Ianto shrugged. “You would know better than me.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“We’re not lying,” a teen boy said defensively. “I know what I saw.”
A young girl spoke up. “Me too.”
“I’m sure you do,” I assured them. “But that doesn’t help me understandwhythey did it.”
“Because the aristocrats and king are vicious, murdering bastards who’d like nothing more than to see us all ground beneath their heels,” Ianto said.
I studied the teens before shifting my attention to the giant and the thunderous expression on his face. Ellery had rattled my confidence in my instincts regarding others, but my gut screamed that I could trust this man.
He would make a powerful ally not just because of his size but also his big heart and hatred for those who ruled us. Many wouldn’t have bothered to find any of the children, yet he had, and he was keeping them alive in this place where many perished.
Ultimately, I decided to trust my instincts when it came to him. Yes, Ellery had fooled me, but, at heart, she was a good person willing to sacrifice everything for those she loved and the realm. In the end, I had to trust that my instincts were right about that when it came to her.
“I think we have a lot to discuss,” I told him.
CHAPTERSIXTY-FOUR
Ellery
I dressed againbefore Ianto led us to a small encampment where four younger children cooked a couple of buxons over a small fire. The six older kids removed their weapons as they went to join the others.
After we entered the complex, Ianto closed the gate in the twelve-foot-high fence surrounding the small shelters tucked inside.
“How long have you been here?” Ryker asked Ianto.
“About a month.”
Around the edges of the fence, a dozen lean-to shelters were tucked securely beneath the trees. There were enough of them for each child to have their own, and even though there were six teens amongst them, they were barely more than children.
One of the teenagers broke away to join a young girl of four or five; she was the youngest in the group and held a small, battered teddy. When the teen knelt before her, he ruffled her brown hair, which had a hue similar to his.
The girl smiled at him before wrapping her small arms around his neck. The young man lifted her and settled on the ground with her still in his arms.
“That’s Avi and Danica,” Ianto said as he followed the direction of her gaze. “They’re brother and sister.”
“How old is she?”
“She’s four, and he’s fifteen. Their parents were killed during the Ghoul War, and their home was destroyed.”
My heart ached for all they’d lost. We’d soon have to move on from our manor, but that paled in comparison to all they’d endured so early in their lives. “And now they’ve lost their other home for somestupidreason.”
“They’re safe here… for now. This isn’t exactly the best place to have children, but I didn’t know where else to take them. I don’t know why they set that orphanage on fire, and I didn’t feel safe taking them to another. What if it happens again?”
“They wouldn’t do it again!” I gasped.
“Wouldn’t they? We have no idea why they destroyed this one; maybe they plan to burn them all. Maybe the king and his cronies are tired of supporting the children, and this is their eviction notice.”
Horror filled me as my gaze swung to Ryker. “That can’t be true.”
He tore his attention away from the children, opened his mouth to respond before closing it again, and focused on the kids. “I don’t know, Ellery. I spoke with my father yesterday and can assure you the burning of orphanages didn’t come up in our brief conversation.”
So his fatheriswhy he was in such a pissy mood earlier.
“I’d like to say they wouldn’t, but I also didn’t think they’d ever trap almost everyone in Tempest either,” Ryker continued. “They’re all greedy fucks, and the orphanagesaresupported by the realm. However, it’s been a month since the fire, and there haven’t been any more of them. If they did destroy the orphanages so as not to pay for them, then they would have taken themallout by now. Plus, I don’t see them hiding their colors if this was the king’s orders.”
