An Empire of Stones Read online

  I approached the minister swiftly, ignoring the bemused stares of Ashbik and another of Queen Trina’s sidekicks.

  “Tarkus,” I called, before he could turn back to join his king.

  He turned to me in faint surprise before resuming a placid expression.

  “King Tejus.” He bowed. “To what do I owe the honor?”

  I glanced around us before replying. The pavilion was empty, but I drew him toward one of the arches, using the stonework to offer us some privacy.

  “A question,” I replied.

  “I am not at liberty to discuss the trials with you, your highness.”

  “It doesn’t concern the trials,” I reassured him. “I wanted some information. I have heard rumors of a transformative effect occurring when another species marries a sentry royal. Are they true?”

  Tarkus’s face turned a puce color and he looked over my shoulder in the direction of Hazel.

  “You can’t be serious!” he exploded.

  “The question is hypothetical,” I replied through gritted teeth. I wanted to reprimand him for his insolence, but I needed answers more than gratification.

  “I would hope so, your highness. Your reputation would be at stake; forgive my unruly tongue, but you are already under suspicion by many, and the Hellswan name, as I’m sure you know, is not as…immaculate as it might be.”

  “Hold that tongue before you lose it,” I replied curtly. “I know all this. I came to you for information—will you give it to me or not?”

  Tarkus bowed his head again, his color slowly returning to normal.

  “Forgive me… These times are tense, lesser men let the madness get to them.” He sighed. “You are referring to other species becoming sentries, correct?”

  I nodded.

  “As far as I am aware, it is a specific part of the marriage ceremony that is the catalyst for the transformation.”

  I listened to his words, my heart sinking. I had half hoped that it was all some strange myth—tales told of old magic that no longer existed. I would have preferred Tarkus to have laughed at me and called me a fool than reply with solemnity.

  “What part of the ceremony, specifically?” I asked dully.

  Tarkus eyed me warily.

  “I am not sure, exactly. But there is a part of the ceremony, as I am sure you know, where the appointed minister binds heart, soul, spirit and mind. During this ritual, both sentries will typically syphon off one another. When that part of the ceremony is conducted by a sentry and a non-sentry, the abilities of the sentry are somehow transferred to the other species. I believe this is the moment that the transformation takes place.”

  One part of the ceremony. One ritual.

  Would a marriage still be binding if that ritual was missed or altered in some way?

  “Has it happened in recent history?” I asked.

  “Not for many centuries. The last known record was a nymph who married a king. She took on sentry-like qualities.”

  “Which king?” I asked with interest.

  “A long-dead king of the Thraxus kingdom. It is the only record I know of, though perhaps there are more in the archives. I can inquire with the Impartial Ministers if it would please you, your Highness?”

  “No,” I replied swiftly. I had trusted Tarkus because I’d heard that he remained silent on private matters, and Memenion held him in high regard. The Impartial Ministers I did not trust. “That will be all. Thank you for the information.”

  Tarkus correctly recognized my words as a dismissal, and left me standing alone in the pavilion.

  My torture felt complete.

  A small voice in the back of my mind considered the possibility of not marrying Hazel at all. Perhaps, if it were enough, she would be willing to stay with me anyway…I dismissed the idea immediately. I was a king. I hoped to be an emperor. It would be impossible. My people and the other kingdoms already doubted me—already questioned my relationship with Hazel. To keep her on as some sort of mistress would be abhorrent.

  Another option would be to tell her. To give her the choice—let her know that if she wanted to be with me, it would come at a cost. A great cost. I thought of her dislike of Nevertide—the constant fear and uncertainty she’d faced since she’d arrived, how the sentries she’d met had either put her life in danger or toyed with her for their own purposes, like me. How could I possibly ask her to become one of them? She had a different destiny waiting, didn’t she? Her family were supernatural vampires. Surely she would want to join their race—leave her human life behind for immortality.

  I turned my head to watch her from the pavilion. She was observing the bird, tentatively reaching out to stroke the soft feathers on its forehead.

