Yelena nodded. “Of course. I don’t think I ever want him to know what happened. It wasn’t his fault anyway.”
I smiled gratefully at her.
“Have you heard from Ash or Ruby?” I asked Jenney.
“No. I think they’re still at the Seraq palace.”
I had thought that as soon as Ruby heard that Benedict was in trouble she would return, and if I was perfectly honest, I felt slightly abandoned by her. I also wanted her away from that kingdom… I couldn’t help feeling that Ruby was in the clutches of the enemy, and I didn’t like it.
The girls stayed and waited with me for a bit, giving me updates on how the rest of the kids were getting on. I couldn’t concentrate on a word either of them were saying, but I appreciated the attempt to distract me. Worrying about Benedict was driving me insane, and I hoped he’d hurry up and come through the passageway so that we could end this once and for all.
I heard the shuffling of ministers and guards behind me and turned around to see Tejus making his way to where we stood. As angry as I was with him, his tall, imposing figure and implacable expression made me feel comforted despite the circumstances. If there was anyone in this forsaken dimension who was going to be able to help me get my brother back, it was him.
“We should all try our best to remain out of sight when Benedict comes through the passage. We don’t know how lucid or fully aware he or the entity is; if we stay out of sight we may be able to follow him,” Tejus remarked, looking down at me with a watchful gaze like he expected me to explode any minute.
“You shouldn’t do that,” Yelena whispered. “You shouldn’t follow him.”
“I have a feeling that if Benedict is coming into the castle, then there’s another set of stones somewhere else, or the entity wouldn’t bother,” Tejus replied.
“You don’t think he’s doing it just to suck energy then?” I asked.
“I don’t know—perhaps. But if there is another lock, then this is the only way we’re going to find it in time.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “We’ll follow him. But as soon as he looks like he’s heading back, we need to restrain him.”
Tejus nodded, and then headed back to the ministers.
“You two need to go and lock yourselves in the human quarters. Tejus is putting more guards on watch, but stay awake—don’t fall asleep.”
“We won’t,” Jenney promised. “We’ve also got some of the kitchen staff staying with us. That should provide extra protection.”
“Good thinking.” I smiled at Jenney. I was grateful she and Yelena were so resourceful—without Ruby or Julian here I felt wholly responsible for the welfare of those kids, and I was also very aware that so far I hadn’t been doing a very good job of it.
They both left, and I turned my attention back to the sentries gathered in the hallway. Tejus had arranged them all so they were standing further along the corridor, back from the passage. If Benedict was to turn right when he entered the castle, he would see them all waiting, but I hoped that the entity had a one-track mind and would lead Benedict further into the castle—not toward the dead end of the hallway.
“Do you think this is going to work?’ I asked Tejus as I made my way to the front of the group.
“I hope so. I’m hoping that even if he does see them, the entity is arrogant enough to ignore them. It’s not like it’s felt threatened by them in the past—it’ll either just syphon energy off them and leave them sleeping, or just carry on about its business regardless.”
I agreed with him. After the night when Benedict had been sucked back down the passage, the entity would have known that we were on to it—but it hadn’t changed its behavior, it obviously didn’t believe that we were a threat to it in anyway. The confidence of the creature unnerved me, but I also recognized that its arrogance might be the one weak spot that we could work to our advantage.
“He’s coming!” one of the ministers announced. The group fell silent. I looked up at Tejus. He squeezed my shoulder in a gesture of reassurance, and then we moved to stand back from the passage.
I heard the grating of the stone block coming from within the passage as it swung shut, and then the methodical shuffle of Benedict’s footsteps as he approached the hallway. I could hear the acceleration of my heartbeat as I held my breath, not daring to make a sound until he was through the door and standing in the hallway.
A few moments later, Benedict stepped out from the passage, his eyes fixed ahead on the wall opposite. I couldn’t see his eyes from where I stood, but his strange upright posture and solemn, fixed expression told me that my brother wasn’t present.