A Shade of Vampire 39: A Rip of Realms(25)

He grunted.

“Just let me know next time.”

“Fine,” I said. “Are you ready to make a visit to the Ministers?”

“As ready as I can be. Do you know where we’ll need to go?” he asked.

“The Impartial Ministers are rumored to live at the foot of Ghouls’ Ridge—there’s a monastery built into the mountain, accessible only from the ravine that runs at the foot of the mountains. I’ve never been there, but it’s what I’ve heard.”

“From a reliable source?”

I smirked; it was Queen Trina who had divulged the information to me long, long ago.

“Not remotely, but do you have any other ideas?” I replied.

“No, I suppose I don’t.”

We stood in silence for a while, both watching the sky rapidly changing color as the sun began its ascent. It seemed strange to me that only a day had passed since the entity’s destruction had ravaged Nevertide. It felt like a lifetime ago; waking up in this palace had felt like a strange dream—it had taken me a few moments to recall why I wasn’t in Hellswan tower.

“We should leave the guards here, for the protection of the villagers and the kids,” Ash said.

“I will not leave Hazel,” I asserted.

Ash nodded. “I won’t leave Ruby either—they can come with us. I’m going to leave Jenney and Abelle in charge.”

What?

“Are you mad?” I asked incredulously. “A child and a half-witted woman?”

Ash glared at me.

“I’m not mad—they’re the only two I can trust. The guards will have their orders, but if there are decisions to be made I want one of those two making them.”

“What about Lieutenant Ragnhild?” I snapped, wondering once again at the wisdom of leaving Ashbik to take my place as king.

“We can’t trust him,” Ash replied quietly. He began telling me about the night of the temple visit, how Ragnhild had lied to Ruby about his presence being dictated by Ash. I wasn’t entirely sure that meant we couldn’t trust him, but after Varga perhaps it was better that we didn’t take the risk.

“Is every Hellswan subject going to be revealed as a traitor?” I grumbled, more bothered by the fact that I seemed to be such a terrible judge of character.

“We have your father to blame for that,” Ash retorted.

I sneered at the kitchen boy. If Ash didn’t rise to the challenges that faced him, my father would be a convenient scapegoat for him throughout his rule—whether that would be years or only a matter of days.

“Let’s depart,” I muttered. I had no desire to argue with Ash. He would learn soon enough the true burden of his crown.



I knelt on the ground in front of the palace entrance with Ash and the rest of the ministers. Our hands were outstretched, and I could feel the collective power running through my veins.

“Higher!” Ash commanded through gritted teeth. I expelled more energy, my muscles contorting with the effort. We were building a barrier for the humans and sentries we’d be leaving behind, and Ash wanted to leave nothing to chance.

The walls piled up, thick and high, and the tension and power slowly seeped away from my body. It was done.

“Ready?” I asked, turning to Ash.

“Ready.”

We rose, and I turned my attention to Hazel, who was waiting by the bull-horses at the far end of the overgrown lawn. We had chosen to travel by land rather than using the vultures, in order not to attract undue attention. It meant the journey would take longer, but it would be worth it to remain hidden.

“How are you feeling?” Hazel asked, her eyes flashing down to the scars on my chest—the wounds concealed from others by my shirt, but not her.

“Never better,” I muttered. She looked at me doubtfully, but it was the truth. The wound had healed, and even though I’d been drained aggressively by the Acolytes, this morning I hadn’t felt it.

“You?” I asked as I climbed onto the bull-horse.

“Fine, still no hunger, but…” She shrugged.

“Still weak?”

“It’s worth it,” she pointed out. “I’m not half crazy with the need to syphon off everyone in sight.”

It might be worth it within the confines of the palace, when she was around her family and friends, but taking her out into Nevertide suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea.

“Fine,” I replied, not sharing my misgivings yet. She seemed more content this way, relaxed for the first time since she had acquired the powers. But today was the first time I couldn’t feel her energy, and that worried me. Normally it came off her in waves, unbelievably strong when she was a human, and stronger still since she became a sentry. I could recall my brothers occasionally being weakened by potions when they were younger, to prevent them from syphoning mindlessly—but I couldn’t remember them, or myself, losing the constant hum of energy that surrounded sentries. Perhaps it was because Hazel was an adult, and whatever herbs she needed to take were stronger than those given to children. I made a mental note to discuss the elixir with Abelle, to double check what she was feeding Hazel and the dosage…Was Hazel taking more than she should have been to ensure that her friends and family remained safe from her syphoning? I couldn’t believe that she’d do something so foolish, so I dismissed it.