An Empire of Stones

by Bella Forrest

  “I’m ready,” I said, already shivering. I wanted to get back to the castle and take a bath before I could even contemplate doing much else.

  “I’ll get us back as quickly as I can,” he replied. “You need to get warm and eat something.”

  I nodded, thinking about Benedict. What kind of state would he be in? Would he be as cold and hungry as I was, but with no way of getting any comfort?

  “What about Benedict?” I asked softly, already half-knowing the answer.

  “It has to wait, Hazel. You can’t go out again like this. As soon as we’re able, we’ll look for him.”

  It wasn’t what I’d wanted to hear, but I knew he was right. I just had to place a little faith in my brother—and, strangely, faith that the entity wanted him fit and well for its purposes. He couldn’t steal any more stones if he was half frozen.

  I swallowed. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”

  Tejus lifted me onto the bull-horse, and then jumped on behind me.

  “What about Aria?” I asked.

  “I’ll send guards back for her. She’ll be cremated at Hellswan,” he replied gruffly.

  With that, we galloped off into the forest, picking our way across the dead branches and fallen ferns that littered the makeshift pathways. I was glad our journey would be a quick one. There was a strange kind of beauty to the snow-white landscape, but it was eerie as well—as if everything in Hellswan had died overnight, and that the world was completely empty apart from Tejus and me.

  Last night had been strangely amazing. Though a threat hung over us, and my thoughts were never far from my brother, Ruby or Julian, spending uninterrupted time with Tejus in a literal bubble had been so intimate I half-wished we’d never had to leave it. I’d felt so close to him, like I was finally getting some more insight into who he was, and having an actual conversation where we didn’t bite each other’s heads off was a novelty I wanted to experience again.

  He still wouldn’t answer the questions I had about why he was so reticent in allowing something more to happen between us. I had told him last night that I would get to the bottom of it, whatever his reasoning was. Perhaps I could respect his decision more if I understood it, but at the moment I had no idea why he wouldn’t just let it happen, when he obviously had feelings toward me—or at least the possibility of feelings toward me. I found the whole thing unbelievably frustrating, and I had no reference point for any of this. In the world of fictional romance, the guy usually made his intentions clear, and it was the heroine who had misgivings. The role reversal was getting kind of insulting.

  “We’re a few miles from the castle. Are you still cold?” Tejus asked.

  Pressed against his body, with his arms wrapped around me, I had completely forgotten the outside temperature.

  “I’m fine. Just looking forward to a bath.”

  “Good. I don’t believe I will be as fortunate. The trials will begin this morning,” he mused.

  “What?” I replied, stunned. “You’ll go to the trials? Can’t you tell them what happened? Surely they’ll delay it till you can get some rest?”

  Tejus snorted. “Do you honestly believe that?” he asked.

  He was right. Like the ministers in Nevertide had ever cared about the wellbeing of those taking part in the trials. I remembered the faulty disk and shuddered. Though they’d been powerless to stop it, as soon as the nightmare had come to an end they’d carried on as if nothing had happened.

  “Fair point. But you should try at least,” I grumbled.

  “Out of the question.”

  I sighed. If it was a trial of willpower and stubbornness, Tejus would win hands down.

  As predicted, as soon as we entered the courtyard, ministers flocked from the front doors, running down the stone steps to meet us.

  “Your Highness,” they cried breathlessly. “The trials begin in an hour!”

  “Can’t you give him some time to rest?” I snapped, ignoring Tejus’s warning look.

  “There is no time!” Qentos’s reedy voice cut through the air. “He must depart at once!”

  “I’m ready,” Tejus replied, but his gaze was directed at me.

  “You’re insane,” I muttered. I was worried. If Tejus wasn’t fit for the trial, then he shouldn’t be going. The kingship trials had been dangerous enough. I couldn’t imagine what the imperial trials would have in store for him.

  “Hazel,” Tejus growled. “Go and get warm. I will be back soon, and we’ll resume the search for your brother.”

  “Okay.”

  I relented, and gave him back his robe. He thanked me with a nod, and then turned his attention back to the ministers. Not knowing what else to do, I made my way across the courtyard to the castle.

  I fully intended to head straight for my quarters, but it occurred to me to check on the guards who had been on the night watch. I hadn’t seen any of them outside, and no update had been given to Tejus.

  The castle was busy. There were ministers everywhere, and every time I passed one of them, heading in the direction of the emperor’s room, their whispering would start, but nothing clear enough that I could understand what was being said. No doubt they were talking about my brother, and it made me feel uncomfortable—and angry. This was mostly all their fault, and if they thought any differently, then they were more stupid than I had originally given them credit for.

  When I reached the passageway, a group of ministers and guards were huddled around the entrance. All conversations came to a halt and the guards eyed me warily.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, my heart thudding.

  Only silence greeted me. I tried to peer around them to the opening, but my view was cut off by more guards standing directly in the doorway of the passage.

  “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” I asked again, more desperately this time. I didn’t like the looks they were giving me.

  “It’s best if you just go back to your room,” one of the guards murmured. “We’ve got this under control.”

  Yeah, right.

