Her eyes flickered over my face. “Whyare you doing this? You hate me.”
“I’m buying your loyalty. I’m after your expertise of the woods, roads, and stealing. I also want your power.”
“I’m not a killer.”
“No, you’re something more. You’re a rarity, and when that comes to light, which it will, many will follow you because of it. Tucker told me there have only been three times in history when two lightning bearers existed at the same time.
“One of those times was when I was a baby and my uncle was still alive, but I wasn’t known as a lightning bearer then. And now, we’re living in the fourth time, and only four of us are aware of it.”
“How does Tucker know that?”
“He and his father would pass the winter months by going to the temple to read through the history of Tempest. It was a fun pastime for them.”
“How… interesting. I’ve only ever been to the temple once before.”
I’d been to that sacred place a few times throughout my life; the massive, black stone building, was well-known throughout the land. It was the oldest structure in Tempest and well maintained to keep its four jutting turrets, numerous lightning rods, and dozens of gargoyles perched over the thick, wood door and along the roof in good condition.
The building contained over a hundred stained glass windows portraying past amsirah leaders and weather formations. Built to house all the amsirah’s history, it was three stories and separated into smaller, overcrowded rooms full of rolled parchments lining thousands of shelves on the first and second floors.
The third floor consisted of one wide-open space full of tables where amsirah could gather to read over the parchments. More shelves and parchments lined the walls around those tables.
The few times I was there, only two amsirah had sat at the tables. The king appointed scholars to run the place, and they spent their days ensuring the parchments remained in good condition. When they started breaking down, they either fixed them or copied the history onto a new parchment to ensure nothing was lost.
However, I wasn’t here to discuss the temple with her.
“Together, if we can gather enough money and support, we can make a stand against the assholes who trapped us here,” I said.
“Even your father?”
“Especially my father.”
Her fingers opened and closed as she absorbed my words. “Let’s say we did somehow, miraculously win against them, but we still couldn’t get free of Tempest. We can’t break the curse.”
“No, we can’t, but the amsirah won’t be taxed into starvation. They wouldn’t lose their homes or be tossed into cells for crimes they didn’t commit or committedyearsago and already paid the price for. I promised Leo I would look out for Tempest, and I will uphold that vow. Iwillreturn a just rule to this land.”
“So,youwill rule us?”
“The amsirah will decide the ruler. It’s time to get rid of the monarchy and aristocratic system. Birth will no longer determine our leaders.”
Her mouth parted, and hope filled her eyes. “The amsirah will have a say in what happens?”
“Yes.”
She smiled before it slipped away. “What you’re proposing will be almost impossible to achieve while we’re at their mercy.”
“Perhaps, but we’ll never know without trying, and I mean to try. The choice is yours to make, Ellery. You can take the money and agree to help me, or you can go to the palace, tell them what you are, and spend the rest of your life on your back, beneath the king or my father.”
My teeth scraped together at the idea of either of them on top of her, taking from her…destroyingher. She wasn’t mine anymore, but she once was, and that brief time of blissful, stupid oblivion had been amazing.
Sheismine. If anyone else dares to touch her, I’ll kill them.
I couldn’t have her anymore and didn’t want her, but I’d destroy anyone who dared to touch her.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
Ryker
Closing my eyes,I inhaled deeply as I tried to soothe the beast raging within me. If she went to Ivan, I might tear the palace down to get her out of there, and in doing so, I’d ruineverything.
