A Shade of Vampire 39: A Rip of Realms(5)

As we drew closer to the castle, I realized that the tremors and the shifting of the ground had come to a halt. The crack in Nevertide wasn’t widening any further, for now, but I didn’t know if this would be a brief reprieve or the end of the entity’s destructive force on the land.

I need to get them to safety.

We dropped down just outside the portcullis where most of the ministers and guards were gathered, all flapping about like headless birds. I anxiously searched the crowd for a familiar blonde head, but I didn’t see her.

“Ashbik!” one of the guards cried out, and my name was echoed across the waiting group. I shoved Queen Trina to the floor, and the bird took off in flight once again, no doubt to find a safer spot than here.

“Watch her! She’s not to move—if she wakes, secure her to something,” I instructed, pointing at five waiting guards who appeared to be only partly injured. “The rest of you wait here, by the entrance. Do not leave—you all wait for my command, is that clear?” I roared out.

I heard the resounding chorus of ‘yes, your highness’. Had it been under other circumstances, the meek and mild response of the ministers would have made me laugh. As it was, I didn’t care whether they stayed here or not, not really. I just wanted to find Ruby.

I looked at the other guards; there were three who weren’t injured at all, and I beckoned them over.

“I’m going to search for the humans, you’re to follow me.”

“Your highness, no one will have gotten out alive—the towers, everything—it collapsed,” stuttered one of them, avoiding meeting my eye.

“We’ll find them,” I repeated implacably.

The ministers stood aside hurriedly as I walked toward the portcullis. I didn’t bother checking to see if the guards had followed my lead. I was going anyway. Using True Sight, I scanned the entrance of the castle while walking closer to the worst of the rubble. The sight made me sick. There were at least fifteen sentries—some ministers, some servants—who had been caught in the rock as it had fallen down, crushing all of them. The only mercy would have been that they would have died quickly.

Please don’t let Ruby…

I couldn’t even finish the thought. The idea that she had met the same fate was unimaginable.

Searching every single pile of rubble, including the interior of the blocked-off main fortress, I anxiously sought her out, looking for any sign of the rest of the humans, Tejus or Hazel.

“There are sentries trapped in there,” I muttered to the guards. Inside the main fortress I could see ministers who were still alive, trying to remove the rubble that blocked their paths. Already their movements were becoming slow and weak. “One of you go and fetch more who are able to help—we need to start trying to get them out. They’re going to suffocate in there otherwise.”

Where the collapsing building hadn’t killed them, the fire shortly would. It seemed to be worse at the lower levels of the castle, but with the entrances and exits blocked, those left alive would soon suffocate or be burnt alive.

The guard hurried back to the portcullis. I continued my search with the two remaining guards, starting to edge around the right side of the castle where the damage was the worst. The towers had all collapsed, one leaving only the iron staircase jutting out of the foundation of the keep, burnt and twisted, but still standing.

I started to focus on the piles of rubble. The first two contained nothing, but as I moved closer toward the side entrance, a large, built-up pile caught my attention.

“Ruby!” I ran closer to the pile of rocks, seeing a group of humans trapped inside along with the distinct, hunched-over figure of Tejus.

“Help me move these!” I called to the guards. Then, realizing that the three of us wouldn’t move fast enough, I commanded, “One of you go back and get more help—anyone who’s able-bodied!”

I could see that Tejus had built a barrier that was covering them all—but how long he could hold it up, I didn’t know. He was obviously syphoning off the humans to keep it in place, and if any of them grew too weak…

I started to throw the rocks back, moving the top ones first. Shortly, footsteps hurried to my aid. Three more guards and two ministers launched themselves at the pile, helping me heave off the worst of the rubble.

As we moved a dented iron spike, three large gray stones tumbled off the barrier. Then Ruby peered out at me, dusty and soot-streaked, but smiling.

“Shortie!” I breathed, grinning at her weakly.

She waved, knowing I wouldn’t be able to hear her through the protection of the barrier. I kept removing the stones, smiling at her reassuringly, but I felt sick. That had been too close for comfort—I had almost lost her again, and where I should have felt relief, instead a knot of anxiety twisted in my gut. The danger was getting worse, seemingly at the same rate that my feelings for Ruby were intensifying. The thought of losing her was becoming more and more agonizing.