A Rip of Realms (A Shade of Vampire #39)(33)

My shirt stuck to the blood that trickled down from the carving on my chest; it stung lightly, a reminder of what I had promised to Nevertide, and to Ash. Walking ahead of the group that had been present at the small, makeshift ceremony—all the more meaningful to me without the pomp and extravagance of my coronation—I reflected on the task that lay ahead. It wasn’t a position I took lightly. I felt honored and humbled that I had been chosen to unite the guards of the six kingdoms. How that would actually be achieved, I had no idea; the guards, like the populations of the kingdoms, were scattered—some would be residing with Queen Memenion, but not all. Another problematic aspect was the fact that this position had only just been created; the commanders of the kingdoms had never before had someone appointed over them. Telling them would require diplomacy. A skill I had never grasped.

“Tejus, wait a moment,” Ash called out, hastening to catch up with me as I headed in the direction of the summer palace. I came to a halt, noticing that Ash had left the Impartial Ministers and the guards back by the trees in order to join me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I want to talk to you about Queen Trina,” he replied, continuing to walk and indicating that I should do the same.

“Go on.”

“Before he died, King Memenion told me he was worried that you wouldn’t be able to kill the queen, if given the chance…that because of your history, you might…hesitate.”

It was dark, but I knew that color would be rising in the emperor’s cheeks. He was clearly uncomfortable bringing the subject up, but that didn’t make me feel any better—the insult was severe.

“That is absolute nonsense,” I hissed back at him. “I’ve sworn to end that woman’s life, and I shall do so—happily.”

I could barely contain my fury. How dare he question me? More insultingly, mere seconds after he had sworn me in to command his armies, to protect the sentries of Nevertide.

“Ash, have you ever killed another?” I asked, when he fell silent.

He hesitated for a moment.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Are you thinking about my father?” I asked him wryly.

Ash came to an abrupt halt – staring up at me, his eyes wild. As much as I was enjoying his discomfort, I decided to let him out of his misery.

“I know you poisoned the soup, but I also know that it wouldn’t have been enough to kill my father – someone finished off what you started.”

Ash looked down at the floor, and I could see a violent blush appearing at the back of his neck.

“My deepest apologies, Tejus. It was only to distract everyone while I retrieved Ruby and the others…” He trailed off.

“I know. No apologies necessary – he had it coming I suppose.”

We walked on in silence for a while, until Ash cleared his throat.

“Do you know who it was that actually killed him?” he asked quietly.

I didn’t have any firm evidence, but there were obvious candidates – more than a few, but I had only one true suspect.

“My first guess is Queen Trina.”

Ash nodded, “makes sense – she wouldn’t have wanted him to return the stone after the trials. Did she admit it, when you questioned her?”

“I didn’t even ask.” It hadn’t actually occurred to me to do so — there were so many other pressing matters at hand, and I wasn’t sure whether or not I even cared if she had killed my father. Her crimes were extensive — I didn’t need any further reasons to end her existence.

“So your answer is no,” I stated, returning to our original conversation. “If you haven’t ever killed anyone, then you have no idea what you’re talking about. It is never easy—no matter if it’s a stranger or someone you know. But you do it because it needs to be done, because taking that one life might prevent a handful of others from meeting their maker. I will not hesitate, and I will not fail.”

“I’m sorry I doubted you,” he mumbled. “I should have known better.”

“It’s fine,” I replied curtly, dismissing him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

He left, heading through the entrance doors to the palace. I decided to wait a while to calm down before I went in search of Hazel. I walked further along the moonlit lawn, avoiding bumping into the Impartial Ministers and guards as they retired for the night. My fury hadn’t dissipated at his apology, and a part of me wondered if it was so offensive because it was true.

The truth was, I had shown Queen Trina leniency that I wouldn’t show another. Had it been anyone else who had attempted to kidnap Hazel, they wouldn’t have gotten away with it. Was it because I couldn’t bear to end the life of someone I had known so intimately? Or was it because she was more valuable alive, for the moment? I hoped that it was the latter, but I could no longer be sure. Damn Ash for making me question myself. Before our conversation, I had never once doubted my ability to kill her, and now I feared that the doubt itself would be what made me falter when the time came.



“You’re back.” Hazel smiled at me, color staining the tops of her cheekbones. Ah. I suspected she’d seen the ceremony—I’d thought I’d felt her presence, but I’d assumed it was because I was still in close proximity to the palace.