A Rip of Realms (A Shade of Vampire #39)(22)

I woke just before dawn. The sky was an inky blue, the tear in it masked momentarily by the darkness. I left Hazel sleeping on the floor of the room for a few moments longer while I went off in search of Ash. We needed to leave to find the Impartial Ministers as soon as we could; with Queen Trina on the loose, we couldn’t afford any further delays.

Closing the door quietly behind me, I entered the empty hallway. The light was dim—only two torches had been found in working order yesterday, and they flickered ineffectually in the gloom. I located the stairway, hoping that Ash would already be up and ready. Two guards waited by the main door at the bottom of the stairs, nodding in greeting at my approach.

“King Ashbik?” I asked.

“The kitchen,” one replied.

I made my way there, finding Ash standing in front of the collapsed wall, looking out into the shadows of the garden.

“My apologies about Queen Trina,” I said, coming to stand by his side. He glanced over at me, nodding.

“I suppose it was only a matter of time.”

“That was the idea – to speak to her before she was rescued,” I muttered, uncomfortable with the idea of justifying my actions to Ash. It would take some getting used to.

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.