Page 13 of A Tempest of Shadows

It was only when the dark-haired ruffian, as my father called her, joined us for dinner that we learned she was the daughter of our hosts. Her hair was still wet when she joined us at the table, and her cheeks remained flushed from the cold and exertion, but she’d changed into a green dress.

She’d tripped over her chair leg, dragging it briefly across the floor before she plopped onto the chair. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she’d apologized as her cheeks burned redder.

“That’s okay, dear,” her father replied.

His simple, kind response astounded me more than her late, somewhat disheveled arrival. If I’d arrived late at her age, my father would have beaten me until I couldn’t sit for a week.

It had been centuries since my father last had the balls to hit me, but the memories of those far-too-frequent lashings during my childhood didn’t fade. Nor did my hatred for the man who had unleashed those beatings.

But Ellery’s father was amused by his daughter’s late arrival as he beamed at her. Her mother had also smiled lovingly at her while a servant poured us all wine.

My mother died when I was a child, and I still recalled her love, but many years had passed since I experienced it for myself. This woman’s family had been full of love and laughter, something different from mine.

At the time, it fascinated me, but I’d honestly forgotten about that night until I saw her again. And time had changed the young, lanky girl… a lot.

She’d grown into a beautiful woman whose eyes were still completely captivating, but the rest of her had caught up to her eyes. She’d gone from a gangly, slightly awkward teen to a beautiful woman with an hourglass figure emphasized by her formfitting, indigo dress and the red sash around her waist.

If I didn’t have more important things to focus on right now, she could become a very fun distraction, but I couldn’t let that happen until I learned what she knew about the thief. She was the only familiar face in this crowd, and I would get answers from her.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ryker

While she held the WANTED poster, I searched her face as she frowned at the picture before shifting her attention back to me. “What do you know about this thief?” I asked.

“The same as everyone else. The Hooded Robber steals from the rich and gives to the poor.”

My brow furrowed at her words. “Is that what they’re saying about him?”

When her eyes met mine again, I became momentarily lost in their beauty. I’d never seen eyes like them before and doubted I ever would again; they were entrancing.

“They’re not saying it about him; it’s the truth. The Hooded Robber has ensured the families in The Hollows and other towns have food, something that hasn’t been easy for them to guarantee since the king went to war.”

“There’s plenty of food⁠—”

My words were drown out by a cheer from the crowd as a second young man bounced across the ground a few feet to our left.

“But there’s not,” she said when the noise died down. “While you’ve been at war, things have changed in Tempest.”

I’d been through more things than war for the past two years. I’d also spent a year in Doomed Valley, the most lethal place I’d ever encountered, and three months in a dungeon where snakelike monsters, who thoroughly enjoyed making others suffer, tortured me and my friends.

I’d also neglected my realm during all that time. Yes, I’d been trying to protect it from ghouls and then trying to rescue its king, but I hadn’t put much thought into Tempest or what was happening here.

That hadn’t changed since I returned. I’d never had much patience for politics and bullshit. I had less now. I’d far prefer to forget all of it in women and drink, but this thief had intruded on my oblivious bubble, and I wouldn’t tolerate that.

“I doubt they’ve changed so much that lawlessness is now considered a good thing,” I said.

She tapped her foot and glanced at the poster again. “The Hooded Robber is all the amsirah of The Hollows and nearby towns have to keep them going. Lawlessness isn’t good, but neither is starving to death.”

“This asshole stole from me today. He took money meant for the immortals of this kingdom⁠—”

Her bark of laughter cut off the rest of what I’d been about to say as hostility emanated from her. “That’s a lie.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

I’d never experienced such a thing before… from anyone. She wasn’t a commoner, but she was far below me in social standing, and King Leo himself wouldn’t have dared to say such a thing to me.

Realizing this, her hostility faded as she glanced anxiously around. “No, of course not, but you’ve been away for years. Things have changed here.”