“I was, which is why I’m going back. I can’t leave Ash there. If Queen Trina is as dangerous as you say, and I believe that she is, then I won’t leave him alone there a second longer. I can’t.”

Varga cursed under his breath.

“You are putting your life in danger. If you knew what…” His voice trailed off.

“No! I don’t know what,” I hissed, “because you won’t tell me. And so I’m going, and that’s the end of it.”

Varga scowled at me, leading his bull-horse out of the stable by the reins. I followed him, the horse passive and willing. I hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult a journey. I had never ridden one of these by myself, and the idea didn’t exactly thrill me.

“Ruby, at least let me escort you—”

“No,” I replied firmly, cutting him off. “I need you to get back to Hazel and Tejus.” I hesitated, not knowing how much I could truly trust Varga, but it didn’t seem like I had much choice.

“Yesterday I saw some runes in the castle,” I continued. “They paved the floor of the hallways that my room was on. I recognized them. It was the insignia of the Acolytes, the same one that I saw in the barn. I need you to tell Hazel what I saw, tell her that I think the cult is active again.”

Varga paled, and yanked me by the arm back into the barn.

“You need to be careful mentioning them around here,” he whispered. “The history of the Memenion family is not as they would like it.”

I nodded. The minister had indicated as much last night. Varga opened his mouth to speak again, but there was a clattering by the wall of the barn, coming from the outside. Varga silenced me with a warning look, and we both hurried around to the outer wall. Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone—the land behind the stables was empty and the castle quiet this early in the morning. Varga leant down and picked up a rusty hoe.

“It was nothing,” I murmured, but Varga didn’t look so sure. He observed our surroundings slowly, his face pensive. After a few moments he turned back to face me.

“If what you say is true, then there are dark times ahead indeed,” he muttered, walking back to where the bull-horses were waiting.

“Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?” he asked again.

“No. I’m sorry. Tell Hazel I’m sorry too—I know she needs me, but I’m so worried about Ash that I can’t think straight.”

“You love him then?”

A moment passed between us, and I averted my gaze to the floor, my cheeks reddening slightly.

I nodded.

Varga jumped up on his horse, and I looked up. He motioned for me to do the same.

“Has anyone told you what a bossy creature you are for one so small?” he commented with a smirk.

I smirked back. You should meet my mother.

As we made our way to the main part of the courtyard, and I adjusted to riding the huge, muscled creature beneath me, I realized that I would be sorry to part ways with Commander Varga. He was a good man, and a charming one—I had enjoyed his company, and felt truly grateful to him for saving me from the ice fires. Had Ash not been around…well, Ash was around—and I dismissed the half-formed notion from my head.

The queen was waiting for us by the entrance to the castle.

“Commander Varga, our thoughts are with you.” She smiled softly at the sentry and then turned her attention to me. “Ruby, please forgive my son for what he said last night—know that not all of us in Nevertide have such narrow-minded views.”

“Of course,” I replied, meaning it. The queen had showed me nothing but kindness throughout my stay, and my evening at the Memenion castle had been one of my better experiences in Nevertide.

“Thank you so much for letting me stay,” I continued.

“You are always welcome here, never forget that.”

Commander Varga thanked her again, and then we set off at a brisk trot out through the gardens of the kingdom.

“Ruby, listen carefully to me.” Varga spoke in a low tone as we neared the main road where we would part. “If I can’t dissuade you from your return to Seraq’s domain, then I won’t waste my breath. But please be careful. Stay away from the nymphs—”