Val’s eyebrows rose at this.Mostly, the sea villages stayed out of the things happening near the palace.
They were taxed as badly as the towns closest to the palace, but since they were so far away, they weren’t under constant scrutiny.They’d managed to avoid the worst of Ivan’s wrath and now the duke’s.
Until the duke took their children, the sea communities mostly stayed to themselves, but the new policies had changed that.
“You would try to rob him in one of thevillages?”Val asked.“Have you spent any time in them?Do you know their layouts?”
“Some,” Ryker murmured.
“A little, for one of them,” I admitted.
“There are many from the sea communities in our establishment now; while most of us don’t know the villages as well as the towns, they could help us formulate a plan,” Tucker said.
We had to make our presence known against the duke again, or we’d lose some of the momentum and loyalty we’d gained with the amsirah.Once we did, we’d lose the bubble of happiness we’d discovered here.
We couldn’t hide in the forest forever; the duke would come for us once he finished exerting his dominance over Tempest.For now, he was focused on breaking the amsirah’s spirits, but thatwouldchange.
There was no way he’d let Ryker and me live a life of happiness.Heloathedus and was determined to destroy Ryker; I didn’t like thinking about what he’d do to me.
Plus, we couldn’t stay hidden while so many others suffered.The magnetic storm and approaching winter had shifted our focus to survival, but I already lived with the guilt of the gargoyles; I couldn’t hide here while he brutalized the amsirah.
I’d become the Hooded Robber to protect them, and I wouldn’t abandon them now, even if I was petrified of losing everyone I loved.
“We’ll have to figure it out,” Ryker said.“There will be alotof guards on that caravan, and without the Revenant Woods to hide us, it will be more dangerous to go after this procession, especially since we don’t know the terrain.”
He made it sound like we wouldn’t rob the caravan, but we would.He was either trying to come across as doubtful because Val was here and he didn’t want her to know too much, or because his mind was already spinning with possible plans.We trusted Val but couldn’t burden her with this knowledge; she was already risking enough by helping us.
Val looked between us before handing the sack she carried over to Ryker.Within, a rooster squirmed angrily; I planned to run from that sack when it opened.
“He’s feisty, so be careful,” she warned.
“We always are,” Ryker assured her.
CHAPTERNINETY-SIX
Ryker
Long after most ofthe camp had retired for the night, Ellery, Tucker, Ianto, Scarlet, Luna, Callan, and I sat on benches at one of the tables.Torches and fire flickered around us; their smoky scent filled the air.
Thankfully, they wouldn’t be seen this deep in the Revenant Woods.Most of the smoke dissipated before it rose too high amongst the towering trees.
From the woods, the guards for the first shift kept watch.A few listened to us, but most focused on the forest.
Tucker sat at the table as he unrolled a map of Seacrest, one of the fishing villages on the outskirts of Tempest.He’d gotten a lot of information for the map from the dozen or so residents that had joined us.The rest he’d gathered on his own with a quick trip to the village.
Because of the hills surrounding Seacrest, we’d decided it was the best place to attempt a robbery.My father would also realize its terrain made it more vulnerable than the other sea villages, but the rest were surrounded by water and wide-open land where it was impossible to hide.
“Most of the town is laid out in one big strip,” Tucker said.“It runs along the coast for about five miles, and its center is a fishing warehouse, some shops, and a few homes.For the most part, most of the houses sit on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.”
“Can we use those cliffs?”Ellery asked.
“They’re far too steep, and we’d have to go into town to get to them.We can’t open a portal onto the side of them; there’s no shoreline beneath the cliffs.We can’t risk moving through the town.While many amsirah are with us, I’m sure some of them would gladly hand you two over for the reward.Our best bet is to stay on the outskirts of town and in these hills here.”
Tucker planted his finger on a set of hills he’d sketched on the map.“Some of the other hills would provide better cover, but because of that, they might be under more scrutiny.They’re saying the duke assigned thousands of guards to the caravan.”
I folded my arms over my chest as I studied the map while pondering Tucker’s words.On the map, the hills cut off Seacrest from the rest of the realm.
They weren’t impossible mountains to climb, but they provided a barrier that isolated the village.I was sure many residents felt safer because of them… until my father stole their children.
