A Rip of Realms (A Shade of Vampire #39)(48)

“Emperor Ashbik, Commander Tejus!” Queen Memenion called out to us as she approached. “It’s a good day!”

Our army came to a halt, and I smiled at the queen. I recognized her dead husband’s armor, as well as his weaponry sheathed at her back and waist. The fanged beasts ran amok around us, scaring the bull-horses till they whinnied and reared.

“Are these your pets?” I asked with bemusement – wondering how on earth she managed to domesticate and train such deadly beasts as these.

“They are now.” She whistled, calling them back to her. They retreated at her command, coming to stand protectively around her bull-horse. “They left the forests when the earthquakes started – out of fear and hunger they’re willing to be loyal. We shall see how long it lasts!”

I recalled Queen Memenion always being a little eccentric – and her fearlessness had always impressed me.

“Thank you for joining us,” I announced sincerely.

“The pleasure is mine. Queen Trina is going to die today, and her blood will be spilled in my husband’s name.” Her eyes flashed with rage. I nodded, only capable of conceiving a fraction of her loss—not just her husband, but her beloved son, all to the clutches of the Seraq queen.

Their army joined ours, and we rode onward still, fast approaching the palace. Once again, my thoughts drifted to what King Memenion had said to Ash—that I wouldn’t be able to kill Queen Trina when the time came. I had briefly considered that he might have been right, but now I knew differently. She would die so that Hazel could live, and she would die so that the sons and daughters of Nevertide who had been slain by her hand would not be lost in vain.





Hazel





The air grew drier as we entered the Seraq kingdom. The morning sun was now blazing down on us, the palace in the distance appearing to ripple slightly in the heat.

“Can you see if anyone’s there?” I asked Tejus, pulling out a water flask from my saddle and taking a much-needed gulp.

“It looks abandoned,” he replied with a frown. “But it could just be a barrier that I can’t see through.”

I was starting to feel edgy, like we were missing something. The stillness of the kingdom and the palace up ahead just didn’t feel right. Like everything here had been abandoned days ago.

“We’ll ride to the top and disembark,” Tejus commented, pointing to the path that led to the exterior grounds of the palace.

“Watch out for nymphs,” Ruby muttered.

Tejus rode back down the line, dividing the army into two groups. The first group accompanied us, and the second fanned out to guard the palace while we went to investigate. When we reached the top, I wearily climbed down off the bull-horse. My hunger was starting to rage in the pit of my stomach, and it was taking all my energy to keep it contained. I hoped that Queen Trina and her Acolytes would be here—not just for the sake of the children, but selfishly, so I could have someone to feed off of. My legs felt like they were going to buckle as soon as my feet touched the ground. I’d forgotten what it was like to ride a horse for such a long time, and my thighs ached from the exertion.

We entered the first courtyard on foot. I’d never seen Queen Trina’s kingdom up close, and was amazed to find that it was beautiful—extravagantly so. Ruby had mentioned the lavish quarters, but I had only half believed it until now. It was like her kingdom was a world away from what I’d seen so far in Nevertide, more like an illustration from Arabian Nights than a sentry fortress.

Ash, Tejus and Queen Memenion used True Sight to see what lay within the walls. The other guards and ministers spread out around the courtyard, looking for any other soul that might still remain. One by one, they started to shake their heads, looking at one another in frustration and bafflement.

“Nothing?” I asked, walking up to Tejus.

“Nothing,” he confirmed. “I’m going to dispatch a group to go inside, but I can’t sense any barriers—I think it’s truly deserted.”

Where the hell is she?

“Help! HELP!” A cry shattered through the air, coming from the side of the courtyard that backed onto the cliff edge. Tejus and I ran forward, peering down through a columned arch to the ocean that lay below.

On narrow steps, carved into the cliff face, Jenus was stumbling about. He did his best to press against the wall, but his feet fumbled, causing rubble to clatter down beneath him, dropping soundlessly into the ocean.

“What’s he doing?” I asked Tejus. I couldn’t see why he was calling for help—there was no immediate danger other than his own idiocy. “Is he wounded or something?”

“I don’t think so.” Tejus looked disdainfully down at his brother, who had now caught sight of us, waving his arms in the air.

“PLEASE!” he cried. “Tejus, brother, help me!”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Tejus muttered, sighing in frustration. “What’s wrong?” he called down.

“The wind! It’s fearsome here—I’m afraid I can’t hold on for much longer!”

I looked doubtfully over to Tejus. It didn’t seem windy to me. At the end of the stone steps that Jenus had come from was a small viewpoint, decorated with potted plants and an outdoor bench. It hardly seemed perilous. Maybe Jenus had truly lost his mind.