Page 25 of A Tempest of Shadows

And when I did get my hands on them, I was going to rip that hood off and answer my curiosity about the thief before taking them to Samael. I had no idea what would happen once they discovered another lightning bearer in the realm and didn’t care.

That was for Samael and Ivan to figure out. I was just going to capture the bastard and make him pay.

I arrived where I’d found the Hooded Robber kneeling next to a tree. When I walked over to the trunk, I spotted the pixie door.

It was so carefully and perfectly carved into the trunk that it was almost impossible to distinguish the door from the tree. It was a perfect hiding spot.

Bending, I opened the door and smiled when I spotted my chest inside. I pulled it out and flipped open the lid. Much of the carisle remained within, but some was missing.

What did they do with it all?

I was sure some of it went to The Hollows and other towns. Those amsirah were too loyal to the Robber not to be reaping the benefits of his thieving, but there was no way the Robber hadn’t taken some for themselves.

They wouldn’t get any more.

Lifting the chest, I tucked it under my arm and carried it out of the woods to the edge of The Hollows. Thin, bedraggled, and exhausted immortals didn’t notice me as they passed.

The giant encouraged others to wrestle him, but he had fewer takers than when I saw him a few weeks ago and far less of a crowd. He would have to find a new occupation or move on soon.

I studied the street while plotting my next move. The Hooded Robber must be one of the immortals in The Hollows or another town, but trying to prove that was more difficult than I’d anticipated.

He also used the Revenant Woods to keep himself and his stolen treasures hidden. Turning, I studied the woods that many in The Hollows and other towns knew well. They’d grown up beside the forest and often hunted their dinner from it.

I’d never spent a lot of time in the forest and had zero desire to do so, but if I was going to find the Hooded Robber, I would have to figure these woods out. However, they had a lot of secrets that many knew far better than me.

I could try hiring one of them to help me, but I doubted they’d accept. They weren’t turning on the Hooded Robber for the reward, and I didn’t see them agreeing to help me for money.

It was a place to start. Trudging out of the woods, I kept the chest against my side as I hunted for someone to help me navigate the Revenant Woods.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Ellery

There were few things in the world I dreaded more than going to the coronation. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to refuse.

I didn’t think about what would happen to anyone who dared to try, but I doubted anyone would do so. My mother and I certainly weren’t about to say no.

I wanted to stomp my feet while complaining about the unfairness of it all, but whining wouldn’t get me anywhere; we would still have to go, and I was twenty-three, not three. Still, every part of me dreaded this as we descended the stone steps of the manor and strolled across the cobblestone drive to the waiting carriage.

The carriage had seen better days. The chips in the maroon paint were getting bigger and more frequent. The step on the other side was broken, and a tear revealed the stuffing in one of the seat cushions, but money for paint and supplies was almost nonexistent.

Mother was barely making our increased tax payments every month. Like many others in the realm, we had nothing to spare for such trivial things, but we still had more than most, and for that, I was grateful.

When the door closed behind me, it was with a finality that reminded me of someone shutting the lid on my coffin. I resisted tugging at the collar of my dress and tried to keep my breathing steady as I battled my impulse to jump out the door.

At one time, we had a footman and driver for the carriage, but those days were gone. Scarlet’s father would take us to the coronation, which meant he would also miss work on the manor today, and only Scarlet, her mother, and brother would remain to take care of the animals and crops.

He could at least return via a portal after we arrived and return in a few days to bring us home, but I would be trapped there. It would have been so much easier if we could have opened a portal to the palace, but the prince’s invitation stated that he expected everyone to arrive in carriages.

He probably wanted to witness the spectacle of all those carriages rolling across the land, through the woods, and up to the palace. I hated him.

The horse’s harness jingled as it started down the dirt road toward the city. We would have to cut through some of the Revenant Woods, but that didn’t concern me. No Hooded Robber hunted the woods today, and we’d be on the outskirts where there weren’t as many creatures looking to eat us.

There were other thieves in the woods, but I doubted any of them would be brave enough to try to rob someone going to the prince’s coronation. The sheriff had ordered extra guards on the roads to keep the prince’s guests safe as they traveled to the palace.

And the Hooded Robber was taking a break. After my close call with Ryker in the woods, I’d decided to call it quits.

He’d come too close to capturing me, and while I wanted to help others, I couldn’t keep stealing while he was hunting for me. If anyone could catch me, it was him, and I wasn’t ready to die.