  “Someone needs to tell me what’s going on,” I demanded. “Or I’m marching right back out to your king.”

  The guards glanced at one another.

  “The guards on night watch were found drained of their energy this morning,” one of them replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “They don’t remember a thing.”

  “Has anyone checked the stones?” I asked, my voice tight.

  The guard nodded. “There’s another one missing.”

  I gulped.

  The guard glanced balefully at one of the ministers.

  “We were told not to tell Tejus, in order not to distract him from the trials.”

  I glared at the minister, who looked down at the floor. I turned on my heel and fled. Running as fast as I could down the hallways, I prayed that Tejus hadn’t already left. I burst through the front doors, aware of the ministers staring at me, but I no longer cared.

  “Tejus!” I called out, looking around the courtyard wildly. Then I saw him—galloping off on the bull-horse with Lithan and Qentos following behind him.

  “Tejus!” I called again, running toward the portcullis.

  I was too late.

  I stood panting, watching as his dark figure disappeared into the distance.

  Tejus

  I was the last to arrive.

  All four kings and Queen Trina were already waiting under the arches of the pavilion. The Impartial Ministers raised their eyebrows as I ascended the steps, but I was in no mood to apologize or make excuses. I knew that all the royals would be desperate to hear of the latest tragedy that had befallen Hellswan, and I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction.

  “Thank you for joining us, King Tejus of Hellswan,” one of the old ministers announced. I nodded curtly, pleased to see his brow furrow in irritation.

  “We shall begin. This trial is different from the others,” the Impartial Minister began to explain as he paced the circumference of the
pavilion. “It is a trial that will test your inner resolve to compete. Each of you will undergo a test to ensure that you are worthy of a place at the imperial trials.”

  “Surely our trials to rule our own kingdoms were enough,” King Thraxus exclaimed. “We were not informed of this.”

  “Peace, Thraxus,” one of the ministers interjected. “It is still a trial nonetheless, and crucial to the process. Each one of you will be asked to find within yourself that which drives you to rule. You should be glad of it.” He smiled. “Perhaps you will discover more about yourselves today than you could ever hope to come to understand in a lifetime.”

  Thraxus grumbled under his breath, but the Impartial Ministers paid no more attention.

  “You will be given an elixir,” one of them continued, “a derivative of the hallucinogenic honestas—something that you will be familiar with, Tejus of Hellswan.” The minister smirked at me as my blood ran cold. I had not forgotten my earlier experience with that foul elixir—and if the truth be told, the visions I had seen in that cave haunted me still.

  “The elixir will open up the deepest truth in your hearts, allowing you to see for yourselves what is contained within you. To test for yourselves whether you have what it takes.”

  “How is the winner determined?” King Hadalix demanded.

  The Impartial Ministers smiled. Clearly they had been waiting for one of us to ask that very question.

  “All will be revealed,” one of them replied in a self-satisfied fashion. “All in good time.”

  More riddles. I didn’t think I would ever understand why ministers appeared to have such difficulty with being forthright and direct. It was infuriating, making my blood boil.

  Unwilling to let them see how easily they got beneath my skin, I took the vial of elixir one of the Impartial Ministers offered me. I drained it, not waiting for the others to inspect theirs. I knew what lay in wait, and the sooner I got it over with, the better.

  Almost immediately the pagoda started to spin. This was different to last time, and as its effects were instantaneous, I could only hazard a guess that the elixir was much stronger. Before I could think another panicked thought, my eyelids drooped closed and I felt like I was freefalling—weightlessly dropping through the ground.

  When I reopened my eyes, the world was very different.

  Bright sunlight blinded me, and it took me a few moments to be able to see my surroundings. The landscape was completely barren; miles of dry sand skittered across stone, with no mountains or ridges to interrupt the horizon. I didn’t recognize where I was, absolutely certain I had never been here before in my life. I wondered if I’d been transported into another dimension, but no elixir I’d ever heard of was powerful enough to accomplish that. I had to accept that this was in some part my own imagination…but even in my dreams, I’d never seen anything like this.

  I looked down at myself, noticing first that my robes were gone. I was wearing nothing but a simple black cloth tied around my waist, with a scabbard hanging from my hips containing the sword of Hellswan. Relieved that I still had a weapon, I took a few steps forward, not entirely sure what direction I should be heading in.

  Deciding eventually that it was unlikely to matter, I headed off in a northerly direction.

  Soon I was dehydrated and my skin felt tight and scorched by a relentless sun. I had no idea how long I’d been walking for—the landscape still hadn’t altered, and I had no way of knowing how far I’d traveled. The sun hadn’t changed its position in the sky, as if the world I was in had been frozen in time.

  Near giving up and heading back in a different direction, I finally saw a shape in the distance. I picked up my speed in a final effort, and soon the shape took on a recognizable form. It was a cave, emerging out of the earth like a gaping mouth.

  I drew closer, and began to realize there was a figure standing in its entrance. It was female, and as I hurried toward her, I began to recognize familiar features.

  My mother.

  I stood in front of her, gasping for breath, unable to speak.

