Half of Ruby

Chapter 45

Groaning, Ruby pried her face from the ground, sneezing as something soft tickled her nose.

Something soft and green. Grass.

"Princess!"

Frantically, Ruby shot to her hands and knees, head reeling as dizziness swept through her. The Portal still roiled in the corner of her eye, a mass of green energy expelling bolts of emerald energy.

Her dark hair swung down around her shoulders, freed from their hairband. Her disguise had vanished.

"Princess!"

Who, me? Ruby stood up, staggering as she took in the scene. A clearing of green grass tumbled in wild waves, pushed back and forth by the wind. A border of dark green and brown—forest—lined the clearing, leaves swaying back and forth in disjointed unison.

A figure stood at the edge of the forest, dressed in black, one hand clamped over a dagger dangling from a slender brown sword belt. Blond hair and green eyes, standing seven feet tall, he stood unmoving, lips parted slightly.

"Princess Constance!"

When she did not respond, he rolled his eyes and stormed towards her, tunic billowing behind him as he approached her.

"Who are you?" she demanded, backing away from him.

"A guard," he said. "Not of Queen Thyrema's, but of Princess Vyella's. And, ultimately, of yours. Princess Constance."

She gaped at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Need I say anymore? All right." His left hand flew to his right sleeve, shifting it upwards and revealing a black circle branded into his forearm, decorated with eight arrows extending outwards and the letter C in the center.

"I...sorry, I don't get it. Can you be quiet? I have a headache."

A thin hiss of frustration escaped the guard's lips, but he rolled his eyes again and fell silent.

A crackle of energy emitted from the Portal behind Ruby, and both she and the guard spun around, Ruby's eyes wide as the Portal expanded, expelling from its depths Vyella, who leapt deftly out of the circle of energy and brushed off her skirts as she approached the guard.

"Ah, Ruby. And Ephasus. You may go, now. Thank you for waiting."

"Eight hours of waiting," he grumbled, "and she doesn't appreciate me, nor recognize the emblem of our alliance."

Vyella let out a forced smile as she glanced at Ruby. "Though she is Giant by birth, she was raised a Fae. She has much to learn about our ways."

"Fae," muttered Ephasus. He bowed to his feet before Vyella, wrinkled his nose, and vanished into the trees.

"What's his problem?" Ruby demanded, crossing her arms.

Vyella rolled her eyes. "We're all here to serve you, and you don't appreciate it."

"How do you know I don't appreciate his job? Besides, he was scowling at me and rolling his eyes and flashing signs at me that I didn't understand."

"The Emblem of Constance." Vyella drew back her long-sleeved gown, revealing a circle of black ink identical to Ephasus' on her forearm. Fascinated, Ruby drew forwards. "It is the sign of our allegiance to the true heir to the Giant throne. The sign will burn any traitor or anyone who harbors ill wishes towards our cause."

"Why didn't it burn that guard, then? Ephasus?"

"Ephasus is one of our most valuable men. He proved his worth—you were born into yours. Now be quiet."