  Could she adapt to this life?

  In my heart, I doubted it—perhaps knew that she couldn’t.

  What I could offer her in return was so little: the grey skies and castle of Hellswan, a kingdom that literally hated my name, and my own unpracticed, possessive version of love. It wasn’t enough. Not for what she would have to give up in return.

  I thought again of what Tarkus had said. That it was only one part of the ceremony that caused the transformation, in theory. As emperor, would I dare to change the ceremony, to remove the ritual and declare us legally married?

  If Hazel was willing—willing and clear as to what little I could offer her—perhaps I could.

  I gazed around at the crumbling, ivy-infested stone of the pavilion; the center of Nevertide looked as old and tired as I felt. All my life I had hoped to rule this land. And now the stakes were even higher.

  Ruby

  I’d sat in our appointed room for most of the day. I’d tried to venture out a few times, but only ended up getting lost and luckily bumping into a sentry who could direct me. The nymph from last night hadn’t made a reappearance either. I was quite glad about that; I’d tried to tell Ash last night about my second sighting, but he’d just shrugged it off, leaving me feeling frustrated and utterly alone.

  For the first time since I met Ash, I had really started to feel the sentry-and-human divide. It was as if Queen Trina’s attentions had lessened his anger toward Nevertide politics and royalty, but that anger toward the status quo had always been one of the things that had made him seem more human to me.

  This morning he had left early, claiming that he needed to accompany Queen Trina to a meeting about the imperial trials. He’d left in such a hurry he hadn’t even bothered to tell me where it was, or how long he would be gone.

  I desperately wanted to get out of this castle. But at the same time I didn’t want to leave Ash behind.

  Good luck with that.

  It was obvious that he was in his element here. As much as I didn’t like it—and didn’t trust Queen Trina—it kind of felt like Ash was here to stay. I didn’t know where that left us.

  I heard a fumbling at the door to the room. I was about to ask who it was when Ash peered around the door with a broad smile on his face.

  “Hey, shortie. Thought I’d find you in the gardens.”

  “I kept getting lost.” I smiled sheepishly back. “This place is worse than Hellswan.”

  “Trust me – it’s really not,” Ash replied.

  “You know what I mean,” I replied, trying to sound light-hearted. Ash’s obvious good mood made me feel even more rejected. Did he no longer care about the plans we’d made to leave Nevertide together? That had been a couple of days ago, and already things seemed different.

  “I saw Hazel,” Ash said. “She sends her love. But Benedict is missing…again. I’m sure they’ll find him, and Julian eventually. I don’t blame them for wanting to get out of that place.”

  “Did he not come home the night of the rain?” I asked, my body tensing.

  “I don’t know—there wasn’t time for details. But she and Tejus were going out to look for him. I’m sure he’s fine.”

  I nodded, but my decision was made.

  “Ash, I need to leave. Like, now.”

  He slumped back against the wall dejectedly, scratching his forehead.

  “I knew you’d say that,” he muttered.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you here…but I’ve got to go. Why don’t you come with me?” I pleaded.

  “I can’t, shortie. I need to stay here—help with the trials. She’s got a really good chance of winning. Especially if Tejus remains distracted by your friend.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “His mind’s not on the game. Anyone can see that.”

  His comment had annoyed me. I tried to remind myself that Ash had always been pretty ruthless—poisoning the emperor to get one up on Jenus, for instance. But this was the first time that it had bothered me.

  “My friend’s feelings aren’t a game,” I shot back.

  His eyes widened at my reply, and he put his arms up in mock-surrender.

  “I’m just saying… Anyway, it’s Tejus who’s the one affected. Hazel just seemed worried about her brother.”

  “I need to leave. Can you take me back?” I asked, wanting to get our parting over and done with. I knew I was being difficult, but I couldn’t seem to help it. Maybe I needed a bit of space to work out exactly what I was feeling…I was pretty sure that my irritation was a mask for something else.

