“Yes, I am.”He lifted a dried piece of meat and bit into it.“Eat.Neither of us will be useful if we don’t have the energy to help.”
I couldn’t argue with that as I fished a piece of meat from the pouch and ate it.I was still chewing one when Scarlet emerged from behind the barn, released a small squeal, and ran to meet us.
I grinned as she crashed into my side, wrapped her arms around me, and squeezed.“There you are!”
“Here I am,” I said as I hugged her.
She leaned back to look at me.“Are you okay?”
“Starved.How about you?”
“It was crazy, but we survived.”
“And now it’s time to rebuild,” Tucker said.“Let’s get to work.”
I swallowed the dry meat before resting my head on Scarlet’s shoulder.I stared around the clearing as I prepared for what was to come.
CHAPTEREIGHTY-THREE
Ryker
We spentthe next three weeks rebuilding the encampment and settling the newcomers.Unfortunately, we’d lost all the chickens, but everyone had survived, and the rest of the farm animals endured the storm.
When Val returned, she brought some of the children’s fathers.We asked her to bring us more chickens, and she did so the next day.
Farley let us know about another encampment in the woods.He said it would take half a day to get there, but we weren’t ready for more newcomers.We still didn’t have enough shelters for those we’d already brought in, and some amsirah were still sharing their homes.
The lingering summer heat released its grip on the days as September gave way to October.We woke to chilly mornings, and extra, warmer clothes became necessary.
We’d started forging small metal containers for the homes so everyone could have a heat source once winter settled in.The containers weren’t large, but with the windows closed and the covers over the doors, they would warm the tree houses.
The workers would fit each residence with a metal pipe that ran up from the container and out the ceiling to vent the smoke.Having fires in such small, flammable spaces wasn’t exactly comforting, but neither was freezing to death.
While I worked on building tree houses, Ellery and Fletcher ran a small group of men and women who spent most of their days hunting.Before, while some extra food was stored in the camp, it was a few days’ supply at most, but we required more than that for the winter.
Tucker and Ianto were adding to the drying shed while also assembling a barn to store the meat the hunters brought in.Old wood was being gathered and dried while others downed trees for the next year.We needed at least a couple of months’ worth of supplies.
Ellery assured us that some animals would remain out for the winter, but many would hibernate.Winters in Tempest could often be brutal; there might be some days we could barely leave our homes, never mind hunt.
The hunters were working to bring in plenty of meat to dry and store for the winter.Their stripped hides were turned into warmer clothes and blankets to protect everyone from the cold.
With most of our focus on ensuring the encampment survived the winter, we heard little of the outside world.We knew things weren’t good in Tempest, but we could block that out as survival became our focus.
I still planned to take my father down and destroy the suffocating hold he and the nobles had on our realm, but we had to ensure that all those we’d taken in lived to fight that war.
When Farley brought word Val had returned with another group of women and children, we couldn’t turn them away, even though we weren’t prepared to house them.We were working on building extra shelters for new arrivals, but so far, we’d only succeeded in erecting two of them.
Still, I followed the infuriating poltergeist through the woods with Ianto and Callan beside me.Farley assured me we were nearly there when I sensed Ellery somewhere nearby.
I stopped walking to examine the sunlight filtering through the leaves in golden rays that lit patches of the forest floor.Birds sang from their perches as they fluttered through the trees.
Ianto stopped beside me.“What is it?”
“Ellery,” I said.“She’s nearby.”
“Is this that freaky thing you did in the cave too?”
The corner of my mouth twitched toward a smile.“Freaky thing?”
