A Rip of Realms (A Shade of Vampire #39)(24)

Okay.

I got the feeling that this wasn’t an entirely well-thought-out plan. The ridge was getting closer, a sheer rock face that looked completely impenetrable, and, as far as I could see, showed no evidence of anything built within it.

We started riding single file as the path became narrower, and large, thorny bushes started to appear on either side of us, their spikes catching onto our robes and scratching at any uncovered skin as we passed.

“I can’t see anything,” I called to Tejus. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“It’s what I’ve been told,” he replied drily.

Could you be more vague?

Tejus’s relaxed demeanor was starting to irritate me. It was as if the rest of us were on a world-saving apocalypse mission, while he was taking a nice stroll through a garden.

“She’s got a point,” Ash observed, looking up at the wall. “Where would the entrance be? There’s nothing here. We should have brought a minister along with us.”

Tejus pulled his horse to a stop; the sudden snort of the animal echoed loudly around the valley, making us all jump.

“We should get off here. I think we’re going to need to walk the rest of the way—it’s too narrow.”

“Rest of the way to where?” Ash insisted. “I can’t see a thing, Tejus, am I missing something?”

Tejus rolled his eyes, and then glared at Ash. “Maybe you want to try using True Sight, your highness?”

“What do you—” Ash started out sounding belligerent, and then fell silent. “Oh,” he replied, a moment later. “I see what you mean.” His eyes rolled back in head as he used his True Sight ability. Clearly, he was seeing something on the other side of the stone wall in front of us.

“Want to fill us in?” I prompted, irritated that I couldn’t see what they clearly could.

“I can see the monastery,” Ash replied sheepishly. “It’s inside the wall of the ridge. Still don’t understand how we’re going to get inside though.”

“There’s got to be an entrance around here somewhere,” replied Tejus, scratching his jaw-line in contemplation.

“We should get closer,” Hazel announced, leading the way forward. She was clearly as frustrated as I was at not being able to see anything, but I suspected her frustration came from her abilities being subdued by Abelle’s potion.

We all followed her, Tejus frowning at her departing back. I could tell he wanted to yank her back so that she wasn’t the one going first, but he managed to reject the impulse. I smiled as I followed my friend, wondering how one of the most independent women I knew managed to get involved with such a protective, over-cautious boyfriend.

“Here!” Hazel shouted out, so close to the wall that her nose was practically pushed against the stone, but her arm pointed sideways, toward the joint where the valley met the wall of the ravine on the left of the path. From a distance, it looked like they were joined together, but up close I could see there was a narrow gap between, just large enough for a sentry to fit through.

“Ash, lead the way,” Tejus insisted, holding Hazel back.

“Seriously?” Hazel hissed at him.

“Seriously,” he repeated, ignoring her answering glare. I stifled a giggle, and watched as Ash slipped between the two rock faces, vanishing into the gloom. After a moment, I followed, running my hands on the rock on each side to guide me. For a few seconds I couldn’t see Ash at all, but then the passage was suddenly flooded with light—pure, white and almost painfully brilliant.

“Ash?” I called out, my voice timid.

I didn’t hear a reply, and I blinked in the bright glare for a few moments, trying to see his figure up ahead.

“Ruby, what’s going on?” Hazel asked, and I felt her hand brush against my back. I turned around, seeing both her and Tejus shading their eyes.

“Ash!” I tried again, moving forward.

“I’m here,” he called back, stepping out in front of the light. “You’ve got to come and see this—it’s incredible!”

I walked further along, finding Ash standing next to an opening in the rock. I stepped through its arch, and gasped.

What the heck?

The view before me was mind-boggling. Rationally, I knew we were inside the rock of the ridge, but it looked as if we’d entered a completely different world. The light was actually sunlight—a huge, perfectly blue expanse of sky appeared over us, seeming to stretch on for miles into the distance. The glare I’d seen from the outside was the sunlight reflecting off the white stone that covered the ground. The only object breaking the endless expanse of the white stone and sky was a large pillared coliseum. Each column was at least seven yards high, circling a large marble basin.

We all looked at each other, our expressions stunned.

“What is this place?” Hazel whispered eventually, looking to Tejus for answers.

“I have no idea,” he murmured. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life…”

“Should we call out or something?” I asked.

“Hello?” Ash called. “Anybody out there?”

His call was unanswered—there wasn’t a soul here. We waited for a few moments, standing awkwardly by the entrance, not entirely sure if we should venture forward or leave.