  “All right,” Ash said. He didn’t look at me, just opened the door again and stepped out into the hallway. He started to walk along, not once looking back to see if I was following.

  “I have a meeting with Queen Trina, so I can’t go with you,” he said suddenly. “I’ll put you in a carriage though, with a guard. You’ll be fine.”

  “O-Okay…” I tried to hide the hurt in my voice.

  We continued walking along the hallways of the palace in silence, till we reached a
marble-floored courtyard. Our silence became thicker and increasingly awkward as our footsteps echoed on the stone floor.

  Ash let out a low groan.

  “Ruby, don’t do this!” He spun around to face me, his face miserable. “Stay and we can look for Benedict in the other kingdoms near here—he could be anywhere! Same with Julian.”

  I was tempted. I realized that I didn’t want to leave Ash. Not just because I was worried about him, but because I didn’t want to deal with Nevertide without him. But his interest in Queen Trina and her minister position had hurt my feelings—made me feel unwanted and redundant. I wanted to change my mind, but how could I justify leaving Hazel to look for Benedict and Julian by herself? And what about the kids at the castle? They had no one other than us. I had a responsibility toward them.

  “I want to, Ash—I really do, but I can’t,” I replied.

  “Will you come back?” he asked.

  “Of course. I will—I promise. As soon as all this settles, I’ll come back.”

  “All right then.” He sighed. “I just don’t want to leave you in Hellswan alone.”

  “I won’t be,” I pointed out. “Hazel’s there—Jenney too.” I didn’t even bother mentioning Tejus’s name.

  “Yeah, but I won’t be,” he replied softly.

  “I’m tougher than I look,” I reminded him with a smile.

  “That I don’t doubt, shortie.” He pulled me toward him, and I stepped gratefully into the warmth of his arms. He lowered his head and kissed me softly on the lips, nuzzling his nose against mine as he did so. I raised my arms upward, wanting to draw him closer, and he lifted me with a short laugh. Our lips met again, more forcefully this time, and I sank into his warmth, wanting to stay more than ever.

  I was the first to pull back.

  “Ash…”

  “I know, you need to go,” he replied breathlessly. “Let me get a carriage. Wait here.”

  I stood by the entrance gates to the palace, noticing for the first time how little security Queen Trina had in comparison with Hellswan. Perhaps it was because Hellswan was the seat of the emperor, but it seemed odd that any royal home would be so lax. Shrugging, I turned when I heard the sound of a bull-horse and carriage trotting across the courtyard. A lone guard rode the bull-horse. He must have been in his thirties, with a pale face that looked strangely expressionless and vacant. Ash walked next to the horse, smiling ruefully at me.

  “This is Tarq, he’ll take you to Hellswan.” Ash announced.

  The guard nodded in my direction, but I got the distinct impression that he wasn’t really seeing me.

  “You’ll be all right,” Ash whispered, “he’s harmless.”

  I nodded, still feeling a little uneasy. Not wanting to make a fuss over nothing, I smiled up at the guard in greeting and climbed into the back of the carriage.

  “See you soon,” I called out the window.

  Ash waved, mouthing something that I couldn’t hear over the clattering of the hooves and wheels. I waved back as the guard set off at a brisk pace.

  Slumping back in my seat, I watched the manicured lawns and exotic plants of the Seraq kingdom become meadows and then thick forests.

  My promise to Abelle, the apothecary who viewed Ash like her son, came back to haunt me—that I would watch his back, and keep a close eye on Queen Trina. But I couldn’t ignore the needs of my family. Though Julian, Benedict and Hazel weren’t my blood relations, we were a family in the way it counted most. I knew Hazel would be going out of her mind with worry—I needed to be there for her.

  The bull-horse started to slow down, and it neighed loudly as it came to an abrupt halt. I peered further out of the window and saw three guards, all heavily armed, approach.

  “State your business, Seraqean,” one of them commanded. My driver disembarked the carriage.

