A Shade of Vampire 37: An Empire of Stones(44)

“King Tejus!” One of the Impartial Ministers addressed me. “Behave like that again and you will be disqualified from the trials, mark my words.”

I nodded curtly, and muttered, “My apologies, Minister.”

He stared at me, open-mouthed, before collecting himself and addressing the rest of the gathered crowd, all of whom were watching me with barely veiled disgust.

“At King Memenion’s request we will halt the trials for a few hours to bury the dead. As soon as the sun sets, today’s trial will reconvene. We meet at Ghouls’ Ridge.”

I left the Pavilion. Memenion would know where to come if he wished to mourn. I picked up the body of Varga, carrying him to my vulture. His last rites would be performed in Hellswan. He would be given the dignified ending of a man befitting his station, but Varga’s true epitaph would be the drawn-out death I would deliver to his murderer.



Once the body was prepared, washed and cleansed by a select group of guards, my friend was wrapped in the flag of Hellswan, the golden vulture binding his body. His face had been completely obscured by the bronze death mask—the only thing that would remain of Commander Varga once his body succumbed to the flames of the pyre.

It was late afternoon, but the sun still hadn’t ventured out. The pyre stood against a grey sky, and the whole of Hellswan looked dull and bleak. The only color was the bright red of the flag, and now even that was slowly becoming engulfed with the grey plumes of smoke from the fire beneath.

Guards and ministers populated the courtyard, and all of the castle staff. Varga had been loved by many. I saw Memenion in attendance with his wife, and felt glad that he had come. My friend would have wanted it.

Hazel stood by my side. She hadn’t left me alone since I’d returned to the castle. I’d told her as plainly as I could what had happened. Expecting her to strategize a way to track down the Acolytes, I had been surprised when she’d said nothing, just embraced me, holding on for as long as I would allow it, her body warming mine in a way I found excruciatingly uncomfortable. Now she stood, her eyes fixed on the pyre, occasionally glancing in my direction.

Lithan read the last rites, the words I had heard a hundred different variants of. They sounded more pertinent when applied to Commander Varga, probably because he was the only man I had ever known who truly embodied the codes we aspired to.

“…he was honorable and brave. A soldier of Hellswan, a noble sentry of Nevertide. He served you faithfully, he pledged his life to protect those in his care. Let his spirit pass on to the next life; let him find more peace than he did in this one. He dies in freedom, unchained and unbound. Set free the spirit and the soul.”

“Set free the spirit and the soul,” repeated the crowd, as one.

The flames leapt up, running along the top of the pyre till Varga’s body was completely obscured. Hazel’s hand found mine, and she clasped it tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Tejus,” she whispered.

I couldn’t speak, and could only return the pressure of her hand with my own.





Hazel





I didn’t know what to say to Tejus.

I had never seen him like this. After the funeral we returned to his quarters, knowing that we needed to discuss the Acolytes in private, away from the crowd. We walked in silence, and once in the room, Tejus stood by the window, looking out across the darkening grey skies. He looked lost.

“I need to attend the trials; they are still going ahead,” he murmured eventually. “I want you to stay here, in this room, and research the Acolytes. Find out whatever you can. I want to know their rituals, beliefs—anything that links to the entity.”

“They’re still going ahead?” I asked, astonished.

He nodded, turning to face me.

“It’s important that they do. This needs to end.”

“But—”

“But nothing,” he snapped.

How would Tejus compete in the trials after this? He hadn’t got enough sleep, he was most likely still weakened by the entity’s syphoning, and now the discovery of his dead friend?

“You’re not a machine, Tejus. Can’t you ask them to wait at least a day?” I asked.

He smirked, but his eyes remained hollow.

“Will the entity rest? Will it be mourning too?” he asked. “I cannot rest while it grows in power, Hazel. Think of your brother—”

“I am thinking of my brother! I need you to win the trials so that we can free my brother and get him home!”

“I will win the trial,” he replied coldly.

I slumped back on the sofa. Clearly there would be no reasoning with him. There would be no comforting him. I felt completely helpless in the face of Tejus’s need to keep me at arm’s length. After taking a few steps forward over the past few days, I felt like we were back to square one—Tejus shutting me out, while I was left desperate to get closer.