“I’m going to check on Ellery first; I’ll be back soon,” I told them.
Ianto paused at the edge of the woods. Something in my tone must have alerted him to my growing unease as his brow furrowed. “Do you think something’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure, but she’s usually here by now.”
He glanced at the sky. “I’ll come with you.”
“So will I,” Tucker said.
“No, you should stay here in case we miss her,” I told him.
He looked a lot better, but if something was happening at the manor, he wasn’t ready for it.
“I’m sure everything’s fine,” I assured him.
Tucker opened his mouth and closed it again before replying, “I’m sure you’re right.”
When we emerged from the trees, I lifted my hand to start opening a portal but froze when a distant wail came from deep within the trees. I exchanged confused glances with Ianto and Tucker as the distant screaming came closer.
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
Ryker
Everyonein the clearing stopped what they were doing and turned toward the noise. “Armor up!” Tucker bellowed.
Those words caused a flurry of motion as the amsirah tossed aside their plates, jumped fences, and clambered from their treehouses. They rushed to gather weapons for whatever was coming.
I freed my sword and braced my legs apart as the wail continued. Whatever was making that sound didn’t stop to take a breath as it approached.
I had no idea what the Revenant Woods was unleashing on us now, but knowing this place, it would try to kill us. And if it wasn’t planning to kill us, it would attract something that would.
As the endless, unbroken shout neared, in the distance, something flipped through the trees. It twisted round and round as it screeched like a wounded banshee while zipping straight through the trunks.
“What the fuck?” Ianto murmured.
“Is that… Farley?” I asked.
“I think so,” Tucker replied.
The poltergeist never stopped his incessant wailing as he sped toward us. I had no idea what followed him, but if it could make a poltergeist act like this, and they were already dead, then it really couldn’t be good.
Farley zoomed into the clearing and stopped his onward flight as he pulled up. He stopped wailing and twisted in a circle like he was searching for something.
Gibberish spewed from his mouth as his spinning eyes flitted from one amsirah to another. “They ate them! Theyatethem!”
“What’s wrong with him?” Tucker asked.
“What isn’t wrong with him?” Ianto retorted.
Not much.
When Farley’s eyes landed on me, he stopped spinning and zipped across the clearing toward us. “They ate them! They ate them!”
I stepped away from the frantic poltergeist as he skidded to a halt before me.
“THEY ATE THEM!”
His screeched words caused me to wince. “Okay, Farley, calm down. You’re not making any sense. Who ate who?”