  “I have a passenger for Hellswan,” he replied vacantly.

  The guards turned in my direction, and I hastily opened the carriage door and stepped out.

  “I’m staying at the Hellswan castle,” I replied as confidently as I could. “With King Tejus and Hazel Achilles. They’re expecting me.”

  “Stand down,” one of the guards barked at the other two. I looked up at him in surprise, and he winked at me.

  “You’re Ruby. You assisted Ashbik in the trials, correct?” he asked.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  He nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. He was almost as tall and broad as Tejus, with dark features—and there was something else about him that reminded me of the new king, maybe the sense that he could potentially be as brooding and deadly, but his manner seemed to be easy-going. I couldn’t imagine Tejus winking at someone.

  “You left the castle?” he asked curiously.

  “I went with Ash to visit Queen Trina.”

  “Ah, of course,” he mused, then smiled. “And survived.”

  Before I could ask what he meant, he leaned past me and reopened the carriage door.

  “Hellswan awaits, Ruby.”

  I clambered inelegantly back into the carriage.

  “I’m going to escort Ruby back to the castle myself.” He turned to the other two guards, and they saluted in response.

  “As you wish, Commander Varga,” one replied.

  The name rang a bell—Hazel had mentioned him before, the guard who was in charge of Julian’s search party. What was he doing questioning people, at what I presumed were the borders of Hellswan?

  The carriage started up again, and a few moments later, Commander Varga came up beside the door, riding his own bull-horse.

  “Why aren’t you searching for Julian?” I asked, leaning out of the window to catch his attention.

  “We were. We’ve searched high and low.” He shook his head in displeasure. “I am very sorry, but we’ve had to suspend the search for a while. There’s been so much happening, we’ve needed all our man power to calm the villagers, to maintain order.”

  I realized that I hadn’t given much thought to the effects the boundaries and blood rains might have had on the general population.

  “People must be terrified,” I murmured.

  “They are. But it’s nothing we can’t handle… Not yet, anyway.”

  The journey carried along in silence for a while, and then Varga smirked down at me.

  “You did well in the trials. Both you and Ashbik. You must have an impressive mind.”

  “Oh, it’s Ash who’s the impressive one. My mind is totally average.”

  He looked skeptical. “I doubt that.”

  “Well, we fell at the last hurdle,” I reminded him, thinking back to the final trial where Ash had lost because I’d not been able to provide him with any mental energy.

  “I noticed,” Varga replied solemnly. “What happened?”

  I was silent for a moment. I wasn’t really clear on how to answer that question—I was still so unsure myself.

  “I don’t actually know…” I hesitated.

  “Did anyone suspect foul play?” he asked.

  “No,” I replied, surprised.

  Before he could reply, Commander Varga’s bull-horse reared up violently, almost throwing him back onto the ground. I could hear the bull-horse driving my carriage neighing and whickering in panic. The buggy swayed to one side, and I was thrown back against the seat. I righted myself and reached for the door, pushing it open.

  “Get back in!” Varga roared at me, still trying to calm his bull-horse.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, pulling the door shut, but leaning as far out of the window as I could.

  Varga pulled tightly on the reins of his bull-horse, and it finally settled onto all fours. He moved forward, grabbing the reins off my driver to steady the carriage.

  “What in Nevertide is that?” Varga muttered.

  Ignoring the instructions I’d been given, I stepped out of the carriage and stood in the middle of the road. I glanced in the direction that Varga was facing, and stopped still.

  Ahead of us were the forests that surrounded Hellswan. Moving rapidly through the trees came billowing white clouds. I thought it might be a strange low-hanging storm, but as I watched flames appeared to lick at the tops of the trees—but they weren’t red or yellow, but a bright bluish white. The white flames had ravaged the forest in their wake, leaving nothing but frosty, dead-limbed trees where flames still danced on their topmost branches. I had never seen anything like it in my life, and I stared dumbstruck as the flames flew closer toward us.