In the shower, I scrubbed myself until my skin turned red. Once I finished, I stood beneath the spray until my skin pruned, the water went cold, and it was past time to see my mother.
I left my bathroom in a fog of melancholy and defeat, pulled on a pair of pants and a green shirt, and headed downstairs to find my mother. When I opened the back door to reveal the rolling fields and acres of green crops, I scowled at the sun; I wasn’t in the mood for its cheery bullshit today.
With a sigh, I descended the steps and searched for my mother.
* * *
Ryker
Balancingthe tray of food carefully in one hand, I climbed the rope ladder, pushed open the door, and set the tray down inside my tree house before pulling myself inside. After I rose, my gaze instantly went to the bed where I expected to discover Ellery still sleeping soundly, like she was when I left only ten minutes ago.
Instead, the bed and the tree house were empty. “Shit.”
Lifting the tray, I carried it to the nightstand and set it on top. The plates of food filled with eggs, bread, and buxon meat would go uneaten.
I should have waited until she woke before retrieving breakfast for us, but I knew she’d be hungry when she did. Neither of us had eaten since early yesterday morning, and my own grumbling stomach was what roused me.
She’d been sleeping so soundly that I was sure I had plenty of time to return before she woke. Instead, she’d awakened to find herself alone and probably believed I’d purposely left her that way.
Well, Ihadleft her, but with every intention of returning. She didn’t know that, and after our most recent exchanges, she probably assumed nothing had changed between us, but it had.
“Shit,” I muttered again as I opened a portal.
I emerged within the Revenant Woods about half a mile from Ellery’s manor. This was a risk I shouldn’t be taking, but if I could talk to her, I would. We’d spent too much time apart, and I didn’t want another day to pass that way.
I had to be careful; if my father had someone watching her home, they’d report to him immediately if they spotted me. Ellery would be the one to suffer if that happened; if I saw them first, they’d never survive to tell him anything.
Making my way cautiously toward the manor, I kept to the shadows and brush while searching for anyone lurking near the trees. After an hour, I arrived at the edge of the road, across the street from her manor.
I stopped to study the home across the way. Scarlet’s brother ran out of the stables and down toward the crops as the distant clatter of wheels drifted down the road.
Slipping further into the shadows, I watched as a looming cloud of dust rose on the horizon, obscuring whoever approached.
CHAPTERNINETY-FOUR
Ryker
After a few minutes,a contingent of guards broke over the hill and descended toward the manor. I tensed as the sun glinted off the chain mail adorning the guards.
Behind them came a procession of about thirty amsirah men and women with chains binding their wrists and more chains running between each of them to connect them together. I eyed those chains; they were most likely magicked to keep an amsirah’s powers subdued, which meant these immortals were defenseless against their oppressors.
More guards rode beside the prisoners while five more brought up the rear. My tension mounted until I could feel the blood pulsing in my temples as the procession approached the manor.
This was a show for all in Tempest to see, but did the show plan to stop and add to its number? They’d taken Ellery’s mother once; would they take her again… or someone else?
If they went for Ellery, I’d kill them. I didn’t care if it destroyed everything we were working for, I’d never let them put her in chains and take her from here.
When Ellery, her mother, Scarlet, and Scarlet’s family emerged from behind the home, I prepared to intervene as lightning flicked across my fingers. Their eyes were wary as they stopped to watch the procession.
The first guards were nearly to the manor. They rode with their chins high and their gazes straight ahead; they seemed to have no intention of stopping, but who knew what these assholes had been commanded to do.
I held my breath as Ellery looked on in revulsion. I half expected her to do something stupid and try to intervene. Apparently, I wasn’t alone as Scarlet stepped a little in front of Ellery, and her mother gripped her arm.
Fire shone in Ellery’s eyes, but she didn’t move.Finally, she seemed to be thinking through the consequences of her actions; I wasn’t sure if that would last long enough for the guards to move on without her.
I braced myself for the contingent to stop, but the guards rode on without a glance in their direction. As they shuffled past, some of the amsirah held out their wrists and pleaded for help from Ellery and the others. The rest were so exhausted they never looked up.
I edged closer; I didn’t know if Ellery’s restraint would last. While I sympathized with the plight of these poor souls, I wished they’d stop talking. If they kept speaking, her self-control might snap, and shit would get ugly.
