A Rip of Realms (A Shade of Vampire #39)(12)

“Hello?” I called again, my voice breaking slightly.

“You’re safe,” Tejus barked at them, striding across the floorboards, clearly unaffected by their strange behavior.

One of the children started crying, and my shoulders slumped in relief. Suddenly it didn’t seem as scary—it was they who were afraid, and no reason why I should have been.

“Why should we trust you?” an old man retorted.

“Abelle said we should remain here,” another of the villagers replied, eyeing us suspiciously. “She told us we had to wait, and not leave.”

“King Ashbik is outside,” Tejus replied, already sounding bored. “Please follow us out—we’re moving you all to a safe palace a few miles from here.” He turned away from the wide-eyed villagers. “Come on, I’ll get some of the guards to assist them.”

I nodded, following him out. I took one last look at the villagers before stepping out into the sunlight—they hadn’t moved from the back of the barn, and were still staring at us. I shivered, wrapping my arms around my frame, and hurried after Tejus.





Hazel





We had been riding for hours and the sun was starting to set, casting the ravaged land in a haze of fiery pinks and red. I felt like we were the only people left alive in Nevertide—I couldn’t hear the sounds of wildlife in the forests, or birds overhead. Once we had left the village, there were no more sightings of stray farmyard animals – the villagers had caught what they could, tying up a couple of strange-looking pigs and sheep who now trailed along behind us, but even they were completely silent. The rip in the sky was now behind us, and every time I glanced back it seemed to taunt me, as if it was smiling down at us, watching, waiting.

What is wrong with you? I scolded myself. First the village and now this—I was like a kid, afraid of the dark, waiting for monsters to come and jump out at me when there were more than enough real-life threats to be wary of. The villagers were walking up ahead with Ash, keeping their distance from Tejus and me. After the initial weirdo behavior, they seemed to be fine—muttering to one another and looking dazed, but nothing out of the ordinary given the circumstances.

“Only another mile to go,” Tejus muttered at me. “The forest clears in a moment.”

He had been quiet on the journey, and I wondered if the desolation of Nevertide was starting to get to him.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

“Fine.”

“This place belongs to your family?” I prompted, wondering if our destination was the cause of his silence.

“My mother. It belonged to her family—I haven’t been here since I was a boy. Hopefully it will still be intact. It was once beautiful, but my father didn’t wish to visit after her death.”

I nodded. Perhaps this was painful for him? I didn’t want to ask—I knew it would only make him tense up and remain taciturn. If he had any feelings about the place they would come out sooner or later, in his own time.

Soon the forest did clear, opening up into wild, unkempt grassland that came up to the bellies of the bull-horses. Ahead I could see the palace—a beautiful, ornate building with towers that reached up into the sky. Where the dying light shone on it, the white of the stone dazzled, making it look as if it was carved out of glass.

“It’s incredible,” I breathed.

Tejus just grunted.

“We’re too far away to see the damage,” he replied after a while. I shot him a bemused look, but his eyes were fixed on the building and he didn’t notice. As we got closer, I saw that he was right—the palace was suffering from disuse. The ornately carved marble was stained yellow with age, and the sandstone was starting to crumble in places. But it was still beautiful, perhaps more so for its wear and tear – it made it look romantic, like something out of a fairy tale. The building was comprised of the main body of the palace, supported by four elegant towers, which I guessed were too narrow for much real use other than aesthetics. On either side of the main building were glass houses, each containing long-dead botanical gardens, with only weeds breaking through some of the glass panes. The palace didn’t have much in the way of defense—no outer wall guarded it, and only a large oak door would stand between us and intruders.

“Will we be safe here?” I asked Tejus.

“As safe as anywhere else.” He shrugged. “Hellswan castle was the best defended in the kingdom, and that didn’t make the slightest difference.”

I could see his point. It wasn’t like a moat was going to keep out the entity. I jumped off the bull-horse, eager to explore more.

“Wait for me,” Tejus instructed as he disembarked, slowly scanning the surrounding forests as he did so.

I waited impatiently, watching as Ruby and Ash and the rest of the kids started clambering off their horses, all looking toward the palace with barely concealed delight. After the grim grayness of Hellswan, it felt like we’d entered a completely different world.

“Did you like this place as a child?” I asked Tejus, probing just a little.

“It was fine.”

I wanted to laugh—was all of its charm really lost on him?

“You’re so strange.” I smiled back at him, already drifting toward the entrance.

“What do you mean?”