“We should be able to light fires tomorrow,” Ianto said. “I agree with keeping them doused for today, but this far below the earth, the smoke probably won’t make it to the surface.”
“And what if it does reach the surface and they’re close enough to detect it?” I asked. “Not to mention the smoke is going to fill this cavern.”
“We can use wind to disperse it,” Ruby suggested. “But we need those fires, Ellery.”
She was right, wedidneed those fires, and for more than warmth and cooking. We all needed the comfort, familiarity, and light they’d provide.
It wouldn’t take long before being trapped in the shadows started driving everyone mad. I couldn’t let that happen, but what was I supposed to do?
My mind again flashed back to the image of the black dog turning its back on me and trotting away. The message of its ass facing us was clear, but so was what the forest wanted from me.
It had drawn me there for one thing and one thing only… the gargoyles.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Ellery
My hand fellto the outside of the pocket where I’d tucked Ryker’s finger. When tears burned my eyes, I suppressed a sniffle as the full enormity of everything hit me.
From the second I’d felt that sense of wrongness from Ryker, it had been a steady stream of go anddo. But now, surrounded by amsirah rushing to reestablish some sense of normalcy to their tattered lives, I felt sucker punched by the magnitude of it all.
The duke had Ryker. That bastard was already cutting pieces off him, and if I didn’t dosomethingto stop it, he’d destroy his only child.
The duke had already tried for centuries to break Ryker and failed, but things were different now. Before, that asshole kept Ryker alive for his own nefarious purposes, but the only reason he had to keep him alive now was… me.
But that wouldn’t be enough to stop him from cutting off more pieces of him. He’d probably bring them to the woods in the hopes they’d somehow find their way back to me.
I gulped at the possibility he could be doing exactly that right now. The collar of my shirt suddenly felt too tight; I tugged at it, but it did little to ease the constriction in my throat.
“Here,” Ruby said.
I didn’t realize tears had filled my eyes until I had to blink her into focus. Concern etched her face as she draped something around my shoulders and buttoned it at my throat.
My fingers ran over the deerskin cloak as I tried to find comfort in its warmth and softness, but until Ryker was free, I’d never find solace in anything again. “Thank you,” I murmured.
“You must be cold.”
I was freezing, but it had nothing to do with the air surrounding me. It was no worse down here than above; it might even be a little warmer since we were out of the wind.
The ice encasing my bonds and enshrouding my soul was entirely from the empty void I felt without Ryker. I had to keep the amsirah safe, but I couldn’t leave Ryker at the duke’s mercy.
We’d been working to build loyalty amongst the amsirah in the towns and villages and had formed a small army here, but it was far from enough. Not to mention, I didn’t trust any amsirah outside of these woods anymore.
All that loyalty and hope we’d tried to establish through our robberies had proved to be for nothing. Val had turned on us, and others could too.
Val had done it to save her son, and while I understood that, her actions shattered my faith in everything I’d believed we’d accomplished. Not only that, but an amsirah from our encampment had revealed our location.
I couldn’t think about what the duke did to them to get that information. It had to have been horrible, but they’d still traded the lives of hundreds to save themselves. And I doubted they’d saved themselves; they probably just ended the torture.
However, I couldn’t judge. I’d never endured torture before; I had no idea how I’d handle it. I believed I wouldn’t cave and destroy the lives of hundreds, but what did I know?
Right now, I felt like a foolish girl who was losing everything I’d loved and had such faith in. And if I didn’t do something soon, I’d lose more.
I moved my hand away from the finger in my pocket. It couldn’t stay there; it would soon start to rot, but I still couldn’t bring myself to part with it.
It’s NOT Ryker.
That choked sobbing sound caught in my throat again. When Ruby stepped toward me, I held up my hand to keep her away. I couldn’t handle sympathy and hugs right now; I’d completely fall apart in her arms, and I didn’t have time for that.
