I blinked at them as realization sank in. It hadn’t been Ryker who was in jeopardy… it wasme.
I’d been so focused on my mother that I hadn’t paid attention tomysurroundings, and they’d been almost on top of me with their sword in hand. Iknewbetter than to become so focused on one thing that I forgot everything else.
My father had drilled it into my head from the time I was a child until the day he died, that I always had to take in my surroundings and pay attention to everything. And I had known to do that; I always had. That was why I had survived the Revenant Woods when so many others fell.
But here, amongst this anarchy, I’d been so focused on getting to my mother that I’d almost blown it. I cursed my stupidity as I slipped away from the amsirah, who was trying to push themself up from the hole, but their hands kept slipping in their blood.
It didn’t matter if they got free as another amsirah emerged from the shadows with a sword in hand and their mouth compressed into a flat line as they stalked toward me. Their eyesscanned me, not with lust but with the analytical assessment of someone seeking something.
I wore no jewelry. I had none left. We’d sold it to help keep the manor afloat. They seemed to have realized this as their eyes met mine again. They gleamed with hostility.
The only jewelry of any worth that remained in my family’s possession were my mother’s and father’s wedding rings. There was also a beautiful ruby necklace my father had given my mother on the day they married. I’d sell the manor before I let her give up either of those things.
My hand tensed on my sword as I prepared to take on another attacker. I wasn’t a killer, but I’d do whatever it took to keep me and my mother alive.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Ellery
From behind them,another amsirah emerged, and my heart sank as I prepared to take on two attackers. But though the second figure also wore a hood, it didn’t charge me. Instead, it went for the one stalking me.
They pounced on the first one’s back and dragged them to the floor. The first amsirah hit the ground, and the second landed on top of them. The second one planted their hands on the first’s back and hissed something in their ear.
I had no idea why the one rebel had turned on another, and I couldn’t hear their exchange, but their fight was enough of a distraction for me to dash away from them and toward my mother. As I ran, a gust of wind billowed into the room. It tore the artwork from the walls, whipped my skirt around my ankles, and blew my hair across my face.
Carried in by the wind, a deluge of rain pounded the room as chunks of hail pelted the floor closest to the garden doors. Its loud thudding blended in with the raucous battle. Its ozone scent hung heavily in the air.
As I ran, I darted in and out of the amsirah fighting in the middle of the floor while also trying to avoid their swords, crossbows, and daggers. A woman ran past me, screaming as blood poured from the gash in her head.
A hooded amsirah grabbed the woman’s necklace, yanking her off her feet. Pearls bounced off the floor when the necklace broke, and the woman crashed to the ground with a cry.
I avoided the pearls scattering across the floor as wind whipped rain around me, soaking my clothes and turning the marble into a slippery mess. I slid forward, nearly crashing into a guard who shoved me away from him.
My arms spun, and I nearly lost my grip on my sword as I tried to keep from falling. The rain fell in thick sheets that drenched my hair and clothes, making it almost impossible to see more than a few inches before me.
The wind didn’t carry the hail as far, but while I couldn’t see it, its incessant thudding echoed throughout the room. Thunder no longer shook the room, but I was sure Ryker was stalking anyone who sought to attack me.
It took all I had to keep my drenched hair from whipping my face as I tried to maintain my balance on the slippery floor. Puddles of water and blood pooled on the smooth surface.
I wasn’t used to the pandemonium filling the room, but I didn’t think anyone could have prepared for something like this. Amsirah rarely turned their powers on each other, not only because the amsirah you turned them on might also be able to control your ability and possibly be stronger with it, but also out of respect.
I’d never heard of anything like this happening, but all common decency had flown out the window as amsirah unleashed their powers on each other. It was one more thing that showed how broken Tempest had become.
I was getting closer to my mother when I felt a shift in air pressure, and a roar filled the room. The hair on my nape rose as an icy chill washed over me.
I glanced toward the open patio doors as the wind bellowed inside. It tore paintings from the walls, knocked over precious artifacts, and spun them into a frenzy.
The gale tore all around us while twisting itself into something more. I had no idea who was controlling this, but I suspected it was more than one amsirah, as the wind spun itself into multiple small tornadoes that twirled around the room.
Since the air that created these funnels had swept in from outside, some carried snow, hail, and rain as they pelted everyone with debris. More tornadoes swirled into formation as they tore through what little art remained on the walls and swept up some of the more unfortunate souls before flinging them out again.
I lost my mother as the debris and lashing rain created a wall between us. My dress battered my legs, making movement difficult, as one of the tornadoes surged toward me.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Ellery
Gathering wind around me,I lifted my hands and pushed the powerful cyclone away. Within the towering whirlwind, pieces of clothing, jewelry, and fragmented parts of artwork spun around and flew out as I pushed them away from me.
