I didn’t protest as he opened another portal, and I followed him into it.
CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR
Ryker
“You can pullelectricity from the ground too.” It wasn’t a question; I’d seen her standing in the woods with energy bolts zipping across her fingertips after she revealed she was the Hooded Robber. That electricity hadn’t come from the sky; I was certain of it.
Ellery shifted her attention from the forest to me. “Yes.”
“Good. We’ll eventually have to practice more with you drawing it from the sky, but even this deep in the woods, someone might notice you doing so and come to see what’s going on. I prefer to keep that from happening.”
I really didn’t want to kill someone to keep her secret safe… until it became necessary. Her abilities would come out one day, butIwould decide when the time was right.
“Let’s get to work,” I stated.
“Where are we?”
“I thought you knew the Revenant Woods so well.”
Her hands fisted. “I never claimed to know everything about them. These woods comprise half of Tempest and are thousands uponthousandsof acres. I could spend an eternity in them and still not learnalltheir secrets.”
Deciding to take pity on her, I revealed, “I’m not sure where we are; my best guess is we’re about halfway into the forest, but it’s impossible to tell. We’re safe here.”
“Maybe from other amsirah, but we’re never safe from the woods.”
She looked around again before removing the bow and quiver from her back. She set them against a tree and patted the dagger at her side as she walked toward me.
“After we’ve trained together for a while, I should have you start working with Tucker’s followers. They’re all eager to learn more and ready to fight against those who have destroyed their lives. Tucker’s good with a bow and arrow, but you’re better,” I stated as she stopped a few feet away from me.
“I know.”
My lips quirked toward a smile before I quickly suppressed it. I didn’t like being amused by this woman or her confidence.
“I’m better than you know. I held back with them when I was with you,” she said. “I couldn’t have you seeing how good Ireallyam and start suspecting me as the Hooded Robber.”
That reminder and the revelation of yetanotherdeceit caused my eyelid to twitch. Every time I thought I might not hate her as much as I believed, she reminded me that I did.
“How kind of you,” I remarked.
Shadows still marred eyes that didn’t hold the same twinkle they once did, but she didn’t look as defeated today. “We all do what’s necessary to survive.”
“Stealing wasn’t necessary for your survival.”
“No, but it was for some others. How many of those in Tucker’s settlement do you think I helped? If they learned the truth about me, how many of them would be happy to see me and welcome me with open arms?”
“Their feelings for the Hooded Robber is why I plan to use you to my advantage.”
“And between you, your father, and the king, you are the lesser of the evils?”
“I’m trying to help the amsirah too, and at least I won’t rape you until you bear me a child.”
“That doesn’t make you a lesser evil.”
We glared at each other.
“I suppose, in the end, what matters is you’ve finally seen the light about what is going on here,” she said. “When we first met, you preferred to keep your head in the sand while allowing the sheriff and king to do as they pleased. You were even going to let the sheriff take Mouse’s hand.”
“The boy tried to steal from me; he knew the penalty for that, and I savedyourhand that day.”