  “Welcome, my son.” She smiled at me, her brown eyes as kind as I’d remembered them, her jet-black hair tossed in the heat of the wind.

  “It has been a long time,” she continued. “And you are the man I always hoped you would become.”

  I rubbed my temples.

  “You are a figment of my imagination,” I replied stiffly.

  “Perhaps. Does it matter?”

  “No,” I conceded. “Perhaps it does not.”

  She embraced me. Her form was solid, real. She even smelled the way she used to. My heart ached from the memory. After a few moments she released me, and I stood back.

  “Will you tell me what I am supposed to do?” I asked.

  “You are just required to listen.” She smiled again. “The crown of the six kingdoms will soon be yours, if you cut out your heart and persevere…but you must know that the path was not yours to take and belongs to another. You, Tejus, are a false king—and another destiny awaits you, should you choose it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just as I said.”

  “More riddles!” I exhaled, furious. “Tell me, can it be mine? Can the crown be mine?”

  “It is yours, if you cut out your heart and persevere,” she repeated.

  “I do not understand.” I groaned. “My kingdom and the whole of Nevertide is in danger, and the Impartial Ministers answer me with riddles?”

  “Tejus, it is not they who do this. It is just the way. The crown is yours if you are willing to pay the price, but it is great.”

  “I am willing to pay it.”

  My mother smiled sadly, nodding.

  “I wish that you were not,” she whispered.

  I didn’t understand her. Had my mother risen from her grave, I would have expected her to be proud of where I’d reached…but perhaps my memory was playing false tricks on me. I couldn’t truly remember if she had approved of my father ruling Nevertide, or what she had ever wanted me to become.

  She is your imagination, fool.

  “What do I do now?” I asked, refocusing on my task.

  “You need to bloody your sword, beloved son.”

  I looked around. There was nothing—no creatures, no living thing as far as the eye could see.

  My mother started to laugh.

  “Honorable to the last, Tejus!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Me. I am your target.” She smiled again, looking brightly into my eyes.

  “I can’t!”

  What horrific test was this?

  “You can and you must. It’s the only way, Tejus. You said so yourself, whatever it takes.”

  “Not this!”

  “Don’t be afraid—I am already long dead.”

  I swallowed, hating myself as my fingers touched the pommel of my sword. How would I ever forgive myself for this? I knew it was my imagination, but would it be another moment that I would replay in my mind, time and time again, like my brother’s body falling from his tower, and the departing back of Jenus? As my mother nodded encouragingly, Hazel’s face entered my mind. My saving grace. Would the sound of her laughter wipe out this moment?

  Before I could change my mind, I unsheathed the sword and held its tip pressed against my mother’s chest.

  “I love you, Tejus. I forgive you for this.”

  Looking away, I slid the sword into her.

  I came to back at the pavilion, looking up at the eaves of the dome.

  Instantly I registered the lingering effects of my desert vision—my skin still felt burnt, my mouth parched. I was back in the robes I’d been wearing, and my sword was sheathed in my scabbard. With trembling hands, I reached again for the pommel. When I drew it out, the blade was a bright red, the metallic tang of blood suddenly infiltrating the air and filling my nostrils with its scent. Was it truly the blood of my mother? Or just some trick of the hallucinogenic drug?

  Don’t think about it. It�
��s done.

  I looked around at the other royals. Each was groaning as they awoke, lying on the ground as I was. I slowly rose to my feet, my head dizzy and throbbing.

  The first face I saw was Queen Trina’s. She looked paler than usual, her gaze transfixed on the clump of red matter clenched in her hand. It was a human heart. She looked at it for a few moments before turning away and vomiting off the edge of the pavilion.

  Averting my eyes, I looked at the other kings. Each held an internal organ or a bloodied weapon—Thraxus held a sharp rock, and wept softly into his blood-stained robes. Only one, King Dellian Demzred, held nothing. I caught his eye, instantly wanting to turn away, spare him the shame of knowing that I could see his own sense of defeat and humiliation from that single glance. Privately, I thought he was the only one that had shown any real integrity…what were the ministers trying to prove, that we would kill something we loved for power? Where was the honor and glory in that?

  I also didn’t understand, if these were hallucinations, how we had taken fragments of them back into reality – there was nothing imagined about the blood on my blade. Were these trials and rituals so old they now had their own ancient magic?

  The Impartial Ministers stepped up onto the pavilion, coming to stand in the center.

  “King Demzred, you are unable to continue to take part in the imperial trials,” they announced. “The rest of you have shown your willingness to compete no matter what is asked of you. Perhaps this will bring you some comfort in the days ahead.”

  I wasn’t so sure of that. My mother’s words had brought me little reassurance—my winning was possible, but her referring to me as a ‘false king’ hardly inspired confidence. And what of the ‘price’ she spoke of? Did she just mean that the trials would be difficult, or was it something more? And what other destiny awaited me? I wiped my sword clean in frustration, hearing the approaching steps of Lithan and Qentos behind me.

  “Congratulations, my lord!” Qentos announced breathlessly.

  I turned and nodded my thanks, sheathing my sword back in its scabbard, no longer wanting to look at the faint smears of blood that I couldn’t remove.